Yakima

This pretty new Yakima from Plymouth is really cool!

It's a single ply fingering weight yarn with some lovely dark halo action happening thanks to the 15% yak content. Several folks on Ravelry are making a Belmina lace cowl/kerchief sort of thing.

I think I would try holding this yarn together with some mohair to pump up the dark halo affect.

I love this combo. It would make a nice Oslo hat too, perhaps? Any excuse to knit another hat.

Kelbourne Perennial

If you need a neon pink fingering yarn, we have you covered. The Kelbourne Woolens Perennial is a really vibrant superwash merino/alpaca blend with just enough nylon to give it some strength. Between the nylon and the superwash, you can make some really cool socks with this stuff! Maybe some mustard yellow and hot pink stripes?

If it's not socks you're after, there are so many other options. I love the delicate colorwork on this Stonecrop Pullover.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

How about this Soldotna Crop?

Photo borrowed from Rav project page.

I've been longing for an Oslo Hat. You'd need to hold the Perennial with some silk mohair for that magical halo. Do I need a hot pink one or a more subtle one like this pretty hat?

Photo borrowed from Rav project page.

I think we should all make one. Which color do you like best?

Hearthstone

Well this pretty yarn ended up flying right under my radar, but I'm so glad we found it when I was in last week. 

The Plymouth Hearthstone is a merino and alpaca blend (80/20), so it will have just the right amount of that alpaca drape with some nice durability from the merino wool. Each skein is 436 yards of fingering weight yarn, so one or two will make an ample shawl, and you'll need to 3-5 for a sweater depending on the design and size.

I am pretty much in love with these marls and naturals, so I need to figure out what to make with these four.

Daydreamer Ideas

Have you all seen the newest from super-designer Andrea Mowry? Oh my goodness, the Daydreamer is knit up with a strand of Farmer's Daughter Soka'pii and one strand of Mighty Mo. 

The Daydreamer (pic borrowed from Rav pattern page)

The Soka'pii is a fingering weight Rambouilett from Wyoming and Montana, and its slightly nubbly and rustic texture is so so cool. Mighty Mo is a gorgeous mohair and silk blend that really adds halo and highlights to the finished knit. 

I'm always impressed at how substantial and heavenly a fingering weight and a lace mohair yarn knit up. They make a fabric that is lofty but warm and snuggly all at the same time. Plus, these color combos can't be beat.

I mean...

I might also be coming around on the cropped sweater idea. As a relatively tall girl, I really don't like feeling like things are too short on me, but I have started wearing my one cropped sweater more and more frequently. I can see how something like this lovely Daydreamer might be a perfect choice. Are you all cropped sweater fans? I am seeing them more and more frequently lately.

Eye Candy

A fresh batch of this GORGEOUS Illimani Sabri arrived last week...so fresh that it was still in the plastic when I arrived. This fingering weight yarn is 85% cotton and 15% alpaca, and as soft as can be.

If you have seen this kerchief in the shop, then you know how lovely it is and how nicely it knits up. Our last batch of this yarn disappeared in a long weekend, so I would certainly suggest that you grab it while you can!

Qing Fibre Merino Fingering

I'm on a color kick this week, apparently. Forgive me...it is very grey outside. While I love the rain and winter, a little pop of color always helps. The Merino Fingering from Qing Fibre is really doing my brain some good, even if I am feeling most drawn to the dark green on the left above.

The speckles on these are also bringing me joy. I hope they do the same for you all!

Cestari Mt. Vernon Fingering

Do you ever get a yarn stuck in your brain? You see it in the shop and it's not super flashy or crazy, but it's so beautiful that you cannot stop thinking about it? Especially when you accidentally line up three lovely and complementary colors right next to each other for a photo shoot?

Well, this happened with the Cestari Mt.Vernon Fingering in these particular colors. I'm not normally drawn to pink, but with this creamy natural and dreamy dove grey...well I can't stop thinking about what I could make with these. Other than a lovely little stack on a shelf in my bedroom, of course.

There are many other amazing shades of this yarn as well. Look at that red! Holy yarn it's hard to find a good red sometimes.

And check out these springy skeins. So cheerful! The yarn itself has a bit of a springy and bouncy feel to it, and it would be great for textured stitches or cables. Don't you just want to squeeze it?

Each skein is 360 yards of woolen-spun merino wool, grown and processed in the USA and kettled-dyed to these rich and vibrant colors. They leave a little bit of the lanolin in there to make it soft and a little bit water resistant.

Somehow I have talked myself into popping to the shop to take a few of these home with me. What will I make with these beauties? Any suggestions from the blog hive-mind?

Swan's Island Sterling Fingering

This Sterling Fingering yarn from Swan's Island is sort of breathtaking. It's 85% merino, which is luxurious and lustrous, and 15% naturally black alpaca, which gives it a smokey look. Take a look at these shades.

The jewel tones all play really nicely together. I love the Zara Hat and Mitts Set, and I think you can make three whole sets with three colors of yarn.

Pic borrowed from Swan's Island website.

Look at the Newbury Scarf. Five colors and so much drapey scarf goodness.

Pic borrowed from Swan's Island website.

I really love the muted color palette and stylish patterns they've developed for this yarn, and the dark undertones are really appealing. I think I might need some of this for a hat sooner than later. Time to chose my favorite color!

PCC Yarn

We have a little bit of this super special PCC Yarn in the shop, and it's making me so happy. These skeins of wooly goodness come from the Vet Tech program at Portland Community College. Students in the program learn to care for a variety of animals, from cats to cows. 

The wool from the sheep used to be thrown away, but now it is processed into this rustic sheepy fingering weight wool. I doubt we will get too much more of this, so pop in soon if you're interested. It doesn't get much more local than this!

Ultra Alpaca Fine

We have Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine on the shelves! If you are familiar with the sport/DK, worsted, and chunky weights of Ultra Alpaca, you know what a wonderful line of yarn this is. While the other weights are 50/50 wool and alpaca, Fine has a little nylon for added durability. It's also machine washable! Happy day!

I love the Ultra Alpaca line. I've only used it for a few projects, and I'm trying to figure out why. It's like a workhorse yarn with just a little luxury thanks to the alpaca. Fancy workhorse, let's say. The hand of the knitted fabric is nice and even, but it's certainly not heavy. The balance of the wool and alpaca prevents it from becoming too warm or too dense.

I've always been a fan of the melange and heathered shades of this yarn. The greens, oranges, and purples always catch my eye. This beautiful light weight would be so nice for a shawl or baby sweater. I also have a thing for holding yarns together, and this would be a great choice. Did you know that two strands of fingering weight yarn will knit up to a worsted weight? Yup. It works really well. Oh, the possibilities.

Bio Bimbo

Bio Bimbo! It's the variegated cousin to Bio 5, a lovely fingering weight cotton that is as soft as bunnies sleeping on clouds. I used it for my little stripey baby sweater last summer. 

This pattern would be adorable with a Bio 5 and a Bimbo worked together. A Bimbo main color with a coordinating solid stripe? Or a subtle main color with fun stripes of Bimbo? So many options. I might need to make another one of these little samples.

Jilly and Jilly Lace

Did you all enjoy the yarn crawl? We had a great time, but we are exhausted. I hope you all found some fabulous yarn, had a blast and made some friends. We have some new yarns at the shop to show you now that the dust has settled a bit.

Say hey to Jilly (above) and Jilly Lace (below) from Dream in Color.

These yarns remind me quite a bit of Tosh Merino Light and Prairie from Madeline Tosh. These are both single ply yarns with rich, saturated colors.

Jilly is a light fingering with 440 yards per skein, and the Jilly Lace is a lace weight, obviously, with 880 yards per skein. I was kind of surprised that the colors weren't exactly the same on both yarns, since we have the same shades in each yarn. These two are both the Gilt colorway, and they aren't quite the same. Both stunning, though.

All of the colors are really gorgeous. How about a few more shots? So pretty.

 

Stop by and see these new friends at the shop!