New Yarns: Ultra Alpaca Chunky and Shibui Maai

We love seeing new yarns roll into our little shop, and I think you all are really going to like these, too. 

First up we have Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky. Most of you know and love the Ultra Alpaca worsted and DK weights for their great yardage, amazing softness, and excellent price. You will be please to learn that the chunky fits right in...only $11.25 for 131 yards of 50/50 alpaca and merino. Yes, please.

I am test-knitting a hat for our dear Nancy using this lovely stuff, and it's turning out great! I'll let you know when it's done and in the shop. Look at the pretty colors...

 

We are also excited to have the newest Shibui yarn, Maai, an alpaca/wool blend with that cool chained construction.

These skeins are light as air, and the colors are rich and beautiful, as expected from Shibui.

We even have a free pattern to offer you with the purchase of the yarn. Sally is working up a sample right now to highlight the Maai. The large version takes four skeins, and the smaller takes three. I can't wait to see it knit up.

Photo borrowed from Shibui

Come welcome these yarns to the shop and pick your new favorite. Stay tuned for updates on several old favorites, too.  The shop is filling up fast with so much great yarn!

Zealana Rimu

Take a look at this pretty new stuff in the shop.

This gorgeous yarn is Zealana Rimu DK, an unusual merino/possum blend from New Zealand.  Look at those rich shades and saturated colors.  The gold is really something, and those blues are amazing.

It's hard to tell from the photos, but the yarn has a subtle heathery effect and a really pretty halo.  This basic knit three/purl three scarf really shows off the fuzzy possum halo. 

Rimu works so nicely for cables and texture and ribbing, even colorwork looks great.  It's an unusual yarn, but it knits up so nicely.  Come see for yourself!

Abode...Like the Dwelling

I cannot stop calling this Adobe.  But that is not its name.  This is Abode, a lovely new yarn from Berroco.

It is a thick-and-thin single ply with a very unusual watercolory effect.  It almost looks like the surface of the wool has been painted, but the color has not penetrated into the core.  It's really cool to see in person, and the knitted fabric has a mottled, natural look.

We have a little sample vest from the pattern book in the shop.  This is Morinda in the golden colorway.

I wish they had sent a sample of Boxelder, though.  I would have been fighting to get my hands on that one.  Doesn't that look amazing?

I really like the cabled capelet, too.  

I made a capelet for myself a few years ago, and I was surprised at how much use I got out of it.  This looks like it would be so warm under the rain coat on the really nasty days, or as a top layer when the sun joins us.

Our shelves are chock full of Ultra Alpca, Flicker, and Vintage, too.  We love the big boxes from Berroco!

It's So Fluffy!!!!!

I told you there would be fresh Berroco on the shelves soon.  And it is here.  Jenni has been feverishly reorganizing the shop to make space for all of it, and thank goodness for that.  Let's talk about the Kodiak first, shall we?

Kodiak is a light and lofty alpaca/wool/nylon blend.  And look at that pretty color range.  The yarn knits up at about 3 stitches per inch on a US10.5, so we are talking speed knitting here, people.  I am envisioning Santa/elf hats for all of the kids.  At this gauge, I might actually be able to complete them.  Look at the fluff!

Of course, there are many other lovely items that you could make with this fun yarn.  The pattern book is full of them, including this pretty, lighter-than-air shawl that we have in the shop.  This is Aude, knit up in the frothy, icy colorway that makes me think of after-dinner mints.

I think Perche looks like a winner, too, especially in that stunning, deep red.

I know that our very own Melissa will be all over this one.  The vintage look of Perine is right up her alley.

There are a few other designs in the book, including a turban.  I'm not ready for that, so we won't be talking about it.  You'll just have to come and see for yourselves.  

And ten points if you get the reference in the title.  That scene runs through my head on a constant loop.

Hello, Beautiful

Welcome back from the holidaze, friends!  We love the knitting season at the yarn shop, especially the last few weeks before Christmas.  There is so much excitement coming into the shop and so much big yarn leaving the shop as people rush to finish up the handmade gifts.  While those crazy weeks are high-energy fun, I love the return to normal that comes with the new year.  Also, I love getting back to projects knit on needles smaller than US17s.

On that note, we are thrilled to welcome Shibui Knits to the shop.  Shibui is a Portland yarn company, and they really know what they're doing.  The yarns are addictive, the pattern styling is amazing, and the colorways are irresistible. We are starting out with three yarns and a smattering of patterns.  Here's what's in the shop.

Silk Cloud is little bit like Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but with more silk and more yardage.  The colors that Sally has chosen are something else.  The purple is called UV, and the orange is Jumpsuit.  That bright green, Apple, is impossible to photograph to its fullest potential...you really just need to come see it.

The Merino Alpaca is ropy and thick and hefty.  It reminds us a bit of a slightly thinner version of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Merino.  On the day we opened the box, one lucky knitter snagged four skeins to make a simple and ample stockinette scarf.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Finally, the Staccato.  Gorgeous merino and silk in a fingering weight...I can see this working up beautifully.  You probably can't go wrong.

The designers at Shibui are really masters of mixing.  Many patterns use two yarns held together for some really cool effects.  Sally went with complimentary colors in all of these yarns so you (and we) can play around.  Let me show you the patterns we have right now using these pretty yarns.

From the Mix line, this is No. 9 , a sumptuous cowl made with Silk Cloud and Staccato, and No. 12 a crazy cool hood made with Silk Cloud and Merino Alpaca.

This is No. 4, No. 6, and No. 3, all knit with Silk Cloud paired with other lovely yarns.  All three are just perfect in their simplicity.

The Geometry Collection is pretty striking.  The styling and the photography really get me.  (Anyone recognize the local skate park?)  Right now we have Hypotenuse (cowl), Radii (cap and mitts), Segment (scarf), and Trapezoid (drapey cardigan).

We're pretty excited to try out these new yarns and patterns.  There are a few more colors on the way, so I'll let you know when they arrive.  Come by and let us know what you think!

New Yarns and Some Thoughts on Gauge

Sally has been experimenting with a few new yarn companies this fall, and we have some really amazing new offerings for you.  The stuff above is so vibrant (and attention-grabbing), but first I want to tell you about the beautiful natural shades of the Jarbo Gastrike.

We have a 2-ply and a 3-ply version of this lovely sheepy stuff in some of my favorite colors: grey, black, and white.  So good.  In addition to being great yarns, these guys are very economical.  Like 330 yards for under $10 economical.

It seems to be a trend with some of these smaller companies to make the gauge a bit of a fun little game, and the Gastrike is no different.  Sally created a few very useful swatches to help us decide how we might use these yarns.  The Gastrike 3-ply, pictured above, is described as a worsted yarn on Ravlery, but the label suggests a gauge of 15-22 stitches over 4 inches on a US6-10.5.  That is some serious range.  The swatch below shows the yarn knit up on a US5 (at the top), 6, 7, and 8 (bottom).

The fabric is really nice on each needle, but the differences in gauge could make or break a project.  Sally is a very consistent, true-to-gauge knitter and here's what her swatch tells me: US5=5.5 stitches and 8 rows/inch, US6=5 stitches and 7 rows/inch, US7=4.75 stitches and 6.5ish rows/inch, US8=4.5 stitches and 6 rows/inch.

The finer version, Gastrike 2-ply, is described as a fingering weight on Ravelry, and a DK by the yarn company, with a gauge of 18-27 stitches over 4 inches on a US 2-10.  That's just confusing.  Here is what Sally found with her swatch: US3=7 stitches and 10 rows/inch, US4=6.5 stitches and 9 rows/inch, US5=6 stitches and 8 rows/inch, US6=5.5 stitches and 8.5 rows/inch.

It's a good idea to think about the final fabric you'll achieve with a given needle before you jump into a project.  You'd likely want a hat to be knit at a tighter gauge than a shawl, unless you like a really loose and slouchy hat (which I don't).  Mittens and gloves will want to be tight, but a scarf can be a little looser.  The gauge on a sweater really depends on the style and your personal preference.  A thick sweater coat will need to be knit more tightly than and drapey dolman sleeve top.  You get the idea.  The swatch not only tells you what your gauge is in stitches per inch, but you'll learn a lot about the resulting fabric.  Seeing these little swatches knit with four different needle sizes really drives that point home for me.  In short, please swatch.  Okay, off my soapbox and on to that gorgeous stuff you saw up above.



Elemental Affects is a small California-based company offering a few select yarns produced and processed in the US.  The Shetland Fingering that we have in the shop is grown in Montana, spun in the USA (not sure where), and hand-dyed in California.  I'm afraid that I am pretty much in love with the Old Gold colorway (bottom left corner) and would like to knit everything with it.  However, I will look jaundiced if I do that, especially in a few months when the freckles are gone, so maybe a little colorwork is in order.



Sally has cast on for her long-awaited Selbu Modern, a free pattern from the generous people at Kelbourne Woolens.  She is using the Old Gold and the deep tealy navy blue.  This yarn also pairs very nicely with the Gastrike 2-ply.  Since we are on a swatch kick today, here's a little striped swatch of the grey Gastrike and the pretty copper Elemental Affects.  Look how well they play together.



I have spent too much time thinking about Breton from Brooklyn Tweed (photo borrowed from Brooklyn Tweed site).

How beautiful would this be with the Gastrike as the main color and a pop of bright pink, green, or blue?  Very beautiful, I think.  There are so many possibilities for these yarns.  If you are the kind of person who knits fair isle sweaters in fingering weight wool, you will be thrilled.  If you want to make a light weight stripey scarf or little beanie with lots of colors or just a few natural shades, we can please you, too.  Come take a look at these new friends!

All photos involving the Elemental Affects are snagged with permission from the Flickr page of Lisa Weisman, aka Our Lady of the Really Nice Lens.  Thanks, Lisa!