Puyu Cowl

We are trying a new yarn from a new company. This is Puyu, a silk and alpaca blend from Amano Yarns.

The structure of the yarn makes it lightweight even though it's bulky. It is fluffy and lofty and so very soft. Sally made the January Squish Cowl using just one skein, and it is like the perfect cozy turtleneck...just the thing to tuck under your jacket.

I love the poofy stitch definition of those columns. If you love the look of this, stop in the shop and try it on!

New Shibui

The two new yarns from Shibui Knits are really cool! Nest is a lovely wool alpaca blend with a modern marled look. All of the shades work up into a really cool fabric, but I love the black and white one the best. I have been loving the mid-weight DK yarns lately, and this one is a keeper.

Take a peek at this beautiful Sindi cowl worked up with Nest and Silk Cloud. What a luxury!

Pic borrowed from Shibui Knits

We also have Tweed Silk Cloud in the shop, and it is so unusual. It's like a more rustic version of the Silk Cloud that has been around for awhile. Just like the original, this yarn looks great on its own or paired with other yarns.

If you are a fan of the luxurious Shibui shades and textures, you will want to stop in and see these new yarns.

Noro Sonata

Take a gander at this lovely cotton and silk blend from Noro. Sonata is a loosely-plied DK weight yarn in some gorgeous vibrant colors.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

This would be amazing for a simple summer wrap, maybe a few stripes or a little subtle texture? I am loving this Corrugated Shawl by Raveler liveinstitches, especially in the natural.

Since the yarn is so loosely-plied and rustic, I would be cautious about using it for a sweater where it would get a lot of wear and might pill up. But I think a drapey tank or tee would be really cool.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

Riley from last summer's Pom Pom would be so cool. I have also been looking for a reason to make a short-sleeved Ranunculus, and this might be my perfect excuse.

What do you all think of the new summer-ready Noro?

Eye Candy

Lang Lace...mohair and silk in sweet spring shades.

Mighty Mo

The folks at Farmer's Daughter Fibers have sent us a treat. The Mighty Mo is a silk and mohair blend in their gorgeous hand dyed shades.

This weight is really wonderful for holding along with another yarn to add an amazing silky halo. If you combine it with a DK, I'm pretty sure you'll get a worsted weight, but definitely swatch to make sure.

It's pretty rare to find this blend in a hand-dye, so it is a lovely surprise to see such gorgeous colors.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

A lot of folks on Ravelry have combined the Mighty Mo with the Juicy DK (also in stock at the shop and also from Farmer's Daughter) to make Caitlin Hunter's Kobuk Hat.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

The Mighty Mo is perfect for Andrea Mowry's Birds of a Feather Shawl from Laine Issue No 2, also available as a Ravelry download. Just combine it with your favorite fingering weight!

I don't think these rare beauties are going to last very long, so stop in soon if you see something you love.

Eye Candy

We don't have many pure silk options in the shop, so it's nice to have the Tussah Tweed from BC Garn. It's a pure silk in a light fingering weight, just right for those floaty wraps or fine-knit sweaters. I love the nubbly texture and the rich colors. I feel like we might be waiting on a few more shades, but the ones we have now are lovely!

Eye Candy

Silk and wool? Yes, please. The DK Zephyr is something to love.

Estilo

We have more hand dyed speckles! The dyers at Plymouth Yarns know what they are doing apparently. This is Estilo, a single ply sport weight. 

It reminds me a bit of some Tosh yarns we used to carry. The speckles are so subtle, and the color combinations are really unusual. It seems like the knitted fabric would have some lovely drape and flow, so I would use it for a shawl or scarf or something flowy. Stop in and take a look!

Lakes Yarn and Fiber

We have some of the most beautiful new yarn in the shop, my friends. Sally has been putting a lot of effort into fostering relationships with small-batch hand-dyers in the Northwest. She has found an extremely talented dyer in Ami of Lakes Yarn and Fiber. 

Based in the mountains of Northern Idaho, Ami raises sheep, dyes yarn, plays outdoors, and works as a nurse. This very busy woman has an eye for subtle, beautiful color, and I am so excited to show you her Loschsa DK (above) and her Silk Single Fingering (below).

The colors are so interesting and rich. The Electric Feel in the silk/merino is incredible (front left in the photo above). It almost changes color from blue to purple as you move it around in the light. And Grasshooper Lochsa DK is stunning. Sally is working on a cowl with it now. The colors are subtle and varied, and the stitches pop like nobody's business.

Ami sent us the sample knit up in the Lochsa DK, It's Brr Time by Suvi Simola. Just one skein makes this awesome hat. See what I mean about the popping stitches? (And I always appreciate a nice ribbing-to-cable transition.)

I am on a mission to stash away a skein of yarn from each of these amazing hand-dyers that Sally has brought in. I suppose I would do well to have some patterns or a plan in mind, but maybe I'll just arrange a few on my desk for inspiration. I can't wait to see what Sally finds for us next!

Fibre Company Meadow and an Invitation to Knit-A-Long

I feel a little late to the party. I am usually pretty up to date on the popular new yarns and patterns, but Meadow from The Fibre Company snuck up on me. I went to have a look at the Ravelry projects using Meadow, and I found well over a thousand. Why didn't any of you tell me about this gorgeous yarn? Maybe because we have just started carrying it.

The Fibre Company is known for the unusual combinations of fibers in their yarns, and Meadow is no exception. Meadow is a merino/llama/silk/linen laceweight, with almost 500 yards in each skein. The yarn is soft and lofty, and the colors are really interesting.

 

Grace Anna Farrow, a very popular shawl and wrap designer, has used Meadow to create some stunning designs. We are carrying Twinleaf, Roseum, Ursa, and Cepa.

 

 

I have not had a chance to knit with Meadow yet, but I am eager to try. There are rumblings of a little summer knit-a-long using this lovely yarn. I'm not usually a joiner, but I think I will jump on the bandwagon this time. We are thinking a nice, airy, floaty shawl or wrap...just the thing for the chilly Oregon summer evenings. Think about it, and I'll let you know which pattern Adrienne decides to use. Looking forward to it!

Raspberry Ripple

Way back in March during the Rose City Yarn Crawl, we received these sweet little kits for the Raspberry Ripple Shawlette. The kit uses two skeins of Indochine, a pure silk yarn form Lantern Moon. We had a lovely sample in the shop during the crawl, but once it went back to Lantern Moon, it was hard to show off this yarn. So I made a sample!

The Indochine was really nice to work with...it almost felt cool in my hands, perfect for summer knitting. The pattern was pretty straight-forward, and I really like the textured stitch pattern in the middle. I had some yarn left over, and I might have kept going, but a few folks on Ravelry mentioned that they did not quite make it through a full additional repeat. Since it was a shop sample, I knit it to the pattern specifications. If I were making it for myself, I would have used up every last yard!

We had several folks trying to buy the super cool recycled paper bowls from the kits. Now that you can see what's the bowls, it's time to go grab yours!

Francis, Anyone?

Whew.  Sorry to leave you all for so long...I am still recovering from the time change last weekend.  (Tell me I'm not the only one.)  I have been knitting, though, and dreaming about knitting.  Specifically, I've been dreaming of Shibui.  They sent us a trunk show to display during the yarn crawl, and I know several of you have fallen in love with their designs.  The real star?  Francis, for sure.  We're getting calls about it everyday.

I keep meaning to try this sample on while it's still at the shop...hopefully it will be around next week.  If you have a moment this weekend, I highly recommend stopping in to take a look.  It's worked side to side, and the back is so cool.  Check out the scooped hems and that dramatic split.  These details give the top such a nice swing and flow.  And the yarn?  Oh, my.

Francis is knit up with Shibui Heichi, a 100% recycled silk worsted weight yarn.  It reminds me the slightest bit of Rowan Summer Tweed, but sososo much nicer.  And the colors?  Well...

Francis is available as a Ravelry download, and we have a nice stock of Heichi in the shop right now.  It's knit on US8, so it won't even take very long.  You'll be wearing it by summer.  Hopefully I will have recovered from this Daylight Savings Hangover by then...

Silk Scarf

It's been awhile since we had a free pattern, hasn't it?  I put this scarf sample in the shop last week right before the sale, and quite a few lovely knitters really seemed to like it.

The pattern itself is pretty simple...it's basically a knit/purl rib pattern that shifts one stitch to the side on each row.  The scarf is reversible, which I love.  I designed this with Louisa Harding Mulberry Silk, a beautiful pure silk yarn with a very smooth texture.  I used a US7, a few sizes larger than the yarn officially recommends, to create a really satisfying drape.  

If you decide to use a different yarn, be sure to choose something with a smooth texture and ideally with some silk or bamboo.  If you choose a fuzzy yarn, the pattern will just disappear.  The silk is really great for people who might not care for wool, and I think it could even be knit as a dressy piece for the right man.

I hope you all enjoy!

Close Knit Silk Scarf
by Leah Bandstra

Yarn: 3 balls Louisa Harding Mulberry (100% silk)
Needles: US7
Finished Size: 60"x6.5"
Gauge: About 5.5 stitches/in in stockinette
Instructions:
Cast on 49 stitches.  Starting with row 1, follow chart until you have about 2 yards of yarn left.  BO in pattern, weave in ends, and wet block, especially if you have used silk.

Row 1: K1, *P3, K4* until 6 stitches remain, P3, K3.

Row 2: P2, *K4, P3* until 5 stitches remain, K4, P1.

Row 3: K2, *P3, K4* until 5 stitches remain, P3, K2.

Row 4: P1, *K4, P3* until 6 stitches remain, K4, P2.

Row 5: K3, *P3, K4* until 4 stitches remain, P3, K1.

Row 6: *K4, P3*.

Row 7: *K4, P3*.

Row 8: K3, *P3, K4* until 4 stitches remain, P3, K1.

Row 9: P1, *K4, P3* until 6 stitches remain, K4, P3.

Row 10: K2, *P3, K4* until 5 stitches remain, P3, K2.

Row 11: P2, *K4, P3* until 5 stitches remain, K4, P1.

Row 12: K1, *P3, K4* until 6 stitches remain, P3, K3.

Row 13: *P3, K4*.

Row 14: *P3, K4*.

14				X	X	X	X
					X	X	X	13
12	X				X	X	X
	X					X	X	11
10	X	X				X	X
	X	X					X	9
8	X	X	X				X
	X	X	X					7
6	X	X	X	X
		X	X	X				5
4		X	X	X	X
			X	X	X			3
2			X	X	X	X
				X	X	X		1

Odd # rows (right side or RS) are read from right to left. Even # rows (wrong side or WS) are read from left to right.   = knit on RS, purl on WS X = purl on RS, knit on WS