Sincere Sheep

I love getting new yarn in the summer time. I know many knitters slow down when the temperature rises, but I always need something on the needles. Fresh, American-made, vegetable-dyed yarn is just the thing to keep us all inspired!

Sincere Sheep is a northern California company producing some gorgeous fiber, and we are happy to be carrying their Equity Fingering and Bannock yarns.

Bannock is a squishy worsted weight with 280 yards in each skein. Most of these are very subtle and tonal, but a few colorways have more variation than others. They are all really lovely. Sally started working with the yellow (Mrs. Fisher), and it is knitting up so nicely. I feel the need to squeeze it every time I see it.

Photo borrowed from Ravelry pattern page.

We love the Spate mitts by Jane Richmond for this yarn. That rich textured raindrop pattern looks so cozy. I'm putting these on the gift knitting list.

The Equity Fingering, grown and spun in Wyoming, is equally gorgeous. This yarn would be perfect for lace knitting, as it will block out beautifully. Colorwork is a great choice, too, since the yarn has a little tooth to it, making it stick to itself just the right amount. The sweet Ice Ribbons set is designed with two skeins of the Equity Fingering for the cap, cowl, and mitts.

Photo borrowed from Ravelry pattern page.

I am so happy to see more American-made yarns in the shop lately. Sally has done an amazing job choosing high-quality products at reasonable prices. Let us know what you think of the beautiful yarns from Sincere Sheep, and stay tuned for even more goodness on the way soon!

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!

Holst Garn

If you follow European designers on Ravelry, you have likely heard of Holst Garn. The small Danish company is run by a lovely lady named Helle Holst, and her exquisite yarns are used extensively all over Europe. A few of my favorite designers use her yarns when they design gorgeous sweaters, wraps, scarves, so many things: Isabell Kraemer, La Maison Rililie, Heidi Kirrmaier, and Fallmasche, just to name a few. It has been difficult to find these yarns in the United States, but Sally has solved that problem for us. Say hello to Holst Coast and Holst Noble.

 

Coast is a 45/55 cotton and wool blend in a light fingering weight, perfect for breezy sweaters, in my opinion. We have several rich and beautiful colors in the cakes, and a few color packs for the Bricks cowl pattern.

 

I am really thrilled to see this yarn in person, and I can't wait to try it out. The cotton and wool combination is unusual, especially in this weight. I'm pretty sure it will make the perfect all-season Oregon sweater.

Noble is a similar weight, maybe a wee bit heavier. This 95/5 wool and cashmere blend is a stunner. I am pining to try out the Doodles scarf...the construction looks so unusual, and the yarn is going to be heaven to knit.

Again, we have the pretty color packs for this one to get you inspired.

We are just trying this yarn out for the time being, but if you all love it we might make it a staple. Come on in, take a look, and let us know what you think!

Summer Interweave

 

The latest issue of Interweave Knits is in the shop. Normally, the summer issue leaves me unimpressed, but there are several items in here that really caught my eye.

There is a whole section of outdoorsy, camping sort of stuff that I really liked. Several of the knitted headbands and head scarves look very wearable. These quick knits are prefect for summer knitting and wearing.

The Bartram Vest and Mount Robson Pullover are certainly very practical pieces...great for camping or hiking.

 

I loved the Phyllotaxis Hat worked up in fingering weight cashmere and the Larkspur Shawl in Berroco Folio.

 

What do you all think of the Blue Columbine Cardigan and the Western Slope Tee?

 

There is a whole section with some VERY ambitious colorwork if you are looking for a challenge. Any one of these would feel like quite an accomplishment!

 

 

I have never felt the urge to work miles of I-cord and then braid and stitch them together, but these trivets (mostly the rug) have me wanting to do just that.

 

I was so pleasantly surprised by this summer issue! Did you see anything that you like?

New Shiraito

I mentioned that Noro is having a bit of resurgence at our little shop. We have plumped up our supply of Shiraito in response to the popularity of the lovely Soft Waves Hat.

The new colorways we have in stock are really beautiful. Some are bright and cheerful.

Others are muted and more natural.

They are all quite nice, though, aren't they? The cashmere and angora makes this yarn so soft and full. I love the way the hat shows off the color changes of the yarn. Really stunning. Do you all prefer the brights or the naturals? Not really a bad choice, is there?

Gumballs and Singles

In addition to the Victory Sock yarn, we also received a few other goodies from Knitted Wit.

These little 45 yard skeins of fingering weight yarn are called Gumballs, and they are available in many solid (and a few kind of semi-solid) colorways. Some are bright, some are dark, all are lovely.

What to do with these, you ask? Lisa is slowly cranking away on a Beekeeper's Quilt...one hexipuff at a time. She tells me you can probably make about three whole puffs from each skein, with a little left over for striping or patterns on a fourth.

These little guys would be great for baby hats and sweaters, too. You could easily choose your favorite colors and make up a custom striping sequence without having to buy way too much yarn. I think seven or eight would be enough for a striped Baby Surprise Jacket or a little top-down raglan sweater. Maybe rainbow stripes, sports team colors, or any combination you'd like. So many possibilities!

On the other side of the fingering weight spectrum, we also have the Knitted Wit Single Fingering. This yarn is hand-dyed and really stunning. Reminds me a bit of Tosh Merino Light. With 475 yards in each skein, these will go far. A nice large shawl, a baby sweater, or sweet little dress from All You Knit is Love (because I can't stop thinking about that book).

We are thrilled to be offering these locally-dyed yarns in the shop for you all. Come on in a see what our Portland artists are making for your knitting and crocheting pleasure!

Victory!

We are excited to have more locally-dyed yarn in the shop!

This color explosion is a basket of Victory Sock Yarn from Knitted Wit. Each skein is 420 yards of machine washable merino/nylon blend yarn. It's a lovely yarn...squishy but solid, just as you want your sock yarn to be. And the colors pop!

I think this one above is going to be the most popular. It's called PDX Carpet. Yup. There it is. You know there will be a run on that one. But they are all really stunning.

If you love bright sock yarn, this is right up your alley! Which one is your favorite?