There’s a whole new batch of Anna’s Lace, and I’ve fallen back in love with it!  I feel I’ve really got the hang of how it performs with the dye, and I’ve got some lovely deep colours.   Here is a peek, and there are more colours to go on soon.

Purdy, huh?   And it’s sooo soft!

If you have seen the latest copy of The Knitter, you may have seen the yarn review for Heirloom Gossamer.  I would like to say that the yarn was NOT designed either BY me or FOR me, but was designed by and for Fleegle.

Here is an extract from the letter I sent to accompany the yarn:

“The Heirloom Gossamer was designed by, and custom spun for, a superb lace knitter and cyber friend of mine, Fleegle.  (fleeglesblog.blogspot.com)

There was much discussion on her Ravelry group, heirloom knitting, about what would constitute the perfect lace yarn for heirloom Shetland and gossamer shawls.”

Both Fleegle and I have contacted the magazine.  I know the fault is not mine, but I am still sincerely sorry for any offence this has caused.

…doing Woolsilk!

I’ve had these sitting on a shelf for a while, so it’s about time I shared them with somebody!

This is quite a new yarn in the collection, and is a limited addition.  Once it’s gone, it’s…..well…gone!

The yarn is a smooth, evenly twisted lace yarn, and with 800m to 100g is a heavyish laceweight.  It is 50% silk, giving it a lovely subtle sheen and soft drape, and 50% wool (of an unspecified variety).  The skeins are huge, and vary a little in weight, and so have different prices, but mosty they range from 140m to 150m per skein.  Loads and loads for a big shawl!  Here’s a peek at what’s gone in the shop today….

Well, really.  There I am googling hand dyed yarn, and where am I?  Nowhere to be seen!  To put right this aberration and climb higher in the search engines, I’m going to unashamedly mention Hand Dyed Yarn lots!  There is some nice new Hand Dyed Yarn now in the shop, including Smootherino, at last.  Let me show you a picture of this lovely Hand Dyed Yarn.

The bottom one is a marl, and I have done these with lacey or cabley socks in mind.  This yarn lends itself to marling better that any of the others (it’s just amazing how differently similar yarns take dye) and I intend to do them in lots more colours.  I am just finishing the first of a pair of Cookie A’s Thelonious socks in the colour above, and I am really pleased with how it’s turning out.  The pattern calls for Louet Gem fingering, which is superwash merino like this one, so I think it is a good substitute.  I’ll put a picture up when it’s finished and I can get it on the blockers without first changing to a circular bendy needle.  About half way along the foot!

Oh, and… Hand Painted Yarn!!

xx

I have two rules I stick by.  One regarding colour and the other regarding sock yarn content.

Rule One:

Lace yarn should mostly be semi-solid.  Maybe I would go as far as a muted multi.  Obvious reasons – the lace pattern would get lost in a madly coloured yarn.  Then out came the sun, swelling the magnolia buds in the garden, and unfurling the daffodils.  The birds cranked up their morning corus to a veritable din, and single colour yarn suddenly seemed so last winter.

Here’s what I mean…

See!  There are more muted shades too though!  This update is all Damsel, 80% Merino 20% silk, 1200m, and is in the shop now.

Rule Two:

Sock yarn must contain something in it to give it extra durability.  Mine have nylon, bamboo and tencel to help.  That is, until I got a sample amount of this in the post:

It is gorgeous!  It’s 100% Superwash Merino, and comes in at 400m per 100g.   It is a fine-ish sock weight,  I would say its ‘fingering’,  and has a smooth yet quite tightly spun appearance.  If any of you know Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, it’s very similar.  This makes me very happy,  ’cause Shepherd’s Sock is one of my favourite sock yarns!  There’s no nothing in it for strength, other than a tighter twist, which is why it has broken Rule Two!  It would be just lovely for lace projects, and I can picture it as a blimmin gorgeous Spiralucious, and matching mits, and infact, anything by Anne Hanson in sock weight yarn.  She has some fabulous wraps and shawls.

This yarn hasn’t quite got in the  shop yet, mainly because it hasn’t got a name.  There will be a little naming competition in a couple of days, as I am soooooo rubbish at naming things (hence all the colourways having numbers, not names!)  I’m going to open it up on Ravelry too,  probably in my section of the UK Traders group.  Prize, some of  said new luscious yarn!!

Watch this space!

xx

Here’s a preview of some new colours of Buttersoft dk in the big 100g size (for you T )and a couple more Glistens.  Our computer broke yesterday, so I cant resize the photos today to put them in the shop til ‘tech wizzard’ has mended the right bit, which will hopefully be tonight.

Aren’t they lovely.  I’m really liking how the silks are coming out.  xx

An inevitable price hike, that is

Some of the yarns have increased in price from the supplier, and as I start to use the new stock, I will have to make increases.  Not everything will go up, but the first is Sweet Feet.  All the Sweet Feet will go up on 1st Feb from £10.50 to £11.50.  So you’ve got the rest of this month to bag it at its current price!  The other increase is Buttersoft dk, though they’re having a bit of a relaunch anyway soon coz they’re now in big squooshy 100g skeins!  They will be £10.95

They are still damp here, and haven’t pooffed up yet.  They look like cotton here!

Scrummy!  xx

This is Glisten.  It’s 100% Spun Silk and its for your lace projects!  There is 400 metres  of 2-ply in each 50g skein, making it a heavier laceweight than the cobwebs, and perfect for my favouritest Victorian Lace Today!  Heart heart!

Here are the first colours in very-nearly-almost-but-not-quite solids.  They will be £8.50 per 50g skein

Oooo, aye!

Oh, yes, and here is a plumptious skein of handspun from one of my superwash Bluefaced Leicester rovings.  I think I have almost managed my aimed-for DK weight mostly and this is destined for either this cable hat or this cable hat.  Decisions decisions.

Here are a few lovelies awaiting their photoshoot yesterday.  They are now in the shop.  You’ll have to scroll down to find them, as we can’t seem to get the new products to show at the top if the list!   Ho hum

They’ve come!  A lovely big box of knitting worderfulness!  They used to ba called KnitPicks, but they’re all shiny and newly rebranded.  The needles are still the same high quality, smooth, sharp pointed and colourful ones that are a real pleasure to knit with.  You’ll find needles to suit the whole range of Artist’s Palette Yarns.  The range will be extended further in the future to include straights in the usual dk and aran sizes (though the interchangeables would do that for you now), and I hope to bring you the fine, long circulars that would especially suit the cobweb weights when knitting fine shawls.  Here is a pic to whet your appetite.  They’re being added gradually to the shop……..