Skinny Wool
Skinny Wool is the newest thing from Be Sweet. It is 180 yards of single ply merino wool, which means that it is fingering weight, slightly thick and thin, and soft.
From my description it seems a little ordinary, but it doesn’t look, feel or work up ordinarily. The sample we have on display is a simple shawl – literally a square of stockinette stitch on size 11 needles. But there is something about the color, the drape, the lightness that makes it seem like exact piece that your wardrobe was missing.
If you are looking for a little more challenge, try the Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig or the Jeweled Cowl.
Be Sweet was founded on the principle of being kind to others. Nadine Curtis created Be Sweet in 2003 while living in Cape Town, South Africa.
Be Sweet works with job creation programs to give artisans the confidence and the means to support themselves and their families in otherwise economically depressed regions. “I started Be Sweet to support innovative craft that can be made by those less fortunate. Our products embody the ideals of beauty, creativity and resourcefulness.”
As well, Be Sweet gives back by donating a portion of its profits to educational development programs in South Africa.
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WARM Sifa Silver Cotton
For those of you that can’t wear wool, we’ve found a cotton that will keep you warm as the temperature drops. Sifa Silver Cotton is a chain-plied Turkish cotton yarn spun with 10% PURE SILVER. When looking at this yarn don’t expect to see “bling”. You won’t see any silvery sparkles. The silver filaments are shot through one strand of the cabled yarn. No bling, but the silver makes the cotton warmer (and cooler in the summer) than regular cotton.
For centuries silver has been known to possess healing and anti-bacterial components. Sifa means “healing” in Turkish and that is what this yarn really is – a healing or therapeutic yarn. In fact, the story goes that this yarn was created for the spinner’s mother who suffered from Rheumatoid arthritis. She swore that every time she wore socks that she knit with Sifa, her feet felt better. Read more here about the healing properties of metal.
The yarn comes in Natural, Moss and Bronze. So what should you make?
Mittens: Because silver is a conductive element, you can use your touch screen device while wearing mittens knit with Sifa Silver Cotton.
Anything that has a pretty stitch pattern: I made this headband (free pattern with purchase of Sifa yarn) with just one skein. The cabled construction gives the yarn an elasticity that is missing from most cottons and a fabulous stitch definition.
Chemo Caps: Here is a pattern for a turban that would keep you warm on the chilliest day.
Slippers: Try these Pocket Book Slippers that Karen and Lisa did several months ago for a Sunday project.
Sifa Silver Cotton was recently spotlighted on Knitting Daily. Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits, and Clara Parkes of Knitter’s Review, talked about the Sifa Silver Cotton’s beautiful stitch definition, as well as its other fabulous qualities.
Sifa Silver Cotton is another one 
of those yarns that is both good for you and good for the world. It is produced in the area of Turkey that was devastated in the 1999 earthquake and the income produced is used to support local artisans, craftswomen and small local spinners who are still suffering from the catastrophe.
So stop in and see. We know you are going to like it.
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Handmaiden Casbah
“Handpainted variegated yarns look beautiful in the skein, but not so much when you knit with them.” I hear this all the time and sometimes I agree, but I was getting bored with all our semi solid sock yarn and decided to bring in some richly variegated colors anyway.
Like this skein of Handmaiden Casbah – an intense combination of navy, purple, orange, gold, and green. Casbah is a blend of merino, cashmere and nylon which makes it soft and sturdy.
The wound ball gives you a glimpse of just how spectacular this is going to be.
I love the way these turned out – navy stripes with glimmers of gold and green and orange. No pooling whatsoever, not even when you switch directions at the heel. The stockinette section on the bottom of the foot is my favorite, but you’ll have to come into the shop to see it, since it doesn’t show up in the photo!
Pattern: Churchmouse Basic Socks
Needle size: US1.5
I’ve already cast on for the next one. No “second sock syndrome” here. But now I’m thinking of the blue/red/green color that would make fun fingerless mitts….
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New Yarn: Wooly Worsted by Ewe Ewe Yarns
I found so many exciting yarns for Fall that I couldn’t wait to start bringing them in. Our latest arrival is Wooly Worsted is a machine washable merino wool that is soft and sproingy (hmmm… spell check doesn’t think “sproingy” is a word). The twist gives it “sproing”, great stitch definition and durability.
All the colors in the palette go together, so it is great for fair isle, stripes and colorblocking. It will be perfect for any project that needs a gauge of about 5 stitches to the inch.
So last week, Handmaiden Sea Silk and Casbah arrived. This week: Wooly Worsted. And next week…. well, you will just have to come by and see!
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Classic Elite’s Liberty Colors of the Month
Pullover in Rosy Autumn
Since January, Classic Elite has been sending us two brand new colors of Liberty and free patterns to go with them. Every month, I think they’ve finally created my favorite, until the next month when I like the new ones even better. We just received our last shipment and well, don’t you think this color is fabulous?
And I love the pattern. When I make mine, though, I will use two different skeins and alternate every two rows, so I end up with skinny stripes. I tend to shy away from wide horizontal stripes, unless they are broken up as in the cardigan below.
Cardigan in Cumberland Blues
This cardigan shows off the other color of June. Notice how they’ve played up the direction of the stripes for a flattering look. Also, I think out of all the Liberty colors this is the best one for a boy baby sweater.
If you haven’t worked with Liberty yet, you are in for a treat. It knits up at 5 – 6 stitches per inch. It’s soft and machine washable. And there are so many fun colors to play with.
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Off the Needles
Remember this from the last newsletter?
Yarn: Rowan Savannah – a heavy worsted blend of cotton with a silk thread wrap.
Pattern: Amy’s Scarf ($3.50 on Ravelry)
Modifications: The pattern is written for laceweight yarn, so I used a size 10 needle and cast on only 44 stitches. I just followed the charts without the repeat – couldn’t be easier.
I finished it! I am so happy with the way this turned out. Four skeins made the scarf about 6 feet long. I could have blocked it with points and waves, but I decided the more casual style went better with the uneven texture of the yarn.
The lace pattern is called Frost Flowers. If you type that in for a pattern search on Ravelry, you will come up with shawls and sweaters and socks and scarves that incorporate this lace. Thanks Susan for the inspiration.
Now that I’ve finished my scarf I get to start this out of Fibre Co Acadia. ( I try to have only one “must pay attention” project and one “mindless” project going at a time.)
What are you working on?
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Color my World
It is time for some color. I’m ready for leaves and flowers and green grass. So when my son needed an item for his Youth Group auction, I seized the opportunity to work with color. I picked the Baktus pattern because it is easy meditative knitting which fit my schedule these past couple of weeks. Then I chose the yarn: Misti Pimasilk. This soft combination of cotton and silk is perfect for spring and it comes in luscious handpainted colors. And since I couldn’t decide, I chose two different ones and alternated them, using two rows of one and two rows of the other.
I only used half of each skein and the scarf is perfectly long. With the rest of the yarn, I could make Churchmouse’s Linen Stitch Scarf or the Ruffle Scarf. I’ve seen both work beautifully in this yarn.
Want to try one? After a long wait we just received 41 pounds of Pimasilk in new colors and old favorites. Spring must be just around the corner.
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New Yarn: Mendocino
One of the new yarns we got in this fall is Mendocino from Crystal Palace. It is a self-striping, machine washable wool, making it perfect for kids. Beth whipped up this baby hat just to see what the yarn could do and everyone has been asking for the pattern. So here it is.
If you know someone a little older who would appreciate some stripes, here are some free patterns for an adult hat and fingerless gloves.
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Rainbow Hat | Free Pattern
As you may know, all our “bumpy” cottons (1824 Cotton, Cottonade and Stria) were discontinued last year. When researching a replacement, I discovered Florafil, made by a family run business in Pennsylvania. The yarn comes in some solid colors, and a pastel multi, but the rainbow is my favorite. I was given a small sample and instead of knitting a flat swatch, I turned it into this newborn hat. The yarn is so soft, has a beautiful sheen and knits quickly at four stitches to the inch.
People have been asking me for the pattern, so I finally wrote it up. Click here for a copy. One skein will make several hats.
If you don’t want to make your own felted balls, stop in. We sell them already made.
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Announcing Baby Me Boo
With so much going on this summer, I think I forgot to mention the arrival of Baby Me Boo, a SOFT thick and thin combination of merino, alpaca and bamboo from Misti Alpaca. One skein has 174 yards which is perfect for a scarf, a cowl or a hat. With all the texture and Misti’s fabulous handpainted colors, you want to make something simple.
For my scarf, I wanted to emphasize the texture, so I chose the natural color, but we also have a beautiful red (oscar night), greys (ceniza), camel and more variegated colors as well. For the pattern I used “Dyed by the Stitch Scarf”, a free pattern that Lisa Kartus designed for Misti. It was originally designed for one skein of their Chunky Alpaca, but works beautifully with Baby Me Boo if you use a size 9 needle and cast on 23 stitches. I added some fringe, which is a combination of Baby Me Boo and Tahki Rio.
For a cowl, I’d try the Easy Mobius Cowl (single stranded) by Haley Waxberg or the Convertible Scarf (which is simply a knitted tube) or live a little and use two skeins for the Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West.
Try it and let me know what you think.
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