Spring Yarns At A Store Near You
Have you gotten round to your LYS to see what is arriving daily? I feel lucky in that I got to drop by both of them in the past few days, and boxes of spring colors are being unpacked ... of course I also had to hear, "Come back next week and we'll have that unpacked and out on the shelves by then".
Fibers has some of the nifty yarns made from new fiber combinations out already, and I got to see a different sweater knitted up out of the same hemp yarn featured in Interweave's Wear-Everywhere Pullover. This yarn is a little "crunchier" than I would like in a spring or summer sweater, but I could see making it up as a slightly loose tank top for great ventilation in super-hot weather (like our Sierra summers). I also am going to save the Wear-Everywhere Pullover on my list of possible future projects - I like the lines and would probably wear it "everywhere" in my winter climate here in Northern California.
Fibers also had a nice display of Pakucho organic cotton in naturally-grown colors from Cottage Industry. I would love a sleeveless top made up in chocolate or avocado (after growing up with 70's-style avocado decorator schemes pervading the social landscape, I NEVER thought I would hear myself choosing that color for anything!). This yarn is very soft and has a slight sheen, and a color palette that is soothing and a refreshing contrast to the very bright colors offered in most of the spring fashions (and much of the yarns, too). I picked up last summer's issue of Interweave Knits, full of summer tops, to get me dreaming of something to make with this yarn.
I also really liked an interesting variegated yarn from Knit One Crochet Too that featured recycled cotton left over from textile production. Called Second Time Cotton, it was a cross between the hemp yarn and the organic cotton in texture, and had very interesting, subtle blends of mostly cool colors, such as denim and deep red. I was looking for a non-wool to make a spring/summer shrug I found in the 2002 InKnitters' charity knitting booklet, available at their website as a free, downloadable PDF file. This yarn, although appealing, felt like it would have knitted up too stiff for that design.
In an Internet search to look up the recycled yarn, I came upon this interesting site, where you can purchase textile industry wastes in bulk... great sources for fiber artist/experimenters.
The Fibers staff were also making up samples of a cotton/silk ponchette and a stole from another silk blend, but these yarns weren't out on display yet. An excuse for another visit soon, as if I needed one.
While visiting Meadowfarm Yarn Studio, I saw a brighter array of colors, and Ellen, the owner, assured me that they are getting more yarn in daily, with brights ruling this spring. Meadowfarm features lots of Crystal Palace, Rowan, Berroco, and other favorites, which brings me to the exciting news that my Trio Bolero is more than half finished! I completed the back and most of the right front last night. I had decided to eliminate side seams and work the bottom of the jacket all in one piece, and now I have the left front and sleeves to finish, as well as the trim. My version is in the circus/fuschia colorway, using purple Fizz instead of the orange shown in the pattern, which is more subtle, although that is probably not an appropriate adjective for such a flashy piece of apparel. While out shopping today, I contemplated finding a summery skirt to wear with it, but picked up another pair of my favorite jeans instead, and some strappy white platform sandals... that will have to do for its first appearance when I go down to LA in three weeks. Better start scoping out yarn stores to visit.....
Fibers has some of the nifty yarns made from new fiber combinations out already, and I got to see a different sweater knitted up out of the same hemp yarn featured in Interweave's Wear-Everywhere Pullover. This yarn is a little "crunchier" than I would like in a spring or summer sweater, but I could see making it up as a slightly loose tank top for great ventilation in super-hot weather (like our Sierra summers). I also am going to save the Wear-Everywhere Pullover on my list of possible future projects - I like the lines and would probably wear it "everywhere" in my winter climate here in Northern California.
Fibers also had a nice display of Pakucho organic cotton in naturally-grown colors from Cottage Industry. I would love a sleeveless top made up in chocolate or avocado (after growing up with 70's-style avocado decorator schemes pervading the social landscape, I NEVER thought I would hear myself choosing that color for anything!). This yarn is very soft and has a slight sheen, and a color palette that is soothing and a refreshing contrast to the very bright colors offered in most of the spring fashions (and much of the yarns, too). I picked up last summer's issue of Interweave Knits, full of summer tops, to get me dreaming of something to make with this yarn.
I also really liked an interesting variegated yarn from Knit One Crochet Too that featured recycled cotton left over from textile production. Called Second Time Cotton, it was a cross between the hemp yarn and the organic cotton in texture, and had very interesting, subtle blends of mostly cool colors, such as denim and deep red. I was looking for a non-wool to make a spring/summer shrug I found in the 2002 InKnitters' charity knitting booklet, available at their website as a free, downloadable PDF file. This yarn, although appealing, felt like it would have knitted up too stiff for that design.
In an Internet search to look up the recycled yarn, I came upon this interesting site, where you can purchase textile industry wastes in bulk... great sources for fiber artist/experimenters.
The Fibers staff were also making up samples of a cotton/silk ponchette and a stole from another silk blend, but these yarns weren't out on display yet. An excuse for another visit soon, as if I needed one.
While visiting Meadowfarm Yarn Studio, I saw a brighter array of colors, and Ellen, the owner, assured me that they are getting more yarn in daily, with brights ruling this spring. Meadowfarm features lots of Crystal Palace, Rowan, Berroco, and other favorites, which brings me to the exciting news that my Trio Bolero is more than half finished! I completed the back and most of the right front last night. I had decided to eliminate side seams and work the bottom of the jacket all in one piece, and now I have the left front and sleeves to finish, as well as the trim. My version is in the circus/fuschia colorway, using purple Fizz instead of the orange shown in the pattern, which is more subtle, although that is probably not an appropriate adjective for such a flashy piece of apparel. While out shopping today, I contemplated finding a summery skirt to wear with it, but picked up another pair of my favorite jeans instead, and some strappy white platform sandals... that will have to do for its first appearance when I go down to LA in three weeks. Better start scoping out yarn stores to visit.....
posted by Birdsong | 8:31 PM
1 Comments:
I haven't allowed myself to think much about spring yarns just yet. [And, if you look at my blog you'll realize that this is a complete lie! I've got my spring projects picked out 10 times over :-). I just can't allow myself to buy any of this yarn until I finish one more thing.
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