Category Archives: New Yarns

Woo-hooo!! Surprise Yarn!

Knitivity Posted on by

Okay, not really a surprise-surprise, but still sort of a surprise…

This package came this afternoon in the mail.   Nope, not from Amazon, just sent in an Amazon box.  And, yes, I was told it was coming, so when the mail carrier came around I was already outside waiting with the hand-truck!  Note my size 10 Crocs for comparison!   This box is HUGE!

So, I open it up to find…… YARN!!!!   Lots and lots and LOTS of yarn!   I weighed half a dozen cones, they run from about 8 ounces to 12 ounces.

And   the labels indicate they are 100% New England Wool….. whatever that means.   Probably not Merino.

My friend Debbi, who sent the yarn, told me it had originally been mill ends originally donated to a knitting program in one of the prisons, but it had been many years ago.  The Green Mountain Spinnery website doesn’t seem to have this particular yarn listed any more, but I will be writing to them to see if I can get more information.

Meanwhile, I’ve been sitting here wondering what to do next on this new loom, and wondering if I would have to  break into some more Blog Reader Specials….  With a few of these cones I can play to my heart’s content on the loom and not take yarns from hand-dyed inventory.   🙂

Oh yes, I will indeed be dyeing some of these cones as well.    I have no doubt this yarn will be AWESOME for winter wear — scarves, hats, shawls, etc. — so some of  you may well have some ideas for these.   First, of course, I need to determine the yardage per 4 ounce skein so that I can accurately represent it when it is dyed.

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Bamboo DK is here!

Knitivity Posted on by

I’ve mentioned that I was getting a small amount of Bamboo DK-wt. yarn.  This is 100% Bamboo, viscose (rayon type), DK weight, about 225 yards apiece.

Most of these were dyed the ‘normal’ way, mixing the dyes into a wet solution to create single colors.  The pair on the fair left, however, were dyed use the dry-dye technique that I’ve been using on the Phydlbitz recently.  You can see in the close-up shots further down how the dye molecules that were blended to create a single-color wet dye have remained separate to create a different effect.  🙂

Also, as a rayon-type yarn, these are drying with a lovely but subtle sheen, and should knit up with a terrific drape on a size 6 needle.

These are taking a little longer to dry than my wool yarns, but they will be ready to ship on Thursday.  I’m not planning to order any more of this particular yarn (except by special request, of course), so if you want to play with some 100% Bamboo yarn, this is the time to claim it.  🙂

Just send me an email, tell me which ones you want, and I’ll send you a  Paypal invoice.  Soon as that is paid, I’ll prepare your shipping label so they are ready to go when this batch is dried and processed.    I didn’t mark them such, but each pair is a matching Twinset, dyed together in the same pouch, so they will work together.   And if you claim a Twinset today or tomorrow (Tuesday or Wednesday) I’ll give you 10% off the pair.

All the unclaimed ones are now posted to the Blog Reader Specials page; click there to see which are available at the time of your visit. 

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Introducing Walky-Socky!

Knitivity Posted on by

ClickSubscribeKnitivityInsiderTime for another new-to-me sock yarn:  Walky-Socky!

Yeah, I know, it’s a silly name, but a good yarn just the same:  it is 75% Superwash Merino/ 15% Nylon/10% Tencel — all good fibers to make your socks strong for wearing, strong for walking — and comes in at 440 yards for a 4oz hank, and $25.00 apiece.

I’ve not used this particular base (for dyeing OR for knitting) so I tried to use as many different colors to see how it came up; it seem to take up the dye a little differently than my other yarns, probably because of the Tencel content.   There are five Twinsets this time, no singles, but you do not have to take both hanks of a Twinset.  With so many people using various sock yarns as their go-to fingering weight for light summer shawls, I wanted to be sure there is enough matching yarn for a project calling for 800+ yards.  Since I have not knit with this base, I would be interested in your feedback for how it feels to work with.

#412 & 413 have a unique “feature” — some of the blue that I used didn’t dissolve entirely in the solution, and some tiny speckles of dye molecules migrated into the other colors before dissolving completely in the steamer.  I happen to like the effect, but some might not.

Each of the Twinsets were dyed side by side in their pouches, and are shown slightly skewed from their partners, so that you can see the full range of colors  within each Twinset.

These will be ready for shipping on Friday, and will go to the Blog Reader Specials page tomorrow afternoon.  You may claim the ones you want  by emailing me your numbered selections; be sure to let me know your destination state or country so I can calculate the correct shipping and handling.  PayPal will collect your full shipping address.

All are now posted to the Blog Reader Specials page — check there to see which are still available.

BRS16-15June-allBRS16-15June-rack1

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