Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Waiting for the waters to break...

Some vivacious mohair sample just waiting  to get 'wrapped'
Nobody likes waiting, least of all me. Here at the Skeinz 'Yarn Kitchen' I have a number of projects which are almost to term.  It's like pacing the floor whilst you're waiting for your waters to break & give birth to the new life you have been nourishing, nurturing & gestating for months.  It is so close, yet not quite there.

A sneak peak at one of the 4 natural Silver Lining shades
One such project is a new addition to our Heritage range of yarns (I have three Heritage 'buns' in the oven) called Silver Lining.  This is ultra fine coloured Merino, which has been lovingly blended by the team in the mill to produce a series of four gradient natural colours.  I really wish we had yarn 'squish-ivison' because this yarn is simply sublime.  It's 17 microns, that's like Italian wool suit fine, perfect for that special heirloom project, even for a special abay project.  If all does well Silver Lining will be delivered towards the end of next week....
These two yarns work ideally together in this precious wee cardigan.
To keep with the gestational theme of today's blog, Robynne down in the Skeinz shop also kept her fingers busy knitting up this delightful wee sample for the shop using Vintage Filigree & Vintage DK.  The Pattern is Baby Vertebrae from Kelly Brooker at PekaPeka Design Studio (Click here to purchase) and the combination of the ethereal Filigree with the Vintage DK border work beautifully in Kelly's simply stunning design.  Knitted here in Newborn size.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Strong Arm!


One of the biggest crazes to hit knitting on the 'net has been Arm Knitting.  Using your Arms as 'needles' to quickly produce quick, fun fashionable scarves, cowls & blankets.  On my travels recently I found some of these at a craft market & Knit August Nights will be offering a class to teach Arm Knitting in August.
Best using a variety of yarns knitted together to produce thick squishy fabric. At Skeinz the perfect yarns for this would be Texas worked double, Crucci's Gorgeous would work a treat, or even either of these with some Whisper Mohair for some luxury.  Just Google Arm knitting & let your imagination go wild!

Monday, April 14, 2014

Rainbow Child


All these colours are now available
It was with great sadness that we deleted our Prism range last month.  It's bright cheerful colour range has been popular with knitters & designers alike.  Alas it was raw material supply that let us down & after a 12 month search for a replacement, we had to face some hard facts.

One facet of Prism we weren't prepared to part with however was the vibrant pure colours that made up the Prism rainbow.  Solution?  Move the five main contenders across to Urban:  Jelly Baby, Lime Snakes, Play Green, Hula Hoop Purple & Crayon Yellow (which will replace Urban's Papaya) are all now in stock both in store & on line.  So you can now source your favourite rainbow colours in our fabulous superwash Urban base.   Looking for that perfect Rainbow pattern - Our pattern vault, Ravelry, is brimming with Rainbow patterns.  here's a list of our faves.

Rainbow Dress by Georgie Hallam
This pattern has become a favourite for little girls worldwide.  A great dress for those starting to learn to knit in the round & just such a practical, wearable garment.


Rainbow Nesting Baskets by Marinke Slump
I just loved these quirky little crocheted baskets.  A great starter project & best of all the pattern & turtorial are free!


Rainbow Child - by Rebecca Newman
Gisborne based designer Rebecca is a great supporter of Skeinz & our yarns partners. She's an up and coming designer & is well worth checking out.  This children's hoodie is a great one for boys or girls & is an excellent addition to any pattern collection & is sized from 3 months right up to 8 years.


Rainbow Penguins by Kath Dalmeny
I know, I know - Penguins!  But c'mon, this is me, you know I can't resist a Penguin!!