Yarns in waiting

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Yarns in waiting

Once upon a time (have I told you this story before?) I ran a community site about books and I was on the mailing list of every publishing company on the planet, whether I wanted to be or not. Every day books landed on my doorstep unsolicited — most of them wildly inappropriate for my site (kids books, self-help, pulp fiction …). People always think it sounds like a ridiculous thing to complain about — who doesn’t love free books! — but try getting hundreds of books out of your house on a weekly basis and tell me what a blessing it is. So I’m now incredibly cautious about people who seek to send me yarn. I really don’t want a lot of yarn in the house, generally speaking — especially single skeins — so am frequently in the awkward position of turning down offers of yarn, no matter how luscious it may be. Every once in a blue moon, though, I cave. And then there’s the fact that I have a lot of good acquaintances and close friends in the yarn business, and sometimes they send me yarn without my knowing anything about it. So things find their way in.

Lately my mail has been pret-ty amazing, and I thought I’d tell you about some of these beauties:

1) I don’t have any friends at luxury yarn company Jones & Vandermeer, but after I posted about trying to find the perfect camel-colored yarn for my upcoming Channel cardigan, I got a nice note from them asking if I wouldn’t like to swatch with their 100% camel-fiber yarn, Clever Camel. And obviously the answer was yes, I really would. Swatching will commence this weekend.

2) My friend Kristin Ford of Woolfolk sent me a hilarious email recently about some random colors of Far she had from the mill, wondering if she could share some of it with me. I asked her for a pic, and a few days later I got a box. My favorites are the few skeins of this blue-and-white marl. No idea what I might do with it (or if it will be going into production), but it will be heavily petted in the near term.

3) I mentioned before that my friends at Purl Soho sent me a box of their Linen Quill before I had a chance to complete my order. Knowing me as they do, they sent skeins of the black and the grey-natural marl, both so incredibly stunning. I’ve already wound two skeins of the black and started playing with it last night.

4) A dear friend in the biz sent me these two incredible skeins of aran-weight tweed yarn that I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to talk about just yet. But ooh la la … coming this fall, I think.

So for me, this weekend is for swatching and seaming, seaming and swatching. And maybe drowning my tax sorrows in a nice glass of rosé. What are you up to?

IN SHOP NEWS: The spring/summer issue of Amirisu arrived this week, packed full of great little sweater patterns and three shawls. And you’ll also once again find all three shapes of brass hangers and both sizes of brass-and-steel scissors on the virtual shelves waiting for you. Among the Field Bags and all the other lovely things at Fringe Supply Co.!

 

35 thoughts on “Yarns in waiting”

  1. Uh, well, I work twelve feet from you and I’ll take that stuff in the bottom picture.

  4. Just finished the final piece of a new design in Shibui Rain (phew) so I might actually not have to stress quite as much about production deadlines this weekend… But hello, Clever Camel! I can vouch for it, big time. It’s what I fell in love with a few years back (see my Frontenac tunic), and I still daydream about using it again. Emily has some other yarns equally drool-worthy. She’s a good friend to have. 😉

  5. I am loving the combination of those last two. Something about the grey with the turquoise…

  7. Poor put-upon Karen, wallowing in wool and camel. SO jealous! We’ll stay tuned for more to come. :)

  8. I used Clever Camel to knit the Sycamore vest from Knitbot’s Home & Away. So soft and luxurious!

  9. I may have said this before, but sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by all the projects I want to pursue while being in the midst of the projects that insisted I start them. This weekend I think I might try to really schedule/notate my current impatient knits/ideas/desires (hah!). I’m hoping that if I put them on paper, say for the fall or something, I won’t feel like I have to start them now. I’ll know they’re on the docket. In the meantime, if I can dispatch the second sock for my ladyfriend this weekend, I’ll feel victorious.

  10. curious about that camel – wow is that gorgeous. Have you read any reviews about it’s use in garments? I’m only seeing that it’s like cashmere (which I’ve never knit with). would be interested in hearing more about this fiber.

  11. I’ve been working on creating myself the perfect knit cape/poncho. I think I’m going to use my free time this weekend trying to finish that up :)

    • I would love to see your perfect cape/poncho. I started one a few months ago and then set it aside….still trying to decide if this one will be perfect or not!

  12. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that you are about to get much, much more. Could become such a problem that you will have to share. ;-)

  13. These all look so luscious! That camel fiber -Yum! And I have to tell anyone who will listen, I’m madly in love with Quill. It feels so good to knit with! (I’m holding it double for hats otherwise they’d be way too time consuming for my purposes.) I wanted to say, “Karen! Send me a bit of overflow!” But then I think of my stash bins and go … really? I think I just want to touch them… :)

  14. As a former book blogger/newspaper reviewer, I can 100% sympathize with the books showing up unannounced. I mean, what do you do with that many books you’re not super interested in reading? It’s even worse when they’re ARCS and you can’t even donate them to libraries or literacy programs.

    Yarn, I can see, could present a similar problem. Especially single skeins or colours/fibres you’re not that into. These, though, look like gems. And, for the most part, you can probably order more of what you like and gift what you don’t. That Far marl is gorgeous. I have yet to cave and order any (so pricey, so sure to hook me), but that is truly tempting.

  16. I love the second yarn but it doesn’t seem to match the second link… I’d love to know what they are 😊 I may knit a squirrel with it!!!

  17. I have some Jones and Vandermeer Happy Mink. Yes, mink. They describe it as “A distinctive blend of guilt-free mink and cashmere fibers.” I will make a hat with it, but I must say it is quite luxurious. I wouldn’t mind having your yarn problem for a day or two.

  18. Please, please post more about the last yarn when you are able. It’s looks divine!!

  19. Drool-worthy yarn! Nothing better than fiber mail. My knitting dreams are on hold for one more weekend. Tax season for two more days.

  21. I gave in to the temptation of some beautiful skeins that came here in kind of the same way, and to my dream of a perfect wrap/noncho/ruana . We’ll see how it goes. It is a fabulous distraction from tax/book keeping tasks (cough, extension, cough)

  23. I am pretty certain that I am making the color cards for the top secret yarn as I type. Wait until you see all of the colors!!!!

  24. Clever Camel is so unlike any other camel yarn I’ve used before. I’ve done my Moko-Moko cowl design back in 2012 using just 3 skeins of it and it’s spun so lofty yet durable and very warm! And the way it’s dyed, just love the subtle heathery look of the solids that Emily of Jones&Vandermeer comes up with! And cannot wait to see your thoughts about it!

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