Hello from a busy ECY Shedquarters!
Last week we launched our annual wintry collaboration with Ellen Shek (aka Kalok Shek Ellen) who makes beautiful and practical project bags for us! We’ve named this year’s theme Frost Fair, with the fabric inside the bag having glow in the dark snowflakes on it — it’s SO cool!! In previous years we’ve included Ellen’s bags as part of the secret surprise boxes, however this year we thought we’d do things a bit differently; so you can choose from a number of options on the website — you can get the bag with both the 100g skein and the mini skein, or with just one of them, or you can get the yarn individually. There are only eight bags left at the time of writing so make sure to place your order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Also on the wesbite we have a fresh batch of Festive Fun on Pendle Chunky for those quick winter makes. Pendle Chunky is pure Superwash extra fine Merino and honestly this stuff is so soft and squishy it’s ridiculous. Festive Fun is also available on Rosedale 4ply but again stocks are limited and we are unlikely to dye any more of this colourway until next winter.
As well as those, there are some new batches of Brimham 4ply. You may notice they are multiples of the same colours again but this is part of the dye recipe checking process, and actually by being similar you could make a gorgeous palette out of them together — they’re almost a fade really. Brimham 4ply mini skein fade sets are also back on the website in a variety of colours perfect for beautiful fade designs such as the Transference Shawl by Helda Panagary and the Orford Shawl and Orford Cowl both by Sophie McKane. There are three options: Tarn, Charcoal and Clematis. We do also still have a handful of presentation boxes on the website that can hold up to five mini skeins and would be the perfect way to gift wrap a fade set!
We will be closed from Friday the 26th of November and back to work on Wednesday the 1st of December. This means any orders placed after 4pm on Thursday the 25th will not be shipped until Thursday the 2nd of December at the earliest. Laura will still be looking after emails and behind the scenes stuff but everything else will be dealt with after we get back to work on Wednesday.
It hasn’t escaped our attention that it is Black Friday this week. I will start by saying we are not having a sale but we do have yarn in the Reduced to Clear category if you are looking for a bargain. Instead we wanted to spread some positivity so we will donate 10% of all orders placed from 00:01 on Friday morning until 23:59 on Tuesday (all times given are UK time) to the Mind, a UK based mental health charity. To find out more about who they are and what they do take a look at their website. Winter and the holidays can be a particulary difficult time for a lot of us and so being able to donate to ensure that people are able to access support is a huge honour for us.
If you are looking for some new project inspiration we have a few suggestions for you.
The Sock Knitting Bible by Lynn Rowe is perfect if you enjoy knitting socks. It includes patterns (naturally) but also explains techniques, sock yarns and materials to ensure you get the best results. One of the patterns in the book was written by Vikki Bird and uses our very own Tempo 4ply in Misty Woods in a design worked toe-up that includes cables and a forethought heel. The Sock Knitting Bible is available now from all the usual places (WH Smiths, Foyles, Amazon and many more).
Natalie Warner is releasing another new pattern this Friday. Bitten Gloves are stunning long fingerless mitts made using Titus Lace and Lowther Lace held together. They look so fluffy and cosy but by using two laceweight yarns they will also be lightweight. Lowther Lace is our baby alpaca/silk alternative to the mohair/silk laceweight Eldwick Lace. These two fuzzy yarns are easily interchangeable and we have a variety of colourways available on both bases. The pattern will be available on Natalie’s website on Friday. We have created a collection on the website showing all Titus Lace and Lowther Lace arranged in suggested combinations. We also have a flickr album showing the different combinations so that you can see the skeins together. It’s probably not exhaustive but there are loads to whet your appetite!
The Shifting Sands Cowl is a lovely new pattern from Jaya of Apoorva Designs. It features simple yet effective lace patterns and is worked top down. This pattern uses one skein of Keld Fingering in Heathered Crags which is currently available on the website. This pattern really suits a lightly variegated colourway like this one but would also look stunning in a semi-solid. We also have plenty of other Keld Fingering colourways available to choose from on the website. You can get the pattern on Jaya’s new website as well as on Payhip.
Kits for the Lucky Dip Cowl have been so popular that we have sold out of Milburn 4ply in Black Tulip! We hope to have the next dyelot of this yarn available within the next month (it’s delayed, as is everything these days) but in the meantime kits will be sold with a ball of Milburn 4ply in Charcoal instead of Black Tulip. This is mentioned in the listings but we just wanted to give you a heads up. If you would prefer to use a different colour of Milburn 4ply for the kit just drop us an email and we can create a bespoke kit for you.
That is all from us for today. Don’t forget we do ship orders worldwide!