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Karst made its official debut at the Indie Spotlight show earlier this month. Now it’s available to everyone — along with a new sock pattern to boot!

Karst is a sport-weight yarn made from a blend of white Cheviot sheep wool (the fiber traditionally used in kilt socks) and stormy Huacaya alpaca fleece.

Like all our yarn, the fiber is undyed. The whisper gray color comes directly from the fiber itself. The yarn’s namesake is a nod to karst landscapes, which are common here in Central Texas, and dominated by light gray limestone.

Karst is a great sock yarn, with a sturdy, medium feel that is still soft enough for next-to-skin wear. In fact, as soon as I got this yarn back from the mill, I asked Alissa Barton of the Knitting Fairy if she would be interested in whipping up a sock pattern just for Karst! The result is the Barn Sock, a thick and snug sock that’s great when you want some extra padding along with extra warmth.

The pattern requires two skeins of Karst and is available on RavelryRavelry.

Our yarn Kaolin is a killer weaving yarn. Case in point: the Gothfarm Yarn Summer Clutch.

The woven clutch’s simple, repeating chevron motif brings out Kaolin’s natural luster, which comes from a generous quantity of undyed, natural white Lincoln Longwool sheep locks.

The Longwool locks also give the yarn a rugged feel. This makes the clutch a sturdy, hardwearing item that works as an on-the-go bag or a more formal accessory. The Longwool is blended with Tunis sheep wool, which helps smooth out the yarn while imparting a warm, ivory white hue.

The pattern for the woven clutch is available in our online shop, and available for FREE with purchase of at least one skein of Kaolin. Just add everything to your cart and enter code “Clutch” at checkout.

Not a weaver? Kaolin is still a great option for harder-wearing knit and crochet projects, such as CJ Johnson’s Cassie Wristlet (Ravelry link).

No matter the project, keep Kaolin in mind for accessories where texture, sturdiness and, of course, eye-catching looks, are part of the plan!

The relationship between the Navajo people (who call themselves the Diné) and Navajo-Churro sheep has lasted for centuries, with the wool primarily used to create beautiful woven items. Our sweater adaption, the “Diné Motif Design,” brings traditional Diné weaving motifs into a new realm — sweater knitting — while maintaining traditional materials and centering the design of a contemporary Diné weaver.

The design is an adaption of of the “Rug” sweater, a beloved pattern by knitwear designer Junko Okamoto. The “Diné Motif Design” is the latest in a longline of adaptations and a collaboration between Gothfarm Yarn and Kevin Aspaas, a Diné weaver.

The adaption changes the original design in two ways:
– It replaces the colorwork sections with an original design by Aspaas.
– And it replaces the suggested yarn with 100% Navajo-Churro yarn from Gothfarm Yarn. Like all our yarn, the Churro yarn is made from naturally colored, undyed wool.

Navajo-Churro is a rugged, hardwearing wool! It’s not your typical garment yarn — especially in our age of superwash Merino and acrylic blends. But wearing it is easy if you just keep a couple things in mind.

-Wear a thick, long-sleeved shirt under the sweater.
-Remember that the Rug pattern has a wide neck, which keeps the wool clear from sensitive neck skin.

That’s it!

The “Diné Motif Design” adaption pattern is available as a FREE download on our website. The “Rug” pattern by Junko Okamoto must be downloaded to knit this adaption. It is currently free on Ravelry.

The kit — which includes the yarn and a high-quality hard copy of the adaption — is also available on our website.

Get some Churro on those needles!