The Loopy Ewe Blog

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Tag: Silkpaca

Malabrigo, Shibui, Kauni, Beads, and More

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primaveraIt’s February! February means all diets are off, right? (Food diets, yarn diets, etc.) February is Celebration Month because it’s the shortest month of the year and moves us right on into March, which means Spring is just around the corner. See? Lots to celebrate. And we have plenty of new things up on the website tonight, to help you get your celebration off to the right start. Just up, you’ll find:

Malabrigo Rios – this worsted weight is 100% Superwash Merino, making it great for sweaters, blankets, baby items, and anything else you want to be able to toss in the washer. (Shown here in Primavera.)

Malabrigo Silkpaca – a lighter-than-clouds laceweight that is 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Silk. 420 yards in the skein make it great for many simple one-skein shawl patterns.  You might think of picking one that you can add beads to as well.

kauniKauni Multi Colors and Solids – a sportweight yarn that is 100% wool and is nice for sweaters and shawls. The multi-color balls are sold by weight (120 grams up to 180 grams). We weigh the balls when they arrive to insure that you’re getting the correct weight/yaradage. Try a multi-color shawl with a solid edging. Beautiful. (Shown here in E-EQ).

Shibui Baby Alpaca – this DK weight is 100% Baby Alpaca and so wonderful to knit with. I’m currently making the a wrap that is knit holding 1 skein of the Alpaca and 1 skein of the Silk. I love working on it.

appleShibui Silk Cloud – a laceweight yarn made of 60% Kid Mohair and 40% Silk. I’m a little anti-mohair, just because sometimes I find it itchy. But I love this particular yarn and don’t find it itchy at all. And it’s fun to combine with other yarn options for a little extra warmth and texture. (Shown here in Apple).

Shibui Staccato – a fingering weight that is 70% Superwash Merino and 30% Silk. Great for socks (you’ll need 2 skeins for a pair) or shawls. The silk gives it a little extra strength and shine.

Shibui Cima – a new (to us) laceweight that is 70% BabyAlpaca and 30% Merino Wool. This yarn gives great stitch definition and is perfect for shawls, cowls, and scarves, as well as a great carry-along yarn for knitting double.

thistleShalimar Missy – more colors to add to the ones we put up a few weeks ago. Missy is 100% Superwash Merino in a Bulky weight and comes 120 yards to the skein. You’ll find hats, scarves, cowls and mitts knit up quickly with Missy. (Shown here in Thistle).

Stitch Savers – You have one of these in each of your project bags, right? For all those times when stitches just jump right off the end of the needles (through no fault of your own) and you need to wrangle them back into place. Or does that just happen to me?

ivorySajou Scissors – Oh, these are gorgeous. A bit pricey, but you might feel like splurging on yourself. (Remember – it’s Celebration Month.) They’d also make a great Valentine gift, in case you want to hint to someone who loves you. Why so expensive? These are made in France and the blades are hand matched for a perfect adjustment. Each pair takes a dozen qualified people to make them. Hide these in your project bag so no one borrows them. (Shown here in Veined (faux) Ivory.)

Miyuki Beads in 6/0 and 8/0 sizes – Beads, beads, beads! If you don’t yet knit with beads, you’ll want to after you see all of these fun colors. Size 6/0 is great for fingering weight yarns, and 8/0 is great for laceweight yarns. (The bigger the size number, the smaller the bead. That’s a bit confusing.) These come in tubes (thanks to your great feedback on our Facebook page, when we asked which you preferred). The 8/0 tubes contain approx. 10 grams/400 beads. The 6/0 tubes contain approx. 20 grams/220 beads. Beads are fun in shawls, edgings, mitts, cowls, and more. Jump in and give them a try.

Have fun checking out the new things, and we’ll get your orders out asap. We love seeing what you pick out!

Sheri whoislookingforwardtoaddingbeadstoherknitting 

Skein, Shalimar, Socktopus and More

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Happy Monday! We’re bringing you lots of wonderful things tonight, and then we’ll have no Monday Update next week due to Columbus Day (and a No Mail Monday). Just up today, we added in:

Skein – Top Draw Sock. This fingering weight yarn is dyed up by Kristen in Australia, and comes 437 yards to the skein. It’s 85% Superwash Merino and 15% Nylon. Kristen is known for her beautiful color blends! This would be great for socks, but also one-skein shawls, cowls and mitts as well. (Shown here in Night Owl).

Shalimar – Breathless. A few more colors from our last order. This fingering weight yarn is one of my personal favorites because the yarn base (75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, 10% Silk) is so luscious. If you’re making special holiday gifts, you might want to use this. It would be perfect for socks, shawls, scarves, cowls and hats.

Camp Loopy Colors – We had the tent groups in Camp Loopy’s Project Three come up with Camp Colorways and inspiration photos, and Lorna’s Laces took them and turned them into the most beautiful colors. We have: In The Wind, Nature’s Glory, Lilac Fields, Northern Lights, Orange Sunset and Soft Sunrise available, and you’ll find them under the Camp Loopy section in Yarn. (Shown here in Nature’s Glory).

Malabrigo – Silkpaca. You all have been having fun with this. (Or at least you’re having fun ordering it!) This laceweight yarn comes 420 yards to the skein and is 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Silk. It’s beautiful and feels soft and wonderful. You’ll love using it for shawls and scarves.

Socktopus – Sokkusu. This yarn is hand-dyed in the UK and has a wonderful twist to it. Your patterns will really pop! The 100% super wash merino is great for shawls and scarves, and equally popular for socks. (Shown here in Ayame).

Mountain Colors – Bearfoot. More colors in this warm sock yarn base. 60% Superwash Merino, 25% Mohair, and 15% Nylon, with 400 yards to the skein. You might also try these colors for a triple-color shawl, like the Thin Ice shawl I made awhile back. Pick a multi-color that you like, and then two different solids to go with it.

Della Q – New fabric yarn caddies and yarn dispensers from Della Q, in addition to a re-stock on needle cases.

Loopy Ewe Tote bags – Project Keepers (great for 8 1/2 x 11 pattern plus yarn and needles), Purse Pals (great for notions like your tape measure, scissor, darning needle, stitch markers, etc), and Large Project Totes (holds everything).

Dream in Color – October Dream Club Yarn. (Shown here). This new base is a fingering weight with 75% wool, 25% silk and comes 440 yards to the skein. When you purchase a skein, we’ll also send you a free emailed pattern for the Autumn Fern Mobius Cowl. (Remember, we will have more skeins available again next week, so check back if we run out.) In addition to the cowl, you could also use this gorgeous yarn for shawls, scarves, socks and mitts.

Enjoy your browsing and shopping and we’ll get your orders packed up and shipped off to your house asap!

Sheri whonevergetstiredofbeautifulyarn

Malabrigo, Smooshy with Cashmere, Mountain Colors & More

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Today’s Monday Update is all about soft, smoothy, luscious feeling yarn. You can’t go wrong with any of it. We just added in:

Malabrigo Sock – I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting on this Sock base to come in again, but I feel like I’ve been waiting close to forever. I’m so glad it’s here! This fingering weight yarn seems to be used just as often for cowls, scarves and shawls as it is for socks. At 440 yards per skein, it’s plenty for most sizes of socks and one-skein shawls. (Shown here in Marte.)

Malabrigo Silkpaca – 26 more colors of Malabrigo’s newest lace weight. This 70% Baby Alpaca / 30% Silk base comes 420 yards to the skein and is perfect for shawls and scarves or cowls.

Mountain Colors Bearfoot – My second ever pair of socks was knit from this yarn, and they continue to be my warmest, coziest pair. This fingering weight base is 60% superwash merino, 25% kid mohair, and 15% nylon. I’m sure it would make equally cozy scarves, hats and mitts, too. We have 25 colors up for you tonight. (Shown here in Thunderstorm.)

Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere – This is another yarn that doesn’t come around all that often. When they have this base in stock, we order lots, though! I’m working on a shawl out of this fingering weight yarn, and the 70% super wash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon base is spoiling me. I’ll show you my shawl on Wednesday’s blog post. (There. That will make me get it done. Nothing like putting a deadline right out there on the blog…)

Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere Camp Colors – We also had them do up four colors to celebrate the bug groups from Camp Loopy this summer. You’ll find Dragonflies, June Bugs, Lightening Bugs, and No-Seeums under the Camp Loopy category on the homepage. (We’ll have more Camp colors coming later this month.) Shown here in No-Seeums.

Universal Cotton Supreme & Cotton Supreme Batik – This yarn is great for spring and summer sweaters, and for kids clothes year round. It’s 100% cotton and can be tossed in the machine to wash and dry, so it’s easy care. (I made a sweater out of it that turned out too large because I didn’t think being off 1/2 stitch per inch was that big of a deal with gauge. Turns out, it IS a big deal. Lesson learned. And this yarn does.not.shrink.at.all when you put it in the dryer. Even if you want it to shrink.) I think the Batik colors are particularly cute for kids sweaters.

Kollage New Square DPN’s – Now made in the U.S., these needles have been re-done and are better than ever. We currently have the new styles in circular sizes 24″, 32″, 40″ and in the 6″ DPN’s. Many knitters say that square needles are easier on your hands. These DPN’s come five needles to a set. Due to the difference between square and round needles, you’ll want to be sure to do a test swatch for needle size. Most knitters find that they need to go up a needle size on these square needles.

Enjoy your shopping and we’ll get your Box of Fun out to you asap!

 

Sheri finishingshawl,then4thquarterchallenge

Malabrigo Silkpaca, Shalimar Breathless and More

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Lots of pretty colors and lots of luscious yarn up in tonight’s Monday Update! (Monday aka “Grow Your Stash Day” or “Start a New Project Day”. I think that should officially be on every calendar.) We just added in:

Malabrigo’s new Silkpaca Lace – Available in 24 colors, this  hand-dyed lace has a beautiful sheen and wonderful drape. 70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk, and 420 yards in a skein. Perfect for a drapey scarf or shawl. (Shown here in Abril.) Try it for a Lancet Shawl, or Good Day Sunshine, or a Montego Bay Scarf or a Spice Trade Shawl.

Shalimar Breathless – still one of my very favorites. I just picked a few more skeins for a fall project for myself! (Camp Loopy Project Three is almost done. Time to reward myself with an awesome new project!) This fingering weight yarn is 75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, and 15% Silk. At 420 yards per skein, it’s a perfect size for one-skein shawls and socks, as well as scarves and cowls. (Shown here in Tequila Sunrise.) Try a skein for socks like: Pas de Deux, or Helen Socks, or Pillars. Or try it for scarves like: Cerus, or Kernel, or To Infinity and Beyond. Of course it is also beautiful in shawls, which is probably what I’ll use it for. Thinking about another Derecho with this. (You need a light, medium and dark color for Derecho. Easy.)

Dream in Color Classy – a re-stock of all colors, just in time for fall sweater knitting. Classy is a worsted weight yarn that is machine washable and comes 250 yards to the skein. Great for sweaters, vests, hats, scarves, mittens and easy-care kid clothes. Check out these fun patterns that call for a worsted weight: Dark and Stormy (or really any sweater by Thea – I love them all), Arroyo shawl, Windschief hat, or a Pine Forest Baby Blanket.

Dream in Color Tulips Baby Sweater Kits – in both boy, girl and unisex color choices. Each kit comes with the mini skeins needed to knit one sweater, as well as the pattern. (Finished sweater shown here. Colors will vary.)

Chic Knits Patterns – Bonne Marie’s patterns are always well written, stylish and timeless. I have about 10 that I want to make for myself. I really need to get into a sweater groove and jump in.

Have fun shopping and we’ll have fun pulling your orders and packing them up just for you tomorrow!

Sheri whoalwayslovesgrowingheryarnstashonMondays