We’ve just released the second pattern of the season, which means it’s that time again! Let’s scheme about yarn for the next Shawl Society 5 design…
This year, to make it easier for folks to stash dive and shop in plenty of time for cast on, I’ve been sharing yarn spoilers for upcoming designs here on the blog.
I try to balance the hints so you know what yarn you’ll need without giving tooooo much away about the design, but obviously some of these details might give you some suspicions about what’s on the way next.
So if you want a total surprise, click away now!
Okay…the hints:
1. This is a three-colour design. Which means it’s amazing for using up stash, if you happen to have a lot of single skeins of fingering hidden away. It’s also a great chance to play with colour and get really creative.
2. This design would also look beautiful in more or less colours: there’s enough interest that even one colour would work well, if that’s more your style.
2. There are some sections of lace and texture, so if you worry about variegated yarn obscuring stitch patterns, you’ll want at least one of your skeins to be a solid/semisolid/gentle speckle.
And onto the yarn itself:
For the sample, I chose yarn from an amazing local indie dyer, Natural Fibre Arts.
Cheryl, who makes the colour magic happen, is close enough to me to drop in for a cuppa now and then, which is so lovely! She works alongside her sister and daughter to create the gorgeous skeins and knitting accessories that Natural Fibre Arts is known for.
This yarn base is incredible for shawls: the merino, silk, and yak blend is so soft and so drapey, with a beautiful subtle sheen and wonder stitch definition. It’s so luxurious and wonderful to work with.
Yarn
Natural Fibre Arts Merino Silk Yak [60% Merino; 20% Silk, 20% Yak; 366m/400yds per 100g skein], 3 x 100g skeins,
Colour A: Denim (darker blue)
Colour B: Stonewash (lighter blue)
Colour C: Bee Keeper (gold)
Approximate yarn used in sample:
Colour A: 100g or 366m/400yds
Colour B: 90g or 325m/360yds
Colour C: 100g or 366m/400yds
Totaling approximately 290g (1062m,1160yds) of fingering weight yarn.
Needles
4mm (US 6), 100cm (40″) long circular needles (or size to obtain gauge)
Notions
4 stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Gauge
22sts/32rows = 10cm (4″) in stockinette stitch after blocking
Cheryl has put together a special offer for Handmade Shawl Society members!
There’s a very small amount of all three sample colours in stock on the Natural Fibre Arts site now, and she will be doing an update of kits in these colours and a few other combos for her next update, Friday June 25th, 2021 at 7pm AEST.
She has a coupon code running for us from now until 31st July. Get 10% off any 3 skeins of this yarn base for your shawl using code WILDBEES.
The discount is applied at checkout and is for the Merino Silk Yak fingering weight base only.
This way you choose your own colourways and create your own beautiful colour combos!
There is a ‘Dye to Order’ selection there as well so if a colourway is out of stock you can add that to the cart and put a note in the comments to let her know which colours you would like dyed.
The time from dyeing to shipping is usually one week, and of course, international shipping is still a bit unpredictable, so patience is of the essence!
It’s an honour to be able to work with such talented independent yarn artists, and to share their work with the Curious Crew.
I know that sometimes geography, budget, or the very limited amounts of these small-batch, handcrafted skeins means that not every knitter will be able to get their hands on these specific skeins.
My hope is that no matter what, this beautiful yarn and these hints will ignite your own imagination and inspiration to find the perfect yarn for your shawl.
Whether it comes from stash, from a handy online retailer, an indie dyer, your own dye pots or from a local yarn store, I can’t wait to see what you use!
