December 2020

Newly-published books

If knitters were voting to find the most unloved knitting technique, I reckon intarsia might win. All those plastic bobbins, tangled knots and ends to sew in, just to knit a tacky picture into the front of a sweater that you'll probably never dare to wear outside of the house.

But intarsia doesn't have to be like that. There are ways to deal with these issues, and then intarsia can be hugely rewarding. I am a big fan myself. I have high hopes that the latest MDK Field Guide, Painterly, will help to bring others round to my way of thinking. For a start, Kaffe Fassett's designs are more 'pattern' than 'picture' and I love his color choices. No dodgy 80s sweaters here! I also like his attitude towards the whole intarsia process. He suggests ditching the plastic bobbins and using shorter lengths of yarn which you pull from the "soft tangle". You rarely have to stop and undo knots with this technique. [I actually use another technique for avoiding tangles because I'm generally knitting with full balls of yarn—I'll write about it!] Intarsia is never going to be easy cinema-knitting, but then no-one's going to the cinema at the moment, so what better time to try it?

Journeys in Natural Dyeing touched me in a way that I wasn't expecting. I'm not a dyer, but since I like yarn, color and nature, I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed the 'Natural Dyeing' aspect of the book. But as a reluctant traveler, it was the 'Journeys' part that took me by surprise. It almost felt like I was alongside Kristine Vejar & Adrienne Rodriguez on their trips to Iceland, Japan, Mexico and Indonesia. They describe their days in a series of snapshots, with just enough detail for me to picture each moment before being whisked along to the next. It was good to be out of these four walls for a while, even if just in my imagination. Fingers crossed that we can all safely go on adventures further from home in 2021.

New and discontinued yarns

New

Cascade Yarns
Miraflores – Heavy Worsted – 80% Alpaca, 20% Nylon – 2 ply – Solid colors, Multicolored

Coeur d'Alene
Superwash Merino – Worsted – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors

Cygnet
Pato Chunky – Bulky – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors

Garnudsalg
Blackhill CottonWool Fine – Lace – 50% Merino Wool, 50% Organic Cotton – Plied – Solid colors, Heathers

James C. Brett
Crafter DK – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Rustic Chunky – Bulky – 77% Acrylic, 20% Superwash Wool, 3% Viscose – Tweedy – Self-striping

Jill Draper Makes Stuff
Ellsworth – Lace – 100% Poll Dorset Wool – Single ply – Solid colors, Heathers

Knit Picks / We Crochet
Alpaca Amour – Fingering – 100% Superfine Alpaca – Plied with a soft haze – Solid colors, Heathers
Alpaca Bloom Lace – Lace – 91% Superfine Alpaca, 9% Nylon – Brushed bouclé – Solid colors
Daydream – DK – 69% Superfine Alpaca, 24% Nylon, 7% Merino Wool – Fiber-filled net – Solid colors, Semi-solid colors
Sequence – Bulky – 70% Merino Wool, 30% Baby Alpaca – Chained – Solid colors

Knitcrate
Uru.Yarn Chonk – Super Bulky – 82% Merino Wool, 18% Cotton – Fuzzy chain – Semi-solid colors

Lana Grossa
Cashmere Moda – Heavy Worsted – 65% Merino Wool, 25% Cashmere, 10% Polyester – Chained – Solid colors, Semi-solid colors
Meilenweit 100 Lurex – Fingering – 75% Superwash Wool, 24% Nylon, 1% Metallic – Plied – Self-striping with metallic thread

Lion Brand
A Star Is Born - Warm & Fuzzy – Heavy Worsted – 100% Polyester – Chenille – Solid colors
It's So Fluffy – Super Bulky – 100% Polyester – Fleece style – Solid colors
Shawl in a Ball Fab! – Worsted – 40% Cotton, 30% Polyester, 20% Acrylic, 10% Superwash Wool – Plied with a soft haze – Self-striping (gradient transition)
Vel-Luxe Jumbo – Jumbo – 100% Polyester – Chenille – Solid colors

Loops & Threads
Chunky Grande Big! – Jumbo – 100% Acrylic – 2 ply – Solid colors, Multicolored
Chunky Luxe – Jumbo – 100% Acrylic – Single ply – Solid colors

Marriner Yarns
Cosy Toes 4-ply Sock – Fingering – 75% Merino Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon – Plied – Self-Striping

Noro
Okunoshima – Aran – 35% Silk, 28% Wool, 20% Angora, 17% Mohair – Tweedy – Self-striping (gradient transition)

Phildar
Phil Ecolaine – DK – 100% Superwash Wool – 2 ply – Solid colors
Phil Polaire – Bulky – 70% Wool, 30% Alpaca – Single ply – Solid colors, Heathered colors
Phil Romance – DK – 100% Nylon – Fuzzy chain – Solid colors
Phil Sequins – Carry-along – 100% Polyester – Sequinned – Metallic colors
Phil Socks – Fingering – 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon – Plied – Solid colors, Heathered colors, Self-striping, Self-striping (marled transition)
Phil Socks Lurex – Fingering – 72% Superwash Wool, 26% Nylon, 2% Metallic – Plied – Solid colors with metallic
Phil Tweedy – Bulky – 77% Acrylic, 20% Superwash Wool, 3% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweed colors

Schachenmayr Original
Bravo Softy – DK – 100% Polyester – Plied with a soft haze – Solid colors

Schulana
Bati – DK – 100% Wool – Single ply – Multicolored

Discontinued

Adriafil
Istante – Heavy Worsted – 44% Wool, 35% Nylon, 10% Linen, 9% Cotton, 2% Silk – Fuzzy – Tweed colors

Bergère de France
Filéco – Heavy Worsted – 78% Acrylic, 12% Wool, 6% Nylon, 4% Synthetic – Plied – Solid colors

Berroco
Corsica – DK – 90% Cotton, 10% Cashmere – S on S plied – Semi-solid colors
Plush – Super Bulky – 100% Nylon – Fleece style – Solid colors, Multicolored
Quechua – Sport – 60% Merino Wool, 20% Baby Alpaca, 20% Yak – 2 ply – Solid colors

Cygnet
Grousemoor Chunky – Bulky – 75% Acrylic, 25% Superwash Wool – Plied – Heathered colors
Grousemoor DK – DK – 75% Acrylic, 25% Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors

Fleece Artist
Merino Stream – Super Bulky – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Single ply – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored
Zambezi – Lace – 70% Kid Mohair, 30% Silk – Brushed bouclé – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored

GGH
Solitaire – Worsted – 44% Merino Wool, 43% Acrylic, 13% PBT (Elastic) – Plied

Juniper Moon Farm
Stratus – Aran – 60% Merino Wool, 20% Nylon, 10% Baby Alpaca, 10% Yak – Chained – Solid colors

King Cole
Florence Chunky – Bulky – 62% Acrylic, 25% Wool, 8% Alpaca, 5% Nylon – Thick and thin – Multicolored

Knitting Fever
Big Freakin Wool – Jumbo – 70% Wool, 30% Polyester – Single ply – Solid colors, Heathers

Loops & Threads
Meandering Serpentine – Worsted – 90% Acrylic, 10% Nylon – Plied – Tonal colors, Multicolored, Gradient set, Complementary colors set

Louisa Harding
Girandola – DK – 42% Cotton, 40% Acrylic, 18% Viscose – Chained – Multicolored
Marmo – Aran – 50% Acrylic, 50% Cotton – Plied – Multicolored marls
Mazzo – Aran – 60% Cotton, 40% Nylon – Tape – Multicolored

Malabrigo Yarn
Rastita – DK – 100% Merino Wool – Single ply

Moda Vera
Fayette – DK – 60% Superwash Wool, 40% Nylon – Single ply – Self-striping (gradient transition)
Gelato – Fingering – 50% Acrylic, 50% Cotton – Plied – Solid colors
Loopy – Jumbo – 100% Polyester – Fixed loops – Solid colors

Outlaw Yarn
Vanitas DK – DK – 90% Alpaca, 10% Merino Wool – Plied with a soft haze – Solid colors

Plymouth Yarn
Joy Ruffle – – 100% Acrylic – Ruffle – Multicolored

Premier Yarns
Mega Brushed Chunky – Super Bulky – 100% Acrylic – Plied with a soft haze – Self-striping

Queensland Collection
Sunshine Coast – DK – 70% Wool, 30% Bamboo Viscose – Single ply – Self-striping (gradient transition)
Tide – Aran – 40% Cotton, 30% Viscose, 15% Alpaca, 10% Nylon, 5% Wool – Slubby single wrapped with thread – Solid colors

Red Heart
Comfort Chunky – Bulky – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors, Heathers
Comfort Sport – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors

Schachenmayr Original
Baby Smiles Bravo Baby 100 – Aran – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Baby Smiles Bravo Baby 135 – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Baby Smiles Super Soft – DK – 55% Nylon, 45% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors, Multicolored
Magic Knit – Bulky – 50% Nylon, 50% Superwash Wool – Single ply – Self-striping

Scheepjes
Panda Sparkle – Aran – 100% Polyester – Eyelash – Metallic solids

Sublime Yarns
Isabella – DK – 55% Superwash Wool, 45% Cotton – S on S plied – Solid colors

I was a guest on Roxanne Richardson's Casual Friday YouTube podcast this month, if you want to put a face (or maybe a voice) to these emails!

If you'd like to get in touch, please send a mail to hello@yarnsub.com (you can simply reply to this mail) or find me on Ravelry and Instagram.

Happy Christmas to you, goodbye 2020, and see you in January!

Wendy

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