Seeing Red

We have had some beautiful yarn come in this past week & many of them have been a red of one shade & another.  I couldn't help myself & had to make a small display of this versatile & variable colour.  With everything from Alexander Roase Mohair from $2.50 a ball through to the new Red Rocket at $3.50 a ball, there is something for red lovers anywhere.

My Personal favourite is the new Harvest colour, Geranium - a soft red marl, just delicious!

Powerful Prism

A Powerful Pyramid of Prism

I have been loading, rearranging & unpacking madly today to get our new arrival out onto the shelves.

Introducing Prism - Premium Certified Organic NZ Wool DK

This is organic yarn that is meant to be fun!  Vibrant colours that make anyone smile, Prism is great for all projects, childrens, adults, for the home, for gifts.  These colours would make Mick from Time Team race out & start another signature bright stripe jumper!

Best of all is the price.  Prism make organic affordable.  Just $4.50 a 50gm ball!  It is a limited edition yarn, so make sure you're in quick!

Colour PLUS!

The factory at the moment is manic!  Even thought the temperatures are frequently breaching 30+ degrees C here & knitting is the last thing on most people minds, the factory is running red hot getting all the Winter indent orders out for our clients & for Skeinz.

One of the new ranges for Skeinz this Winter is Prism.  Think organic merino DK but really bright, vibrant, classical colours.  The first three shades have been balled off, with more to come.  Here's a few pic's to whet your appetite - enjoy!

Swatch Test

The swatch on the right has been washed in my old machine.

I have quickly knitted up a swatch of the Hawkes Bay Series & done a wash test.

As some of the yarn in the blend is machine washable I wanted to see what happened when I threw the swatch in the wash.  I put it in my very antiquated machine on a gentle cycle & I have to say I like the result.  It has softened the swatch considerably & did not shrink at all.  Now I personally recommend hand washing all hand knitted garments, even the MW ones, but for the sake of curiosity we now know what happens.  I would think it would continue to softly felt up with continuous washes, but a worthwhile experiment none the less.

Taking inspiration from home...

It's great how we are able to fiddle & faddle with various yarns & fibres & create beautiful yarns to love.  During our Spring clean some yarn & fibre was found & the cleaver spinners & dyers have created a worsted weight (12ply) yarn in colours that reflect the region where we are based, Hawkes Bay.

I have listed the yarn as non machine wash, but in actual fact it is two thirds MW yarn with one third non machine wash. So if you have one of those super flash washers that can do a gentle hand wash cycle, then this yarn should be fine.

Best of all is the skein size & price: 200gm (284m) for just $10

The first colour is called ‘Blossom Festival’ after the iconic Hasting Blssom Festival held here every Spring. Its a playful mix of pinks, lemons, mauves, cream - just like the orchards of Hastings in Spring.

The second colour is ‘Ahuriri’ after the seaside village in Napier where I live - we have just 13 skeins of this colourway, so get in quick.

Lastly is ‘Puketapu’, a village inland from Taradale which is a mixture of farming, horticulture, artisans & vineyards, a great place to visit on a lazy Summer afternoon drive. We have just 7 skeinz of Puketapu.

Playing in the Big Top

You have to LOVE customers! The wee knit angel who knitted the Beret in the Dora Circus, rocked up in the shop yesterday with another done in Monkey 3D. This yarn really does look SO good worked up into garments. It's a steal too, just $3.50 a ball & you too can play in the Big Top!

It's a Jam!

Suzanne yarning about yarn at the Fuitbowl Craft Jam

This past weekend myself, Suzanne, Brendan, Peter & Mary all flew the Skeinz flag at the inaugural Fruitbowl Craft Jam in Hastings. The event was a smashing success & I hope organisers Jess & Jo are buoyed on by what a fabulous job they'd done & make it an annual event.

The Atrium at the Hastings Opera House was a stunning location.

Armed with 'Slipper Kits', Vintage & the new Circus yarn, we were quite mean really, making all those eager crafters stock up to make their own instead of all the stunning finished goods that were available on the day.

Dora Beret

The Circus colours have certainly livened up the line-up & for all those that have been wondering what on earth will this yarn knit up like, well one of our regulars popped in Friday with this cuter than cute Beret made in 'Dora'. She's absolutely chuffed with the results & quite frankly, so are we, it looks great don't you think!