Meet the Yarn: Haiku

Jill Wolcott
passion.fashion.knits

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Casting on with Haiku

I picked up Haiku with a specific project in mind.  That isn’t usually the case, but the yarn spoke to me when I first saw it.  I reverse my usual process and I went right into a large swatch using the stitch patterns I needed for that pattern.  

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Medallion swatch unblocked and blocked

Haiku fit my project perfectly.  After swatching and adjusting my numbers, and making a few changes, I sent my pattern off to a knitter to do the knitting.  Then I made my usual exploration swatch.  These swatches tell me so much about each yarn and usually help me decide what to do in terms of stitch pattern and project.  I don’t necessarily use the four stitches, but they give me an idea of stitch definition, how the yarn and color interact in them, and what type of background seems to make the yarn sing.

I have wet and steam blocked my swatches and have these observations.  Overall, there was little gauge change in my swatches—just a tidying up of stitches and rows.  I used Addi Lace cable needles, US size 3(3.25mm).  I am generally a loose knitter, so you may need to go up a size or two to achieve the same gauge.  

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Details of Medallion

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Central medallion at back of neck

It goes without saying that this fingering weight, 3-ply yarn, was a pleasure to work with.  The bamboo and merino combine to give it a lovely sheen, making this a yarn entirely appropriate for shawls, shrugs, cowls, scarves, and garments!  With 10% nylon, I think this would make lovely, transitional socks.  

I did some research on bamboo fiber.  I have seen a lot of change in this fiber since first seeing it in yarn in the early part of the 2000s.  Bamboo is noted for its smooth, soft, and luxurious feel, derived from its round surface.  Bamboo fiber breaths well and has micro gaps and holes which lead to excellent moisture absorption and ventilation.  It is comfortable in both warm and cold weather.  Bamboo has a naturally antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-static bio-agent called “bamboo kun”.  This bio-agent is retained in the process of becoming a fiber and has been found to remain after a high number of washes.  The process of creating bamboo fiber is done most often by a chemical process using caustic soda or lye, followed by a bleaching and carbon disulfide process.  This is not necessarily environmentally friendly.  Organic bamboo is processed mechanically, at a higher cost.

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Center back bottom lace 

This process is something to consider when choosing manufactured fibers, but should also be weighed by the positive attributes it brings.  Bamboo has plenty of attributes:  renewable fiber source with short growing cycle (4 years), plus antimicrobial and comfort.  Although the process of making manufactured fibers has some drawbacks, having good inputs counts in its favor.

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Back and buttoned cuff

My Haiku Medallion shrug was the first piece in the TNNA Fashion show at the Summer 2017 show.  I have no photos, and didn’t see it because I didn’t get to TNNA in time.  I did snag the sample to wear in a class I was teaching the following day.  Wearing the sample was when I learned the most about this yarn!  It was so comfortable I forgot I was wearing it.  It was warm, but not too.  It looked great too!

Looking at photos I’ve now taken of my shrug, you can see how nicely it works in lace, which is pleasantly offset by the plainness of the stockinette.  I like to liven this piece up with a lot of buttons too.  Medallion Haiku will be released in December or January. Want to know when it is getting published?  Sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter here.   You can get swatch instructions for the small medallion pattern on Jill’s blog.

Keep up on all things Jill Wolcott:
Contact: jill@jillwolcottknits.com
Blog:  http://www.jillwolcottknits.com/category/blog/
Twitter: @jillwolcottknit
Instagram: @jillwolcottknits
Pinterest: Jill Wolcott Knits
www.JillWolcottKnits.com

Haiku can be found in these shops:
Jessica Knits in Scottsdale, AZ
Purls of Wisdom in Pheonixville, PA
Row One Yarn in Sherman Oaks, CA
Salty Sheep in Swansboro, NC
StevenBe in Minneapolis, MN
Yarning for You in San Marcos, CA
Yarns to Go in Alpina, MI
And many more!

You can also special order Haiku from any shop that carries Anzula yarns. You can find a list of shops here.

Meet the Yarn: Gerty

We are so excited to officially announce that Gerty is available! You will find a list of shops that will receive orders in the next few days below so you can be the first to try this amazing new yarn. 

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Gerty in Frankie, Paprika, Madam, Orchid, and Violet.

Jill Wolcott joins us this week to introduce all of you to our newest yarny best friend. So without further ado, here's Jill:

Squooshy. That is really the best way to describe Gerty, 100% American Targhee.  Amongst spinners and fleece people, Targhee seems to be the fiber of the moment.  I’ve looked at my reference materials, to learn more about Targhee sheep and fiber.  In addition to softness, the fiber is noted for a 3 to 5 inch length and lands at 22 to 25 microns, with lots of crimp, this fiber takes color well. 

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Targhee fiber fluffed and ready to spin!

Targhee is a relatively new breed, developed in 1926 in Idaho, it is a cross-breed of Rambouillet rams and Corriedale and Lincoln/Rambouillet ewes, then back-crossed. The breeding was undertaken to get a sheep that produced both fiber and meat, and was suitable for ranching in the West and high plains.  As breed specific fiber becomes a greater focus among dyers and producers, we are re-discovering things that have been hiding in plain sight.  Hello Targhee!

Noted for soft and fluffy fiber, this merino-like fiber feels silky.  I have enjoyed every stitch I have taken with this yarn.  I want to take more stitches, but I’m nearing the end of my skein. You know the feeling—you are racing to the end, but you don’t want to get there!  Gerty is a fingering/sock yarn and a skein has 390 yards (356m).  My skein color was Birdie.  

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Gerty in Birdie.

From my skein I have knitted

• a long exploration swatch of four stitch patterns, 
• two yoga anklets (40 sts),
• one full anklet (40 sts), 
• a swatch in Pillar & Web, and 
• a partial swatch in Ringlet stitch.  

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I have wet and steam blocked my swatches and have these observations.  Overall, there was little gauge change in my swatches—just a tidying up of stitches and rows.  I used Addi Lace cable needles, US size 3(3.25mm).  I am generally a loose knitter, so you may need to go up a size or two to achieve the same gauge. 

Additional Useful Information:  14 WPI, 3-ply.

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Stitches used from left to right; 1x1 rib, seed stitch, stockinette, garter.

After my long swatch I got pretty excited about this yarn so I started working on the yoga sock samples on which I’m working out a new short row heel.  The second one has a bit of shaping up near the toe which is great for those with widening at the ball of the foot.  I got thinking about working a sock with absolutely no toe finishing.  I know you can just kitchener an opening closed, but I don’t love doing that and I am sorely troubled by socks with seams so it was a nice little exploration that I worked on for several evenings. I can tell you that the yarn holds up to ripping and re-knitting quite well.  The result is a very rounded toe that begins from Judy’s Magic cast on, then works short rows for the toe, then the sock, the short row heel, the anklet and rib, and the heel tab.  I added a little rib at the instep because I was kind of bored with stockinette at that point.

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I wanted to try a more complex stitch pattern too, so I pulled out a pattern that I did in a vest for Knitter’s magazine in 1998.  Pillar and Web is a fun pattern to work, but it wasn’t right for this springy yarn.  It is fine, just not quite right.  

The stitch pattern needs openness, and this yarn tends to resist that.  So I started working another stitch that I love, but have never done anything with: Ringlet.  Ringlet requires some transferring of stitches, so the springy-ness of Gerty is just right.

Gerty in Pillar and Web Stitch

Gerty in Ringlet Stitch.

I would suggest that you try Gerty with stitch patterns that need definition, but for which compression isn’t a problem.  Because I cannot keep myself from thinking “what if”, I began to envisioned Gerty in my Meath Pullover.  I would love to substitute the cables with the Ringlet stitch, and maybe add columns of Ringlet to break up the stockinette of the body.  Not quite able to stop dreaming, I checked and determined that the medium would take 4 skeins. I think I would have to do it in Peacock, it's such a beautiful shade of green.

Right now I'll try to savor these last few stitches while I dream of what comes next. 

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Gerty is being dyed and shipped throughout September. You'll be able to find Gerty exclusively in the shops listed below, all of whom are happy to ship!

Baskets of Yarn - Charlotte, NC - (704) 733-9053
Wasatch and Wool - Park City, UT - (435) 575-0999
Yarn Refuge - Reno, NV - (775) 384-1600
Knit One Purl Two - Rockford, IL - (815) 904-6030
Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - (234) 208-9482

Special orders only: Swatches - Fresno, CA - (559) 435-2813

You can place a special order for Gerty (or any of our yarns) at your favorite local shop. See a list of shops here and our map here. 

Meet the Yarn: Nebula

Hi! Me again.  This time I'm jumping on here to talk about Nebula.  I love talking about yarn in terms of fiber, twist & ply, and what type of project is suitable in each yarn.  That is how I look at every yarn that passes through my studio and fingers.  There is the visual aspect, which is what makes you reach out to grab, touch, feel, consume, a yarn.  The visual is a result of the intrinsic loveliness of the fibers, and sometimes it is the result of the color, sometimes it is the result of the twist and ply, and sometimes, it is the result of some other specialness.

Let us talk specialness of fiber. The specialness in this case is stellina, a flat, shiny, metallic looking nylon filament fiber. Stellina is clear or nearly clear, and very flat.  As it twists and turns, the light shines off it, adding a subtle sparkle. Think paper flat and thinner than you can imagine, but soft.  This filament adds a visual element to the yarn, while also adding some of the properties of nylon.  Nebula is 84% super wash merino, 3-ply.  Each ply appears to have a filament of stellina spun in, but the filament is cut into long staple lengths to work with the merino.  Stellina brings specialness.

Nylon (polyamide) has properties that can add to the overall yarn:  

• exceptional strength, 
• elastic, 
• abrasion resistant, 
• lustrous, 
• resistant to damage from oils and chemicals, 
• resilient, 
• low moisture absorbency.  

Before we get off the specialness aspect of this yarn, let’s take a look at what Nebulas are.  In one description I found they are called the nursery of the Universe.  A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas. Giant, as in light years across, nebulae are fuzzy in appearance—like a fluffy bit of wool in the sky, surrounded by sparkly sky things (planets and stars).  

Crab Nebula

Hubble Mosaic

NGC 248

Spitzer Nebula

Anzula's Nebula is made of super wash merino and stellina and is colorful and a bit shiny.  But shiny in a subtle and elegant way. Get an idea of all the yarn loveliness by looking at a universe of colors!  

Nylon is so perfect for a sock yarn.  I am not a sock knitter, so I have to find other ways to enjoy sock yarns.  Shawls, tops, scarves, and wraps are all perfect projects for sock yarn—especially sock yarn with a sparkle!  So think outside your sock box and explore what else you can do with sock yarn.  Go to Ravelry and see the nearly 1100 projects done in Nebula if you need ideas!

I have done my usual observational swatch.  I used US size 3(3.25mm) Addi lace needles.  You could knit it on a smaller needle, but I don’t want this to be like a sock.  I think you could go up to a US size 6(4mm) or 7(4.5mm) needle for lace.  Always check your gauge.  I am a loose knitter, so you may need to go up a size or two to get the same result.

I currently have two projects I’m doing samples of in this yarn.  One is Ashland, which can be knit as either a small collar or a larger shawlette.  I love to knit this pattern, but these samples were knit by a knitter with a slightly firmer touch on the collar, and looser with more stitches it is a little lighter, in the larger piece.  I love the colors together [Hyacinth and Avocado], and I am not sure I will ever wear them except layered that way.  Finding the right buttons could be a challenge! 

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The other project is in process and I don’t have photos of the sample yet.  It is a lace sleeveless top called Silver Valley.  I do have swatches, at two different gauges.  Both fabrics are lovely, but I wanted a particular fabric.  This stitch pattern is a 12-stich pattern using decreases and eyelets called Razor stitch.  The pattern also uses a 6-stitch Razor for the yoke.  I think it showcases the yarn perfectly.  This color is sweet, but i chose a bolder color, Riot, for the sample.  Too much sweet doesn’t appeal to me.

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Nebula in Riot and Avocado

Have you seen My Swatch Challenge? You can join any time, but there is still time to get in at the beginning.  Each month I post a blog on my website to coincide with this post, that gives you instructions for a stitch pattern that I’ve used to do my swatch. These are related to patterns in my pattern collection.  The Swatch Challenge post discusses Belon in Milky Way (swatch drawing on August 15), and contains the stitch pattern for the Oyster Shell .  The next Swatch Challenge post is for Latin Quarter in Breeze (swatch drawing on September 15), and has the stitch pattern Tilting Ladder.  Next up is be the post for Silver Valley in Nebula (swatch drawing on October 15), with the stitch pattern the 12-stitch Razor.  All these posts have a link to Action Charts.