So many good things!!
Okay I have a whole bunch of goodness to share with you so I am just going to jump right in.
The Fall Twist Collective went live this week!! Have you seen it? If you have not had a chance do yourself a favor and grab a refreshing beverage and sit down for a long perusal. We are lucky enough to have this classy and colorful hat and cowl set (Echinacea) designed by none other than the ever so clever and talented Kate Gilbert herself. I was pretty tickled when she told me she was designing with our Cloud 9.
Also make sure not to miss Carrick, a cabled wonder by designer Kristin Eksuzian. A stunning statement of a sweater. I have to admit to being a little obsessed with that big cable.
*************************
Farmer’s Market MKAL last clue is out and and look aren’t they pretty??
I am so looking forward to seeing all of the color combo’s we came up as shawls instead of skeins!
I hope everyone posts their shawl pics to instagram.
So far my favorite is still the one with Apron Strings, Fruity Loopies and Spawn of Scum. which I am sure comes as no surprise to anyone. Thank you Shannon for such a fun MKAL!! You rock!
*************************
Such a light and graceful yarn. A fine two ply spun with luxurious Baby Alpaca and Cultivated Silk. I am not much of a lace knitter but this yarn makes me wish I was. I can just imagine how wonderful Lima Laci would not only look in a intricate lace pattern but also feel. 900 yds /4.25oz @ 29.00 We have a very limited amount so get it while you can!
Okay now for the queen of the yarn ball!! Meet my new yarn crush!!!
Crackpaca!!!
45% Baby Alpaca / 45% Super Duper Fine Merino / 10 % Cultivated Silk
Now, I am not the biggest alpaca fan on planet. Which up until now is why Blue Moon had only offered one Alpaca blend yarn, our Peru. I do love our Peru. I love it because it is a good blend which I firmly believe is the magic for a good alpaca yarn. Well, the same folks that created our Peru have come up with a yarn that I seriously wanted to just call Crack, it is that wonderful… so after much hemming and hawing and a little input on instagram I’ve settled on Crackpaca! Because this is most definitely crack for knitters luckily there are no harmful side effects and as far as I know it is legal!
It’s equal parts baby alpaca and a superfine merino and this is what I think makes it so wonderful. The superfine aspect of the merino enhances the baby alpaca by adding in elasticity and buoyancy without taking away that ultra softness that we love alpaca for.
If that were not enough, let’s just add in a little cultivated silk to the mix – just enough for a little sheen and strength. And…because we can, let’s ply it a little tighter than we normally do on this type of yarn and make it a 2 ply. Can you see in the picture how it looks like little alpaca pearls.
So soft and light and buoyant.
When it waltzed in the door, I wanted to take all of the skeins and make a bed with them and then climb in. I still might.
I am super excited about a whole bunch of the yarns we have added to our line up in the past year and Crackpaca is definitely at the very top of that list.
We have it priced at $27.00 for the next little bit as an introductory, “Oh my goodness, you have to have this yarn” special.
When ordering please keep in mind that alpaca takes dye a little light than most fibers! That said, all three of the fibers in this blend take the dye differently giving us a bit of a subtle heather effect throughout. I didn’t really notice it until I started knitting with it.
Sigh! After I finish this post I have to go out in the over 90 degree heat and dye ( hehe) and all I want to do is sit someplace air conditioned and knit my lovely crackpaca!!
One more thing I would like to touch on before I go is the Fall Sweater Challenge that the lovely folks at The Buffalo Wool Co thought up. It’s basically a community knit-a-long involving designers, local yarns stores and yarn companies having some grand ol’ knit fun! There’s a few rules, points!!, prizes and discounts and all kinds of designs and in the end sweaters so really a big win!
We are one of the sponsors and quite honestly are still working out the details on our end. We are seeing which of our LYS’s wants to join in the fun and decided on designs and KALS and yarns and prizes.
So…stay tuned for sure. If you have any ideas of feedback for designs or yarns please let me know tina@bluemoonfiberarts.com. I will have more info next week so we can start our sweater adventure. You know what? It could be a Crackpaca sweater!!!!!!!! Be still my heart.
Okay I am off to the barn to dye some speckley sparkley yarn!
Have a great weekend!
