Spinnery News

Now that sweater weather is fully upon us, we have some new designs for you to consider and a fun invitation to extend to you.  We thought that we’d showcase all of this season’s new patterns in one place so that you can select between them.

All in a Row is a yoked pullover pattern designed for us by Cap Sease. The pattern features a bottom-up construction and is worked with our DK weight yarns, shown above in Rooibos and Dark Roast Alpaca Elegance. So cozy!

Based on a Norwegian ski sweater, the geometric pattern on this pullover creates a stylized design. Alpaca Elegance produces a lightweight, yet comfortably warm, sweater that you can wear for any occasion.  The pattern includes a wide range for sizing from 34 (36, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62)” / 86 (91, 97, 107, 117, 127, 137, 147, 157) cm, calling for MC: 6 (7, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 12) skeins, CC: 1 skein of Alpaca Elegance (CC) or Cotton Comfort, Mewesic, Sylvan Spirit or New Mexico Organic (180 yd skeins).

We are also smitten with Maureen’s new cabled creation, Your Irish is Showing. This cropped pullover modernizes the classic Aran sweater with some contemporary styling ideas. When worked in a lighter weight yarn for a more fluid fabric, and designed with a fun up to date length, this sweater is transformed from a Fishermens’ knit into a more relevant garment that may become your new classic.  It ‘s shown above in our white New Mexico Organic yarn.

This pattern is also worked from the bottom up, so you can easily add more length if the current trend of cropped sweaters is not your thing.  The pattern includes sizing from 36 (39, 42, 47, 51, 53, 57, 61, 65)” / 91 (99, 107, 119, 130, 135, 145, 155, 165) cm calling for 6 (7 ,7, 8, 9, 9, 10, 11, 12) skeins New Mexico Organic, Cotton Comfort, Sylvan Spirit,  Alpaca Elegance or Mewesic (180 yds each).

** Our stock of New Mexico Organic is running low and we will need to wait for the flock to be shorn in the  Spring in order to make our next batch.  In the meantime, we are in the process of creating two new shades of Mewesic that will come close to matching the white and grey New Mexico organic yarns, but will not be made with wool from organically raised sheep.

You may have read here last month that Snowy Woods is now available as an independent pattern.  Cap’s slipped stitch yoked pullover is a classic design that has been popular since it was first published in our 99 Yarns and Counting collection.  We’ve seen it worked up in Alpaca Elegance for a cozy look, and the Sylvan Spirit used below highlights those textured stitch details to perfection!

For those of you living in warmer climates, or looking for a sweater that will be useful before it gets chilly,  Cap Sease’s Whitby pullover may be the pattern for you.  The seaside towns along the east coast of Yorkshire were noted for their elaborately decorated fishermen’s sweaters. The pattern stitch on this pullover originated in Whitby, one of these towns.

It is shown below in the Ancho color of Lana, our 100% wool 2-ply fingering weight yarn.  The pattern is worked bottom-up and features delicate texturing in the yoke created with a simple sequence of knit and purl stitches.

Our pattern includes sizing from 35 (38, 42, 44, 48, 52)” / 89 (97, 107, 112, 122, 132) cm, and calls for 3 (4, 4, 4, 5, 5) skeins Lana, Meadow or Forest, which are all put up in 400 yard skeins.

And we have a warm cozy scarf that we think you’ll adore! Tosh.

Our favorite scarves are voluminous to wrap up into and have no “wrong” side to complicate styling; and our preferred patterns look more complex than they are to make. This woolen scarf is made doubly warm by being two-sided (a trick easily accomplished not with double knitting, but by working in the round and blocking flat).

And it features two-color stranded knitting made more sophisticated thanks to the variegation in the Ragg-Time yarn used as the main color. Finished with a crocheted fringe edge, this scarf doesn’t take itself as seriously as it will be able to keep you warm.

It’s generous dimensions can be knit up as pictured with 3 skeins of GMS Ragg-Time (MC), 4 skeins of New Mexico Organic, Cotton Comfort, Mewesic or Alpaca Elegance (CC).  Shown here in Bessie, Ragg-Time and Grey New Mexico Organic.

We are very proud of these five patterns, and we’re delighted that we have even more options to share with you that have been designed by our friends.

Thea Colman (aka Babycocktails) has crafted many Rhinebeck sweater designs that call for Green Mountain Spinnery yarns, including Cranberry Gose and Fernet Branca.  Using the coupon code SHEEPANDWOOL at checkout on Ravelry will provide you with 25% off her patterns until the weekend’s over on October 19th, 2019.

For some of us, a sound restful sleep is a little hard to come by.  Hectic daily routines, stress, and our love of caffeinated beverages can make slipping into dreamland difficult.

Various scientific studies have shown that heavier blankets “can be beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety, and testimonials from owners who have used them for years prove that curling up under the comforting embrace of a weighted blanket can be beneficial for just about everyone.”

Kate loves to snuggle under weightier covers for a good night’s sleep, and so she’s designed our newest pattern, the Thistledown Throw to provide extra comfort to crafters like her who would enjoy a bulky weight blankie to wrap up in.

Actual thistledown is light enough to be dispersed on the wind. But some of us sleep more soundly when snuggled by the heft of a weightier blanket. That close embrace can provide a gentle, constant pressure, producing a calming effect. We hope that this bulky throw that features a botanical thistle lace will bring you sweet dreams, whether it’s used for an afternoon nap or a good night’s sleep.

This bulky lace throw blanket blooms beautifully with blocking and measures 53”/134.5 cm wide x 54”/137 cm long.  This size is easily customizable.  If you’d prefer to make your version to fit your bed or couch to perfection, simply work a smaller or larger amount of the thistle lace motif.  Size details of the lace pattern is included in the pattern to help you calculate those modifications.

Our sample was knit up with ten skeins of Spinnery Yarn Over in the Frost color.  We currently have four great shades of our unique recycled yarn for you to choose from (woodland, flannel, frost and fog — top to bottom).

This yarn allows us to re-purpose wool that would otherwise be a waste by-product of our production process.  Every fresh batch (dye lot) of Yarn Over that we make is a bit different, including fibers from our recent runs of different yarns, occasionally blended with bale dyed wool for a lovely touch of color.

Worked on US 11/8mm needles, this project will quickly start to wrap you up with comforting warmth even as it is still in progress.  What could be better?

We hope that you’ll consider curling up with this new project that your whole family will be able to enjoy this winter.

This week brought some rainy weather and we found ourselves throwing on shop samples to stay warm.  You know what that means, Sweater Weather is here!  And we have some terrific pattern ideas to share with you this week that you may want to get started on.

 

We’ve just released Cap Sease’s wildly popular Snowy Woods Sweater design as an independent pattern.  Up until now it was to be found among the dozens of patterns included in the pages of our 99 Yarns and Counting book, published in 2009.

This bottom-up yoked pullover features slipped stitch color work, making it a perfect introduction to stranded projects. This pullover recalls the designs of the early 20th Century Bohus Stickning knitting collective of Sweden. The interplay of brown, black and grey with the white reminded Cap of woodlands on an early winter’s day.  Shown above in our DK weight Sylvan Spirit MC: Silver, CC: Luminosity, Moonshadow, Antique Brass.

Cap’s pattern includes sizing for 34, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52” / 86.5, (91.5, 101.5, 112, 122, 132) cm finished chest measurement; and it calls for 4 (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) sks Main Color (MC) 1 skein each of 3 Contrasting Colors (A, B, C) of any of our DK weight yarn options: Sylvan Spirit, Cotton Comfort, Mewesic, Alpaca Elegance, and New Mexico Organic.

If you’d prefer to work on something a bit cozier that you can wrap up into, you may want to take a look at Columella designed by Andrea Cull.  This stunning wrap is among the patterns included in the most recent Pompom Quarterly publication.  This generous and richly textured accessory measures  64½” /164cm  long x 17¼” /44cm wide.  Andrea’s pattern includes both written and charted instruction for those lush cables, for your ease.

According to the magazine’s publishers, “the cable swells resemble pointed seashells whose elegant forms spiral around a central axis called a columella, from the latin meaning ‘little column’.  While you won’t see the columella  unless the shell has been cut or broken, it’s always there, offering strength and  protection. We hope that this wrap will keep you sound  when you are buffeted by life’s storms.”

It is shown here in the Blizzard color of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair and the pattern calls for 7 skeins.  When worked with our lofty worsted weight blend of wool and mohair, this rectangular shawl blooms into a warm and reassuring garment that looks sophisticated and yet can comfort like a blankie.  Perfect for winter.

We’ve been working on several other patterns that we’ll be releasing in upcoming weeks, so keep checking back for a couple more new sweater options and a bulky lace throw blanket that you’ll adore!