Showing posts with label brooklyn tweed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brooklyn tweed. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2019

Meet my new favorite yarn, Brooklyn Tweed Quarry!

Hello,

It has been quite a while since we have written a blog post! Life has gotten in our way a bit, and we have been pretty busy in general at the boutique (not complaining)! In the last few months, we have taken on some amazing new yarns, brands and lines. There was one that I was particularly excited for... one that stood out, that I knew would be my favorite yarn to work with and wear! That yarn did not disappoint, and it is Brooklyn Tweed Quarry! I am huge into instant gratification knits, but I also love to knit sweaters. This yarn is perfect for both! My first project with this amazing yarn, was the Carbeth Sweater by Kate Davies. For the size small, it took 4 skeins, which isn't a lot for a sweater. This bulky weight yarn has 200 yards per skein, that is way more than your average skein of bulky weight, and the price point is the same! I knit the sweater in just 2 weeks flat. I opted for a longer body than the pattern called for, and decided to go with a crew neck instead of a turtleneck. I still have plenty of yarn left over, so if a turtleneck is calling my name in the future, I can tear back and add on. There is a lot of other great projects out there for this yarn, and I cannot wait to cast on another project with it! Meet, Quarry...





Quarry is a chunky brother to Shelter and Loft inspired by roving-style “unspun” yarns, offered in pillowy 100-gram skeins. We begin with three strands of the same lofty, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia fleece, but rather than twisting the individual plies we nestle them together and gently spin the whole trio. The result is a plump yarn that looks like a single ply and has greater tensile strength and stitch definition than a true unspun yarn. Quarry has a soft and rustic hand; since we never subject our wool to harsh chemical scouring, you’ll find the occasional fleck of vegetable matter that remains as evidence of the sheep’s life on the Wyoming rangeland. The yarn’s one-directional twist may cause it to twirl between the needles and the ball while you’re knitting, but the fabric will be well balanced with no biasing. Quarry knits will bloom to become cohesive and supple after a wet blocking. You shouldn’t notice any change in gauge. This yarn loves to cable and beautifully renders all kinds of textural stitch work. Despite its soft structure, it can be worked at looser gauges without loss of integrity to the fabric. We think it’s ideal for sweaters, coats, blankets, and cozy accessories.

Quarry is offered in a new palette of fifteen heathered colors. The structure of this yarn blends the hues in a slightly striated way, reminding us of geological formations, so we gave each color the name of a mineral or gemstone.




Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Sweater weather!

It's feeling cool and fresh outside- perfect sweater weather! Sandy has been busy working on two sweater patterns, Koto and Coda. Both are Brooklyn Tweed designs and made with Brooklyn Tweed yarn.  
Sandy is ready for sweater weather after finishing these two beauties.  

Koto is shown here in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in "Snowbound.

Koto pattern by Brooklyn Tweed/picture by Jared Flood

As described on the pattern info on Ravelry: "Koto’s body and sleeves are worked in the round to the underarm, then worked flat with simultaneous shoulder shaping on the front and back. The short rows use the Shadow Wrap method, which is fully explained in the pattern. The collar is worked from stitches picked up after seaming and faced with stockinette fabric for added structure. Tiny facings at the hem and cuffs make for a beautiful, minimalist finish that doesn’t interrupt the lines of the sweater."


Coda is shown here in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in "Woodsmoke" and noted in the pattern description "Coda will let you wear a pretty frock while the weather is still chilly or dress up a casual outfit".



Coda pattern by Brooklyn Tweed/picture by Jared Flood
If you haven't tried Brooklyn Tweed yet, this time is year is perfect to get started. Make a sweater for yourself or get started on Christmas gifts. We have lots of beautiful color options, something for everyone. Save a trip and shop our online boutique!
Don't forget, Woolfolk has also arrived to Yarns By Design! More information to come on Woolfolk projects in upcoming blog posts and currently available in shop only but it would be perfect for your next sweater pattern.

Tell us what sweater pattern is your favorite and which yarn is your go-to for sweater making. Feel free to stop by the boutique with your finished sweater projects or tag us with your projects on instagram #yarnsbydesign.

Warmly,

Sarah at Yarns By Design
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com


Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Is your yarn stash ready for fall?

Can you believe it? Fall will officially be here in a few days! When I think of fall I think of soups, pumpkins, apples, back-to-school, leaves, football and…yarn. Suddenly, I find myself looking up patterns for shawls, cowls, boot cuffs and re-examing my at-home stash. Our customers seem to be on the same page as we notice they are coming in for chunkier weights and darker hues for the change in season.

We have beautiful shades of autumn at the boutique. Rich golds, bright yellows and deep oranges are catching my eye and reminding me that it's time to work on my colder weather projects. Pictured are just a few that felt fall-like, back row left to right: Malabrigo Rasta in "Sunset", Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in "Fauna", Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in "Monarch", Malabrigo Worsted in "Sunset", Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima Paints in "Autumn Leaves", Madelintosh Tosh DK in "Glazed Pecan". Front row: Madelintosh Tosh Vintage in "Amber Trinket", Brooklyn Tweed Loft in "Wool Socks", Malabrigo Mecha in "Piedras", Freia Ombre in "Ember".

Say "leaves". Our fall yarns pose for a photoshoot. 
Yarns By Design also has a refreshed stock of Berroco Comfort in black and yellow, ready for tailgates and game time. With the in-store purchase of this yarn, you can get a free pattern of the "Steeler Scarf". Don't forget to get enough yarn to make the matching hat, shown here using Stephen West's Botanic Hat pattern.
Black and yellow!

Stephen West's Botanic Hat pattern in black and yellow. 
Get your free scarf pattern with in-store purchase of Berroco Comfort yarn.
One of my favorite fall projects was this crocheted poncho and I look forward to taking it out of my closet year after year.  My love for the fall season made using these colors and worsted weight yarn a joy to work with. It is just perfect to wear when the chill in the air isn't quite cold enough for a coat.

What are you working on for fall? Share your patterns and projects with us and stop by the boutique or shop online for your fall yarn fix.


Warmly,

Sarah with Yarns By Design
Sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com


Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Steel Valley Yarn Crawl 2017 Round Up


The 2017 Steel Valley Yarn Crawl has come to an end and we are all catching our breath! Yarns By Design was open during seven of the 10 days of the crawl and were fortunate enough to have quite the turnout. This year we estimated well over 200 passports stamped at our boutique. We had familiar faces stop by and many first-time visitors as well. Some of our crawlers even came from out of state just for the event. 

We noticed lots of crawlers stopping in to check out our Hedgehog Fibres and our newest brand of Brooklyn Tweed. We can't wait see what everyone has to say about trying those yarns for the first time-be sure to let us know. Don't forget to bring in your finished projects when you stop in, we enjoy seeing our yarns come alive! A special shout out to Tin Can Knits for donating the free knit pattern "Undertone Cowl" and YBD's Sarah LaVoie for designing the free crochet pattern with purchase of the featured Hedgehog Fibres yarn. Both patterns are great for transitioning to Fall weather, so get started now.
2017 Yarn Crawl Knit pattern "Undertone Cowl" by Tin Can Knits and made by Sandy
Undertone Cowl made with this fun shade of  Hedgehog Fibres DK in "Bounce" 

2017 Yarn Crawl crochet pattern "Morning Smoothie" by Sarah LaVoie

 
Morning Smoothie cowl made with this dynamic shade of Hedgehog Fibres DK  in "Birthday Cake" 
 Winners of our raffle were selected. Congratulations to our winners:
Bag #1: Faye Gardany
Bag #2: Chelsea Kelly
Bag #3: Noralynn Spiri

Congrats to Chelsea Kelly, crocheter and winner of YBD raffle bag #2 and newest fan of Hedgehog Fibres!
We hope you love your prizes as much as we do!

Have any recommendations for things you'd like to see at our shop or about the crawl in general? We would love to hear your feedback. Stop in the boutique, drop us a message or just comment below. We are trying to improve the crawl experience every year.



Some views of our 2017 crawlers in action. 
Yarns by Design would like to thank all of the crawlers that stopped by this year and we hope to see everyone again soon. Looking forward to what the 2018 crawl brings!

Warmly,

Sarah with YBD
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com



Tuesday, April 25, 2017

100% American made Brooklyn Tweed has arrived!

It's here! We are thrilled to announce our latest addition to Yarns By Design:
Brooklyn Tweed.

This Portland, Oregon based company started in 2010 and they use only 100% American made Targhee wool. Their mission includes "we are passionate about wool, knitting and design" and it shows with their true "sheep to skein" story. The Targhee sheep is the 2nd breed to be developed by the USDA. They were bred to have the perfect mix of fine wool with long wool to make for a soft, silky, and strong yarn. The herds of Brooklyn Tweed reside on the plains of Wyoming where they grow their fleece for shearing. Once baled and cleaned, the fleece travels to Pennsylvania for cleaning and dyeing to create an abundance of lovely palettes. Next stop is New Hampshire where the dyed yarn is spun and finished to create skeins ready for you to knit.

Happy sheep make pretty skeins. 


Yarns By Design customer and knitter, Mary stopped by Yarns By Design and couldn't resist giving this yarn a try. She got right to work on her project and had this to say about the "Loft" fingering weight yarn: "I LOVE this yarn so much! I haven't been this excited about a new yarn since I discovered Madelinetosh years ago!" and "the colors are beautiful, the yarn is so soft yet has a nice body and is a joy to knit".


Customer Mary Mervis works up a pattern using Brooklyn Tweed Loft for the first time.
Photo by Mary Mervis


Our boutique is proud to be one of only two retail stockists in the state. We offer fingering weight "Loft", DK weight "Arbor" and worsted weight "Shelter" all in a variety of colors. Brooklyn Tweed also offers an abundance of gorgeous patterns that mix both traditional and modern looks.
Stop by in-store to see the collection in person or shop Yarns By Design online -either way it's yarn you want to check out!


Welcome, Brooklyn Tweed.


Be sure to share your feedback and projects about Brooklyn Tweed with us once you give it a try. We love to hear from our customers. 

Warmly, 

Sarah with Yarns By Design