October 2021

Newly-published books

Best Ever Christmas includes dozens of cute, funny and pretty patterns for the festive season. Among the many patterns for toddlers, you'll find a reindeer onesie, a Santa hat and beard, and an elf on a sweater with his legs sticking out. If you're looking to make something for yourself, you may prefer the more tasteful (it's relative) reindeer sweater or a snowman wreath for the front door. The book includes 65 designs and I'm not sure I can find a dud amongst them. If that's not a reason to start talking about Christmas in October, then I don't know what is.

If you're anything like me, you'll have had the experience of trying a new knitting or crochet technique and being disappointed with how it looks. I compare what I've made with the picture and mine looks messy in comparison. In fact it happens so often when I'm learning that I expect it to be this way. Usually the messiness is neither to do with the quality of the instructions, nor with me being particularly awful at the technique. Generally I just need to practice—once I become more fluent, things start to look better.

My experience with mosaic crochet was different though. I followed the beginners tutorial from Mosaic Crochet Workshop, and found that my finished swatch looked... exactly as it should.

I don't think it's that I'm particularly gifted at this technique. I think it's more the case that if you can crochet neatly, then you can do mosaic crochet neatly. This makes the technique an attractive option for a project as far as I'm concerned. Because while I've never regretted putting the hours in with a technique until I can do it well, it sure was nice not having to do that for once!

Confident Knitting can help knitters learn something new every month for a year. The book includes 12 projects and tutorials focusing on a different skill for each month. Topics include reversible cables, modular knitting, catching floats and blocking. Since I already do a lot of blocking, I was especially interested to see if there was any more that I could pick up from that tutorial.

It turns out there was. The project to block was a lacy cowl with a flared base. It wasn't immediately obvious to me how I would block something this shape. Previously I probably would have folded the cowl double and pinned it out flat. While that would improve the look of the lace, it would also introduce two unattractive fold lines.

Jen-Arnall Culliford offers a solution involving pins, a blocking mat, a coffee pot and a roll of kitchen paper! Apart from using blown-up balloons for blocking hats, generally with 3D items I've made do with blocking them flat up to now. Not any more. So next time you find me with a pile of household items and some damp knitting, you won't need to ask what I'm up to.

New and discontinued yarns

New

Bernat
Alize Blanket EZ Graph-it – Jumbo – 100% Polyester – Double fixed loops – Multicolored

Blue Sky Fibers
Woolstok Light – Fingering – 100% Highland Wool – Single ply – Solid colors, Heathered colors

Cheval Blanc
Milan – Heavy Worsted – 60% Acrylic, 27% Superwash Wool, 13% Alpaca – Single ply – Heathered colors
Venise – Heavy Worsted – 56% Acrylic, 20% Alpaca, 20% Superwash Wool, 4% Viscose – Single ply – Tweedy colors

Deramores
Studio Special DK – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors, Heathers

Fraya Yarn
Caring – DK – 97% Cashmere, 3% Wool – Plied with a soft haze – Semi-solid colors
Splashing – Worsted – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – S on S plied – Multicolored, Tonal, Speckled

Gedifra
Classico – DK – 100% Merino Wool – Plied – Solid colors

Hayfield
Bonus Chunky Tweed – Bulky – 96% Acrylic, 4% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweedy colors
Soft Twist – DK – 90% Acrylic, 10% Merino Superwash Wool – S on S plied – Solid colors, Heathers

Juniper Moon Farm
La Pampa – Bulky – 100% Merino Wool – Plied – Solid colors, Heathers

King Cole
Acorn Aran – Aran – 80% Acrylic, 20% Superwash Wool – Plied – Self-striping (gradient marl)
Autumn Chunky – Bulky – 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool – Single ply – Self-striping (gradient marl)
Big Value Tweed DK – DK – 98% Acrylic, 2% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweedy colors

Lana Grossa
About Berlin Meilenweit 100 Cashmere – Fingering – 70% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, 5% Cashmere – Plied – Self-striping
About Berlin Yak – Fingering – 65% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, 10% Yak – Plied – Self-striping
Fashion Tweed – Aran – 71% Merino Wool, 17% Baby Alpaca, 12% Nylon – Tweedy – Tweedy colors
Linea Pura Aruba – DK – 72% Organic Cotton, 28% Nylon – filled_tube – Multicolored
Meilenweit 100 Seta – Fingering – 55% Merino Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, 20% Silk – Plied – Self-striping
Meilenweit Merino Extrafine – Fingering – 75% Merino Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon – Plied – Multicolored
Per Lei GOTS – Super Bulky – 100% Wool – Single ply – Solid colors

Lang Yarns
Alpaca Soxx 6-ply / 6-fach – DK – 70% Alpaca Easy-Wash, 30% Nylon – Plied with a soft haze – Solid colors
Twin Soxx 6-ply – DK – 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon – Plied – Self-striping

Lion Brand
Feels Like Heaven – DK – 100% Nylon – Plied – Solid colors

MillaMia
Naturally Baby Soft – Sport – 50% Cotton, 50% Soy Viscose – S on S plied – Solid colors, semi-solid colors

Pascuali
Tibetan – Worsted – 70% Merino Wool, 30% Yak – 2 ply – Solid colors, Heathers, Undyed

Patons (Australia)
Patonyle Artistry 4-ply – Fingering – 80% Merino Superwash Wool, 20% Nylon – Plied – Multicolored, Speckles

Patons (North America)
Highland Bulky – Super Bulky – 75% Acrylic, 25% Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors
Highland Bulky Tweeds – Super Bulky – 75% Acrylic, 25% Superwash Wool – Tweedy – Tweed colors

Premier Yarns
Anti-Pilling Butterfly – DK – 100% Acrylic – S on S plied – Self-striping (variable depth)
Colorfusion DK – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Self-striping, Gradient

Rico Design
Creative Mohair Melange – Super Bulky – 40% Wool, 31% Mohair, 27% Acrylic, 2% Nylon – Fuzzy – Multicolored

Rowan
Norwegian Wool – DK – 100% Wool – 2 ply – Solid colors
Tweed Haze – Bulky – 40% Mohair, 39% Alpaca, 10% Polyester, 8% Cotton, 3% Nylon – Fuzzy – Tweed colors

Sesia
Pigalle – Lace – 71% Superkid Mohair, 20% Silk, 5% Metallic, 4% Nylon – Brushed bouclé – Solid colors with metallic
Pura Lana Ecologica – Heavy Worsted – 50% Alpaca, 50% Merino Wool – Plied with a soft haze – Marled colors, Undyed

Shibui Knits
Billow – DK – 41% Cotton, 35% Baby Alpaca, 24% Merino Wool – Fuzzy – Semi-solid colors

Stylecraft
Life Aran Nepps – Aran – 73% Acrylic, 24% Superwash Wool, 3% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweedy colors
Life Chunky Nepps – Bulky – 73% Acrylic, 24% Superwash Wool, 3% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweedy colors
Life DK Nepps – DK – 73% Acrylic, 24% Superwash Wool, 3% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweedy colors
Life Super Chunky Nepps – Super Bulky – 72% Acrylic, 25% Superwash Wool, 3% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweedy colors
Wondersoft 2-ply Cashmere Feel – Lace – 50% Acrylic, 50% Nylon – S on S plied – Solid colors
Wondersoft 3-ply Cashmere Feel – Light Fingering – 50% Acrylic, 50% Nylon – S on S plied – Solid colors
Wondersoft 4-ply Cashmere Feel – Fingering – 50% Acrylic, 50% Nylon – S on S plied – Solid colors
Wondersoft DK Cashmere Feel – DK – 50% Acrylic, 50% Nylon – S on S plied – Solid colors

Tahki Yarns
Gunnison – Aran – 57% Wool, 43% Acrylic – Single ply – Tweedy colors
Highland Roving – Super Bulky – 100% Highland Wool – Single ply – Solid colors
Superwash Merino Bulky – Bulky – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – 2 ply – Solid colors, Heathers

Willow and Lark
Heath Solids – DK – 70% Superwash Wool, 30% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Strath – Bulky – 70% Superwash Wool, 30% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors

Discontinued

Bernat
Baby Blanket Tiny – Aran – 100% Polyester – Chenille – Solid colors, Multicolored, Self-striping

Euro Baby / EYB
Maypole – Bulky – 100% Polyester – Single wrapped with thread – Self-striping
Maypole DK – DK – 100% Polyester – Single wrapped with thread – Self-striping (gradient transition)

HiKoo
Alpaca Lace Light – Lace – 100% Baby Alpaca – 2 ply – Solid colors, Heathers

Laines du Nord
Baby Milk – Fingering – 70% Merino Wool, 30% Milk Protein – Plied

Lana Grossa
Benessere – Bulky – 42% Cotton, 35% Baby Alpaca, 23% Nylon – Fleecy chain – Solid colors, Heathered colors, Tweed colors

Noro
Kumo – DK – 41% Viscose, 35% Cotton, 12% Silk, 12% Wool – Single ply – Tonal-colors, Heathers

Premier Yarns
Rio – Worsted – 46% Acrylic, 44% Polyester, 5% Alpaca, 5% Wool – Fuzzy – Heathered colors

Red Heart
An Italian Story Luce – Worsted – 46% Nylon, 28% Acrylic, 20% Mohair, 6% Polyester – Fuzzy with sequins – Solid colors with sequins
An Italian Story Ombra – Aran – 47% Acrylic, 47% Wool, 6% Nylon – Chained – Multicolored
An Italian Story Ora – Super Bulky – 60% Acrylic, 30% Wool, 10% Nylon – Single ply – Solid colors
An Italian Story Vera – Bulky – 70% Wool, 30% Alpaca – Plied – Solid colors
Colorscape – Heavy Worsted – 100% Acrylic – Single ply – Self-striping marls
Hopscotch – Heavy Worsted – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Self-striping

Stylecraft
Wondersoft 2-ply (disc 2021) – Lace – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Wondersoft 3-ply (disc 2021) – Light Fingering – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Wondersoft 4-ply (disc 2021) – Fingering – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors

Just so you know, I was sent a copy of Confident Knitting for review.

If you'd like to get in touch, please send a mail to hello@yarnsub.com (you can simply reply to this mail) or find me on Instagram.

See you in November!

Wendy

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