Fair Isle Weekend and colourwork yarns

Fair Isle Weekend and colourwork yarns

Launching this week are two wonderful new books, Fair Isle Weekend by Mary J Mucklestone and Quince & Co’s This & That; 10 knits to keep you warm and cozy.

Both of these books are an incredible resource of inspiring collections of knitwear which will keep you knitting and cosy all through the autumn and winter months. Along with Owlet, a new yarn from Quince & Co, we also have a round-up of some of our favourite yarns perfect for colourwork knitting including a new box set of 50 beautiful colours in The Border Mill’s North Coast Tweed! 

Fair Isle Weekend, inspired by the windswept Island in the Shetland archipelago off the northeast coast of Scotland, explores the rich textile traditions of the island so synonymous with stranded colourwork through a collection of stunning knitwear.

The distinctive patterns of Fair Isle knitting stem from a clever way to combine the many odd scraps of different coloured yarn that originally came from the native Shetland Sheep, which have evolved a variety of natural fleece colours. Knitting with two yarns was a great way to create extra layers that trapped air to create a warm and flexible fabric for working outside in sometimes harsh conditions.

At Loop we stock some wonderful Shetland yarns used for traditional colourwork as well as other naturally rustic yarns like Daughter of a Shepherd, Brooklyn Tweed and Biches & Buches to name a few.

Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift

Jamieson’s Spindrift pictured with Silvestre Mitts

Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift is a traditional British Wool produced in the Shetland Isles since the 1890s and is perfect for Fair Isle stranded colourwork knitting. Spindrift is a 2 ply yarn but knits up as a 4 ply weight due to it being woollen spun, making it lofty and light. It is incredibly versatile and you can knit everything from lacework to socks and stranded colourwork garments to holding it double for a DK/ worsted weight pattern. It is a sturdy and hard-wearing yarn ideal for creating long-lasting knits. Although it’s quite ‘rustic’ looking, Shetland wool is one of the finest and softest of UK breeds which softens quite a bit after blocking and can be worn next to the skin without feeling itchy. 

Our little corner of Spindrift heaven at Loop!

Loop stocks over 125 colours of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in 25 gram balls making it perfect for combining lots of colours. 

The Border Mill North Coast Tweed

The Border Mill is a small fibre spinning mill nestled in the beautiful Scottish Borders. We stock their incredible Shetland wool range North Coast Tweed in 50 gram balls as well as our new 50 colour North Coast Tweed Box Set!

This set of 50 10-gram mini balls of 100% Shetland wool North Coast Tweed is so beautiful! It is made up of a range of colours inspired by the beauty of the north coast of Scotland complete with a printed map of the area that inspired them. We think it would make a truly special gift for anyone who loves colourwork.

Lichen and Lace Rustic Heather Sport

The Lichen and Lace Rustic Heather Sport is another ‘rustic’ yarn. You can find it in our beautiful Late Bloomer Mittens Kit still available on our website and now we stock a range of beautiful hand-dyed colours on their own. 

The rustic heather sport is a minimally processed (non-superwash) Canadian wool spun as a single ply in a sport weight. The natural colour of the fleece gives these hand-dyed skeins a rich and heathered look and makes them especially beautiful for colourwork in garments or accessories.  

Little Grey Sheep Hampshire 4 Ply

The Little Grey Sheep – Hampshire 4 Ply mini skeins are another great choice for colourwork knitting.

The Hampshire 4ply is a lofty, soft yarn with a variegated base of natural wool, hand-dyed with beautiful colour creating a subtle heathered appearance. 

Little Grey Sheep are located in the county of Hampshire in England. Every part of the making of this luxurious British yarn from lambing, making the hay they feed, through to the scouring ,spinning and hand dyeing is done in the UK. Only pure virgin wool is used, no chlorine chemical treatments, no super wash – just as nature intended. 

These wonderful mini skeins come in 20-gram skeins with colours inspired by the beautiful English countryside and are perfect for all sorts of colourwork like yokes, shawls, cowls and mittens.

This & That: 10 Knits to keep you warm and cozy

Quince & Co’s newest book is a continuation of Pam Allen’s exploration in designing with alpaca fibres. There are 10 designs from cardigans, sweaters, accessories and a dress designed for Quince & Co’s new alpaca light fingering yarn called Owlet and worsted weight Owl. Owlet, a combination of alpaca fibres and wool in a single ply, creates a soft, warm and airy texture.

Owlet is new to Loop and comes in four beautiful undyed shades for a natural and rustic look. 

Owl is Quince and Co’s worsted weight alpaca and wool blend yarn. A versatile and lofty yarn, it’s incredibly soft and plump and has been one of our favourites for a long time. Owl comes in over 28 heathered shades of colour and makes a beautiful fabric with a slight halo of alpaca fuzz. 

Recent Arrivals

Cohana Special Edition Christmas ” Winter Gold”

Cohana of Japan has come out with their new Christmas Editions for 2020 of their popular mini-snips, thread clips, lacquer scissors and tape measures. Each piece is a limited edition in the theme of “winter gold” and has been created with a warm winter white colour and elegant gold silk threads for a special Christmas treat. 

Viola Yarns

Some more of the very coveted and extraordinary Viola yarns have arrived! The Viola Merino Dk and well as the Mohair Silk Lace is in stock and we are expecting the merino fingering base any day now.

We also have some more of Emily Foden’s beautiful book ‘Knits about Winter‘ in stock . A collection of 12 knitting patterns, these designs capture the magic and mystery of winter, all featuring her distinctive hand-dyed yarns. We think this would make an amazing gift with some Viola Yarn but you’ll have to be quick as it won’t be around for long!

52 Weeks of Socks

Another one of Laine Publishing’s beautiful books 52 Weeks of Socks is back in stock this week. Socks are such a great stash buster and a wonderful way to play with colour and texture. We have so many beautiful sock yarns at Loop to choose from like Life in the Long Grass Fine Sock, Uncommon Thread Tough Sock, La Bien Aimee Tough Sock , Hand maiden Casbah and Socks that Rock to name just a few. One skein of any of these yarns has enough yardage to make an adult sized pair of socks. You can also add pops of colour by using some smaller amounts for the toes and heels.

Try some Lang Jawoll Sock yarn or some sock minis from Lichen and Lace to add some fun.

London Shop

The London shop is now closed due to recent lockdown restrictions in the UK. We are still ‘open’ online and always available by email . Thanks so much for all of your orders recently and for the support you give to us and small businesses at this time. It’s so appreciated!

We’ll have lots more beautiful products for you in the coming weeks . Follow us on @Looplondonloves on Instagram to keep up with what is happening at Loop.

Happy Knitting, crocheting and stitching!

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