New Yarns from Mominoki & Hue Loco!
This week we’re celebrating two incredible yarns that have just arrived in the shop! Mominoki German Merino Light and Hue Loco Backyard Chicken Phyllis Sock Sets are hitting shelves and we’re so excited to welcome them to the Loop family!
These wonderful wools come to us from Germany (Mominoki) and the US (Hue Loco) and we are so so proud to be the UK stockist for both of them. Each yarn has a fabulous story behind it and brings so much to the proverbial yarn basket.
Mominoki was founded by Chihiro and her partner Lasse in 2017. Originally from Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, Chihiro has always been inspired by colour. She started experimenting with dyeing yarn in her own kitchen in small batches and eventually was inspired to start her own company. The name Mominoki means fir tree in Japanese, symbolising the endurance and consistency of high quality wools and the beautiful garments they make.
Now based in Berlin, Mominoki’s wool is all sourced from Germany and Finland, spun in local mills, and hand-dyed. It is 100% merino wool and it’s left untreated and natural, allowing the beautiful structure of the fibres to steal the show. The German Merino Light has a light, airy, and rustic structure that is perfect for cozy sweaters, scarves, and shawls.
Our favourite thing to knit with Mominoki yarns is of course the brilliant Snowy Forest sweater by Midori Hirose, another knitter of Japanese descent living in Germany. We loved this sweater so much when saw it in Laine 10 that we immediately decided to bring it to Loop as a Kit (there are still a few left, but they won’t last long!) This pattern holds German Merino Light together with Mominoki’s Silk Mohair. For now the German Merino Light is the only Mominoki yarn we stock, but we have tons of absolutely gorgeous silk mohair options that would complement this yarn beautifully.
Another of Loop’s favourite designers, Isabell Kraemer, has also designed a lovely piece using German Merino Light. Her Aphra sweater and the similar Emsworth vest both use the yarn to create beautiful textures. Orlane Sucche’s Kerti sweater uses detailed colourwork to allow the knitter to explore the full range of hand-dyed hues this yarn offers. Like Midori Hirose, Marion Bulin holds a silk mohair together with German Merino Light in her fun latticed GITTER Cowl. But really any pattern that calls for a sport weight wool would be infinitely improved with the use of this incredible yarn. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Hue Loco Backyard Chicken Collection
Hue Loco is a Colorado-based purveyor of hand-dyed yarns who take inspiration from the world around them, and in this case from their own back yard! The Backyard Chicken collection is dyed to mimic the colours of different breeds of chickens. The Phyllis Sock weight is a 75% merino wool 25% nylon/polyamide blend that gives you all the moisture-wicking properties of merino with the added durability of manufactured fibres — perfect for a hard-wearing sock. These yarns come as a bundle of one skein of speckled hen-inspired wool and two skeins of solid hues for contrasting toes and heels.
These sock sets would be perfect for any sock pattern with a contrasting toe and heel. Loop’s Toe-Up Socks are always a favourite. Designed by Juju Vail, this free pattern is a super straightforward sock with an afterthought heel that’s perfect for those looking to get started in sock knitting. Our afterthought heel and figure of eight cast on tutorials may also come in handy.
Launching into Summer with Laine 14
The Summer 2022 issue of Laine Magazine is out today! This collection sets a dreamy tone for the season ahead and will get you in the mood for fun, floaty knits. The 10 patterns here explore the magic of Nordic summer nights. Laine captures the essence of these knits in three evocative vignettes:
“Walking barefooted on a meadow wet with morning dew.
A call of a bird echoing over a silent lake.
Wandering home through the sleeping city at sunrise.”
Pattern previews for this issue show the colourwork, texture, and delicate details celebrated in these knits. Those who were able to join us for last weekend’s La Bien Aimée and Laine events will be especially pleased to know that Sylvia Watts-Cherry, who designed the Amina Sweater in Worsted and joined us to celebrate the launch, has designed the colourful Funfetti sweater for Laine 14. This issue also includes all the delightful bits you’ve come to expect from Laine, from seasonal recipes to columns on creativity and exploration. We can’t wait to see your knits!
We still have some goodies from last weekend’s events with La Bien Aimée and Laine! There are 25 signed copies of Meiju K-P’s ‘Contrasts: Textured Knitting‘ in the online shop, along with some lovely Special Edition Loop Bags with La Bien Aimée & Laine. Most excitingly, we have some beautiful skeins of La Bien Aimée’s Corrie Confetti in Greybow. This limited edition yarn is to die for. A few of our lovely visitors last weekend came decked out in their Greybow knits and it just made us covet it even more. You won’t want to miss these. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Happy weekend and happy knitting!
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