Cherry blossoms are starting to appear in London, giving off a wonderfully calm and beautiful presence – could Spring finally be here?! This feeling puts us in mind of the quietly beautiful Habu yarns and Japanese knitting and crochet books we carry at Loop. Based in New York City, but with a heavy Japanese influence, Habu describe their yarns as ‘slow’ materials that give soul to the fabrics they produce.   Habu yarns open up all kinds of creative possibilities and are perfect for experimentation. They come in little bundles, or on cones, wrapped up in simple brown paper.   …

Japonisme at Loop Read more →

The vintage aesthetic has made a comeback in recent years and at Loop we can’t get enough! Our shop is nestled in beautiful Camden Passage, in amongst antiques dealers and vintage clothing boutiques, and Loop is no exception to the rows of vendors selling vintage goods. We scour flea markets around the world to find some wonderful and unique vintage items for you, your home or for a great gift! We have stunning antique buttons…   Bakelite yarn holders and knitting needles from the 1940s and 50s…   And of course, lots of vintage inspired items too – like books …

Vintage at Loop Read more →

Have you heard of Skein? We had it at Loop last year, but if you blinked, you missed it because it veritably flew off the shelves! We now have a new base yarn in – a seriously luxurious 50% merino/50% silk blend – and we are so excited to have these amazing colours back in the shop! Skein yarns are hand-dyed by Kristen all the way over on the northern coast of New South Wales in Australia. Kristen kettle dyes beautiful fibres in semi-solid and variegated colourways. We love them all, but are particularly fond of the colourways with random …

Skein Colour Love Read more →

  Here at Loop, we have long been fans of Knit Collage  – we were the very first shop in the world to place an order for their yarns! Knit Collage is owned and run by the lovely Amy Small who designs these happy, cheerful yarns that are unlike any other. Amy teaches women who come from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Punjab region of India to spin beautiful fibres that incorporate tiny crocheted flowers, ribbons and other lovely trims into the yarns. Every single skein of yarn is completely unique! Amy designs each and every yarn and colourway herself – …

Knit Collage Candy Cowl Read more →

Tiny buttons make good eyes

  You probably didn’t know you needed a bunny brooch for your shawl. But you do. You need one with a secret pocket for hiding little chocolate eggs in. I won’t tell you if those chocolate eggs are part of the children’s egg hunt or if they are your own private stash. That’s up to you. But I offer you this little pattern for a Bunny Pin (with a Secret Pocket) to try out with some lovely natural wool yarns.

Here at Loop, we can’t get enough of hand-dyed yarns. It’s not uncommon for us to open a box from one of the lovely hand-dyers whose yarns we stock and gasp in awe of the deep, rich colours they manage to produce. Part of the beauty of their work is that each skein is ever-so-slightly unique, making it that much more fun to choose which ones should go home with you. But it’s not just hand-dyed yarns that we lust after – it’s ribbons, buttons and trims too! The buttons above, for example, come from Barcelona, where the velvet is …

Hand-dyed Loveliness at Loop! Read more →

I was recently reminded how confusing the issues around blocking finished knits can be. To wet block or steam? Use blocking wires or not? Iron, steam or leave to dry? Many people I come across also believe that the stated needles and gauge on a pattern are set in stone. They understand they can substitute a similar weight yarn but don’t feel they have permission to experiment with the needles and gauge. This isn’t true. It may be more complicated to do this when knitting a fitted garment but it is a pleasure to do when knitting shawls, scarves and …

Top Tips for Blocking Your Knits! Read more →

This week we have a special treat for you! If you’re a regular Ravelry user, you will probably have seen that one of our favourite designers, Stephen West, has been hosting a ‘knit-along’ and releasing stunning patterns as part of his Westy’s Besties KAL recently. This week, the pattern being released is the shawl he originally designed for Loop – the Westloop Shawl! Stephen has very kindly agreed to offer the pattern for free to Loop customers who purchase the yarn for the pattern in either Brooklyn Tweed LOFT or or the Isager yarns required for the pattern. Hooray!

Spring is fast approaching and what better way to get in the mood than with some stunning Mulberry silk? This gorgeous 100% silk DK yarn from Louisa Harding comes in 15 jewel-like colours and is perfect for projects you’ll want to wear when the weather finally warms up. Equally stunning in stocking stitch or lace, you’ll enjoy making every shimmery, smooth stitch whatever project you choose! Here we’ve chosen to do a swatch (in colour 36 Golden) of our free pattern, the Beginners Lace Shawl – absolute luxury knitting on some rosewood needles (try our short ones for swatching and …

Shimmering Silk & a Fab Gadget Read more →

If you’re a regular Ravelry user, by now you’ve probably seen on of the many lovely patterns by design duo Tin Can Knits. We’ve had their book, 9 Months of Knitting, in the shop for a while, and we recently started stocking their single patterns and newer book, Pacific Knits. Emily, one half of the Tin Can team, has been kind enough to design Sweetness, which right now is available exclusively on the Loop blog – lucky us! It uses under 150 m each of two shades of Malabrigo Twist, one of our softest, squishiest yarns. (Shown here in Terron …

Sweetness by Tin Can Knits – Free Pattern Read more →