Springing into April with Qing Fibre, Classes, and Karelia Kits!

This is no April Fool: Qing Fibre claims their new Veranita may be the softest yarn in the world, and we think they just might be right.

This super-luxe lace weight goat cashmere-silk blend is so so soft and dreamy and the hand-dyed colours are just to die for. Bright skeins like Shangri-La are psychedelic explosions of colour while more subtle semi-solid hues like Okinami and Blush provide a strong complement.

These incredible skeins would make a phenomenal garment on their own or combined with Qing Fibre’s other beautiful yarns like Merino Singles. Can you imagine a shawl made out of a yarn this soft? It would also add beautiful texture held together with another yarn for a larger garment, or striped with another hand-dyed fingering weight yarn. If there are any beautiful singles or fingering weight yarns in your stash, something like Joji Locatelli’s Wispy Shawl would be a great way to use them up while also showcasing this stellar blend.

The best news is that there are still more of these beautiful skeins to come. We’re expecting another shipment in April of many of the colours that currently show as ‘sold out’, as well as about nine new colours. If you want to be the first to know when they arrive, simply click ‘Email When Available’ on the shop page and you will receive a notification. We can’t wait to see all your sumptuous soft stitches!

Karelia Kits

We have restocked the lovely Karelia Kit in all its gorgeous colours. In this beautiful piece, designer Midori Hirose effortlessly combines comfort and charm with a flattering shape and sweet flowers made using the Roosimine technique. The kit is available in three colours: the navy blue base of ‘Marc Chagall’ (a Loop favourite), rust brown ‘Berry Picking’, and natural ‘Midsummer Crown’ (a great choice for spring!) Be sure to order your favourite before they sell out!

Spring and Summer Classes

We have so many wonderful classes and workshops lined up for this spring and summer. From beginning stitches through to advanced crafting techniques, there is truly something for everyone. There are two series of our Beginners and Improvers Knitting Classes, and in addition to instruction from our own Emma Brace, we are delighted to welcome Linda Litchfield as a new instructor. Linda has been knitting for over 60 years and teaching knitting for 10. She is a former lawyer with a degree in fine art textiles from Goldsmiths, and we can’t wait to welcome her to the shop! She will also be joining us for our popular £5 Fridays series, the next of which will help you understand charts. Beyond the world of knitting, we have a few sessions on Punch Needle with Duygu Turgut Gökpinar as well as Textile House making with Anne Kelly and and a Creature Workshop with Julie Arkell.

Schtickle for Charity

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our fundraiser on Instagram for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), helping those who have had to flee their homes in Ukraine. With your donations, which Loop will match, we’re helping this incredible organisation do good for so many people who are suffering right now. We’ve already raised £880, which is amazing! There is still time to donate before our fundraiser ends on 7 April, so be sure to visit our Instagram page to participate if you can. Please note the fundraiser is only available on the mobile app, not the web version of Instagram.

We are also delighted to offer some of our favourite shop samples in our Schtickle for Charity section, with proceeds donated to IRC. These one-of-a-kind beauties ranging from cowls to baby dresses were knit with love by some of our favourite crafters and are now available to you! We are always adding to this section so check back once in a while.

From December 2021 through early March 2022 our Schtickle for Charity raised over £700 for Shelter, a charity working to end homelessness in Great Britain. We love working together to support our community!

Craft well lovelies!