Hoards of Hand-dyes! Chris's Glacier Sweep Shawl, Monika's Avenger Cape in Craigh na Dun, Baah La Jolla Yarn, swatch of Rachel's Outlander MKAL 2015 Shawl, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Christmas at Downton, Kristen's Edith's Secret Shawl, Phydeaux Soie in Mon Amour, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Devon

Exciting things are afoot...or a-needle, we should say: we're kicking off a celebration of hand-dyed yarns at Jimmy Beans Wool, and you're invited to the party!

Just don't be tardy.

For the party.

Yes, I just wrote that.

Along with a series of instructional articles in our next few Newsletters, we'll be taking and in-depth look at each type of hand-dyed yarn we carry and how to get the most out of it. Now that's something to celebrate!

Monika's Avenger Cape in Assemble!

And what better way to get our party started than with Lorna's Laces? It was Lorna Miser herself who inspired Laura to start her own yarn shop, so one could say that JBW wouldn't exist without Lorna's Laces. Together, we've created a series of Limited Edition yarns that celebrates everything pop culture, from our favorite TV shows to current events around the world.

Rachel's Outlander MKAL 2015 Shawl in Craigh na Dun

Though they dye solid and tonal colors, Lorna's is best known for their variegated yarns, especially the bright, saturated colorways that knit up into amazingly colorful, one-of-a-kind creations! One look at a garment and you can tell it's Lorna's - there's just no other yarn quite like it out there! You can see what I mean in the garments pictured above.

Lorna's Laces yarn gets its distinct look from the special hand-dye process: the dyers plan a colorway down to the last detail, including the sequence in which the colors will appear on the skein. Then, the hanks of yarn are painstakingly dyed section by section. The final result is a circular hank with an almost color-blocked look, but when it's wound into a ball and knit up, the colors appear in the knitted item in the same sequence they were dyed on the skein, giving that fun, variegated effect we love so much!

Autumn's Magrathea Shawl

Now, as gorgeous as these yarns are, they have their challenges - most notably, when your project varies in size or shape, the colors line up differently in each row, sometimes causing unwanted striping or "pooling", which looks like irregular "blobs" of color on your project. Some people love this effect - it is quite artistic, after all! - but sometimes it can detract from the look you're going for.










An example of pooling in the Outlander Shawl - in this case, the symmetry makes it an appealing design element!


So, how to solve it? Wouldn't you like to know! And we'll be telling you in our next post :)

Let us know your other favorite variegated hand-dyes! We love Baah Yarn, Lotus Yarns, Becoming Art, and the list goes on! What's on your list?

Happy Knitting (with Hand-Dyes!)!

Heather

Yummy Malabrigo, how do we love thee!!!

What a way to start the New Year! We are up to our (very warm) ears in lovely, soft, delicious Malabrigo knit items from all seven Malabrigo books!!! We have so many that we are having a hard time finding room to display them all!




Here are just few of the samples from each of the books.  Every item is knit up in one Malabrigo yarn or another.  There's just too much to list them all!






 Malabrigo book 4 is another treat for the eyes with the lovely cover convertible wrap Enrejado in Silky Merino and the sumptuous cardigans - Antiguo in Baby Merino Lace and Lineal in Rasta.

I swore up and down that I wasn't going to knit any gifts this year. There is just not enough time, and unfortunately I am not one of those people who is disciplined enough to begin my holiday knitting in August or September. But, in the last few days, I've broken down and decided to knit a few gifts. I just can't help myself I guess.

Searching Ravelry for the right hats and headbands to make, I stumbled upon some amazing and beautiful options and figured I would share them with you in case you were also in my predicament--needing some last minute gift ideas. Here are a few of may favorites:

The Magnolia Hat by Maria Socha. This one is gorgeous AND it's a Freebie on Ravelry. I may have to make this one for myself when the holidays are over!

Magnolia

Windschief  by Stephen West is a long time favorite of mine and it's a great guy hat. We carry hard copies of this pattern at JBW if you prefer that option instead.

Windschief

Molly, by Erin Ruth is nice because it's mostly simple, but with a little bit of cabling to keep things interesting. Plus, as a bonus, it's a free pattern on Ravelry. Score!

Molly

Bristol Ivy's new Illyria hat is nice. Again, mostly simple design, with some fun cables to keep it interesting.

Illyria

I am making the Parisian Twist headband by Elisa McLaughlin for my Sisters-in-Law because they are super into headbands, and this one will look especially cute on them.

Parisian Twist

Calorimetry is another awesome headband pattern, a classic by now, really. It's free from Knitty and you can't go wrong with it.

Calorimetry

If cowls are more up your alley, the Princess Franklin's Plaid Collar by Franklin Habit from the latest issue of Knitty is mostly garter stitch, with the plaid stripes sewn in. It looks like a fairly quick project that could be a great way to use up some yarn scraps!

Princess Franklin

Hopefully this gives you some good ideas for last minute knitted gifts. Any of these could be done in a weekend. Oh wait, it's the weekend now (or it's Friday at least.) See ya later...I'm off to knit!

Kristen

Happy Friday, everyone! We've made it to the end of another awesome week! I've got several new FO's to share with you from this week, as well as some WIP's here at the shop. But first I'd like to announce the winner of the signed edition of A Knitting Wrapsody from Tuesday's contest!



version with YO's in the middle instead of M1's. I think its really looking great!

Simmer Dim

Another day, another shipment of new yarn, patterns and/or accessories received. This past week has been quite exciting with new yarn up the wazoo and a bazillion new-to-us patterns! That's right, a bazillion. We've just added Ysolda Teague, The Shetland Trader, Stephen West and Winged Knits to our already extensive pattern library. Being the one who enters all of these tantalizing designs into our system, I am now suffering from an acute case of "I MUST KNIT THIS NOW!" No joke, I am so overwhelmed with possibilities I am nearly paralyzed trying to decide what to knit next. The Shetland Trader Simmer Dim shawl? I do so love shawls, and this one would look great in the subtly variegated solids of Araucania Itata (now on sale!) or my favorite color of Tosh Merino Light, Bungalow.

Bethany's future cardi!

But then there is the Goodale cardi from Cecily Glowick MacDonald of Winged Knits. Bethany is trying to get me to knit this one for her, and I'm inclined to oblige, it looks like so much fun! A sweet little number with a wide, open neck and short sleeves, this simple sweater features unique yet functional pockets created by folding the front edges back. The pattern suggests Madalinetosh Pashmina, but would also look stunning in Shepherd Sport (perhaps in the March Limited Edition Color, Symphony?), or Cascade 220 Sport which is both super soft and affordable!
Of course I can't ignore Ysolda and her Damson shawl or Veyla Mitts... not to mention her book, Whimsical Little Knits! All of her gorgeous designs have that special combination of trendy fashion without the attitude making them perfect for the everyday fashionista's eclectic wardrobe.
And let's not forget the indescribable genius of Stephen West! Sharon was practically bouncing off the walls when his patterns and books arrived. As Kristen mentioned in her post last week, Sharon has already cast on the Colonnade Shawl in the sumptuous shade of Nebula in Tosh Merino DK and is knitting her fingers off so she can wear her FO pronto! While his designs are truly one-of-a-kind, I am most impressed by Stephen West's ability to create shawls, scarves and hats that look striking on both men and women as well as his talent for producing simple and artistic designs that showcase the natural beauty of the yarn used to knit them. If one or two patterns isn't enough to satiate your Stephen West cravings, consider Westknits Book 1 and Book 2, both stellar collections of his modern styles that will never cease to inspire you.

Colonnade Shawl

Whew! Can you see my dilemma? And that is just a smattering of my favorite favorites! Do you have a favorite or two? Are you dying to cast on one (or more) of these new patterns? Please share by leaving a comment on this post! I want to know what you are excited about too!    

Eros II Color 3263

Of course you're going to need some yarn to go with all those patterns, and as always, we've got your back ;) New Silky Merino from Malabrigo is settling in on our shelves, as are 50 colors of Plymouth Galway in a wide ranging palette of rustic heathers and vibrant solids. A versatile yarn for family knits and felting, Galway is 100% worsted weight wool and comes with 210 yards per skein. At $6 a ball, that is quite a deal! Also new to our Plymouth lineup, Eros II is quickly becoming a go-to yarn for those texturrific trendy projects. Similar to Trendsetter's Binario (now discontinued), Eros II is a shiny multicolor ribbon yarn ideal for adding fashion-forward style to any garment of accessory!

436 Atardecer

Since I'd hate just gloss over it, let's backtrack for a moment to the Silky Merino. A 50/50 blend of silk and merino wool, this exquisite yarn from Malabrigo is like Seventh Heaven for your fingers and your eyes. The single ply fiber holds the kettle-dyed colorways with intensity resulting in vivid, splendiferous hues. A DK weight yarn, Silky Merino come with 150 yards per 50g skein and works up beautifully on size US 6 needles. Shevawn has already grabbed two hanks in Atardecer and is planning to cast on Seedling, one of the new hat patterns from Never Not Knitting!

Wild Stuff in Nevada

Ok, I've got to squeeze this last one in before signing off, it is just that amazing. Cool Stuff and Wild Stuff from Prism Yarns! Cool and Wild are understatements to say the least... these yarns are over the moon stupendous wondtastical fantabulous! Varying lengths of extraordinary and marvelously textured novelty yarns from sparkling metallics to fluttery eyelash acrylics are hand tied end to end for a one-of-a-kind and truly unique ball of yarn. Each hank (300 yards) or half hank (150 yards) is an uncommon composition of razzle-dazzle colors and eye-catching fibers you will hardly be able look away from. Use it for shawls and scarves or an artistic shug or cardi that is sure to turn heads!
Love working with self-striping and multi-texture yarns? Let us know which one is your favorite by taking the poll located in the top right-hand corner of this blog :)

Have a lovely week and happy knitting and crocheting!
Leanne :)