Yarn Shops

Around the world in search of yarn.

Toasty Hand Warmers

| Verónica

My husband has a true appreciation for handmade items. So as I considered my knitting queue, I decided to make him a pair of fingerless hand warmers for the cool weather ahead. He has a wonderfully warm charcoal gray coat so I wanted yarn that would complement it. I found this hank at Nimblefingers, one of Houston’s local yarn stores.

Heritage Quatro by Cascade Yarns. Fiber content: 75% Merino Superwash, 25% Nylon. Yield: 437 yards, 100 grams.

For the pattern, I went to The Purl Bee and fixed on their Ribbed Hand Warmers. It is a nice gender-neutral pattern. As I started knitting, I noticed that the swatch was too flimsy and it didn’t seem like it would keep his hands warm. So I unravelled my knitting and doubled up the yarn. Much better.

Here is hand warmer #1 in progress.

Once the first one was all done, the second one went quickly.

I think he liked them.

Nangellini’s in Philadelphia

| Verónica

As many knitters do, I like to buy yarn from places I visit. More than a postcard, it helps me remember a certain place. When possible, I buy local – fibers from local farms, hand-spun, locally-dyed yarns. In a short Sunday afternoon, I made a beeline to Nangellini’s on the hip and quirky South Street in Philly. These are my souvenirs.

Super Something Hand Spun, by Nancy’s Custom Spinning (that would be Nancy, the owner). Made from strands of Merino and a Merino, Mohair, Silk combo plied together; 90 yards, 146 grams, 5.14 ounces. Nancy has a special bartering arrangement with a local dyer. Nancy spins, the dyer dyes and they each keep half of the fiber.

Nangellini’s Best.Batts.Ever are made from fine fibers including Merino, Mohair and Silk with a little Firestar for that hint of sparkle.

This is Nancy, owner, spinner, knitter and overall cool person. She explained that “Nangellini” was a childhood endearment her father used for her. When I asked if I could snap a photo, she agreed and grabbed that skein of hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn for the occasion. (I almost bought that skein). If I lived in Philly, my needles and I would hang out at Nangellini’s.

My memories of Philadelphia will include Independence Hall where the Constitution of the United States was signed, the Liberty Bell with its famous crack, workshops on leadership at the Wharton School at UPenn, a visit to Gettysburg, and yarn from Nangellini’s.

Wooli – Bespoke Yarn from New Zealand

| Verónica

This package crossed an ocean to reach me. As you can note by the postmark, this has been sitting in my queue for some time.

This thick yarn is designed by Nikki Gabriel and produced from recycled fabric remnants. The fiber contents include wool, alpaca, silk, cashmere and possum. The raw fibers produce this color which she calls Greige. Other dyed colors are also available.

Then there are these sturdy needles handmade from recycled Rimu wood, which is a tree native to New Zealand.

I like the concept of naming them “construction” tools.

I even got this nice thank you note from Nikki Gabriel herself.

In addition to creating yarn and needles, she is also a knitwear designer. She designed these beautiful flowing costumes for a performance of The Australian Ballet.

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I would like to visit New Zealand some day and go to her shop, Gather, in Napier. In the meantime, I am content with reading her blog.

I dare you to go to a yarn store and not buy anything

| Verónica

I went to the yarn store to pick up some fiber for the ladybug. Mom went with me.

While I was perusing the fiber options, Mom saw a ruffled knit collar on display and decided I should knit it for her. She picked this yarn for it. It is called Sakkie by Plymouth Yarn. It’s a fingering weight sock yarn made in South Africa. Fiber contents: 40% wool, 40% mohair, 20% nylon.

I found this in the sales bin. My aunt, my mother’s little sister, will also soon be having surgery. Once Mom shows her the wash cloths I made for her after her surgery, my aunt will also want some. So I’m preparing. This is Pichasca by Ester Bitran. It’s a sport weight 100% cotton yarn hand-dyed in Chile.

I picked these up because they were on sale and they were pretty and you never know when you’re going to need some yellow and red yarn for something. These are Sulka by Mirasol, a worsted weight yarn made of 60% wool, 20% silk, and 20% alpaca.

This is what I went to the yarn store for in the first place. It’s a hand-dyed silky cashmerino by Frabjous Fibers. The colourway is #8 Cottage Garden and each top is 4 oz.

Go ahead. I dare you.

My Fiber Stash is Growing

| Verónica

I was in San Antonio for less than three hours but managed to find a yarn store just before closing. (Fellow hard-core knitters can relate).

Tammy Rabideau, the owner of Yarnivore, walked me through their fiber selection. She was very helpful in showing me to gauge how many yards of yarn I might be able to spin from each batch of fiber.

This is what I brought home.

Top: Hand dyed Silky Cashmerino by Frabjous Fibers. This blend of 70% superfine merino, 15% cashmere, and 15% mulberry silk is hand dyed in Vermont. This is color #247 Verbena.

Bottom: A lovely soft Silk/Merino Silver in color #7 Mulberry.

Now to finish spinning the mohair currently on my spindle…