Friday 4 December 2015

Festive News

Hello Everyone,  
Holly Berry and Cherry Drop


Just a little note to let you know the postage details during December and into the New Year.    Please keep in mind that it takes Royal Mail longer to deliver parcels so allow extra time for your orders to arrive.  

Last Postage Dates

The recommended latest postage dates for Christmas have been published by  Royal Mail.  I have included some of the main dates but if your country is not listed below please check the Royal Mail website here.  These dates are latest recommended posting dates.  To be on the safe side it's best not to leave things to the last minute.
  • USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden Tuesday 15th December 2015
  • Ireland, Portugal and Spain Wednesday 16th December 2015
  • France Thursday 17th December 2015
  • UK Monday 21st December
The last BritYarn post office run of the year will be on Wednesday 23rd December.  

While BritYarn is always open for your woolly shopping there will be no orders posted after Wednesday 23rd December.  Orders received after the last post office on the 23rd will start to be posted from Tuesday 5th January 2016.

A massive thank you to each and everyone of you for your support during our first six months.  I hope you all have a restful festive break with lots of time for knitting, crochet and spinning.

Merry Christmas
Isla

p.s. we've still got a few balls left of the West Yorkshire Spinners limited edition festive yarn Holly Berry and we have a few things reduced.



Thursday 3 December 2015

The Great British Pattern Pick - Winter by Jo Milmine

Welcome to the third Great British Pattern Pick at BritYarn. In this series of blog posts, we’re aiming to bring you some of the best British-based design talent out there at the moment. We’ll also give you some suggestions as to which lovely yarns you could use for the project. All of our pattern enabling is fully compliant with BritYarn’s Woolly Principles, so you can be sure you’re shopping local!

Knit Me by Louise Zass-Bangham 
I’m not sure about you, but Autumn seems to have flown past in barely a flurry of golden leaves and we’re already on the downhill slope to Christmas! No doubt some of you will be feverishly working on gifts for loved ones or a well-deserved project for yourself. Although it’s a hectic time of year, there’s nothing quite like indulging in a new cast-on over the festive period. With that in mind, let’s dive in to some cosy knits to enjoy with a hot chocolate.

The perfect accompaniment to yarns variegated and solid, Knit Me by Louise Zass-Bangham is a great go-to pattern. An easy knit, it shows off a jazzy yarn to its best effect, yet still has enough interest for a semi-solid to shine. There’s always a use for a scarf to keep the chill off your neck when doing your Christmas shopping. Avoid that freeze/thaw feeling you get from walking in and out of baking hot shops to the outside by choosing something a little lighter weight.

Louise loves hand dyed yarns and specifically designs her patterns to show off their individual beauty and character, so for this pattern I’d go for Mobberley 4ply from Yarns From The Plain. 

Ok, so I know this is sort of cheating as I’m giving you a whole book of patterns here, but you really can’t go wrong with a range of hats when it comes to winter. They keep off the chill and keep your head dry if you’re unexpectedly caught in a quick rain shower. Making a hat statement is easy with this collection of nine designs, including a scarf and mitts pattern. 



Brighten up a gloomy season by opting for the West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply Sugar and Spice range. With a wide range of colours to choose from, you’re sure to be able to create a combination to dazzle.

If colourwork hats are not your thing, consider adding some chunky texture to your wardrobe with the Kyla hat by Katya Frankel. This slouchy beret with honeycomb cabled detail would be perfect to ward off the chill, particularly in a snuggly alpaca yarn. For this, I’d go for the UK Alpaca Baby Alpaca and Silk blend, which would add a touch of shine to proceedings from the silk content, not to mention beautiful drape. For a natural coloured alternative, the Lincoln Longwool DK would be a good choice and a great way to try a breed yarn in a smaller project.

Kyla
Image used with kind permission from Katya Frankel
Sound the cute kid in knitwear alert! And what could be better than a nifty little waistcoat with minimal seaming? Although it’s modelled by a lovely wee chappie, this could easily be a unisex piece and there are lots of options for customising the design to your choice. Yarn-wise, you simply can’ go wrong with West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley Aran. It comes in a variety of colours, is machine washable and is at a really competitive price point.

Peop Pie by Joeli's Kitchen.
Image used with kind permission from Desire2Phorography

If you’re fretting about fitting in some last-minute gift knitting or want something truly warm to snuggle down into, why not get a ‘Big, Thick, Warm and Quick’ on the needles? Kat Goldin’s free pattern for a garter stitch cowl would even warm the White Witch of Narnia in super chunky yarn. Erika Knight Maxi Wool would be the perfect match for this (there’s even an icy blue for Jadis!) and it’s sure to be a staple accessory during the winter months

Big, Thick, Warm and Quick by Kat Goldin
Image used with kind permission from Kat Goldin
Now we couldn’t possibly finish off a pattern pick this close to Christmas without adding in a little fun. The fabulously cute ‘Wesley Bob’ by Ann Kingstone adds a tad of knitty chic to any Christmas tree. You can rattle up a load of these cost effectively and in a shade to complement any colour scheme, thanks to Jamieson and Smith’s 2ply Jumper Weight Shetland Wool. They are also a good way to try out a bit of colourwork if you’ve never done it before or make a satisfying quick knit for the more seasoned.
Wesley Bob by Ann Kingstone.
Image used with kind permission from Ann Kingston.

So there’s our festive pattern pick for winter. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to pick up the needles and cast on. I’ll be back in spring with some floaty and light patterns to welcome brighter days!

Jo

Bio

Jo Milmine is an award-winning podcaster, business owner and consultant in North West England. Through her consultancy, Jo works closely with independent dyers, designers and small producers, sharing her business and yarn expertise and supporting them to achieve their goals.
She owns The Golden Skein, the company that brings meticulously curated luxury yarn clubs showcasing the finest hand dyed yarn the world has to offer. 

Passionate about crafting (and comedy knitting patterns), you’ll find her podcasting as Shinybees, as well as on Ravelry, Twitter and Instagram as Shinybees. 





Tuesday 17 November 2015

The Jacob Sheep

As November's Yarn of the Month is West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob, I thought it would be really interesting to find out a bit more about the sheep itself.  I am no expert so I have consulted two excellent books that I own, 'The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook' by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius and Sue Blacker's 'Pure Wool'.  I have also looked at several websites and I will pop links to these at the bottom of this post.

The Jacob originated in the Middle East and is said to be the oldest breed of sheep in the world.  They were introduced to Great Britain during the 17th Century where they were kept to decorate the parklands of country estates due to their 'decorative' appearance.  

I presume this 'decorative' use was one of the reasons why numbers of Jacob sheep declined, as country houses and land were later sold off.  When the Rare Breed Survival Trust (RBST) was created in 1974 the Jacob was placed on their watch list as a minority breed.  
Image Details: Jacob's Ram by Dave Merrett via Flickr


Thanks to the work of The Jacob Sheep Society and the RBST the Jacob sheep is no longer on the watch list.  There are 8000 breeding sheep registered and around 3000 lambs registered annually.  Jacob can be found living all over Great Britain.  It is worth noting that in the U.S the Jacob is still classed as a rare breed.  It is also worth mentioning that due to different breeding programs in the two countries the British Jacob is much larger than its American relation.

Jacob are one of the most instantly recognisable sheep breeds.  They have a white fleece with, what the breed standard describes as, 'well defined' coloured patches.  For this reason alone the Wool Marketing Board classes them as 'coloured' sheep.  Both male and female sheep have between two and four horns.

So some Jacob fleece facts.......  
Handle: Medium with a good degree of springiness
Staple Length: 7.5cm - 18cm
Micron Count: 25 - 27.5 (Bluefaced Leicester is 26 - 26.5)
The breed standard advises that there should no little or no kemp in the fleece. 
West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Aran


The different colours on the fleece can vary in texture and staple length and this is worth keeping in mind if you are purchasing fleece or wool from smaller flocks.  

The rise in Jacob sheep has allowed fleeces to be spun on a greater commercial basis such as the West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob that we stock. As a result of the blending larger numbers of fleeces the shades produced have more uniformity to them. 

Your can read more about the yarn in November's Yarn of the Month post. 

Jacob Sheep Society

Rare breeds Survival Trus

I wrote about the Corriedale sheep here several month ago 

Friday 13 November 2015

BritYarn 12 The Birds Have Landed



You can find BritYarn at www.brityarn.co.uk  We are on Instagram, Twitter, Ravelry as BritYarn and our blog is http://brityarn.blogspot.co.uk, you can subscribe to our You Tube channel and on we are on Periscope.

News

Nine new shades from West Yorkshire Spinners (3 Birds and 6 solid shades)

100% Lincoln Longwool from the Risby Flock is now on the shelves at BritYarn. 
This is the blog post about the Lincolnshire Show 2015

FO's
Talavera by Amanda B Collins using Eden Cottage Yarn BFL sock.

What's in the Jam Pan

Mahy by Karie Westermann Lincoln Longwool Laceweight

Lemon Difficult Shawl by Kate Atherley

Oolong by Clare Devine 

Chatted about York and by birthday bag my mum bought from Shop Louleigh

Tuesday 3 November 2015

West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Yarn of the Month November 2015

As November is the month of Wovember, a celebration of all things 100% wool our Yarn of the Month is West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob.

Despite Jacob sheep moving off the Rare Breeds Survival Trust watch list, it is still a yarn that you don't hear many people talking about.  Which is why I am delighted to invite three friends of BritYarn to share their thoughts and experience of knitting with this yarn along with my own.
West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Aran

West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob is a pure breed yarn.  It is worsted spun and available in DK and Aran weights.   This yarn is quite lofty so looks thicker than other yarns of the same weight.  Both the DK and Aran are available in four undyed shades ranging from Ecru, to a deep rich brown.  
As the natural shades get darker you can see more of a heathered effect.  

In the skein the yarn feels soft to the touch and to knit with it feels really pleasing and substantial.  I could wear it next to my skin but I know some people might need a layer underneath.  It is slightly loosely spun so I did have a few problems with cabling without a cable needle (it was also my first time which perhaps didn't help!) as I could not aways see my loose stitches clearly.  

I recently knitted Woolly Wormed's Lexie hat in Jacob Aran weight. The Lexie hat was the perfect project for seeing how the yarn behaved due to the different sections of the design.  
In the skein you can see some longer fibres which gave my finished Lexie hat a slight halo.  
The textured moss stitch and cable areas have amazing definition and if I turn the hat inside out the stocking stitch has me itching to cast on a winter jumper with this yarn!  It is also a very warm yarn and I know this hat will be used a lot this winter. 


I will now hand you over to three friends of BritYarn who have very kindly shared their thoughts on the West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob DK.  By coincidence they have all made cardigans!  


Neuroticbunnylady on Ravelry was the first person to buy Jacob yarn from BritYarn.  I followed with great excitement the progress of her Owls cardigan.
"I found Jacob DK a real pleasure to knit with, it is a little rustic feeling, but is also fairly soft. I found it knitted up into a lovely fabric, plus was extremely glad that if I dropped a stitch, it was extremely easy to pick that stitch up again, which has made me think I should try colourwork and maybe steeking with this yarn. The Jacob DK has amazing stitch definition, I am amazed at how well the lace pattern on the back of my cardigan shows up. 
As far as the finished cardigan goes, I find this yarn makes a very warm and snuggly garment, it is lovely to wear. I would have to say its become one of my favourite knits, and I would put a lot of that down to how the Jacob DK has knitted up into a really nice looking and feeling fabric."

Doksi used the yarn to knit her Scollay Along KAL cardigan.....

"The West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob DK is not the softest yarn you could image. So if you are very sensitive I wouldn't recommend this yarn.


But if you like a little course and woolly feeling in a yarn this will give you fine texture and durable clothes. I have no problems to wear it next to skin. And after I got my cardigan ready, I have worn it almost every day - no pills at all.
I found it much thicker than what I would call DK".

Last but no means least is MmedeBeavoir, who is on the final stretch of knitting a Portage cardigan.


"The Portage pattern had been calling to me for ages; but, as with all such projects, which yarn to use? I dithered and pondered and swatched with what I had in my (admittedly considerable) stash, but didn’t find the perfect yarn. I wanted something warm and soft and squishy, but I also had it in my head that I wanted to knit a natural, undyed British wool that was traceable and sustainably produced. 
There’s so much to love about Jacobs wool. It’s sturdy without being coarse, soft without being slippery, and it knits up beautifully: the stitch definition is gorgeous and the honeycomb stitch that makes up the back panel of the Portage cardigan is gloriously squishy. The result is both understated and striking. Looking closely at the knit, you notice the natural heathered look to the wool, the beautiful twist in the yarn… Plus it smells slightly sheepy, which is how wool should smell! For sweaters and cardigans, it’s the perfect choice."

I hope you have found this post interesting.  If you fancy learning more about breed specific yarns Louise at KnitBritish is currently holding a Breed Swatch Along in her Ravelry Group.



Thursday 29 October 2015

BritYarn 11 What a Grey Day





These are the show notes for BritYarn's latest podcast.

News
The Absolutely British Britsock competition taking place in the BritYarn Ravelry Group closes midnight GMT on 31st October 2015.  Britsock by the Knitting Goddess is our October Yarn of the Month.

We now have two additional shades in Chilla Valley Chunky.

We have some new books in the shop The Crochet Project's Shawl Project Book 2 and Rachel Coopey Toasty V1 and V2.

We also have a few balls left of the limited edition Christmas yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners.  Hoping we are able to get some more next week!

We are slightly amending our deliver details next.  In reality you will see no difference just wanted to let you all know. 

FO's

Lexie by Woolly Wormed in West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Aran

My Great British Socks Away KAL Phalanges socks by Clare Devine. The yarn was West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply in the Blueberry BonBon colourway and the design is one of the patterns in Sock Anatomy.

Isabella Hand Warmers by Emma Wright.  The yarn was West Yorkshire Spinners Illustrious and the pattern is in the Illustrious Pattern Book. 

What's in the Jam Pan

Talavera by Amanda B Collins using Eden Cottage Yarn BFL sock Pom Pom Summer pattern 

Mahy by Karie Westermann Lincoln Longwool Laceweight hap construction 

I chatted about the The Knit British Breed Swatchalong and about being interviewed by Clare Devine in issue 90 of The Knitter.


Monday 12 October 2015

A chat with Joy from The Knitting Goddess.......

Hello 

Many thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for BritYarn.  If you are sitting comfortably with a beverage to hand lets begin!

Could you introduce yourself to BritYarn’s readers?  

Waves hello! I’m Joy and along with my long suffering other half Bobbie I own and run The Knitting Goddess. The main part of my job is dyeing yarn, updating the shop and chatting online. Bobbie is responsible for producing all of the mini skeins, packing and posting and making sure that everything goes out in good time. We’ve recently started selling screen printed bags and pouches, so we’re both involved in that. I also do some teaching, and now that we’ve moved into the new workshop there’s lots more space for people to come and play.

I’d already had a couple of career changes before I started doing this – I worked in banking and then as a holistic therapist

I love the fact I can do lots of different things as part of running the business – I’m always interested in learning and trying new things.


How and when did The Knitting Goddess come about?

The business started completely by accident about 10 years ago. We’d been in Seattle on holiday and I bought cashmere to make a jumper. When I got it home I realized that although the batch numbers were the same the skeins looked quite different. So there was a change of plan to something multicoloured and I bought a couple of pots of dye. We then found somewhere that would sell us mill ends of cashmere and started selling on Ebay.

The first big change to the business came about when we moved to the Isle of Wight. The house we bought needed a huge amount of work and it wasn’t going to be possible to continue working as a therapist while chaos raged around us. So we got a bit more serious about the business and looked at ways to grow it.

The second big change for the business has been moving to Harrogate and finding dedicated workshop space. It’s bliss to have somewhere that I can make a mess and shut the door on it – and it’s also meant that we’re reclaimed some of our weekends and evenings. Having more space has also allowed us to offer more wholesale, so there are more places that people can buy our yarns.

The other big change that came about because of our move was switching to British fibre. We now live within an hours of several mills – and it seemed absolutely crazy not to support that. So all of our fibres in the shop are British (or British Territory) grown with the exception of the cashmere – and if we could find a British producer for that I’d look at swapping that over too.

What are your favourite woolly / fibre crafts?

I’ve played with lots of different woolly crafts but I’ll always be a knitter more than anything else. I learnt to crochet last summer, and while I love the speed I have to constantly look at my work, so it’s not always something I’ll pick up to take with me. Vanilla socks make the perfect travelling companion.

Everybody works in different ways… are you a traditional pen and paper person or do you prefer making full use of modern technology?

A bit of both – I love Pinterest and Instagram and I’d be lost without Ravelry. I still work with a paper diary though, and there’s a daily to do list that things get crossed off. Although there are great drawing apps I’d sooner pick up a pencil and doodle or sketch.


If you were only allowed to knit with (or dye) one British grown base what would it be and why? (a blend or 100% pure)  

Britsock – it’s that rare thing of a yarn which works for pretty much everything, it dyes like a dream and it doesn’t tie itself in knots in the dye pot. 

I adore Britsock, Could you share how this yarn was born?

We knew that we wanted a British yarn which would wear well for socks and be as close to an all purpose yarn as possible. We also wanted to avoid the processing which is needed to make a yarn superwash. I know it’s sometimes necessary, but we did everything we could to make this yarn be amazing and hard wearing without it. Adding nylon and British alpaca into the mix and having the yarn spun to a fairly high twist have both helped create a yarn with wears amazingly well and which is a pleasure to have next to your skin.

John and Juliet Arbon did an amazing job with the yarn. We were so nervous when the first box arrived – when you order a custom spun yarn you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get, but this was better than I’d dared hope.


Where do your get your inspiration from for the amazing semi solids, variegated and self striping yarns you dye. Do you have a favourite shade?

There’s a noticeboard which sits just t the side of my computer at home, and it houses a collection of postcards that I’ve bought because I love the colours or ideas that they represent. I also have a colour board on Pinterest where I collect anything and everything that appeals to me.

One of the delights of having this as a job is that if something doesn’t turn out as planned then it can often become something different but special. Or something that will make socks to be hidden under boots……

One of my favorite ever shades was called Undead – and that came about someone was typing about undyed yarn and autocorrect thought it knew better. So I had some fun imagining what colour Undead yarn would be (deep violet and plum, overdyed with charcoal). I must dye some more of that soon.

Left to my own devices there would be a lot of blue yarn in the shop – everything from pale sky blue through turquoise to dark navy. I do enjoy getting to play with lots of colours, but if I had one last pot of dye it would be blue.

Are there any future plans / projects you can share with BritYarn?

We’ve got lots of things planned! 

We’ve been chatting with Amanda (Ex Natural Dye Studio) and we’re looking at ways of providing yarn support and some new colour options. While I’m sad that Amanda has stopped dyeing, I’m thrilled that there will lots more amazing crochet designs to enjoy.

The 2015 clubs are coming to an end as the last parcels will be posted at the end of October. We have two amazing designers for 2016 – and there will also be a self striping yarn club.

We’ll be running another mini skein competition with Rachel from mylifeinknitwear.com before the end of the year. That was great fun, and so inspiring that I ended up dyeing 10 sets of mini skeins instead of one. 

How can people best keep up to date with the latest The Knitting Goddess news?

We send out a newsletter every Thursday which offers subscriber only discounts and other treats. You can sign up for that here http://theknittinggoddess.co.uk/newsletter.html

I’m @KnittingGoddess on twitter and @TheKnittingGoddess on Instagram


Finally there’s a Ravely group – Knitting Goddesses (and Gods) – so please say hello.

Don't forget our Britsock competition runs until the end of October in BritYarn's Ravelry Group.

Monday 5 October 2015

Great British Socks Away KAL Prizes

With our yarn and needles at the ready we all cast on our socks for the Great British Socks Away KAL last Thursday.  If you want to join us it is not too late, just pop over to BritYarn's Ravelry group. I thought now would be a good time to share the GBSocksAwayKal FO prizes.

Lots of amazing and very generous people have donated prizes and I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to you all. 

So here are the prizes in no particular order.
    A selection of Wander Aran by Phileas Yarns.
    Photo used with kind permission from
    Phileas Yarns.






Phileas Yarns is run by Sylvie, a new indie dyer.  Sylvie has very kindly donated two skeins of her hand dyed Wanderer Aran which is 100% British Bluefaced Leicester.  The winer of this prize will be able to select their prize from Sylvie's Etsy shop.





Snow Queen


Patina Yarns is another new indie dyer.  Catriona, who dyes the yarn, has lots of exciting ideas for the future.  She has generously donated two 50g skeins in the Snow Queen colourway. The base is 75% British Wool 25% nylon making them ideal making socks like these fab ones below. 

Photos used with kind permission from Patina Yarns
Clare Devine, the lady behind many of our socks in this KAL has donated a selection of pattern prizes:
  • 1 ebook
  • 9 prizes of a single digital pattern 
  • 1 Colour Caper ebook
The multi talented Joeli from Joeli's Kitchen has donated two paper patterns. 
A few other BritYarn prizes.....

EDIT: We have another prize which has been very kindly donated by Orkney Wool.  Orkney Wool source Texel Fleece from Veltigar Farm on Orkney with is then spun by The Natural Fibre Company in Cornwall.  The yarn is available in DK, Aran and 4 ply and the shades are inspired by by local area where the sheep live.  Orkney Wool have donated two balls of their 4 ply yarn and the winner can choose which shades.


Photo used with kind permission from Orkney Wool


So that makes a whopping eighteen nineteen prizes!  Prizes will be selected via the power of randomness after the KAL ends.  Don't forget to be eligible for a prize your socks must meet the KAL rules.

And as if that is not enough Joeli has also very kindly donated an additional prize for anyone who enters children sized socks in the FO thread.  This will be drawn separately and the prize for the winner is a paper copy of her book Tiny Treads.

A big thank you once again to everyone who has very kindly donated a prize.  Lets get those socks knitted!




Sunday 4 October 2015

BritYarn #10 All the new things and a Yarndale roundup

BritYarn #10 All the new things and a Yarndale roundup

Scollay Along meet up - Fantastic!!
Drift A collection of designs curated by Eden Cottage Yarns
NSS by Ginger Twist and Clare Devine
Chatted to lots of people including Sonja Blacker Yarns, Louise Zass-Bangham (Inspiration Knits), Joeli from Joeli’s Kitchen.


Thursday 1 October 2015

Britsock by The Knitting Goddess Yarn of the Month October 2015

One of my favourite hand dyed sock yarns is Britsock by The Knitting Goddess.  


Britsock Multi Colours
Britsock is not your run of the mill (no pun intended!) British sock yarn..... it is custom spun in Devon for The Knitting Goddess and is a wonderful blend of 40% Bluefaced Leicester, 20% Wensleydale, 20% Alpaca and 20% British Nylon.    

Joy, the the super talented lady behind The Knitting Goddess, really has an eye for putting different colours together.  You can tell I am a bit in love can't you.......  Britsock comes in semi solid, multi colours (variegated) and self striping options.  

Britsock is a smooth yarn to work with, making your knitting or crochet just speed by.  I loved knitting my Planum socks, a pattern in Sock Anatomy by Clare Devine, and seeing how the different shades appear. 

The yarn produces a really soft but strong fabric, with a slight halo.  However, while the name suggests its a sock yarn it also makes stunning shawls or light garments.  Once my crochet skills have improved I would love to have a go at one of the designs in the Shawl Project with one of the semi solid shades. 
Planum Sock
To celebrate all things British and Socktober The Knitting Goddess and BritYarn are delighted to announce the 'The Absolutely British Britsock' competition.  To enter all you have to do is think of a colourway name and suggest 3 - 4 colours which relate to that name.  The names need to be something typically British.  It might be a traditionally British food, a catchphrase, place or event. All entries need to be made over in the competition Ravelry thread in the BritYarn Ravelry group.  The competition will close at Midnight GMT on 31st October 2015.
Joy and myself will have the hard job of picking a winner.  Joy will then turn the winning entry into a one off colourway.  The winner will receive a skein of Britsock dyed up in their winning name and colours and the remaining skeins will be popped into the BritYarn shop.   
  


Indian Summer Self Stripe

UPDATE: 12th October 2015.  The Britsock base is changing and Joy has wrote about it here. I can honestly say that I cannot feel or see any difference between the old and the new base.