Anniken’s Lace Workshops

Posted on 10th March 201612th February 2020 by Esther

We’re very lucky here at Spin A Yarn to count one of the current top lace designers of the knitting world, Anniken Allis, as a great friend and well established workshop teacher.

Hailing from Norway, knitting is in Anniken’s blood – having learnt Continental knitting from a young age, she started designing patterns in her early 30s and her love affair with designing beautiful lace accessories and garments began. Now a published author (of Beaded Lace Knitting) and having had her work featured on the front of the highly respected US Vogue Knitting, we are thrilled that she regularly travels up from her home in beautiful Cornwall to continue teaching workshops with us – on everything from how to knit Continental style, to Norwegian ‘Selbu’ style mittens.

Selbu Mittens

Candace Shawl

Anniken’s delicate and glamorous shawls feature novel stitch techniques, unusual cast-offs (and sometimes cast-ons!), and often beading… she teaches all of these techniques and more on her popular workshops here at Spin A Yarn, plus staple techniques of Scandi-style knitting patterns such as Continental Knitting style.

We’re very excited that Anniken will be teaching ‘How to Design a Crescent Shawl’ with us this summer, so if you have your heart set on designing your own glamorous lacy accessories, that will be the one for you!

If however you’re a beginner, then Easy Lace Knitting will get you started with the core skills you’ll need to master lace patterns, including the basic stitches and how to read lace charts.

Violetta Shawl

We have a few spaces left on each of these workshops, so if you’d like to embark on making a gorgeous accessory with Anniken’s help and advice, do visit our Eventbrite booking page or give us a call on 01626 836203 to secure your place. These workshops cost £59 each and, run from 10am to 4pm.

Easy Lace Knitting, Weds 4th March 2020

Learn to Design a Crescent Shawl, Weds 27th May 2020

Learn Continental Knitting including Norwegian Purl, Weds 10th June 2020

Exclusive interview with Iris Schreier of ArtYarns

Posted on 3rd March 2016 by Esther

Our long-awaited delivery of ArtYarns skeins from the US has now arrived! Opening the box is always like opening a treasure chest full of silky and soft yarn, hand painted in jewel tones, sparkling with sequins and murano glass beads.

Who are ArtYarns?

The company is the brainchild of designer and author Iris Schreier, who started the company in 2002.
We were lucky enough to be able to ask Iris some questions recently – and her answers are fascinating.

Spin A Yarn: Where did the inspiration to start ArtYarns come from?
Iris: I was working on my first book Exquisite Little Knits, and I couldn’t find certain yarns that I wanted to knit with, so I created them myself. Examples: a lightweight silk that would be perfect for scarf designs without being too heavy knitted up—this became Regal Silk; a hand-dyed cashmere that was carefully dyed in sophisticated colors—this became Artyarns Cashmere 5; A beaded yarn that would not have any synthetic in it—this became Beaded Silk Light. Stores because interested in these yarns I developed, and Artyarns was born.

Exquisite Little Knits by Iris Schreier

Spin A Yarn: What is your favourite source of inspiration for the beautiful hand-painted colourways?
Iris: I mostly approach color ways as a designer—I think I am inspired to design certain pieces and develop colors that will work with my designs. Our latest collection of Cosmic Colors inspired by the randomness of the constellations, helped me develop one of my favorite new pieces the Swirl Tee, which needed a fun, bright, multicolored yarn that would not pool and interfere with the pattern.

Spin A Yarn: Our favourite ArtYarn blends are Beaded Silk Sequins Light and Beaded Mohair & Sequins, do you have any favourite patterns which you think showcase these yarns particularly well?
Iris: Both these yarns are embellished and knit up like lovely jewelry. We have put huge collections of patterns free on the yarn label, mostly 1-skein projects. Look at the Beaded Silk & Sequins Light Collection of 10 patterns, free on the Beaded Silk & Sequins Light yarn label—I love the Silk Bouquet Scarf. Also refer to the Beaded Mohair & Sequins Collection, free on the Beaded Mohair & Sequins yarn label—this contains 6 lovely patterns, including the Raspberry Stitch Mini Shawl designed by a very talented designer in South Korea.

Spin A Yarn: How long does it take to produce a batch of hand-painted yarn?
Iris: We have a group of dyers working all day every work day, and we can produce several hundred skeins per week. Some colors are more complicated than others and take longer. We have a video of how we actually do the dyeing of certain multis – please click here to watch the delicate process by which the skeins are hand-painted: Shade 501 Hand-Dyeing Process.

And here’s what the finished yarn looks like!

Spin A Yarn: We’re always impressed by your dedication to sharing your work and helpful hints on social media – what do you most enjoy about relating to other ‘yarn addicts’ online?
Iris: I love testing yarn colors by posting them and getting reactions, and also the encouragement of my peers when I show designs in progress. It helps me focus on those projects that will be most appealing, at the same time including our social media fans in the process of our development, what we produce and what we design. Nothing is more appealing than seeing others’ photos of what they have created using my yarns and designs. Therefore, I constantly run knitalongs, where we knit as a group. You can find out about these on my Ravelry Knitalongs group here: ArtYarns Knitalongs

Join ArtYarns Knit-a-longs on Ravelry

You can reach Iris through Facebook, Ravelry or Instagram. She also has a Craftsy class in Modular Knitting, click here for a the link to sign up and receive $20 off coupon

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Iris!

You can find her yarns on our website here: ArtYarns available at Spin A Yarn, or pop into the shop and ask Joyce to show you the ‘treasure chest’ of skeins! We can help you find suitable patterns and provide you with the beautiful free patterns which come with the yarn when you buy it.

Introducing…Malabrigo Hand-Dyed Yarns to Spin A Yarn

Posted on 27th February 2016 by Esther

27 Feb

When Joyce was looking for new and beautiful yarn brands to stock in our shop, one of the most frequently requested was Malabrigo.

If you’re not already lusting after their yarns, here’s a bit of information about them…

A small family business

Malabrigo started small, when two brothers-in-law started dyeing wool in a kitchen back in 2005. After achieving some good results, they started selling a few skeins to the US and before they knew it they had quickly grown to other countries in Europe and the rest of the world. To keep up with this growth, they opened a mill in Montevideo, Uruguay, where yarns are dyed and packed in large rooms with natural light. They employ mostly women of all ages, and always try to give job opportunities to people that have fewer opportunities than the average.

Punta del Este, along the coast from Montevideo, Uruguay

Happy sheep, fewer chemicals

In 2010 the factory added a flat-plate thermal heating system to decrease the environmental footprint. Using the power of the sun, the water tanks are heated for the various processes to make their wonderful yarns. The company employs environmentally safe practices using as little water and as few chemicals as possible. As part of their ongoing effort to build a greener business, their Superwash manufacturing process now meets Oeko-Tex standards. This means the yarn is free from a range of harmful substances often found in manufacturing.

Sheep from the flock owned by Malabrigo in Uruguay

Malabrigo also now own a flock of Merino and Corriedale sheep, who live on a ranch near their headquarters. They are now able to have a direct hand in wool production from the very first step, and to ensure the humane, high-quality care of happy little sheep.

Here’s a video showing you around beautiful Piedras de Afilar and demonstrating the process by which they shear their sheep and harvest the beautiful fleece that becomes Malabrigo yarn. They strive to use sustainable and humane farming practices with their ranch and flock, saying a happy sheep makes the best wool. We couldn’t agree more!

The wonderful fibres

Most Malabrigo yarns are made with 100% Uruguayan Merino wool. Uruguay has one of the biggest wool supplies in the world, and a very, very good wool with regards to softness. Their wool is 100% produced by Uruguayan farms that allow their sheep to go free-range through the hills and are herded by traditional-style shepherds. Having felt the yarn in the shop we can vouch for the softness and extra fine quality of the yarn.

Show me some projects!

If you want to see what the subtly variegated colours look like when knitted or crocheted up, check out the Malabrigo Blog. It’s full of inspiration and pattern ideas too. You can also follow them on Instagram for lots of tempting photos @malabrigoyarn.

The Malabrigo blog

We’ve just added their yarns to our website www.spinayarndevon.co.uk, so please do have a browse and if there’s any you’d like to buy, either pop into the shop or pop us an email.

Malabrigo yarns stocked at Spin A Yarn

With thanks to Malabrigo for their beautiful and highly informative website 🙂

Arctic Qiviut – an Alaskan Treasure

Posted on 28th January 20162nd March 2020 by Esther

Sadly, we no longer stock Arctic Qiviut here at Spin a Yarn. However, we may start stocking it again at some point in the future, and the best way to keep updated about new yarns coming into the shop is to sign up to our email newsletter HERE.

However if you just want to learn more about Qiviut, read on!

As we get a lot of questions about this elusive fibre, we thought we’d do a blog post about Qiviut. Thanks to our suppliers, Arctic Qiviut, for providing this fascinating information!

Origins
Qiviut is truly an amazing fiber. It is the delicate underwool of the Arctic muskox. It is one of the most sought after fibers in the world because of its rarity, softness and warmth.

Alaskan Muskox

The muskox is not an ox; this large hairy mammal dates back to the last Ice Age, and is most closely related to sheep and goats. The Inuit name for muskox is “Umingmak” meaning the bearded one. They have been an integral part of the Inuit lifestyle for centuries as an animal that provides a great amount of nutritious meat, warm hides and soft insulating underwool known as Qiviut to knit into clothing.

Muskox shed the Qiviut naturally in the springtime. Known as the “golden fleece of the Arctic”, it commands a high price due to it’s rarity, softness, warmth and light weight. Qiviut grows from every part of the muskox including the face, belly, ears, hooves and under the horns, and unlike sheep, are not sheared to harvest their fleece. After processing, 6 to 8 pounds of muskox fleece raw fiber will yield about 2 to 3 pounds of cleaned Qiviut fiber that is ready for spinning into yarn. Muskox grow a new layer of Qiviut in the autumn.

Alaska

Qiviut from farmed muskox is combed out in large sheets. Qiviut from wild muskox falls off in clumps or is rubbed off by muskox on the ground or bushes. Qiviut found on the ground or bushes from wild muskox is hand collected. After the qiviut fleece is removed or collected it is cleaned by hand or machine cleaned to remove vegetation and foreign matter and then dehaired of all guard hairs. Then it is carded and ready to spin into yarn. Qiviut production is extremely limited because muskox herds are few in number and are usually very remote and isolated. Unlike in Canada and Greenland, where qiviut is a by-product of government-controlled hunting, Alaska is one of the very few places in the world where you can get hand-combed qiviut.

Arctic Qiviut have recently opened the first commercial yarn mill in Alaska! Hopefully we will be seeing many more shipments of yarn from this new mill.

Qiviut yarn is eight times warmer than wool and is softer and more valuable than cashmere. Qiviut yarn and qiviut yarn blends are a knitters, crocheters and weavers dream to use to create their yarnwear.

Properties

Qiviut is softer than cashmere and is light as a feather. It’s an insulating fiber and is comfortable to wear in any climate. Eight times warmer than sheep wool, pure qiviut is non-shrinkable, non-felting and is often safe for people who suffer from sheep wool allergies. Unlike some wool breeds, qiviut is not scratchy. The more you handle and wash qiviut, the softer it feels. We have noticed this as we handle the skeins in the shop!

Some of the many shades of qiviut yarn available at Spin A Yarn

Qiviut yarn might seem expensive but an item knitted in this fiber is an heirloom that can be treasured for generations. Think of it as a unique gift for yourself or that special person. We sell pure qiviut and qiviut blends – Arctic Qiviut use only use the highest grade, finest quality German angora, cashmere, baby alpaca, silk, superwash merino, and nylon in their blends.

Teacher and expert lace designer, Anniken Allis, has designed a stunning cowl pattern exclusively for Arctic Qiviut which takes just one of the smaller skeins to make – this pattern can be included free of charge for any purchase of Qiviut from Spin A Yarn!

You can view our range available here on our website – Arctic Qiviut Yarn.

Arctic Circle Cowl by Anniken Allis

Customer Project – Sally’s Knitweave Shawl

Posted on 30th October 201511th November 2015 by spartadmin

30 Oct

Sometimes a customer project just bowls you over! Sally shared a photo of this stunning shawl she made with us and we had to find out the story behind it.

“I used Rooster alpaca 4 ply for the cream yarn, plus a variety of other 4 ply yarns from my stash for the pink, green, grey and turquoise segments. The variegated yarn is the Noro silk garden I bought from the shop last year, and the person who sold it to me was intrigued when I said I was going to use it on my knitting machine, as she thought it was too thick and “lumpy” for a machine.

I explained I was going to knitweave with it, whereby the weaving yarn isn’t knitted through the latch needles, but is laid onto the surface of the work. The pattern is by reknowned machine knitting designer Iris Bishop. I have to say, the colour changes worked out more or less by accident, as the colours morphed through the Noro yarn to almost exactly match the size of the segments!

It was knitted all in one piece with an integral fringe, and a mock crochet trim on the straight edge, also made on the machine. I knitted it over 3 days. I love it!”

We’re all fascinated by the idea of ‘knitweave’ and are hoping that Sally will bring in some more examples of her work next time she visits.

Seeing our customers finished products always makes our day here at Spin A Yarn, so be sure to bring them in or send us photos!

Joyce’s Travels Continued

Posted on 30th October 201511th November 2015 by spartadmin

30 Oct

Arriving at Christchurch Airport in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, 16 May we went straight to the Airport Motel. In the morning, David walked back to the airport to pick up a car for the next leg of our journey down to Alexandra to visit Marnie, owner of Touchyarns, the Beautiful Yarn Company.

At this point I should say that New Zealand is a spectacular country and I couldn’t stop clicking my camera. We arrived at Marnie’s and drove straight up to a spectacular hydroelectric dam at Clyde, on the Clutha River between Cromwell and Alexandra.

Loved my photo of the cloud which looks like a giant whale!

Marnie looked after us wonderfully. We were very spoilt with our own little guest house, next to her beautiful home in Clyde, Central Otago.

500 Likes Giveaway

Posted on 30th October 201511th November 2015 by spartadmin

30 Oct

To celebrate the support of our lovely yarny friends on Facebook and reaching 500 Likes, we are giving away this beautiful skein of Araucania Botany Lace together with an Anniken Allis lace pattern. You can enter here, or thorough our Facebook page!