Hello and welcome to this wee list of the new additions to the shop for tonight’s shop update. This update is a bit ‘bitty’ so I thought that a list with links might be helpful. I have linked to each of the products but please note that they won’t be ‘in stock’ until 7pm tonight Friday 28th January.

  1. Auchen Koselig, a new colourway for Yorkshire Yarn Fest dyed on Auchen Sport (I will have a 15 minute live IG on the YYF Instagram page at 10am GMT Saturday 29th January). Koselig is a Norwegian word which we don’t really have a direct translation for, but my interpretation is to focus on my favourite winter activity of walking in the woods. I have dyed Koselig in wintry woodland colours and used locally gathered alder cones plus walnut hulls and cutch. There will be a limited number of full (110g) skeins and also small (55g) skeins. They can be found here as the first two options in Auchen Sport Dyed Skeins.

2. Monkeyface and Co, the latest batch of this special limited edition yarn. Monkeyface and Co is spun with two year’s worth of fleece from Monkeyface and her two daughters – Stinker and Stinker Sister! Monkeyface herself is of uncertain origin, I think possibly Gotland with a northern European short-tail sheep breed, perhaps Shetland or Hebridean. Either way her fleece is delicious and her daughters’ fleeces are very special (their dad was a Wensleydale tup).

The resulting yarn, spun beautifully by The Border Mill, is approx 335m/100g. It is quite a dense, two plied yarn, which will be a little more fine than most other yarns of the same m/100g. Monkeyface and Co is strong and smooth with a slight lustre and lovely drape. In terms of colour it is a very rich molasses, almost black, with the occasional silvery fibre. I’m planning to keep a little for myself and intend to knit a Skipwith Cardigan (Ravelry link), designed by Rachel Atkinson  (something I fully intended to do with the last batch but, since it sold so well and quickly, I ended up not keeping any. This time I definitely will!) The pattern is in her beautiful book Beginnings, but can also be bought as an individual pattern from Ravelry. Monkeyface and Co has drape, lustre and is a strong fibre. Monkeyface and Co can be found here.

3. I have a few Resolis Mittens Sets in a new Highland Winter colourway. These lovely sets of three DK minis will knit the beautiful and cosy Resolis Mittens by Emily K Williams (Ravelry link). I have paper copies of the pattern available here. You can find the sets, in three shades of Shetland DK, here.

4. Raddery is a new shawl design in Killen Sock by Emily K Williams and was created especially for the Highland Winter Boxes I produced with Harriet, of Wildwood Stitches, last autumn. I have mini skein sets for this beautiful airy shawl in the original colourway. Raddery uses just one 100g skein plus two 20g minis, but because of the clever design is a surprisingly large shawl at 190cm by 65cm. Emily has just published the design and I have paper copies of the pattern available here (with Ravelry download codes, if you don’t use Ravelry let me know and I can arrange a digital copy another way). Raddery mini skein sets are available here (both sets available in this shop listing will work for the Raddery Shawl, the ‘With Love’ sets have a little extra yarn and you could work additional repeats of the border chart to increase the size of the shawl).

5. The final new addition to the shop is the ‘With Love’ sock sets in Killen Sock. I have dyed them for the ‘With Love’ socks published in issue 138 of Knit Now magazine. This really pretty colourwork sock design is by Simone Drager in Killen Sock. Each set has one full 100g skein plus two 30g mini skeins. The new edition of Knit Now is out now and I’m delighted to have this beautiful design by Mone featured in it. The sock sets can also be used for lots of sock patterns ranging from simple socks with stripes or contrast heels and toes, or perhaps another colourwork design. One set could also be split and used to knit two pairs of socks, there would easily be enough yarn for a couple of ankle length socks. You could also use a ‘With Love’ set to knit a larger version of the Raddery Shawl. The sets are available here.

I hope that all the above is helpful! If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to email me – mail@blackisleyarns.co.uk