new yarns for old

with 2018 ending and 2019 about to start, i’ve decided it’s a good time to take stock of my yarns, and see what changes need to be made.  with that in mind, i’ve made some decisions that i need to tell you about!

firstly, the superwash merino/silk 4ply will be discontinued, effective immediately.  the current stock of dyed yarn has been discounted; i also have about 15 skeins of undyed yarn left in this base, so if you really want a special batch or if you’re desperate for a colourway that’s out of stock, email me and let me know!  i know a lot of you love this base (& so do i!) but i have something new in mind for next year and need to take account of what’s selling and what’s not, and shape my line of base yarns accordingly.

next, and this is a little more complicated, i’m making a change to the corriedale sportweight base. my current corriedale base is custom spun for me by the Natural Fibre Company, who i’ve had a great relationship with for many years (they also spin my shetland bases and produce lots of other beautiful yarns).  recently, however, they’ve changed the way that they produce wholesale orders, and as i’m now in smaller premises with the move to the home studio, i don’t have the storage space that i used to have, so i needed to think about making some changes to how i source and stock my undyed yarns. 

i’ve been able to source a very similar base from The Border Mill, who are able to do much smaller production runs (which is the format that works best for me in the new studio space).  starting in the new year, The Border Mill will be spinning the corriedale sportweight for me – the yardage is almost identical (370 yards per 100 grams) and the gauge is exactly the same as the current base; however, the new yarn is semi-worsted spun instead of woollen spun.

this means that the fibre is combed rather than carded before it’s spun; in terms of the finished yarn, the new base will feel smoother and less “fluffy” than the old base.  you can see the difference in the photo above – the undyed yarn is the old base, and the dyed yarn is the new base (both have been swatched on the same size needle and washed once).  the difference is more obvious in the undyed yarn; as the new base is dyed, it begins to bloom and soften, and will do so more and more as it’s washed and worn.

i’ve been working with the new base recently to knit up a few samples (and will also be putting a call out on Ravelry for more sample knitters for this base, so look out for that!) and it’s gorgeous – i’m knitting Ysolda’s Threipmuir sweater and it’s working up beautifully.  i’m really excited about this sort-of-new base; it means that i’ll be able to get small batches of this yarn spun more frequently as & when i need them, while also staying as true as possible to the nature of this gorgeous woolly base.

because of this slight difference between the two spins, though, i thought it would make things clearer and less confusing if i also officially discontinued the corriedale base yarn, and clear out any of the current stock before introducing its replacement in the new year.  so, the dyed corriedale base that’s left in stock has also been discounted (hurrah!).  i also have some undyed left in this base too, so let me know if you have any special requests.

i’m very excited about how this yarn works for yoked sweaters, so i’m planning to dye up some yarn packs for Threipmuir for Edinburgh Yarn Fest, as well as another yoked sweater i have my eye on!  i’ll also be getting some in stock online as the old base starts to disappear.  if you’ve got any questions please let me know; otherwise i’ll see you in the new year with some new yarns!!