Trending Like Crazy !!

We all have yarn and most of us have even acquired serious stash. My Mom and I will often compare our stashes against each other knowing that in reality, either one of us could shop the others stash for anything at any point in time and be totally happy with the outcome. Our stashes are similar in content. We both love Tosh, Malabrigo, recently got turned onto Zen Garden, our tastes are similar. You're bound to find different colorways in hers than in mine. And lets face it, she's been doing it longer than I have so she simply has more of it. Her stash occupies a different part of the house than mine does. Hers has even spilled over into the garage. Mine is mostly contained in my bedroom and in a giant cedar chest not 5 feet from me here in the living room. Though I have to say, for only knitting for 8 years now I have acquired some pretty serious stash. Enough that I decided last fall to organize it by color. Though I think I'm going to have to rethink that. The lace weight section of my stash is all okay. Primarily because I don't use it all that often and haven't in a couple of years. Since I really started designing I started doing it with fingering weight yarns. I have a few lace weight patterns but most are fingering. It's because of this that I really started boosting my fingering weight stash section. I didn't really have much when I started designing. So, you see, I had to have it. Maybe I'll redo my stash again sometime soon, thinking about it, I really need to. I have a tendency to put all the new purchases in the cedar chest when they should be going to their respective bins. Then again, I know where all the new stuff is and if I move it I wont be able to find it. I know. Laugh all you want. Its sort of a system that works. And if I can find what I'm looking for there's always Mom's stash. 

One thing that I need a new fresh plastic bin for yarn that Mom doesn't have....GRADIENT YARN. Oh Lord the gradient yarns are trending like a mutha right now. Everyone is coming out with them. Give it time and even Tosh will have some. I am going bananas over the gradient yarns that are out there right now. However, there is one slight problem with them. Yardage. Many do not put enough yardage in there for one to make a decent sized shawl with. There are some that are being called "mini skeins" which are in gradient colors and are about 400 yards total. Mini is an accurate description.There is a designer on Ravelry, her name is Mindy Ross, she designs specifically for yarns like Wolle's Color Changing Cotton which is a cotton gradient yarn coming in at 480 yards. 2 patterns that I can think of that she designed specifically for this yarn is Early Morning Rain and Reverse Psychology. But I don't worry about yardage really with this yarn because there are patterns that have been designed specifically for it. This yarn, if you are ever so lucky to own some, is so beautiful. Its unlike any gradient I've seen and you probably have a better chance of getting your hands on kryptonite as to acquire some of this yarn. It.Is.Difficult.To.Get.Some. She makes them in small batches to begin with and they are all done by hand. It is a 4 ply yarn and each ply is cut and another color added, then the next ply cut and the color added, until its has morphed completely into what the ending color is. And its all done by hand. So there's that. You have to join her Ravelry Group and she posts there when she will be opening up a time where people can order. Its usually like, 4am our time, and you are not guaranteed any yarn until you get a confirmation. So many people are lined up at their computers waiting for it to open up, no matter the time, so keep that in mind. its difficult to get. I have the pleasure of having Dilshani be SOOO talented at having this process down to a tee that we've gotten some on 2 shipments now. The ones I have are Kermit and Autumnal II. Here is a picture of Kermit...


...and here is Autumnal II...


They are truly amazing. It's sort of been on my radar to design a cowl. Perfect for Spring. Maybe that's what I'll do with these. I don't know. I'm just very fortunate to have them in my possession to do whatever I please with them! 

Etsy is a terrible, horrible, wonderful thing. If you are not familiar with Etsy, go there and search for just about anything and see what you come up with. It is a place where indie artisans can sell their goods. I have bought jewelry, cards, cardstock, and yes, yarn. There is LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF YARN ON ETSY. Just ask and you'll see. About a month ago I was searching specifically for gradient yarns. Holy crap. I'm serious guys and gals. This was how Kismet Fibers and I met. Kismet Fiber Works is run by Stephanie and Angie and Leslie who is their social media maven. I ordered their 'Larc's Song' gradient kit. Ok, first, let me tell you that from what I know about in the USA, this is the best gradient kit out there right now. You get 5 skeins of color, each skein containing 231 yards. EACH SKEIN HAS 231 YARDS. That's half of their full skein of sock yarn. And you get 5 skeins. Do the math people. That's over 1100 yards for, get this $55.00. Let me repeat that. That's Fifty-five US dollars. No, I am not making this up. This is so much yarn and plenty for me to design a shawl with. I felt like I hit the lottery with this purchase. (Disclaimer: Dear Kismet Fibers, I have borrowed your photograph because I do not own a white box in which to take pics of my yarn. Therefore, the pic I took of your yarn sucked. So I borrowed yours. Please contact me directly if this is a problem. I just really, really, really wanted people to know what I got so that perhaps, just perhaps, it may send you some business! Thanks in advance - Claudia)  
Here is Larc's Song...

Photo rights belong to Kismet Fiber Works

People. If you want a gradient kit. Go to their Etsy shop and buy buy buy. Although I've been told as recently as this morning that they wont be able to update their gradient kits for another week since their return from Vogue Knitting Live. Give them time, you wont be sorry. I do believe they may have some in stock, I'm not sure. But to see all the colors you will need to wait. I have special ordered, and have been waiting and waiting and waiting for their kit called Skein Cocaine. It is a gradient kit of light grays moving into dark grays. I want it so bad I could hop in my car and drive to Michigan to go get it. But I'll wait. *sigh* because I know they know I want it. So it will come. When I first ordered Larc's Song, Etsy said there was one in stock but there wasn't so I had to wait for them to dye it up personally for me. They stuck an extra skein of yarn in my bag for the delay. Such nice folks over there. Its only my impatience getting the best of me about the Skein Cocaine I want so bad!

I stumbled across another company while on Etsy also doing gradients. Oh.My.Word. Wollelfe is a company out of Austria. They have wonderful blends of fiber, good prices and the dye jobs are SPECTACULAR. To say the least. The beauty is you can choose your yardage too! What a concept! I picked the merino/cashmere 80/20 blend at 875 yards or 200 grams, in the colorway Denim. I paid 62.00 US dollars. This is a good price for this fiber people. That included shipping. And I also got a discount for ordering from their website as opposed to ordering from Etsy. Here is there website and here is there Etsy site. I had to sign for it when it got here so I had to go to the post office to pick it up. I must've looked like a mad woman ripping this box open in the parking lot but that's exactly what I did. Seeing it was like an emotional experience. Was the same for Mom too...when I came home and showed her she cried. She wept tears of beauty and joy....


It is a thing of beauty to behold. Really it is. Send them some love too. It'll take about 3 weeks to make it to you but you NOT regret it I promise you. If you do, let me know and I will buy it off of you. They have a gray to dark gray and if they had it available in merino/cashmere I'd probably but it instead of the Skein Cocaine. I don't know if they take specialty orders or not.

The last gradient kit, or most recent gradient kit I picked up was just last week. Actually, Mom picked it up for me since I've been sick and have been at home for like, well over a week. Its called Wonderland Yarns hand-dyed by Frabjous Fibers - all done in the US. I could resist the colors. I really should get a white box to photograph my yarn in....pics would be so much better. My colorway is called "Lime to Turquoise Shadow #33"....


 Pic doesn't do it justice, the colors are so much richer than they appear...


 Its a total of 640 yards and I can work with that. Its the 400 that I cannot. Or rather, cannot do a shawl. Its possible to design a cowl, I'm sure. This was obtained through my LYS so I don't know if they wholesale only or what. I poked around on the net and found this....their website which looks like they are wholesale only. But you can click on the where to buy and maybe that will lead you somewhere. Gradients are trending people. If you don't have any, go out and get some! So far, I think, for US based companies, Kismet Fiber Works is the best deal around and their colorways are incredible. 

If you've been following my feed in Facebook then you all know that I am sick and have been for a while now. Making progress and trying to finish this shawl has been difficult. I did make some significant progress on it yesterday. I put about 8 inches on the border and made it passed the center spine. The rest should be a breeze. Ha!

 

I cant wait to get it released. It will be nice to be able to get on to the next project which is the MJ Yarns shawl already in progress. And on to other designing ventures for the year!

I hope you are all well and staying warm wherever you may be. And healthy, Lord stay healthy, this has been a bitch trying to get over this whatever it is. I hope that this info has been helpful for you all and you'll give some of these companies some love. Until next time...Knit On!!

Comments

  1. Hi
    I really enjoyed reading this post. I have some gradient yarn from Etsy's Color Shift. She dyed me up some laceweight in greens, years ago. Just casted on last month with it.
    I love your happy review of all the yarns. There us so much out there, it van be hard to choose from.
    Absolutely love the Kismet too! Curious for the Skein Cocaïne. .. hahaha

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