On The Needles: Cowl Shell in Ultra Pima Paints

This week's On The Needles is a study in handpainted yarns.

As we posted recently, one of our all-time favorite cotton yarns, Ultra Pima, now comes in handpainted colorways as well as the solids. Stacy's working on a sample garment for our shop mannequin, Epiphany, to wear for spring.

The pattern is the Cowl Shell by Myrna Batten. What a great addition this would be to any warm weather wardrobe! Wear it alone on a hot summer day, layer it under a blazer for work, or pair it with a light cardigan for those chilly movie theaters.

You can buy this pattern from us through Ravelry's in-store pattern sales program. It only costs $5.00, and it's a great way to support an indie designer and your favorite local yarn shop!

Stacy says, "I wanted to experiment with this handpainted yarn a couple of different ways to see where the colors would land. I started at the bottom, knitting every round from the same ball of yarn. As you can see, large pools of colors began to appear. After a few inches, I started alternating two skeins of yarn, knitting two rounds with each. While the colors are still pooling a bit, they're much more mixed now and create much less of a dramatic swirling effect. Next, I'll try switching skeins every round. I expect that will break up the colors even more. Depending on what you like, you can get a lot of different looks with handpainted yarn.

"The Ultra Pima Paints are every bit as wonderful to work with as the solids. The yarn is soft and has a subtle sheen, and the colors are beautiful. This is my go-to yarn for spring and summer garments. And I can imagine any of the Paints, especially this Pastel Mix I'm working with, making a really cute Baby Surprise Jacket." (We have the BSJ pattern in stock, by the way....)