Lighten up with Silky Alpaca Lace

This weather is crazy. Hard to believe, but this time last week we were closed because of ice and snow. Today it's 73 degrees and we're thinking about SPRING!

If you're ready to shed your winter layers and start planning some lighter projects, we have some suggestions. Check out these beautiful colors of Silky Alpaca Lace from Classic Elite Yarns.

This 70% alpaca/30% silk yarn is wonderfully soft and airy, making it a great choice for the change of seasons. Here are some patterns designed specifically with Silky Alpaca Lace in mind.

Honeybun by Tonia Barry, a scarf that twists into spirals with a picot edging detail. Its stockinette fabric would make a lovely blank canvas for a variegated colorway.

 

Moonraker shawl by Lakshmi Juneja, the perfect thing to wrap around your shoulders on a chilly spring day.

Dune by Jennifer Dassau, a fitted sleeveless tunic. The smallest sizes only take two balls of Silky Alpaca Lace.

All of these patterns are available at Sheepish through our Ravelry pattern sales program, so you can buy them from us and receive credit toward your Reward Points.

Treat yourself to some Silky Alpaca Lace and you'll be ready to greet spring in style!

Trendspotting: laceweight neckwear

Lately we've noticed many more people getting interested in knitting with laceweight yarn. For years, we had a few customers who would knit shawls in elaborate lacy patterns. Everybody else seemed too intimated to try such complicated projects, or just hated the idea of knitting with anything so fine.

But things are shifting now, thanks to some great patterns that have been popping up calling for laceweight yarns. These designs look sleek and modern, and because many of them are knit at a (relatively) bigger gauge, they knit up faster than you might expect.

If you fall in love with a skein of luscious laceweight while you're shopping (or if you have one in your stash), but don't know what to do with it, take a look at some of these projects for inspiration.

Gradiente by Jocelyn Tunney is a stunning scarf that uses a US 8 needle and three strands of laceweight held together. It subtly blends three different colors, 440 yards each. We have a sample of this in the shop, and everyone who sees it goes crazy for it!

Citron Grand by Hilary Smith Callis features a simple ruching technique to create textural interest. Knitting the laceweight yarn on a size US 8 makes a wonderful drapey fabric. You can knit this wrap in a variety of sizes, using anywhere from 435 to 1445 yards.

Arnhem Loop by Silke K. is a bit more of a time commitment because it's knit on a US 2 needle, but the result is so chic, it's worth it! This cowl is knit flat on the bias and then joined at the ends to create a long, luxurious loop. It calls for about 880 yards of the main color and 440 yards of the contrast.

Melanie Berg has designed a trio of fabulous striped wraps using laceweight yarn and a size US 4 needle. Left to right: Assante (650 yds MC, 325 yds CC); Aviendha (450 yds MC, 300 yds CC); and Miara (650 yds MC, 325 yds CC). The patterns are available individually or you can get all three as an eBook called It's All About Stripes. Really.

You can buy all the patterns mentioned in this post through Ravelry. Better yet, let us download the PDF for you at the shop, so you can receive credit toward your next Sheepish Reward coupon!

On The Needles: Crabapple Petals in Serena

This week's work in progress is a lacy little confection Carrie is test knitting for Ravelry designer Lesbian Housewyfe.

The pattern is called Crabapple Petals. It's a luxurious, drapey cowl that features a simple lace pattern and some beads to add a touch of shimmer. The yarn is Manos del Uruguay's Serena, a dreamy blend of baby alpaca and pima cotton, in color 2318 Glacier. We're expecting our spring shipment from Manos--including many gorgeous colors of Serena--any day now!

Carrie says, "I thought this pattern would be a great way to show off how soft and squishy Serena is. Stay tuned: Crabapple Petals will be available for purchase soon!"

By the way, these beautiful silver-lined beads came from our friends at The Bead Shoppe in Avondale Estates (in the same complex with Our Way Cafe). The Bead Shoppe is a magical wonderland of color and sparkle, so if you're a jewelry maker or just a bead lover, be sure to visit them for your bead needs.

Done Roving yarns

Now in stock: two beautiful yarns by Done Roving, a small company based in Maine.  We'd never heard of Done Roving until a few months ago, but we instantly fell in love when our sales rep showed us her amazing samples.  We immediately placed an order for fall, and it has arrived!

First up, for all you sock lovers, we have Frolicking Feet.  It's a 100% superwash merino with a wonderful tight twist.  We currently have it in 15 colorways (we started out with more, but a few have sold out already!).  Frolicking Feet retails at $21.00 per 480-yard skein.

Frolicking Feet

Next, we have Natural Ewe.  It's a brand new yarn for Done Roving, and Sheepish is one of the first shops in the country to have it.  Natural Ewe comes in 15 colorways and we have all of them in stock right now. This is a super soft fingering weight yarn that will be perfect for lace projects or whatever else you can dream up.  It's a 100% organic merino (What makes a wool organic? Learn here!) and retails at $14.00 per 300-yard skein.

Natural Ewe

Stop by and treat yourself to these exciting new yarns soon!  We have a feeling they're going to be very popular.