HRYC

All too often on the blog i'm exclaiming about the yarns we stock from all around the world. One local yarn may be a humble price in comparison to the others, but we are having a love affair with it. Who better to talk about this adoration than you, our lovely customers? 

Vintage DK is entirely processed right here in NZ, and we're lucky to be one of very few stores to have it on the shelves. This yarn is so popular in-store that we don't sell it online, however we are most happy to take email orders.

In the second of a series this week, here's Lisa very appropriately referencing vintage culture alongside Vintage DK.

TV ads, magazine spreads, Miuccia Prada ... These days everything and everyone is referencing vintage.

It's shorthand for cute, quirky, and cool. And now Skeinz has made it even more so, with its oh so covetable Vintage Premium NZ DK.

Instagram has taught us to delight in the art of the lo-fi  transformation. We take photos on our phones of our 21st century lives,  saturate them with a mid-century vibe, and revisit our childhoods.  It's a little like time travel.

Maybe that's why I'm so besotted with Vintage yarn.

It's partly the weight. The stitch definition is outstanding, and it's so springy to knit with.

But mainly it's the colours. They are DELICIOUS. Like Hipstamatic gelato. Only you don't need a filter.

Picture, if you will, sugared almonds, Nigella's sweaters, the original Tupperware your nana packed for picnics, and the faded covers of 1950's schoolgirl annuals.

I so badly wanted to be one of those girls in their red blazers. Sassy, intelligent, most probably uncovering a secret spy ring.

Now I can be, in my jaunty carmine beret.

Now, what to make with it next...?

All too often on the blog i'm exclaiming about the yarns we stock from all around the world. One local yarn may be a humble price in comparison to the others, but we are having a love affair with it. Who better to talk about this adoration than you, our lovely customers? 

Vintage DK is entirely processed right here in NZ, and we're lucky to be one of very few stores to have it on the shelves. This yarn is so popular in-store that we don't sell it online, however we are most happy to take email orders.

In the first of a series this week, here's Bridget talking about her introduction to this most beautiful of yarns.

A new knitter with instructions in hand visited HRYC to pick up some yarn to learn with. As she got distracted by all the yarn, Tash steered her towards a yarn called Vintage, cute colours, good price, this beginner knitter was sold! 

A couple of scarves later this not-so-beginner knitter graduated to a baby cardigan, with the added pressure of gifting the cardi. For this the knitter turned again to Vintage.  A great unisex suitable colour, not splitty, blocks great, feels nice in the hand and isn't slippy. And the end result is a gift-able cardigan! A knitter rejoices! 

The knitter then revisited her first yarn hobby and took Sofia's amigurumi class, with more Vintage. With a nice full look, great colours and a good feeling on my crochet hook, mint slice ninja bunny was born.

But all of these are small projects, and this knitter/crocheter needed something a bit more... Epic. And so the ripple blanket was planned.  In vintage of course, and the crochet blankets group provided the committee decision on colours and I was away! 

With the progress on this crocheters blanket moving along, I'm even more in love with vintage! 

So is there anything vintage can't do? A times it can be difficult to get some colours, which is frustrating but not the end of the world.  

All in all, this knitter sees a lot more vintage in her future.

In vibrant, beauteous colour, Lorna's Laces is once again gracing our shelves. It's like a unicorn threw up everywhere. The perfect yarn for happy happy happy socks, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock is 80% superwash merino, 20% nylon. 

I think these shiny rainbow skeins would lend themselves perfectly to super simple socks, or a nice garter stitch something or other. 

How do I feel about Lorna's Laces?

Yep. 

(I'm a bit obsessed with Despicable Me 2, it's the best giggle-out-loud fun movie i've seen in ages)

Here are just a few of the pretties. The best part? They're all up online too!

Hooray!

This morning I had a bit of a surprise - tweets from friends exclaiming over the news that Margaret Stove had designed the shawl that was presented as New Zealand's official gift to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the birth of their first baby.

Having absolutely no idea what was going on, and assuming the Prime Minister had maybe got a bit confused between shawls from the Prince William's birth, I rang Grandma. 

One bemused conversation with her later, I have the story. The most hilarious (because all I can do is laugh about it) is that she specifically asked if she could tell me, so I could be sure to have copies of her book in stock, and she was flatly told that she couldn't. 

Anyway, here's the info:

Margaret was commissioned to design, spin and knit a shawl for the event of Prince William's birth in 1982. A special request from the High Country Breeders of Merino sheep, the shawl took nearly 400 hours of work and was a purely original design, inspired by traditional Maori design and native New Zealand flora.

Image courtesy of the Christchurch Star

There is an excellent article, written by Margaret, in the Summer 2013 issue of Spin Off magazine. It details the fascinating process of creating the shawl. 

Anyway, the official gift given by the New Zealand government to the new parents today was hand spun and knit by Cynthia Read of Cambridge. I was lucky enough to meet Cynthia at the Creative Fibre Festival in April but had no idea why it was she wanted to have a nosey at our shawl samples. The design is Filmy Fern from Margaret's most recent book, Wrapped in Lace (Interweave Press 2010). It is an incredible shawl with amazing drape and from tomorrow we'll have the book sample in the shop for anyone who would like to drool over (just not on it, please, that would be gross). It is knit using Artisan Lace Gossamer, which produces wedding ring shawls - that is, a shawl that will fit through a wedding ring.

Image courtesy of Interweave

And here I was thinking i'd be able to avoid all the royal baby mayhem. Hooray babies, but let's value the people nearest and dearest to us first, yeah? We've had a very shaky few days here in Wellington and it means nerves are frayed and knitting really is the ticket for keeping worries at bay. I have even more respect for what the people of Christchuch (including Margaret) have lived through the past few years, what with sleepless nights thanks to aftershocks and the constant worry that we're yet to see our big earthquake. Thanks goodness yarn is soft and squishy and bouncy! 

I'll update this post as I get more information about the gift (and hopefully some pics!). Take care of yourselves xx

Edited to add: A great radio interview with Margaret on Newstalk ZB this morning - the link takes you directly to the clip. 

Indigo Dragonfly are the most fantastic indie dyers. Not only do they come up with amazing colours, they throw in the BEST yarn names. Honestly. Prefer Buffy over Twilight? 'And then Buffy staked Edward. The End.' is a colour for you (and me!). If you're a movie or Dr Who or any other kind of fan, there's a yarn name just for you.

I think our next order will have to include some of their other yarn bases - any special requests?