Use QED to make the lace in Ysolda Teague's Vine Yoke Cardigan pop. Photo © Caroline Bergeron.

Fibre Space has two gorgeous new sources of Bluefaced Leicester wool in — Sanguine Gryphon’s QED and Natural Dye Studio’s Dazzle. What does that mean? That means it’s time for another in our series of posts on what makes certain breeds so special. [Check our our screed on Australian Merino from a few weeks back.]

We’ve heard a lot about Blue Faced Leicester in the past few years, particularly since the Knitty patterns Tempest and Aeolian reminded us the yarn isn’t just for socks. The long staple length that makes BFL a durable sock yarn also means it’s drapey and fairly pill-resistant, which leads to elegant sweaters and shawls. Its fine grade means it can be worn next to the skin.

Sanguine Gryphon’s QED is what SG herself calls an “ideal workhorse sweater yarn.” We can imagine it worked up beautifully into Ysolda Teague’s Vine Yoke Cardigan or Melissa LeBarre’s Tea Leaves Cardigan (available at the shop – if you haven’t made one yet, why not?).

Wendy Johnson's Ribbed Ribbon Socks will show off Natural Due Studio's Dazzle.

Natural Dye Studio’s Dazzle is incredibly soft, with the lustre that makes BFL the best of the best. Natural Dye studio uses plants for its dyes, which makes their colors more complex. It’ll be lovely in classics like Cookie A’s Monkey socks or Susan Lawrence’s Branching Out. But we bet it’ll really blossom in Wendy Johnson’s Ribbed Ribbon Socks, from her Socks from the Toe Up (also available at the shop!).

Feed Your Sheep Obsession

• You can get more information on Bluefaced Leicester Sheep from the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association and the Bluefaced Leicester Breeders Association.
• According to a website called Sheep 101, President Woodrow Wilson kept sheep during his time in the White House, and allowed them to graze on the South Lawn. Their wool was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
• Hoping for more photos of sheep? Check out the Obsessive Sheep Photographers Flickr group. There really is something for everyone on the internet.
• Finally: we can neither confirm nor deny that Shaun the Sheep is a Bluefaced Leicester, but he sure is a good dancer.

Kingscot by Norah Gaughan is just right for Teva Durham's Moss yarn. Photo courtesy Twist Collective.

Several of Teva Durham’s Loop D Loop yarns arrived in the store late last week: Moss, Granite, Fern, and Tundra. You probably remember Teva as the genius who brought us the Lace Leaf Pullover several years ago, and her yarns are no different from her patterns: unique, accessible, and gorgeous.

We also received Teva’s Loop D Loop Volume 4 and Volume 5 — so you can keep up with one of the most imaginative minds in pattern writing today.  We also found some nifty individual patterns online…check ‘em out below, then hurry over to get the yarn while it’s in the box and 10 percent off!

The luscious Moss is a DK-weight combination of extrafine merino and nylon, just right for hats, mittens, and the Kingscot Cardigan by Norah Gaughan, available from Twist Collective.

Teva Durham's Peasant Blouse is made with Durham's Moss and Fern yarns. Photo courtesy Knitting Daily TV.

Plus, when you make a cardigan, you get to pick out some buttons from our pewter button collection, too – who could resist? Why would you want to?

Only Teva could bring back novelty yarn and make it cool. Fern is a super-bulky woven tape ribbon that will knit up quickly without feeling heavy.  Pair it with Moss to make Teva’s Peasant Blouse, featured in Season Two of Knitting Daily TV and available as a free download on the Knitting Daily site.

[Has anyone else been mourning the fact that our local PBS station doesn't air the Knitting Daily tv show?  Don't they know that Alexandria is crafter central? Something must be done.]

The unique Granite is a super-bulky yarn. Made of plush wool roving, it’s stitched down the middle to give stitch definition and strength.

Maximus by Bonne Marie Burns of Chic Knits. Photo courtesy chicknits.com.

Granite will look great in Chic Knits’ Maximus cowl. Bonne Marie Burns’ patterns are always gorgeous, and this one will keep you warm at that football game in a month or so.

Last, but not least, is another super-bulky: Tundra. Like Granite, Tundra is made from roving, this time two strands of roving twisted together. 

Lighter than most super-bulky yarns, Tundra would look great in either pattern we suggested for Granite, in our Beanie Hat (it’s a class!), or Knitting School Dropout‘s Bea, below. This quick knit is the perfect pattern for a newcomer to lace – or a last-minute gift when holiday time rolls around!

Like so many of Teva’s ideas, this yarn (and Teva’s new patterns) must to be seen to believed, so come on down and admire them with us!

Bea by Melissa LaBarre of New England Knits...also known as Knitting School Dropout. Photo courtesy Knitting School Dropout.

Pear Tree Yarn: 10 percent off while it's still in bags!

If you’ve been knitting for a while, you’ve heard about the glories of Australian wool — but do you know why we prize Merino wool, and why Australian wool is spoken of in hushed tones of admiration? The advent of Pear Tree yarn at fibre space gives us a chance to talk about exactly what makes Australian Merino the best of the best.

Australian Merinos are known for the softness of their wool and the brightness of its color.  The first Merinos were brought to Australia in the late 1700s, and as shepherds bred them for the Australian climate they developed a fine, bright wool that is highly prized today.  If you know your Knitters’ Book of Wool (available at the shop! get ‘em while supplies last!) you know that Merinos offer some of the finest fleece in the sheep world.

There's fibre, too! Come and get it...

Now, Pear Tree Yarn offers their line from only the best of Australian fibre.  So you know you’re getting “the best of the best” with them.  Meanwhile, Pear Tree also ensures that the fibre is grown and the yarn is processed using ethical and environmentally sustainable practices.  We’re very excited to add Pear Tree to the fibre space treasure trove – come grab some while it’ still in the box, for 10 percent off!

Did You Know?

• Australia has been exporting wool since 1807 – more than 200 years.
• Of the more than 90 million sheep in the Australian flock (that’s a lot of wool!), 89 percent are Merinos.
• One of the most famous paintings in Australia is Tom Roberts’ 1890 Shearing the Rams, which celebrates pastoral life and the work of sheep shearers.
• This past June, the famous painting was re-enacted in New South Wales. Here’s a video about the re-enactment.

Greenfield Cardigan, from New England Knits. Photo courtesy Interweave Knits.

Project Heaven
So, which of these will you make with your haul of Pear Tree?

Crown of Leaves – Twist Collective Fall 2010
The Greenfield Cardigan from the book New England Knits (also available at the shop!)
Milly from Knitty First Fall 2010
Ivydene by Woolly Wormhead (ravelry download for ~$5)

So many options, so little time!  Who’s up for a knitalong?

A very large book order arrived late last night and there were more copies of many of our favorites as well as some new books. We are featuring a few below along with the Ravelry link to the book, so that you can browse its pattern contents.

Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting – yes, the classic is back in print!

Beyond the Square: Crochet Motifs – the title says it all.

Knitwear Design Workshop – a truly comprehensive guide to designing your own sweaters.

Vintage Crochet – updated vintage-inspired designs for home and fashion.

Vintage Knits – classic Rowan designs for men and women

We got our newest shipment of Madeline Tosh Sock today and it was filled with four brand new colors of Madelinetosh: Composition book grey, glazed pecan, stovepipe and moorland.

During our Mad Hatter Tea Party tonight, Beth and Michelle had their hilariously hatted heads in the box.

I can always find inspiration in my book collection – there’s something very satisfying about curling up with a cup of tea and leafing through a stack of knitting and crochet books.

We have some new books in the shop this week and I’m already getting ideas…

photo by STC Books

Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans from Norah Gaughan, Margery Winter, and the Berroco Design Team makes even me want to make an afghan! 50 patterns range from stylishly traditional to excitingly modern. We recommend Berroco Vintage and Weekend for the patterns in this book.

photo Sydwillow Press

Toe-up is my favorite way to do socks, so I’m excited to try the patterns in Toe-Up!: Patterns and Worksheets to Whip Your Sock Knitting Into Shape by Chrissy Gardiner. The book includes blank worksheets so that you can use your favorite toe and heel shaping methods to create your own personalized pattern.

Have you ever wondered how lace designers come up with their amazing patterns? Learn how with Crazy Lace: an artistic approach to Creative Lace Knitting. Using “Lace Logic”,  you can adapt existing patterns, create your own lace charts, or just freestyle!

photo by Myra Wood/Woodworks Editions

The Vermont Organic Fiber Company has been producing organic and sustainable wool since it was founded in 200o. We are delighted to now be an O-wool carrier. The first part of our order has arrived – Classic 2 ply. It came in adorable “bundles” that kinda look like bunches of bananas. This fingering weight yarn is wonderful for fair isle projects, wraps and even socks. Check out all 16 amazing colors.

New amazing books have arrived:

The Haapsalu Shawl

This book of Estonian lace has been translated and is now available in the US. It has amazing photography and is worth having in your library for just the photographs! The charts and drawings are very detailed and well done. It contains over 130 Estonian lace shawl patterns.

Reversible Knitting – 50 Brand-New, Groundbreaking Stitch Patterns

Lynne Barr’s new and groundbreaking book has 50 new and reversible stitch patterns! In addition, the book boasts 20 projects that can be worn in multiple ways. Not only that, but she has pulled together some of our shop’s favorite designers: Véronik Avery, Norah Gaughan, and Teva Durham.

Check out the author’s blog tour here.

No worries! She just sent us three large boxes of fresh new yarn in so many amazing new colors. Veronica is still slowly getting it all counted and put out in our classroom, so stop by for a 10% discount while it is still unlabeled and not quite on the shelves yet.

Neighborhood Fiber Company sock yarn just arrived, and we are really impressed with the new batch of colors. They appear to be more saturated and brilliant than previous batches. Karida has really fine tuned her art. We are super proud of her and excited for the next delivery in November.

Yarn Profile – NFC Studio Sock

435 yards fingering weight yarn

Machine wash and dry merino

Two ply, medium twist

13 colors

Each named after a DC neighborhood or landmark

There are a few things that arrive at the shop that they are elevated to more than a simple twitter post. These gorgeous sets are one of them. Hiya Hiya finally sent part of our interchangeable needle order and they are STUNNING. Lets start with the packaging: rich, opulent fabric Chinese silk brocade that includes a zippered notion pocket and slots for each needle and its cords. Everything was thought of, right down to the extra piece of fabric that keeps the needles from sliding out of their spots. The needles themselves have the same fabulous joins that we love about Hiya Hiya’s circular needles. We have the first of two sets that will be available from them: sizes US#2-8. The set that includes US# 9-15 is still back ordered but expected in the next month. Tell your loved ones that you need this for the holidays (or pick one up now before they are gone.) This set includes:

tips ranging from #2-#9

Cords: 16″, 24″, 32″ and 40″

Cost is $68.

Extra tips in your favorite sizes are also available and they even included extra storage space for them in this case!

We just got in more books to add to our growing collection. I am super excited about these ones in particular:

100 Afghan Squares to Knit – you may remember the baby blanket that I made for my brother’s new one. The pattern was from this book, which is now out of print. We were lucky enough to snag ten copies!

Photo courtesy of Interweave Knits

Boutique Knits: 20 Must-have Accessories – I made flip top mittens and two awesome hats from this book last season. I am really excited that it is now in the shop.

Rowan’s Greatest Hits - yup. We have it! It is the most amazing collection of Rowan’s best patterns. Digging through it now…

Wendy of Wendy Knits‘ new book: Socks from the Toe Up. LOVE knitting toe up socks because you can keep going until that yarn is used up! No more tiny balls of leftovers.

Knitting Man(ual) – 20 plus projects for guys – clothing and accessories that aren’t spiced up (so your man will actually where them!)

itty-bitty Nursery – Kel says “This book is freakin adorable!”

Creepy Cute Crochet – Zombies, Ninjas, Robots and more: (I am not kidding…this book has patterns for ninjas)

Big Girl Knits – 25 unique patterns for women sized 14 and up. Gorgeous book!

Custom Knits – Wendy Bernard’s newest book. It is AWESOME! Great top down sweater projects. It is full of patterns that I want to knit. I believe Cameronne and I fought over the last copy at Borders last year when it first came out. We have 5 copies!

Natural Knits for Babies and Toddlers – by Tina Barrett and full of cute baby garments. It has both premie sizes and toddler sizes.

Just in this week is gorgeous, cashmere-soft 100% yak down yarn from Shokay. Shokay yak down derives its unique origins from the mountainous Himalayan regions of Western China. The fibres are hand-combed from the yaks that dwell there, whose ancient existences continue to serve as a life source for the Tibetan herders. We are excited to bring you this special luxury fibre not only because it is beautiful and toasty warm, but because Shokay is committed to helping Tibetan herders earn a traditional living.

You might remember Shokay Shambala being used in Jared Flood’s very popular Koolhaas hat a few years back, but the company also has great free pattern support on their website. In many cases, just one skein can make a uniquely beautiful gift.

New spray-dyed colors in Jawoll

Each month, the nice UPS man brings us a new box of Jawoll self-patterning sock yarn in different colors. This month, the yarns are all spray-dyed, giving them a cool tonal look. It’s always a surprise when we open the box!

We just got a new shipment of Crystal Palace Mochi Plus and Mini Mochi as well as Cotton Chenille in bright colors and pastels for baby projects. I am finishing up a pair of socks in the Mini Mochi. They are super snuggly!

oh shoot. Mail lady just walked in with a big box of Miss Babs again…

Veronica digs through the new box of Miss Babs