News

There's been a lot of things happening here at the studio and we have a ton of things to tell you about this week.  Let's start off with our ...


New seasonal colourways!

We've been thinking a lot over the past 6 months about releasing seasonal colourways which, to be honest, is easier said than done.  So while much of the knitting world is currently on the brink of winter and is craving winter colours, we here in the southern hemisphere are heading in to summer and looking forward to brighter summery hues.  Being an international business, it's difficult to decide what season we should be catering for. So, after a bit of brainstorming we decided that the best thing to do was to offer two seasonal colour palettes and hence our summer/winter colour palette was born. 

To help us come up with our seasonal colour palette, we used Pinterest mood boards for colour inspiration (if you are interested, click on the pics below to have a look).

New summer colourways from L-R: Pina Colada, Sunshine, Mambo, Apple Tea, Japanese Slipper, Porto Kayo, Bluebottle, Wisp, Blueberry, Boysenberry, Sangria, Pretty In Pink and Sleep In.

New winter colourways from L-R: Ma Chérie, Cinnamon Latte, Kimono, Mildura, Peri Peri, Velvet, Blush, Stone Wash, Napoli and Eucalyptus.

Using these image boards we were able to get a good feel of the colours we were after.  We then developed brand-new, semi-solid colourways (pictured above) and grouped them together with a few of our established ones to form a comprehensive summer/winter palette.  We love the new colours, and we hope you do too! You can check out our new Summer/Winter Colour Palette out here!

Custom Orders

To celebrate our new range of colourways we thought it would be fun to open up custom orders!  We have three of our favorite bases - Voyage DK, Winter Worsted and Merino Cashmere Fingering - on offer.  We have a huge list of colourways that you can choose from, including all of our brand-new ones.  We will be dyeing these up as the orders arrive and are hoping to ship all orders within a week of receipt (except over Christmas and New Year).  Please remember when ordering to tell us in the order notes which colourway/s you would like.   Custom orders will be available to buy until sold out.  Pictured above is a swatch knit out of Voyage DK in the colourway Sleep In.

Surprise Party Shawl Kits

With the release of our new colourways we were eager to put together shawl kits that incorporated our new colours.  When the Surprise Party Shawl by Helen Stewart was released, we couldn't believe our luck!  It was exactly what we were looking for.  We cast one on straight away using Kit #1, such an enjoyable project!

The Surprise Party shawl kit comes with all the yarn you need to make the shawl.  There are two skeins of Top Draw Sock for the main colour, and five Mini Skeins in contrasting colourways (all of which are new colours!).  There are five kits to choose from:

Kit #1 (used for our sample)

• Whisper (main colour)
• Sunshine
• Pretty In Pink
• Wisp
• Blueberry
• Porto Kayo

Kit #2

• Ghost (main colour)
• Ma chérie
• Japanese Slipper
• Velvet
• Boysenberry
• Stone Wash

Kit #3

• Wool Shed (main colour)
• Cinnamon Latte
• Kimono
• Sleep In
• Blush
• Ma chérie

Kit #4

• Lichen (main colour)
• Velvet
• Cinnamon Latte
• Mildura
• Eucalyptus
• Napoli

Kit #5

• Milky Way (main colour)
• Ma chérie
• Mambo
• Stone Wash
• Blueberry
• Peri Peri

Please note: the pattern is not included in the kit; you will need to purchase it separately over on Ravelry.  These yarn kits will available in the shop Friday!

Mini Grab Bags

Also available this week are Mini Grab Bags.  These are made up of five Mini Skeins in contrasting colours.  Each grab bag has been carefully curated, so that each of the colourways look wonderful together.  You could add two of your own skeins to them and knit up the Surprise Party shawl.  If you need ideas on what to do with your mini skeins, we have put together a board of project ideas over on Pinterest. 

Cloud 9

Along with new colourways we have a brand new yarn!  Cloud 9 is a very soft 100% superwash merino. The unique construction of a single ply wrapped with a thin 2ply strand gives the finished piece an interesting texture. Cloud 9 is super chunky, meaning projects are knitted up in no time. Great for warm winter knits, each skein is a generous 150g.  We used one skein to knit up Jane Richmond's free Marian cowl; the colourway we chose was Boom Shankar.  We have ten colourways to choose from this week - hope you enjoy!

One other thing, there won't be any new updates from now until the new year.  We will however be adding a few things here and there up until Christmas, but when we do we will let everyone know via social media.


Have a safe and wonderful holiday season! We wish you and your family all the best for 2018 and will see you again in the new year!  We have so many wonderful things planned for 2018, and can't wait to get started!


The Skein Team
xxoo

Ever since the Timely cardigan by Libby Johnson hit the knitting world, we have had many requests from eager knitters to stock more of the Daintree yarn that was used for this design.  This week we have it in stock!  PLUS we have put together nine combinations especially for this cardi.

Our Combos are:

From the top

• Hot Mess and Barely (used for the original sample)
• Milky Way and Paparazzi
• Wintertide and Whisper
• Glee and Wool Shed
• Tres Chic and Confetti
• Pollen and Sterling
• Flight of Fancy and Neon & Grey
• Metropolis and Spice Market
• Majestic and Ghost

As usual, we will be listing the colourways separately which gives you the chance to mix and match.  Here's what you'll need for this pattern:

Finished Measurements:
Bust circumference 28 [29, 32 1/2, 33 3/4, 35 1/4, 381/2, 39 3/4, 42, 43 1/4]"/71 [73.5, 82.5, 86, 89.5, 98, 101, 106.5, 110]cm

Length 20 [201/4, 201/2, 21, 22, 221/4, 221/2, 231/2, 24]"/51 [51.5, 52, 53.5, 56, 56.5, 57, 59.5, 61]cm

Shown in bust size 33 3/4”/86cm with 2”/5cm of negative ease.

Yarn
MC - 2 [2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3] (sample shown in Barley)
CC-   2 [2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3] (Sample shown in Hot Mess)

Our shop will be stocked with Daintree on Friday 24th November.  You can find the Timely cardigan pattern over on Ravelry.  We will also be offering a Black Friday discount!  Use the code blackfriday2017 to receive 15% off your order for all orders place on Friday 24th November.  The sale is for one day only, please note; Skein Points cannot be used in conjunction with the discount code.

If you plan to make Timely or any project using Skein, please don't forget to tag us on Instagram (#skeinyarn) so we can see what you're making!

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xxoo

We are thrilled to be featuring Ambah O'Brien's newest design - the Keady Wrap - as our pattern crush of the week.  Even more exciting is that this is Ambah's 100th design AND our yarn is the featured yarn!  We feel very lucky to be a part of this wonderful milestone.

The Keady Wrap uses four skeins of Top Draw Sock (or a sock/fingering weight yarn); two for the main colour and then two contrasting colours.  Ambah chose Speckled Mint as the main colour and Ghost and Graphite as the contrasts.

This week, we have put together seven colour combinations for the Keady Wrap using Top Draw Sock and Uptown Sock.  As usual, we have listed the colourways separately, giving you the chance to mix and match.  Here they are:

From the Top (L-R)

• Ghost, Speckled Mint and Graphite
• Whisper, Cosmic Dust and Vivid Violet
• Blush Crush, Seaborne and Metropolis
• Confetti, Neon & Grey and Flight Of Fancy
• Glee, Wool Shed and Philosopher
• Peace, Head Over Heels and Tip Toes
• Myrtle Creek, Spice Market and In The Navy
• Glee, Peace and Metropolis

All of these yarns will be available in the shop on Friday 17th Nov at 9am AEDT!  You can purchase the Keady Wrap right now over on Ambah's Ravelry store.

Surprise Skeins!

This week, we will also be releasing our long awaited Surprise skeins!  If you follow us on social media you would have seen a few weeks ago pictures of some of these skeins.  Surprise skeins are colourways made up of random, leftover dyes.  We have no idea how they will dye up, so they are a surprise to us as much as they are to you! 

Surprise Skeins are non-repeatable, so make sure you get enough of them for your project.  We have Voyage DK, Bliss DK, Top Draw and Everyday Sock Surprise Skeins available this week.  Hope you like them!

If you plan to make the Keady Wrap with our yarn, or, if you use one of the Surprise Skeins, please don't forget to tag us on Instagram (#skeinyarn) so we can see what you're making!

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xxoo

This week, we have a bumper update planned.  We have put together five speckle fade combos, using our Uptown Sock that's suitable for the shawls Find Your Fade, Free Your Fade, What The Fade?!, and the sweaters So Faded and So Faded Pint Size; all designed by the talented Andrea Mowy.  You can also get creative and turn your other favourite designs into fades like a Dotted Rays by Stephen West or Boxy by Joji Locatelli.

The Combos are:

From the top

• Moonlight Drive, Philosopher, Confetti, Ghost
• Spice Market, Dandelion, Pollen, Wool Shed
• Namaste, Cosmic Dust, Carnival, Blush Crush
• Paintbox, Eventide, Seaborne, Spellbound
• Hero, Speckled Mint, Whisper, Neon and Grey

As usual, we will be listing the colourways separately which gives you the chance to mix and match, or create your own unique fade. 

Our shop will be stocked with the fade combos on Friday 10th November.

If you plan to make any of the fade patterns or turn a pattern into a fade using our yarn, we would love to see it!  Please don't forget to tag us on Instagram (#skeinyarn) so we can have a look at what you're making!

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xxoo

Our pattern crush this week is the beautiful Zweig by Caitlin Hunter.  This stunning piece uses a mixture of lace, texture and colourwork to create an eye-catching design.  The relaxed fit and whole look gives the sweater a very modern feel; it is the perfect canvas for having fun with colour! 

This week we have dyed colours inspired by this wonderful design.  We have paired together colourways which we think would make the perfect Zweig sweater.  We have selected two yarn bases, Top Draw Sock and Uptown Sock.  Here are our suggested combos:

From the top (L-R)

• Slate and Graphite (Top Draw Sock)
• Barley and Confetti (Top Draw Sock)
• Tres Chic and Neon & Grey (Top Draw Sock)
• Wintertide and Dandelion (Top Draw Sock)
• Metropolis and Pollen (Top Draw Sock)
• Zorba and Paintbox (Uptown Sock)
• Paparazzi and Milky Way (Uptown Sock)
• Night Owl and Blush Crush (Uptown Sock)
• Graphite and Speckled Mint (Uptown Sock)
• Sterling and Phosphorescent (Uptown Sock)

As usual we have listed the colourways separately, giving you the chance to mix and match.  Here's what you'll need for this pattern:

Sizes:

Yarn:
Uptown Sock 400 yards/366 meters in 100g ; Top Draw Sock 437 yards/400 meters in 95g

CC1: 3 (3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5) skeins of either yarn base
CC2: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2) skeins of either yarn base

Our shop will be stocked up with these yarns on Friday 3rd November!  In the meantime you can purchase the Zweig pattern by Caitlin Hunter over on Ravelry.

If you plan to make Zweig or any project using Skein, please don't forget to tag us on Instagram (#skeinyarn) so we can see what you're making!

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xxoo

The Comfort Fade Cardigan by Andrea Mowry has taken the knitting world by storm.  After receiving numerous emails, we have happily jumped on the bandwagon: we are preparing to dye up five different colour kits especially for this beautiful design using our lovely Voyage DK, a super-soft 100% superwash merino.  This Friday the 27th October we will be taking Pre-orders for these kits, the colour combo's are;

• #1: Moonlight Drive (A), Philosopher (B), Confetti (C), Ghost (D)
• #2: Spice Market (A), Dandelion (B), Pollen (C), Woolshed(D)
• #3: Namaste (A), Cosmic Dust (B), Carnival (C), Blush Crush (D)
• #4: Paintbox (A), Eventide (B), Seaborne (C), Spellbound (D)
• #5: Hero (A), Speckled Mint (B), Whisper (C), Neon and Grey (D)

*Sample colourways are pictured using Uptown Sock.  You will be receiving Voyage DK.

Yarn Requirements;

Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, XXL)

Finished Bust Circumference: 36 (37.5, 39, 42.5, 46.5, 50.5)”/91.5 (95.5, 99, 108, 118, 128.5) cm
Intended to be worn with with 2-4”/5-10 cm positive ease

Yarn: Voyage DK (230 yards / 210 meters in 100g).  Four colors are needed to create a cohesive fade
Color A: 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins
Color B: 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins
Color C: 2 (2, 3, 3, 3, 3) skeins
Color D: 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins

Total number of skeins 7 (7, 9, 9, 11, 11)
Cost (excl GST and shipping) $217 ($217, 279, 279, 341, 341) AUD

You can order your kit via the shop on Friday!  All you need to do is select your size, the number of kits and, most importantly, tell us in the checkout order notes which kit number you would like (ie. #1, #2, #3 etc).  Please note this is a pre-order which means your yarn kit will begin shipping the week of the 27th November.  If you are curious about shipping costs you can find this out on the checkout page when placing your order, or simply email us!

Two New Crochet Patterns!

We were contacted a few weeks ago about two new crochet patterns designed by The Cashmere Cheetah.  The first is called The Outback Cowl (see above pic) which uses one skein of our MCN Sock (shown in the colourway The Outback).  The second is called Pebbles Cowl which uses one skein of our Merino Silk Sport (shown in the colourway Wood Smoke).

We loved these designs so much we wanted to share them with all of you! They are lovely, modern one skein crochet patterns which would make for a fast project for you or for gifts.  Please head on over to The cashmere Cheetah's ravelry shop to see more of her designs!

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xxoo

This week we are having a 15% off sale on all of our yarns, project bags and patterns!  The sale starts right now and ends Sunday night.  Use the code - sale15 - when checking out through our website and Ravelry to get your 15% off.

Please note, sale orders for yarns and bags will begin shipping the following Monday.  Skein discount codes cannot be used in conjunction with the sale.

Hope you enjoy!

The Skein Team xxoo

This week, we are super excited to share with you two pattern crushes, both of which come from the talented UK designer, Dani Sunshine.  First up is Quiet Walk, a very cosy raglan sweater featuring a button-up collar that can be undone and folded over.

Quiet Walk was designed using our Winter base: a cosy Superwash Merino worsted.  Dani used the colourway Whisper for a lovely, subtle look.  You could easily put your own personal stamp on this design by choosing a brighter colour or using some fun buttons.  This pattern will be available on Friday; keep an eye out for it over on Ravelry.

The second pattern is the kid's version of Quiet Walk, called Moon Walk.  This sweet pattern was released last week and is the exact mini replica of the adult version.  Dani used the colourway Neon and Grey, which adds some fun pops of colour (love those pink buttons!). 

We have a stack of Winter available in this week's update in eight different colourways.  Unfortunately Neon and Grey is not available BUT we do have more Winter in stock, so let us know if you would like to purchase some and we will take care of it (first in best dressed and only offered to our newsletter subscribers:)).  Here are the pattern requirements:

Quiet Walk (adult version)

This week's update also includes our popular Shimmer base (seen above in Misty Sea and Lush) as well as our new sock yarn, Everyday Sock (seen below in the Dandelion colourway).

Our update will go live Friday 13th Oct at 9am AEST.  Don't forget to head on over to the shop to check it out.

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xx

Hello!  We are back a little early for a sneaky, surprise update!

Before we left for our holiday, we squirreled away quite a few yarns so that we could surprise you all with an early update.  This week we are featuring lots of sock yarn in three of our favourite bases: Merino Cashmere, Top Draw Sock and Uptown Sock.

One of my holiday projects was the lovely Tegna by Caitlin Hunter.  Such a beautiful design and perfect for transitioning into a new season.  Any of the sock yarns featured in today's update would be perfect for this pattern.  I knit mine out of Uptown Sock in the colorway Phosphorescent. 

Yarn Requirements for Tegna is as follows:

Size: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL) finished circ. at bust: 35.5” (38”, 43.25”, 48.25”, 53.5”, 58.5”, 63.5”)  with approx. 5-10 inches of positive ease. 
Yardage: 695 (731, 786, 933, 1061, 1134, 1189) meters 2 (2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4) skeins sock weight yarn.

We also have a few colourways of MCN DK for our northern friends who have entered into the cooler months of Fall.  This yarn is so cosy and warm that not only will it knit up into wonderfully warm garments, it will also keep you warm as you knit it.

Our surprise update is on right now;  check it out over in the shop!

We will be back on deck Monday - see you all then.  And, as always, have a wonderful weekend!

The Skein Team xxoo

Due to popular demand our Sunset Highway combos are coming back!  They were put together especially for the Sunset Highway sweater by Caitlin Hunter.  As we are still receiving emails about them, we thought it would be fun to surprise you all with a special update.

The colourways are:

From the top

• Metropolis (CC1), Blush Crush, Speckled Mint and Ghost
• Be Mine (CC1), Moonlight Drive, Cosmic Dust and Whisper
• In the Navy (CC1), Confetti, Dandelion and Early Morning Mist
• Night Owl (CC1), Spice Market, Phosphorescent and Love Buzz
• Graphite (CC1), Techno, Wasabi and Neon and Grey

The yarn base selected is Uptown Sock, which is a close substitute for the original yarn used for this design; it's also perfectly suited for colourwork.  Please note that each colourway is listed separately, giving you the freedom to select your own colour combination or swap out colours for ones that appeal more to you.  The first colourway listed is our choice for the first contrast colour (CC1); however, feel free to change it as the choice is yours!  If you're just after a skein or two of Uptown Sock, that's totally fine too :). 

Sizes:

Yarn:
Uptown Sock 400 yards / 366 meters in 100g
MC: 700 (750, 800, 850, 900, 1000) yards 640 (686, 732, 777, 823, 914) meters
CC1: 250 (270, 290, 310, 330, 350) yards 229 (247, 265, 283, 302, 320) meters
CC2: 90 (100, 110, 120, 140, 160) yards 82 (91, 101, 110, 128, 146) meters
CC3: 140 (150, 160, 170, 180, 190) yards 128 (137, 146, 155, 165, 174) meters

The pattern is sold separately; check it out over on Ravelry. 

Our special shop update will go live Monday 21st August at 9am AEST.  Don't forget to mark it in your calendar!

Have a wonderful weekend

The Skein Team xxoo

This week's pattern crush is the Lamina Wrap by the talented Ambah O'Brien.  The wrap is a fantastic way to add colour to your wardrobe; it's also a lot of fun to knit.  We have dyed up ten combos using two of our favourite bases, Uptown Sock and Classy:

From the top (Uptown Sock)

• Whisper, Be Mine, Cosmic Dust and Vivid Violet
• Glee, Night Owl, Eventide and Paparazzi
• Early Morning Mist, Majestic, Hopeless Romantic and Moonlight Drive
• Tres Chic, Rum Raisin, The Outback and Antler
• Barley, In The Navy, Sea Salt and Baltic

From the top (Classy)

• Myrtle Creek, Highlands, Lemongrass and Sari
• Paw Paw, Pollen, Cajun Spice and Snowbell
• Jersey, Metropolis, Milky Way and Terracotta Sun
• Ghost, Graphite, Wishing Well and Tip Toes
• Cafe Bleu, Wood Smoke, Perfect Day and Head Over Heels

Yarn Requirements:

Main Colour (MC): 420yd / 384m;(27 garter sections each consisting of 15 yd / 14m).
Contrasting Colour (CC): 840yd / 768m (26 lace panels each consisting of 30yd / 27.5m)

Uptown Sock: 400yd / 366m in 100g - (MC) 2 skeins; (CC) 3 skeins
Classy: 430yd / 393m in 100g - (MC) 1 skein; (CC) 2 skeins

Our combos are made up of four colourways. We suggest using two of the colours for the main colour, swapping them half way through the shawl.  Meanwhile, the second main colour (the one you are not using) can be used as the third contrast colour.  This will give you the right amount of yarn needed for the wrap, especially if you're using Uptown sock which has less yardage than Classy.  However, if you prefer to have only one main colour you will need to purchase two main colour skeins of Uptown Sock.  You can, of course, choose to knit the wrap out of one, two or three colours; the choice is yours!

As usual, we have listed the yarns individually, giving you the option of swapping out colours or, if you have another project in mind, you can buy whatever you like.  The Lamina Wrap by Ambah O'Brien can be purchased through Ravelry.

The shop will be stocked with our newest arrivals on Friday 18th August at 9am AEST! Please pop by to check them all out.

Have a wonderful week!

The Skein Team xxoo