There’s been so much amazing discussion on my previous post, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and comments! In contrast to that $10 cotton/acrylic shawl, today let me present the total opposite. Remember, I’m a Yarn Omnivore!
This is pretty exciting drop from Brooklyn Tweed– a brand new yarn and a new accessories collection, designed entirely by Jared Flood. Let’s talk about the yarn first. Arbor is Brooklyn Tweed’s newly-released DK weight yarn from American purebred Targhee sheep, available in 30 different colourways. The crew at BT were very kind and sent me a skein of Arbor in the Vintner colourway to test it out:
Right away, what you notice is how much denser it is than Loft or Shelter, their other two yarns. It’s a crisp, high-definition yarn that seems really well suited to cables. You can read the full description of the yarn here, particularly impressive is that if you are very keen to have entirely American yarn, then this is as American as it gets – sourced in Montana and South Dakota, Spun and Dyed in Maine. I think that this might actually be the yarn produced closest to me, living in Toronto, Canada). I cast on for the Queensland Beach headband, which has lovely cables, just to get some experience with it:
I have to say, I’m impressed. I’m pulling pretty hard on this yarn, and it is tough. If you had previously tried Shelter or Loft and found that you were too rough and it would break, you won’t find that with this one. However, I do find that the colour is quite flat. The yarn is very matte, and with the single fibers combed so straight and spun so tightly, strength has traded off depth of colour. But man, those are some crisp cables. Like biting into an apple. An apple made of cables.
Let’s take a look at the pattern collection, shall we? There are 9 patterns: three hats, two scarves, two shawls, one wrap and one cowl. I should note that Laurel, Burnaby Hat, Guernsey Wrap, and Terra have been previously published in other collections and have been worked in different yarns, and if you previously owned those patterns you will be automatically gifted the updated versions with the launch. I’ll go in depth on three of my favourites here, but if you want to know more about any of the patterns in the collection, leave me a comment and I’ll give you more info!
A richly textured scarf with buttons to help keep it closed, Foundry is a lushly cabled scarf with geometric designs and lots of modern style. Even the ‘wrong side’ of this knit is beautiful. Design is charted only.
You Should Totally Knit This If: You can’t decide if you love scarves or cowls, or want the option to create either. And if you are crazy in love with cables. Like you doodle ‘cables’ and then draw hearts and smiley faces around it on your school binder.
You Should Definitely Not Knit This If: You aren’t that great with charts. Because this is an intensive chart. Highlighter tape was made for charts like these.
A reversible hat with loads of deep ribbing and twisted stitches and super stretchy! Also a great unisex design. Hat is charted only, although the stitches are fairly simple.
You Should Totally Knit This If: You love hats that can be for him or her, the reversible factor piques your interest, and you love quick knits.
You Should Definitely Not Knit This If: I suppose if you don’t like close fitting hats. Some people aren’t hat people, I hear.
I love a good cowl, and this one looks lovely. It’s got an interesting half twisted rib at the top and bottom, and the branching stitches and combination of knits and purls are like the topography of some beautiful, faraway desert. Design is charted only.
You Should Totally Knit This If: You love trying new-to-you stitches and love cowls as much as I do (I would totally doodle cowls and then draw hearts and smiley faces around them if I was in class), and you love texture.
You Should Definitely Not Knit This If: This is a pretty intense chart. You are absolutely going to need highlighter tape, a ruler, maybe a marker or two. The chart is 59 rows and although the design is repetitive, it travels. There’s a lot of potentially new stitches here, as well. You’ll need to keep the pattern key close by.
So what do you think about the new yarn, do you think you will try it? and the patterns, do you have a favourite?
