Loop Fiber Studio Yin Yang Yarn!

Apr 24

As I mentioned in the last blog post about local yarn shops, one of the perks of being a small yarn shop owner is being able to stock yarn that is made in small batches.

Julie found a new yarn that debuted at Rhinebeck, correctly known as the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, in October of 2018. It is so new that there are only 28 projects on Ravelry!

This new yarn is Steph Gorin’s worsted weight Yin Yang Collection from Loop Fiber Studio in Garnerville, New York.

This 100% Merino yarn is downy soft at 18.5 microns. A micron is the measurement used to describe the diameter of a wool fiber. Merino is the softest of wool with micron counts of below 24.

Yin Yang is spun at a craft mini mill here in the U.S. with lots of human labor and no large computerized machinery; we love that!

What makes Yin Yang so special, besides its softness, is the inverted colorways in the collection. These open up a world of fun possibilities!

This yarn lends itself to almost any pattern, especially ones that are plain so the yarn becomes the focus of the pattern. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

The Far and Wide Shawl by Knitting Expat Designs was designed just for this yarn. It was published in December, 2018 and uses four skeins, two sets of inverted colorways. It’s a triangle shaped gradient with a garter stitch background. Slipped stitches add texture and interest.

PetiteKnit’s Contrast Sweater was knit with this yarn. The sweater uses DK weight yarn but the Ravelry knitter who used Yin Yang got gauge using needles one size larger.

A few people have made Andrea Mowry’s popular The Weekender sweater. They used the inverted colorway for the drop shoulders and the ribbing.

Mittens would be a fun project for this yarn! Tincanknits has a free pattern, The World’s Simplest Mittens. There are many ways to play with inverted colorways with these. One knitter changed colorways half way through the mittens and then reversed it on the other one. You could just change the tip of the mitten or the ribbing! Or make one mitten with one colorway and the other one with the inverted colorway! Stripes! You can stripe the mittens!