Swans Island Eco-Friendly Washable Wool is terrific

We received a new shipment of yarn from Swans Island at the beginning of this month--which is always cause for some celebration; we love their yarns.  But this box contained something new, and after knitting with it, we can tell you that our crush continues unabated.  This yarn is something special.

Swans island has developed a new process to render their beautiful organic wool machine washable. This new Eco-wash process renders it washable in a gentle fashion, using organic enzymes. This process differs from Superwash, which uses chlorine to burn off the wool scales to prevent felting. They feel, and we agree that the yarn retains the hand and luster of the merino fibers.

This yarn is hand dyed in collaboration with the Saco River Dyehouse, which is another Maine fiber business that they are thrilled to be building a relationship with. They are a unique outfit, equally committed to excellence.  They are currently the only organically certified yarn dyeing operation in the country, and they use dyeing equipment that will reduce the usage of water, chemical dyestuffs and energy during the production process.  This is a fantastic development for those of us interested in knitting keepsake items that can be machine washed yet dread the impact the traditional superwash process can have on the environment.

The yarn is what you might expect from Swans Island. The colors are lush, the stitch definition is terrific, and the finished product is as soft as a cloud.  Each 50 gram skein has 100 yards and is perfect for mini knits.  Ours sell at $16.50 each.

We had one of our wonderful sample knitters Helen work up some projects, and you’ll want to stop by the shop to see them for yourself.

This is Gramps by Tincanknits.  Helen created the 6-12 month size and used a bit less than 5 skeins (2 ½ for the main color and 1 ¼ for the contrast).  The pattern has a size range that goes up to 4 years, and could be darling with any number of color combinations.  The elbow patches just undo me.

Beyond Puerperium by Kelly Brooker is the comprehensive version of the FREE Puerperium Cardigan pattern. It is written for 3 yarn weights (4ply/fingering weight, 8ply/dk weight, and 10ply/light worsted weight), and designed to fit from birth to 2 years.  Helen created a worsted weight version of the 18-24 months size, and she used just shy of 3 skeins. Don’t you love the buttons she chose?

Last but not least, is a modified version of the Purl Bee Super Easy Crib Blanket.  Our version includes just 6 colors (instead of 7) and is knit up on size 9 needles.  This garter stitch project is a breeze to knit and the colors can be selected to compliment any new nursery.

We hope that you'll stop by to check this new yarn out.  We are thrilled with it, and feel certain that you will be too.