Add a Little Bit of New England to Your Winter!

We have a new-to-us yarn family in the shop and it is calling to me. Loudly. 

The company is Harrisville Designs in Harrisville, New Hampshire. The yarns are Highland, a woolen spun worsted weight, and Shetland, a woolen spun fingering weight. Both are 100% wool, spun and dyed in New England. Their labels describe them as "workhorse" yarns. Which makes me think of yarns my grandmother would have knit with. Which, in turn, makes me smile.

Since I have sweaters on the brain, you can bet I'm looking at fabulous workhorse sweater patterns...even though I'm in the early days of my Sweater Challenge project. Ha!

I am charmed by this lovely sweater, the Zakkuri Cardigan by Noriko Ichikawa, for the worsted weight Highland. It feels like a sweater I would reach for often--classic and simple, but with some interesting touches. Sort of a collaboration between my grandma's knitting and mine.

Susan has curated a bundle of pattern ideas for this yarn, in case your curiousity is peaked, but you want a different look...

For the fingering, Shetland, I am drawn to this one. I guess it's a fancy workhorse sweater! If it speaks to you, it's the Schneeflocken (translation: Snowflakes) by Sarah Solomon of Into the Wool. We have pulled together a bundle of pattern ideas for this yarn as well, should you want a broader range of inspiration!

You undoubtedly know that I'm less than enthusiastic about making strict New Year's resolutions, but I'm coming around to the idea that playful resolutions are worthwhile. Like "make new friends." That's a resolution I can get behind. And I think it can apply to yarns as well as people. I hope these two lovely Harrisville yarns will be new friends for each of us!

Warmly,

Gaby