Sure thing…

DK Yarn:

• 100% Blue faced Leicester
• 50g skeins
• 110m per skein (approx.)
• £5.50 a skein (plus p&p)

Oxford Kitchen Yarns DK Yarn in Sugar £5.50

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns DK Yarn in Slate £5.50

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns DK Yarn in Butter £5.50

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns DK Yarn in Sherbet £5.50

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns DK Yarn in Clotted Cream £5.50

Lace Weight Yarn:

• 90% Blue faced Leicester 10% Nylon
• Single Ply in structure (the tiny amount of nylon gives it strength)
• 100g skeins
• 1200m per skein (approx.)
• £16 a skein (plus p&p)

Oxford Kitchen Yarns Lace Weight Yarn in Biscuit £16

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns Lace Weight Yarn in Pink £16

 

  Oxford Kitchen Yarns Lace Weight Yarn in Raspberry £16

 

Something else that I should have said last time that I’ll say here instead – obviously, because of the nature of dyes in general (and natural dyes in particular) each batch is slight different, even when the recipe is the same. I have controls set up, for comparison, but if a particular colour is significantly different from a previous batch, I give it a new name make it a limited edition. That way people know what they’re getting.

 

To that end, I’m also going to take pictures of all new stocking coming in, rather than re-using photos of previous batches of the same colour.

 

I’m planning to build a light box next week, take photos of the stock still waiting to go into the shop, and retake some photos of the current stock (in particular ‘DK Butter’). All new photos will be date marked, so that you can be sure what you’re looking at is what you’re going to receive through the post.

 

A HUGE THANK YOU for all the people who wish me well. I really appreciate it. 🙂

 

(In knitting news Tatami galloped along and I’m going to block it tonight, with the hope of getting it sewn up tomorrow, ready to wear to the do at my friend’s house on Saturday. I just have to chain stitch the ties tonight. Hopefully I’ll have photos next week to show you. 🙂

The Oxford Kitchen Yarns Shop is now open!

I kept thinking it was nearly done, and then it wasn’t nearly done, and then OMG it was, and I have flung open the metaphorical doors, and now everyone can nosy around and see what I’m up to:*

I dye yarn in our tiny kitchen here in Oxford.

I only dye with natural dyes, and it’s important to me that this enterprise is ethically and environmentally responsible. Already this has meant that I have experimented with dyes that will not get used within the store – they produced great results, but they came from trees that are endangered, and even though I’m a small business I don’t feel comfortable about that. But that’s ok – there are plenty of other great colours out there to use instead. 🙂

Sometimes this means that some of my colours will be seasonal. There are a few more skeins that I’ll add to the store towards the end of the week, that may prove to be the only opportunity to get one particular colour for this year – it all depends how my storage of the dye stuff works. I’m ok with that. If necessary I’ll make a lot more next year to keep us going while the dye stuff is out of season.

Also I dye semi-solids. There are plenty of incredibly varigated yarns to choose from. Locally even, we have the wonderful 21st Century Yarns, who made the yarn I’m knitting Tatami in. But I love the interesting depth of colour you can get in a semi solid, and it suits the natural dyeing process very well. Plus it shows off lots of stitch patterns unlike anything else.

All the yarn is currently Blue faced Leicester which is grown** and spun within the UK. To this knitter it feels very much like Merino, though I’m still trying to find out how their structures compare. Certainly it’s very soft, and strong, though I’ve yet to try felting with it.

Currently I am dyeing Sock, Lace and DK weight yarns.

Sock Yarn:

• 100% Blue faced Leicester
• 100g skeins
• 425m per skein
• Recommend 2.5mm needles
• £12 a skein (plus p&p)

Let me show you some colours!

Oxford Kitchen Yarns Sock Yarn in Raspberry £12

Oxford Kitchen Yarns Sock Yarn in Silver £12

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns Sock Yarn in Biscuit £12

 

Oxford Kitchen Yarns Sock Yarn in Melba £12

You know, this is a pretty long post already. I think I’ll write about the DK and Lace weight tomorrow. If you can’t wait, they’re already up in the shop for you to look at and order (if you want. 🙂

*Can I admit that I want to hide under my duvet at this point?

**I’m still trying to work out whether ‘grown’ is the right term for a yarn. It grows on the sheep as it’s fleece, obviously. But something about saying ‘grown’ just doesn’t seem right. *shrugs*

(In other knitting related news, I am 2″ away from finishing the second sleeve on Tatami, which means, after I’ve wrestled the dropped stitch rows into actually dropping, I’m on to the final front sections, which I’m going to knit both at the same time, the way you’re supposed to. I can’t believe how quickly it has knit up. I mean – yes – it’s been the only project I’ve been working on, and I’ve logged lots of little bits here and there, but it’s also a cardigan on 3mm needles, and I really thought that would take more than three weeks to knit up. But, given fair winds I could really be done at some point next week.)

Shop News: I have fixed the things that needed fixing, and now I’m just finalising postage and packaging, so that it’s fair and not overcharging. (I hate falling for something that needs to be posted to me, and then seeing the p&p and going ‘how much!?’ Once that’s done I think I’m good to go. So very soon. 🙂

Last post I threatened to go off and make some Saartje’s Bootees (.pdf) for someone I know who I just found out is probably going to give birth in the next couple of weeks. As promised – obviously, since there is a big honking photo of them – that’s what I did.

They were an utter pleasure to knit too, and took no time at all – well they took about three hours from wool and needles to finished bootees. I made them with some of the Blue Sky Alpaca Silk I had left over from my beret – lovely stuff, and should suit either a boy or girl (since I have no idea what she’s having.)

(Ravelry link for them what can.)

Conclusion: I really love this pattern. I think they are adorable, and quick and they’re a great choice for a last minute extra present, which is everything you need really.

Tatami is coming along. I’m 6 1/2″ into the 8″ needed for the sleeves before the main piece splits in two for the neck and front sections. I’m supposed to knit the front pieces at the same time, but I think – for motivation sake – I’m going to knit the rest of each sleeve down to the sleeve cast off one at a time. 200 stitches really shouldn’t be a big deal but it’s a 20″ length of the stuff in total and I know I’m going to want to start working on something else, and I’m determined to knit this up as soon as I can rather than abandon it in favour of something else.

Firstly, because I could do with another cardigan for winter, secondly because I don’t need another wip staring back at me – two (deadline) ones are bad enough. And thirdly, because it’s actually a good knit, and I knew there would be lulls when I cast on, but I don’t want to walk away from it feeling a sense of ‘meh’ that isn’t particularly fair or true.

And so I knit on.