Apparently, the new new thing is gradients. I’ve been hearing about them here and there, and they seem to be popping up all over. We’ve got the lovliest set of gradients in the store by indie dyer Kate Bacchus of A Hundred Ravens and when I picked up a colorway called Legolas, I was enchanted. We all know that in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Legolas was the CUTEST. And, bonus for me, he’s Jewish.

The sets are made of her Iachos yarn and each contain seven mini-skeins ranging from light to deep. Legolas is a meltingly beautiful mix of greens, from coolest mint to pine-forest, with eye-catching twists of light and dark. Iachos is a soft superwash 2-ply merino wool, in a fingering weight. Each mini is about 55 yards, and the set adds up to 400 yards. You could make a cowl, scarf, or shawl easily. And it would be so much fun to knit! You could stripe or use the gradient from light to dark. When I checked out the sets on Ravelry, I saw very cool colorwork. The sky is the limit.

Best of all, for WEBS customers, the seven colorways we carry are exclusive to our store and customers! Check out all of Kate’s fabulous colors, and listen to our December “Ready, Set, Knit!” podcast when Kathy interviewed Kate about her New England business.

If you haven’t received our holiday catalog in your mailbox yet, it should arrive any day now. (In the meantime, you can check out our online version here.) Gradients are big this year, and you’ll find two in the catalog from the fine folks of Wonderland Yarns. We feature the Wonderland Yarns Mad Hatter 5-Skein Pack, and the Wonderland Yarns Cheshire Cat 5-Skein Pack. Gradients lend themselves well to accessories, and more. You can use them as the main yarn, or as an accent.

In Passaggio from Lyrical Knits, the Cheshire Cat 5-Pack is combined with Madelinetosh Tosh Sock to make a gorgeous wrap. It is worked seamlessly and works up into an interesting trapezoid shape.

If you want your gradient to shine on it’s own, a pattern like Spectral or Tralicco from Stitches of My Life Designs may be what you’re looking for. Each cowl uses a gradient and an interesting stitch pattern to achieve a beautiful look.

No matter what pattern you end up choosing, a project made with a gradient makes a great gift. It’s an easy way to incorporate color without having to do too much pre-planning. What do you think of gradients?