We released 3 beautiful shawls and a bold, modern cowl this past month!

The Poet’s Corner Shawl with it’s rich deep purple and delicately ruffled edge, the Crisanta Shawl with it’s gentle crescent shape and botanical lace border, and the Anthemis Cowl with it’s bright, gradient stripes, all knit in our ethereal Valley Yarns Hatfield. And the Shenandoah Valley Shawl, a stunning rectangular wrap with geometric cable and lace in one of our favorites, Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk.

In August we’re gearing up for all new designs from our Fall 2016 catalog and two new patterns just for our Valley Yarns Northfield. Fall knitting is right around the corners and we’re ready!

Our 2/14 Alpaca Silk is one of the hidden gems in our Valley Yarns collection. The fact that it’s on a cone gives some knitters and crocheters pause, but let me tell you what a boon that is. For larger projects, and even multiple small projects, it means only 2 ends to weave in at the end of your work. You read that right, only TWO ends to weave in! There’s so much yardage on one of these cones, over 1,700yds in fact, that each cone really can result in multiple projects. Like our Allamanda Shawl. The pattern requires 550yds but with the incredible yardage on these cones you could get three of these shawls out of just one cone! This makes it a wonderful choice for wedding party shawls, or other occasions where multiple versions of the same knits or crochet are needed.

The fiber combination of this yarn, 80% Alpaca/20% Silk, results in a lace weight yarn with incredible strength and beauty. The silk gives the yarn durability and a delicate sheen while the alpaca imparts warmth and softness as well as a subtle halo. Together you get a yarn that is soft and easy to work with, even in the summer heat, that becomes garments and accessories that are surprisingly warm.

Clockwise from bottom left: The Stella Pullover, the Magda Shawl NEW, the Geothermal Tubular Scarf, the Shenandoah Valley Shawl NEW, the Vintage Vest FREE,  the October Mountain Cardigan, the Gallica Shell, the Coppice Cardigan, and the Intemporelle Pullover.

We have some truly lovely patterns for this yarn, from cozy mid-season accessories to full garments in both knit and crochet. Have you worked with 2/14 Alpaca Silk?

I love a good wrap. A nice wide shawl that I can snuggle into like a great knitted hug is a real comfort, but I don’t necessarily want to look like I’m wearing a blanket. The new Shenandoah Valley Shawl designed by Katharine Malcolm is that perfect shawl! Knit in our Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk it is gauzy and ephemeral but amazingly warm and cozy.

The silk give the yarn strength and shine, while the alpaca give it that surprising warmth and a soft fuzzy halo. With a decreasing pattern of cables forming a mountain shaped border at each end and a gentle striping effect of stockinette and yarn overs, reminiscent of the rivers and streams, you get to see the best of the Shenandoah Valley in this shawl, the gorgeous Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains as well as the James and Potomac rivers. And with the bonus of the incredible yardage of the 2/14 Alpaca Silk being offered on cones you will only have 2 tails to weave in at the ends of this project!

Katharine talked to us about herself and how this design came to be.

When did you learn to knit? 

I taught myself how to knit before I was ten years old, a long time ago. The first article I can remember knitting was a woolen turtleneck, shaped, full fashioned sweater with mock cables on the front and the back. I was 12 at the time. In my college years, everyone knit in class. I knit my model train loving fiance a pair of socks with an original train on the side, but never thought of it as designing. The same was true as I knit for my sons and nephews, including whole animal families of hand puppets. It wasn’t until I became a TKGA Master Hand Knitter that I realized that what I had been doing for years was designing. I have been knitting my own designs ever since.

What prompted you to start designing?

I tend to find a design that I want to create in knitting and as I proceed, my ideas grow. That was the case with the Shenandoah Valley Shawl. It started as a project to work on a train trip and as I knit, I did not want it to be the same throughout, so I created the triangles. As I worked the shawl that you see I realized, looking out the window that the color matched the Blue Ridge Mountains. From another window I can see the Appalachian range and the Shawl fit in perfectly. Many of my designs evolve as I knit.

Give us a glimpse into your design process, where/how do you find inspiration?

When I was working towards the Masters Program for The Knitting Guild Association, I decided that since I lived on an alpaca farm, that I would create the yarn for the project. As a result, it was not only an original design for the vest and the long coat, but they were both knit from a one of a kind yarn.

What did you love about the Valley Yarn you worked with?

I loved the feel of the Alpaca/Silk. The silk adds a sheen to the alpaca and I loved working in color. I have been knitting with my hand spun, but none of the alpacas come in Whipple Blue!

The Coppice Cardigan, in Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk, may be one of the easiest lace cardigans there is to knit!

Kirsten says, “The Coppice Cardigan was a lot of fun to design. It combines one of my favorite Shetland lace patterns (seen with built-in increases in the recent Hazel Shawl) with one of my favorite cardigan structures – the folded rectangle! Funny how a simple, rectilinear shape can create flowing dolman sleeves and a gently curving neckline and hem. It defies all logic, but it’s a shape that seems to fit everyone no matter how big or small you make it! So don’t worry too much about gauge here, and feel free to block it as big as you like to open up the lace.”

Another friend of WEBS, Marcy Vandale, has taken our 2/14 Alpaca Silk and transformed it into a wardrobe staple with timeless style and class, the Intemporelle Pullover.

This long, flowing pullover knit in one piece from the bottom up features an accompanying cowl. The body, as well as the cowl, is knit with the yarn held double while the sleeves use a single strand, making a piece that transcends the seasons. The neckline is adorned with a decorative crab stitch border and the cowl adds just enough extra warmth for those cool mornings or evenings.

About her design and history with WEBS:

This week, we’re showing off 458 Stella Pullover. This pullover is knit in Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk and it creates a super light, super drapey, airy garment. This top-down, seamless raglan sweater is adorned with simple lace eyelets. The loose gauge makes this a light and sheer layering favorite.

We tried on the 36″ size.

Nearly all of us would knit the sleeves a bit shorter on this pullover, but since it’s top-down that is an easy adjustment. This top was really quite comfortable and warm, but super light. It’s a great layering piece that isn’t too warm, and it’s quite versatile. There are also great color options in the 2/14 Alpaca Silk.

You can check out 458 Stella Pullover here.