Midwinter Yarns is Popping-Up
Get ready to meet some beautiful Scandanavian yarns because Midwinter Yarns is popping-up in the shop from 17-24 October. If you've been to a yarn show in the last couple of years you might have met Estelle and Mark and their scandanavian wares. I ran into them the first time at Wonder Wool in Spring 2014, I think it might have been their first show, and then again at Unwind later that summer and when I saw them again at Proper Woolly this past Spring I approached them with the idea of doing a pop-up in the shop. Thankfully they didn't think I was super crazy and said yes!
I have a soft spot for all things Scandanavian, having grown up in a house full of mid-century modern teak furniture and Marimekko fabrics. By the same token one of the first things that comes to mind when someone says "wool" is a chunky, rustic nordic sweater so I was really excited when I encountered Midwinter Yarns and all of the their beautiful items; everything they carry is rich in color and history.
If you're not familiar with Midwinter Yarns, they are an online retailer of fine Scandanavian yarns based in Wales. Owner Estelle hails from Sweden originally and decided it was time to bring "beautiful yarns from Scandinavia that have hitherto not been widely available outside of their home countries" to the UK and I think we should all be quite grateful for that. There will be more on Estelle's personal yarn story on the blog next week, so look out for that, in the meantime, here is a bit more about the yarn itself.
Pirkkalanka comes from Finland and is a pure new wool. Midwinter Yarns carries two weights the Ohut Pirkkalanka (thin) which is a fingering weight yarn perfect for shawls or light weight garments and the Vahva Pirkkalanka (thick) which is a worsted weight yarn, ideal for warm winter sweaters such as Maude by Caarin Fleishcmann from the Autumn issue of Pom Pom Quarterly. With 24 super saturated hues to choose from there is something for everyone.
Then there are the rustic Ullcentrum yarns starting with Lovvika, which is a chunky single ply traditionally used to make mittens and intended to felt over time with use in snow, wind and rain. I have a few skeins of this in my stash that are destined to be mittens for my sister who lives in Colorado. Ullcentrum also produce a thinner lace and fingering weight yarn and their gradients are particularly nice. Estelle uses the Ullcentrum gradient in her Linus on the Line design. I may also have the yarn for this pattern in my stash...
You'll also be able to find some of the samples from The Hygge Collection by Karie Westermann in the Pop-Up. This is a stunning collection of accessories, I've got my eye on the Skovtur mitts as well as the Brygga cowl patterns.
So I hope you have a chance to stop by see all these beautiful yarns in person. Estelle will be in the shop to chat with on Saturday the 17th, do come say "hello!"
-Carmen