Perfect We Got

Once a month we get a shipment of yarn from our good friends and AMAZING mill owners Robbie and Carrie Davis. They run America’s Natural Fireworks and Blessed Criations Alpaca Ranch right here in Ohio!

We love them and really appreciate the time and energy they put into their business; it makes for such high quality yarn and fiber. They spin our Better Breakfast, Chebris, Cabecou, Hempshaugh, and Ginny yarns.

This month, we got some super special things in our boxes from ANF…..

Better Breakfast Worsted 

Our Better Breakfast–the new and improved incarnation of the original Breakfast Blend–is one of the most popular BNWs. It’s soft and cozy but very durable and keeps its shape. Robbie and Carrie “dehair” the fiber so any prickles or guard hairs are removed. It’s an all-around great yarn for any project from head to toe. Anne had the idea to do a worsted as a perfect option for a coat like the Vendange or Oculus–and perfect we got.

This yarn is butter soft. I so wish you could feel it!

Andrew, our very talented graphic designer made some images that show all three weights together in all their glory.

This yarn is so….FLUFFY! It is such a unique product because it is so silky soft, but it really has a great deal of body and shape. We got two shades–Daybreak and Milk and Honey.

Anne is still in Colorado filming her Craftsy class, so I got the honor of knitting the gauge swatch. We figured this would be pretty spot-on with the Chebris Worsted, and we were right.

I knit my swatch on US9 needles, and I got 4 sts/inch. The fabric is nice and stretchy with enough density to keep the chill away in a sweater or hat. This is a Merino and Alpaca blend, so remember this fiber likes it a little rough in the wash. I soaked it in warm water for a couple of hours while I was in class last night. When I got home, I took it out and  showed it some tough love by engaging the fibers and allowing them to bloom and fill out. (See Anne and I wash Better Breakfast squares in this video)

The spin is superb, with a little bit of variation to keep the fabric interesting and unique. This yarn is versatile like many of the others, and can probably be knit on US6-US10.5 depending on the desired fabric. After making my swatch, I am already planning a warm and cozy wrap for my sister who just got a new job in an office. Maybe Wheaten or Hypotenuse?

Now…for a little more fun.

Lots of our customers and friends are also spinners. We asked Robbie and Carrie to make a few bumps of roving with the fiber as they spin our yarn. The two blends we have available now are Better Breakfast (Americano) and Chebris (Multi). The Chebris is a blend of all the shades we offer, so it will make a really fun skein of yarn–almost like the Entropy yarn that Lisa at Feederbrook Farms makes.

We don’t have much, so grab it while you can. If this is something you like and want to see us do more of, let us know in the comments, and we can do a little each month!