Lace3—oh, the possibilities!

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, designing, lace/shawls, spinning and fiber

as spring finally commences with sprouting, blooming, and unfurling a fresh array of colors and fascinating forms, i’ve been busy putting together ideas for my lace³ pattern subscription.

there couldn’t be a more exciting or inspiring time of year to be thinking about new lace projects—if you’ve been following my work for even a short time, you know that translating natural forms into stitches is an important aspect of my designer voice. at this time of year, i am literally surrounded by ideas for motifs and line work with which to fill our rectangular shapes.

now to think about the yarns we might use to bring those ideas to life! one aspect of this project that’s very important to me is flexibility. because it can be resized with ease, the rectangular form is universally friendly to a wide range of yarn types and weights—the same design can be worked in finer or heavier yarns to achieve different effects.

fine yarns produce sheer fabrics suffused with light, showing off delicate line work and semi-transparent shapes; heavier yarns amp up the scale, making for bold, deeply embossed lines and voluptuous forms, along with a gutsier overall fabric. some knitters have a love for one or the other and some of us like to mix it up so that we always have a project going that suits our knitting mood.

as my series of “little nothings” scarf patterns has proven over the years, knitters love this flexibility—these simple rectangular designs have been translated into all manner of larger and smaller projects, from scarves to stoles to baby blankets—and in all types of yarns. and so i hope it will be with the lace³ subscription projects, that knitters will use my basic designs as written, or fiddle with them if they please, to create end results that are just right.

i know that some of you have been dreaming on what you will purchase with your discount coupon—thank you for all of the fun comments you’ve been adding to the discussion in our lace³ ravelry thread!

as promised, i’ve prepared a list to share of the yarns i will most likely work with. for this list, i’ve taken choices from our bare naked wools yarn shop, to offer suggestions for those who’d like to use the $10 coupon included with early signups (click here and purchase now if you’d like to get one too!). i may in the future toss my stash to come up with hand-dyed suggestions and i may even knit a few samples with treasures retrieved through stash diving.

full disclosure though—being that this is a design project that extends a year into the future, it’s possible i may change my mind about knitting with one or two of these yarns myself. if that happens, my intention is that someone in our sample circle will knit with the the yarn from the original list, so that we have an example to show off. note that the list contains more than a half dozen yarns for just six design installments—i like to keep my options open and i feel that any combination of these yarns will work. we’d like to show you several sample options for each installment and i hope to knit more than one for at least some of the installments, while other knitters may help with the rest.

the good news is that even if my choices change or vary, these designs will work with many different yarns; they are excellent stashbuster projects! if a yarn you love is not on the list or drops from my list in the future, you can rest assured that it will still be lovely in almost any of the designs and you will enjoy that project even more for personalizing it with an alternate yarn choice.

the colors shown here are not necessarily the ones i will knit with; i chose photos from our archives that best represent each yarn type.

you may decide that a range of soft silver and blue-gray is right up your alley . . .

or that a soft warm palette suits you and your wardrobe better.

maybe a series of darks are your thing or you like to work with toothy, textured  yarns as opposed to kitteny soft ones.

i find enjoyment and inspiration in a mix of everything; i like to follow one yarn with another that is a different shade and has completely different qualities. i do not make rules for myself about colors or fibers i supposed should and should not wear. and anyway, i like to give away a lot of the accessories i knit, so i allow myself the freedom of exploration. one-skein scarf projects are a great way to try out a yarn that is new to me, especially if i’m considering it for a garment design.

several people have asked about yardages and here i’m going to be a bit vague because it really depends on so many factors—we find that knitterly variations (such as personal gauge and knitting style) can alter yardage by a surprising amount, as can substituting yarn or working at a different gauge than stated. and i want everyone to feel they can take advantage of the flexibility offered here!

while each design will have a stated gauge and yardage for the sample shown, your mileage may vary for a variety of reasons. to prevent knitters from getting bogged down on this point, for the most part these will be the type of projects where you can simply knit til your yarn (or your patience) runs out. you may achieve more or less repeats than i do, but if you start with a skein of equal weight to what i’m using, you should end up with a similar size. scarves and cowls can be knit with single, 4-ounce skeins of fingering or lace yarn, while stoles or blankets will take two or more. if you choose to size up, DK yarns require about fifty percent more yardage. at this point, i really can’t commit to more yardage information than that. to arm yourself with helpful knowledge, i recommend reading through some project notes for my established scarf designs to see how far a single skein of any yarn will go. my lace lessons book also includes helpful information about yarn substitutions and fiber in general.

there is one last last thing—i will almost certainly not be using these yarns in the order they appear below; i’ve got to keep some surprises in my pocket!

are you ready? then here we go!

1. deco lace

deco lace is a tencel/cotton/merino blend with gorgeous sheen that is perfect for summer knitting, as it remains dry to the touch through all weather. never warm or prickly against the neck, its firm twist offers excellent stitch definition and a pearly accent for wool and denim alike, but also drapes into silky, sexy folds. generous yardage allows for a large scarf or stole project.

2. ginny sport (or DK)

ginny is an alpaca/cotton/merino/nylon blend that feels like cashmere. a next-to-the-skin soft yarn with an even softer, fuzzy halo, it makes a remarkably desirable scarf or cowl fabric that drapes into generous, round folds. if you’ve sworn off cotton yarns, this one will make you think again! in the lighter sport weight, it knits up most similarly to our better breakfast fingering yarn; in DK weight it is lush and plump for a warm scarf without the wooliness.

3. better breakfast fingering


better breakfast fingering is an alpaca/merino/nylon blend with all-around appeal. soft, yes—but also sturdy. dehaired alpaca is the magic ingredient, adding ultimate softness without a prickle, for those who may have found other alpaca yarns unwearable. available in eleven natural shades, this signature yarn is a perennial favorite for all types of knits, but is especially lovely for openwork projects with plump stitches—the kind you want for working cable and lace patterns. a smooth profile for easy handling, it blooms with a wonderfully fuzzy halo with a nice bath and some handling.

4. ghillie sock

ghillie sock is spun from 100 percent cheviot wool; if you haven’t heard of it, you can read more about it in this blog post or visit some project pages. this heritage wool fiber has many characteristics that add to its durability, hence its place as the traditional choice for kilt hose, sturdy scottish tweeds, and upholstery. but rarely—and quite unfairly—is a tribute sung to its more delicate characteristics. the lustre and unusual structure of the fiber (helical) makes for a bouncy, airy yarn that simply glows with light when introduced into yarnover patterns. its slightly stiffer hand translates into highly embossed linework and a beautiful blocked finish that keeps its shape for ages. our skeins hold a generous put-up of 600 yards—plenty for a large, lacy piece or one with lots of cables or twist stitches.

5. cabécou lace

cabécou lace, our finest lace offering is the ultimate choice for romantic, heirloom lace pieces. you might think that this kid mohair/silk/coopworth lamb blend, with a whopping 1000 yards per 4-ounce skein will require knitting on toothpicks—but no! in fact, i highly recommend a much larger needle to achieve a gossamer fabric that catches the light on each and every blooming filament. here too, a slightly stiffer fiber blend yields distinct stitch definition and a lasting blocked shape. not to mention a fabric that is virtually weightless and devastatingly sheer.

6. hempshaugh lace

hempshaugh lace, a merino/silk/hemp blend, offers a more rustic, quirky texture than many of our other yarns and is a personal favorite for lots of reasons. it is my summer yarn of choice for tops that i practically live in and for certain kinds of shawls and scarves. its fluid, drape is wonderfully forgiving in garments, but could prove challenging for rectangles that keep their shape. i’m choosing this yarn as a wild card with a special project in mind, with a plan to counter its naturally too-soft tendencies with a clever construction strategy. hoping some of you will play along with me, but if the prospect sounds daunting, be assured that alternate yarns will prove equally compelling.

7. fresh lace

fresh lace is a combination of silk and linen—if you’ve heard that linen is too hard on the hands, then this yarn will rescue its reputation. unimaginably soft to knit with, the fiber also plumps up nicely with lots of body when washed; it makes for gorgeous garter stitch fabric. its brilliant whiteness inspire its name—fresh. while i’m tempted to kick off the subscription in july with this selection, a design that will be absolutely perfect for early spring is whispering to be knit instead and i’ve got it slotted in closer to the end of the lineup.

8. chebris lace

chebris lace is a mohair lover’s dream yarn—soft and glimmering, it knits up quickly on bigger needles and blooms with lush, fluffy softness after a wash and some handling. fabric that flutters in the slightest breeze is the prize for those who choose to knit with this confection of a yarn. spun a bit heavier than our cabécou blend, it’s a great introduction to mohair fiber and laceweight yarn—totally manageable for newbies and a complete pleasure for the more experienced knitter.

9. stone soup fingering

stone soup fingering c’mon now—you know i wouldn’t leave this selection off of any personal yarn list! after all, a day without SSF is like a day without sunshine. i am totally psyched about showing you yet another desirable lace pattern to knit with this tweedy, rustic, lovable stuff. lest you think i’m talking nonsense just to move this yarn off the shelf, i swear, i’m not—just ask my friend katharine; she sleeps in her fringetree shawl, knit with stone soup fingering, she likes it that much (true story!). and if you feel too shy to ask her, you can peruse a variety of stone soup lace projects by clicking here. who knows, this might be your wildcard yarn!

so that’s my list from the shelves of our bare naked wools yarn shop—please feel free to write us with questions or leave a comment and we’ll do our best to answer. to recap, those who sign up for lace³ before 7/10/2018 will receive a $10 credit toward the purchase of three skeins or more, while supplies last. david has mailed out coupon codes to everyone who signed up already; you should be good to go! for those joining up as we speak, yours will be sent along shortly after your purchase.

we plan to present a couple more posts about project yarn before the patterns begin release in july; stay tuned for ideas and inspiration!

4 thoughts on “Lace3—oh, the possibilities!

  1. As always I love the photos that you include in your posts. The combination of yarn and flowers is quite delectable. I’m excited for this club to start. I have some stash of BNK yarns but also look forward to adding more. Do I understand correctly that the coupon is for a purchase of 3 skeins at one time (easy to do!)? I’d better check the stash and see what *needs* to be added! Sea fret and Sea fret cardigan are in my Rav shopping cart. I’m retiring but I need more time! (to knit of course)

  2. Loved the parade of yarns, but just one problem—I love them all! BTW, I haven’t seen Cardigan recently. Is he ok?

  3. Gorgeous glamour shots of the yarn and flowering plants! I’m so looking forward to this, as to all your clubs.

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