Stitch Nation Yarns
At the time that Debbie Stoller was preparing her famous Stitch 'n Bitch Nation book and the fantastic follow up books Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet and Son of Stitch 'n Bitch I was just finding my way around the industry, knocking on doors, acting like a rat terrier attached to the pizza dude's pant leg. Unfortunately I never ran into HER pant leg and so didn't even know about submitting a design idea to her to be included (let alone HOW to submit a design idea to anyone). So you won't find The Dude in her books, but you will find me now reviewing her new line of yarns!
These yarns are brought to you by Red Heart and are made in Turkey. According to their website you can currently buy the yarn online at Joann Fabrics but i'm sure that you will see this popping up in stores near you. Just keep an eye out.
Bamboo Ewe
I knitted up a swatch with the Bamboo Ewe and the first thing I noticed was that it has a really pretty sheen to it. If you've been following my blog for any length of time now you know that I love yarn that has shine to it. This yarn is 45% wool and 55% bamboo so you get the durability and stitch definition of wool, but the great sheen and drape of bamboo. It comes in 10 basic colors that are well thought through, since it seems you could match any color with any color and they would look good together.
Full O' Sheep
Alpaca Love
I've had quite a love/hate relationship with alpaca over the years. LOVE that it is so. darned. soft!!! HATE that it pulls apart so easily, pills quickly (sometimes even before finishing the project) and care is quite a bit more than a dude is willing to commit to. I'm just saying. This Alpaca Love seems to bridge the gap a bit and make it more of a love/like relationship. I love that it is 80% wool so is much stronger, is a bit easier to care for, and my swatch didn't pill as I was creating it. I like that it is soft (but I kind of miss the ooey gooey softness of 100% alpaca). That's just what you have to give up I guess when you blend it with wool. I would describe the swatch as a "fuzzy wool" so you are getting the look of an alpaca blend without the pilling and fragility.
Overall?
Definitely two thumbs up! I think that Debbie and Red Heart have done a great job in bringing quality to this line of yarns. Is it affordable? That dear crafter I will leave up to you. It's such a personal subject and I can't presume to know what is affordable for each person. The suggested retail price is $4.99 and you get 132 yd in the alpaca, 177 yd in the bamboo, and 155 yd in the wool.
Boogie over to the yarn's website for some free patterns. Here are two of my favorites:
Awesome review! I still need to get my hands on some of this yarn. I did see it at my local Joann's last weekend. The colors are awesome. Thanks for the info!
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I just finished some gloves in Bamboo and Ewe for my husband. He really likes them and I'm pleased with the way they turned out.
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Truly gorgeous colors. I'm going to have to pic some up.
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Full of sheep felts well and the color stayed just as lovely.
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What gorgeous rich colors!
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Hey there Drew! I've been following your Twitter feed for a while after stumbling across one of your patterns and loving it several months ago. I love that you're helping to change the perception of crochet and other fiber arts as a feminine skill.
The only pattern of yours that I have made yet is the small drawstring jewelry bag (minus the inside pockets, because mine is actually for my cell phone charger, ear buds, memory card, etc, to keep them contained inside my messenger bag.
Just wanted to say congrats on finishing the last pattern for your book! I replied to the tweet on it, then remembered you weren't likely to see it, since I'm just a tweet-stalker.
--Bailey
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Thanks for the review! I was just reading the interview she did in "Crochet Today" and was wondering about her new yarns. I'll definetely give them a try now!
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