Decades by Drew Emborsky

I recently had the pleasure of working with Drew Emborsky's new yarns. 

I chose "Iconic" yarn, which is 100% merino, worsted weight. (shown above). It's Superwash and hand-dyed on the USA.
He also has "Inappropriate" yarn which is sportweight Merino and Nylon. (Which would be great for a variety of projects including socks)
"Sarcastic" is a DK cotton/tencel blend. I haven't had the pleasure of working with Inappropriate or Sarcastic yet, but I have heard other designers express their love for both of them!

If I understand correctly, those three above yarns, all come in the Decades colorways. As you might guess they are separated into 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's and are the colors that defined each decade. They have great names that relate to the time period that inspired them. Above is "Blue Suede Shoes" from the 50's decade.  I also have a hank of "Punch Bowl" that is waiting for just the right project.

"Gemstones" is also Merino/Nylon but is dyed in all the birthstone colors (as you may have guessed!) plus black and white.

I really appreciate Drew's concept behind all the yarn and colors.  Like so many of us, Drew noticed that yarns seem to go in and out of style and are often discontinued. By choosing classic yarns and giving them gorgeous classic colors, these are colors we have loved in the past and can continue to love into the future!

I loved the Iconic yarn enough to put it in my next book!  (Not the one the comes out in February... but the one after that....)  :)  

Ammonite Scarf Swatches

Here are some swatches of different yarns for the Ammonite Scarf. It is funny how Inside Crochet did the same thing! There is a 2-page spread in Issue 10 of how different yarns look in the pattern. The mustard swatch is Louet Riverstone. Oh gosh, I can't remember what the above swatch is. Ack. It was a lovely yarn but I felt the multi-color didn't show off the shape of the motifs very well.

GoTo yarn? Yarn companies take note! LOL

Haley asked me what is my go-to yarn? Here's a long answer to a short question.

When I'm designing... my go-to yarn is whatever is in my stash. That's why it's critical that I have a large volume in many colors to choose from. So, the company who sends me the most yarn in the biggest variety of colors has the best chance of getting chosen. I happen to have the largest volume of Coats & Clark/Red Heart yarns. A year or two ago Lion Brand sent me a huge box of cotton-ease... like 30 skeins multiples of each color! It was awesome, and the result was: The Zoe dress, the Lime pocket Bib, the Blue pocket Bib, the Traveler bag and another little item that I will be self-publishing when I get the chance... it's on the to-do list. Let's just say it's in case Zoe has a sibling one day... :)

I do have favorite yarns for different purposes. I totally believe there is room for cotton and acrylic in the yarn world. I also love more luxuriant fibers. I'm a big fan of Blue Sky Alpacas, Spud & Chloe, Louet and SWTC I need to see more Universal yarns, but I'm very impressed with what I've worked with so far. I'm impressed with the look of Tahki Stacy Charles yarns, but I've never worked with it...hint hint.... any TSC people read my blog? anyone?

Hey Haley, aren't you glad you asked? LOL!

Above, I need to make Charlie a new bed. Every time I wash it, it shrinks/felts even more... or he's getting bigger... maybe both.... :)

Crochet Cotton

As I mentioned a day or two ago, it took me a while to understand the value of Crochet cottons, but now I'm a believer. I now understand the need for a 100% cotton product that has some weight to it.

Everyone is familiar with Lily Sugar n' Cream http://sugarncream.com/ which has been a staple for dishcloths for years. If you go to the website, however, they have many patterns that will help you expand it's uses. I used the Sugar n' Cream for the Tunisian Backpack (in brown) that I posted about a couple of days ago. Cotton is absorbent and cool and machine washable, and doesn't melt if you put a hot pan on it. (Maybe I'll tell you about that one day :) This yarn was good for the Tunisian backpack because it is durable, in Tunisian, the fabric is a little more dense, so there were less "holes" between stitches. The yarn "softened up" the more I worked with it. The Lily comes in a 2.5 oz ball, it doesn't say how many yards, but it also comes in 1 pound cones and lots of colors.

Next is Lion Brand Organic Cotton.

it comes in these teeny tiny hanks, that are 1.75 oz, and 82 yds. It's a size 4. And boy do I love it. It is really nice to work with. It feels "lighter" somehow than other cottons. It comes in just a few natural colors, and would add up pretty quickly for a bigger project. Awesome for facial washcloths, baby washcloths, burp cloths or bibs. When you see this yarn, you don't ever want to wash your face with anything else again. This would make a great little gift with a natural bar of soap in a little crocheted basket! Hmmm? Can we say "Christmas Gifts?" Just act surprised, ok?This is Lion cotton, and I don't recall ever using it. I think I had a ball in black once, and my recollection is that it is very similar to the Lily Sugar n' Cream. Anyone with more experience with this yarn and want to chime in? It's 236 yds, 5 oz, and is worsted weight.Here's another one from Lion that I don't know anything about. In general, if it is smaller than a Red Heart LusterSheen or Patons Grace size yarn, I don't know much about it.

Next, here's the new Coats & Clark's Creme de la Creme. It's 100% combed cotton, worsted weight, 2 oz ball, mine doesn't have a yardage amount listed on it. This one is called, "orangetones" and is quite pretty, though I haven't made a swatch with it yet. It comes in lots of colors, and I think is set to hit stores this or next month.

And don't let me forget Bernat Cottontots!

I really like this one for children's items. It's a little softer than the Sugar n' Cream, and it has more texture. I made a baby blanket with it once (with other scrap yarns too) and it turned out nice. It also comes in mid-tone colors, not just the palest of pastels. I like medium tone colors for babies. They like bright colors, and so do I. This comes in a 3 oz ball and some multi-color skeins.

And here's Handicrafter! I've never used this one.

I have heard a little about it, but never used it. I think it also comes in another variety, like multi-color or solids, but I really don't know. You'll have to go to http://bernat.com/ and try it out! let me know what you think!