If you enrolled in our current National Parks Series Yarn Club, you got a taste this month of a rare yarn - a hand dyed, DK weight merino/nylon from Mineville Wool Project. Not only is this blend something that we don't see in a hand dyed yarn (nylon in a DK weight???) but it comes in a put up that is actually great for socks - there's 40% more than the average 100g skein. Meaning that most regular foot sized people will have enough for a pair of socks (still get two just in case for larger foot people or longer than 5" legs). A rare gem indeed. And it's in the Sale Section!
Usually, DK weight yarns are put up in amounts that are more suited to garment knitters. So when Emily at Mineville told me about this skein (mid-pandemic, mind you, when getting anything imported was nearly impossible) I said "YES, PLEASE." And then waited. And then waited some more. Because if there's one thing running-a-small-business-that-relies-heavily-on-imports during a pandemic has taught me, it's the art of patience. And lest you think "well, why don't you just start sourcing all US made yarn".... Agreed. I'll do that. In the middle of a pandemic (which I did try and we'll see where that leads in the coming years). But in the meantime, where does that US-dyed yarn come from? What country does all the superwash process for most everyone? Where do you think US dyers even get their skeins from? It's a global effort, my friends. And it can't be changed mid-pandemic, as much as one might try. But we made it work here and I'm so glad things are getting easier!
But it's here now and if you think you'd like to knit yourself some DK weight socks in this lovely blend, or a lovely hat like this (or this hat, which has been on my to-knit list ever since Rachael here knit it), have at it! I've already gotten dozens of e-mails from club members about how much they like this yarn and want it in other colors.
Keep in mind that just because it has nylon doesn't mean it's not great for accessories and sweaters like the DK weight 100g skeins of MWP that you have gotten from us for the past two years. It's super soft, takes the color wonderfully, and nylon is a great addition to most any project that you want longevity and retained shape memory.
The increase in skein size means that you would typically see this yarn at $32-ish a skein, or even $39 depending on the dyer (especially since this is imported). But we have it right now for $17.50 a skein, which is a fab deal. I already caked two skeins for myself, Spooked above and Lotus Garden below. Spooked is a color that's definitely in my wheelhouse - a gray with dappled color. But Lotus Garden is outside my normal color choices. While I do love a good green, I don't usually choose one with so many other colors in it. I'm a basic green girl. But I'm glad I took the plunge.
I have size 10-11 feet, so I'll post how it goes knitting up one of these into a pair of socks for my large feet. Instagram is usually the place I post little updates, and it cross posts to Facebook, so if you follow us on one of those platforms, you'll see how it's going as I go along.
If you are a club member and want more of the club color, I should have that listed for you in about week I believe. If you asked to be e-mailed when it goes live, you'll get an e-mail but I recommend acting fast as there's not a ton of it in that special color.
Again, this can all be found in our Sale Section. If you miss out on a color you want, I do think I can get another shipment of this. Maybe two. But like all Mineville Wool Project finds, they specialize in short runs that they get at a fab price b/c it's a test yarn or an end run or slightly different than expected. MWP gets it at a fab price and I pass that price along to you. So sometimes yarns are available for a year or more (and can be remade) sometimes just for one run.