We have a new yarn that I couldn’t wait to cast on with

Imperial Stock Ranch is located just east of Mt. Hood in Wasco County Oregon, a stunning stretch of countryside filled with orchards and farms.  This area can be reached by driving along the most scenic stretch of roadway I have ever travelled, right through the heart of Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.  But luckily we don’t have to travel so far to get our hands on the pleasingly squishy skeins of Columbia.

This worsted weight yarn arrived late last week and is worth your attention.  The brochures that accomppanied the yarn assure us that their “wool is custom milled without harsh chemicals or extreme temperatures, leaving it comfortable, soft and pure.”  I would have to agree.  These skeins feel full of life and once I got my hands on them, I couldn’t wait to get knitting.

I’ve been intending to work on for Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s Shadow (part of Brooklyn Tweed’s Wool People Vol. 1) for ages. I cast on with Anzula’s Cricket a few months back, but the beautiful variegation that I love in that yarn was a mismatch for the pattern’s cables.  The two together made the pattern very hard to see.  I chose to try again with the 04 Charcoal Natural color of Columbia and as you will see, it works.  In just two days I have finished the back and started on the front. 

I got some practice fixing my cables—I really shouldn’t try to cable while watching TV if I’m not willing to double check my work every row. 

And I am going to be adding a couple of pockets in the bright chartreuse provisional yarn that you can see here.

This yarn is a pleasure to knit with and I hope that you’ll stop by to see the gorgeous spectrum of neutrals that we have in stock.  You may decide like I did, that it is the perfect yarn for those worsted weight projects in your queue.