An Interview with Tobias

Recently, Tobias was interviewed at the Icelandic Gardening, Knitting, Gradstudent, Mom blog! Not only was he interviewed, but Ólöf, the author of the blog, also reviewed one of Malabrigo's newest colorways - Garden Gate - in our Merino Worsted. Please head over and take a look at her blog, read the review and the interview, and enter her (limited time only) giveaway to try and win a skein of Malabrigo for yourself!

[caption id="attachment_608" align="aligncenter" width="324" caption="Garden Gate in Merino Worsted"][/caption]

Chau, Hannah

Malabrigo Silky Voted "Best Yarn"

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="390" caption="Silky in Indecita, photo by Hannah Thiessen"][/caption]

Bestcovery, the website that helps you discover "the best of everything", recently announced their top picks for 'Best Yarn', and Malabrigo Silky was right at the top at #2! So why is Silky their favorite?

"Why it's a best pick:
This yarn is half silk and half baby merino wool, sold in 50 gram skeins.  It comes in a rainbow of colors, including solid and variegated colors.  The "Pradera" colorway is a beautiful blend of blues and greens that is reminiscent of an underwater scene or a cool garden.  The baby merino wool provides softness and warmth, while the silk provides a slight shimmer.  It is a beautiful single ply yarn that is perfect for shawls or elegant sweaters.  These colors vary significantly from one dye lot to another, so make sure that you buy enough for your project."

words of Bestcovery.com writer, Bronwyn Harris

So grab a skein of Silky, if you haven't already, and see what all the fuss is about!

Chau, Hannah

Rasta in Interweave Weekend 2010

Interweave Knits featured our Rasta yarn in their special edition Weekend Knits 2010! One of the staff knits -- projects designed by Interweave staff members -- included a triangular carry-case for your smaller sock or mitten projects! This would be the perfect project to take with you on a train or subway, or even to carry around with you at the local wool festival this fall!

Interweave Knits' Weekend Knits 2010 will be available on newsstands on September 23, 2010.

[caption id="attachment_603" align="aligncenter" width="403" caption="Anita Osterhaug, for Interweave Knits - Photo by Kathryn Martin"][/caption]

Chau, Hannah

Interview with Nina Machlin Dayton

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="393" caption="Warwick Hat by Nina Machlin Dayton"][/caption]

Nina Machlin Dayton loves Malabrigo -- if you look at her design profile on Ravelry, you'll see that most of her design work has been done in at least one of our yarns. Some of her designs, like the Dean Street Hat, which has been designed for both Chunky and Worsted, are well into the hundreds of projects (499 for the Worsted version, with a whopping 171 of these knit from Malabrigo Worsted.) Nina is always willing to give advice for everything from designing to lace-knitting (one of her favorite past-times), and is active in introducing new knitters to the world of yarn and fiber.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Dean Street Hats by Nina Machlin Dayton"][/caption]

Nina talks knitting and yarn in lots of places - on Ravelry, she's Ninaknits, and she can also be found on her blog of the same name. Her latest design is the Cardinal Neck Warmer, an introduction to cables with buttons and seed stitch. We were lucky enough to track down this knowledgeable, talented, designer for an interview here on the blog!

What was your first experience with Malabrigo?

Nina: My local yarn store is WEBS, and around six years ago, when Malabrigo first started making it to the American markets, they called me and told me that they'd gotten in this amazing new yarn -- super soft, super luxurious -- they said I should come check it out.  So I went over too see it and just fell madly in love with a skein of Merino Worsted in Vaa. The softness, the complexity of color, the versatility at all gauges -- it was the perfect yarn for me, and still is.

What was your first Malabrigo design?

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="193" caption="Faberge Hat by Nina Machlin Dayton"][/caption]



Nina: I released two designs at roughly the same time - the Dean Street Hat and the Haymarket Mittens. The Dean Street Hat really took off -- I think it's been downloaded thousands of times.

Why Malabrigo for so many of your designs?

Nina: Well, for me, it's all about the color, at least at first. Malabrigo is my basic palette -- any color I could possibly want is available in at least one base. But Malabrigo just has such great versatility: there's a yarn for everything. Worsted especially gives great stitches at almost any gauge. I use it to teach new knitters because it makes them feel like they made something beautiful every time - it's hard to make the yarn look bad, and it's so soft and wonderful that it makes people feel confident about using wool yarns.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="411" caption="Shetland Triangle in Indecita, by Nina Machlin Dayton"][/caption]

What is your favorite project in Malabrigo to date?

Nina: My favorite personal project would definitely be one of my shawls in Silky - it makes such lovely lacework. But my favorite designs right now are in worsted - the Orvietto Hat and the Medici Hat. I just love the softness of Worsted combined with an ultra-drapey shape.

Do you have a favorite colorway?

Nina: I couldn't possibly pick a favorite! There are too many I love. I always feel drawn to the classics, like Sunset and Lettuce, or Polar Morn, in worsted, but lately I've really fallen for the more intricate Sock colorways, like Persia and Aguas. I can't forget Cape Cod Gray in Silky, either -- my favorites really change every day!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="Dean Street Mitts by Nina Machlin Dayton"][/caption]

Chau, Hannah

New Colors for 2010/2011

Some of our favorite yarns got new colorways this year! Take a look at them and keep an eye out at your LYS for some of these great additions to our palette.

Worsted:

[caption id="attachment_591" align="aligncenter" width="301" caption="Worsted in Malambo, Navidad, Uva, Garden Gate, Polvoriento, Milonga"][/caption]

Chunky:

[caption id="attachment_592" align="aligncenter" width="396" caption="Chunky in Uva, Polvoriento, Deja Vu, Milonga"][/caption]

Silky Merino:

[caption id="attachment_590" align="aligncenter" width="499" caption="Silky Merino in Pradera, Cumparsita, Piedras, Arco Iris and Mazanilla Olive"][/caption]

Sock:

[caption id="attachment_593" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Sock in Playa and Candombe"][/caption]

Twist:

[caption id="attachment_594" align="aligncenter" width="292" caption="Twist in Piedras, Belgian Chocolate and Manzanilla Olive"][/caption]

Chau, Hannah

Weekly Color Feature: Misty Rambla

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="414" caption="photo by Chindogudotcom via Flickr.com"][/caption]

I love this picture by Flickr user chindogudotcom -- it really captures the feeling as the fog rolls into the Rambla in the evenings. The Rambla is the road that wraps around Montevideo, Uruguay's river edge, and during the day, this place is abuzz with people of all ages. At night, though, it takes on a quieter identity. You can see people in this picture sitting and drinking mate on the lookout steps.

Feeling inspired? Try these Malabrigo colorways:

[caption id="attachment_587" align="aligncenter" width="385" caption="Worsted in Malambo, Indigo, Pink Frost and Frank Ochre; Silky in Rupestre; Rasta in Azules; Silky in Nocturnal; Rios in Paris Nights"][/caption]

Chau, Hannah

Sustainable Hot Water

At the factory, we're doing our best to decrease our environmental footprint! Our most recent addition to the mill? A flat-plate thermal heating system has been installed at the mill. Using the power of the sun, we can heat our water tanks for the various processes to make your favorite yarns. The panels are being installed on the roof of the mill, as shown below.

[caption id="attachment_583" align="aligncenter" width="426" caption="Thermal plate installation on the roof of our building!"][/caption]