Monday, March 24, 2008

Skeins added to Serendipity Collection

Apparently I was distracted when I was winding yarn the other week, because I accidentally made several of the skeins too small. I didn't notice until after they had been dyed because they are almost big enough- 85-90g rather than 100g - but they are just too light to sell at full price. So I have listed them on the Serendipity page at a discount. They would be perfect for most sock patterns, especially if you have small feet or like shorter cuffs on your socks. They would also work well for fingerless mitts and other small projects.

More *NEW* Spring Colors

Here are a few more *NEW* spring colors:



Wild Lavender, inspired by a photo submitted by Sharon








Shanna Banana, inspired by and named after one of my LYS knitting friends :)






Raven's Wing, a subtly shaded, dark, semi-solid colorway requested by designer Janine Le Cras for a stole pattern shes working on




Sage, my current favorite shade of green!

As always, these colors can all be purchased on our website

Sunday, March 23, 2008

New Roving Fibers!!!

I am so excited to present these new spinning fibers for your enjoyment. We don't sell a lot of roving, but I wish we did. Its so fun to dye and then to see how it spins up. It's like magic! I will be posting pictures of yarn spun out of each fiber and then swatches knitted out of that yarn soon, but remember that everything from the tightness of the ply to the way the colors blend can change depending on the spinner. That means that your yarn will be completely unique to you.

So now, in addition to the regular merino, superwash merino, SW merino/tencel and soysilk that we've been carrying, we now also offer superfine alpaca (shown in Nature's Gold), Bamboo/Merino (shown in Summer Rose) and Tussah Silk/ Merino (shown in Beach Sunset). All of our rovings can be purchased on the website and are available in all the colors we carry (plus custom colors!)








p.s. I'm trying to make updates while fighting off what is either spring allergies or a cold, and suffering from lack of sleep, so if I made any mistakes with my links, photos or other website details please send me a sweet email pointing out my mistake so I can fix it :)

Spring Colors

Today, being Easter, seems like the perfect day to reveal a few new spring colors. More are in the works, but here is a teaser:


Cherry Blossoms, inspired by a photo taken by Laura








Hyacinths, inspired by a photo taken by Tanya







Inspired by a photo taken by Sharon (still needs a name)





Inspired by a photo taken by Dao
(still needs a name)

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos, and congratulations to these "winning" colors. We are still looking for more spring color inspiration, so keep on sending them in! As always, all the colors can be ordered off the website.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A Sheep on my Shirt

Okay I have to admit something to you. I have a weakness for cafe press "stuff". Its just so irresistible to be able to make "stuff" with your "stuff" on them! Soooo I made a Unique Sheep T-Shirt :). I ordered one for me and one for Kelly and they arrived today. Ignore my oily skin and messy hair- it was a really long day.

If you want a Unique Sheep t-shirt (or mug or sticker or magnet..) of your own, they can be purchased from cafepress.com.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Introducing...Luxe


Luxe is the newest addition to the Unique Sheep line of yarns. This yarn is milled exclusively for us, so you won't find it anywhere else. Luxe is an elegant blend of Tussah Silk and Superwash Merino. The Tussah Silk adds a subtle shimmer to the yarn-- not the glare of cultivated silk but a more sophisticated sheen that glows in the right light. It is spun just like Verve, so you get the same great twist and light fingering weight, perfect for socks, lace or other fine projects. Or hold it double and you can get DK gauges. We are working on a number of samples out of this yarn, so stay turned for more photos soon!

Autumn Gold Shawl Pattern Now Ready


Just a quick note to let you know that the Autumn Gold Shawl pattern is now available. Those of you who pre-ordered the pattern and/or yarn should receive it in the mail sometime this week. The designer is also working on THREE more shawl patterns for us. One of which will be a rectangular version of Autumn Gold since we had so many people say that they love the pattern, but don't wear triangular shawls.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Spring Photo Contest

Spring is definitely in the air (at least for a couple of days) and that makes me want to dye spring-ey yarn! But I need your help. Send me you spring and summer photos and help inspire colorways. The photos have to be your own originals, of course, and they will be posted on the website to show people where the colorways came from. We would also like to find a springy background for our sheep logo. You can find more information about our photo contests here. Please email your photos to laura@theuniquesheep.com. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Oh and did I mention there is free yarn involved?


ETA: If you have tried emailing me large photo files and they have bounced back, its because that mail box is on the smallish size and huge photo files overwhelm it. So if you have multiple pictures to send, or large files, please send them to lbullins@bellsouth.net. Thanks!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

A silly FO


I had some leftover cotton yarns, that I had dyed to make a sweater, so decided to knit a dishcloth. You can't beat hand knit dishcloths!! There are several bloggers who model their FO's on their dogs so I gave it a try. You can see by the look on my dog Bradley's face that he was not amused by the whole thing. Needless to say, the dishcloth is in the washing machine and will no longer be a doggie "hat".

Monday, March 10, 2008

Guess whos going to be at MDSW?

Thats right, The Unique Sheep will be at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this May! We will be sharing a booth with a bunch of other handdyers (I'll have a complete list soon). Its going to be so fun! This year, the Cloverhill Yarn Shop has decided to use their space to focus on indie dyers. And what a space it is. It is located at the end of the Main Barn, right as you walk in. Its booth #27. If you are going to be visiting MDSW this year (and if you are nearby you MUST go, its huge) please stop by. We will have lots of yarn and kits and samples of all the kits.

A New FO




These are The Buffalo Beaded Socks by Jackie ES of Heartstrings FiberArts. They came out beautifully with our Sushi Socks in Aqua Sky. I changed the pattern just a bit by continuing the stitch pattern throughout the instep until toe decreases.

The pattern and beads come from Earthfaire.com. Earthfaire also has Sushi Sock yarns in stock and will be adding a few more colors in the next couple of weeks. So please click here if you would like to order pattern, beads and yarns.


Jackie is an amazing designer and has another pattern using Unique Sheep yarns. Check out Ivy Trellis Stole while browsing at the Earthfaire site. :)

Twilled Ribs Socks Pattern


A new Unique Sheep sock pattern- Twilled Ribs- is now for sale, thanks to designer Phyll Lagerman. These fun socks come with the option of the Latvian Twist cuffed top (shown on left) or a straight top without ribbing and are knit from the top down. If you are used to size 0 needles and fingering weight yarn these will fly on size 2's and sport weight Foot Prints. The pattern is available as print or pdf, just let us know when you order which you would prefer.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Lots and Lots of New Colors!


You may have noticed that there haven't been many new colors added to the website lately. Thats because we have been saving them up to release in one big blast. Many of them hint at the warm weather and bright flowers of spring, but mostly they will work year round. There should be something for everyone, from shades of bright pink to layers of rich chocolate. These colors were a collaborative effort between us (Laura and Kelly) and Jen from Wool Girl. All the colors are available at WoolGirl.com, and we would rather you order from there, but if she is sold out of if you want the color in a base yarn she doesn't offer please feel free to order from our website. Or ask your LYS or favorite online shop to start carrying your favorite colors of Unique Sheep Yarns!