Drool-Worthy Color Cards from Halcyon Yarn

I guess I’ve got Maine on the brain today (wouldn’t it be lovely to be sitting on a deck chair somewhere in Maine, knitting and looking out at the ocean, right about now?) because I’ve been meaning to share this with you for a while and I’m just now getting to it. I’m a big fan of the Maine-based yarn company Halcyon Yarn, and for all the years I’ve been getting their catalogs (which are beautiful and will make you wish you were in Maine even more), I’ve always been intrigued by what they call a Yarn Store in a Box.

This cool sampler includes 45 color cards with more than 115 different yarn styles on them. They include Halycon-label yarns like their Classic Rug Wool, Satin Bamboo (which I am going to have to get some of!) and their Casco Bay line, as well as sames from big-name companies like Noro, Debbie Bliss, Cascade and Reynolds, to name a few.

The people at Halcyon were nice enough to send me a sample box, and it is so much fun to look at all the possibilities and imagine what you’d make form each kind of yarn. For a designer, that’s really inspirational.

I think this box would make a great gift for a knitting friend. In addition to all the sample cards the box includes the company’s yarn and equipment catalogs and a coupon for $10 off your first purchase of $60 or more. Which, when you see all this gorgeous stuff, will take you no time at all to spend!

Next Pattern:

Not too long ago my daughter and I had a discussion about what a chestnut really looks like. The nut itself is small and brown, of course, but on the tree they’re covered with this weird kind of spiky, kind of fuzzy shell. It’s a wonder anyone ever figured out they were edible.

If you didn’t know that, you might wonder why this project is call Chestnut balaclava, but now you know.

This fun design from Yevheniia Pyroh is covered with spikes just like a chestnut shell, and is even the same color, though of course you can make yours whatever color you like. It uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together (which it says is fingering weight but you could try a light/DK yarn and see if you get gauge with it if you’d rather).

There are two different design options in the pattern. One is a more fitted balaclava style hat (it doesn’t cover the face but does go around the neck) and a looser fit hood.

It’s worked primarily in garter stitch, with shaping done by knitting and purling in the same stitch and through various decreases (including a knit 3 together).

The pattern is charted but also explained in words. It’s worked flat to the size you want, and then joined into a hood shape with ribbing at the neck. The opening for the face is finished with I-cord.

This hood/balaclava would definitely be a conversation starter and in different colors it might read more dinosaur than chestnut, which could also be fun. The sizing is totally custom so you can make it fit whatever head you’re stitching for.

If you want to try it for yourself (and I’d love to hear about it if you do!) you can download the free pattern from Ravelry.

[Photo: Yevheniia Pyroh]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern [Knitting]

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