As of the time of writing, the sun’s shining over Dublin out of a cloudless sky, there’s a Bank Holiday weekend within hailing distance, and people are talking of cooling drinks after work. So we’re thinking of airy summer garments in bright colours, and as ever, Louisa Harding’s come up with the goods.

That’s Oakley up above, one of thirteen patterns in her new Jesse pattern book. It’s quick and satisfying, with just enough interest in the lacy yoke to spice up the knitting and enough soothing stocking stitch to speed you along.

It’s made in Louisa’s new Jesse cotton yarn, which comes in a torrent of summery colours and which has a lovely firm ply. It’s a DK weight, so it’s versatile as anything.

And if Jesse and Oakley suggest a theme, then you’ve guessed right: there’s a distinct Wild West air to this collection, with Miss Kitty and Annie also starring in the line-up. So why not hit the trail and cast on?

We’ve had this beautiful shawl on display in the shop for a little while, and it’s attracting a huge amount of admiration. It’s AoibheNí’s Bel, the final shawl in her Legendary Shawls series (our Crochet-A-Long pattern, Venus, came from there too). Made with her signature Tunisian lace crochet technique, it’s clever and charming.

The yarn’s Coolree Yarns Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere 4-ply, and the combination of Aoibhe’s crochet design with Alex McLeod’s amazing eye for colour make it something really special indeed. Did we mention that we got a new delivery from Coolree Yarns last week? Oh, it just makes you smile to look at it.

Aoibhe’s Tunisian lace workshop on May 25th has been sold out for a while, but there’s still a couple of places available for the July 6th workshop (but they probably won’t be for long!). Her day-long workshops are fascinating and so much much fun – why not have a go this summer? You’ll find the booking page at this link.

As such a delightful collaboration between two talented Irish craftspeople, of course Bel is attracting admiration. Drop by and see it in person if you can!

When you’re following a pattern, it saves so much time to be able to read it at a glance and know exactly where you are in it. So a tool like this Knitpro Magma Chart Keeper is invaluable. If you’re off on your travels, or just heading out to your knit and crochet group, it’s a smart folder which holds your pages safely, with room for a pen and a few notions.

But when you’ve settled down to follow your pattern, it comes into its own. It flips open and fastens securely to stand upright. Then you can hold your pattern page in place with the three little magnets that come with the Chart Keeper.

But there’s another magnet too: a long strip of it, which you can place across your page marking the line of the chart you’re working on. No losing your place now. By the way, we recommend that you place the strip above the chart line you’re working, so you can see how your current row or round relates to what’s below it, both in your knitting and on paper. (That’s the chart for the Braidheart cowl or scarf, the pattern that we use in our Knitting Cables class – there’s a glimpse of the finished article in the top image.)

It’s the handiest thing, and it makes following charts even simpler.

Just look at those lovely tips! They’re the business end of our new needle offerings, ChiaoGoo Red Lace. We’ve got them both in fixed circulars and as an interchangeable set.

The fixed needles are 100cm long, and they have lovely smooth nylon-coated steel cables in a distinctive red. They’re an ideal length for any size of project, including anything done by Magic Loop.

We also have the Small interchangeable set, and it’s ever so clever. You get seven pairs of tips all the way from 2.75mm to 5.00mm, and three cables (60cm, 80cm and 100cm).

In addition to the well-designed case (it zips and it’s got handy compartments for bits and pieces), you get a pair of end caps to keep your stitches safe if you need to use the tips for another project, two cord keys for making secure connections, a handy needle gauge with a ruler, and a generous selection of colourful stitch markers. It’s a perfect gift for yourself or someone dear to you, and we’re eyeing it rather avidly ourselves.

And oh! those pointypointy stainless steel tips!

Excitement’s been high in the shop over the last few days, because we got a delivery of wonderful Fyberspates yarn – luxury fibres with beautiful artisan dyeing.

The skeins in the picture above are Vivacious 4-ply. It’s a 100% merino fingering weight, with a crisp ply that gives fantastic stitch definition. It comes in a gorgeous range of jewel colours, and the sample we’ve made for the shop is in a colourway called Tweed Imps!

How could you not love a pattern called Piewhacket? It’s a quick short row shawlette, angular and geometric, and a bucket of fun to knit. Tweed Imps Piewhacket – it was meant to be!

The other Fyberspates offering is Scrumptious 4-ply, and it’s 55% merino and 45% silk. The colour saturation in this yarn is astounding.

This was pounced on avidly for a Color Affection this week (our Knit A-Long‘s still going strong), and we’ll show you the result as soon as we can (we have high hopes for it).

Looking for truly Irish yarn, made from the fleece of native sheep and entirely processed in this country, using centuries-old spinning methods? We’ve got just the thing. It’s Studio Donegal Homespun, and it’s what’s used for that excellent hat.

It will knit to Aran or worsted-weight tension, and it’s made from 100% Irish fleece. It’s mule spun, so it’s made by a process which dates back to the eighteenth century and which was a major component of the industrial revolution in textile production.

In fact, you can see the very machine in action at this youtube link. The short film on wool production there is partly in Irish and partly in English, and gives a fascinating insight into how fleece gets transformed, with the spinning starting at 1.43.

Studio Donegal Homespun is a robust yarn which will work best for outer garments and accessories. The hat above is a sample from the manufacturers, but there’s plenty of patterns on Ravelry that will produce something very similar. A short search found Declan’s Hat, which would work beautifully with garter stitch substituted for the rib, and Fortnight which has the garter stitch already in there.

The other thing that we love about this yarn?

The colours! We’re used to nubbly Aran yarns in oaty undyed colours, but there’s only one word for these colours: funky! Every skein is unique, with happy contrasts and one-of-a-kind graduations.

So if you’re looking for something Irish that’s both traditional and bang up to date, this is it. It’s the perfect souvenir of a visit to Dublin, and we’ll be wearing it with pride.

We’ve already shown you that Debbie Bliss Luxury Silk DK works beautifully in accessories. We’ve now got evidence that it makes gorgeous garments, because this sample just went on display in the shop. It is Delfina, from the Luxury Silk DK pattern book.

The yarn’s a delight to work with, and the smallest size takes six balls, with the largest taking just nine.

And just look at those wonderful summery colours! A beautiful garment in the most luxurious fabric imaginable – what more could you ask for?

Well, decent summer weather, obviously, but we can’t help with that part.

Looking for a quick and unusual gift? We might have just the thing: we’ve just started stocking kits by Crafted In Ireland for making these charming earrings. There’s two styles: the double linked rings that you see above, as well as a single ring design.

The kits are the work of Crafted In Ireland. In the clever packaging, you get everything you need to make the pair – all the findings you need, including that lovely plump Swarovski pearl, ample yarn and the pattern instructions. You just need to supply a 2.5mm crochet hook and some jewellery pliers. The findings are silver plated and nickel-free, too.

If your intended recipient is a crocheter, then the kit would make a lovely present, and if not, then you get the pleasure of making them before giving them. And with a range of eight colours, there’s sure to be one that’s the perfect accessory for summer.

In our last post, we promised to show you some more of our latest Coolree Yarns delivery. We’re as good as our word, and here’s the new laceweight.

It’s new in a couple of senses: there’s beautiful colourways that we haven’t seen before, but there’s also new bases. One of the best things of working with talented hand-dyers like Coolree’s Alex McLeod is seeing how different bases take dye differently. It’s like watching alchemy.

The image above is the new merino/silk blend: 800 metres of colour-saturated beauty, enough for a large shawl or stole. The other new arrival is a alpaca/silk/cashmere mix, all 600 metres of it, a little more subdued in tone and oh! so soft to the touch.

It won’t come as as news to you that we’ve been having a Color Affection Knit-Along for the last couple of months. Over in our dedicated Ravelry thread, there’s links to seventy one (seventy one!) projects, with frankly no end in sight. There’s at least one person who’s on her fourth! We’ve even got a #CAFKAL hashtag on twitter.

So it pleases us very much indeed to tell you of the prize that’s being offered at the end of the KAL. Thanks to the generosity of Alex from Coolree (himself a CAFKALer), one of your Color Affections will win this stunning skein of yarn:

It’s a silk and baby camel blend, and the colourway is called “Emerald”. It’s simply beautiful, and it could be yours. The KAL is due to end at Worldwide Knit in Public Day in June, so there’s plenty of time to join us (or make another, or make several others). Thank you, Alex.

Finally, a very happy Easter to you all! Since it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, the shop is closed on Sunday March 31st and Monday March 1st, but we’ll be open again from 10.30am on Tuesday March 2nd.

Today brought us flurries of snow and unseasonable cold, but we didn’t mind a bit. You see, it also brought us a generous consignment of hand-dyed beauties from Coolree Yarns in County Wexford.

The image above shows just a few colourways of the 50/50 merino/silk fingering. There’s lots more in the shop, though – there’s blues and greens and yellows, in the loveliest saturated tones. It’s so hard to choose.

A single skein is ample to make a shawl like Cladonia, which has become one of our favourites, or Holden, with its simple feather and fan edging.

So if you’re passing, make sure to drop in to see these gorgeous yarns in person, and keep an eye out here for even more Coolree delights.

At some point this year, we’ll be able to put away the thick knitted hats, the mittens and the superbulky jumpers. Honest. Till then, though, stay safe and warm.