merino

One of the things I was most excited about when designing this year's collection is the switch to 100% merino yarn, so I wanted to share a few neat things with you about it.

+ We've sourced our yarn from a small family farm where everything from raising the sheep to dyeing the yarn is done onsite by a small staff.  Supporting small business is important to us, and it feels great to have made the switch.

+ Three of our colours - natural ivory, natural oatmeal and natural brown - are just that, natural un-dyed.  This is done by taking fibres from both the black and white merino sheep and mixing them during the spinning process to achieve the right colour blend. 

+ As you probably know, merino is super soft, which makes it such a luxurious fibre to wear (and crochet with!).  The fibres are so fine they actually bend against the skin more than other wool fibres, which is why they don't itch and feel so cozy.

+ For those wetter climates, merino has the ability to soak up about 30% of its weight in water and still keep you warm.  This also means it's really breathable and a good choice for us pacific northwest-ers.

+ We were absolutely spoiled for choice when choosing the fall colour palette.  We selected 12 rich and moody options, and hope you like them as much as we do.  (There are also a few bright and sparkly surprises planned for holiday shows in December!)

As always, if you have any questions or want to check out some colour samples before you buy, just send me a note at kovebyhand (at) gmail (dot) com.

xo!