Caerthan, Author at Triskelion Yarn | Hand-dyed yarn from Wales

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

Triskelion Retail Partners

A bit of news for you all, and an update on some of the things happening at Triskelion in the coming weeks.

Firstly, I’ve been having a close look at the business and creative direction of Triskelion. It’s been a very good few years, and the business has grown hugely, to the point where I’m about to employ a part-time worker on some of the admin and the unskilled parts of the job. This has given me the time and space to address retail partnerships with shops, designers and other stockists. So, there’s been a little bit of a reorganisation. As of Yarndale at the end of September, my Idris (British superwash BFL), Gofannon (Peruvian baby alpaca) and Emrys (British BFL) product lines will be available solely through retail partners.

This is a great move for both myself and Triskelion’s retail partners for a number of reasons. Firstly, we won’t be treading on each other’s toes at shows or in our online shops, as those particular yarn bases will only be available through retail partners, and I’ll have my own yarn bases solely available through the normal Triskelion channels. Secondly, the retail partners’ colourway palette (a 21-colourway palette based on the current one) will stay constant, which means I have more freedom to play around creatively in the Triskelion booth, and the retail colourways will only be available via Triskelion’s partners too. Thirdly, it’s a great move for retail partners, as the ‘economy of scale’ on these yarns will allow me to give them a full 100% retail mark-up.

As mentioned earlier, this is starting for Yarndale. An initial selection of colourways on the Idris DK base will be available from Sarah and Jonathan on the Purlescence stand, and will be available via their website at some point thereafter. From the beginning of October, starting at the Ally Pally Knitting and Stitching Show, Idris DK, Gofannon 4-Ply and Emrys Lace will be available from Janie Crow, again available thereafter on Jane and Andy’s website. A couple of other shops will be following later on in the year, and a few are pencilled in for the new year. Any retailers, yarn shops or show outlets are more than welcome to contact me for details about stocking Triskelion yarns in future.

As for the Triskelion show booth and website, there are some fabulous new yarn bases on their way, in addition to some old and new favourites (Arthur, Elmet and Elen are staying with me), and some new Triskelion colourways will start making their appearances at Yarndale.

All the best, and I hope to see you at Yarndale or at Yarnporium in November!

Caerthan

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Posted on April 29, 2015April 6, 2016 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

Elen Sock and nylon

I was asked a few times at Wonderwool why I’d discontinued the Rhodri bases (DK and 4-ply) and the Taliesin Sock, which had the nylon in for sock knitting. The problems highlighted in this article are why I changed to the high-twist 100% BFL Elen Sock. I know a small dyer like me changing over to a high-twist non-nylon yarn is a drop in the ocean (haha), and it’s certainly not a “my green credentials are better than everyone else’s” statement (because I still sell superwash yarns which are hardly environmentally friendly). However, I wanted to at least start reducing my own footprint even if I’m small beans.

In any case, I’ve been using a pair of welly socks, knitted using Elen Sock, when I’ve been working around the farm for the last couple of months (yes, they have been occasionally washed). They seem to be wearing at least as well as the previous nylon blend socks, and I’m quite hard on socks, so I’m confident that I’ve made a sound choice. And at the end of the day, everyone can still get beautiful colourways on quality nylon blends from other indie dyers, so no-one is going hungry

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Posted on February 12, 2015February 13, 2015 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

February release

As stated in yesterday’s blog post, there’s a significant release of the new Gwyn base today. Also, a smaller subset of Branwen colourways, but included are some brand new ones (‘Arcturus’, ‘Fog’ and ‘Nemeton’) and some ‘redux’ versions of prior colourways: ‘Cassiopeia’, ‘Cepheus’, ‘Ursa’, and ‘Arcturus’. ‘Ultramarine’ is a one-of-a-kind, and as it’s always popular, I put in a handful of skeins of ‘Llŷr’.

All the Gwyn and Branwen are at 10% off for one week only, so grab them while you can at the sale prices! Check out the new Elen BFL high-twist yarn, too – great for socks and lace.

I have non-dyed yarn in stock, too, so if you want larger quantities of particular colourways but the website stock count is low, just email me and I’ll dye some for you.

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Posted on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

Introducing Gwyn

Gwyn is a stunning woollen-spun 4-ply/fingering weight singles yarn, in a luscious superwash blend of 20% Blue Faced Leicester and 80% extra fine Falklands merino. The blend of the two fine wools in a singles yarn results in unparalleled depth of colour, combined with a soft, cosy handle with lots of character. Each 100 gram hank is approximately 360 metres of yarn, is from 100% British sources, and spun in Yorkshire.

It’s on the heavier side of 4-ply/fingering weight, and can be doubled up to use as an aran/worsted weight yarn – I’m just finishing up a sweater for myself using Gwyn held double on 5mm needles.

The Gwyn base is released on Friday 13th February, and will be available in almost all current production colourways. Additionally, there’s 10% off for the first week as an introductory offer.

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Posted on December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

New Yarn Bases!

I’m pleased to announce the addition of five new yarn bases to the Triskelion stable. All of the yarns are from British fibre (other than the silk) and are spun in Yorkshire to a very high quality. Three of the yarns are luxurious singles-style yarns, one is a super-bulky BFL, and one a high twist 100% wool sock yarn.

Elen Sock is a very sleek and glossy high-twist superwash Blue Faced Leicester yarn. Blue Faced Leicester is a British longwool, with a rich lustre that yields very bright and rich colours. It’s soft, springy, and the high twist makes it hard-wearing without the need for nylon. Each 110 gram hank is approximately 390 metres of yarn, and is from 100% British sources. A great yarn for durable, comfy socks.

Branwen 4-Ply is a stunning 4-ply/fingering singles yarn, in a sumptuous 50/50 blend of extra fine Falklands Merino and silk. Branwen has stunning depth of colour, combined with an extra soft, cosy handle. Each 100 gram hank is approximately 500 metres of yarn, and is spun in Yorkshire from British sources. Please note that, due to the high silk content, Branwen runs quite fine for a 4-ply.

Olwen is a 4-ply/fingering singles yarn, spun from extra fine Falklands Merino. Olwen’s ‘matt’ appearance gives colours an intense, immediate presence, combined with an extra soft, cosy handle. Each 100 gram hank is approximately 500 metres of yarn, and is spun in Yorkshire from British sources.

Pryderi DK is a very cosy roving/singles yarn, spun from Blue-faced Leicester. It has superb depth of colour, combined with a soft, ‘woolly’ handle, with that Blue-faced Leicester lustre.

Finally, Ysbaddaden is a squishy, soft super-bulky yarn, spun from Blue-faced Leicester. Ysbaddaden has wonderful depth of colour, a soft lustre, and a soft, cosy handle. Each 100 gram hank is approximately 50 metres of yarn, and is spun in Yorkshire from British sources.

As an introduction to the new bases, there will be a small mini release of all the new bases with a subset of my current production colourways. More colourways will be arriving in the first release of 2015.

The Pryderi yarns all feature the Triskelion Neutrals colourways, and there be a special introductory offer of 15% off them if you buy five skeins or more in any of the colourways. Just use coupon code PRYDERI2014 at the checkout. The special offer will be available while current stocks last.

The release will be up on the Triskelion website at around 6pm GMT tonight (Sunday 7th December). This is also a good opportunity to get yarn at current prices, as there’ll be a slight increase in the new year.

I hope you find something that catches your eye!

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Posted on October 24, 2014October 24, 2014 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

‘Gwythyr’ – A Limited Edition Yarn

Having been able to secure the last remaining stock of this limited run from Laxtons mill in Yorkshire, I’m pleased to be able to offer Gwythyr to Triskelion customers as a limited edition yarn. I’ve only sixty skeins left, so get in quick!

‘Gwythyr’ is a gorgeous blend of Blue-faced Leicester and Masham – a Yorkshire breed crossed from a Teeswater. As with the BFL, it’s a British longwool with a fine lustre. The combination of the two fibres yields an unparalleled depth of colour, absolutely stunning. The yarn is woollen spun at 4-ply/fingering weight, and is a ‘singles’ yarn, i.e. a single lightly-twisted ply. It’s next-to-skin soft, but with a wonderfully woolly, characterful handle. And on top of all that, it’s superwash!

I’m making it available in most of the current Triskelion production colourways, and some new autumnal colourways created just for the Gwythyr base. Some have already been dyed in anticipation and are available immediately on the website. If you place an order with your chosen colourway and it goes in on back-order, I’ll get it dyed up immediately for you. When the stock runs out, though, that’s it.

For this particular base and its passion for colour, I’ve selected colourways where I can really push my multi-glaze technique. Most of the colourways are two or three glazes over a base dye, and with the addition of resist techniques, I can really push the colour depth with bright sparkles, moody low-lights and subtle colour transitions. If you fancy it on another Triskelion colourway, just email me and I’ll see what I can do.

Each 100g skein is approximately 360 metres, and you can knit it on your usual 4-ply/fingering needles – I generally use 3.25mm – or you can knit it on 4mm-4.5mm for lace projects.

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Posted on May 2, 2014May 8, 2014 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

Some news for May and June

Now that Wonderwool is done and dusted, I have some snippets of news about what’s going on for Triskelion over the next couple of months.

Wonderwool 2014 saw the release of the new ‘Maghreb’ collection on the Taliesin DK and 4-Ply bases. The collection is now in the shop, and the Emrys Lace and Aran bases are to follow soon.

I have a new yarn base coming out in May – the 50% yak/50% silk 4-ply/fingering I’ve been rattling on about to everyone who’ll listen – with its own colourways, and a pattern or two using the base sometime in June. ‘Dylan’ is a lavishly luxurious yarn, and surprisingly tough given its incredible softness. I’m going to be matching that indulgent handle with some sumptuous, rich darks – dark teal, midnight blue, imperial purple, deep maroon red, and burnt orange. I’m still doing the figures on the final price, but it’ll probably be retailing at around £23 per 100g skein.

Then a range of indigo-dyed yarns in June, using some current yarn bases and maybe a couple of new linen/silk and linen/cotton bases I’ve been investigating. Lastly, there’s going to be a mini OOAK release at some point – bright, zesty summer colours with a bit of vim.

All, of course, leading up to Unwind Brighton on July 12th and 13th. Hopefully, I’ll be seeing some of you there!

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Posted on March 17, 2014 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

Introducing a New Yarn Base: Rhodri DK

The new Rhodri DK yarn is now available in the ‘Winternights’ colourways. It’s a smooth and hard-wearing 75% superwash British wool and 25% nylon yarn. Each 100 gram hank is approximately 225 metres of yarn. A great yarn for durable, comfy socks, baby wear, gloves – anything needing that bit of extra strength. I’ve just finished part of a boot sock, and it feels great on a 3.5mm needle.

More colourways will be available in the near future, but if you want something specific sooner – just email me and I’ll fit it in.

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Posted on October 24, 2013November 1, 2013 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers are now available in the Triskelion shop, as requested.

When you buy the vouchers, I’ll send you a pdf certificate with a coupon code on it that can be used on anything in the shop. If you want the certificate either emailed or snail-mailed directly to the recipient, just specify at the checkout (postage is free).

When you buy the vouchers, the reward points will go on the buyer’s account, not on the voucher recipient’s account. If you want them transferred to the recipient (i.e. you’re buying for your partner and you don’t knit, etc.), just add a comment at the checkout.

When you buy with a voucher and don’t spend up to the value, you’ll get another coupon code sent to you for any remaining money. In other words, you don’t have to spend the whole of the voucher all at once!

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Posted on October 23, 2013November 1, 2013 by Caerthan — Leave a comment

The Next Stage

Well, the time to get a dedicated workshop has come a bit sooner than I anticipated. The kitchen stove and outside laundry room just aren’t cutting it anymore. Triskelion has grown so quickly over the last six months – I’m spending most of the day going in and out of the house, carrying pots of dye and yarn, and the rest of the day in the garden room (my ‘workroom’), pre- and post-processing it all. Horribly inefficient. So, we’re going have to bite the bullet, gut the garden room, and turn it into a proper dyeing studio. Only to what we can currently afford, but still… five-burner gas hob, double drainer sink plus associated plumbing and drainage, extractor, new worktops, all that good stuff.

Rick is a bloody star. He’s doing all the building and plumbing work himself, in between his own stuff, just so I can keep on top of the orders coming in. Some hard budgeting is going to be necessary, and some reuse of stuff we have sitting around in the barn. It’s not going to look like ‘Homes and Gardens’, but it’s going to save me so much work, and enable me to plan my time much more efficiently. I can’t wait. Studio ahoy!

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