Getting Stitched on the Farm

New Colors of Julia Wool/Mohair/Alpaca

Last fall, the newest division of Westminster Fibers called Nashua Handknits, acquired the distribution of my Julia Wool/Alpaca/Mohair. This made me very happy. Previously, Julia was only available from a few stores in the USA and I was getting tired of answering e-mails from frustrated knitters who wanted to buy my yarn but couldn’t find it locally. Enter Nashua.

This fall, you should be able to buy Julia at your local yarn store. If they don’t have it, ask them to get it, please. (An aside here - yarn stores are ordering their fall yarns now so you might want to prod your favorite yarn store in the direction of Julia. Otherwise, they may not know their customers are interested - thanks.) I designed two new projects for the Nashua Pattern Collection – you’ll find them in their new books coming the end of the summer. There will also be several editorials in upcoming knitting magazines. Check back here for announcements and sneak peeks soon.

There's a new label too which I've shown here. In keeping with the Nashua Label family, you'll find my signature on the lower ball band. Too bad that beautiful floral label had to go - I loved it but you can't win them all. The upside is that you should be able to find this excellent knitting yarn easier.

Enough salesmanship. On to the really important stuff – the new colors! I wanted to add some brighter and mid-tone shades to the line that would mix well with the existing shades. Julia previously had many, many dark and rich shades. They're still all there. It's just a little more balanced with some mid-tones. The ceramic pot at the top of this post shows you all five new shades mixed together. Below, read about each new shade and why I added them.

Celery Color No. NHJ5293 – I love this shade of green. It is a little faded looking and is a green many complexions look good in. Unlike the other greens in the Julia line, this isn’t a limey green. It’s a classic celery shade directly out of your fridge. It will make a beautiful cabled sweater – the cables will show up exquisitely on the lighter shade. As with all the other shades, it will mix well for Fair Isle patterning.


Shrimp Color No. NHJ1784 – This color isn’t orange and it isn’t pink – it is somewhere in between. A mid-tone – not pastel, not dark, my shrimp looks beautiful on many skintones. When I wear this shade, it makes me happy – feeling peachy-keen about life. It too will look great in textured cables and ribs. It blends nicely with all the other colors of Julia.

Peacock Color No. NHJ1590 – This peacock isn’t quite as irridescent as a real peacock’s feathers, but it sure is beautiful. Another mid-tone, it will mix beautifully with all the deep shades in Julia, looking especially snappy with the oranges and brown shades. I could wear a sweater this shade for years.



Brass Color No. NHJ1220 – Yellow isn’t ever much of a big seller but this is no mere yellow. It’s a brassy kind of color with hints of brown in it. There’s another yellow in the Julia line called Golden Honey but this one is more complex. When combining it with other shades, it can become a chameleon going brown or looking yellow-y. It would make a very sophisticated solid sweater and also be very nice on men.


Lilac Color No. NHJ9235 – Quintessential lilac, not much can be said. Mix it in or let it stand on its own. Great for kids or for “old women who want to wear purple” like the poem says. Mix it with brown and brass, throw in a little orange and you’ll have a spicey, colorful delight. Love it and what it does.