We have just had the Great London Yarn Crawl through our doors on the weekend, and what a success! It is always one of the most fun days of the year, and really feels like it kicks off the London knitting season. Last year we released the Spitalfields Shawl for the crawl, so this year we are celebrating its first birthday! To help the celebrations we are making the Hokkaido and Shikoku used for the shawl as our Yarn of the Week. The yarns are by the Danish company Designette and are in fact the same base, however the Hokkaido is solid and the Shikoku is variegated. It is a 4ply raw silk with a nubbly texture that looks best in simple textures such as garter stitch and stocking stitch. The raw silk can be used for anything where drape is a consideration, and perfect for things such as shawls and summer tops. Shikoku Spitalfields uses 2 balls of the solid Hokkaido and 1 ball of the variegated Shikoku, but that could be reversed as well to have the main sections of the shawl variegated instead of solid. Spitalfields Shawl Designette is a company that is focused on sustainability with their yarn production, and ensures that their yarns in countries with strict and enforced labour laws. Use the code DESIGN15 online to get 15% off Designette yarns and the Spitalfields kit until Sunday September 18th, while supplies last. Mention the sale in-store to receive the same offer.