Kingston

With Kingston, Jill brings us a new yarn that is dyed in the wool, then woolen spun for a beautiful loft and blending of tweedy bits. Each of these shades has a beauty of its own; knitted in colorwork, they become a subtle, gorgeous world.

If you’re familiar with Jill Draper’s yarns, you know that not only is she a master at hand-dyeing, she designs each of her yarns from scratch. She starts by buying fleeces from sheep farmers, after the annual clip in the spring.

The yarn you see in the skein started out as a U.S.-grown fleece, loaded into the back of Jill’s car and taken to the scouring plant, and from there to a mill in Vermont. Jill works with people who understand yarn, spinning, and Jill’s specific vision in a way that only comes about over a sustained history of experimentation and collaboration.

When Jill told us in 2018 that she was working on something “tweedy,” a yarn that was dyed in the wool (instead of dyed after spinning), we put up our hands for some right away.

When our sample skeins arrived, Kingston did not disappoint. The rich color and sparkly flecks are engaging. You want to knit it up immediately and wear it forever.

How is Kingston different from traditional tweed yarns? One way: it’s softer. This is a highly wearable wool yarn, with a lovely lightness. Another way: the unexpectedness of the palette. From murky to sprightly, there’s a lot to look at. It’s a fresh, modern take on an evergreen idea.

Kingston is a 3-ply yarn, in approximately a DK weight, woolen spun. It’s made with Targhee wool grown in New York State, and it’s been 100% processed in the US.