So.
<Adjusts posture and adopts important announcy sort of voice.>
You may recall from earlier in the year my cheery chatterings about co-judging the Stylecraft Special DK colour competition up in beautiful Yorkshire, with Lucy from Attic24 and Sarah Neal from Let’s Knit magazine. (Sarah is a woman who understands that sometimes you need to sit in a car park frantically finishing knitting a skirt for the meeting that you are about to take part in: let’s just say that I feel a lot of respect and gratitude towards her.) Much colourful fun was had by all at the judging event, I think it’s fair to say. But I have more news, my fine friends. The shortlist of ten shades that we good-naturedly debated over was put to the public vote and the winners can now be announced! Wa-hey!
Want to know which colours will be snuggling down in the shelves of your local yarn shop later this year? Well a shortlist of ten has been whittled down to a winner and two runners-up, thanks to your voting.
Way out ahead in first place, with an impressive third (33.5% if we’re being nit-pickety) of the 4920 votes was Duck Egg, submitted by Lorraine from Prestatyn. Here’s the beautiful entry she submitted (although the photo doesn’t do the colour justice), together with a Pantone sample of her shade. Get your needles or hooks ready, folks: here it is:-
In second place, with 11.7% of the vote, was a beautiful rich purply-blue, which Lucia from Glasgow labelled Lobelia. Look: she’s even illustrated how it would sit amongst the existing range:-
In third place, with a healthy 9.5% of the vote was Grass by Emma from Warrington. (I could really do with a few hundred grams of this for the garden of my current project, but I happen to know that the folks at Stylecraft are still busy beavering away arranging for its production, so I’m going to have to wait.)
So there we have it. Stylecraft have, I’m excited to say, decided to add all three shades to their range of Special DK. The prize for the for first placed shade is 100 balls of Special DK, and VIP entry to the Knitting And Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in October. The two runners-up will receive some yarny loveliness too, I understand. Congratulations to the winners!
And later in the year, you’ll begin to see these beauties for sale, adding to the huge range of Stylecraft Special already available. And I hear a little rumour of a multipack, perhaps even extending beyond the top three shades…
Go create something lovely with these new colours, people! Because more yarn is good, right? (But maybe make it a little more sensible than my bonkers projects.)
Gallivanta says
July 11, 2015 at 5:37 amWow, they are winners! Beautiful colours.
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:18 pmYes, agreed. I’m glad they’re going to make all three.
KerryCan says
July 11, 2015 at 10:16 amNice colors! And it’s been fun to follow along in the search for them!
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:18 pmYes, I think the voters chose wisely. 🙂
Katie Writes Stuff says
July 11, 2015 at 10:41 amIt’s so good that the green was chosen! I spent a million years looking for a green like that earlier in the year and it was next to impossible.
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:19 pmI know. I agree, and I feel your pain. TBH, I think that ALL the greens should have been chosen.
sewchet says
July 11, 2015 at 12:08 pmLOVE the Duck Egg! I’ll definitely be adding that to my stash:)
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:19 pmIn a few months’ time, you can. 🙂
Sharon - creativityandfamily says
July 11, 2015 at 12:32 pmgorgeous, especially the blue. x
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:19 pmGlad you like it. 🙂
nanacathy2 says
July 11, 2015 at 12:51 pmDuck egg is one of my favourite colours and therefore a worthy winner.
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:20 pmThe real yarny thing will be available in a mere few months’ time. 🙂
Barbara says
July 11, 2015 at 3:46 pmAll three are lovely, but I guess Stylecraft yarns are not available in the United States. Boo-hoo!
Jo Philp says
July 13, 2015 at 8:55 amHi Barbara,
There are some stockists in the US –
– Darn Knit Anyway 423 Main Street , Needham Market, Stillwater
– Texas Yarn Farm http://www.texasyarnfarm.com PO Box 46, 258 Ave L, Scotland, Archer
– Midwest Modern Yarn Co 3744 Abney Point Drive,Zionsville
Thanks,
Jo (on behalf of Stylecraft)
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:21 pmThey are! See Jo’s helpful post… (Also companies like Deramores ship to the US at very reasonable rates.)
bamcrafts says
July 11, 2015 at 4:39 pmGlad they are going to make the Grass yarn! I NEED that shade of green!
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:25 pmYup, I SO agree. 🙂
mollieandclaire says
July 11, 2015 at 8:21 pmLove the Duck Egg. Actually I can imagine a blanket using these three colours…!
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:26 pmI think a blanket of all ten shortlisted colours would be even lovelier. Not that I’ve been earwigging on rumours of multipacks or anything…
mollieandclaire says
July 15, 2015 at 8:27 pmOoooo!
narf77 says
July 12, 2015 at 2:52 amIt WAS green. You tricked me on Facebook Ms Twisted! Donna Hay will be very proud that you picked her favourite colour as numero uno but I love the mix of all 3. Pity we can’t get Stylecraft wool here. I think I would knit myself a boundary fence for Sanctuary out of these gorgeous colours if we did.
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:27 pmYou sure you can’t get Stylecraft? If nothing else, Deramores ship internationally at pretty reasonable rates. (I’m not being paid by anyone to say this, I promise.)
narf77 says
July 16, 2015 at 3:43 amLOL! I will look into it. It’s not like wool/yarn weighs much to be honest 😉
Thread Forward says
July 12, 2015 at 3:53 pmBeautiful colours!
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:27 pmAgreed. The voters chose wisely. 🙂
caityrosey says
July 12, 2015 at 9:15 pmI feel very in-style just now. I finished a top in a color very similar to duck egg blue just last month. I didn’t know how fashionable I was. 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:28 pmYup, you’re bang on-trend. 🙂
Trish Stevens says
July 13, 2015 at 12:20 pmWow, they’re going to make all three colours? That’s great news!
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:28 pmYes! (I think they ought to make all ten. 🙂 )
Jenny - prettycolumn (@riley_jl) says
July 14, 2015 at 10:20 amthose colours are awesome, you can tell a lot of careful and fun colourful judging went into them 🙂 duck egg blu ehas to be my favourite of the three as well! can’t wait to make something in it! jenny xx
The Twisted Yarn says
July 15, 2015 at 8:28 pmGlad you like it. 🙂 The voters chose wisely, I think.