New Yarn: Lantern
Like moonlight on a running brook, our newest yarn, Lantern, moves with syncopation and mystery, artfulness and beauty. It brings light and complexity, adding a layer of texture that enriches everything you make!
Made in Japan, each skein is its own artistic testament to balance and surprise. With a creamy white cotton core wrapped with a colorful linen thread, Lantern is 61% cotton and 39% linen.
The playfulness of Lantern’s irregularity inspired us to continue the fun with its palette, 25 incredible colors. Some of them, like Bluegrass Blue, Copse Green, Blue Violet, and Blue Black (above), are as unfathomable as the night sky.
And at the other end of the spectrum, even sweet Dogwood Pink and Pink Salt, bring their own drama, with undulating texture and glinting white points of light. Gentle but not timid!
Lantern’s wide-ranging color palette also features the luscious colors of a summer farm stand with its stone fruits and garden vegetables. Poppy Orange, Horse Chestnut, Cinnabar Red, and others tap into the richness of natural bounty.
And we plumb the depths of mystery with inky shades like French Prune, Beet Red, and Purple Heliotrope. These sensuous colors are seriously beautiful and beautifully serious!
In the end, all 25 shades make a family filled with connections. Consider the beauty of this combination: musky Moth Wing and warm Peach Cream, the perfect foils for golden Beech Leaf.
A feast of color, choose your favorites to knit up one-of-a kind sweaters and supple blankets, durable dishtowels and washcloths. Lantern is a quick and easy worsted weight with a wonderful heft and drape. It has a cool, defined, and very satisfying touch. Not strictly speaking “soft,” it’s certainly not scratchy either! It’s earthy cotton and linen blend also happens to be what summer is all about!
Lantern comes in nice, long 164-yard skeins and is priced under $20 per skein, also nice! To explore the whole collection just click here and enjoy!
And to get started on your first Lantern project, try the free pattern for our Pebble Dishcloths. Designed in sets of five, they are just the ticket for a kitchen refresh!
Sounds and looks lovely. Can you suggest some other patterns that this yarn might be good for?
Hi Ann,
Thank you so much for the kind words! Lantern will work for just about any pattern written for worsted weight yarn – I think it would be especially lovely in our Pebble Tank or for another houseares project, it would make a delightful version of our Loopy Bath Mat!
Can I assume that the new yarn lantern would be machine washable?
Hello and thanks for writing in! Although our official recommended care instructions for Lantern are to hand wash and lay flat to dry, our insider practical knowledge is that Lantern holds up great in a cold or warm machine wash and even in a low or warm dry cycle. There may be a very small amount of shrinkage (like 2%), so stick with hand washing for garments. Also, washing with like colors is always a good idea!
I hope that helps! Happy knitting!
Julianna
Which of your patterns for women would you suggest using your new Lantern yarn ?
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for the kind words! Lantern will work for just about any pattern written for worsted weight yarn – I think it would be especially lovely in our Pebble Tank!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I would love to do a shawl with this. Suggestions for a pattern?
Hi Giselle,
Thanks for writing in! I think Lantern would create a very unique and interesting version of our Linen Stitch Colorblock Wrap! It would take 9 skeins and you could create a really lovely palette or gradient from the full line of Lantern or by combining two Pebble Dishcloth Bundles that coordinate, such as Oyster Shell and Coast.
Best of luck, and please let us know how your shawl turns out!
Julianna
What is the best way to join a new skein of lantern yarn?
Hi Dale,
Great question! I would suggest simply dropping the old strand of yarn and starting to knit with the new one, as we show in our Adding a Ball of Yarn tutorial, leaving at least a 6 inch tail from each strand. This method does leave a small hole, but you can close it up by crossing the two tails over each other when you weave them in. Another option would be to knit one stitch with the old and new yarns held together so there isn’t a hole, and again, weaving in your ends later.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
This yarn is absolutely beautiful with an interesting texture. I would love to make an easy summer scarf or wrap similar to the Elementary Wrap. How many skeins of Lantern would I need and would the Elementary Wrap pattern work with this yarn? Could you suggest another pattern to make a scarf or wrap with this yarn also? Thanks so much, I appreciate it!
Hi Pam,
Thanks for reaching out. I’d estimate that you would need 6 skeins of Lantern to make a design similar to the Elementary Wrap! This pattern is great because it works with almost any yarn. The only thing you’d need to do is adjust the number of stitches you cast on in order for the wrap to come out to the correct dimensions. To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest whole number. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
Lantern would also work great for the Seedbed Scarf and the No-Purl Ribbed Scarf. I hope these recommendations are useful!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, Lili
Thank you so much for your quick reply. I love your suggestions for alternative patterns. Would this yarn would work with the Open Air Wrap pattern? I realize it is a worsted weight but could be cute for a summer look or do you think it is too heavy. Thanks again!
Hi Pam,
Ooh that’s a lovely idea! The Open Air Wrap is an easily adaptable pattern, so Lantern will definitely work for it. It won’t have quite the same “feathery” look as it does with the other yarns, but I think it would still make a good summer accessory since cotton and linen are perfect for warm weather. All you would need to do is cast on fewer stitches so that it still comes to a reasonable width!
All the best,
Lili
Oh Lili, thank you so much! I cant wait to make that, I’ve had my eye on that beautiful yellow golden beech color which will be so fun for summer. I am so excited! Thanks again for all your help I really appreciate it.
Has lantern been discontinued? I went to grab two extra skeins for a sweater I’m making for my husband and the entire listing is gone.
Hi Erin,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m so sorry to say that we’ve discontinued Lantern! While we loved this yarn, not everybody else felt the same way, so we’ve had to make the sad decision to stop producing it. We hope you can understand!
What color are you looking for? I’d be happy to check to see if we have a few leftover skeins somewhere!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili, I do understand.
Thank you so much for checking for me! I need 2 or 3 (if available) skeins of Horse Chestnut.
If you don’t have any left over, could you recommend another yarn that might pair well with Lantern? I was thinking I could do a mid-chest transition to maybe Cotton Pure and do the arms in the same.
Thank you again!
Hi Erin,
Good news! We’ve tracked down 2 leftover skeins in this color. I’ve sent you an email with all the details on how to purchase these!
All the best,
Lili