Category Archives: schoppel

RESTOCK Schoppel Zauberball Cotton

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Schoppel Zauberball Cotton is another yarn that was hard to get a restock during COVID and came in late this year, but we are ever so glad to be reunited!

Schoppel Zauberball Cotton

Schoppel Zauberball Cotton is a wonderfully soft, 100% cotton, self-striping sock yarn with a long colourway/gradient. It’s completely machine washable and perfect for socks, hats, tops, shawls & wraps, blankets – you name it!

 SEE PATTERNS & PROJECTS 

One ball is enough to make a pair of socks, or two chemo caps. 1 ball is also enough for many one-ball-shawl wonders.

  • 100% Long Staple Greek Cotton 
  • 100g/420m (460yds)
  • Fingering Weight Sock yarn
  • 2mm to 3mm/US 0 to 3 needles
  • Made in Germany
  • Machine wash

I’m currently working on Elfe using 2 balls of Schoppel Zauberball Cotton in colour 2339 Old Rome (I took pity on it, it seems to be the runt of the litter). I took it with me on my family trip to Rome last month, but the kids and the sights kept me occupied and my knitting didn’t really manifest while I was there.

I’ve opted to knit the top in stripes to make my life easy – I only have two balls and I want 3/4 length sleeves, and matching the ombre colourway for sleeves would be challenging with the yardage limitations. If you want yours ombre you should go for it, I started mine out ombre and it was BEAUTIFUL … just be sure to get an extra ball if you’re going to make sleeves. I have also gone up a needle size in order to eke out the yarn – I liked it knit on 3.5mm/US4 needles, but I’ve gone up to 3.75mm/UD5 needles giving the fabric more give. I’ll like make the top a bit cropped and loose for summer, very casual. I also haven’t bothered with any texture at the neck and am letting it roll naturally. I cast on with a 3mm/US2.5 needle to make it a bit tighter.

This has definitely become a “Haley wings it” type of project, but I’m trying to let go of the outcome, and let go of expectations ….

Just 1 ball makes a light-as-air Ranunculus top (size XS to M – for larger sizes get 2 balls).

 1 ball makes a Chal Alilailas wrap

1 ball is also enough to make a Sparkling Rose shawl

RESTOCK Schoppel Crazy Zauberball

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It took a while to get a restock of some of these yarns, the pandemic was a bit like an earthquake and came with a series of shockwaves and after-shocks that are still being felt in the supply chain, and are trickling down to us in so many little (and big) ways. Our access to a reliable supply of these excellent yarns was delayed, but thankfully they have landed safely on our shelves and we’re grateful to have them here once more!

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball

A while ago I was chatting with an old friend about sock yarn. She knits a lot of socks, and she wears a lot of socks, and she’s been making them for a while. I asked her about which yarns she uses over and over, which socks she likes the best, and which socks have lasted the longest. The point in the Venn diagramm where beauty, quality and longevity met was one of my all-time favourite sock yarns, Schoppel Crazy Zauberball.

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball is a 2ply marled sock yarn that knits up in an ombre gradient. The stripes in it are never narrow and the shifts are never jarring, but things are always changing, which keeps things fun when you’re knitting (especially if you’re just working on a pair of vanilla socks). It isn’t a new kid on the scene, but maturity comes with benefits, including a broad palette and lots of colours to choose from.

You may have already extrapolated that Schoppel Crazy Zauberball washes and wears extremely well. To prove it, I asked my friend to bring some of her socks by for a little photoshoot. All of the socks above are OVER TEN YEARS OLD, none have holes or thinning from wear, and they have definitely been worn. She doesn’t do any special laundering acrobatics, (she says she washes them on a cold water cycle with detergent and a cup of white vinegar, and then hangs them to dry). They were a little bit pilly, but not badly so, and it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be cleaned up lickety-split with a disposable razor. (I gave them a little steam to get them photo-ready, but they didn’t need anything more than a little shvitz to bring them fully to life).

My grandmother once told me she knitted my grandfather a pair of argyle socks, and he wore a hole in them while walking to work the next day – it still makes me cringe … these are the stories knitters tell around campfires. I don’t know about you, but if I’m spending 20 to 30 hours making a pair of socks, I want them to have looooooongevity.

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball embodies everything we want in a sock yarn – beauty and longevity! It’s a marvelous, self-striping yarn with a long colourway. The yarn is made from 2 plies, each a different colour, which creates a marled effect as well.

When it comes to sock yarns the Germans do them best – they always bring the best quality products to market. Schoppel Crazy Zauberball  is soft but also a very hard wearing yarn with 25% nylon, so your socks should wear well and last a long time (depending on wear and washing, we have clients who have had theirs well over a decade and they’re still going strong). We believe that if you’re going to put 20 to 30 hours of love and labour into a pair of socks then it’s worth it to make them with a yarn that’s going to last!

We really like the Magic Zauberball Stripe Socks free pattern (picture to the left) and the Sock Head Hat free pattern for this yarn.

  • 75% Superwash Virgin Wool, 25% Nylon
  • 100g/420m (460yds)
  • Fingering Weight Sock yarn
  • 2mm to 3mm/US 0 to 3 needles
  • Made in Germany
  • Machine wash cold, lay flat to dry
  • Pattern ideas for this yarn

FINISHED French Macaroon Baby Pullover

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French Macaroon

French Macaroon is an adorable and simple little pullover for babies & toddlers! I love it because it’s a great basic sweater for less experienced knitters. It’s knit in garter stitch, which is a great texture for coloured, self-striping and hand-painted yarns. We’ve used Schoppel Edition 3, a super soft and spongy, machine washable merino yarn that changes colour by itself. For a light, cotton version of this project try using Berroco Vivo. If coloured yarns aren’t your thing that’s ok too, the pattern is actually designed in solid colours (see below).

Tutorials

The pattern comes with a list of video tutorials to help you with any skills that might be new:

Sizes

  • Newborn, (3 months, 6-9 months, 12-18 months, 2-3 years, 4 years)

Materials

For a light, cotton version of this project try using Berroco Vivo: 1(1, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins.

Summer Yarn Options (cottons)

All-Season Yarn Options

Looking for a Matching Hat?

Looking for a matching hat for the new macaroon in your life? Try Tiny Tot or if you want something a bit more interesting to use up your coloured yarn (like Schoppel Edition 3 or Berroco Vivo) try Tensfield.

NEW Schoppel Zauberball Crazy

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Schoppel Crazy Zauberball

Recently I was chatting with an old friend about sock yarn. She knits a lot of socks, and she wears a lot of socks, and she’s been making them for a while. I asked her about which yarns she uses over and over, which socks she likes the best, and which socks have lasted the longest. The point in the Venn diagramm where beauty, quality and longevity met was one of my all-time favourite sock yarns, Schoppel Crazy Zauberball.

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball a 2ply marled sock yarn that knits up in an ombre gradient. The stripes in it are never narrow and the shifts are never jarring, but things are always changing, which keeps things fun when you’re knitting (especially if you’re just working on a pair of vanilla socks). It isn’t a new kid on the scene, but maturity comes with benefits, including a broad palette and lots of colours to choose from.

You may have already extrapolated that Schoppel Crazy Zauberball washes and wears extremely well. To prove it, I asked my friend to bring some of her socks by for a little photoshoot. All of the socks above are OVER TEN YEARS OLD, none have holes or thinning from wear, and they have definitely been worn. She doesn’t do any special laundering acrobatics, (she says she washes them on a cold water cycle with detergent and a cup of white vinegar, and then hangs them to dry). They were a little bit pilly, but not badly so, and it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be cleaned up lickety-split with a disposable razor. (I gave them a little steam to get them photo-ready, but they didn’t need anything more than a little shvitz to bring them fully to life).

My grandmother once told me she knitted my grandfather a pair of argyle socks, and he wore a hole in them while walking to work the next day – it still makes me cringe, these are the stories knitters tell around campfires. I don’t know about you, but if I’m spending 20 to 30 hours making a pair of socks, I want them to have looooooongevity.

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball embodies everything we want in a sock yarn – beauty and longevity! It’s a marvelous, self-striping yarn with a long colourway. The yarn is made from 2 plies, each a different colour, which creates a marled effect as well.

When it comes to sock yarns the Germans do them best – they always bring the besst quality products to market. Schoppel Crazy Zauberball  is soft but also a very hard wearing yarn with 25% nylon, so your socks should wear well and last a long time (depending on wear and washing, we have clients who have had theirs well over a decade and they’re still going strong). We believe that if you’re going to put 20 to 30 hours of love and labour into a pair of socks then it’s worth it to make them with a yarn that’s going to last!

We really like the Magic Zauberball Stripe Socks free pattern (picture to the left) and the Sock Head Hat free pattern for this yarn.

  • 75% Superwash Virgin Wool, 25% Nylon
  • 100g/420m (460yds)
  • Fingering Weight Sock yarn
  • 2mm to 3mm/US 0 to 3 needles
  • Made in Germany
  • Machine wash cold, lay flat to dry
  • Pattern ideas for this yarn

RESTOCKED Schoppel Edition 3 (get your SHIFT On!)

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Schoppel Edition 3

We’ve been restocking our supply of Schoppel Edition 3 – it’s been drifting in in dribs & drabs, a small parcel every week as the distributor gets their hands on it. Schoppel Edition 3 is a 100% superwash merino yarn that knits in a long colour gradation that shifts through marled colours. Because of this special colouring, it’s a great substitute for the yarns used in Andrea Mowry’s ‘Shift‘ series of patterns (it also makes a great Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman). Andrea has also graciously published some technical videos on youtube, so you don’t have to go searching far and wide for instructions for techniques you may not be familiar with (she has a sweet voice and I find them accessible). The skills required vary among these projects, I’ve ranked the projects from the easiest to the hardest skill-wise. For each project I’ve also linked to the finished projects in Schoppel Edition 3 on Ravelry, so you can see what other people have done and get colour inspiration … you never know what will catch your eye.

Shiftalong

Shiftalong is the smallest and in terms of skills required the simplest of the ‘Shifts’. The hat is made with two colours, one a solid or semi-solid, and the other a yarn that changes colour on it’s own.

Skill Level

  • Advanced beginner to intermediate.
  • The hardest skills in this pattern are keeping track of your rows and seaming – not big hurdles.
  • You should already have made at least one basic hat before starting this project

Size: Child (Adult Small, Adult Large)

Materials

  • Malabrigo Arroyo (main colour/solid): 1 skein
  • Schoppel Edition 3 (contrast colour/multi): 1 ball
  • 2.75 mm/US2 – 16”/40 cm circular needles
  • 3.5 mm/US4 – 16”/40 cm circular needles
  • 3.5 mm/US4 – DPNs (or a longer circular for Magic Loop)
  • stitch marker: 1
  • Pattern: Shiftalong

Inspiration

Techniques

Generally, I prefer to use the ‘German Twisted Cast On’ because it’s easier, but if you want a thicker, sturdier brim you should try the tubular cast on. If you kind both daunting you can skip them and do a regular cast-on, just be sure to make is looser so it will be stretchy enough to fit on your head! If you have a hard time casting on at a looser tension, try casting on with a needle that’s at least 1mm larger in size (possibly 2mm if you are very tight). This also works well for binding off loosely.

  • Tubular Cast On or Twisted German Cast On
  • Mosaic knitting (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Ribbing (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Slipping stitches
  • Decreasing
  • Knitting
  • Purling
  • Knitting in the round

The Shift

I made a Shift with Schoppel Edition 3 Last year and it was a great little project, it was immensely satisfying and I highly recommend it! As I worked I really had no idea how it was going to look, but it turned out gorgeous, the combination of the stitch pattern and the yarn really did most of the work for me.

Skill Level

  • Advanced beginner to intermediate
  • The hardest skills in this pattern are keeping track of your rows and seaming – not big hurdles.

Materials

Inspiration

Techniques

For good video tutorials for basic knitting skills see Knittinghelp.com, for everything else I usually start with a google search for the term I’m looking for + “Very Pink Knits” – she has lots of wonderful instructional videos!

  • I-cord edges (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Bias shaping (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Mosaic knitting (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Mattress stitch (seaming)
  • Increasing
  • Decreasing
  • Slipping Stitches

Nightshift

This wrap was super popular when it first came out, and for good reason – it’s gorgeous! The pattern calls for 6 colours, but their yarn is a bit thicker than ours, so to get yours larger you might want to bump it up to 9 colours, or repeat a few of your favourites.

Skill Level

  • Advanced beginner to intermediate.
  • The hardest skills in this pattern are keeping track of your rows and the I-Cord Bind off (just go slowly and you’ll be fine)

Materials

Inspiration

Techniques

For good video tutorials for basic knitting skills see Knittinghelp.com, for everything else I usually start with a google search for the term I’m looking for + “Very Pink Knits” – she has lots of wonderful instructional videos!

  • Sideways shawl construction (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Knitting
  • Purling
  • Mosaic knitting (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • I-cord edging (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • I-cord bind off
  • Increasing
  • Decreasing
  • Slipping Stitches
  • Changing colors

Shifty

Oh, how much do I love this sweater! Every time I settled in to figure out the colours I wanted to use for my own I sold them out …. this is not a complaint, it’s a problem I LOVE having.

Skill Level

  • Intermediate
  • This pattern is a bit more advanced than the ones above.
  • It’s a good idea to have already made at least one basic sweater with a round yoke construction before starting this project.

Size

  • 1 (2, 3, 4)(5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Finished Bust: 30 (34, 38, 42)(46, 50, 54, 58)” or 76 (86.5, 96.5, 107)(117, 127, 137, 147.5) cm
  • Recommended ease is -2 to +2”/-5 to +5 cm; Sample is shown in Size 2 on a 34”/86.5 cm bust with no ease. It is highly recommended to size down instead of up if you are between sizes so that the yoke fits properly.

Yarn

Schoppel Edition 3

  • Colour A: 5(6, 7, 7)(8, 9, 10, 11) balls
  • Colour B: 1(2, 2, 2, 2)(2, 2, 2, 3) balls
  • Colour C: 1(2, 2, 2, 2)(2, 2, 2, 3) balls
  • Colour D: 1(1, 2, 2)(2, 2, 2, 2) balls

Other Materials

  • 3.5 mm/US4 –24”/60 cm to 40”/100 cm circular
  • 3.5 mm/US4 double pointed or 12″ circular needles (or use magic loop technique)
  • 2.75 mm/US2 – 16”/40 cm circular 
  • 2.75 mm/US2 – 32”/80 cm 
  • 2.75 mm/US2 double pointed or 12″ circular needles (or use magic loop technique)
  • Spare 2.75 mm/US2 needle for tubular bind-off
  • Row counter (optional but useful)
  • stitch marker
  • row counter (recommended)
  • waste yarn or stitch holders
  • Pattern: Shifty

Inspiration

Other people’s Shiftys made with Schoppel Edition 3

Techniques

  • Tubular Cast On
  • Tubular Bind Off
  • Round yoke shaping (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Mosaic knitting (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • A little bit of stranded color knitting
  • Increasing
  • Decreasing
  • Knitting
  • Purling
  • Short Rows
  • Knitting from the top down, seamlessly (writtten directly into the pattern instructions)
  • Picking up a few stitches

FINISHED The Shift

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Worn in the centre

The Shift

Way back at the start of August I wrote about a neat fall-ish project, The Shift, and I finally finished mine! I asked you if you thought I should try out someone else’s colours or go my own path, and I think everyone (including me) was in agreement that I should trust my intuition, so I did. I chose 3 colours that I thought would work, crossed my fingers, knocked on some wood, and set to work. At first I was thinking “I don’t know about this …”, but as the project progressed I saw what was taking place and it was AMAZING!

Ooops! The colours were mislabelled!

How I Chose Colours

The pattern is always alternating 2 colours: one works as a background and the other is the dots in the foreground. The background colour will stand out more than the foreground colour. I found that colours A & B ended up being the dominant colours, and C was used mostly for the foreground/dots.

  1. I picked three colourways that looked like the colours could work together. One had reds, one was neutrals, and the third was dark things and a bit of greens.
  2. One colourway was darkish (colour A, one was medium in its brightness (the red, colour B), and the last was lighter (the neutrals, colour C).
  3. My colours: A) 2328, B) 2361 and C) 2349.

An interesting thing … as I was working I realized that colours A 2328 & C 2349. could also work really well with a cool colour for B, like the blue of 2362 or the green 2298.

The Yarn’s Performance

Schoppel Edition 3 was beautiful to work with and the finished piece looks and feels gorgeous. The designer, Andrea Mowry, has a sweater pattern named Shifty that can be made with the same yarn, and I would totally, unequivocally do it! Mowry suggests going down a size in the sweater pattern if you are between sizes, and I think that is perfectly feasible with Schoppel Edition 3 because it stretched easily when I blocked it.

Addenda: to test the tension in the round I think I would try making a Shiftalong Hat first, as a swatch for the sweater. Measure the tension before and after blocking to get a good idea of how much change you can expect. Reviewing the comments of finished projects, you might end up going down a size (or more).

To make a Shifty you’ll need the following Schoppel Edition 3:

  • Sizes: 30 (34, 38, 42)(46, 50, 54, 58)”/76 (86.5, 96.5, 107)(117, 127, 137, 147.5) cm
  • Color A: 5(6, 7, 7)(8, 9,9,10) balls
  • Colors B & C (each): 1(2, 2, 2)(2, 2, 2, 3) balls
  • Color D: 1(1, 2, 2)(2, 2, 2, 2) balls

A Small Hack

The yarn was very, very soft, and will be absolutely no problem wearing against your skin. It comes in balls, and I found that rewinding them into cakes on a ball-winder made them easier to work with. I also used my old Pantyhose Hack, which kept things more orderly. Since you’ll have 3 colourways going, I suggest using 3 different colours of pantyhose or Yarn Sleeves.

Worn backwards

The Pattern

The pattern wasn’t hard, but I did have to pay attention to where I was and keep track of my rows. To do this I used a row counter and made notations in pencil on my pattern. If you find that confusing you may want to put the info into a spreadsheet program to keep track row-by-row.

The stitch pattern is a slip stitch, and on a few occasions I had to tink my work a row or two when I wasn’t on the ball. It is not a project to do while distracted (ie. drinking).

Materials

Side to Side

I was going to take a picture of the finished piece laid flat. Unfortunately, I forgot and seamed it up! So I’ve used some photo magic to give you an idea of what the full piece looked like.

Front & Back

Here is The Shift, all seamed up and ready to go. I think the pointy part is supposed to be worn in front or to the side.

Conclusions

The yarn was great, the pattern was great, the finished project was great! I recommend it and I would do it again.

PROJECT The Shift with Schoppel

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The Shift

So you’ve likely seen Andrea Mowry’s “Shift” series of patterns by now .. they’re beautiful and awesome and gorgeous and … yeah, stunning. The only thing is they are made with an excruciatingly expensive yarn that’s also hard to find and hard to substitute … NO LONGER! Schoppel’s line of self-striping, marled yarns are an excellent sub. So I am going to make a Shift neck-thingy (see picture above) and try my hand at being shifty.

Materials

Schoppel Edition 3

Schoppel Edition 3 is a very soft and very pretty merino wool that knits up in a marled ombre striping colourway (it’s a shifty kinda yarn). It is very reasonably priced at $15.97 a skein (compared with $44 per skein, it’s a very civilized price). Schoppel products are made in Germany, so there’s no child labour, undue polluting or other kinds of suffering associated with the yarns manufacturing. It should only take 3 balls of Schoppel Edition 3 to make “The Shift” (based on the numbers from other knitters on Ravelry), so it isn’t a massive investment of time or energy … a nice little summer project.

The only problem with “The Shift” and Schoppel Edition 3 is the yarn is balled, not skeined, so its hard to visualize what the colours will look like. I’ve trolled the projects on Ravelry and picked out some of the more successful and beautiful colour combinations that other knitters have come up with for the project (the colour codes are below).

Photo: Tanya927 on Ravelry.com
Photos: suegriot, remylaio, daners33 on Ravelry.com
Photos: annili13, KnitPurlBake, craftynanlady on Ravelry.com
Pantone Fall 2019 Colours: New York Fashion Week

I haven’t decided on which colour combo I’m going to go with … maybe the top-left, or maybe I’ll come up with something all my own. I like the dark, moody, warm colour inspiration above on the left, so maybe 2299, 2328, and 2361. I also like the cool colours on the right with the blues, neutrals, and orange, in which case I’d do 2329, 2349, and 2362. If I wanted to go for the full cool palette on the right I’d try 2298, 2333, and 2349. Or combine the two, go for the reds and pinks from 2361, the leafy green and orange from 2328, and the neutrals from 2349. I’ll have to let it marinate.

Since you’ve read to the end, what do you think? Should I be safe and go with one of the combos in the project samples from Ravelry? Or should I blaze my own trail, come up with something of my own, but risk making a smelly fart of a colour combination? What would you do? What would you want to do? Let me know in the comments!

NEW Schoppel Zauberball COTTON

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Schoppel Zauberball Cotton DISPLAY

Schoppel Zauberball Cotton

FINALLY, someone has stepped up to the plate and made a 100% wool-free cotton sock yarn that feels lovely and looks beautiful! Over the years we’ve tried some of the other options on the market, but they were Meh. I prefer things that are a pleasure, and I’m really happy that we’ve found one. YAY!

Schoppel Zauberball Cotton is self-striping and knits up in a long, ombre colourway. It’s currently available in 6 colours. And it can be used for any kind of project, including but not exclusive to socks, shawls, wraps, tops, hats, gloves, baby clothes – whatever you want to make with a fingering weight yarn. Plus it’s made from 100% Organic cotton. People have already started making projects with it, you can see how it knits up HERE.

SHOP ONLINE HERE

More Inventory & New Shades of Schoppel Crazy Zauberball



Schoppel Crazy Zauberball 
We just got a shipment of Schoppel Crazy Zauberball sock yarn with lots of beautiful colours, including some new ones for Fall 2014! 

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball is a wonderful, self striping sock yarn with a long colourway. The yarn is made from 2 plies, each a different colour, which creates a marled effect as well. It’s a hard wearing yarn with 25% nylon, so your socks should wear well and last a long time (depending on wear and washing). We really like the Magic Zauberball Stripe Socks free pattern (picture to the left) and the Sock Head Hat free pattern for this yarn.

  • 75% Superwash Virgin Wool, 25% Nylon
  • 100g/420m (460yds)
  • Fingering Weight Sock yarn
  • 2mm to 3mm/US 0 to 3 needles
  • Made in Germany
  • Pattern ideas for this yarn

NEW Schoppel Pur



pur1660.jpg


Schoppel Pur
Schoppel Pur is another cool semi-felted yarn like Schoppel Alpaka Queen (in fact the two work well together). It’s a single ply, with a marvelous, felted texture and no twist. It is also self striping, which is always fun. 

  • 100% merino wool
  • 100g/150m
  • 12 sts & 19 rows = 4″/10cm
  • 6mm to 7mm needles
  • see colours HERE
  • soft, single ply, semi-felted, self striping
  • made in Germany
  • $24.97/skein















    Moebius Riff Cowl
    • FREE Pattern (pattern instructions on pgs 21, 30 + 31. Reading the pattern is a little confusing, basically you do the following: Use Mobius Cast-on technique, cast-on 100 sts, turn to pg. 31 and follow instructions “K” (the stitch pattern), and “L” (the cast-off). 
    • 2 skeins Schoppel Pur
    • 6mm-47″ circular needles