Sunday Spotlight: Hailey Bailey Yarn
Welcome to SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT!
This is a new segment of the blog on which I will review something yarn-related: hooks, needles, yarn, patterns, notions, and so on. It could really be anything! These features will likely occur monthly at first. If there is something you would like to see me review, please let me know.
♡♡♡
Today, I am featuring some of my most favorite yarn ever: the earthy deliciousness hand dyed by the incredible @MadeByHaileyBailey! If you have been following me on Instagram, you know I am a huge fan of this yarn… do you think I have enough yet? (never!) So, it only seemed fitting for my first Sunday Spotlight feature.
First things first, if you are not already following Hailey Bailey on Instagram, rectify that immediately. Hailey is an absolute gem of a human, an incredibly inclusive crochet designer, and an insanely talented yarn dyer. There is literally no reason to not be on board the Hailey train.
Now, let’s talk about the yarn… *insert drooling face emoji here* Seriously, no words can do this yarn justice. But let me go ahead and try.
THE COLORS
As Christa of @TheFrostedStitch told me, Hailey is “an earthy yarn wizard.” I could not agree more. Hailey’s ability to capture rich, earthy tones is mind-blowing. She has mastered various shades of brown, orangey-brown, reddish-brown, orangey-red, pinkish-orange, cream, cream with brown, and more. Below are a few of the colors I am talking about.
The cream with brown speckles is Birch. This is the perfect neutral, with just a few brown specks to keep it interesting. I used this in my Despite Shawl (pattern coming Jan. 27 by @detroitknots - the neutral shawl photographed throughout this post), and I will be using it as the base in a colorwork sweater later this year too, held with mohair. Stay tuned!
The orangey-reds in the middle are Bramble. When I saw Hailey post this color around the holidays, I knew I needed a sweater quantity ASAP.
The lighter pinkish-orangey one on top (like how good I am at describing colors? 🤦🏻♀️) is Rosewood. I will be using this in a Tunisian crochet wrap soon, and I cannot wait to stitch up this magical colorway.
The brown on the bottom is the absolute perfect brown yarn, otherwise known as Willow. I used Willow in the Despite Shawl too, and will be using it in the same colorwork sweater mentioned above with Birch. Willow will be used for the colorwork against the Birch base in that sweater. It’s going to be a neutral dream!
But if you know me at all, by now you know that NORI is where my heart sings! I am obsessed with olive green everything, and Hailey absolutely nailed the perfect deep olive green yarn. Allow me to introduce you to Nori, if you don’t already know her:
I love Nori!
I first used Nori in my first knit shawl - the Sunflower Shawl by @capellalunafibers. The depth of this dark green colorway is absolutely dreamy. When the light captures it just right, it is the perfect shade of deep, earthy green. After making the shawl, I knew I needed more, so I bought three skeins of Nori Tweed and one more skein of basic Nori. I made the Pinetop Socks by @mavencrafted using the basic sock Nori. And the tweed… TBD. It will be a sweater of some sort, I’m sure. And it’s already my favorite sweater, even though it doesn’t exist yet. I am already feeling anxious about using up all of my Nori, so I’ll definitely be back for more. No wonder Hailey dubbed me the Nori Queen. ◡̈
And let’s not forget the minty greens! Not only has Hailey mastered earthy tones like those above, but she has absolutely nailed every variation of minty green goodness. Here are three of my favorites: Eucalyptus (used on the Fenna Shawl in the backdrop and in other photographs on this post), Luna Moth (the lighter minty beauty on the left), and Juniper (the speckled baby on the right).
These are just a few of Hailey’s many beautiful colors, so be sure to check out her Instagram page and her next shop update to find the ones that work best for your style!
THE DRAPE
THE STITCH DEFINITION
THE SQUISH
There are three more things I need to say about Hailey’s yarn, but this is already getting long and they’re all related to how beautifully her yarn works up. I have made three shawls using Hailey’s yarn, one of each yarn-craft type: knit, crochet, and Tunisian crochet. Each shawl design used a mix of simple stitches and textured stitches. Honestly, the stitch definition with this yarn is flawless in all three styles. The richness of her colors really makes every single stitch shine. Simple stitches, lace stitches, textured stitches… the yarn shows off all of it.
Her yarn is also incredibly soft! In a recent post about the Despite Shawl (which also features a beautiful variegated yarn by @mavencrafted), I talked about how wearing the shawl feels like a hug. It’s true. As someone who can get a little picky about what touches her neck, Hailey’s yarn gets 10/10 for shawl use. My neck is always satisfied. ◡̈. I’ve also used her yarn for socks, and while I admittedly do not have much experience with socks yet, they’re certainly comfy on my feet!
And last, but absolutely not least…. the drape. I mean….come on. THE DRAPE! It is unreal, y’all. Without letting you hold the shawls in person, I can only attempt to explain it with photos:
The Fenna Shawl by @KnotBadBritt using Eucalyptus (crochet)
The Despite Shawl by @detroitknots using Birch and Willow (& Dust Storm by @mavencrafted) (Tunisian crochet)
The Sunflower Shawl by @capellalunafibers using Nori (knit)
♡ the maker community agrees ♡
Don’t just take my word for it. Here is what others in the community have to say about her yarn:
@HookedByChrisHo said Hailey is a “wonderfully accommodating and communicative dyer.” Chris loves “literally everything” about Hailey’s yarn. “So much soft! So much shiny! Beautiful colorways.”
@Cosmic_Crochet_Creations “loves the colors and the squish!”
@EndlessStitchesBySarah also “loves her colors! They just speak to me.”
@BaaHumble said Hailey’s “color palette is so fresh and everything matches everything else.” (I concur! This makes it really fun and easy to mix colorways in projects.)
@FigandFilament ordered two skeins of Hailey’s yarn recently and said, “They’re GORGEOUS!”
@bek.intuitive said she “absolutely loves it! So much beautiful color depth that is so special.”
@chain.two.crochet loves the “Colorways! Love the earthy tones.”
@hellolavenderdesign “bought her colorway Peony and it’s so gorgeous!” She used it for socks.
@haleyhandcrafted said Hailey’s “colors are so earthy and beautiful. And it’s always so soft. The perfect squish!”
♡♡♡
I know this is an overly positive review, but I really have nothing negative to say about this yarn. And it helps that the dyer is an incredible human. So, if you’ve been looking to get your hands on some perfect squish, I highly recommend checking out @MadeByHaileyBailey! She is planning to have a shop update on January 30, 2021, which will include some classic colors as seen here, as well as a debut of a couple new colors. Check it out! Happy shopping, yarn friends!
Thank you for reading this review! Stay tuned for more reviews through this Sunday Spotlight series.
