Sirdar Embers is a new DK yarn that achieves its colour effect not through dyeing but through construction — coloured fibres spun into the solid main shade during manufacture, producing a subtle, rich tonal depth that is present in every stitch without being dramatic or busy. A lightly brushed 80/20 acrylic-wool blend in eight colourways named for light and fire, 100g and 335m per ball at £6.00. Nine dedicated Embers patterns from sweaters to a hat and scarf set are stocked at £3.50 each. This post covers how the colour effect works, the full colourway range, the pattern collection, and everything practical you need to know.

Torzal is Malabrigo's newest yarn, and it takes a different approach to colour from anything else in the range. Rather than dyeing the finished skein, multiple colour tones are blended into the fibre before the two-ply is spun — producing a marled, handspun-inspired effect where the colour is never flat, never static, and continuously shifting across the knitted fabric. 100% superwash merino, sport to light DK weight, 50g and 160 yards per skein, machine washable. Eight colourways at £11.50 per skein at Craft and Canvas, Hebden Bridge.

The finished pieces look like they take years of skill to produce — small sculptural animals with detailed surfaces, precise pictorial panels worked in wool. The technique behind them is straightforward: barbed needles mechanically tangle wool fibres into felt, and everything else is a variation on that action. In this complete beginner's guide we cover the equipment you need (needles from £1.99, foam pads, finger protectors, felting wool batt at £1.95), the full range of 12 needle felting kits we stock from £7.99, and how to progress from kits to working freely with loose wool. All stocked at Craft and Canvas.