A Bit of Earth
Phoebe base:85% merino wool, 15% nylon tweed
DK weight, 100g, 231 yards/211 meters

“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth?”

In her eagerness she did not realize how queer the words would sound and that they were not the ones she had meant to say. Mr. Craven looked quite startled.

“Earth!” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

“To plant seeds in—to make things grow—to see them come alive,” Mary faltered.
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

A Bit of Earth is the deep red-toned brown of rich soil, ready to nurture new life into being. The passage from The Secret Garden where Mary asks her uncle for “a bit of earth” has always been a favorite of mine, but it took on new meaning when I was living just outside New York City and I realized that the deep pull, the longing I felt that I couldn’t quite name, was the wish for a bit of earth of my own. I suddenly understood Mary’s trepidation, because the realization of needing a little patch of garden to tend and love runs so soul-deep that once it’s been acknowledged, it becomes impossible to ignore. In that moment, it became so clear to me that I needed to live a life more in tune with the natural world— and a few months later, I packed up my apartment into a U-Haul, and my darling and I embarked on both a setting out and a coming home.

Our Phoebe base is a plump 4-ply DK weight yarn, in an 85/15 superwash merino and nylon tweed blend. This yarn is delightfully squishy and springy, perfect for both garments and accessories.

As this is a hand-dyed yarn, there are no dye-lots and skeins may vary slightly. Alternating skeins is recommended. While this yarn base is superwash and will not felt if it accidentally finds its way into the washing machine, hand-washing your hand-knits and laying them flat to dry will ensure you can enjoy them for a long time to come.