How to Spin Yarn on a Drop Spindle

During the very first sock summit (which was almost three years ago, back in 2009!), I got overtaken by all of the fiber fumes and came home with a drop spindle. I hadn’t the faintest clue as to what I was going to do with said drop spindle, but I knew I needed one everytime I walked past someone drop spindling as they were standing around, waiting in line, or just hanging out. After I recovered from the fiber festivities, I tucked my drop spindle away in one of my craft containers.

Finally a year or so later, I dusted off my drop spindle after a visit to an alpaca farm where I couldn’t resist buying some fiber. From then on out, every few weeks I would break out my spindle to spin up a bit of fiber. It took a while to get the feel for drafting, but every time it got easier and more natural.

If you have ever been intrigued by making your own yarn or spinning with a drop spindle, we have an entire 6-part series video class to help you get started! Kelley’s Drop Spindling Class covers everything from terminology to drafting, finishing, and even plying your yarn. It really is so much fun and a great way to play with fiber!

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A sale, and a full-sized Full Circle blanket

Earth Day isn’t until April 22nd, but we wanted to do something for the whole month of April to celebrate it.  Full Circle, our Special Reserve recycled wool yarn, is on sale for 10% off from 4/1 until 4/30.  After the sale is finished, Knit Picks will donate an additional 10% of sales to the Arbor Day Foundation.  A win for you, and a win for the environment!

Full Circle is one of my favorite yarns to work with – it’s a lofty single ply, the colors are richly heathered, and the finished fabric is soft yet sturdy with a pleasant wooliness to it.  After seeing the color samples arrive at the office, I decided that I wanted to crochet a blanket using Full Circle Worsted in Cardinal, Mocha, and Latte. 

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Podcast Episode 182: Rocky Shores eBook Interview with Kerin

This week, Jenny gets a chance to catch up with Knit Picks designer Kerin to talk about the newest eBook, Rocky Shores! Each pattern of this stunning collection reinterprets the ideals of Aran patterns with modern updates, all while influenced by the coastlines of the Northwest. The eBook includes patterns for three women’s garments, a men’s vest, a wrap and a purse. Hear all about Kerin’s design process, inspiration, and challenges that Kerin was faced with as she goes through and talks about each of the designs in this amazing collection – a must listen for fans of knitting history and traditional techniques!

The Rocky Shores eBook is now available for $9.99, and single pattern downloads from the collection are available for $4.99.
Find the Rocky Shores eBook here:
Rocky Shores eBook
 
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Working With Cotton Yarns

With warmer weather just around the corner (at least hopefully for us here in the Pacific Northwest), more of my project planning starts to focus on working with cotton yarns and blends. For me, shifting from planning and working up projects with animal fibers to plant based fibers can be a bit tricky since cotton fibers play by their own rules. This means that we as knitters and crocheters must sort through additional guidelines and characteristics to achieve the desired results that we are looking for in our projects. 

To help explain why protein and plant fibers differ, we have to look closer at the structure of the fibers. Unlike wool and other protein fibers, cotton yarns are made up of cellulose fibers. These are fibers that typically are inelastic, yet very strong and durable. The structure of these plant fibers also have the ability to pull away heat instead of retaining warmth. You can work with these qualities to your advantage, however – if chosen without these considerations, your project may not turn out as expected.

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April Flowers Catalog Cover

I’m so excited to share the catalog cover for April 2012! I knew I wanted to do something with our lovely range of cotton yarns
and I definitely wanted to create flowers but it took a few tries to get
the cover just how we wanted it. I can’t help thinking about the huge field of poppies in the Wizard of OZ when I look at this picture.

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