Category Archives: Yarn

Working with Hand Painted Yarn

I love our new yarn Hawthorne. You probably could tell because I wouldn't shut up about it on our latest podcast. Since I've been using it like crazy in several projects, I thought I'd share some tips & tricks for working with what can be a challenging yarn to some people - hand painted yarn.

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Color Explorsion at Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat in Tacoma, WA.  Hundreds of fiber enthusiasts attended classes in knitting, spinning, weaving, as well as other great subjects. There also was a great market place that was hard to resist!  My focus that weekend was Intarsia and Fair Isle knitting. My first class was a 3-hour class, "Learning to Love Intarsia" with Sally Melville. I have been so intimidated with Intarsia.  This class definitely changed my mind! Here's the swatch I created.

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Free Rhoda Headband Pattern

I've struck again! This time I used the luxurious Aloft to make a quick and easy headband pattern for a vintage-esque accessory. Introducing the Rhoda Headband!

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Cobblestone Christmas Sweater

Jared Flood's Cobblestone Pullover has been haunting me for years. I think most knitters have a pattern that has lingered in their mental list of things to knit for far too long and at some point it becomes this obstacle that needs to be conquered. I bought my very first issue of Interweave Knits way back in 2007 during my first year of college and the early days of my knitting adventures. Over the years I've sifted through that single issue so many times that it's falling to pieces. Without fail, I would head straight to the Cobblestone Pullover whenever this issue resurfaced on my book shelf, and I would find myself wishing that I had either the yarn or the fella to knit it for. The stars never quite aligned for this pattern... until now!

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Holiday Haul!

I'm usually not terribly tempted by sales, but this year I just had to treat myself to the limited edition Wool of the Andes colors that we had for Cyber Monday! Apparently I wasn't the only one who had that idea, considering that by the time I placed my order, one color was sold out and two more were just a few skeins away. So, I got what I could! And it was a lot.

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Snow Day!

It's really feeling wintery all over the country, and we got a little taste of that today in the northwest. It actually snowed! Now I'll admit it's not much snow (nothing like we used to get in upstate NY!), but it still evokes a 'hot chocolate kind of day'. On days like this, I just want to curl up on the couch with a warm mug of cocoa and some woolly knitting. if this weather keeps up, I might just be able to finish my Full Circle sweater!

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The Big Sale 2013: My Top 10 Picks!

By now, most of you have noticed the spectacular sale we have going on (our early-to-the-party answer to Cyber Monday). But the downfall of having over 700 yarns on sale? It always feels like you’ve missed something, no? With that in mind, I’ve highlighted my Top 10 favorites from this year’s big sale—in dramatic ascending order! Please keep in mind that I’m a lady who loves her neutrals (with little pops of jewel-tones here and there). 10) Capra in “Wine” $7.99 $3.99/50g  –  85% Merino Wool, 15% Cashmere My favorite reds always look like they belong in a long-stemmed glass; the combination of this with cashmere feels like some pinnacle of luxury.

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A Bevy of Brava Blankets

There's nothing quite like a handknit blanket to warm you up on a winter day. And they're even better when they're washable! That's why we have several blanket kits in our super-soft, sturdy acrylic Brava yarn. It's hard to go wrong with the Hue Shift afghan! This favorite blanket is available as kits in four colorways...

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For the love of Single-Ply yarns

I have a great love for single ply. Obviously there are some cons - mostly that it pills more easily and can be splitty to work with. But we have such yummy single-ply yarns that I can't help but love them! Since I've finally put the finishing touches on my favorite Icelandic coat, I've been itching to start another Icelandic style sweater. The natural choice is a single-ply, as that's what Lopi-style yarns are. Before it's all gone, I had to get my hands on some Full Circle Worsted in the most cheerful green - Tomatillo - and get to work!

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