FELIXALONG
Knitted swatches L to R: Wild Wool, Soft Donegal, Mercado, Homestead Tweed
Looking at the calendar, beginning the Felixalong the week after Labor Day seems ideal. Oh, September: enough like autumn to embrace the idea of knitting a sweater, still warm enough to not desperately *need* that sweater to be complete!
Felix comes in a pullover version as well as a cardigan, and while it is suitable for newer garment knitters, it also has some nice details and is potentially a quick, fun knit for more seasoned stitchers. It’s knit top down, with eyelet detailing along the raglan increase lines. Recommended ease is from 2-10”, so you can choose whether you’d like a fitted or oversized look.
Designer Amy Christoffers designed this sweater to be knit with an aran or chunky weight yarn at a rather open gauge—it recommends US 10 needles, and I got gauge with all of my selected yarns using those needles. Erika Knight Wild Wool is a wool and nettle single ply; Studio Donegl Soft Donegal is a two-ply tweedy Merino wool; Berroco Mercado is a chunky wool, and Plymouth Homestead is an aran weight wool that comes in both solids and tweeds.
The online listing for this sweater has yarn options that are currently in stock; however, I do expect several additional color choices to arrive before the KAL begins the week of September 7th. We’ll designate the Friday noon Zoom session as the official Felixalong channel, but as ever, anyone is welcome to hop on any of the Zoom sessions with whatever project they’d like to work on!
Check out the options here!
Current open hours are Monday - Friday, 7am-3:30pm, and Saturdays, 9am-1pm. In-store shopping: mask covering nose and mouth required for the duration of your visit; two customers at a time; avoid any wait by scheduling at yarnfolk.com/scheduling. And we’re always open at yarnfolk.com/shop!
Border collie staring at herd of sheep on computer monitor, captioned “Border Collie Working From Home”
…to learn (and do)
CURRENT CLASSES & EVENTS
Social Stitching via Zoom
Wednesday, August 26, 12:00-1:00pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88351111252?pwd=WFpkR2pLaEx4d1dMSFI3OXl4dWJ5Zz09 OR open Zoom and enter 883-5111-1252 for the meeting ID
Thursday, August 27, 4:00-6:00pm https://us04web.zoom.us/j/981942707?pwd=TExyQlRPWnB3OW40QkFZRCs5aVRtQT09 OR open Zoom and enter 981-942-707 for the meeting ID
Friday, August 28, 12:00-1:00pm https://us04web.zoom.us/j/741980568?pwd=bXp1ellFUHNqS0lUaFYvS1ord3Fndz09 OR open Zoom and enter 741-980-568 for the meeting ID
PASSWORD FOR ALL MEETINGS IS 330044.
PLEASE NOTE: YARN FOLK WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC AGAIN FOR A COMPUTER TRAINING THIS FRIDAY FROM 8:30-10:30 AM. WHILE I CAN MULTI-TASK WITH THE BEST OF THEM, I CAN’T ACTUALLY DO SO WHEN I’M IN A SCREEN-SHARING VIDEO MEETING! I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE WITH THE SCHEDULE CHANGE—THIS IS IN SERVICE OF BUILDING OUT MY ONLINE STORE TO CONTAIN MY COMPLETE INVENTORY AND SYNC AVAILABLE QUANTITIES.
...to anticipate
Letter carrier delivering mail while standing next to a postal truck
The current challenges USPS faces have been widely reported, and as a former postal employee, I am very familiar with the important role the USPS plays in our daily lives, perhaps especially so for those of us who live in smaller communities. I’ve delivered everything from everyday bills and checks to online purchases and birthday gifts to human and pet cremains. While most of my larger* vendors send me stock via UPS or FedEx, nearly all of my smaller dyers send my orders using the US Mail, and for the size packages I send to my customers, the mailing cost is much more affordable than other options. If you’re so inclined, please consider contacting your congressional representatives in support of USPS. It’s a critical partner for small businesses like Yarn Folk.
*This is your periodic reminder that even our “big” companies are still small businesses in the larger scope of things!
…to inspire
Screen shot of Daina Taimina delivering a talk about crocheted hyperbolic planes
I was ruminating on a conversation I had where I was asked what I did for a living, and when I answered, the person I was talking with responded dismissively that they weren’t “crafty.” Make no mistake; the fiber arts aren’t mandatory, and I firmly believe that people should enjoy the things they do for fun (at least most of the time). However, while we are making beautiful things out of every manner of fiber, we are also deeply engaged with aesthetic choices, we are participating in activities that support our neurological connections and psychological health, and the fiber arts could support a robust STE(A)M curriculum. Chemistry? Check. Physics? Check. Lots of math? Check—up to and including hyperbolic geometry.
This article from 2016 discusses some of the many ways textiles were utilized as STEM activities, and if it piques your interest, check out this TEDx talk by Dr. Daina Taimina where she discusses how she developed a physical model for hyperbolic planes, and if you’re inspired to try making one yourself, instructions are here!
...to stitch
The Sharon Show
I resisted for a couple of weeks, but seeing people’s projects progress through the first two clues of Casapinka’s mystery knitalong, The Sharon Show, sucked me in. I’m using three of the new, bright pastels in Berroco Ultra Wool Fine, combined with a light, heathery grey as a neutral tying them together. This is a rectangular wrap designed as a sampler, with frequent color and stitch pattern changes to keep things interesting. I’m about two weeks behind, and that’s okay. Plus, since the conceit of this pattern is that it was designed by a cat, there are are loads of kitty pictures in the MKAL Facebook group—as if I needed further enticement! Clue 1 is complete; let’s see how far I get with Clues 2 & 3 before #4 comes out on Friday. (There are 6 total.)
Kits for The Sharon Show are here.
