Happiest of new years to all --wishing you every good thing (including lots of fiber-y fun!) in 2024.
As a reminder, Yarn Folk will be closed next Monday through Wednesday (January 8-10) for annual planning. Last year was the first annual planning retreat, and before the end of the first day, I knew I'd be repeating it. The online store will be open, and we'll be filling any orders as efficiently as possible once we return.
This week, however, is completely normal (aside from the slightly later opening on Monday, which already occurred 😉). This includes Social Stitching, which will be taking place on Saturday from 2-4p, as always!
…mark your calendars
Social Stitching
Every Saturday, 2-4pm
A reminder--if you're feeling poorly, please join us again as soon as you're feeling better!
Make It Scandi Sweater Makealong
January 13 - February 29
Our official start date will be January 13th, and we'll continue through February. The theme for January's sweater makealong is: Scandi Design. Some suggested jumping off points include:
Pattern tagged with design elements from one of the Scandinavian countries. Filtered Ravelry search here.
Use a Scandinavian yarn. We have Tukuwool Fingering and Léttlopi at Yarn Folk. If you would like to use a different weight of Lopi, we can drop ship through Berroco.
Try a soft neutral scheme that evokes Scandinavian interior design, or other colors that are often represented: pale blue, forest green, burnt orange, dusty pink...
Use mohair carried along with another yarn--a technique often used by Scandinavian designers. Filtered Ravelry search here.
Holiday Hours
January 8-10 -- Closed for annual planning
January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) -- 9a - 3:30p
Weather Delay
In the ten years we've been open, we've had *very* few unscheduled closures. That said, our hours are sometimes affected, and here's how we try to keep you posted:
We update our hours in Google. Sometimes they don't approve the update as fast as we'd like, but we do make every effort to post any changes there.
We make social media posts on Facebook and Instagram, and share those posts to our stories. If you happen to see a post, please like or share it--it really helps to get the word out when there is more interaction.
If we have access to the shop phone, we update the outgoing message.
Please remember that we travel from Upper County, and sometimes conditions there are very different.
It hasn't quite arrived, but we have a restock of Malabrigo (mostly Rios) arriving this week. It's always fun to fill the Malabrigo wall back in with all of that squishy Merino goodness!
Take a look at Peter Brilliant's Crossing Dreams Beanie, suitable for hand-dyed yarn from DK to super bulky weight!
…to inspire
Intrigued by our #MakeItScandi sweater makealong, but you're not ready or interested in making an adult garment? Here's the Scandinavian designer search filtered down a little more to show only baby and child-sized sweaters. I cast on Ellen's Cardigan by PetiteKnits to prevent myself from starting Autumn Alpine early. Ellen's Cardigan is a simple sweater suitable for all babies from a Scandinavian designer (Mette is Danish), with a suggestion to combine fingering weight yarn with laceweight mohair. It can also be knit with any DK yarn, and I'm using West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep, a blend of Falkland Wool and nylon. It is a simple top-down raglan design, with a nice shape and very cute pockets. I'm making the 18-24 month size, but the pattern offers sizing from 6-9m months up to 10-12 years.
...currently stitching
The Hreindyr sweater is finished, and my notes are set to public on my Ravelry project page. Beyond modifying the color scheme, my other major changes were to add five pairs of short rows to the back before the colorwork yoke (this serves the same purpose as using short rows before starting the colorwork when making a top down sweater--to lengthen the back slightly so that the back neck sits a bit higher than the front) and to bind off the neck ribbing using the tubular bind off method. I also used a larger needle size, as I like the fabric Lopi makes when it has a bit of fluidity to it. The stitch gauge difference wasn't dramatic--the slightly looser gauge only added a bit over an inch to the finished sweater. As a dear friend pointed out, while I missed being able to wear the sweater at Christmas, the reindeer are *leaping* into the new (leap) year!