Malabrigo Mecha + Madelinetosh x Barker Wool + Weekly Social Stitching

October 25, 2022

After a few months of experimenting with times and frequency, we're settling on a regular Social Stitching schedule of every Saturday, 2-4pm. No more keeping track of which week of the month it is--for you or for me! And by Saturday afternoon, it's really best if I have the week's projects wrapped up and put away! Please join us any time it works for your schedule. And this week, if you're participating in the Plaid KAL/CAL, some of us will be working on those projects.

More info about the Plaid KAL/CAL here.

💡Also--it's noted below and I'll highlight it again next week, but on Monday, November 7th, the shop will be open for pick-up only while we have some additional lighting installed! 💡

Current open hours are Monday - Thursday, 7am-3:30pm, Friday 8:30am - 5pm and Saturdays, 9am-4pm.

In-store shopping: masks are optional (but welcome and appreciated).

…to learn (and do)

three red and orange skeins of yarn with the words "Yarn Folk talks"

CURRENT CLASSES & EVENTS

Social Stitching

Every Saturday, 2-4pm

Join us around the big table for a couple of hours of convivial stitching.

Plaid KAL/CAL October 29-November 4 (join any time)

More info here.

Holiday Hours

Friday, October 28 We'll be open until 6 pm for downtown Trick or Treating.

Monday, November 7 We'll be open for curbside pick up only while we have some new lighting installed!

Friday, November 11 We will be open regular Friday hours on Veterans' Day, 8:30am-5pm.

Thursday, November 24 Closed for Thanksgiving.

...to anticipate

Malabrigo Mecha is a super squishy light bulky weight yarn with all the softness and rich color you've come to expect from Malabrigo. We've had this base before, but not for several years, and we thought we'd bring it back to make your fall and winter extra cozy. Because it's a single ply, the dye takes on a glazed watercolor effect. It's also a very round yarn that makes juicy cables. And being the merino fiber you love in most of Malabrigo's yarns, even very sensitive people usually find this luxurious to wear next to the skin.

I have a Ravelry pattern bundle of designs I think would work beautifully with Mecha--and lots of them are accessories (whether you're needing them yourself in these ever-chillier mornings, or are thinking ahead to gift-making)!

…to inspire

Are you familiar with patterns that use assigned pooling as a design element? Assigned pooling takes advantage of dye techniques that (usually) combine fairly short lengths of a contrast color with a longer length of a background color. Assigned pooling patterns direct the knitter or crocheter to make a specific stitch whenever the color appears. On a bulky scale, Berroco's easy Florrie scarf uses the color bursts of Dash to create garter stitch interest against a stockinette background. On a more delicate scale, Dawn Barker has popularized the technique using fingering weight yarns--her own (originally Chasing Rabbits, now Barker Wool) and now in collaboration with Madelinetosh. Last week, we received a shipment of all four current colors of the MT x Barker Wool collection in Tosh Merino Light, with a plan to cast on Fizz or Glide. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to let the yarn take the lead.

And while the pattern support is more extensive for using this method in knitting, the same principles apply to crochet--J Hook Crochet demonstrates a simple shawl using it in this video.

...to stitch

The Baby Bobble Sweater is an adorable pattern that jumped to the top of my sample-making queue when a customer came in to purchase yarn for it. The size range is 3 months to 3-4 years, and I made the largest (3-4 years) size. The bobbles are on the front and sleeves only, and I love that they provide textural interest for little fingers, without any danger of detaching. The back is plain stockinette, for more comfort when the kiddo is reclined or in a car seat. On US10/6mm needles, the project flew, and the bobbles were a great opportunity to practice knitting backward--super useful any time you have to change directions frequently in your work. (Entrelac is another great use for it.) I used Vintage Chunky, which is soft, warm, and easy care--machine wash, lay flat to dry. (Although those are the official care instructions, I made the largest size of Sharon's Glamping Blanket, and I machine washed AND tumble dried it before I sent it off to its new home, and it looked great.)