November Is Chilly, Yarn is Cozy: Time to Stitch!

November 04, 2025

I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I LOVE the return of Standard Time. Let's be real, I'm going to change into pajamas when I get home anyway, and when it is dark already, I feel FULLY justified.

I have some favorite ways to lean in to the season--simple things to make embracing the Big Dark a little more fun:

Casting on new projects. Sometimes gifts, sometimes not. I started three new things last week, and that was a blast!
For social connection when you might be less likely to go out, join a stitch-along. We are hosting the Hoodie Stitch-along with a hybrid cast-on/progress meeting this Friday (see below), the Gnome & Elf swap is coming up the second week in December, and we are knitting along with Joji Locatelli's mystery shawl KAL. And there are more out there!
And when you DO want to go out, make it easy. No need to make a special plan--Yarn Folk hosts Social Stitching every Tuesday morning and every Saturday afternoon.
Cozy beverages. There is a switch that flips in my brain when autumn arrives, and I want black tea, and something with enough body to take a bit of oat milk. Refreshing your supply of whatever you fancy feels like a nice little treat.
Wear your cozy things!
If you have favorite movies or shows you like to return to year after year, Just Watch is a great help in figuring out where they are streaming.
Audiobooks are my MVP--tell me a story while I stitch, please.
Meal planning generally, and soup specifically. In the fall and winter, we somehow slow down AND get busier, and for me, having a game plan is key.

SOCKTOBER UPDATE

We have two winners--Greta who submitted the gorgeous photo evidence of her tracker I used as a reminder post is not local, so while I'm sending the $25 gift card her way, I drew again for the $10 Hayday gift card, and Amy was the winner of that. Of course, we are all winners in that we have more sock than when we started the month!

…mark your calendars

Social Stitching

Every Saturday, 2-4p

ADDED! Every Tuesday, 10a-12p

Hoodie Stitch-along

Friday, November 7 & Friday, December 5, 3:30-5p

We will have a cast on / progress party on November 7th, and a final show and tell on December 5th. Knit or crochet hoods, or hooded sweaters if you are really ambitious! This includes balaclavas. Need some inspo? Find it here.

NEW: This Friday's event will be hybrid--if you would like to attend via Zoom, here is the invitation.

Indie Gift-A-Long

November 20 (5p) to December 31

Hosted in the Indie Gift-A-Long Ravelry group, the Indie Design Gift-A-Long is an almost 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by an extensive list of independent designers. Find more info (and check back for updates) here.

Plaid Friday / Small Business Saturday / Cyber Monday / Giving Tuesday

Friday, November 28 to Tuesday, December 2

Details later, but it's coming, y'all 🌲

Gnome & Elf Swap

Saturday, December 13, 10-11a

Our annual swap is back! Look for sign up details next week!

…new in the shop

This will take me a minute to get set up (very much JUST got delivered), but shortly we'll have 144 colors of DMC Embroidery Floss to add to our selection of "other crafts."

Hopefully by the end of the week--in addition to getting the data into the system, I also have to assemble the cabinets....

…to inspire

Our annual Elf & Gnome Swap sign ups are OPEN. Find the sign up form here, and a collection of pattern possibilities here. The rules are few; only the timeline is rigid--we need to have your gnome at the shop by December 10th, and the in-person swap is December 13th, 10-11am.

...currently stitching

The Sophie Hood in Basta is finished, and I love it! It was a fun project, and it's not often that such a furry yarn has as much natural fiber as Basta does. We do have yarn kits (the pattern is sold separately) here. The pattern has three sizes; I made the small. The hood size is the same; it is a question of how much scarf you want to fling around your neck!

I cast on Mosspath in Laine x Novita DK. Right now, it is a very dark black piece of knitting. Which is to say, not at all photogenic. The pattern starts with the upper back, and I'm done shaping the shoulders and have worked about half the distance to the armholes. I love working with this yarn--it's a real one, alright. Did I mention that when I blocked my swatch it gave off NO dye?? (It is SO black; I wouldn't have been surprised or mad if it did.)

I also started Andrea Mowry's Jaunty in Lang Infinity. This super soft Merino is self-striping, but both the repeat and the length of each color is randomized. I'm planning to use two skeins, and will start decreasing just before I've finished with the first skein (to leave a bit of buffer, as Andrea suggests).

AND, I cast on for Joji Locatelli's One Love Mystery Shawl. It's billed as an easy knit, and it calls for only one skein of yarn, so I think I can keep up. So far, so good--I'm finished with clue #1. I'm using the other Laine x Novita (the 4Ply) for this, in Earthy Olive. If you want a spoiler image, you can click through to my Ravelry project page.