The Snuggle Is Real Kits + Knitting with Beads

July 13, 2021

This thing is WARM! I took a selfie showing what The Snuggle Is Real looks like when worn anyway!! See below for details.

My project for the last week has been updating photos at yarnfolk.com. I started by making a list of nearly all the yarn in the shop, then cross-referencing against the website to see which needed to be added, which had photos taken before I set up a photo lightbox, and which needed corrections or additions to the tags that make the site searchable. No two displays will show colors exactly the same way, and when the yarn is hand-dyed, no two skeins are exactly the same, but I'm happy to use these warm summer days to upgrade the site!

Current open hours are Monday - Friday, 7am-3:30pm, and Saturdays, 9am-3pm. In-store shopping: masks are optional if and only if you are fully vaccinated.

…to learn (and do)

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

CURRENT CLASSES & EVENTS

Social Stitching via Zoom

Thursday, July 15th, 4:00-6:00pm

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/981942707?pwd=TExyQlRPWnB3OW40QkFZRCs5aVRtQT09 OR open Zoom and enter 981-942-707 for the meeting ID

PASSWORD IS 330044.

Reminder: we've consolidated to just one Zoom event for now, but if you'd like to share project photos, chat, or share KAL progress, we'd love for you to create an account at yarnfolk.com and participate in the community we're building there. No intent to be yet another social network, but it's an option for sharing that doesn't depend on any outside platform. You can find it here.

Olive Knits 4 Day KAL (Fireworks)

Thursday, July 1st to Saturday, July 31st

Details here; view DK yarn options at Yarn Folk here.

...to anticipate

I've added kits for The Snuggle is Real with two options: the "Make it Work" option with a single skein of each of the three yarns, and "I'll Take Mitts With That," which has an additional skein of Ultra Wool.

If you choose "I'll Take Mitts With That," I'll include a printed copy of the free Tin Can Knits Maize Mitts (which has a full mitten option), and you'll have enough of the main color to work the pattern to the depth specified along with a pair of fingerless mitts. (You'll use all or nearly all of CC1.)

If you choose to "Make It Work," you'll need to modify the depth of the gaiter a bit to avoid running out of the main color. You will still have a cowl that is warm and cozy--it will just be a bit shorter, and you'll need to pay more attention to your yardage. If you enjoy a good game of yarn chicken where the consequences are limited to the possibility of having to back up a few rows, this is a good option!

You can find "Make It Work" here, and "I'll Have Mitts With That" here!

…to inspire

I don't add beads to my knitting too often--but that's because my eyesight is a lot to correct in a few square inches of high-index plastic, not because I don't enjoy the effect!

Beads are most commonly added to shawl and jewelry projects; some designers who often incorporate them are Sivia Harding, Laura Nelkin, Boo Knits, and Susana IC--to name just a few. (All links are Ravelry links to designers' works that incorporate beads, specifically.)

For more technique information, this 2006 article from Knitty.com has some excellent basic information, and Laura Nelkin has some good tutorials on her website.

Pictured: Beadle Needle, Knitter's Pride tiny hook, Perseids shawl (discontinued pattern), and Oral-B Super Floss and dental floss threaders.

...to stitch

Fireworks KAL

Once I got the Trendsetter New York checked in, I made a final decision about color, and cast on for Fireworks! The pattern has two gauge options (20 stitches/4 inches and 22 stitches/4 inches), and the size I wanted fell into the 22 stitch range. Pretty early in my thinking about this sweater, I started to wonder about using beads to enhance the firework "sprays" that the elongated stitch pattern suggests, and I had beads available to give it a try!