Winter Wonderland?

January 11, 2022

Winter Wonderland? Yarn Folk

 

Well, that didn't really go as planned!

After a long week of difficult weather, I hope that you are safe, warm, and can get where you need to go. Last week was among the most challenging of my 21 years in Kittitas County, and 30 in the Pacific Northwest. Nature keeps us humble, and the grit and kindness of our neighbors keeps us hopeful, I think.

Here's hoping things inch toward normal operations this week.                                                 

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

In-store shopping: masks are REQUIRED for all guests over age 2. Thanks for your help in keeping my business open to the public!

yarnfolk dividing line (2).png

…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, January 13, 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.

Fingers crossed for a normal Zoom gathering this week!

yarnfolk dividing line (2).png

...to anticipate


While we are waiting for a new-to-Yarn-Folk yarn to clear customs, please enjoy this month's offering from Apple Fiber Studio's Pretty Pretty Yarn Club. I took many, many pictures in the snow over the last week, so I think the predominance of beautiful blues in January's color, Monet, really speaks to the season!
In a last-moment arrival, we received our initial order of interchangeable needle sets from the newly-revived Lantern Moon, known for their luxurious ebony needles. The four sets contain either 5" tips for general use, or 4" tips for making shorter 16" and 20" circulars, and either a complete size range or a smaller set of most-frequently used sizes. All sets come in embroidered silk zippered cases, and the cords are nylon-coated, memory-free stainless steel. You can find the options here.

yarnfolk dividing line (2).png

…to inspire


A near constant companion over the last number of days has been Tundra, my Léttlopi sweater. Lopi is classic Icelandic wool, and it's not buttery soft, but it's warm and comforting when worn with a layer underneath. I find myself wanting another, and Vár is a very strong contender. Two colors, and perhaps a strand of mohair held for the colorwork only? 
My pattern searching reminded me of a strategy I don't always employ, but which can be handy when you're dreaming on a project made for a specific yarn. Working from the filters on the left side of Ravelry's Advanced Pattern Search page, scroll all the way to the bottom to find "more search options," and select "suggested yarn name." From there, you can tailor your search using the more common filters--I wanted to look at pullover designs, so I also navigated to Category-->Clothing-->Sweater-->Pullover with these results.
Perhaps you wanted to look at accessories designed for Malabrigo Rios? You would enter Rios as the "suggested yarn name," then choose Category-->Accessories-->All accessories. (Results here.) I ❤ a good yarn substitution, but when you're obsessing on a particular yarn, or find the perfect color in a yarn you love, sometimes it's fun to see what designers have dreamed up for that particular fiber.
yarnfolk dividing line (2).png

...to stitch


Last week was made possible in large part by great neighbors. When we finally made it home on Friday night, we conveyed thanks with some wine, but my love language is making things, so I have three pair of mittens in the works, all from the unparalleled World's Simplest Mittens pattern (Ravelry or tincanknits.com). Four gauges, five sizes--it is the perfect blank canvas. The complete pair is a strand of Lopi with Aerial Color knit using the worsted instructions; the second two pairs will combine Ultra Wool with self-striping West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab. The ColourLab has its own sequence of equal-width stripes, but I am altering it by inserting narrow contrast stripes at each color change, using a modified helix knitting technique. I knit the cuff with the contrast color, then switched to the ColourLab. I knit according to the pattern directions until the first color change, which was in the middle of a row. I dropped the yarn, then went back to the beginning of the round, where the contrast yarn was waiting, and knit three rounds. To return to the next color in the self-striping sequence, I left the contrast yarn back at the beginning of the round, and slipped stitches until I was back to the location of the next color, where I began knitting, and continued until the next color change. I repeated this until I was near the mitten top decreases, when I switched to the contrast color. I was using Addi Flexi Flips to make it easier to return to the striping color each time. DPNs or two circulars would also work; magic loop would be possible, but slightly more fiddly. With this yarn combination, I am following the DK mitten instructions.


Stay connected with our newsletter