Tag Archives: yarn

O, Pioneer

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Pioneer yarn skeins and hat sample

Sorry for the hackneyed post title, but my brain is mush as I’m writing this on a fine, warm Wednesday evening. After a five-hour meeting and two hours in rush-hour traffic getting home from said meeting, I treated myself to a little pop-in at the Pioneer release party at A Verb for Keeping Warm. This is the yarn I mentioned before — made from the wool of Sally Fox’s organic merino sheep just north of San Francisco, and naturally dyed by Kristine Vejar at Verb. I’d touched it before — I went in on the day the first skeins arrived and got to cop a feel — but today was the first day it was for sale. Given my exhaustion as I sat still on the last, endless highway overpass before the exit, I debated going. I figured whatever was left would still be left in the morning. But I’m so glad I marshaled what little energy it took, really, to gaze at a big table of beautiful yarn and give Kristine a congratulatory hug. Because what was there, and would not have been there in the morning, was Sally Fox herself! (You may recall I’m a fan.)

I came very close to leaving with two skeins of indigo, but I do hate being quite so predictable. Plus what I love about this yarn is its very sheepiness. So in the end what I chose was the lightest of the undyed colors, Lighthouse. I’m thinking of making a little triangle wrap with it, maybe Tunisian crochet.

But I can’t talk about Pioneer and not talk about this hat, seen up top. It’s one of the promotional samples the Verb crew have knit up, a modification of an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern, which mods will apparently be detailed on Ravelry soon-like. It is so, so cute.

If you want to know more (lots more) about Pioneer, check out the Verb blog, where it’s been documented in loving detail.

Pioneer yarn skeins on display at A Verb for Keeping Warm

Top right photo from AVFKW; the others are from my iPhone.

Elsewhere: Knitted boyfriend, handmade shoes, and how macramé can change your life

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knitted boyfriend bryr clogs pam allen and more

— The Dutch artist and her knitted boyfriend, funny and adorable

— French guys learns macramé to fund his South American wanderings, winds up with jewelry designs on a Paris runway

— I’m enticed by the process shots in the Tiger pillow installment of Design Sponge’s Embroidery 101 series (see also embroidered sunglasses at HonestlyWTF)

— In awe of handmade shoes

— Really great interview with Pam Allen, of Quince and Co, on the challenges of producing a natural, American yarn  (lots of good stuff at A Verb for Keeping Warm’s blog lately — poke around while you’re there)

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In other news, a little birdie tells me Juniper Ridge is discontinuing the truly amazing jumbo cedar sachets. Which is tragic. Fortunately, I ordered lots, because I love them, so there are a still a few dozen available over at Fringe Supply Co. But be aware they may be the last of their kind.

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What would you do with 360 yards of vintage French angora?

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vintage box of french angora yarn

Last week, a woman I know handed me a box of yarn and asked me if I had any suggestions about what she should make with it. I know I say this a lot, but: I died. Her grandmother owned a general store in the ’50s and ’60s, and this was one of the things Nina inherited from her. (That’s Nina with a long I.) Everything about it killed me. The 8 tiny balls of yarn, still neatly nestled into the compartments of this little lidded box. The vintage label on the end, declaring it 100% French angora. And, omigod, the sale tags still poked into each ball: 57¢. There was a handwritten price on the end of the box, presumably for if you wanted the whole thing. It was either 98¢ or 89¢. Either way: speechless. Don’t let the terrible nighttime cell-phone pics fool you — this is beautiful yarn. Pitch black, weightless and unimaginably soft.

Comparing yardage for currently available 100% angoras (still sold in 10g balls), and guessing it’s DK or worsted weight, it looks like it’s probably about 45 yards per ball, so a total of 360 yards. Nina commented on how unwearably warm angora can be, but it’s really only enough for an accessory anyway. All I can think is I would want it around my neck. My first thought was that simple garter-stitch kerchief I made for my mother last year, but it’d be lovely to do a small version of something like Orlane’s Textured Shawl Recipe, if the texture wouldn’t be obliterated by the fuzziness? To Nina’s point, something with some openness in the stitch pattern could be wise. I’d love to see the Lacy Baktus done in black angora. (Mine used about 400 yards, but it could be knitted to any size and yardage.) Or I also thought of Elis, which has been on my to-knit list for a long time.

But I would really love to know: What would you do with it, if this little box of gold was yours?

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Re ICYMI: Having been thinking a lot about Tunisian Crochet lately, and how much I miss it, I was thrilled to see the Purl Bee post a Tunisian pattern this weekend. So my pick for ICYMI this week is my funny little Craft club coasters, which happen to have been inspired by a couple of Purl/Hoverson knitting patterns. More Tunisian, world!

Elsewhere: Yarn news, Q&A’s, inspiration and more

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yarn news, Q&A's, inspiration and more

Yarn news:
— Quince and Co. has released their first alpaca blend yarn, a worsted-weight beauty called Owl. I tend to love alpaca in the skein and not so much in the finished product, but have high hopes for this one. In addition to being blended with wool, it’s woolen-spun, so hopefully not so dense and oppressive feeling as I find typical alpacas to be. And I love even more that it’s overdyed, so the natural tone and heathering of the wool come through the color. Can’t wait to get my hands on some of this. There’s also a new pattern to go with: the Sherwood Mitts by Pam Allen.
— My local yarn store, A Verb for Keeping Warm, is collaborating with Sally Fox on a California wool. They’ve got the first samples in hand, but I haven’t been in yet to plead for a chance to squeeze it. I’ll post more once it’s actually up for sale. I’m super excited about this.

Some good Q&A’s:
— with knitwear designer-photographer Carrie Bostick Hoge at A Butterfly in My Hair
— with knitwear designer Tara-Lynn Morrison at Beaux Mondes
— with Alpaca rancher Sara Bender at Blue Sky Alpacas blog
— with knitwear designer Helga Isager at the Knitterly blog
— and I love love LOVE this video profile of denim artisan Loren Cronk at Anthology’s blog. Magnificent.

Pretty, inspiring things:
— Heather Taylor on cochineal dyeing at Beatrice Valenzuela’s home
— home tour with a weaver at Design Sponge
— Um, Wooly Heads — not sure what to say or think about that one (thanks, Jo!)
— and Karen Barbé’s great embroidery sampler on a simple canvas tote

Speaking of canvas totes, I shipped my first wholesale order this week — a big box of the High-fiber totes went out to In the Loop in Plainville MA (between Boston and Providence). So if you’re in the vicinity, look for it in their new location next week. The popularity of this tote bag continues to thrill me, especially as I’ve been receiving orders for them from around the globe. I love picturing it walking down the streets of Vancouver and Lyon! And also love it when people post pics of theirs to Instagram — that really warms my cockles. So thanks again to everyone who’s been shopping at Fringe Supply Co., and helping to make this blog possible in the process.

What are you working on this weekend?

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Stitches and swatches

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stitches west heirloom romney and sincered sheep shepherdess worsted yarns

This may come as a surprise, but the photo above represents my entire haul from Stitches West this time around. I went in vowing to be good, and boy was I! There were two yarns I knew I wanted to see: the new Shepherdess Worsted from Sincere Sheep (whose yarns you know I love) and the Heirloom from Fancy Tiger Crafts. The Shepherdess was love at first sight but I had to pick just one. (For now, anyway; it may be coming soon to Fringe Supply.) The Heirloom was … hm, underwhelming. It was a little lost in the booth I found it in, and the colors didn’t wow me the way I’d expected. I walked away from it, bummed. But on my way out of the show, I decided to go ahead and buy one and see if it would grow on me. I picked a really great super-dark plum, which seems to be a thing with me lately, and found myself repeatedly touching and gazing at it on the long drive home. So on that front, I’m hopeful. And, shopping aside, it was great to see some of you and make some new acquaintances, too.

If you had a great and productive knitting weekend, will you please tell me about it so I can live vicariously? Mine was very frustrating! I was all excited to cast on for my Garance, and expected to have made great progress by now, but no siree, that did not happen.

If I knit this sweater with the prescribed — and purchased — yarn, it will be the most expensive sweater I’ve ever owned. And since, on top of that, I talked myself into this rather daring (for me) color combo, I’m taking the swatching very seriously. Will you laugh if I tell you it took me almost the entire length of Beasts of the Southern Wild just to wind a skein of the cobweb mohair? So all I managed to knit that night was one small swatch, and when I saw it in daylight on Saturday, well, I did not swoon. Reserving judgment and exploring options, I knit another swatch with just the silk Heichi, no mohair, to see if that felt more “me.” And then I soaked them both. The combo swatch is a beautiful piece of fabric, soft and fuzzy and freakishly like the impression I have of the sweater that inspired the purchase. But it’s just not me. The silk-only swatch is perfectly nice but I’m still not dying to wear it. So I either need to do the silk-mohair combo in a neutral, or send it all back and pick a different yarn for this sweater. Drat.

After that, I turned to my Guillemet hat but wound up figuratively throwing it across the room. The yarn I’ve been knitting it in is so painfully, horribly, depressingly boring that I just can’t bring myself to finish it, no matter how much I like the design.

Nothing makes me quite as itchy as three days with effectively no knitting. So someone, please, tell me an uplifting tale of projects gone right!

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Blog Crush: Fancy Tiger

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fancy tiger crafts blog crush

Being a person who makes her living primarily from creating or advising people on the creation of websites, and also a person who has always wanted to own a little shop, I have a lot of opinions about what small businesses should be doing with their blogs. Most independent shops don’t have a blog, of course, and not every store should. Sadly, those that do have one are generally not sure why they do, or what they should be doing with it. So the blogs either sit dormant for long stretches of time, or you witness the staff fumbling around for something to post. It breaks my little web-nerb heart. So the Fancy Tiger Crafts blog makes me doubly happy: I love it on a personal level and also applaud it on a professional level.

If you haven’t heard of it (yet), Fancy Tiger is a yarn and fabric store in Denver. I’ve never been there but, having followed their blog for a while, I’m tempted to plan a trip to see my Denver friends and relations, all so I can meet the Fancy Tiger crew and fondle their Heirloom yarn. The blog is a great and steady mix of perfectly logical stuff that makes you wonder why every yarn store isn’t doing the same — updates on new products and classes, staff picks, what they’re making, what their customers are making, and of course an original pattern here and there. (I really love the latest one, the Guillemet Hat.) All done professionally but naturally and conversationally, so that visiting the blog feels a lot like having popped into the store for a chat. Well done, Fancy ladies, well done.

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Blog Crush: Resurrection Fern

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blog crush margaret oomen resurrection fern

I know I have mentioned and linked Margaret Oomen a lot around here over the past year, so it’s no surprise to anyone that I admire and am inspired by her. But I wanted to say that in a more direct and formal way by adding Resurrection Fern to the annals of Blog Crush. Oomen makes, crochets, dyes and embroiders incredibly lovely things, plain and simple — and not just her unparalleled covered stones,  (for which she contributed a basic pattern to The Purl Bee). But I also love the blog for being so thoroughly genuine, and I have deep respect for how mindfully Oomen appears to live her life.

Also, her new kitten, Usher, is a dead ringer for my Slim.

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