I got a ginormous wholesale order from a fiber artist, so I have been winding + dyeing for days.
(This is actually a giant pile of yarn I sold to someone at Starbucks last month. If you’re ever in town, shoot me an email and you get your own pile of yarn + coffee!)
This color (pumpkin) seems to be the most popular:
After you read the whole series (and take pictures of yourself…and measure yourself), check out her Fit to Flatter review of the new Twist. It’s a fabulous explanation of how to take the principles of picking-the-right-pattern and to apply it to the patterns you already love.
If you want to chat about knitting sweaters that fit, check out the Ravelry group (I’ll be there!). And if you’re looking for some sweater patterns that will look great in handspun yarn, check out this list of handspun sweater patterns.
But let’s get personal…
According to some incriminating photos of my in my yoga pants + tank top, I have a slightly bottom-heavy (but just slightly, the line is like, 1 cm bigger on bottom), so I need sweaters that have more interest near my face. Because I appreciate anything slimming, I should look for sweaters that create vertical lines (like, an open cardigan that hangs straight).
Have I been choosing the right sweaters?
Let’s have a look:
My very favorite sweater is my own pattern and I call it Cabled Satisfaction. It’s based on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s bottom-up sweaters. Knit in the round, with big cables up the fronts and little cables at the raglan decreases that join in the cabled top border. I think it fits all the requirements!
Right now, I’m working on the Apothecary Sweater, which has an entrelac panel at the neck and down the front. The bottom hem is plain, as are the sleeves. I actually only have one sleeve left and now that I’ve read the series, I’m going to make sure that the hem of the sweater and the sleeves end at different points (and that it’s not my widest point!)
The unfinished sweater I’m most excited about is Amelia. Her front panels of vertical lines and the fact that I’m going to wear her open (not buttoned at the top like the pattern shows), are flattering. I’ve lengthened the waist band (to hit my natural waist and highlight it). If I had read the series first, I may have skipped the strong horizontal border of garter stitch. (I’m way past the point shown in the photo..I need to take some more pictures!)
Welcome to the first installment of Talking to Yarn-Lovers. Each week I’ll have an interview with a different yarn-lover (maker, knitter, crocheter). If you want to share your yarn-love, sign up here and I’ll email you some questions!
I’ve been knitting for seven years and crocheting for six.
Where do you find handmade yarn? Do you have any favorites?
I find handmade yarn online, in local yarn shops, and at fibre festivals.
I’m absolutely in love with Felicia Lo’s Sweetgeorgia Yarns, which are hand-dyed here in Vancouver. I’m currently crocheting a shawl out of hand-dyed silk yarn from Indigo Moon, which also happens to be a local-ish yarn – she dyes off the coast on Gabriola Island.
What have you made with handspun yarn?
I made a hat with your yarn:
And I just crocheted a scarf in handspun yarn from Yummy Yarn (pictured at top of post)
What tips do you have for working with handspun yarn?
I love to let handspun yarn speak for itself – using simple stitches allows the texture of the yarn to really shine.
What tips do you have for working with handdyed yarn?
Swatch! See how the colours behave.
What tips do you offer for choosing an eco-friendly yarn?
Pay attention to cotton. Cotton can be one of the most eco-UNfriendly yarns out there. With more and more organic cottons on the market (indicating the cotton has been grown without using the harshest chemicals), it’s easier than ever to make smart decisions at the yarn store.
Oh, Kim makes a GREAT point about cotton! I wrote a bit about how bad cotton is for the environment here. Remember: just because it’s “natural”, doesn’t mean it isn’t drenched in chemicals!
Thanks, Kim, for sharing your tips + projects!
Kim is doing an awesome thing to raise money for a disease that’s ravaged her family. It’s the Pancreatic Craftacular and you can donate directly or buy something from a donor crafter. See all the donors here and remember that 20% of every skein of yarn I sell will go straight to Pancreatic Cancer research (until September 12).
Last weekend, I took off.
With just a few days planning, I jumped in the car and headed east.
In five hours, I was in Charleston.
Saturday morning, I woke up and explored Isle of Palm, SC.
then explored downtown Charleston.
On Sunday, before driving home, I checked out Angel Oak:
A 400 year old oak tree.
It wasn’t long. And it wasn’t a lot.
But it was enough.
Enough to interrupt my daily pattern.
Enough to give me a new perspective.
Enough to remind me to branch out, to try new things, to grow with grace and beauty.
It’s safe to say you’ll be seeing new inspirations in the Boutique. New colors, new clarity and new textures.
What are you doing this weekend to inspire your work?
PS. I was able to just drop everything because, thanks to my biz systems, I didn’t have to actually drop anything. You can learn more about systems for your crafty biz this afternoon, here.
If you bought a skein of banana yarn at the Big Crafty last week, you got a free pattern: the Slanty Surprise Shawl.
If you missed it then, you can still get a (free) shawl pattern, by purchasing a skein of banana yarn from the Boutique, in the next week. (Offer ends 8/1)
The pattern is mostly the wrap-stitch (did I make this up? I don’t know!) and it’s a little hard to explain verbally, although it’s super-simple to perform.
Here’s how you do it!
And the bind-off is basically a crochet bind-off…but with your knitting needles. Here’s what I mean:
(behind the scenes note: I am wearing the same skirt in the photoshoot for the patterns and in the tutorials. Different days, same skirt.)
A big thank you to everyone who came out and said hello, we were so happy to meet so many of you (despite how serious I look in this photo – I was hot!)
Our booth was spilling over with handmade yarn from me (of course!)
PS. If you got a pattern at the show? I’ll be posting those videos I promised tomorrow! Come back for them or just subscribe and it’ll come right to your inbox.
Need even more incentive? Mention that you saw this blog post and you’ll get a FREE pattern. It’s super secret and not for sale yet, but it looks like this:
Let me know in the comments in you plan on coming!
And this shawl out of UrbanGypz’s handdyed seasilk yarn (delicious!)
How do YOU work with handmade or eco-friendly yarn?
I’d love to collect your stories, opinions and tips and create a resource for all of us.
If you’d like to talk about handmade or eco-friendly yarn and how it fits into your crafting, just let me know by filling this out. I want to hear from EVERYone: new knitters, old crocheters, yarn professionals, average joes!
Each week, I’ll share your stories here, so we can all learn from each other!
PS. If you know someone who would like to talk about their own crafting, send them this link: http://bit.ly/bMlYXt
I have been self-employed, making handspun yarn, full-time for one year!
Instead of writing about, let me tell you what it’s like:
But most importantly?
I want to say, THANK YOU!
Without you and your support at the Boutique, I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills.
Without your delightful emails, I wouldn’t love what I do.
Without your encouragement and sympathy during hard times, I wouldn’t be able to go back to the wheel each day.
Thanks for making this last year awesome.
Here’s to many more fabulous, yarny, colorful adventures!
PS. Completely unrelated but entirely serendiptously, I’m almost at 600 sales in my etsy shop. The person who buys the 600th item will get a free skein of yarn in their order! Get yours here.
Hi! I'm Tara and I'm the Blonde Chicken behind all this yarn! You can read more about how I got this 
