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While these last four months have been a challenge for all of us, it’s also been a rare opportunity for me to let my creativity fly. I’ve added so many new colors in my fingering bases that I’ve lost count! Now that it’s time to start plotting our fall projects, it seems like the perfect time to add some of the most popular of these on my Neptune DK. The base is a 100% SW Merino 4ply with a plump round construction that gives great stitch definition and is a pleasure to knit and crochet. With these new additions, there are 29 colors of Neptune now available.

Perfect for fading or colorwork are Destroyed, Brackish, Lagoon and Celadon — these just make my murky, blue-green-loving heart sing. Also new are The Real Casanova and its companion color, Justine, and Deep Forest, a rich dark chocolate which doesn’t lean too yellow or red, making it wearable for a wide range of skin tones.

If you like these colors but are looking for a lighter weight, they are all available in Deep Sock or Harbour Singles fingering as well.

Since I love this base for sweaters, I’m offering 10% off sweater quantities this week only with code SQS10 at checkout with a four-skein minimum (the code will work on any of my bases).

I had planned to run my second annual lace sale during the dog days of summer, when those hot, humid days are perfect for working on large, complicated but featherweight projects. Considering many of us are staying close to home this summer, it seemed silly to wait. Now’s the perfect time to cast on that tempting lace project that’s been languishing in your queue forever.

When I started knitting and crocheting in 2007, lace shawls were all the rage. Many of the most beloved indie dyers of the time included lace bases in their ranges. These days very few dyers do, few LYS stock it and honestly, not many people buy it. But every time I promote some on social media a wave of covert lace lovers come out of the woodworks, so I am committed to continuing to dye three different lace bases. Some things you just do out of love, and this is one of those for me.

Siren Lace is an 80/20 Merino/silk 2 ply. Each ply has a tight twist, plied together a bit loosely making it perfect for showing off complex lace patterns that are light and airy, with a soft sheen from the silk.

Harbour Lace is my Merino Singles base which works up beautifully in both shawls and sweaters. It’s perfect for those shawls that are a combo of garter stitch and lace patterns. The soft halo gives a sumptuous feel but the Superwash finish really helps prevent any pilling.

Yakima Lace is my favorite of all. A Merino, silk and yak blend spun as a single, its natural light silvery brown color adds dramatic depth to its after-dye color, the silk adds an iridescent sheen and the singles construction plus the yak down adds a subtle halo. I choose really saturated colors for this base and they really shine.

All told there are around 40 different lace options in my Etsy store and all will be 15% off for the remainder of June, no code required.

As a small child, a visit to the doctor’s office was fraught. Though Dr. Kyman was a gentle soul, the smell of alcohol, the swab down my throat or, horror of horrors, an injection, made for a very bad day. Mom was gratefully big on rewards, so we took a trip to the gift shop for a pack of Lance cheese crackers with peanut butter and, on a really good day, a new box of 64 Crayolas — the one with the sharpener on the back!

When I set out to make some mini skein sets, I felt much the same joy as I did when cracking open that fresh box of crayons and the unlimited possibilities to come. I dumped several hundred mini test skeins on my work table and lost myself in combining colors. My first eight sets of Deep Dips were born, but I love mixing colors so much there are sure to be more to follow. Each set includes five 20 grams/80 yards of Deep Sock, for a total of 100 grams/400 yards. Perfect for making hats, fingerless mitts or fair isle socks, or for trim or colorwork details on a sweater. Match up to stash yarn or grab some full skeins of coordinating Deep Sock for your large scale projects.

Is life back to normal yet? No? Well then code CXL15 will still get you 15% off at checkout.

Samples shown are Heart Head by @tellybeanknits, MoreEnds by @theresaschabes, Northeast Kingdom Hat by @savoryknitting and Eska by @ysolda.

Whenever I create a new yarn color, my mind inevitably jumps to ideas for a companion color (and another and another) in an endless progression. I plot and plan so many shawls and top down sweaters it would take three lifetimes to knit them all. I think about which color mohair or boucle to add to bring the whole idea to perfection. I think about which one of my lovely friends I can barter with to knit another sample for me!

When we think of fades, what usually pops to mind is a progression of speckles, most likely with a generous helping of neon. Not that I have anything against unicorns, mind you, but I’m here to tell you that deep and murky fade too. Having all the time in the world these days, I’ve built five new fade sets using Deep Sock or Harbour Singles Fingering, with several more to come soon. Each set includes four 100 gram skeins for a total of 1600 yards per set. And until life gets back to some normalcy and we can all get back to work, all items in my Etsy shop remain 15% off using code CXL15 at checkout.

Like all your favorite indie dyers, I’ve watched all my spring events get cancelled while I’m surrounded by thousands of skeins of dyed yarn. I’m using this break from the usual demands as a rare chance to just let my imagination go wild, so I’ve issued a personal “New Item of The Day” challenge. Some days this means adding a new base to a beloved colorway, but more often I’m experimenting with brand new things. I’m a little scared of how many more than my current 200 offerings I’ll have on my shop when this is all over! Here are a few of my favorites from the few last weeks.

True to my deep and murky character, I’ve added Guac in both Harbour Singles and Mirage kidsilk lace, along with one of my favorite colors-Destroyed to the Maelstrom Boucle line up. But I can’t ignore the spring awakening that’s going on outside my house in the beautiful Lower Hudson Valley that have inspired new colors like The Winks, Cirrus and Thistle Pass (hope you’ll forgive the bad pun).

Since this is my family’s primary source of income, I’m running a 15% off sale store-wide, using code CXL15 at checkout. We small producers thank you all so much for helping us through this time, to the best of your abilities. I can’t wait to see you all at the other side!

Like many of your favorite indie makers, I’ve watched a busy booked season of shows, yarn crawls and trunk shows grind to a halt. Beyond the loss of income, I have a room filled with skeins waiting to go to their new homes.

One of the items I was most excited to show off is my newest base, Nautilus BFL Aran. Nautilus is a 100% British Bluefaced Leicester with a 2-ply construction that results in a bouncy, lofty fabric that works great in a wide range of needles sizes, from around US #8 to US #11. With great stitch definition, this one would be fabulous for cables and other structured stitch patterns.

Currently available in 10 colors, Nautilus, as well as everything else in my shop is available for a 15% discount using code CXL15 at checkout.

On a personal note, I wish you all well in this unprecedented time. I’m using my time to let my creativity have full reign, experimenting with new colors and dyeing techniques, and getting a ton of knitting done. If you are not suffering from financial insecurity, now is a great time to support us small businesses in our beloved industry. I know at least two of the LYS in my community have created GoFundMe campaigns so they can pay their staffs for as long as possible — even though I depend on my dyeing for my income, I managed to find a way to contribute to these. There are opportunities to help if you can afford to do so. I can’t wait ‘til we can all get together again, when we’re on the other side of this.

I have a new base I’m totally geeking out over.

Do you love the look of all the new styles made using kid mohair silk but just the thought of it makes your neck break out in hives? Or you just want to up your halo game to 11? Meet Maelstrom, an alpaca and polyamide boucle laceweight that you can swap for any pattern calling for mohair. I promise, it’s as soft as a baby bunny’s butt and the fuzz is glorious.

Use on its own, held double or held together with another yarn. Marl two colors. Have a fade set you’re just not sure about? Pick a color that works with it and it will help blend those colors for the smoothest of fades. The possibilities are endless. And at 874 yards per 100 gram skein it’s about the same price as the average skein of kid mohair silk with almost twice the yardage.

It’s currently available in 10 colors, but I’m so pumped about this base, so if there are any of my solids on other bases you’d like me to dye for you on Maelstrom, shoot me a custom request on my Etsy shop and if it can be done I’m happy to dye it.

In so many conversations over the last year with LYS owners, designers, other dyers and my circle of knitting friends, the consensus is that DK is the current go to weight of choice for winter knitting. Warm but not too bulky, it’s perfect for sweaters and shawls, as well as quick seasonal accessories.

I truly adore Neptune, my 100% Merino Superwash DK. It’s next-to-the-skin soft, has really great spring which makes it fly off the needles, and has awesome stitch definition. I’ve just added a bunch of new colors including four of my favorites shown here: Tweed Blazer, Bump In The Night, Blood Oath and Caraansary. There are 18 different colorways in stock now, including semisolids and variegateds, for all your keep-warm needs.

These, and my whole shop, will be on sale for 20% off through midnight Sunday, December 1.