For the latest installment of Knitting Our National Parks, Kristin of KraeO, who has a background in painting, is bringing us along to Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, which is about a 40-minute drive from both Baltimore and Washington, DC. I can so appreciate this space that allows both wildlife and people to recharge, and photographer Ian Shive captured the kind of stunning sunset that would make any spot look magical.
Kristin’s Setting Sun colorway is available to preorder on Indie Untangled through Friday, April 16. She’s dyed it on two bases — Little Sister Fingering, a Superwash Merino single-ply fingering and Mama Bear DK, a luxurious blend of 45% baby alpaca, 45% Merino and 10% silk. The yarn will ship at the end of May. As always, 10% of sales will be donated to the National Park Foundation to help support these beautiful public lands.
Speaking of wildlife and springtime adventures, Jillian of WeeOnes is highlighting a few wild animal-inspired stitch markers. Her shop has a ton of creatures, including these cutie beavers, as well as robins and sea turtles. And this month’s surprise stitch marker theme is “babies,” so maybe… baby animals?!
If your inner wanderlust is taking you a little further afield, bring these adorable stitch markers from Katy and the Katrinkles team along on your journey. There are only a dozen sets left in the shop!
If you don’t pack light (um, what yarn enthusiast does?) then you might need this bag that I’ve called The Woolpack. It was handcrafted by Rhinebeck-based maker Julia Hilrbrandt and features ample room for your projects and essentials, an inner and outer pocket and a screen-printed yarn ball surrounded by colorful felted dots. There are only a couple left in the world, so if you’re eyeing them, act fast.
Stephanie, the dyer at SpaceCadet, has hit a new design home run with her new Striad Wrap, a series of short row triangles, knit individually in strips and joined together without any seaming up.
Nikki of Laneras Yarn Company has a new fingering-weight base made with 100% Uruguayan Polwarth. Like all Laneras yarns, it is custom spun using wool that is ethically sourced and sustainably produced in Uruguay.
Aimee of Pancake and Lulu just had a shop update with few new Spring 2021 colorways and she has a few yarn kits for the upcoming MKAL by Ambah O’Brien.
IU newcomer Telling Yarns offers non-Superwash and Superwash all-British yarns sourced from British mills, in Devon and Yorkshire.
Missy of This Craft Or That has restocked some customer favorite progress keepers, which can also be used as zipper pulls.
Maria G Knits, based in Portugal, creates project bags with crafters in mind.
Join Michele of MAB Elements this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Facebook Live to see new designs.
Monica of Gothfarm Yarn now offers vegetable ivory buttons that serve as a sustainable alternative to plastic.
Sharon of Garage Dyeworks has introduced a new yarn club.
Our Indie Across the Pond virtual event kicks off tomorrow and the collection of show specials from our vendors based in Europe and the UK is especially tempting — and the best part is you don’t have to worry about fitting your haul in luggage that you severely underestimated the size of!
Here’s a closeup of Botanical Yarn’s exclusive Across the Pond fade set! Dyer Sophie, a self-professed crazy plant lady based in York, UK, has created this aqua to lilac set that comes with 10 mini skeins, perfect for a variety of projects, including shawls, hats, garments, or a blanket.
If you’re registered for Indie Across the Pond, you can join Sophie at 10 a.m. EDT/3 p.m. CET Friday through Sunday for her Zoom livestreams or book a private appointment with her to talk project plans. Plus, you’ll also get a coupon code for 10% off purchases over £75.
This is the second in a series of blog posts featuring the fabulous sponsors of Indie Across the Pond, taking place from March 19-21, 2021.
Sara Maternini of La Cave à Laine has been a regular part of the Indie Untangled marketplace since her first post about her 100% cotton, extra light and washable project bags in 2018. She’s since expanded her range into hand-dyed bags — perfect for hand-dyed yarn! — oilskin backpacks and notions.
Making her home in Alsace, France, by way of Italy, Sara is also a prolific designer, so she knows a thing or two about what makes a great home for your WIPs.
What came first: knitwear design or bag making?
They came both quite close! I began designing and making the first bags, and then a few weeks after I published my first pattern, Fibonacci Ronde (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fibonacci-ronde). I think I had to fulfill a sort of need to express myself with my hands, which is, still today, my daily call!
What did you do in your pre-La Cave à Laine career and do you find any parallels between it and your business?
I did many jobs, in different sectors: I began as a museum guide in Milan, Italy, where I was living at the time. I then moved on to the early stages of the internet and worked as a researcher (in a pre-Google era) and a social media manager. I had a brief but intense career as one of the first Italian food bloggers, that opened me many doors to different digital agencies and the job of social media manager. In 2011 we then moved to France, we had two very small children, and I felt the call for my needles!
What made you decide to start sewing your own bags?
Mainly the possibility to choose fabrics that were more to my taste. I really like minimalist prints, bold, un-patterned colours, and austere shapes. The market was void of the kind of bags I wanted.
I feel our bags are the mirror of our souls: as an Italian I grew up surrounded by incredible beauty, and I always find myself looking for my own version of beauty and purity everywhere. I was always partial toward Renaissance artists and their infinite search for symmetry, beauty, and practicality in everything. And I look for these characteristics in everything I wear. Or make.
How would you say your project bags are different from others?
Some of the features I always stress about are that my bags are made only of natural materials (no plastic, no interfacing, no glue, no polyester), and that they are washable. These two rules are guiding me in choosing all the materials and the ways I design my bags.
Being a very practical person, I also try to reflect this in my bags: functionality is always my first concern. I fill my bags with pockets, adjustable handles, zippers…
Last but not least, my bags are designed and constructed to have no leftover fabric or waste: every single inch is used. And even with my hand-dyed line of bags, water waste during the dyeing process is reduced to a bare minimum.
Can you share some of your plans for Indie Across the Pond?
For Indie Across the Pond I went a bit over the top! I had some lines of new bags in the making and to be released throughout 2021, but I gave a final push to make all of them a reality for Indie Across the Pond!
Many new bags will debut during the show, from crazy unicorns bags, to oilskin backpacks (inspired by cartoon characters), luxury notion pouches (full to the brim with gorgeous notions!), and Knits Cosy: a new series of bags created to keep your knits safe and sound wherever you go, with many other uses! Also during the show, the full range of new notions will be available, from super cute scissors to the new stitch markers I have been making in the last months: my iconic skull stitch markers got a revamp, and some new beads will also debut.
The booth will be in full swing and ready to delight all knitters and crocheters!
What are some of the best things you’ve learned running your business?
So, so many! One of the best lessons I have learned is to trust myself but double the time I think a certain task will take to be accomplished! So, instead of stressing about unattainable self-imposed deadlines, I enjoy the time it takes to make everything!
When and how did you learn to knit?
I first learned to knit when I was around 7 years old: my grandma taught me the knit stitch, but that was about it. No cast-on, purl, bind off, increases, decreases…
Then, in 2009, when pregnant with my first child, I learned, thanks to the internet, everything else!
Something that really fascinates me about knitting is that there is no end to the learning curve: not only there are always ways to improve, but also learn new stitches, techniques, constructions…
What are your favorite skeins in your stash?
Too many! I am always ready to fall in love with new skeins without forgetting all the old ones!
One constant love, since 10 years, is Malabrigo, for their bold colours and type of fibers: give me some Plomo on any base, even singles, and I am happy!
Another love is Lanivendole, not only because Stefania and Giulia are dear friends, but also for the incredible project behind their brand, and the fact that their yarns are so alive: you feel it when you touch them, and even more when you knit them!
Tell me the projects that are currently on your needles.
On my needles there is always a shawl at some stage of completion, and lately (too) many sweaters: a raglan in my size, ready for sleeve and body divide, and a saddle shoulder for my son in a size too big, because by the time it will be finished he will fill it just right! All these projects will be patterns one day, once the samples will be finished, patterns written in multiple sizes, tech edited, tested, and then tech edited once more!
Marian of Marianated Yarns is collaborating with designer Katy Carroll of Katinka Designs on a multicolored cowl kit to celebrate ’80s movie icon John Cusak.
Today’s the last day to preorder Terri of AT Haynes House Yarns’ Knitting Our National Parks colorway, called I Got One Just Like It In My Living Room (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), inspired by Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming and a certain ’70s movie. It’s available on her sock and DK-weight bases. As always, this yarn supports the National Park Foundation.
Stephanie of SpaceCadet has released her first design! The D’aeki Wrap is designed to show off SpaceCadet’s mini skeins or any other collection of colors, with a herringbone pattern that shifts the color flow along the length of the piece and uses the Join As You Go method (no seaming!).
The Little Red Dress KAL from Knitting Hope tells the story of Judy Fleischer Kolb, who was born in the Shanghai Ghetto after her family fled Nazi Germany in 1939, and her her little red dress, which she donated to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. The dress was turned into a knitting pattern by designer Melissa Shinsato.
Katherine of K. MacColl Bags now has bags for smaller projects, which are a combination of drawstring and bucket bags.
The Bad Lux Designs Romantisch collection has swoon-worthy colors available on Bulky, DK and Fingering weights.
These new WeeOnes penguin stitch markers are appropriate for these Arctic temperatures! They come with one Adélie, one macaroni penguin, one chinstrap and one emperor with it’s baby.
These magnetic shawl pins from Michele of MAB Elements celebrate the Pantone colors of the Year for 2021.
Selena of Sweater Sisters is partnering with Erica Heusser on a kit release for her new pattern, Varia Mitts. They feature a Fair Isle pattern depicting an owl settled in on a branch with the silvery background.
Augusta of adKnits has new tool cases handcrafted in collaboration with Aria & Barre to hold hold double-pointed needles and stitch markers.
Amy’s Trinket Shop is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with stitch markers that feature various shades of green, gold and white beads.
Crista Jaeckel’s first shop update of 2021 features bright spring colors: pink and orange, mauve and purple, brown and teal, toffee and white and a bit of gold.
Gothfarm Yarn’s new pencil roving, called Cirrus, is made from a blend of Jacob and Shetland sheep wool and can be using for knitting, spinning and felting.
Stephanie of Rock Solid Designs has made the difficult decision to close her business. As a thank you to her loyal customers and friends, she will be having a closeout sale. Everything in stock is 40% off, which makes this a great time to grab your favorite project bags or pattern storage solutions.
Here are more Katrinkles goodies for Indie Untangled! These mirrored acrylic yarn ball stitch markers, in Indie teal, come in sets of six. There are a limited number up in the shop so grab yours now!
Stephanie and her SpaceCadet crew have created winter-inspired colorways that are available as limited edition preorders. You can order Stillness, Late Sun and Quietude through February 4 and they’ll be shipped shorty afterward.
Erika of Liverpool Yarns created a sample of her Linglestown Shawl, which combines garter stitch, stripes, ribbing and a traditional Shetland lace pattern, in her Fawn and Buttercup colorways — which just so happen to be Pantone’s Colors of the Year for 2021. She also now has her 100% Shetland yarns in mini skeins.
WeeOnes’ line of Professional Cat Stitch Markers has a patriotic (and timely) new team: Supreme Cat Justices! Now through Sunday, you get a free bald eagle stitch marker with each set of Supreme Cat Justices.
Teresa of Sunny Day Fiber has launched a new Valentine’s collection. Candy Heart Pink and Purple and Valentine Red and Pink are available in fingering, DK and worsted weight, as well as sock bundles with mini skein coordinates.
Eve of Holly Dyeworks has a new yarn kit inspired by Frank Sinatra’s iconic song, Fly Me to the Moon. Each kit comes with one skein of hand-dyed fingering-weight yarn, a moon mug from Jam and Bread Co. Pottery and a handmade progress keeper.
Robynn’s new cowl pattern is named Tannholz, which means “pine woods” and is inspired by two views of a forest. It can be made with any weight yarn (she’s partial to the quick chunky version) and is 20% off until the end of Sunday.
Sharon of Garage Dyeworks has a new colorway called Oil Pastels.
A year ago, I asked Bronwyn, AKA Casapinka, during our VKL NYC brunch if she was interested in working her magic on Julie Asselin’s Nurtured Aran-weight yarn, and to my delight she said she was! Bronwyn is ready to release her Powder Wrap, a cozy boomerang-style shawl that features a mix of textures and provides just the right amount of complexity, while still being fairly mindless and meditative.
I’ve made seven-skein bundles of Nurtured available in a number of colors, including the Indie Untangled exclusive Leaf Pile, a complex dusty pink that you can see in my WIP above. The Leaf Pile will ship out shortly, while you can preorder a few other colors to arrive in time for the shawl release in early February.
Speaking of friendships, I’m giddy with excitement about this collaboration with the Katrinkles crew! For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to celebrate our wonderful community and came up with this idea that takes inspiration from the vintage way of showing your devotion to your BFF — which stands for Best Fiber Friend, of course!
These fobs provide the perfect hole-free flare for your project bag(s). You can preorder them in cherrywood and two colors of mirrored acrylic through Wednesday, January 20. Best of all, if you don’t want to wait until you see your bestie in person, I can ship one half directly to them for a small extra fee!
Kate of McMullin Fiber Co is counting down to Valentine’s Day with a 14-mini-skein package inspired by some of our favorite love songs and breakup anthems. Oh, and it comes with chocolate!
It is still January, and Crista Jaeckel is marking this month with free shipping on all her bags, crafted with one-of-a-kind block printed fabric, through January 31.
This list will be updated throughout the weekend with any new sales.
As you cozy up with your devices and browse gifts and personal treats, know that your purchases will also benefit people who could use a helping hand this year.
When you buy from the Indie Untangled shop or an Indie Untangled vendor this weekend, I will donate 5% of your purchase to Camba, an organization that provides programs in economic development, education and youth development, family support, health, housing and legal services to people in my hometown of Brooklyn. Debbie of Murky Depths Dyeworks will be providing an additional matching gift of 5%
Here’s what you need to do:
• Forward me the email confirmation from any purchase you made from an Indie Untangled vendor between 12:01 a.m. your time Thursday, November 26 and midnight your time Tuesday, December 1 to lisa at indieuntangled dot com.
• You can see the list of qualifying vendors here, either on the right side of the screen if you’re on a computer or at the bottom if you’re on your phone. Purchases from the Indie Untangled shop during this time automatically qualify!
• Forward the email before midnight your time on Friday, December 4 so it can qualify for the donation.
I’ve also made my holiday deals a little sweeter: If you purchase any physical item from the new and improved Indie Untangled shop, you’ll receive this Indie Untangled Sweater Fob, custom made by Katrinkles, for free! Simply add it to your cart and the discount will automatically apply. In addition, orders of $150+ will ship free in the U.S. and with flat rate shipping internationally. There are also a few new discounts scattered around, including on Fiber Friends Selfie enamel pins and the remaining two skeins of Field and Pasture self-striping yarn from Gauge Dye Works.
For the first installment of the 2021 Indie Untangled Where We Knit Yarn Club, Giulia and Stefania of Lanivendole, who create rustic, hand-dyed yarns in Italy, will partner with Soraya García, a native of Spain currently living in Amsterdam. Their inspiration is a photograph Soraya took in late winter 2020, showcasing the blooming of a new reality in a year filled with complex emotions.
This quarterly club, which will begin shipping in February, brings together four dyer/designer dream teams. Aside from Giulia, Stefanie and Soraya, there will be collaborations from Black Elephant and JimiKnits, Humble Knit and Camille Descoteaux, and Murky Depths Dyeworks and Bristol Ivy. Each pair will collaborate on an exclusive colorway and an accompanying accessory design inspired by their favorite spots to whip out their WIPs.
Sign-ups will be open through the end of the year. Make sure to grab your spot, or snag the perfect gift for a special indie yarn-loving person in your life.
In a nod to Thanksgiving, Debbie of Murky Depths Dyeworks has released her newest seasonal color, Cornbread and Cranberry, on BFL Sock and Neptune Merino DK. These colorways, and the rest of the yarn in her shop, are 20% off through Tuesday, no coupon code required.
Additionally, Debbie will be making a matching gift of 5% to Camba as part of Indie Untangled Giving Tuesday promotion.
Kate of McMullin Fiber Co has a special discount for Indie Untangled friends this month: use the code INDIEU at checkout for 20% off your entire order through the end of November. This includes the best price you’ll see all year on annual club subscriptions for 2021.
Save 20% on all of Michelle of Crafty Flutterby Creations’ handcrafted shawl pins, cuffs, patterns and notions — including her newest pins, the sparkling Czech glass and timeless Celtic knot — through November 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET, no code required.
Heather of Sew Happy Jane’s Black Friday sale begins today at 12 noon MT. Get 30-40% off Seconds Bundles, 20% off the soon-to-be-discontinued Dreamy MCN DK, 15% off DK Tweed Bundles and 15% off Perfect Pairings.
If you like surprises, treat yourself with a luxury mystery (alpaca or silk) or a standard mystery skein from Fairy Tale Yarn Co. You choose the weight and Dawn will choose a colorway and a base.
<img src="https://indieuntangled.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/37B903D9-1441-4BE9-9180-A04874120A46_1_201_a-scaled.jpeg" alt="A pink bag with gold dots and a black and white striped pocket. ” width=”1920″ height=”2560″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-25728″ />
Shop small this weekend with Crista Jaeckel’s sparkly notion pouches and bags that are perfect for the holiday season. The front of these bags features sparkly hand-printed or block-printed fabric, while the backs have either waxed sparkly linen or sparkly cotton.
Emily’s newly-released Wicked Enchantress is on sale for 20% off through December 2. This top-down cowl uses just 150 yards of worsted-weight yarn, perfect for those single-skein purchases or for using up scrap yarn.
Just in time for the holiday season, Nancy of Tika Bags is offering a special Bag Club! There are tons of choices: you can choose from a two-bag club or three-bag club, choose the style of bag and choose from two colorways. Sign-ups run through December 23, making them perfect gifts.
There’s no doubt that 2020 upended all of our lives. However, one constant throughout the last several months has been the meaningful virtual connections that we’ve made through our beloved craft. Even though we’ve all been missing important in-person interaction and have been limiting travel, I feel like my world only continues to expand through knitting.
With that in mind, I’m thrilled to open sign-ups today for Where We Knit 2021. This quarterly club, which will begin shipping in February, brings together four dyer/designer dream teams: Lanivendole and Soraya García, Black Elephant and Jimenez Joseph, Humble Knit and Camille Descoteaux, and Murky Depths Dyeworks and Bristol Ivy.
Each pair will collaborate on an exclusive colorway and an accompanying accessory design inspired by their favorite spots to whip out their WIPs. Their inspiration photos are shown in the image above, clockwise from top left.
Aside from the yarn and pattern, each shipment will include a surprise gift from a third small business. This year, building on the spirit of virtual connection, there will also be an interactive Zoom interview with each team after their installment ships out.
The latest additions to the Crafty Flutterby menagerie of end minders — designed to keep your cast-on tails, color changes, and other loose ends out of the way as you knit or crochet — are Crafty Cats and Dependable Dogs.
Giulia and Stefania of Lanivendole are excited to share three new designs using their non-Superwash yarn: The Brogna Sweater by Rievive, which uses natural shades of A Stormy Blend fingering, the Trifari sweater by Paula Pereira, knitted in A Heavenly Blend as main color and A Chic Blend as contrast, and the Caloroso shawl by Aleks Byrd, which uses A Pure and Simple Wool.
To celebrate today’s release of Vanessa Smith’s Emberly hat, designed for the 2020 Where We Knit Yarn Club, I’m doing a limited preorder of Heather from Earl Grey Fiber Company’s lightly speckled semisolid, dyed on her Matcha Sport 80/20 Merino/nylon. It’s available through December 4 and will ship at the end of December.
Eve of Holly Dyeworks has new festive colorways and kits in her shop just in time for the holiday season. They include the Christmas Time is Here Kits, with one trio set of fingering minis, a matching project bag and a handmade progress keeper.
Jean of Midmitten Designs’ limited edition Peppermint Treat project bag features hot cocoa and peppermint-themed fabric featured on her Medium Vinyl Front project bag and on the coordinating Yarn Snuggler, which keeps your yarn cake clean and tidy in your project bag. You also get a peppermint candy zipper charm and surprise treats.
Jen of Porterness is celebrating the holidays with new jewels, sales and a discount code. She has a new perfect-for-gifting Sterling Silver Stockinette Stitch Motif Earrings & Stitch Marker Necklace set, a new sterling silver shawl ring with the stockinette stitch motif, gift cards and a wish list. Use the code IndieNOV20 for 10% off through November 30.
7th Floor Yarn has two new yarn bases, an 80% Superwash Merino/20% silk and a 100% Superwash Merino with black stripes. They’re also offering free shipping this holiday season AND 15% off with the code INDIE15.
Jo of JW Jewelry Studio is one of us — an obsessive knitter — and crafts jewelry, stitch markers, shawl pins and notion bowls that inspired by nature and modern forms. She creates molds from foraged plants, leaves and flowers and executes her pieces in enamel, bronze and precious metals.
Set an alert: Stephanie’s Yoke O’Clock Kits, along with her Knitter’s Book Case and Knitter’s Brief Case, are 30% off for Black Friday. And on Cyber Monday, get 25% off all of the knitting patterns available on her website.
Victoria of Eden Cottage Yarn has a shop updated with mohair/silk Eldwick Lace and Bowland Aran kits for Fiona Alice’s Woodbine sweater. There’s plenty of other news, including a list of gift ideas, so jump into her latest post.
Monica of Gothfarm has rustic yarn from Navajo-Churro sheep in four natural and undyed colors.
Lena’s latest, the Icelandia Hat, is 25% off on Ravelry and Etsy with code Icelandia through Sunday.
Sharon of Flora Adora Fibers specializes in naturally-dyed yarns using non-Superwash bases with colors foraged from nature or purchased raw materials.
Stephanie from Rock Solid Designs has a new product that speaks to the need for neatness. She recently started playing with her serger and sewed up Yarn Sleeves, tubes of stretchy fabric that hug your center-pull yarn cakes so they don’t end up a tangled, barf-y mess. They are designed to work in conjunction with her project bags to keep multiple cakes separate and tidy. She is launching these with six different fabric designs, including these adorable knitting dogs. There’s also a bee print to match the bags she has in stock, new prints geared towards fellow sci-fi nerds and some fun holiday ones.
Sara of La Cave à Laine has some new bag collections, including these limited-edition linocut bags created with white cotton and a piece of linoleum, carved based on a drawing inspired by her love for geometry and nature.
Jillian of WeeOnes finds her calm in meditation and knitting… and so do her latest stitch marker creatures, which are — get this — Yoga Kitties. The cats and new armadillos are 10% off through this Sunday.
Jillian also designed these limited-edition Hanukkah sets for Indie Untangled! Each set comes with three sufganiyot and one little dreidel. You can use them to mark the sections of your Cashmenorah hat, or to add some holiday light to other WIPs. They’re available to preorder on Indie Untangled through November 20 and will ship at the beginning of December.
Crystal’s latest design is the Grange Hat, a two-color stranded colorwork hat that complements The Grange, a cowl she released in late summer. If you’re a colorwork newbie, the pattern includes plenty of helpful tips.
Bonnie of Yank Your Yarn has stitch marker sets for your favorite crafting friends and loved ones, including knitting sets in different sizes and sets for cat lovers, as well as crochet hook tags to help you remember which hook you were using.
