Crystal of Milly’s Knit Desgins teamed up with Kimberly of Palmer Yarn Company for the Solitude cowl, which brings together six DK-weight mini skeins and a lace pattern that provides a subtle transitions between color changes. The pattern can be purchased as part of a kit from Kimberly or on its own from Crystal’s web or Ravelry shop, and Indie Untangled insiders receive a special 25% discount off the pattern with code SOLITUDE through October 29.
Speaking of Solitude… Kimberly of Palmer Yarn Company has three different custom color combinations. They’ll be available for a two-week preorder starting this Sunday at 2 p.m. CT, and mini sets will ship at the end of October.
Eve of Holly Dyeworks has new fall colorways up in her shop, including Fletcher, Asheville Estate and Asheville, pictured here as a trio. There’s also a Wicked Sock Set that’s part of the Backstage Lights Yarn Club and there are Sugar N’ Spice Blanket kits.
Over the winter, as I hunkered down at home for the umpteenth month while inhaling Schitt’s Creek (it’s simply the best!), I engaged in some serious comfort knitting with Julie Asselin’s Nurtured yarn — a rustic but soft blend of Rambouillet, Targhee and Merino that is hand dyed “in the wool” prior to being mill spun at Green Mountain Spinnery in Vermont. Aside from completing Casapinka’s Powder Wrap and Faye Kennington’s Winter Garden Hat, I also whipped up an original creation of my own using some of the mini skeins that I offered as part of a collaboration with Julie and Jean-François!It took me a little while to jot down what I did, but I recently created what I call a “recipe” for a simple slipped-stitch cowl that shows off the slightly heathered colors of Nurtured perfectly.
I have some mini skeins remaining and decided to offer a few bundles so you can knit your own Nurtured Neck Warmer. And when I say “a few,” I mean that literally, as there is only one each of three color combinations. You’ll receive five approximately 32g skeins and guidance on using the skeins together to make a multicolored accessory.
If you’re in the New Jersey area, are free this holiday weekend and need fiber, NJ Fibershed is having a Fleece & Yarn Sale this Sunday. The outdoor sale will feature fleece, yarn, spinning fiber, natural dye plants, honey, and other farm products from local fiber producers. Spinners can partipate in a Spin-In.
Since you may be crafting to the soundtrack of Brood X cicadas, Jillian of WeeOnes has enhanced your experience with cicada stitch markers, hand sculpted using polymer clay.
Andrea and Sami of WoolenWomenFibers have brought nostalgia of beach boardwalks, including cotton candy and saltwater taffy, to life with their Boardwalk & Beaches collection. It includes single skeins, sock sets and three-skein fades.
If you found yourself smitten with the hit Netflix Series, Bridgerton, then Melissa of Rising Tide Fiber Co. has the Advent set for you! It will include 25 20-gram mini skeins, one full skein and five goodies.
Join the Fiber Coven MKAL for a modular shawl that is the perfect accessory for a hyperspace journey. Created with self-striping yarn and a coordinating tonal, solid, or speckled yarn, this is a take on a triangle shawl but uses modular techniques to show off a self striping yarn and make the shape easier to wear.
Crista Jaeckel is having a shop update today at 5 p.m. EDT featuring one-off, one-of-a-kind bags and preorders in summery prints.
Join Jill of Jilly & Kiddles for her first Summer Fun Box Club. It will include five coordinating mini skeins and some summer/beach-themed goodies. Early bird pricing ends after today!
Sharon of Garage Dyeworks has a new Superwash Merino worsted weight. Called Auto DK, she has dyed many of her bright colorways on it. It’s pictured here in Grape Escape.
We’re so excited to share more of what we have planned for our upcoming virtual event, Indie Spotlight, which is just two weeks away on May 14-16! We’ve partnered with yarn shop Scratch Supply Co. to put together two panels where we can meet and get to know a group of talented and fascinating designers. Since purpose of Indie Spotlight is to highlight newer businesses and those with under 10K followers on Instagram, our Spotlight designers fit that description, and were chosen because we feel they have unique viewpoints to share.
We look forward to hearing from:
Vanessa Smith of Vanessa Smith Designs, who aims to inspire and empower other knitters feel confident in their ability to make show-stopping pieces of knitwear that they can proudly wear for years to come
Corrado Lark, an actor and singer who loves a good pop culture pun and brings that inspiration to his ornate designs
Jennifer Lassonde of Down Cellar Studio, who specializes in accessories that look complicated but are simple to execute
Chase Harpole of Chase Harpole Knits, who looks to build opportunities for individual customization into his designs so that people that knit them can feel empowerment and ownership of their own identity
Michael Green of MGZDesignsCo, who uses the beauty of Afrocentric motifs to create works that challenge the mind but are accessible to all types of knitters
Sarah Krentz of Swanky Emu Knits, who designs size-inclusive knitting patterns that automatically adapt to your unique set of body measurements with an accompanying spreadsheet
Crystal Hiatt of Milly’s Knit Designs, who designs patterns with size inclusivity at the forefront
Kacey Herlihy of Kacey Knits, who design patterns that are easier than they look, with low-pressure instructions and wearable results
Your $7 ticket provides you with access to shopping more than 20 vendors as well as these panels and all the other free activities in the Spotlight Lounge. Register now!
A Wing and A Prayer Farm’s Garden Party 100% Vermont Grown Natural Hand Dyed 3-ply Cormo yarn comes from Tammy’s sheep Peter Pan, Martha, Bonnie, Bluma, Mary and Birch. Their fleece is spun at local mills and Tammy grows natural dye stuffs, or has it sourced from sustainable foragers to make these special and unique series of colorways.
If you’re craving some springtime sushi (I think that’s a thing?) then Alisha of KnitSpinQuilt will deliver with these bags featuring adorable sushi cats, corgis, otters and pandas. Bags are available in sock-, shawl- and sweater-sized drawstring bags and shawl-sized box bags.
To celebrate new color combinations in 100% Shetland wool for her popular Lemoyne Cowl kits, and Mother’s Day, Erika of Liverpool Yarns is offering 15% off the kits with the code LC15 from midnight Saturday, May 1, through end of day Tuesday, May 4.
Speaking of natural yarns, Sharon of Flora Adora Fibers is having a huge shop update tomorrow, May 1. She’ll be debuting four new non-Superwash bases will make their debut: Wisp mohair silk laceweight, Edgeland 100% Merino worsted weight, Mountain Sport gradient sets made with sportweight Rambouillet, and Meander, an organic single-ply Merino fingering weight. Lots of new colors will be also be added for existing bases: Highland DK, Zebra Crossing fingering, Merino Sock Sets and Meadow Rustic Sport. As a bonus, get 10% off May 1 and 2 with the code BOTANICA.
Jillian of WeeOnes has ginger tabby cat stitch markers in her shop this week. These hand-sculpted felines come complete with hand-painted paw pads.
Michelle is celebrating her birthday weekend with dazzling debuts, a weekend-long sale, and a free gift! Through Monday, you can preorder the Laurel Leaves MDSW 2021 Exclusive Shawl Pin in your choice of Shining Gold or Vintage Bronze. Along with free shipping within the U.S. on all orders over $15, you’ll save 10% sitewide with code MDSW2021. Each shopper who uses the code will find a free goodie bag of mystery notions in their order as a special birthday treat!
Aimee of Pancake and Lulu is celebrating the Summer Solstice with A Mini Summer Night’s Dream, a set of 12 Shakespeare-inspired mini skeins to open each day leading up to the solstice from June 9-20. The listing will be open for a short time and available in limited quantities, so act fast!
Attention weavers: Gothfarm’s Kaolin yarn is perfect for the Gothfarm Yarn Summer Clutch. The yarn is made with natural white Lincoln Longwool sheep locks blended with Tunis sheep wool. The clutch pattern is free with at least one skein of Kaolin and the code Clutch.
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!
Lanivendole’s newest yarn base has a certain something about it as well. Aura is a 100% Italian Alpaca sport-weight yarn named for its soft halo that brings out its natural energy. Like all of Stefania and Giulia’s yarn, the fiber is from a small farm, this one based in southern Tuscany. They kept two original dark colors and added a range of spring-y hues, hand dyed to “welcome the upcoming season with braveness and positivity.”
The yarn, which comes in roughly 382-yard/350-meter skeins will be available today starting at 7 p.m. Central European Time (1 p.m. Eastern, or five hours from when this email went out).
Speaking of Italian yarn and European time zones, you’ll have the opportunity to meet Stefania and Giulia when you join is in a few short weeks for Indie Across the Pond, our next virtual show! We have a fantastic line-up of 20 vendors from not only Italy, but Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the UK.
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If you’re looking to jazz up your takeout cocktails, check out this new hand-painted porcelain drinkware from our friends Jenn and Meghan of Portland-based jamPDX. These tumblers, created exclusively for Indie Untangled, keep your icy drinks cold.
Victoria of Eden Cottage Yarns has updated her Rokeby mitts pattern — released all the way back in 2010! — with new pictures and some clarifications to the instructions, and added a companion cowl. Both patterns use two colors of her Milburn 4ply™ (Superwash BFL and silk) and kits are on the website.
Megan of Megs & Co has collaborated with her Instagram friend Isabella Tonski, better known as Bellas Custom Crochets, to curate a collection of rainbow-themed colorways for her Hope & a Future wrap. The pattern is symbolic of the promise of a light at the end of a challenging time.
Missy of This Craft Or That has kits for the Succulent Spikes pattern by Lindsay Potter featured in the Seed Club from Yarn Garden. The kit features Hidden Gems, a blend of 80% Superwash Merino and 20% bamboo fingering weight yarn, in the Garden Party colorway.
Stephanie did a lot of research when deciding which interchangeable needles to offer in her shop, and ended up turning into a chart that compares 14 different brands.
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.
It’s certainly been an… interesting year. Surreal. Heartbreaking. Challenging. But one of the things that has helped us retain a feeling of normalcy and comfort is, of course, our knitting. It makes me feel especially warm and fuzzy to see the special colorways that I worked with dyers to create, from the Knitting Our National Parks yarns to event exclusives, turn into beloved FOs.
Here are some projects using special Indie Untangled colorways that were finished in 2020.
Samantha’s Love Note by Tin Can Knits with Plies & Hellhounds Yarn Marie Cutie in Quiescence
Kathy’s Snowflake Party by Martina Behm with Earl Grey Fiber Co. Darjeeling Sock in The Highest Peak
svm’s Ande Donut Hat by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd) with Onyx Fiber DK in Cider Donut Dipped In Coffee (Also pictured is the Zeen Top by Alisa Hartzel in Lavender Lune Yarn Co. Merino DK and the Hocus Pocus Cowl by Thea Eschliman Plies and Hellhounds)
Diane’s Spring Thing by Espace Tricot with La Bien Aimée Merino Singles in Hudson and Kingston
For the latest installment of Knitting Our National Parks, Rachel of Six and Seven Fiber takes us to Grand Teton National Park, which I was lucky to visit in May of 2019 (which seems like ages ago). Her Jenny Lake colorway was inspired by the above photo taken by photographer Brian Johns.
This lightly speckled neutral is available to preorder on Indie Untangled through December 27 on three bases: Alfalfa, a luxurious 80/10/10 Superwash Merino/Cashmere/nylon heavy fingering-weight yarn, Amaranth, a toothy but soft non-Superwash Merino fingering (this one is my personal favorite) and Soybean, a non-Superwash Merino DK. Alfalfa would make amazing winter accessories, while the latter two are the perfect sweater yarns.
Speaking of non-Superwash yarns, designer Mary Annarella used Julie Asselin’s Nurtured yarn in the special Indie Untangled Leaf Pile colorway to design not just one but two new hats! The one above, with the zig zag purl pattern, is called Swipe Right (which means, in the world of Tinder dating, that you’re interested).
Mary’s other hat, called Take a Bough, has an elegant cable pattern reminiscent of pine trees and is a perfect match for the colorway, which is indeed like jumping into a leaf pile. The links above will take you to kits for the hat featuring this exclusive colorway, and they are discounted through Monday, December 14, no coupon code needed.
I also invite you to explore this incredible yarn further…
When I first learned about Julie Asselin’s Nurtured yarn — a rustic but soft blend of Rambouillet, Targhee and Merino that is hand dyed “in the wool” prior to being mill spun at Green Mountain Spinnery in Vermont — it was love at first sight… through my computer monitor. Fortunately, when I finally got a chance to see it in person at a yarn festival, I was even more smitten — enough to ask Julie and her partner Jean-François to create a special colorway for Indie Untangled.
Since we don’t have the ability to feel yarn in person at festivals, and I want everyone to discover the joy of knitting with Nurtured, I’m excited to collaborate with Julie and Jean-François on Nurtured Mini Boxes. These sets will allow you to try out this woolly Aran-weight yarn and see the incredible heathered colors in real life.
The boxes are available to preorder on Indie Untangled through January 8 and will ship in mid-March, allowing time for Julie and Jean-François to create mini skeins to order and for cross-border shipping.
I was so excited to see that Abbye and Selena of the design duo Wool & Pine, who I enjoyed learning more about during Indie Untangled Everywhere in October, had published their first pattern collection. I’m even more thrilled to be a stockist of this special new book! Featuring Wool & Pine’s first six garments, this softcover book is filled with beautiful images and size-inclusive patterns with written and charted directions. It also includes a digital download code and access to detailed video tutorials to help you knit your perfect sweater.
The cold whether inspired Lanivendole’s Winter Mood palette, which will be available in Giulia and Stefania’s online shop today starting at 6 p.m. CET. There will also be limited edition handmade stitch markers from their friend Carla of @laboratorioindie.
Rebecca of WildWestDye, a natural dyer based in Canada, has lots of new kits uniquely dyed using indigo, including CabooseWay, a three-color, three-texture indigo kit launched with a new collection of worsted weight yarn.
The Crafty Flutterby Creations seasonal Victorian Christmas Collection features shawl pins or vegan leather shawl cuffs with sophisticated lace designs. Michelle also has limited edition sparkly holiday end minders, which help keep your ends neat and tidy while you work. All orders placed by Monday will ship in time for Christmas within the U.S.
Megan of Megs & Co has curated a collection of hand-dyed hat kits to get you ready for the cold weather. Kits include a skein of Folk Song Aran paired with one skein of Head in the Clouds mohair and silk laceweight, plus a hand-stuffed faux fur pom-pom.
Speaking of hats, all Softyarn Designs hat patterns are 25% off through Wednesday, December 16, with the code Hatknitting on Ravelry and Etsy. Lena’s Pebble Street Hat, pictured above, is a quick knit using Aran-weight yarn and a slip-stitch pattern.
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.
