Stephanie of Verse Yarns chose a photo of Plateau Point at the Grand Canyon for her installment of the Indie Untangled Knitting Our National Parks series — coincidentally, scheduled to go live just after my visit! She captured this peaceful yet dramatic landscape, which she describes as a “living sculpture,” featuring a calm overcast sky and the flowing Colorado River, in the colorway Serenity. A second colorway, Grand Canyon Gray, reflects the steep, rugged walls of this natural wonder.
Both colors will be dyed on Pirouette, a blend of 80% Superwash Merino and 20% nylon with a 2-ply twist, perfect for socks but soft enough for shawls and sweaters. These colorways are available to preorder on Indie Untangled through Friday, April 22.
As always, 10% of the proceeds will be split between the National Parks Foundation and an organization that supports Native Americans. For this installment, I chose the Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, which helps families from the nearby Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe.
Jennifer of Vermont LYS Must Love Yarn partnered with Kristie of Fiber Stash Dyeworks on the Sunflower Rising Cowl and Hat. All proceeds from the sale of the patterns and kits will go directly to humanitarian organizations aiding Ukraine.
Pinky up: the April release from Shelly at Daisy Stitch Co is inspired by tea at the Regency Tea Room at the Jane Austen Centre.
Natalie of Fiberdog Fibers has two new colors, Sunset Sky and Salmon, in yarn and fiber that’s washed, combed, spun and dyed by her.
If you’re a fan of The Princess Bride, then you’ll find twue wuv in Mary Annarella’s latest mystery knit-along, “a shawl designed to get you through the fire swamp of the the past few years.” Like most of Mary’s MKALs, this will be a shawl with a series of stitch patterns that play with color, in this case four skeins. As with any MKAL, you’ll have to wait, just wait, for the clues to be revealed starting on February 22 — and the shawl is on sale for 25% off, no coupon code needed, until the 21st.
Robynn has designed the Mutzi hat and mitts set using what she calls “deceptive knitting”: stitches that look intriguing, but are really simple to execute.
Forbidden Fiber Co.’s next Treasure Trove box is a celebration of all things reading. The Knitting and Crochet Treasure Trove boxes will include a full skein DK-weight yarn, three coordinating mini skeins and a knit or crochet pattern. The Cross Stitch Treasure Trove will include a fat 1/8 yard of fabric and at least six skeins of hand-dyed floss, along with a pattern.
Laura of Created 4 U By Laura has a contest to guess the album cover inspiration for her March monthly colorway based on music of the ’70s, and the winner gets the colorway.
There’s a new batch of Pendle Aran up on the Eden Cottage Yarns website, along with three patterns that utilize this 100% Superwash Extrafine Merino yarn.
Peperomia is a new sweater design from Abbye and Selena of Wool & Pine that is inspired by walks through the beautiful deciduous forests of the Pacific Northwest, where they’re based. The colorwork motif starts at the hem and depicts the leaves that cover the forest trail, breaking apart before returning to the soil. You can preorder Peperomia and receive a digital ”Pattern Prep Pack,” which includes charted and written instructions for the colorwork motif so you can start swatching, and then get the pattern in your inbox when it goes live on February 25.
And then, there’s the yarn… Karen of Miss La Motte has created two color combinations: Celadonite and Blue Spruce, pictured in the stunning photo above, captured at Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park in British Columbia, and Spruceforest and Evening Sunglow, a bolder look. Both color combos are available to preorder on Indie Untangled through this Sunday.
Because I had so much fun chatting with Abbye and Selena in October, we’re going to get together again on Sunday, February 28 at noon Eastern, along with Karen, to celebrate the official release of Pepperomia! You can add the session to your shopping cart when purchasing your yarn or register separately here.
Janis and Christen of Queen City Yarn have created a new colorway, Madam Vice President, MVP, inspired by Kamala Harris. They recommend combining it with the rereleased Fair Fight and Stand, two of their charity colorways. $10 from each skein sold of the former colorway is donated to Fair Fight, an organization founded in 2018 by Stacey Abrams to address voter suppression in Georgia and Texas, and $10 from the each skein of Stand sold is donated to Heal Charlotte, a community engagement organization in North Carolina.
Giulia and Stefania of Lanivendole are starting off the new year with a sale. Select bases and colorways, such as A Chic Blend and The Twisty Chic, as well as some kits, are available at a discount starting today at 7 p.m. Central European Time.
Heather of Sew Happy Jane has picked out some color combos for the the quick and cheerful Chain Link Hat and Cowl pattern by Marin Melchior (she used the colors Dusk and Sunday Morning for her project).
Debbie of Murky Depths Dyeworks has updated her shop with a small reserve of Nautilus BFL Aran, a Bluefaced Leicester Superwash that is only spun twice a year and is perfect for winter knits.
Bonnie of Yank Your Yarn is channeling Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders with her new Chain Knitting Row Counter, which features square markers and which you can also wear as a totally tubular bracelet.
Last year, while I was knitting with yarn from Rebecca of the sadly-closed Fuse Fiber Studio, I couldn’t stop smelling it. I had to ask her what wool wash she used, and she revealed that she stored her yarn with these lavender and cedar sachets. I recently went online to replenish my supply and discovered that I could buy them for my shop!
The company adheres to Fair Trade policies to create their products, including these sachets, which are formulated with natural essential oils and packaged in handmade paper. Get at least one of each scent for each of your yarn storage containers!
Victoria and Co. of Eden Cottage Yarn are unveiling their newest Milburn colorway today in their newsletter and on social media. They’re also updating the shop today with Oakworth DK, a Superwash Polwarth yarn.
If you missed out on My Mama Knits’ 2020 Surviving the Storm Advent you can grab one of the re-dye sets, available as 24 skeins, or split into the stormy and rainbow halves of 12 mini skeins each.
Missy of This Craft Or That has a new Color of the Month Club! Each club-exclusive color is themed around holidays. Packages include a skein of yarn on a choice of two different bases, a small gift and pattern suggestions.
Lisa The Knitting Artist has updated her shop with series of three new colors inspired by her “Tidepool” paintings. There are also a limited number of skeins of her Landscape Near Ampurdan colorway from the Salvador Dali yarn club.
I’m excited to introduce you to the Winter Garden Hat, a new pattern by Faye Kennington, and to the recently-launched Knitrino app. This pattern, which is available only on Knitrino, features an addictive flower bobble stitch — long stitches that are wrapped over the previous work — that makes the most stunning textured fabric. Faye used Julie Asselin Nurtured, a blend of Rambouillet, Targhee and Merino, in the Indie Untangled exclusive Leaf Pile colorway. The Small size, which fits a 21″-22″ head, requires only one skein, while the Large (23″-24″) and Extra Large (25″-26″) sizes take two.
This is a great way to try out Knitrino, a new app for interactive knitting patterns. The founders, sisters Alison Yates and Andrea Cull, describe it as how Google Maps changed the atlas — it turns knitting patterns into an interactive experience. The patterns are designed to allow you to focus only on the row you’re working on, plus you can view video instructions with the click of a stitch and track your progress as you follow the pattern. You can download Knitrino on your Android and Apple devices.
To celebrate the release of the Winter Garden Hat, you’ll receive a Knitrino project bag free with any purchase of Nurtured in Leaf Pile, while supplies last.
Speaking of Julie Asselin, it’s the last call for Nurtured Mini Boxes, a special partnership for Indie Untangled. You have a choice of three color combinations, each one consisting of six mini skeins so you can try out this rustic Aran-weight yarn and see the nuanced colors in real life. The boxes are available to preorder only through this Monday, January 11.
Lisa The Knitting Artist is taking inspiration from another artist, Salvador Dalí, for her new yarn club. During each month of 2021, she will create a new colorway inspired by one of his works, starting with his earliest and ending with his last. Each installment will come with one or two small relating relating to that month’s color and card of fun facts about the artist. Signups are open on a rolling basis.
Celebrate love with these adorable heart-holding hedgehogs from Jillian of WeeOnes. She also has monthly surprise stitch markers themed around Hibernation.
Lena of Softyarn Designs is reuniting with Jilly and Kiddles for the Fairies In the Snow MKAL. The knit is a crescent-shaped shawl made with two skeins of fingering/sock yarn and the pattern is 40% off through Tuesday with code Fairies.
Michele of Misfit Yarns is debuting two mystery yarn clubs for 2021. The first, which runs from February to July, is inspired by the TV show The Office and the second, which runs from February to June, is inspired by the Great Lakes.
Bonnie of Yank Your Yarn has new multicolored wire stitch markers in sets of 30 or 50, in addition to her silver and square markers with a variety of colored beads.
As much as I’ve embraced the digital world, there is definitely still part of me that needs physical books in my life. I know it’s cliché, but flipping through the pages, taking in printed photographs and taking pride in a colorful stack of spines on your bookshelf or nightstand… It’s actually kind of similar to having a yarn stash. I probably won’t knit every single pattern in every book I own, but I appreciate knowing that they’re there, to take me on a journey when I might need it most.
I’ve come across many books over the past few years, and while I don’t think I can do them all justice with a “proper” book review, I thought it would be helpful to provide a guide to some of the ones that have found a special place on my IKEA Kallax. And if you happen to find the perfect holiday gift, even better! (This posts contains affiliate links, meaning a small percentage of your purchase may benefit Indie Untangled.)
I may be biased about this book because I’m offering it in the Indie Untangled shop, but the reason I decided to carry this book is why I’d recommend it. I’ve admired the designs of Abbye and Selena, the team that makes up Wool & Pine, since I first saw the Sorrel sweater pop up on my Instagram feed. Aside from being a bound collection of the pair’s patterns and gorgeous photographs, the book provides access to video tutorials with instructions and tips for each design. I know I’m going to be referring to the Sorrel videos after I start my sweater.
The book is also bound in a way that it stays open to the page you need very easily. I certainly love the look of matte or hardcover books with thick spines, however, I find that if I want to knit from them I need to photocopy the pages or download the PDF (this book also comes with access to the PDF patterns if you prefer to knit from one).
I wasn’t familiar with Loretta Napoleoni until earlier this year, when her assistant contacted me about this new book. Napoleoni is a journalist who has covered the financing of terrorism — her first book, Terror Inc: Tracing the Money Behind Global Terrorism, is a bestseller that has been translated into 12 languages. The topic of knitting is decidedly softer, but Loretta tackles it with a well-researched expertise, weaving together the history of our craft with her personal experiences.
The book does include 10 patterns at the end, including a version of the Pussy Hat called the Pussy Power Hat. While the patterns seem a bit like an afterthought, and I think Loretta’s writing is strong enough to stand on its own, it is nice that they have connections to passages in the book, and the simple illustrations are quite lovely.
I was already a fan of Hannah Thiessen’s first book, Slow Knitting, which was everything I could ever want in a knitting book: stories about the creators of artisanal yarns that I’ve been fortunate to work with, including Anne Hanson, Jill Draper, Julie Asselin and mYak, and beautiful patterns to tie these stories together. Seasonal Slow Knitting is just what it sounds like, breaking up our mindful craft into seasons.
Whereas Slow Knitting brought together patterns from a variety of designers, Hannah designed all 10 patterns in this book, which was released in October, so the collection feels much more cohesive and is a beautiful showcase for the rustic yarns.
No knitter’s bookshelf is complete without the work of “yarn whisperer” Clara Parkes. In this book, released last fall, Clara recounts her Great White Bale project, in which she crowdsourced the transformation of a 676-pound bale of fleece into skeins that found their way into the hands of knitters. As you may know if you read my newsletter, I’m a sucker for a road trip, especially one that includes yarn, and Clara is an expert guide, taking us along with her to Catskills Merino in New York to the Saco River Dyehouse in Maine and many places in between, all in the pursuit of yarn.
I knew that I needed this book on my shelf ever since I heard that it was being published by Pom Pom Press. Emily Foden of Viola was one of the first indie dyers that I fell for as a new yarn collector and the 12 patterns in this book show them off beautifully. I haven’t knit any of them yet, however I scored two skeins of her Shadow DK (a blend of Polwarth, Wensleydale and Zwartbles) in a shop update over the summer and realized it’s the perfect match for her Skyhill hat.
The book is filled with beautifully styled and composed shots of knitwear against the snowy backdrop of Emily’s home in Ontario, Canada, though for me it is definitely meant for admiring and not knitting from. Fortunately, the book comes with a code to download a PDF version via Ravelry.
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.
Hanukkah starts next Friday! You should have enough time to knit your Cashmenorah hat and then “light the candles” by using duplicate stitch. You can order your Cashmenorah kit with luxurious Cashmere from Clinton Hill Cashmere and The Wandering Flock through Indie Untangled. Or, if you happen to be a neighbor of mine in Brooklyn, you can get your Indie Untangled merch and tons of other Brooklyn-made goodies delivered to your door same day through ShopIN.NYC. I’m excited to be partnering with this company to support small, local businesses when they need it most, with the convenience of online shopping.
Speaking of the festival of light: Do you have enough stitch markers to get you through your next project? Just to be sure, snag a set or two of these limited-edition Hanukkah markers that Jillian of WeeOnes Creations made especially 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.
Caroline of The Noble Thread didn’t hesitate when Andrew and Jennifer of Australia-based Great Southern Yarn asked her to design a shawl for them. This husband and wife team, who you’ll read more about below, create sustainable, ethically produced, 100% Australian yarn that is hand dyed in vibrant colors. Caroline, who’s based in North Carolina, took inspiration from ancient sea creatures from the vast ocean between here and there to create Amonite, an elegant crescent-shaped shawl knit in cosy DK-weight yarn.
Jennifer and Andrew, who you “met” above, founded Great Southern Yarn four years ago. They single-origin source their fleece from ethical producers and run their own mob, in Aussie terms, of Merino sheep at Mount Bodangora, near Dubbo, New South Wales. They have two ultra-soft yarn bases: 100% Merino and their GSY Blend, which is 50% Merino and 50% alpaca, a mix of Huacaya alpaca from southern Tasmania and Suri alpaca from Banjo Ridge at Dungog, New South Wales.
Warm the Line is a grassroots group of crafters that has directed hundreds of warm handmade items and hand-sewn PPE to voters waiting in lines at the polls during the general election last month. The effort is now directed towards the U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia on January 5. Aside from donating items, you can also support this effort by purchasing clothing and accessories with the Georgia Peach logo from DKGraham.
Sharon’s popular Garage Dyeworks colorway, Victorian Christmas, is available in sparkly Chrome Sock, luxurious Cadillac Sock and Superwash Auto DK.
Today is the last day you can preorder Heather of Earl Grey Fiber Company’s beautiful blue Under the Stars colorway, dyed on her Matcha Sport 80/20 Merino/nylon. Use it to knit Vanessa Smith’s Emberly hat, designed for the 2020 Where We Knit Yarn Club, or create another perfect winter accessory.
Victoria of Eden Cottage Yarn has debuted a new base! Keswick Aran is soft Superwash Merino with donegal neps in cream, brown and black throughout. It’s similar to the same ECY bases in fingering and DK weight, but in Aran form.
Marny’s new Birdwatch Beanie is inspired by her newfound love of birdwatching while working from home during quarantine. Knit it to keep your head warm while you are out in nature or curled up on the couch.
Fiberdog Fibers has a surprise colorway called Winter Gift.
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.
I’m thrilled to release Cashmenorah, a mosaic beanie that brings together luxurious Cashmere from Rebecca Kevelson of Clinton Hill Cashmere and Geraldine Yang of The Wandering Flock, both fellow Brooklynites. I have long wanted to get a chance to work with Rebecca, who is also Jewish, and I came up with the idea to combine her bespoke Cashmere yarn with Geraldine’s hand-dyed. I also wanted to create a Hanukkah design that was sophisticated and not overly kitschy, but still representative of this holiday that is defined by hope, patience and light in the midst of darkness.
You can purchase kits for Cashmenorah, as well as the pattern only, in the Indie Untangled shop.
There is also another important winter holiday coming up, and Sarah of Say! Little Hen has some home decor projects for you to knit in time for Christmas. Patterns include her super adorable Nordic Christmas Mice, pictured here — Sarah says this pattern is a great one to start with if you’ve never tried stranded colorwork before — her Nordic Christmas Gnome and the equally precious Mini Jumper (possibly the one of the only jumpers you can finish a few of in time for Christmas!).
Cold weather also brings about dry skin, so counter it with Lolo Body Care’s luxurious and yummy-sounding Face Puddings. These naturally scented puddings come in reusable and recyclable glass jars and will leave your face silky smooth.
Melissa of Alley Cat Yarns is taking us on a trip to Canada to the holidays with her Canadian Holiday gift sets, filled with Canadian-sourced goodies perfect for the yarn crafter in your life (that includes you!).
Speaking of Christmas, Gail of Dragon Thistle Fibers has added some holiday colors to her shop, including some sock sets in 50-gram skeins that come with a mini.
Emily’s Long Distance Coven is a “geometry-meets-witchcraft-themed” shawl that crafts yarn magic by marling together two strands of fingering-weight yarn.
Lena’s new Trellis Beanie, knit with an easy slip-stitch pattern, is 25% off through end of day Sunday, Nov. 8, with the code Trellis on Ravelry and Etsy.
Join Nancy of Tika Bags for Virtual Knitting LIVE from November 13-15. She will have two sessions highlighting her new bag fabrics, a new Bag Club and a few new sewn products. She also carries alpaca yarn from her own animals and speckled skeins from indie dyer Emma’s Yarn.
There are few New York knitters and crocheters who don’t know about the Manhattan yarn shop Knitty City. But beyond connecting the local yarn community, Knitty City‘s founder, Pearl Chin, has been instrumental in helping so many indie dyers and fiber business owners get their start and providing valuable advice as they move forward. Pearl has also been a role model for how to be a craftivist, using her platform as a leader to raise money and attention for important causes.
When I heard the devastating news about Pearl’s cancer diagnosis, I got in touch with a group of indie dyers that Pearl has been instrumental in guiding and championing. We thought it was fitting to turn our sadness into action. As we now grieve the loss of our friend and colleague, we can think of no better way to honor Pearl’s legacy.
We have created special colorways and designs, and are hosting giveaways to raise money for organizations she has supported:
• Julie Asselin has created a colorway called Dear Pearl, with proceeds donated to help budding knitwear entrepreneurs attend the CAN Retreat hosted by Marceline Smith and Anne Choi
• Christina of Chelsea Yarns has created a colorway called String of Pearls, with proceeds donated to Moms Demand Action
• Amanda of Hu Made has created a colorway called Pearl Power, with proceeds donated to the Asian Americans Arts Alliance
• I will be designing a hat pattern called Pearl’s Oyster, with proceeds donated to the NFC Momentum Fund (I’m still knitting up the sample and hope to publish it next week)
• Marian of Marianated Yarns has created a colorway called Thank You, Pearl, with proceeds donated to City Harvest
• Debbie of Murky Depths Dyeworks has created a colorway called Pearl of The West (Side), with proceeds donated to Womankind, an organization serving the Asian community in New York, helping survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual violence
• Mariana and Nick of Nooch Fiber will be hosting a series of mini-skein giveaways, with proceeds donated to Heifer International
