What to stash this week: Last glass of rosé and Rambouillet

By Lisa | July 5, 2019

The crew behind the Rosé and Rambouillet kit was waiting to unveil these gorgeous photos of Tamy Gore’s Dusky Rose shawl from Cat Reading. Kits with the Rambouillet yarn from The Dye Project, a digital copy of Tamy’s shawl pattern and a rose gold and glitter sheep pin from Nerd Bird Makery are available to preorder on Indie Untangled only through today!

Heather Jane of Sew Happy Jane has a knack for combining colors and this week she is featuring the Walking On A Dream sock pattern from Kalurah Hudson of While They Play Designs. There is a fresh batch of sock sets perfect for knitting this, or any pattern that uses contrast, all ready to go in her shop.

Dawn of Fairy Tale Knits is embracing that throwback with the “Christmas In July” version of her yarn Advent-style calendar. The set includes a full-sized, 463-yard skein skein Dawn’s 75/25 Superwash Merino/nylon Pegasus base and 24 92-yard speckled Pegasus mini skeins, all individually wrapped and inspired by a different cartoon character or show. They include the aforementioned Alvin & the Chipmunks and Muppet Babies, and a mix of other classics like Bugs Bunny, Sylvester & Tweety, the Jetsons, Care Bears, Smurfs and Rugrats.

Laura of Slipped Stitch Studios is shipping out her Steampunk-inspired bag and accessories preorders and so the extras will be live in her shop and ready to ship today at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

Happy birthday, America! Indie Untangled is celebrating this nation’s natural beauty with a Flash Sale! Get 15% off Knitting Our National Parks tote bags and Glacier National Park-inspired yarn from Duck Duck Wool through midnight EDT tonight with the code AMERICATHEBEAUTIFUL.

The next Eden Cottage Yarns update takes place today at 7 p.m. UK time and feature Titus Lace, a Superwash Merino/silk yarn that’s perfect for summer weather. It also includes the second release of the Four Seasons Collection, a collaboration with designer Jaya Lakshmi.

Augusta of adKnits has new gift tags infused with a little fiber-related snark, as well as new notecards, including those with her popular knitted mountains illustration. Plus, she’s also released the first two sets of her new line of stitch markers.

To celebrate Fourth of July, Pancake and Lulu is having a giveaway on Instagram.

Preorders are open for Stash Yarn Club’s August installment.

My Mama Knits’ Advent set is inspired by the mythology and folklore of Scotland.

Nutmeg Fibers is offering 15% off all yarn orders over $50 through tomorrow.

Indie Untangled Obsessories: Project bags

By Lisa | July 4, 2019

I don’t know about you, but my project bag stash is starting to rival my yarn stash.

OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But I definitely have more bags than I have WIPs at a given time (projects in my queue is another story. There are not enough bags in the world for those).

Each of my bags has a specific purpose and advantage, and so I thought I’d round up some of my latest project bag “obsessories,” plus a favorite from one of my friends.

For stowing in a large purse

My go-to travel packing includes a backpack with my water bottle and a knitting project or two. This Sapling bag from Shannon of New Hampshire-based Woodsy and Wild is roomy enough for a large shawl and can easily fit inside my 16-liter Fjallraven Kanken backpack, with plenty of room to spare.

For sweaters and travel

I’ve used this Edin bag from Anette of Netherlands-based Pink Hazel — which I snagged at this year’s Edinburgh Yarn Festival — as a purse when I want to tote my sweater WIPs around. Aside from the fashion-forward fabrics and leather straps, I love that it has a zippered pocket inside for storing valuables.

While I’m a huge fan of their everyday bags, Arounna of Toronto-based Bookhou has become known for her waxed canvas project bags, including their large drawstring Project Tote in the gorgeous plummy red above that I got for my birthday last year. It’s also a great size for sweaters.

For not just knitting

I fell for this Twig & Horn canvas crossbody tote while at The Knotty Lamb in Oregon, but I have to admit I haven’t used it for knitting yet. It was the perfect bag for attending a conference for my day job, holding my laptop inside, plus my phone, digital recorder, business cards, notebook and pens in the four roomy outer pockets. And I definitely appreciate the zippered inner pocket for my wallet and keys. The zippered pocket also has holes for separating your yarn in colorwork projects but I haven’t used it for that purpose — yet.

For toting on your back

At The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Montana Mountain Retreat last month, I finally caved and treated myself to a Knitter’s Backpack from Ritual Dyes. The salmon-hued canvas definitely swayed me. While I wouldn’t use it as a purse because of the lack of a zipper or a pocket (though Rachel’s Moon Pouch is nice for storing things you need easy access to) I like that the handles can be configured to use as a backpack or a tote and that it stands up perfectly straight to sit next to me and feed me my yarn. I take this along with another purse, like my beloved Bookhou mini bag.

My friend Thao of Nerd Bird Makery loves her backpack from Norway-based Plystre. It’s roomy, has comfortable leather straps lined with webbed fabric and comes in a variety of fun colors — if you can snag one.

What to stash this week: Rosé and Rambouillet

By Lisa | June 21, 2019

A pink shawl and a glass of rosé wine.

Kick off summer with the Rosé and Rambouillet Kit, exclusively from Indie Untangled. Each kit includes a generous 470-yard skein of 100% Rambouillet wool from The Bare Ranch in Surprise Valley, California, dyed by Sarah of The Dye Project in the Rosé On Rambouillet colorway, a PDF of Tamy Gore’s Dusky Rose shawl (you’ll get it three months before it’s released to the general public!) and the utterly adorable Rosé and Rambouillet glitter enamel pin from Nerd Bird Makery. Preorders are open only until July 5.

A pink speckled handknit sock on a sock blocker.

Speaking of domestic wool, Heather of Sew Happy Jane has an update featuring her domestically-produced All American Sock base in collaboration with a new design called Wandering Lost socks from Lindsey Fowler of Lost and Fawned. They’re shown above in the Sly Fox colorway. Order the yarn today for a 10% discount!

Red and pink project bags for knitting.

Sara of La Cave à Laine has debuted new yarn baskets, spacious drawstring bags with double handles and three compartments to hold your next project.

Aqua, teal and sand-colored yarn.
Hazel Knits’ colors of the month — Breeze, Voyage and Castle — are designed to accompany you on your summertime adventures. These colors will be on sale for the month of June.

Blue mini skeins.

Get to know IU newcomer Seathra of Stravaigin Yarn Co., who named her botanical botanical dye studio after an old Scottish word that loosely translates to “having a wee wander aimlessly without intent or a set destination.”

An image of grey feathers and the words "Henrietta: The Colouring of Pigeons. August MKAL Crescent Shawl. A Bunnymuff Knit-Along."
Mona is launching a new MKAL on August 1 inspired by the coloring of pigeons. The pattern will be a crescent-shaped shawl with feathery lace and optional bead details. It was designed specifically for gradient yarn and uses one 150g cake of another IU vendor, Wolle’s Yarn Creations.

Check out IU newcomer Colorshow Creative, who is inspired by colors and textures of fabric and yarn.

Geraldine of Knitting Around NY is holding a dye workshop on Sunday in Brooklyn.

What to make with Magpie Fibers Swiftcurrent

By Lisa | June 13, 2019

One of the things I love about Magpie Fibers is that Dami has so many colors that work beautifully together. When I first saw her yarn in person at the very first Knot House Maryland Sheep & Wool Indie Pop-up back in 2015, I was struck by how cohesive her color palette was.

Swiftcurrent, Dami’s Glacier National Park-inspired colorway for the latest installment of Knitting Our National Parks, is no exception and I easily found at least two colorways that would look perfect with it: Mesa and Linger.

I decided to put together some pattern suggestions for those pairings. Some use two and some use all three. And a couple are designed by Dami herself!

Swanky Sock

Loop by Casapinka (I made mine in Swanky Sock!)

Something Gradient This Way Comes by Dami Hunter (can use both Swanky Sock or Swanky DK)

Friend by Debra Gerhard

Summer Camp by Laura Aylor

Salt Point by Dami Hunter

Zweig by Caitlin Hunter

Swanky DK

Milu by Tamy Gore

A woman models a purple speckled striped shawl

Mirla by Lynn Di Cristina

Hediye by Ysolda Teague

Rhinebeck Hat by Woolly Wormhead

Old Pine by Melissa Thomson

More suggestions will be added to my Ravelry bundle!

What to stash this week: spring in bloom

By Lisa | May 10, 2019

Heather of Sew Happy Jane has a new, limited-edition colorway, Tulips, that will be available in limited quantities in her shop today.

Kate of McMullin Fiber Co. has a gorgeous new colorway inspired by actress Molly Ringwald and she nailed it, with soft peachy pinks and deep auburn oranges.

Jennifer of Spirit Trail Fiberworks is having a Lucky Pot shop update, for which she’s dyed one-of-a-kind, never to be reproduced colorways (so once they’re gone, they’re gone). This installment of both springtime colorways and autumn-y/earthy shades is on her Aurora single-ply fingering-weight Superwash Merino base.

Slipped Stitch Studios is having a Super(hero) Fun shop update that will go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time today. These limited- edition prints are ready to ship.

Selena of Sweater Sisters has kits for her Nantahala shawl, which she says is “inspired by a summer day in the beautiful hardwood forests of the east coast areas of North America,” available on two skeins of WayfaringYarns’ Monaco, a single-ply fingering weight yarn of 100% Extra Fine Merino.

Robin of October House Fiber Arts has also been inspired by spring and has some new spring colorways. There are tonals, speckles and variegated.

What to stash this week that’s magical

By Lisa | May 3, 2019

All Points South is one of my favorite knits and all-time-favorite FOs, so I was excited to see that Casapinka’s design for LYS Day, Magical Thinking, was a very similar style. It’s a fun knit with varied stitch patterns that keep things interesting, but never too complicated. And I love the fact that I can make another one of these in a similar style, but that I won’t be knitting it all over again. Bronwyn has just kicked off a Magical Thinking KAL in her Ravelry group, so grab those three yarns that just look perfect together and fall in love.

If The Force is strong in you this weekend, then set your alarm for 9 a.m. Pacific today. Slipped Stitch Studios has bags and accessories in four Star Wars-themed fabrics, limited edition Millennium Falcon stitch markers and rare Star Wars Pattern Wallets. These items are limited and ready to ship.

If you’re the plan-ahead type, then you can order your yarny Advent Calendar from Marianated Yarns now to ship in November. Kits include 24 mini skeins in a few different base options, tons of goodies and a custom-dyed full skein.

Aimee of Pancake and Lulu is all about the purples and pale pastels, plus spinners can check out new batts with sparkly Stellina.

Sunshine of My Mama Knits has a variety of one-of-a-kind single batches available in various weights from lace to super chunky.

Lisa The Knitting Artist is having a clearance sale to make room for new bases and colors, with sock and worsted yarn $15 to $18 per skein.

One outfit, three shawls

By Lisa | April 18, 2019

I’ve loved seeing all the #todaysknitoutfit posts on Instagram, but as a work-from-home solopreneur, I’ve joked that participating would entail taking selfies in a T-shirt and sweats wearing a shawl. Which is not to say that I don’t wear the heck out of my hand knits, and that it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea to wear stylish clothes around the house, but… I really like my sweatpants and T-shirt work uniform, and prefer saving my more fashionable choices for a day other than one when the only person I see is my USPS carrier.

So, instead, I’ve decided to put together some outfits from one of my latest StitchFix scores, an adorable green floral dress from their house brand Market & Spruce and a blush-colored stretch linen moto jacket from Level 99 — two items I never would have chosen on my own, but that somehow seem to match many things I’ve knit. Funny how that works. (Disclosure: the above link is an affiliate link, but you get a $25 credit if you use it to sign up for StitchFix, a personal styling service; learn more about it here.)

Above is the outfit I wore for Andrea Untangled. I’m in love with the Shift cowl I knit up last year and it’s the perfect accessory for the transition into spring, as it provides just enough warmth for those days when it’s not quite T-shirt weather but not bitterly cold.

My Nangou by Melanie Berg, knit in Duck Duck Wool 80/20 Merino Silk Fingering, is one of my most treasured FOs. I had been lusting after this colorway from Sandra for ages and finally scored it at a trunk show. The moody gray with a hint of purple and green plays well with a lot of different outfits.

Another more recent favorite FO is Isabell Kraemer’s Akemi. This large shawl, which used three skeins of Kokon Yarn Fingering Weight Merino (there is still one more kit left in the Indie Untangled shop!) is a bit matchy with the jacket, but could also be a nice stand-in for when I don’t quite need the jacket but want to keep the chill off my neck and shoulders.

I look forward to sharing more ideas with you, and wearing these outfits… out. Now to make more plans outside my apartment. 😉

What to stash this week: game of blooms

By Lisa | April 12, 2019

Designer Mona of bunnymuff will capture the beauty of Big Sur in her upcoming MKAL. The top-down, triangle-shaped shawl, called Blooming Big Sur, is inspired by the amazing wildflower bloom at Big Sur. You can preorder the colorful kit from Elevate Fibers (where the sale of every skein supports a national forest!) receive a code for $2 off the purchase of the pattern. The four clues will be released weekly starting May 1 and there will be two threads in the bunnymuff Ravelry group — one for shawl-related chat and one for spoilers.

Sara of La Cave a Laine’s new bag collection is filled with spring colors and patterns, including florals, leaves and koi carps — inspired by a delicacy of the southern Alsace, where Sara hand crafts all her bags.

This is your grandmother’s knitting, in the best possible way. Dottie Jane is a new collaboration from Heather of Sew Happy Jane and brioche master Lesley Ann Robinson of Knitgraffiti. The shawl is named for the colorway, Hattie Jane, which Heather named after her grandmother, and for Lesley’s late grandmother Dottie.

The Big Foot Fibers’ Mini Set Of the Month is called Easter Lily. The five-skein set on 85/15 extra fine Merino and nylon are available to preorder now.

This HBO epic might be coming to an end, but Marietta of Inner Yarn Zen is making her first Game Of Thrones kit available to mark the end of the series.

Selena of Sweater Sisters has nine colors in a cheerful spring palette up in her shop, available on four different fingering-weight bases.

Slipped Stitch Studios will have Pretty Sweary bags from artist Cynthia Frenette in the shop today at 9 a.m. Pacific.

Jeanne’s colorway for the latest installment of Knitting Our National Parks is inspired by Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a hop, skip and a jump to her Cleveland studio. It’s available to preorder until next Friday, April 19. As always, 10% of sales will be donated to the National Parks Foundation.

McMullin Fiber Co.’s April club is a surprise skein of spring speckles inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, plus a progress keeper from Amanda of Little Bitty Delights.

Eden Cottage Yarns is introducing two new yarns: a baby alpaca and silk Aran weight called Askham Aran, and Hayton DK, a DK-weight MCN. Both will be available in an update at 8 a.m. UK time on Monday.

Amy of Summit Rd Fibers also has new spring colorways, including Rusty Grape, Peachy Keen, Jelly Bean, Crisp Lemonade, Bella The Budgie, Sea Glass, Punk Princess and Melted Crayons, named via an Instagram giveaway.

Celebrate Easter with Purple Lamb’s Eight Days of Easter yarn kits, which consist of eight 10-gram minis (50/50 Merino/silk, not eggs) in pastel colorways.

Heather of Heather’s Yarn Barn has teamed up with the shopping site Zulily.com, and 10 of her colorways will be available at a deep discount from April 14 to 17.

My favorite finds at EYF 2019: Beyond Merino

By Lisa | March 28, 2019

If the last two years at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival (and fiber events in general) were all about the speckle, then 2019 was the year of embracing sheep-y goodness in all its many varieties. The vendors at EYF have long promoted British wool, but this year it seemed like there was so much fiber content beyond Superwash Merino, even among the indie dyers who tend to gravitate towards that tried and true base.

My finds at EYF 2019 bore out that trend — in fact, I’m proud to say that there is no Superwash Merino in my haul!

Here are some of my favorite finds from this year’s EYF.

One of the first things I had to check out was La Bien Aimée’s new base, Mondim. This yarn is collaboration between Aimee and Rosa Pomar, the owner of Retrosaria Rosa Pomar in Lisbon, Portugal. Rosa has created yarn bases comprised of wool from Portuguese sheep and they take more than two dozen of Aimee’s colors beautifully.

There were already a few sweater samples knit up, including Andrea Mowry’s LYS (which stands for Little Yellow Sweater) and Isabell Kraemer’s Eula, with her sample using buttons from ultra-tempting EYF vendor Textile Garden.

I was also excited to see London-based dyer Ocean of Ocean By the Sea, whose botanically-dyed yarn was available in a special pop-up in Ysolda’s space at the festival. There were so many tempting soothing colorways and bases, including this skein of Falkland wool in the appropriately-named Beachcomber colorway.

No EYF would be complete without yarn from one of Scotland’s many islands. Uist Wool is a mill that has been based in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland since 2013. I was particularly attracted to their Canach cottongrass blend, spun from Scottish Merino, a cross breed of Shetland and Saxon Merino sheep. The flecks of white in the dark gray yarn I ended up buying makes for a beautiful natural speckle.

Kettle Yarn Co.‘s colorful display of Northiam DK British Bluefaced Leicester, which is spun and dyed at a British mill, also caught my eye, as did her sample of Caitlin Hunter’s Tecumseh.

Martin’s Lab (who I’m excited to have as part of this year’s Indie Untangled yarn club) debuted a new base called Aubrey Sport, a blend of BFL and silk. It was used in the Homecoming Collection of mitts to sweaters by 10 designers.

Speaking of patterns, a couple of my favorites from the show did actually use Merino: I loved Fiona Alice’s grown-up version of her Mabel baby cardigan. This sweater, called Mabel’s Sister, uses Viola DK and was available in kits at the stand for Loop London.

I also loved glimpsing Casapinka’s latest designs in the wild, including this new multicolored shawl, Botanique, in collaboration with Walk Collection.

What to stash this week: Spring flowers

By Lisa | March 15, 2019

Kristin, who runs a knitwear business called KraeO, is expanding from crocheted hats and cowls into hand-dyed yarn with a line called Fuzz Family. She has just debuted a springtime collection of colorways, including a lovely one called Rose Gold, pictured above.

Speaking of gold, Jen now has her popular stockinette stitch Short Row and Minis earrings in solid 14k gold. Be fancy!

Speaking of spring, Aspen Knits has just released this new spring-inspired, two-in-one design called Lilac. The pattern contains instructions for making both a wrap and a cowl. The samples feature yarn from indie dyer Thriving Hive Studio.

Heather of Sew Happy Jane has stocked her shop full of goodies, including Silky Cashmere, five shades of Magical Mohair, tons of Delightful DK, mini skeins and several new spring colorways.

Summit Rd. Fibers is having a flash sale, with 20% off through March 17.