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.

What to stash this week: mini mani-yak

By Lisa | January 18, 2019

Stephania of Three Fates Yarn takes a different, less speckled path than other indie dyers, and her semisolids and gradients are perfect for colorwork projects that require the colors to stand out from one another. Enter her Helios mini skeins. Comprised of 60% Superwash Merino, 20% yak and 20% silk, they are a great match for items that require a bit of luxurious warmth with next-to-the-skin softness. Stephania has moved from Etsy to a new home on a new website, so step in and take a look around, and get to know her and her lovely yarns a little better.

Tamy recently debuted her Harpers Ferry shawl, which uses a main color contrasted with mohair and mini skeins (see above on where to get minis!). The result is a beautiful melding of high-contrast color, though you can also use a gradient for a more subtle look.

And speaking of minis… Jen of Porterness Studio has a new mini double-sided Yarn Life and stockinette motif sterling silver necklace. It’s designed to show flip as you wear it during the day to show off both sides. It normally retails for $125, but Indie Untangled readers get an introductory price of $95 with the code IndieYarnMini25 through January 24.

As the Outlander series comes to a close, so does Inner Yarn Zen’s Season 4 Outlander Unclub. Pictured is a photo of the yarn from Round 2, which is available on its own or as part of a package with all three rounds.

This is going to be Jennifer of Spirit Trail Fiberworks’ new view in New Mexico and it’s inspiring her New Beginnings yarn club. This quarterly club will ship in March, June, September and December and you can get one skein to up to four skeins per shipment.

Amanda of Wild Hair Studio has one of the few flocks of Romeldale/CVM sheep in the southeastern U.S. This breed, which is considered endangered, will be highlighted in her quarterly fiber club, which is now accepting members. Each club release will include roving, batts or smidgens (mini batts) of a Romeldale/CVM wool and/or Romeldale/CVM wool blend from her studio. If you’re more a knitter than a spinner, there is also a handspun option!

Slipped Stitch Studios is bringing you some enchantment under the sea. No, not the dance in Back To the Future, but a collection of project bags and other goodies featuring mermaids, sharks, narwhals and more. They’re on sale today at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

Kate of McMullin Fiber Co. hosting a winter make-along with prizes and loose rules. To enter, you can make a project using 50% or more of McMullin Fiber Co. materials and post about it publicly on social media. She’s kicking off the MAL with a sale: use the code TREATYOSELF for 25% off everything in the shop until January 24.

The latest October House Fiber Arts shop update includes a few colorful additions that should brighten up your dark winter days.

In time for the new year, Michelle of Crafty Flutterby Creations is releasing Tree of Life shawl pins, which symbolize rebirth and new beginnings.

Dye Is Cast Yarns has a limited edition Valentine’s Day 2019 colorway.

2018 Year In Review: IU dyers and yarns

By Lisa | January 3, 2019

I get so much inspiration from the knitters who find wonderful things to make with hand-dyed yarn — especially when they get creative and combine yarns from different indie dyers in colorwork projects, or find the perfect pattern for that semisolid or speckled colorway. Here’s a compilation of my favorite projects using yarn from Indie Untangled artisans.

Above is perhaps my favorite project of the year, Vicki’s All Points South with Dark Harbour Yarn Starboard, Duck Duck Wool Silky Singleton and The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Foxy Lady. I love how the four colorways from three different dyers look meant for each other (and I definitely looked to Vicki’s pullover shawl, as the designer Casapinka calls it, as inspiration when knitting my version with Duck Duck Wool.

Mary’s Heart of Glass with Duck Duck Wool 80/20 Merino Silk Fingering

Carol’s Tulle Shawl with Spun Right Round Superwash Sock 80/20

Lavanya’s Rue St. Antoine with Astral Bath Yarns Astral Sport

Amanda’s Beeline with Marianated Yarns Scrumptious HT

Karen’s Yin & Yang Loop with Middle Brook Fiberworks Vintage No. 3

Jenn’s Stripey Cowl with Canon Hand Dyes Charles Sock

Elizabeth’s Sunset Highway with Hue Loco Single Sock, Skeinny Dipping Merino Single and Voolenvine Yarns Nouveau

Kate’s Guthrie with Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool and The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Juicy DK — which won the 2018 Indie Untangled KAL

2018 Year In Review: IU exclusives

By Lisa | December 26, 2018

One of the best things about running Indie Untangled is getting to work with talented dyers to come up with exclusive colorways, whether it’s for the Rhinebeck Trunk Show, the Knitting Our National Parks project or the Where We Knit yarn club. And while I love collecting hand-dyed yarn as much as the next knitter, I truly enjoy seeing those colorways put to use in beautiful sweaters, shawls, cowls and more.

For the 2018 Indie Untangled Year In Review, I’ve compiled some of my favorite projects that use Indie Untangled exclusives.

Pictured above is Cecilia’s Sunset Highway with La Bien Aimée Merino Singles in Automne à Rhinebeck, Asylum Fibers Solitary in Rhinebeck’s All The Craze, Dark Harbour Yarn Port in Davy Jones Locker and La Bien Aimée Merino Singles in Yellow Brick Road

Aimee’s Rainshadow in La Bien Aimée Merino Singles Kingston and Hudson

Janet’s Local Yarn Shawl with The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Foxy Lady in Kiowa

Kelly’s Glaciers and Wildflowers Pullover with Duck Duck Wool DK Limited in Glaciers and Wildflowers

Tawana’s The Doodler with La Bien Aimée Merino Singles in Automne à Rhinebeck and Asylum Fibers Solitary in Rhinebeck’s All The Craze and Sleepless

Deborah’s Do It Up with Gauge Dye Works SHAWL: MCN Fingering in Hudson Valley

Jerrill’s Birds and Ships with Little Fox Yarn Vixen in Birds and Ships

Amy’s Close To You with Asylum Fibers Solitary in Acadia Lights

Abigail’s Concentra Cowl with Backyard Fiberworks Terrain in North Cascades Night and Merino 2/6

Maggie’s Lemon Pie with La Bien Aimée Merino DK in Automne à Rhinebeck

See many more FO’s using yarn from Indie Untangled dyers here.

What to knit with fingering yarn and stranded mohair

By Lisa | December 12, 2018

I have to admit, I’m warming up to mohair. Because it makes me itchy, I never sought it out. But after Jennifer of Spirit Trail Fiberworks showed me the photos of her yarn for this month’s installment of Knitting Our National Parks — the speckled Winter Wizardry and complementary mohair called Wizard Sky — I knew I had to have it in my stash.

Now, after researching all the new patterns popping up that incorporate mohair, and seeing Jennifer’s beautiful swatch using the two yarns stranded together, I realized I just have to knit with it!

Here are some pattern suggestions for using the two yarns together, in everything from hats to sweaters.