Crazy for Ewe
Yarn Construction - what are plied, chainette, tube, and blown yarns?
There are lots of ways to sort and categorize knitting yarn - by weight, by fiber, etc, but one of the most important characteristics that many knitters and crocheters don't understand is yarn construction. There are 4 basic yarn construction types, plied, chainette, tube or blown, and air jet spun. Let's
Read More
What is a trunk show for knitting? -- and is it worth attending?
At a trunk show, the yarn company or designer sends a whole big box, or trunk, of knitted samples for you to see and try on. The garments are typically in the shop for at least 10 days and sometimes as long as 2 weeks.
A trunk show might feature a single yarn in several different samples, or it could be a seasonal collection, or garments from a book or magazine. The point is to
What is blocking in knitting?
Blocking is an often overlooked, but important step in finishing any garment. Broadly stated, it’s the process of wetting your knit fabric, either with steam or with warm water. Wool is quite relaxed when it’s wet, so you can smooth those pesky curling edges, adjust the size of your fabric, and create a particular shape. Not only are blocked sweater pieces much easier to seam, they look
Read More
Getting to know sock yarn
While many yarns can be used to make socks, and sock yarn can be used to make many things, sock yarn typically refers to a fingering weight blend of superwash wool and nylon or silk.
Sock yarn is often hand-dyed to create socks with a fun and colorful appearance. Some sock yarns is machine engineered to create designs
Tea Time Fibers October 2022
A few years ago we hosted Willow Tree Yarns at the shop for a hand-dye class. Everyone had a great time, dyed a skein of their own yarn, and never thought about it again. Everyone except Nicole Van Kuiken, that is. I had no idea she'd been bitten by the hand-dye bug, and then the next thing you know,
Read More
Understanding gauge in knitting- when you're substituting yarn
Gauge in knitting is nothing more than the size of the stitches we are creating. The size of the stitches is measured by how many stitches fit into a given linear measurement, typically one inch or four inches. So we get gauge terms like 4 stitches per inch or 16 stitches per 4”. I did a fun blog post explaining this
Read More
Mara Cowl Knitalong
This textured cowl, Mara, is a stunning piece. Ginni, Mary, and I saw Mara at H+H and knew it would be a perfect knitalong. Worked in beautiful Truva, it looks much more complicated that it is. Isn't it amazing all the things you can do with just two simple knit and purl stitches?!?!. A terrific project for adventurous beginners and experienced knitters alike. You'll enjoy the process and have a
Read More
It's okay to be a beginner
It’s okay to be a beginner. In fact, it can be awesome. When you go back and approach things as a beginner, you will learn so much - you’ll likely learn things you didn’t even know you didn’t know. Here’s why - when you’re an actual beginner, you’re taking in information at a very rapid pace. Everything is new and fast, your brain hasn’t yet created the neural pathways that are what learning is. All the new information comes in and there’s literally no place for
Read More
Joji Locatelli Staple Linen Top
Joji Locatelli is one of my favorite top-down designers. My latest Joji project is the Staple Linen Top, which is a go-to wardrobe staple - especially in Queen City Coleman, a gorgeous year-round blend of silk and linen.
The Staple Linen top looks great on a variety of body shapes and sizes, and is
Yarn weights explained
What are the yarn weights and meanings? Yarn weights can be very confusing. Even for experienced knitters, sorting out the terms, gauge, and needle size for each weight is a lot. The Craft Yarn council of America has created a standard yarn weight system with eight categories, from 0 to 7, and organized the yarn into those categories. It's a good idea, but still confusing since most yarn store yarn is not labeled with the Craft Yarn Numbers.
Substituting yarns in knitting
How do I substitute yarns in knitting projects? How do I figure out many skeins to buy? This question is one we get in the shop many times a day. Let’s say you have a pattern you want to knit, but you want to use a different yarn. How do you know how much of the substitute yarn to purchase? This is a simple math question that I’ll break up into a few steps.
Read More