December 2009

Books

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The Joy of Rewinding: How to Recycle Previously Loved Yarn

We've seen them before, those sad and lonely balls of yarn from projects that were abandoned, frogged, and eventually discarded. These yarns often occupy a place of shame on swap tables throughout the land, representing failure, regret, and unfulfilled ambitions. We glance at them briefly before

November 19, 2009

How-Tos

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Hill Country Hat Pattern

This very easy hat pattern from The Knitter's Book of Wool offers a perfect vehicle for sampling different sheep breeds. It requires only 120 yards of bulky yarn, knits up in a flash, and produce a lovely unisex hat in the process. It was designed by me, Clara

September 16, 2009

How-Tos, patterns

Report from the 2009 Sock Summit

The Sock Summit founders described themselves as "seven lunatic women with a thing for socks and a very big plan," and they didn't use the word "big" lightly. By the time the Sock Summit took place in Portland, Oregon, August 6-9, it had gathered a magnificent momentum

August 20, 2009

Travels

Berroco Vintage

A great and often heated debate exists between those knitters who like acrylic blends and those who don't. Much of that debate has actually been fueled by blends that simply don't live up to their potential. I personally have a strong preference for natural fibers. When

July 9, 2009

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Spud and Chloë Overview

Blue Sky Alpacas (now Blue Sky Fibers) was the belle of the ball at the most recent TNNA. The company cleverly did an end-run around any confusion that may exist about its name, which leads many to believe it only sells alpaca yarns. The company got

June 25, 2009

Hedgerows Mitts Pattern

Pattern by Amy Ripton Clara's Note Colorful hand-dyed yarns are fabulous to look at on the skein, but sometimes can be a little tricky to knit. The more striking the color combinations, the more they tend to obscure any stitch patterning you wanted to use. Lace, ribbing,

May 28, 2009

How-Tos, patterns

3 Comments

Malabrigo Chunky

If butter could be spun into yarn, that yarn would be Malabrigo. As a company, Malabrigo actually offers several different kinds of yarn—including a perky new sock yarn, a decadent silk/Merino blend, and the chunky Merino reviewed here. But when people say "Malabrigo" they usually mean

April 30, 2009

Yarn Preview: PurrFect Yarns

We have an insatiable appetite for new and novel fibers. We've created yarns made from corn and bamboo. We've seen yarns dusted with jade, laced with copper, and even fortified with crushed crab shells and seaweed. So it should come as no surprise when I

April 1, 2009

Potpourri, Yarns

Signature Needle Arts DPNs

Knitting needles are simple tools. They're basically a long shaft with a point at one end. And double-pointed needles (DPNs) have, as the name suggests, a point at each end. The circumference of the needle shaft determines the size of each stitch. The shape of

March 26, 2009

Tools

Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush

This book reminds me of demi-glace, that magical ingredient in many French dishes. It's made by simmering an enormous quantity of beef scraps and bones, herbs, and vegetables for days until they've reduced to a single cup of syrupy liquid that is so strong, so

January 15, 2009

Books

Riihivilla Yarns

Riihivilla is a happy yarn discovery. It comes from a small family business in Finland and is available to a global market thanks to the wonders of the Internet. Riihivilla is run by Leena Riihelä and her husband. She collects fleeces from a nearby sheep farm, sorts

January 8, 2009