December 2013

Addi Turbo Rockets and Sock Rockets

Addi Turbos are the Cadillac of nickel-plated brass circular knitting needles, setting a standard against which all others in the market compete. The needles are all made in Germany, to exacting specifications and in impeccable working conditions, and they all carry a lifetime warranty. Naturally, this

November 7, 2013

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The Rhinebeck Sweater by Ysolda Teague

When knitters gather, our natural tendency is to don our latest handknits for display. The bigger the event, the greater the excitement around finishing that project, darning the ends, and blocking it before the fairgrounds open. The New York Sheep and Wool Festival—lovingly dubbed Rhinebeck because that's

October 24, 2013

Books

Bare Naked Yarns Overview

For several years, knitwear designer Anne Hanson has been sourcing and shipping yarns for her Knitspot club. They tended to come from prominent hand-dyers, in exquisite colors, accompanied by original designs by Anne. Then she decided to go deeper into fiber itself, launching her Bare Naked

October 10, 2013

Zealana Air

Even without knowing what's in it, you instinctively know this yarn is something special. The skein sits in your hands like a hummingbird nest, and it feels just as exotic and precious. Each fine strand nestles within its neighbors, and together they reflect light in

August 14, 2013

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Needle Basics: Tips

What makes a yarn split? I get asked this question a lot, and the answer is complicated. At a very high level, yarns can split if the fibers lack sufficient cohesion to hold together, or if they've been given insufficient twist at any step of

July 23, 2013

Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill Colorflow

Even mill owners like to experiment now and then. Colorflow is the playtime project of Anne Bosch, the owner of Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill. She wanted to create a yarn with extremely long, slow color transitions—far longer than what you can get if you hand-dyed

May 23, 2013

A Verb for Keeping Warm Pioneer

Kristine Vejar wants to revitalize the California wool industry, and this yarn represents her first step. Vejar is the creative force behind the Oakland yarn shop A Verb for Keeping Warm. Besides having discriminating taste in other people's yarns, which manifests itself in an astonishingly well-curated store,

May 9, 2013

Knit to Flatter by Amy Herzog

A strange thing happens when Amy Herzog addresses a crowd. A feeling of optimism and confidence permeates the room, a sense of "at last!" and "so it wasn't me after all." Women sit up in their chairs. More amazingly, they shed their inhibitions and become

April 11, 2013

Books

Blacker Yarns Pure Bluefaced Leicester Lace

What is the best yarn for lace? And what is lace, anyway? Your basic knitted fabric—stockinette, garter, ribbing, and the likes—is all about filling space with fiber and creating something cohesive. We knit those fabrics out of plump, well-rounded multiple-ply yarns, and we're happy with the

March 13, 2013

Knitter’s Pride Karbonz

Back in 2010, I heard about a new miracle material being used for knitting needles. It was a carbon fiber composite also found in Boeing 787 Dreamliners, stealth fighter jets, and Formula One race cars. The benefit? Extraordinarily strong and lightweight, it could be used

February 28, 2013