Gifts for Fiber Folks Under $25

December 15, 2022Ana CamposComment

Knitting Barber Cords are a must-have for every knitter!

An issue of Taproot Magazine to curl up with!

A pocket-sized decomposition notebook for project notes!

Mystical Stitches is a beautiful book on magical embroidery

A clever Cuts of Lamb storage tin for small notions!

Cute stitch markers, because we all need more markers!

A sweet zipper pouch to keep notions, bits, and bobs!

A Fiber Witch or Knit Witch hand-stamped key ring!

The cutest ghost kitty progress keeper for knitters and crocheters!

Very helpful sew-in labels for their handknits!

A Stitch Magic Tote Bag to carry all their fiber goodies!

Andrea's new Trinigan Cardigan: Let's pick colors!

November 3, 2022Ana CamposComment

Fall is in full swing and a beautiful new pattern by Andrea Mowry just dropped. I’m in love with this cozy, colorful, and super snuggly cardigan! Meet Trinigan!

This is the best kind of project: simple slipped stitches make this cardigan super fun to knit, and with beautiful but easy to knit results. You can throw on Trinigan over any outfit!

Andrea released Trinigan to celebrate Spincycle’s newest yarn, Trine! Trinigan combines Trine with Spincycle’s beloved worsted weight gradient yarn, Dream State. I love this new spin (pun intended) on marls - each of the new Trine colorways has three plies in complimentary shades, coming together to make a unique marled yarn. Check out the colorways here!

I absolutely love Spincycle yarns, but I also recognize the need for more budget-friendly options for Andrea’s designs. So let’s talk about Loop Fiber Studio’s beautiful marled line, Yin & Yang! Loop Fiber Studio is a small, woman-owned fiber company based out of upstate New York, and Yin & Yang yarns are created in small batches at a craft mini spinning mill. There’s so much to love about this yarn! Yin & Yang is a line of marled yarns made in inverted colorways in an absolutely gorgeous array of colors. At 100 grams and 220 yards per skein, they are a beautiful and budget-friendly alternative to Trine, and Yin & Yang pairs absolutely beautifully with Dream State! Here are some color combinations that I’m loving:

What about yardage requirements?

The pattern lists the following:

YARN REQUIREMENTS
These are just approximations. Total yarn usage will depend on the yarn you use (fiber content, ply, etc.), your personal gauge, and any modifications you may make.

100% Worsted Weight Wool in 2 colors

MC - 521 (595, 621, 671, 731)(787, 837, 900, 940) g/1040 (1190, 1240, 1341, 1460)(1574, 1672, 1800, 1880) yds/952 (1088, 1134, 1225, 1335)(1438, 1530, 1646, 1719) m

CC - 264 (300, 315, 340, 370)(400, 424, 450, 476) g/528 (600, 630, 680, 741)(800, 850, 900, 954) yds/483 (550, 575, 623, 678)(732, 777, 823, 873) m

If you use Loop Yin & Yang Worsted, that corresponds to the following number of skeins:

3 (3, 3, 4, 4)(4, 4, 5, 5) skeins

And the number of skeins of Dream State for the CC are:

4 (4, 5, 5, 5)(6, 6, 6, 7) skeins

For an even more budget-friendly approach, use Malabrigo Rios for your contrast! It won’t gradient, but it will be beautiful! You can also create your own gradient by using different colors of Rios since you will need at least 2 skeins. At 210 yards per skein, the skein counts would be as follows;

2 (2, 2, 2, 2), (2, 3, 3, 3) skeins

New Yarn Alert: Malabrigo Ultimate Sock!

August 16, 2022Ana CamposComment

It finally happened: Malabrigo has a true sock yarn! Meet Malabrigo Ultimate Sock!

Malabrigo Sock has long been one of my favorite yarns, with it’s gorgeous merino wool, tight twist and stunning hand-dyed colors. I’ve used it for dozens of shawls, sweaters, and accessories - but when it comes to knitting socks, merino wool really needs a bit of nylon to reinforce it. So imagine my excitement when Malabrigo announced Ultimate Sock, their new line of 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon sock yarn! It’s just as soft and crisp as the original Malabrigo Sock, but now with the perfect bit of reinforcement for hard-wearing socks.

Their tonal colorways are as beautiful as always, and they are perfect for showing off textured stitches. The kettle dyed colors enhance the stitchwork, rather than competing with it as heavily variegated colorways do. I’ve picked out some gorgeous sock patterns to show off Ultimate Sock, pick a favorite color (or three) and cast on some socks! They’ll be ready in time for the first cold snap.

Snapshots from Stitching on the Wharf!

June 1, 2022Salem MA, Snapshots from SalemAna Campos2 Comments

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had our first Stitching on the Wharf of the year! Sunshine + knitting with friends + waterfront makes for a really lovely day. The weather was absolutely perfect, and folks came from as far as Western Massachusetts to knit with us.

The original Stitching on the Wharf cover photo!

Antigone’s “Nevasca shawl pose” photo as she called it. Thanks Antigone for sharing!

Join us for an upcoming Stitching on the Wharf!

A Fun Warm Weather Knitting Trick!

May 30, 2022Annie LoutonComment

I love to knit big wooly projects all year. I like to think of it as spending my summer knitting myself gifts for when the weather gets dark and cold. So naturally I have two big cozy sweaters on my needles and I’m planning a third despite the increasing daily temperatures. The best part about this trick? You probably already have everything that you need for it! Just grab a large mixing bowl and plop your project into it. and get that sticky wool off your lap!

I really like this bowl with an extra rounded base because it tilts in my lap nicely and swivels well. The metal material is smooth and cool and won’t break if I drop it. This trick is my favorite for sleeves at any time of the year! Or anytime my project is bulky and needs to turn a lot.