January 2012 – a new year & new colors!

It’s the heart of gloomy winter. Everything is barren and brown. I miss the brilliant hues of spring and summer (This is probably not surprising after last month where I dyed colors after flowers, huh?) So I’ve dyed up some highly saturated colors, but this time from the cool side of the palette. Show off your sophisticated, inner Ice Princess with these regal colors.

This month’s yarn is very similar to December’s yarn base (Charlotte Bronte Fingering) with one difference – this month’s yarn is superwash treated. So if you loved the thinner sock weight, with that distinctive, two-ply nubbly texture but need machine washability, this is your month!

Each skein is 4 oz, 560 yards, 100% superwash merino. Need an extra skein or three? No problem – they’re $21 each plus shipping.

If you’re new to the club, remember to follow the link you received in your club email to submit your color choice & order additional skeins!

Green with Envy

A monochromatic progression in green! Spring green, kelly green, emerald and deep blue green march along the length of this skein. Green has been quite popular with club members in the past, and this one is sure to please all the green-lovers! Pair this skein with navy, grey, or black for a classy color accent to your winter wardrobe or welcome spring with brilliantly green socks! (St. Patty’s day is coming!)

Ice Princess

This skein is mostly blue, but with a pop of purple and mustard to brighten it up. Dull mustard, teal, sky blue, brilliant blue, and a blueberry dance across this skein. If you like jewel tones, you’ll love this skein. It’s regal enough to satisfy the pickiest princess!

December Yarn Club – flowers in winter

I had such a lovely time dyeing up this month’s colors. I chose two photos of beautiful flowers as my starting point, and began dyeing. Right now Iowa is cold and barren with the first embrace of winter. We’ve already had two light snowfalls, which are likely to be the first of many. The prairie is lonely, except for the howling of the wind and the bright flash of snowflakes on cold days. All our flowers are sleeping, waiting for the return of the sun….so I thought, why not dye up some “flowers” that will last all winter? Their petals will not fade, and their bright colors will cheer the long winter to come.

I also chose a yarn that embodies the essence of winter: it’s a simple yarn, plied from 100% organic superwash merino wool. It’s fuzzy, and soft and warm: Charlotte Fingering. There’s nothing fancy about her, but she’s as reliable as a crackling fire on a blustery night. I chose this yarn because I’m actually working a skein into a sample pair of socks for a brand new pattern to be published later this month. I’ve been enjoying it so much, I thought you all should, too. Charlotte is charming in her simplicity; the little extra care required to handwash the socks you knit from her will be repaid 10 times over each time you slip into them.

Charlotte Bronte Fingering: 100% superwash merino wool, 560 yards per 4 oz skein. $23 per extra skein.

Poppies in Winter:

Honeyed Lily:

November – a special Yarn Love edition

It’s November! I’m quite excited as November is my birthday month & no matter how old I get, I always love having my birthday. After the flub-up with October’s yarn delay, I’ve chosen a staple sock yarn. I have it in the studio right now, so I am positive that I can ship it out in a timely manner. Scarlett O’Hara is one of my favorite sock yarns to work with. She’s just a little shiny, a little cushy and lasts forever. Scarlett has been a part of Yarn Love from the beginning, but she’s really hard to beat in terms of knitting into a brilliant fabric that lasts through a lot of wear. My girls even have a sweater knit from her (held doubled) that has been in their wardrobe for 3 years, and shows almost no wear….despite being flung into the washing machine weekly during the fall and winter.

Scarlett O’Hara

410 yards / 375 meters  per 4 oz / 115 g skein. 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo rayon, 10% nylon. Fingering weight. $21 per additional skein.

November’s colors are special! They are the collaborative effort of myself and Ruth of Rock + Purl. I’ve come to be friends with Ruth via Ravelry & Twitter & love her designs. She sent me this Shutterstock photo to start things off:

and here are the colors inspired by it!

Sunset

Brilliant blue, steel blue, sunny yellow, marigold, and black cocoa. Hand painted variegated. Blue and black are the dominant colors.

Just Before Dawn

Rosy pink, mauve, lavender, duskybrown, royal purple. Semi-solid. The colors are swirled into the dyepot and allowed to meander and set randomly.

Later this week, I’ll be doing a blog post featuring Ruth in detail, so be sure to come back to find out lots more about this fascinating designer! Plus, there will be a special “birthday present” this month, too!

Yarn Love: The Sock Club – October Colors

Are you reading for a vibrant spot of color? October is here, bringing with it cooler breezes and fall foliage. The intensity of this new season is reflected in both color choices for this month. The vibrant reds of Mulled Wine are juxtaposed against the cool, neutral tones of Feathered Nest. Both are sure to please!

This month’s base yarn is a heavy fingering weight cashmerino blend. It’s soft as a cloud and supple as silk, with a warmth that will keep you toasty during the coming winter. 80% superwash merino / 10% mongolian cashmere / 10% nylon; 375 yards per 4 oz skein. The nylon content helps improve durability and balance out the delicacy of the cashmere. $26.50  per additional skein.

Mulled Wine – semi solid

We start out with the boldly saturated hues of Mulled Wine. Deepest crimson swirls around vermillion and Bourdeaux; with tiny hints of current and raspberry.

Feathered Nest – variegated

Feathered Nest is a kettle dye variegation of steel grey, coffee brown, inky midnight, straw gold, teal and clear aqua.

Sock Club – it’s September!

It’s September and the new colors are finally here! I actually had two other colors dyed and ready for the start of this month…..but they just weren’t quite right. Artistry can be a fickle thing, and sometimes genius is elusive. I love these new colors – they seem just right for the new brisk breezes and the coming fall. I hope you like them, too!

Autumnal Orchard

Autumnal Orchard was inspired by lazy weekend walks through the sun-kissed orchard paths…ruby hued apples overhead and glossy grass underfoot. This multi colored yarn is kettle dyed to encourage serendipitous color blending and reduce pooling.

Colors: warm straw, blush pink, ruby, dark cherrywood, forest, and a touch of lime.

Sea Siren

Sea Siren is a nearly solid color that defies a firm definition. Equal parts brilliant blue, turquoise, and black, this extremely saturated turquoise is the “navy blue” of the aqua family. Gaze into her depths long enough and you’re sure to see the swirling green-blues just under the surface.

Colors: turquoise, jade, and deepest sapphire layered with brooding grey.

Joan Of Arc

Joan of Arc is an amazing sock yarn. Her Tencel content shines just like silk, but since it’s a cellulose (plant) fiber it also adds quite a bit of drape and durability. Joan is almost too pretty to hide in your shoes – her gleam makes her a great candidate for show stopping garments. If you had socks in mind, don’t fear – you’re sure to get a lovely pair when you choose Joan!

$22 per extra skein. 50% superwash merino 50% tencel, 410 yards per 4 oz. skein.

As always, current Sock Club members can find the link to place their color choice in the Sock Club September email.

Want to join the Yarn Love Sock Club?

September is a renewal month, which means any available Sock Club spots will be listed in our Etsy store on September 19th. Join our mailing list by visiting our home page and filling out the form at the bottom of the page. I’ll send out a reminder to all newsletter members when the Sock Club spots are up for sale.

Sock Club: August Edition

It’s August & it’s time for an amazing new yarn and two new colorways! This month’s yarn is truly unique: Grace Kelley is a 100% superwash Blue Face Leicester wool, tightly spun into a lightweight sock yarn. Blue Faced Leicester, commonly abbreviated BFL, is a British breed of sheep with wool that is nearly as soft as merino but more durable and less pilling. It is one of my personal favorites, but is often hard to get because there are far fewer Blue Faced Leicester sheep in the world than Merinos.

The yarn itself is a delight! It is plied and spun much more tightly than most commercially produced sock yarns. It reminds me of handspun yarn more than millspun. For garments like socks that will see heavy wear, this is a huge plus. They’ll keep going, going and going. You can see the active twist in the photos – look for the gently curls along the outside edge of the skein. The yardage is higher than most other Yarn Love sock weights – putting right between fingering and lace. Grace will knit up beautifully into silken socks or a dreamy shawl. The twist gives stitches lovely definition and is perfect for intricate stitch patterns.

Extra skeins are $23 each, plus shipping. Order extras by August 7th via the Sock Club email link.

Silvered Waves

Ice blue, silver-grey, lake blue, and true navy blend with blush and barnwood as the colors lap and swirl over the surface of the skein. This colorway is kettle dyed, which allows serendipitous color combinations during the dye process. Silvered Waves is a calming skein, sure to provide a relaxing and luscious knitting experience.

Silvered Waves Inspiration:

Carrot Tops

Bright fresh green plays long this skein with hints of avocado, carrot and marigold. A refreshing and uplifting green – also a great transitional color from summer to fall. According to the Pantone Fall 2011 color forecast, you’ll be seeing lovely greens like this all season long.

Carrot Tops Inspiration:

Happy crafting!

Yarn of the Month Sock Club – July Colors

It’s summer here at the Yarn Love studio, and this month I’ve concocted some delicious, fruity drinks for you to sip! I hope you have as much fun knitting these up as I did dyeing them. These colorways were extra fun, and I love, love, love them!

Cosmopolitan

A delish drink, with cranberry juice giving it a light pinky-rose color. Served in a martini glass with a wedge of lime for extra flair. Just for fun, here’s a recipe.

In yarn form, Cosmopolitan is an eye popping combination of shocking pink, hot mauve and neo purple. She’s kettle dyed with subtle variations and a very intense overall hue. She’ll match your hot-pink toenail polish perfectly!

Tutti-Frutti

Full of all sorts of fruit: cherries, apples, pears, peaches and more this drink is paradise! Make it as a super-fruity cocktail or as a breakfast smoothie (all fruit, no alcohol) and enjoy a taste a summer all day long.

In yarn form, Tutti Frutti is an amazing combination of grass green, clear aqua, shocking pink, hot mauve, and intense pumpkin. Tutti Frutti is kettle dyed, and there are small pops of serendipitous colors along the length of the skein.

Yarn Base

This month you get my favorite yarn base: Amy March. She’s a 4 oz skein of the most silken soft, superwash merino wool you’ve ever felt. I just can’t help having a crush on her!

4 oz, 100% superwash merino, plied, Dk weight: 270 yards. $21 per extra skein.

Color choices & extra skein orders due by July 12th. See the club email for the link!

Yarn Love is looking to hire a dyer in the Des Moines area

Hi to all you wonderful Yarn Lovers out there! The time has come for me to hire dyeing help. Yarn Love is growing, my pattern design is increasing and I need to keep yarn delivery to our retailers at a minimum. If you are located in the Des Moines area, and interested in applying, please read the details below. If you know someone who might be a good match, please pass along this request! I’m looking to set up a bit of a non-standard, but very flexible employment situation, and am confident we can make this an amazing collaboration.

Let me reiterate that you don’t need to know how to dye – I’ll be teaching you the ropes there. You must simply be willing to learn, have an art/crafts interest, and be located close enough to the studio to arrange for drop off & pick up of the yarn.

Club yarns will be posted tomorrow & we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled Yarn Love ramblings.

Thanks in advance for helping find a great dyer for Yarn Love!

~katie

Yarn Love is hiring!

Yarn Love is looking for a part-time dyer in the Des Moines area. No prior experience with dyeing is necessary – we’ll provide all the training you need. Payment will be per skein which will provide the potential to earn more than a set hourly wage. Once training is complete, you will be able to work out of your own home and schedule your own hours provided you can deliver the dyed yarn at the scheduled deadline.

We prefer you to enjoy working with fiber, but you do NOT need any prior experience dyeing yarn/fiber. Nor is it a requirement that you be a fiber lover (knitter, crocheter, etc.) Previous experience working with color in any medium (painting, quilting, graphic design, etc.) is a plus.

I’m sure this arrangement can work out well for both parties, but due to the specific requirements of the position, it will not be for everyone. You must be self-motivated, able to follow specific instructions, and able to meet deadlines.

You must be located in the Des Moines area as yarn will need to be delivered and picked up on a weekly basis.

You provide:

• Working facilities including a kitchen sized sink, work surface (counter or table), working oven and stove (4 burners). Most home kitchens are adequate.
• A strong motivation to learn
• Attention to detail
• Ability to follow specific instructions – including reading a recipe and heating instructions
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to meet deadlines. We keep a dye schedule and the yarns must be delivered on time.
• Availability for short meetings/instructions via email and telephone

We provide:

• Per skein payment
• Monthly stipend to cover cleaning supplies, dyeing gloves, etc.
• All training necessary to dye Yarn Love yarns. We’ll do this in the Yarn Love studio.
• Dye Pans
• All necessary dyeing equipment
• All necessary dyeing supplies

Please note that due to the sensitivity of the training we’re providing, you must be willing to sign a non-compete statement along with your employment contract. You will be an independent contractor  for Yarn Love and responsible for your accounting/taxes.

To apply, please email a document containing the following to Katie at Katie AT shopyarnlove DOT com:

Your Full Name

Address

City, State, Zipcode

Phone Number

Email Address

A paragraph about yourself, so we can get acquainted. It can be brief.

A paragraph about your interest in the position.

A paragraph about your skills or interests that might qualify you for our position.

A brief description of your availability and number of hours per work you prefer to work.

Yarn Love Sock Club: June 2011

It’s that time again; there’s been a flurry of activity in the yarn studio this past week getting your May yarn out and your June yarn dyed, photographed and posted. June’s yarn selection is the brilliant Scarlett O’ Hara: a beguiling blend of superwash merino wool, bamboo rayon and nylon. Scarlett is one of my all-time favorite sock yarns. She’s cushy and stands up to tough wear with poise.

4 oz /115 gram skein, 410 yards/375 meters, 60% superwash merino wool, 30% bamboo rayon, 10% nylon. Each additional skein is $24.

Exotic Indian Spice

This rich, hand painted colorway hearkens back to when sailing ships rules the seas, and the spice trade was an adventure-filled business. Way back when women work full skirts and twirled parasols; when men were gentlemen and full of mysterious adventure. Enjoy the deep tones of teak, mahogany, coral, cinnamon and sand.

Gilded Baroque

The Baroque period in history consisted of covering every available surface (architectural or personal) in gold and ornamentation. It was a refined era; one of opulence, decadence and the distinct impression that more is always better. Subtle tones of butter, gold, and sunshine swirl across the palette, creating a pleasing impression of wealth.

Color selections are due June 7th – I hope you have fun picking out your yarns this month. Extra skeins can be ordered via the  color selection form; check your club email for the link.

Knit and Crochet Personal Color Service From Yarn Love

Have you ever stared at a display of yarn looking for the perfect color combination for your Fair Isle yoke?

Or wondered if the colors you’ve chosen for your striped socks will look as amazing as the pattern photo?

Second guessed a color combination that you picked out from an online vendor….will the colors look good together in person?

I know picking out colors can be hard. There are so many pretty ones to choose from and there is also the inevitable wondering about what your project will look like if you stray from the suggested and photographed sample. These difficulties are compounded if you are purchasing your yarn online – due to photography and monitor display settings it’s impossible to know exactly what your yarn will look like prior to its arrival on your doorstep. Which means that your color selection might be brilliant or it might look a little flat.

I am here to help! No, I can’t change the issues of photography and monitor display. (Wouldn’t that be amazing?)  No, I can’t knit your Fair Isle sweater for you. (I have a baby, my knitting time is disgustingly little at the moment.) But what I can do is make sure the colors you purchase provide the most bling for your buck! “How?!?!”, you say?

Simple. I put the colors together before I shipped them off to EatSleepKnit. (Simple + brilliant! Why didn’t I think of this before?) All you need to do is grab your favorite Rainbow Pack and pair it with a pattern.

I named them Rainbow Packs – not because they all contain the traditional rainbow of colors, (Think back to grade school ROYGBIV: red,  orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.) but because I had a rainbow of colors to choose from when I put them together. 14 colors in fact; which is more than double the selection of your traditional rainbow.

Each Rainbow Pack has a different feel and contains a different combination of colors. I carefully selected colors both for overall visual impact and also so that they would provide enough contrast to work well in intricate colorwork.

If you’ve ever worked complex color patterns, you’ll know it’s not an easy thing to do. You must include enough contrast so that the each stitch is clearly visible but with an eye to how all the colors will appear together. If there’s too much contrast you’re garment ends up looking like you randomly selected the component colors without a thought to how the final sweater would turn out. Too little contrast (Hey, all my colors match!) and all the hard work you put into working the intricate pattern fades into the fabric because the individual stitches don’t have enough contrast to draw the eye.

You have two choices in Rainbow Packs from EatSleepKnit: small and large. I like to think of the small one as the “Stripey Sock Pack” because it contains four 1oz skeins, each with lots of contrast. That way you can make the most amazing pair of striped socks you’ve ever seen.

Your second choice is the Large Rainbow Pack; each contains between 5 and 8 full skeins (50 grams each) of Elizabeth Bennet. These are intended for Fair Isle sweaters, hats, or any larger project where 1oz just isn’t enough. The large packs have different moods – some are very bright and cheerful while others are really saturated and regal. All of them are beautiful.

Stop worrying whether your color combination will “turn out” in the end and get yourself a Rainbow Pack. It’s got my dyer (and knitter!) seal of approval.  Your project will look amazing and you will astound your knitting friends and muggles alike with your color genius!

P.S. – Here’s a peek at some of my preliminary color combinations, just in case you’re curious.