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.

Yarn Love: the sock club!

Yep. Finally. It’s been about 5 years, but Yarn Love finally has a sock club. I’m excited, and if chatter on the Ravelry group is any indication, you are too! We’re keeping it as streamlined as possible. You choose your favorite of two colors per month (Yes, you can buy an extra skein or two if you need!) and we send it out 2-3 weeks later. Extra notions, treats and patterns won’t be a regular part of the club. Why? Well, while I absolutely love to shop etsy for fun knit/crochet related goodies, my boss cracks the whip when I spend too long on there. Something about needing to dye yarn. And two, my house is cluttered. No, seriously. Even though I love the extra goodies when I get them, I hardly ever use them….and it’s too wasteful to throw them away….and so they live somewhere in the jumble of my craft closet. So I’m saving you from the same fate. The best part is when you run across that perfect yarn notion on Etsy (because I know you’re going to shop!) you can buy it without guilt since you didn’t already spend that money via the yarn club.

Sign up via Etsy – there are only 15 spots left. We’ll continue to sell memberships until we hit our cap, but I wouldn’t delay too long…..we sold 14 spots yesterday.

P.S. – Do you like that pretty green? So did nearly everyone else who saw it! It’s one of the color choices for March.

free sock pattern + hand dyed yarn by Yarn Love

Winner Update!

And we have a winner! Nan who wrote “LOVE the new colors, especially “New” Allure!” gets the prize package! Congratulations – I’ll be in touch shortly.

If you didn’t win this time, don’t be too disappointed, I’m planning on doing drawings about once a month on the blog. I love all the comments! In the meantime, perhaps you all could bribe the random number generator I used for the drawing……

If you didn’t win, but would still like the pattern, stop by Never Not Knitting. There’s a 25% off coupon for all my patterns and overstock yarns there.

After a brief interlude for delicious baking (oreos = yum!) we now return to our regularly scheduled knitting! I’ve just released a new sock pattern: Grecian Goddess socks! They’re a lovely combination of diamonds and eyelets adorning the instep and cuff, plus a lilting cable twirling along the gusset. I seem to have a “thing” for cabled gussets….they’re just so pretty! Grecian Goddess is shown here in Celestial Rose (on Juliet hand dyed by Yarn Love).

This pattern is suitable for intermediate knitters (or an adventurous beginner). All the stitch patterns are given in chart form, because that really is the easiest way to covey the large stitch design. Though you will need to work from multiple charts at once, the good news is that the instep and cuff charts are nearly identical so working them up is actually easier than you might think at first glance. Plus – cabled gussets! You need these daintily cabled gussets!

14 New Semi Solid colors from Yarn Love
Yep – I just finished uploading 14 brilliant new shades to the Yarn Love website. That means they’re officially released. Check them out here – they’re beautiful. I’ll be telling you more about how they’re dyed and why you want them in a future post….but for now ogling them is sure to brighten your day!

You can win free yarn!
I’m celebrating my recent productivity by giving away two skeins of Elizabeth Bennet yarn plus a PDF copy of my Grecian Goddess socks! Awesome – free hand dyed yarn! Free sock pattern! Please leave a comment below telling me which if the 14 new colors is your favorite. (Hint, the new colors are the ones labeled *new* right here.)

If you link to this post via Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or your blog, comment with the url to your post and we’ll enter you a second time. I’ll choose the winner Friday, February 4th – so please enter before noon 2/4/2011. Good luck!

Yarn Love Sale!

It’s Cyber Monday, and since everything else is on sale, I’ve decided to offer an additional 20% discount on our overstock yarn. Now you might now realize that last week I put up an overstock/seconds/one of a kind store on Etsy. My studio storage space is way overcrowded. Most of what’s there is beautiful yarn leftover from a canceled wholesale order more than a year ago. The yarn is perfect and lovely, but I can’t use 30 lbs of yarn for my own knitting, and I’d much rather you gave it a good home. The “overstock” discount runs about $3-5 per skein off retail.

Today, November 29th until midnight use the code CYBERCRAFT for an additional 20% off.

Why? Because getting a good deal on a quality, handmade item makes me feel good…and I want to pass that onto you. I’m not going to offer this price on an ongoing basis, because a lot of discounting undervalues my work. But a special sale every once in a while – that’s a good thing.

I hope you find something you love in the etsy overstock shop!

It’s hot here in the Midwest. And really humid. We’re only a couple of inches of rainfall away from breaking the “most rainfall ever” record for our state. The rain plus the mid-90 degree heat (Heat index in excess of a 105 degrees, anyone?) Has got me feeling a little bit melty here in the studio. And it’s actually slowing down the dyeing as it’s so hot that I have to strategically plan my dyeing so I don’t kill the studio air conditioner. Yesterday, it was 83 degrees here until well after sundown even with the A/C running continuously. eeek!

Despite the heat, boxes of yarn are still arriving here in the studio. These are the three that arrived this week, so I can finish up my last couple of orders before taking maternity leave. For size reference, that big one has about 40 lbs of Elizabeth Bennet inside. It makes the others look positively petite!

I’ve also been working diligently on writing and knitting up two new patterns. I have a new shawlette pattern being test knit right now, plus a cabled beret & mitten set. I might be crazy for working on cold-weather patterns during the hottest part of the summer, but it should mean they’re ready for you when the cold weather comes calling. I’ll post pictures as soon as I can get the mittens to behave!