We’re working on our second Yarn Love Club (you can still get the first one here). While we’re not quite ready to reveal the details of our next shipment, we can introduce you to the designer of the pattern for the next shipment.

An Interview with Yakira Heistand. You can find Yarkira’s blog at www.intrepidknitter.com, and on Ravelry as Yakira.

Stay tuned to learn more about our next Yarn Love Club Shipment!

What’s a mood board, you ask? Mood boards are a way to visually organize a theme, idea, or feeling. I recently put out a call for submissions for the second shipment of the Yarn Love Club. For this shipment of the club I wanted something that would be an elegant and wearable accessory using two colors of Yarn Love yarn. I came up with this mood board for the call:

Everyone gets their inspiration from different places. For me I looked for classic and wearable accessories that highlight the beauty of the yarn. When creating a mood board there are a lot of things to keep in mind! It’s important to know what sorts of patterns you are looking for, and the pattern’s purpose. As an independent dyer my goal was to get a fun knitting pattern that would be easy to wear, not too difficult to knit, take about 2 skeins of yarn, and really highlight hand dyed yarn. I also wanted to keep in mind my own style and aesthetic, as well as accessories that coincide with current trends. Let’s just say I wasn’t looking for a Cosby sweater!

One of the most exciting parts of this process was seeing all of the amazing submissions that we received! From the six images provided on the mood board we  got a ton of ideas from very talented designers. It’s interesting to see how each person interprets the mood board and prompt into accessories which also fit into their own personal looks.

We’ll be releasing the new pattern for the next shipment of the Yarn Love Club in May, so be sure to keep an eye on the blog for more info to come!

I’ve recently discovered the addicting fun of Polyvore. So I made some style boards on how I might wear the new <3 hat, which you can make with the Yarn Love Yarn Club February Shipment.

Since warmer weather is just around the corner, or maybe already arrived, depending on where you live, I’ve created some looks with warmer weather in mind. The <3 hat is made in Marianne Dashwood, a superwash merino sport weight yarn, the hat is lightweight and breathable, perfect for transitional weather!

Spring is here and it’s time to break out some bright and happy spring colors! Here’s what I’ve been seeing in the new color trends for Spring 2013, and some Yarn Love yarns you can use to make accessories and garments.

Citrus Pop

Granny Smith

Candied Lemon

Classic Navy

Into the Deep

Pretty Pastels

Fresh Celery 

Whisper

Champagne

Orange you glad to see me?

Walden Pond

Blood Orange

Saffron

As always you can order your yarn through the Yarn Love Etsy Shop, every color is available on any of our base yarns.

Yarn Love is really excited to announce the new Yarn Love Club. We’ve made it easy: no subscriptions to manage, and very little waiting. Once a quarter we will list a one-of-a-kind club kit. About two weeks after you place your order it will be on it’s way to you! Every kit is limited edition, so if you want it please grab it while it’s available. This month’s kit includes a Yarn Pop bag, 165 grams of Marianne Dashwood in Bolivian Chili (90 grams), Blood Orange, Ochre, Granny Smith, Persian Bride, Scottish Heather, and a pattern! This kit includes a pattern by Mari Chiba for the <3 hat!

Here’s a guest post by Mari about her inspiration for the pattern.

I’ve been going through a bit of a heart phase lately, and when Katie mentioned she wanted to do a kit with several different colors of yarns I instantly thought of this sketch which I had drawn just a week before our conversation.

Sketch

Swatch

I really enjoyed working with Katie, because I felt like she really understood my vision. I was very excited when I opened my package from Katie to see all her beautiful yarns! I loved her color choices, and I’m so excited to see the finished product.

The hat is knit from the brim, and the brim is knit flat, then the upper portion of the hat is knit in the round. In order to get each heart to be a unique color they are all worked in duplicate stitch, though if you so desired you could follow the charts and work the hearts in intarisa as you knit the hat.

Here are some lovely photos of Katie modeling <3, and of course hop on over to the Yarn Love Etsy Shop to buy your kit now before they run out, because they are a very limited quantity!

You can see more my work and read my blog at mariknits.com.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so hearts are in the air and soon to be on your needles! I’ve gathered some of my favorite Valentine’s themed knits with Yarn Love suggestions, and stay tuned because we have our own pattern release coming very soon!

The Valentine Hearts by Elizabeth Murphy can be attached to cards to make the cutest Valentine that even your non-knitting friends will appreciate! Use leftover bits of Yarn Love Anne Shirley or Amy March Worsted.

Show true love for your Valentine and give them your heart this year with Kristen Ledgett’s Heart. This heart could be made in any shade of Yarn Love Elizabeth Bennet, Diana, or Juliet.

If you’re more interested in sharing the sentiment of Valentine’s Day try out Mari Chiba’s Two Hands Make A Heart. Knit these mittens in Yarn Love Amy March DK for a cozy and washable mitten.

As always, all Yarn Love colorways can be dyed on any of our available bases! See what we already have in stock in the Yarn Love Etsy Shop, and now through 2/15 get $3 off any pink or red skein! Perfect for knitting one or all of the Valentine’s Day knits above!

And in case you need more temptation, here are a few of our favorite colors for the holiday!

For this knit-a-long we are making the Winding Path Socks. These socks are unique in that they look beautiful in variegated, solid, and semi-solid colors. 

One of the best parts of participating in a knit-a-long is seeing everyone progress, so we’d like to share some highlights with all of you, and maybe next time you’ll knit with us!

Wela is making her socks with Yarn Love Joan of Arc in the Oriole colorway.

Bessedlissa has finished her socks knit with Yarn Love Marianne Dashwood also in the Oriole colorway.

Girlymom is making her socks with Yarn Love Juliet in colorway Robin Red Breast.

Want to participate more with Yarn Love? We’ll post about future KALs on our blog, but to have your voice heard on selecting a pattern visit the Yarn Love Ravelry Group. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

I needed some grellow in my life. (That would be grey + yellow.) So I dyed some. I’ll knit it up into socks soon!

In the cold gloom of winter the rightness of layered grey tones offset with the warmest pops of sunshine yellow and marigold could not be ignored. So I gave in. And then I fell in love with the newest Yarn Love colorway.

Oriole – which does look remarkably like a yarny version of that sunniest of birds, is a limited edition color. You can get it only through the end of January. It’s the official colorway of our crazy Sit & Knit, too.

Because we’re on a Sit & Knit deadline, all orders for Oriole will be expedited as much as possible. The earlier you order, the faster your skein gets dyed! Order up what you need right here in the Yarn Love Etsy Shop.

I’m off to cake up my own skein of Oriole on Marianne…I’m driving off to visit relatives for a couple of days and you bet that Oriole will be winging along with me!

It’s almost time to say farewell to 2012, and hello to 2013! That means its time to make our new years resolutions. Speaking from personal experience as a yarn addict, I know many knitters have one resolution in common: use up some of that stash!

So this post is all about stash-busting, because every skein you use must be replaced! And of courseI’ve included some Yarn Love substitutions for all of these wonderful patterns.

Here’s a great new pattern for that one skein of beautiful fingering-weight yarn that’s almost too pretty to use:

Song Thrush by Kristina Vilimate 

Yarn Love suggestion: 1 skein of Juliet in Crystalline

Are you a prolific sock knitter with lots of leftovers? Remember and cherish all those little bits and pieces of special yarn with Sarah Core’s Mini Mania Scarf.

Yarn Love suggestion: Use leftovers of Elizabeth Bennet, Juliet, Joan of Arc, and Diana in a collection of fun colors!
Colors shown: Haute Couture, Walden Pond, Ochre, Sparkling Pool, and Into the Deep

Toys are also great projects for using up small amounts of yarn. Try Susan B. Anderson’s Elefante! You could use 200 yards of one worsted weight yarn from your stash, or make it striped and use 6 colors and less than 50 yards of each color!

Yarn Love suggestion:  Amy March or Anne Shirley, if using one color try a fun variegated color like Charm

Or, for a whole book of ideas, try Melissa Leapman’s Stashbuster Knits. The book includes great patterns as well as information on picking colors that go well together and how to sort your stash by weight, and more!

Sit & Knit ….What images do these words evoke for you?

Katharine Hepburn-esque beauty married to needle & yarn?

Or maybe you walk through your idyllic life wearing a gorgeous Fair Isle tam plus a glorious Shetland sweater?

Perhaps your favorite knitting group friends come to mind?

I often feel more and more stress as the end of December approaches. Have I purchased gifts for my family that they will like? What will my children remember about their childhood Christmases? Should I attempt to Martha Stewart the Christmas meal or should I keep it simple? Did I walk out the door with the hem of my skirt tucked into my underwear or is it really that cold outside?

Although for the moment I’m immersed in the bustle of holiday preparation, soon it will pass. I know I’ll be ready for a small project & the camaraderie of my knitting friends. I hope you will be, too. This year, I’m kicking off a Sit & Knit right after the end of the winter holidays.

Why? Because I need a break.

Because I need to set aside time to chat with my friends.

Because I am running out of handknit socks, and I can’t wear my knit pattern samples. (Doesn’t everyone have this problem?)

I hope you will join me for an unusual Sit & Knit….because otherwise I will be chatting to myself (and they lock people up for that!). The Yarn Love Sit & Knit will have multiple facets – you choose which ones you will participate in. Best of all, it’s just for fun. No deadlines. No stress. And if you run into a problem working through the pattern, we’ll be here to help you out.

The KAL

The knit-a-long. We’re voting right now on what pattern we’ll knit together. Cast your vote, then cast on with us! All the pattern choices are small accessories so we can maintain our sanity post-holidays. Cast your vote, and you can help me re-establish a decent handknit sock wardrobe again!

KAL Highights:

• We’re fun. And who couldn’t use a little more fun?
• Get help if you need it from myself or other knitters
• Discount codes for the Yarn Love. That means if you need the pattern or some yarn, you’ll save some moolah!
• KAL Exclusive Colorway: I’ll be releasing this the first week of January.
• We’ll also provide encouragement/dire  warnings so that you actually finish.

The Reading Nook

It has been suggested that we do a read-a-long with our knit-a-long. I’m totally game. I’m addicted to listening to audiobooks while I dye yarn. That means your yarn is extraordinarily well-read even before it arrives on your doorstep.

RAL Highlights:

• Virtual escape into wonderful readerly adventures.
• Tell yourself/family/significant other you can do something other than knit.
• Fabulous discussion of plot, characters and more.

I’ve decreed this is what our virtual Reading Nook looks like.

Be Fit

Ok, I admit it. This idea came to me right after Baking Day….somewhere between the 4^th & 25^th piece of Honey Vanilla Caramel that I ate. If you, like me, perhaps ate a few a lot too many cookies this celebratory season you may find that you’re a little more, ah, padded than you prefer to be.

If you’re up for a doable fitness challenge, this group is for you. I’m committing to doing a 15 minute ab workout every weekday for the entire month of January. I want you to workout with me because I really have no willpower when it comes to working out. I’m not a total flake – I can be very committed and very determined, but just not when it comes to biceps, and triceps, and quads, and whatnots.

The workout is simple, if you have a floor and eyeballs, you can do it. (Ok, you have to have some abs that are ready for toning. And please make sure you’re healthy enough for moderate exercise!) It takes about 15 minutes, and seems to actually work. Great abs (or non-saggy, baggy, post-kids midsections) here we come!

Sit-A-Long Highlights

• Trimmer waist & a fit, fabulous you!
• Get rid of all those cookies we baked/ate/loved.
• Motivation – I’ll be there for you, if you’ll be there for me.
• Show your spouse/family/significant other/pet that you actually do something other than knit.

I’ve been trying to do more veg + fruit smoothies.

Are you excited now? I am! I’ll be seeing you in January for the Sit & Knit kick-off. Until then, swing by the voting threads and cast your vote for your favorite pattern & book!