Chronicles of Yarnia

We're Moving! (Okay, just the blog...)

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:21:00 +0000

That's right -- we're moving the blog over to Wordpress, and to our own domain! So update your feeds, your readers, and your bookmarks!

New Blog Location: Chronicles of Yarnia

We're still putting the finishing touches on the aesthetics so it may not look perfect yet, but all the old posts are already migrated over and accessible, and from hereon out, I'll be posting over at the new site.

Make sure to come check us out, and to update anything that needs updating on your end.

Chronicles of Yarnia

See you there!

Featured Yarn :: Sam's Town

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Sam's Town

Lovely neutral shades of bamboo, wool-nylon, and a tweedy silk-polyester blend are mixed together in this fingering weight yarn. This yarn is super soft, and has wonderful drape.

Fiber Content: 66 bamboo / 18 silk-polyester / 16 wool-nylon
Yardage: 435 yards
Yarn Weight: Sock/Fingering
Wraps Per Inch: 21
Amount on Cone: 5 oz.
Care: Hand or Machine wash cold / lay flat to dry
Knitting Pattern Suggestion: Grace Socks
Crochet Pattern Suggestion: Echarpe Pointes Violettes

Also available in our online shop!

May Knit & Crochet Night

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Hey, all. This Wednesday is the next Knit & Crochet night here at the shop, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Bring your patterns, projects, ideas, questions, and meet some other crafty peeps in the neighborhood!

Swing on by after work and we'll make a night of it. We'll be here knitting from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and will have tea, wine, music, good company, and some little snackies to keep us going!

I know I've got LOTS of projects that I need to get off the needles soon...how about you?

Check out the event on our Facebook page for more info, and to let us know if you're planning on coming! (RSVP not required, just helpful to see ahead of time :))

How To Seam Two Pieces of Knitting Together

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Okay, so you've finished knitting that beautiful, cozy, time-consuming sweater. Aren't you proud? Aren't you psyched?? Don't you want to try it on this minute and wear it all around town and show it off? Oh...wait...it's in five different pieces? Hmm...maybe it would be best to just stick it back in the knitting bag and come back to it a little later...

You're not alone. Seaming your projects together after all the actual knitting has been done is often the bane of our existence. After all, it's the knitting that you love, not hand-sewing, right?

Well, unless you commit yourself exclusively to top-down, worked-in-the-round garments, this final step of finishing a long-term project may be unavoidable. BUT, knowing how to seam your work together properly could be the crucial factor in deciding how you feel about your project after it's finished.

So, let's take a little crash course in seaming, shall we? For the sake of this tutorial, we're going to assume you have to pieces of stockinette fabric that you're wanting to join together -- in my case, it's the front and the back of the Drape Front Sweater that I've been working on.

If you're lucky like me, the pattern that you're working from will have clearly labeled what part of the garment each section is. It may seem obvious at the beginning, but after working on a project for four months, you may just be blindly following instructions at this point, and not even remembering what's up and what's down.

This is a great time to look at your finished pieces, and clearly label them so that you know you're matching up the right parts of your work, and not seaming them together inside-out or top-to-bottom or something devastatingly crazy.

Now, if the piece you're seaming is quite a few inches long, match up the sides as evenly as you can, pinning the two pieces together every inch or two. I usually use safety pins for this, but I was in a pinch here, so I used some marking pins instead. Remember, your'e lining these pieces of fabric out so that the right side of each piece is facing the outside, and the wrong sides are pressed together on the inside of the work.

Thread some matching yarn through your tapestry needle, and begin by grounding this yarn in one of the corners. Starting at the right-hand side, pull the needle through both pieces of the fabric, pinched together, right at the corner. Leave a few inches of tail still dangling in front of the work, to be woven in later.

Then, bring the needle through just the front piece of fabric, from back to front.

This will keep your sewing yarn secure so you can pull tightly with each stitch.

Now, grab the piece of fabric in back, and look at the V's right near the edge, where your pins are. If you pull these apart, you'll see little bars in between each of the V's. Take your tapestry needle, and stick it under two of these bars at a time, then pull the yarn through.

Often it's easier to see these bars when you're one stitch away from the very edge of your work.

As you approach each of your marking pins, double check and make sure both sides of the fabric are being used up at an equal rate. Hopefully, it will look something like this.

But, if instead it looks something like this, there's a pretty easy fix.

Instead of working beneath two of those bars on either side, only work one on the side that is more taught, while continuing to work two on the side that is gappier until both sides look even again. As you approach each pin, remove it and focus on keeping your work even until just the next one. Working in small steps like this ensures that the stitches on both pieces will come together evenly, without having to focus on the entire width of the piece at once.

The backside of your work will have a nice, straight seam where the two pieces are joined (perfect for hiding those ends you'll have to weave in later!).

But, notice how clean the front of the work looks. No seam at all!

Featured Yarn :: Tropicana

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Tropicana

Peach and pumpkin orange bamboo are paired with matching strands of acrylic and rayon to make this super soft, squishy and cheerful yarn. Perfect for baby blankets or clothes, or anything else you want to wear close to the skin.

Fiber Content: 81 bamboo / 14 rayon / 7 acrylic
Yardage: 280 yards
Yarn Weight: Worsted
Wraps Per Inch: 9
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Machine Wash & Dry OK
Knitting Pattern Suggestion: Lillie Baby Cardigan
Crochet Pattern Suggestion: Child's Friendship Knot Sweater

Also available in our online shop!

Featured Pattern :: A La Erte

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Another new pattern that we're carrying in the shop! Come on in and we'll get you all set with the right yarn for the project.

This week...

Designed by Theressa Silver, now available at the shop!

What Next?

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:22:00 +0000

I'm at one of those delicious forks in the road right now, where I have three projects all about to enter their home stretch, which means that, give me about a week of good solid evenings after work to veg out and finish them up, and I'll have three projects on the blocking boards and some empty needles before me.

(Although if this week is any indication, free evenings after work are hard to come by these days. All of a sudden all my friends are buying houses and moving, so there is a plethora of upcoming housewarming parties, like the one I went to last night, bearing bacon-spinach-feta stuffed mushrooms.)

Read all about it at Six Dollars A Day

Which means...I need to line up some contenders from my queue! Even though we're now officially a month out from true summer, I seem to still have chilly weather on the brain, given that I recently added all three of these to my I-need-to-make-this-ASAP list:

Cinnabar, by Doris Chan

En Pointe Pullover, by Alice Tang

(almost identical, however, to the Drape Front Sweater I'm about to finish up, so this probably won't happen next)

Dockside Cardigan, by Amy Miller

I also have a couple of short sleeved tops I've been considering, but as fun as these look to make, I'm slowly realizing that I think I actually like the look of crocheted tops on myself a lot better than knit. I'm still deciding whether that is a dealbreaker for these:

Heliotropic Pullover, by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark

Amelia Hoodie, by Erica Jackofsky

Or, I might go totally off the map, and knit the Rose Lace Stole from last Spring's Interweave.

What do you all think? What's eagerly waiting to be cast on to your needles and hooks?

Featured Yarn :: Tuscany

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Tuscany

Olive green bamboo and light grassy green cottons pair together to make this wonderfully soft, machine-washable blend. The colors are not too bright and intense, and this will knit or crochet up into a breathable, lightweight fabric.

Fiber Content: 50 bamboo / 44 cotton / 6 rayon
Yardage: 260 yards
Yarn Weight: Worsted
Wraps Per Inch: 8
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Machine Wash & Dry OK
Knitting Pattern Suggestion: Francis Revisited
Crochet Pattern Suggestion: Cinnabar

Also available in our online shop!

WIP :: Drape Front Sweater

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Almost done with this one! Let me tell you, this is one of the easiest sweaters I've ever made...ever. And I'm a big proponent of the no-seam top-down raglan, so that's saying something.

The Drape Front Sweater has a super-simple construction, but it's also totally creative. It's knit in two pieces, basically just large rectangles with bound-off and cast-on stitches on either end to make these two complementary shapes.

I'm in the home stretch now, just about to finish the big main section of that bottom piece.

I'm loving the feel of this alpaca/bamboo/rayon blend as it glides through my fingers, through row after row of mindless stockinette stitch.

And the cone is dwindling!

Featured Yarn :: Planet Hollywood

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Planet Hollywood

This rich and colorful yarn is comprised of a variegated rayon, a tweedy acrylic blend and a dark purple cotton to complement the shades of eggplant throughout.

Fiber Content: 54 rayon-cotton / 29 cotton / 16 acrylic / 1 polyester
Yardage: 305 yards
Yarn Weight: Worsted
Wraps Per Inch: 9
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Machine wash cold OK / lay flat to dry
Knitting Pattern Suggestion: Flower Power Bag
Crochet Pattern Suggestion: Fishnetty Bag

Also available in our online shop!

Featured Pattern :: Rainy Desert Cap

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Another new pattern that we're carrying in the shop! Come on in and we'll get you all set with the right yarn for the project.

This week...

Designed by Carolyn Doe, now available at the shop!

Featured Yarn :: Santa Fe Station

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Santa Fe Station

A tweedy silk blend mixes with variegated bamboo and a neutral strand of wool/nylon in this subtly colorful sock yarn.

Fiber Content: 57 bamboo / 15 silk-polyester / 14 rayon / 13 wool-nylon
Yardage: 410 yards
Yarn Weight: Sock/Fingering
Wraps Per Inch: 18
Amount on Cone: 5.5 oz.
Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry
Pattern Suggestions: Yvaine

Also available in our online shop!

New Class :: Triangle Lace Shawl

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Triangular shoulder shawls (also called "shawlettes" or "kerchief scarves") are a great spring knit. They are lighter weight than traditional scarves and less bulky. They can be tucked into a bag when it's warm and pulled out as the temperatures dip in the evening or in buildings with over-active air conditioning.

In this class, we'll learn the fundamentals of the triangle lace shawl, including how to cast on, the structure of the shawl and how it grows, and how to add decorative lace anywhere in your project.

We'll be working through a simple pattern that will allow you to master these basic concepts quickly, and point you in the direction of patterns and resources for more complex lace shawls for when you're ready to move on to the next level.

Sign Me Up!!

Click here for full Class Listings and Descriptions

April Knit & Crochet Night

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Hey, all. This Thursday is the next Knit & Crochet night here at the shop, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Bring your patterns, projects, ideas, questions, and meet some other crafty peeps in the neighborhood!

Swing on by after work and we'll make a night of it. We'll be here knitting from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and will have tea, wine, music, good company, and some little snackies to keep us going!

I know I've got LOTS of projects that I need to get off the needles soon...how about you?

Check out the event on our Facebook page for more info, and to let us know if you're planning on coming! (RSVP not required, just helpful to see ahead of time :))

New cottons are in!

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:02:00 +0000

We just got in a huuuge batch of cottons this week, in all sorts of different colors and weights (16/2, 8/2, and 10/2 for all you weavers out there, plus some refills on the super thick 2/2 tweed cottons and 3-ply thicker cottons that we had in stock a few months ago).

From our New Arrivals page. All these yarns are already available in our Custom Yarn Creator as well!

I know this means we'll be whipping up some new colorways of our market bag and dish towel kits, and for any of you out there getting started on baby projects, these cottons combine perfectly with some bamboo for a super soft, machine-washable blend of yarn that will work in anything from a simple baby blanket to a cute button-down cardigan.

image via Ravelry

Or, mix it up with some linen for a lightweight, breathable yarn that would work up fantastically in a summer cardigan.

image via Ravelry

Are you turned off by cotton's lack of elasticity? This can be easily mitigated by adding a little wool or acrylic to the mix.

What's in your queue? Any summer projects jumping to the top of your list, now that the sun's out?

Featured Yarn :: Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Paris

Olive green bamboo, teal wool, and a tweedy mohair blend combine to make this lovely worsted weight yarn.

Fiber Content: 44 bamboo / 25 wool / 11 mohair blend / 11 cotton / 9 silk-polyester
Yardage: 360 yards
Yarn Weight: Worsted
Wraps Per Inch: 10
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry
Pattern Suggestions: Basic Ear Flap Hat

Also available in our online shop!

Spring Gleaning Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

No, we're not asking you to clean out your closet for this one! However, it may require you to do a little searching through your Ravelry notebook, project journal, or knitting blog and dig up some of those Finished Objects you've cranked out over the past year or two.

We're searching for some new candidates to add to our Finished Projects page, and are looking to YOU to help bulk up the gallery.

Contest Details

Find a project that you've completed using yarn from Yarnia, and tell us about it! Fill out the form on our contest page, providing as much information about the yarn as you can. Finally, upload a photo of your project.

All entries will be judged at the end of April, and the winner will receive credit on our website, a link to his/her blog or website beneath the photo (if desired), and ANY house blend of yarn he or she chooses, on the house!

Full Contest Details and Entry Form

WIP :: Crochet DROPS Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:59:00 +0000

Yes! My crochet season has begun! Not to say that I'm not still finishing up about a billion other knitting projects from weeks past, but still...nothing says spring like a bamboo/cotton crocheted skirt.

image and pattern via Ravelry

This is a really simple pattern from DROPS, that starts with a lot of double crochet. We're talking like 29" of double crochet, across a band with a circumference of your waist. I'm about 2 rows away from the part where this band will actually be joined and worked in the round, but for now, it's still back-and-forth in one flat piece with simple increases a few times per row to give it a little flare around the hips.

I'm using a bamboo/cotton blend, with a super thin strand of matching wool/nylon to give it just a little bit of structure and stretch -- a yarn that is really similar to our new Tuscany blend.

I can't wait until I make my way to the lacey part near the bottom, where things will be a little less monotonous, and the yarn will just fly off that cone. But for now, I'm enjoying having this be my go-to mindless project that I keep at home on the couch.

I've been having a very homebody week, as is generally the case when I start my annual cleanse, which I'm launching a few weeks early this year. As often as I normally cook at home anyway, this cleanse makes me really feel home-bound when it comes to meals, so this week has been a nice mix of cooking dinner for a good friend I haven't seen in awhile, Trivia Night at the Hutch (where I got almost 5" done on my After Dark Robe!), and tonight after work either a walk up Mt. Tabor, or possibly a soak at Common Ground; both sound like just the ticket to accompany all the fruit smoothies and brown rice crackers I've been eating lately.

Recipe at Six Dollars A Day

Yep, it's that time of year. Spring cleaning, Spring Gleaning, and Spring Knitting! Okay, that didn't rhyme, but you get my point. And just in case you're feeling the same way I am, you'll be happy to know that next week we're expecting such a huge shipment of new cottons, I'm already nervous about where we're going to put it all...

Featured Yarn :: The Palms

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

The Palms

Shades of blue wool, bamboo, and silk blends make up this vibrant worsted weight yarn.

Fiber Content: 43 wool / 32 bamboo / 14 silk-polyester / 8 rayon
Yardage: 335 yards
Yarn Weight: Worsted
Wraps Per Inch: 11
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry
Pattern Suggestions: Irish Hiking Mittens

Also available in our online shop!

Featured Pattern :: Quite Contrary

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:38:00 +0000

Another new pattern that we're carrying in the shop! Come on in and we'll get you all set with the right yarn for the project.

This week...

Designed by Theressa Silver, now available at the shop!

Stranded Yarn :: How to Combat the "Loops"

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:05:00 +0000

A recent discussion in our Ravelry group made me realize that there's something we haven't talked about in awhile, and that this would be a good place to give a comprehensive overview of some solutions.

As you've been working with your Yarnia yarn, some of you may have noticed some "loopiness" in your yarn, or what seems like different components of the yarn coming off of the cone at different rates, as you work with it.

This can happen for a couple of reasons. Your yarn may have a combination of fibers and strands with different elasticities (i.e. wool versus cotton, or simply a yarn that has a nylon or polyester binding to give it some intentional stretch), and the more tightly you knit with all the strands together, the more this difference will be visible, and the “loopiness” can grow.

Because all the strands are wound onto the cone at the same tension, that means they will all come off the cone at the same tension as well, if unwound naturally. Of course, the act of knitting or crocheting isn't the same as just peeling the strands off the cone -- you put pressure on the yarn as you work.

You can see here that when the yarn is held taught, all the strands are at the same tension, coming off the cone.

However, if I were to squeeze the strands tightly between my fingers and run them towards the cone, I'll start to see some discrepancies in the yarn.

This is essentially what you're doing when you're working with the yarn, to varying degrees, depending on how tight or loose of a knitter you are.

I'm sorry to say, this does mean that those of you who consider yourselves to be tight knitters may run into this problem more than others, and purposely controlling your knitting or crocheting tension is one of the hardest things to regulate. But don't fret! This doesn't mean knitting with stranded yarn has to be a frustrating experience.

image via TECHknitting

My advice, if you think this might be the case for you, is that rather than trying to "knit looser" with the yarn, focus more on how you're carrying that yarn. While yarn tensions can be different, this differential can usually be worked into your piece as you go -- if you carry your yarn loosely, letting it slide through your fingers rather than gripping it tightly and forcing that differential further and further down the line.

In other words, don't fight it! Work that difference into your knitting as you go, and you'll have a lot longer of a stretch before the strands have the potential to become tangled and force you to cut your yarn and start anew.

(There is a fantastic, in-depth explanation of this, as well as some solutions, over at this TECHknitting article.)

There is no rule of thumb for which fibers will necessarily cause this to happen when combined, but there are two general guidelines I'd suggest, if you find this is happening for you more often than not. The first is, stick to only mixing fibers that have similar tensions -- i.e. keep drapey fibers like bamboo and rayon together, or more springy fibers like wool and acrylic.

The second is, try to choose fibers that are relatively similar in weight (thickness). Even if you have combined a few strands that have fairly similar elasticity, pairing a strand that is very, very thick along with a super thin strand, or a few strands with very different textures, will give the same effect; the thick strand will take up more room on the cone, and make it more difficult for the strands to work in concert together as one yarn.

The other reason this loopiness can happen is if, while winding, one of the yarns jumped out of its tensioning gate. This does happen from time to time and sometimes we miss it if we’re not watching closely enough! The good news about this is that it is usually temporary, and should not continue for the entire cone.

My advice with this is to keep knitting until it’s really causing you problems, cut the yarn, smooth it out so that all the strands are even again, and rejoin. Hopefully you will have gotten past the segment where the tensioning was off and you should be good to go.

If you're on Ravelry, there has also been quite a bit of discussion about this topic, along with different solutions other customers have come up with, both here and here -- including knitting from the cone sideways, winding particularly tricky yarns into balls, and more.

Have you run into this problem with your yarn? What tricks or workarounds have you found to make it easier?

The Annual Supportland Egg Hunt is coming up!

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Starting April 4, swipe with purchase at any Supportland business and you may "find" a point-filled egg worth 10-75 points! Over 500 eggs will be hidden, so your chances are pretty stellar.

Hop to it as the hunt ends midnight on April 7. How about a market bag kit to get you knitting in the springtime spirit? Ours are 100% cotton, and only $20 for all the yarn you'll need, and the pattern!

And remember, you can check out all the new rewards and businesses on supportland.com. There are over 110 local businesses on the network now, and more being added every day!

Featured Yarn :: Venetian

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Venetian

This deep brown and navy cotton/bamboo blend has a thin strand of tweedy acrylic running through, with just a hint of gold sparkle.

Fiber Content: 52 cotton / 26 bamboo / 18 acrylic / 4 lurex
Yardage: 275 yards
Yarn Weight: Bulky
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Machine wash/dry OK
Pattern Suggestions: Snug

Also available in our online shop!

WIP :: Drape Front Sweater

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:53:00 +0000

To be honest, I totally thought sweater season was over. But thumbing through a backlogged copy of Vogue Knitting the other day, I spotted the Drape Front Sweater, and thought, okay, I can crank out one more this year.

image via Ravelry

It's short sleeved! And short-bodied! In fact, although it uses nearly 1100 yards of worsted weight yarn, it feels more like I'm making a mobius cowl than a sweater. The construction is super simple, especially for a Vogue pattern. The entirety of the instructions fit on a single page?? I'm sold.

I kind of wanted to copy their idea and go with grey -- something neutral so I can wear it with all kinds of dresses and skirt/tank combos come summertime and the sun sets, but I also need a little variation in there to keep myself interested while I knit...especially if it's all straight stockinette stitch.

So I added in some variegated bamboo for color, a teeny tiny strand of lavender rayon, and bam! Soft, drapey, grey-with-depth yarn that feels amazing while I knit with it.

So far? Super easy pattern. It starts with knitting 8" of straight stockinette stitch from the cast on, and at that point, casting on an additional chunk of stitches for what will become the body...and then knitting a whole bunch more stockinette. But this sweater is only two separate pieces, rather than four or five -- I'm stoked about that!

Lucky for me, between Knit & Crochet Night this week, and a Continental Knitting class last night, I've had quite a few hours to make some progress on this one.

What else? Well, between work-after-work (and work-before-work...it's application season for Urban Craft Uprising!), and trying out a free pass at 24-Hour Fitness this week -- after a short-lived fling with Crossfit -- there wasn't much time to cook anything super intricate, so I've been keeping it simple with protein and veggies, Asian-style. Sometimes it's just a wok kind of week.

Tofu Broccoli Yakisoba :: full recipe at Six Dollars A Day

Featured Yarn :: Flamingo

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey @ Yarnia) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Flamingo

This magenta wool/rayon blend is soft and shimmery, with a thin boucle yarn giving it just a little bit of fun texture.

Fiber Content: 40 wool / 30 rayon / 30 rayon-nylon
Yardage: 445 yards
Yarn Weight: Sport
Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry
Pattern Suggestions: Half-A-Cardi

Also available in our online shop!