Category: Project Inspiration

Since we saw you last

Over the course of the past year since we last saw you all at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival we published quite a few patterns!  Clicking on the pattern name will lead you to that pattern which will include all the details you need to know about sizing and yardage requirements.

Our newest garments include these adult sweaters, clockwise from the top left we have: Your Irish is Showing, Whitby, Sign of Spring Top (yes, that is crochet!), Sanderling and All in a Row.

We also published these, clockwise from the top left we have: Terry’s Sweater, Raggedy, Hybrid, Stansfield and Bunny Hill.

Our newest accessories include four patterns that were originally part of or last club: clockwise from the top left is Dominique Tuck Socks, Margeau & Rebecca’s Cowl, Nezinscot River Hat & Mitts, and Jill’s Boots.

Our selection of accessories also includes four more great patterns.  Clockwise from the top left is Tosh, the Gathering Hat, Thistledown Throw and Fall Waves Hat & Mitts.

And launching today, we have two new patterns to share with you. The first is Cap Sease’s Cricket.  This wee bottom-up henly sweater is designed for kiddos between the ages of 2-10.

As cute as a bug is an expression that sums up our new worsted weight pullover perfectly. This sweater’s easy fit will allow complete freedom of movement for your little one. It will render your favorite kiddo as snug as a bug and can be worked up as quick as a cricket. Appropriately enough, it is pictured above in Grasshopper Weekend Wool.

Last but not least is a reboot of a classic Spinnery pattern.  Cap Sease has updated a classic worsted weight Spinnery pattern to make it more adaptable and easier to create. The Slip Stitch Cardigan (which is actually created with an eyelet pattern) is now new and improved!

Cap has reimagined this design with a DK weight gauge for a broader range of appropriate yarn options as well as three season wearability. The new almost seamless construction of this revised pattern will appeal to any knitter who prefers to avoid the added work of old-fashioned finishing.

The revised pattern includes a generous size range: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 54, 58, 62) ” / 81 ( 102, 112, 122, 132, 137, 147, 157) cm chest with corresponding yarn requirements of  6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) sks Cotton Comfort, Alpaca Elegance, Mewesic or Sylvan Spirit (180 yds each).  It is shown above in Bluet Cotton Comfort.

We hope that you enjoy perusing these new designs.  Feel free to pop over to the Spinnery Facebook page where you’ll be able to enjoy a saved LIVE video of Kate and Maureen talking about these projects and their memories of Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festivals of year’s past.

What to knit next

To help you find some terrific pattern ideas that would look terrific knit up with our discounted Alpaca Elegance, we did a little online searching.

We found a listing of almost 300 patterns on Ravelry that will work beautifully with any of our DK weight yarns. You can sort through them all here.  Adding some additional search parameters (to be found on the left of your screen) will narrow this large group down.  You may want to focus on particular kinds of projects and selecting a particular criterion in the categories filter will allow you to look only at your preference, sweaters or hats for example.

Our DK weight yarns include Cotton Comfort, Sylvan Spirit, Mewesic, Ragg-Time and Alpaca Elegance.  With the exception of our Ragg-Time yarn, all of our DK weight yarns are available in 2 oz. skeins with approximately 180 yards each, so they can be substituted for each other with out any special yardage calculations.  Ragg-Time has been skeined in a more generous amount of 306 yards to take better advantage of the playful variegations in colors that we created for each colorway.

Our special coupon for the virtual Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will give you 15% off your purchase of Alpaca Elegance through the end of day Monday, September 14, 2020.  Use the coupon code wisconsin at checkout for these savings!

 

A pattern suggestion and a knitalong for October

When our newsletter was delivered last week with news of the upcoming savings to be had on Alpaca Elegance this weekend, (please see in bold below) we received several messages from friends looking for pattern suggestions.

We thought we’d share a great possibility with you today that was published by our friend Fatimah Hinds: Modcast.  This pullover pattern was published a few years ago and it’s modern pattern block couldn’t be more timely.  This type of design is all over our Instagram feed, which means that patterns like this will likely be on everyone’s needles this fall.  She shared with us that, “It’s my favorite thing that I’ve designed and it’s the knit that I wear the most. ”

© Barbara Benson

Fatimah is going to be starting a knitalong in the coming weeks that will feature this design, so it is a perfect time to learn a bit more about it, find the perfect yarn and get swatching!

She shares these details about her pattern on the design’s Raverly page, “texture and visual interest in knitting can be created by changing various elements or in this case directions. For this seamless sweater, I used wrist to wrist knitting to create horizontal cables that change pattern at an off center point on the chest and back. Then I knit the body in the round and added garter stitch accents to keep it interesting. To echo the body a funnel neck collar is knit in garter stitch. Finally, to make this piece infinitely customizable and fun to style, I used 3 different colors. The color blocking and shape give this sweater a mod look that easily fits into a wardrobe today.

© Barbara Benson

What I loved most about knitting this piece is that the sleeves and chest/back are knit using fewer stitches than other sweater shapes, meaning the sweater can be ‘knit on the go’ for a longer period of time. The casual, easy to wear vibe comes from wearing the piece with 3”+ of ease as shown on the model. Or wear it with no ease for a tailored fit.”

The pattern includes sizing that ranges from 32 (36, 40, 44, 48)“ bust/chest circumference. The sweater is shown in 40” with 3” of positive ease.  Our DK weight yarn suggestions (Alpaca Elegance, Cotton Comfort, Mewesic, Sylvan Spirit) are skeined at a similar yardage to the yarn she used when designing her pattern, so the yarn requirements should work perfectly. (Color 1), 3 (4, 4, 4, 5) skeins; (Color 2), 3 (3, 4, 4, 4) skeins; (Color 3), 3 (5, 5, 6, 6) skeins.

Prior to the launch of her Knitalong that will run through the month of October, she plans to increase the sizing to include instructions for a 52″ chest circumference.  To make the pattern accessible cost-wise, Fatimah will be providing the instructions, one step at a time for free on Instagram.  She has done this previously and it was well received.  Finally, for those who are able to support her design work by purchasing the pattern, she will offer a discounted price for those who purchase the pattern $6 instead of $8.

You can receive all the updates that you need by following Fatimah on Instagram and searching for #modcastalong.

Later this week, we’ll be hosting a Facebook Live Video Show and Tell of our recent projects and patterns.  You’ll find us on Friday September 11th at 9am Central at Virtual Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival gathering that will be happening on Facebook.  You can join the group here.

To celebrate this first Fiber Festival of the fall season we will be offering 15% off savings for our DK weight Alpaca Elegance from Thursday 9/10 through Monday 9/14.  Please use code wisconsin at checkout to receive your savings.
We’ll post again in a couple of days with more DK weight sweater pattern suggestions that you can browse through to take advantage of this weekend’s sale!

 

Let’s reconnect!

We have two virtual craft meetings scheduled for September.

Find a comfortable spot and be sure that your project is near at hand.   Using your computer, tablet or  phone, head over to this website: https://www.gotomeeting.com/meeting/join-meeting  

You’ll be prompted to add a meeting ID that you’ll find listed below in bold for each gathering.

On Thursday 9/3 we’ll gather at 6:30pm – 8:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time) using Meeting ID number: 176-221-037.

On Saturday 9/19 we’ll gather at 10 am – noon (Eastern Standard Time) using Meeting ID number: 423-682-741.

We can use the gathering as a chance to catch up, share our progress on our current project(s), problem solve any snags that you may have come to, or even model what is off the needles.  Your beautiful work may inspire a friend to make something similar!

Its never to early to start gift knitting

Our friend Maria Muscarella (aka Ninja Chickens) recently released a clever hat pattern that is wildly adaptable.  This top down hat that can be knit with any weight yarn in two contrasting colors. You simply cast on 8 stitches and continue increasing until you have the perfect size hat for you!  It will work for everyone on your knitworthy list and could allow you to use up some stash yarn to boot.  Win/win.

We’d like to introduce you to her Andromeda Cap.

You’ll see on Ravelry, that this pattern works for a variety of yarn gauges.  She worked up several versions, two in sport weight and one in worsted weight, using Green Mountain Spinnery Weekend Wool.

© NinjaChickens

“This worsted weight version is so cozy and feels very warm. I also love the 2 solid color version and how well the slipped stitches show up. The Green Mountain Spinnery Yarn is also wonderful for filling in the spaces when it’s blocked and creating a nice solid structure to the knitting.”  It couldn’t be cozier.

She used less than full skeins of two colors for this sample that fits a 22″ circumference adult head.  We love the gorgeous contrast that allows the different textures of the fabric to pop!

Which colors of Weekend Wool would you consider pairing together?

 

Introducing Hybrid!

We have a new pattern to share with you this week!  We’d like to introduce you to Hybrid.

This top-down yoked sweater designed by Kate Salomon, pairs woolen spun Spinnery yarn with beautiful super washed worsted-spun skeins created by some of our fiber friends whom you may already know.  Kimber Baldwin of Fiber Optic Yarns and Karida Collins of Neighborhood Fiber Co. are both working magic with buttery soft yarns that are a treat for the eye and hand.

Gardeners have been cross-pollinating plants for generations to introduce exciting new variations. This stranded pullover blends different yarns to startling effect, similar to an opening blossom or a spreading bird’s wing. Carefully blending lofty woolen spun yarns with brilliant worsted spun yarns can result in a comforting sweater that showcases a radiantly hued yoke like a prized bloom.

The sample shown on the lovely Magalie Remy above was made with a single strand of Dark Roast Alpaca Elegance as the main color and a double strand of Fiber Optic Yarns Unified Gradients in the Java Jive colorway.

By happy accident, this sample was lightly fulled in the soaking process of the final wet block. (The washing machine agitated for about 3 minutes before it was caught). This slight bit of felting had no effect on the super washed contrast color yarn, but pulled the alpaca blend woolen-spun main color yarn together into a deliciously dense and fuzzy fabric. Below, you can see  the difference in stitch definition between the fulled sample and another that not agitated when blocked.

The Yarn Requirements for this pattern are a little unusual.  The Fiber Optic Unified Gradients used as the contrast color is a fingering weight yarn. In order to get gauge, you will hold a double strand of this yarn throughout the yoke. These vibrant gradients are available in two lengths: Short (225 yards) and Long (400) yards. The two versions are created with an identical color spectrum. This ensures that the larger sizes of the Hybrid pattern can be created with a similar effect using a double strand of the longer gradient.

© Neighborhood Fiber Co.

If you opt for Neighborhood Fiber Company’s mouthwatering Studio DK as your contrast color, you’ll work the yoke with each yarn held as a single strand.  Karida’s signature colorways are all named after neighborhoods in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas.  One of our test knitters is in the midst of a sweater that pairs a soft pearly grey (Charles Center) with our classic navy Ceylon Alpaca Elegance. A sneak peek of her wip is below.

Finished Measurements (Chest circumference) – Chest: 34 ½ (38 ½, 44, 50 ½, 56 ½, 63.2)”/ 87 (98, 112, 128, 143, 161) cm

Yarn Requirements  — MC: 4 (5, 6, 7, 10, 11) skeins Alpaca Elegance CC: 2 skeins Fiber Optic Unified Split Gradient 255 yd each, 400 yds for 3 largest sizes (held dbl); or 1 (1, 1, 1, 2, 2) skeins Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio DK 275 yds each.

And to celebrate the launch of this new pattern we’ll be sponsoring a contest over the month of August that you can read more about on our blog post here!  We hope that you’ll join us this month in spending some time reconnecting with fiber friends and sharing your love for gorgeous yarn and fun new patterns.

 

 

Crafting for action!

We are excited to share with you a great trio of projects that can bring the fiber and crafting community together and working towards social justice.

“emPower people is a purple colored craftivism project aimed at uniting crafters to spark conversation, engagement, and action. Wear it when you vote, grocery shop, march, or knit in your socially isolated bedroom. We would love to see a sea of purple to represent unity so please tell your friends, family, knitting groups, or anyone who can knit, crochet, or sew a simple pattern. Make a bandana and a commitment to vote!”

 

© Casapinka

The FREE pattern for the emPower People Knit bandana can be found here.  There is also a crochet pattern here and a sewing pattern and all three are free and available at the emPower People website.

We’ve gathered a collection of skeins that will work beautifully for this project and we are donating all the proceeds of their sales for justice!

100% of the sales of our purple yarns sold between now and the end of the month, will be donated to our local The Root Social Justice Center.  This local organization is growing a movement here in Southern Vermont for racial justice and it operates with a collective leadership.

This list of skein options show above includes: Purple Rain and Purple Haze Mewesic, Amethyst, Agate and Blue Opal Sylvan Spirit, Iris and Violet Cotton Comfort, Lavender Cream Alpaca Elegance, Elderberry, Lupine, Blue Violet and Alpenglo Mountain Mohair.

To ensure that your donation is recorded, please use coupon code: empower.  This will allow us to more easily track these sales, and make sure that the funds are properly allocated.  We hope that you’ll join the fun of this crafting for justice movement; and please be sure to register to vote if you haven’t already!

Painting with tweed

Yoked color work sweaters can offer us an exciting blank canvas with which to experiment with color.  We thought we’d share with you several sweaters that were recently finished using our Mewesic yarn that is currently on sale!  All three of these projects are the same design: namely Nelchina by Caitlin Hunter.  It is so inspiring to see hw the same design can be reimagined by different knitters with such beautiful results!

This top-down sweater can be worked as either a cardigan or a pullover and has a generous size range from a 35″  to a 56 3/4″ bust.  It calls for four contrasting shades of DK weight yarn.

© meiklem

Our friend Elissa created hers with a warm autumnal palette that includes Norwegian Wood as her main color that works beautifully with Sandman, Diamonds and Rust and our undyed New Mexico Organic.  (The organic yarn is currently out of stock but could be substituted with our White Wedding color of Mewesic).

She shared with us that ” I love it by the way – the yarn is so comfortable to wear, it is going to be my go to sweater for the fall.”

© blv1248

Barbara opted to make Evergreen that star of her sweater.  She also chose to work with Sandman and a creamy white for her neutral shades, but opted for Brickhouse for her pop of contrast color.  Wow!

She, “planned this sweater for recovery period after having right knee replacement surgery on 2/17/2020. Did not start right away due to pain meds. LOL.   So this project turned into a covid-19 sweater which has offered me lots of time to work on it. I’m looking forward to being finished with it and hopefully can wear it a couple of weeks before the weather gets warm.”

Just last weekend she added to her project page: “I want to add that this yarn, Mewesic from Green Mountain Spinnery, is the perfect yarn for a sweater like this one. It is light, not heavy like so many other sweaters I have knit, and yet it provides just the right amount of warmth on a chilly day. I can’t say enough good things about this yarn!”

© Elainemaxseb

And finally, Elaine (a hand dyer living in Switzerland) modified her cardigan for a cropped short sleeve version that is adorable!  She paired our Atlantis Mewesic with several other yarns from different manufacturers that all work together beautifully.

Perhaps her sweater may inspire you to do a bit of stash busting and find some suitable DK weight yarn options that have been waiting for the perfect project to come together?  How would you like to combine our beautiful shades of Mewesic?

Therapeutic Stitching

We have all found solace in the smooth repetition to be found in knitting.  And this week, many of us that the Spinnery have spent more hours than usual working on our projects, or enjoying the time that we are carving out to craft; seeking the calm to be found in following a pattern and enjoying the feel of wool running through our fingers.

We thought we’d share some of our WIPs (works in progress) with you.

Lauren is working her way through the gorgeous yoke of her Fern & Feather sweater designed by Jennifer Steingass.  She is working with Mountain Mohair in the Maritime color as her background and a similar single ply yarn that we spun for Blue Heron Farm that was dyed with natural botanicals. The contrast of these shades is so crisp and classic.  It makes her stranding work look like a million dollars!

Larisa is also participating in Must Love Yarn’s Knit Along that has it’s participants all working on designs of Jennifer Steingass.  She has cast on for the Goldwing pattern using two high contrast colors of Spinnery Mewesic: Atlantis and Touch of Grey.

Both of these sweaters are worked top-down giving you the opportunity to enjoy the fun of the stranded color work yoke as you start the project.  Once you’ve worked through the yoke and divided your stitches for the body and arms, you can easily try on your sweater and make modifications to the fit as you go.  Sleeves length can be adjusted and shaping could be added to the body to your preference.

For those of you who have cast on for this KnitAlong, or if you’d like to join in now; the next virtual meetup for the group is scheduled for next Thursday June 11th, from  7 – 9 pm.  Using your browser or phone, head to https://zoom.us/join and use the Zoom Meeting ID: 868 1585 3166

Maureen is making a long awaited sweater that will be the perfect addition to her wardrobe.  She is making a gorgeous version of the Green Leaf Pullover to be found among the pages of At the Spinnery.  Maureen often fashions patterns that she wants to wear herself, but the sample that is created as part of her design process is typically used for photography and travels with us to shows.  This beauty will be one that she can keep and enjoy for herself!

She’s cast on with Rose Quartz Sylvan Spirit, an ideal shade for spring and summer wear.  She’s often remarked that this yarn is her favorite among the Spinnery collection.  She’s used it for many projects that she enjoys, including a Calyx designed by Elizabeth Doherty and two of her own designs: the Windsor Tank and the Seeded Pullover.

We look forward to learning about what projects have been bringing you comfort.  Please share them with us on Instagram with the hashtag #greenmtnspinnery or #gmswip.  Be well, stay safe, and keep knitting!

Project inspiration

Two of our Ravelry friends recently wowed us with their projects that used some of our un-dyed yarns.  We’d like to share them with you to see if their project spark some ideas for your own!

Julie has created an unusual version of Junko Okamoto’s Bouquet Sweater.  Instead of opting for stranded color-work, Julie’s version is using monochromatic texture to a much more subtle effect.  It is dreamy!

© robbyraccoon

Julie has used Spinnery Sylvan Spirit as her main background color and has double stranded lighter weight blends of merino, alpaca, mohair and silk for her contrast floats.  This transforms the overall effect of the sweater into an ethereal work of art that has a tactile appeal.

© robbyraccoon

In her project notes, Julie records: “Trying to do a monochrome version, holding two stand of Tussock with the Suri Loft to get a comparable yarn weight. So far the cc knits are retreating but the floats look very cool. If it’s too subtle I may over dye in the end, with the intention that all the yarns will take color a little differently.”

We imagine that you’ll agree with us when we hope that Julie maintains that un-dyed magic of her sweater.  With that in mind, we have another successful project to share with you that beautifully expresses the very different kind of alchemy that only a dye pot can achieve.

Westhill embarked on a very different kind of yarn adventure when he began working on this stunning cardigan in early 2019.

“I started out making this in subdued (for me) colors, thinking I should knit like a grownup or something, and was instantly bored. Bleeaaahh. Hated it. It was actually depressing. Ripping back and starting over and letting the bright colors fly. I’ll never do that again!”

“This sweater started as part of the 2019 “Design Your Own Stranded Sweater” challenge in the Stranded group. Everyone is using the Strange Brew pattern, which gives formulas and guidelines for designing a stranded yoke sweater in any size.

This is all yarn that I dyed, except for some thrift-store yarn that happened to be a color I needed. I made all these colors from just four shades of Dharma Trading’s acid dyes. I use vinegar for the acid and dye in thrift-store pots in my kitchen. I mix Poinsettia, Magenta, Sapphire Blue and Brilliant Yellow to make any color I need.

There are also some yarns in here that I dyed with lichen to make various shades of purple.  I have a lot of un-dyed yarn, and some dyed yarn, from Mary, who so kindly gave me a bunch of her stash. GRATEFUL!  I will also be mixing in doubled sock yarn, thrift store yarn, my hand spun, Green Mountain Spinnery mill ends, and scrap yarn.

I’m doubling a lot of the yarn, using two different shades of a color in the same stitch—this makes the colors richer and more vibrant. This makes a thick, windproof fabric, so I’m making it into a jacket to wear outside.”

And what a masterpiece this cardigan has become!  We’ve been swooning over the incredible depth of color that Westhill achieved.  Think of the fun you could have by digging into your stash to find what you already have on hand.  Any shades that you are missing to complete the palette you desire can be created with any one of the white un-dyed yarns that the Spinnery makes, beginning with a day or two of experimenting with dyes!

Our un-dyed white fingering weight options include Lana, Meadow, Forest and Simply Fine.  Our Sport weight option includes the discounted 3-ply Forest.  Our DK weight options include Mewesic, Cotton Comfort, Sylvan Spirit and Alpaca Elegance.  Our Worsted weight options include Mountain Mohair, Weekend Wool, Maine and Vermont Organic and Green Mountain Green.  Finally our Bulky weight option is Capricorn.

You may also find as you start experimenting with dye, that you want to see how over-dying grey yarn can deepen and enrich a shade.  Then there are even more exciting options open to you!

We hope that these two projects inspire you as they have us.  We continue to be excited and delighted by the projects you are making with our yarns.  Thank you!

 

Armchair travel at its best

We want to share with you a recently finished object that we found on Ravelry that was knit up in Edinburgh, Scotland!

Our Ravelry friend Sarah’s Bradford Road wrap is a garter stitch wonder.  This design calls for five colors of fingering weight yarn to be worked in sequence for a bold geometric effect.  The shawl is constructed in two pieces – one large and one small — which are joined using kitchener stitch for a smooth finish.

©WollyOriginals

Since the squishy resilient fabric is crafted with garter stitch, it is a joy to work as well as wear.  This kind of project is perfect for those of us who are looking for something fun and cheerful to work on but don’t currently have the mental bandwidth for complex patterns.

Here is what Sarah included in her project notes, “When I traveled to New York to attend VogueKnit Live, I wanted to purchase some US yarns to make a special project as a memento of the trip.

I decided to use the Bradford Road wrap pattern by Through the Loops. I had knit this in 2019 and loved the 5-coloured fingering weight garter stitch pattern. And as Kirsten lives in NY, it seemed even more appropriate!

I chose the above five US yarns as I wanted solid colours in nylon-free yarns. It was great to wander around VK Live and chat to each of the yarn producers. I had already met mYak at Edinburgh Yarn Festival and it was lovely to catch up. The Madeleine Tosh yarn was a gift from the Gala Dinner that I was very fortunate to attend with my friend, Karen.

Now that it’s finished, i look at it and realize how special it is and how lucky I was to travel to the US before the world went into lock down.”

We’re delighted that our Simply Fine Skinnies in the Pick Your Own color was used for the mouthwatering purple seen in her project.  It complements her other selections beautifully.  Great work Sarah! And thank you for sharing it with us.

Sarah has created a memento of a happier time that can buoy all our spirits this week as we turn to our stitches and plan for future adventures when we can travel and meet again soon.

We can all be Nurtured by Julie and Jean-Francois

It is hard for us to recollect exactly when our partnership with Julie Asselin and her husband Jean-Francois began.  They have become such treasured members of our fiber family that it’s impossible to imagine a time before their visits.

© Julie Asselin

They have a delightful habit of bringing delicious homemade meals with them, so that we can share some food together and get caught up before we fill their van with freshly spun skeins and they head back north to the outskirts of Quebec.

© Julie Asselin

Their goofy playfulness makes them a pleasure to work with.  They are the first to remind us that the work of making yarn is fun!  That joie de vivre that makes them so beloved to us all, translates directly into the yarn that we make with their fiber.

In the fall of 2016, Julie approached us with plans for an exciting new project that we were eager to try.  Instead of dyeing skeins that we spun for her, she wanted us to create a yarn that would include fiber that she and Jean-Francois dyed ahead of time. The Rambouillet, Targhee and Merino fibers would be blended in the carding process, much like many of the Spinnery yarns that you’ve knit with for years.

© Julie Asselin

This combination of small quantities of many disparate shades of intensely dyed fiber would lead to a tweedy yarn with a subtle overall shade that has hints of color of an unusual depth and complexity.  And so, Julie’s Nurtured came into being!

© Julie Asselin

We find that the best way to appreciate this yarn is see it up close.  That is where those glints of color become readily apparent and Julie’s uncanny talent for color becomes crystal clear.  There is a magical moment at the Mill when Nurtured is in production.  We have to confess that we rarely are able to anticipate how colors as diverse as these will coalesce into something new.

© Julie Asselin

So, it’s not until after her fiber goes through the picker and our carding machine, when the pencil roving is wound; that we’re able to see the final hue that Julie anticipated when she dyed her fiber and carefully calculated the ratios of each color to one another.  It’s remarkable!  And we think that you’ll agree that these skeins are unique in their appeal.

The overall impression is wonderfully wearable color that draws your eye in to find more detail.  The 3-ply construction of Nurtured makes it strong as well as soft.  And the round shape of the yarn lends itself well to crisply defined textured stitches without a hint of ply shadow.

© Annie Lupton

You’ll find a generous list of patterns that call for Julie’s Aran weight yarn on Ravelry.  Some of us at the Spinnery have knit up several projects with this yarn, such as Thea Colman’s Lillet.  Some of Julie’s current favorites include: Boho Texture Triangle pattern by Annie Lupton (shown above), When in Rome Hat pattern by Monika Anna, and Hiémal pattern by Sarah Bleau Design.
If you’d like to purchase some of this delicious yarn, you may find it online at several wonderful local yarn stores located all over the US.  We would encourage you to support these shops that may be closed during the COVID quarantine, but are able to ship and would love to help you get some of these gorgeous skeins into your hands.

© Julie Asselin

We’ll leave you with one more photo of Julie and Jean-Francois in the hope that their smiling faces will cheer you as much as they do us.  Their love for the fiber community and their place in it shines through everything they do.
You’ll find their endearing pledge to focus on Inspiration, Community and Craftsmanship on their website.  And we encourage you to learn more about this dynamic team as you work with their yarns.  They will brighten your life as they have ours.