Storied Yarns

Knitting a Hand Dyed or Hand Spun Sweater

2013-02-14T10:22:00.001-08:00

Hello, everyone! Today I listed some exciting new packages in the Storied Yarns Shop - the Ultimate Fangirl Sweater Kits! These kits will give you plenty of hand dyed yarn (in the colorway and base of your choosing) to knit a sweater, and they're available in DK and Worsted weight yarn options as well as a Combed Top option for you spinners out there. For every kit you get two full pounds of yarn or fiber!

So, how about some suggestions of what to knit with these lovely kits?

First up: the Ultimate Sweater Kits (2 pounds of yarn or fiber) ...

For the DK weight option, you will have 2000 or 2650 yards of DK weight yarn, depending on the base you choose. What sweaters can you knit with that? Quite a few, I should say!

How about a simple cardigan with a pop of textured detail at the collar and sleeves? Roheline should do the trick! This one would look really great in a semi-solid OR a variegated colorway, I think. For something with a little more detail (that would probably work best in a semi-solid "Stock Character" colorway), how about The Archer, a hooded pullover with cable details, or a cabled cardigan - Locke Street Cardigan?

For the worsted weight option, you will get 1696 or 2480 yards. Emilien is a great, basic hoodie pattern that would look awesome striped with two colorways or in one semi-solid or variegated color. Girl Friday has been a favorite pattern of mine for quite some time, and I also really love Dark and Stormy. I think either of those would work best in a semi-solid, stock character shade.

If you're going to buy the fiber option, of course your yardage will vary depending on the weight you spin and the yardage you are able to make. However, a few suggestions might help you narrow down the sweater patterns that would work especially well for handspun yarns. My friend Brittany recently published Libretto, which has a really fun shape and structure that lends itself well to textural yarns. I also really like Idlewood, which would be super cozy in handspun. The clean lines and stockinette body of the Effortless Cardigan and Atelier would also work really well in handspun, colorful yarns.

Next up: The Major Fangirl packages (24oz of yarn or fiber) ...

For the DK weight Major Fangirl sweater kit, you will receive 1500 or 1980 yards. Summer Solstice is a cardigan that would look fantastic in a boldly variegated yarn or a tonal one. Vodka Lemonade is an adorable cropped cardi that would be really nice in almost any color. Gnarled Oak Cardigan has beautiful details which would stand out really well in a semi-solid stock character colorway, and Calligraphy Cardigan, which I totally lust over, would be fantastic in a variegated colorway (note: for the largest sizes you may need to upgrade to Ultimate Fangirl for that one).

For worsted weight, try these on for size: you're going to have either 1272 or 1860 yards to play around with. I love the interesting structure of the Levenwick cardigan. The Brownstone pullover has a male model but I think works really well for either gender, no matter who that sweater will be for! Don't forget Francis Revisited; that one would be great for a colorful worsted weight yarn OR handspun.

For handspun, any of the above suggestions would probably work, too, as would Abalone - it only needs 500 yards! :)

Don't forget to check out my album of available colorways, including the milder Stock Character semi-solids in addition to all the bold, variegated options. If you're interested in a sweater package but not sure which one is right for you, just contact me on Etsy! Together we can make you the fangirl sweater of your dreams. :)

Fiber Friday: Wandering in WIP-Land

2013-02-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

psst - Are you looking for information about the Fiber Arts Retreat in April? Read THIS!

Hello, and Happy Fiber Friday!

This week here at Storied Yarns Central, I feel like I may be slightly drowning in WIPs. I recently cleaned out my personal fiber bin (more on that next week), and inside I found a handful of project bags full of knitting WIPs. Now my WIP bin is overflowing instead of my fiber bin! ACK.

The only WIPs that I'm actually working on at the moment are a crocheted handspun shawl and a hat for my husband.

First up, the shawl - I'm using the Rippled Wrap pattern by Cheri McEwan, and I really like it because once you get past the setup rows, each subsequent row is basically the same as the last so it makes for nice TV crocheting. I also like that it's crochet and I'm using a really big (size US P) hook with super bulky handspun so in theory it will be a fast project (if I ever get the time to work on it, that is!). I'm using a variety of handspun skeins that are all hot pink but each one is unique; originally I made these into a bolero but I didn't like the way it fit, so instead they're going to make me a super cozy shawl for those cold winter nights.

Let's just not talk about the fact that it might be spring before I finish it, okay?

Here is that lovely shawl in progress:

The hat I'm knitting for my husband was a special request from him. He wanted a "Ron Weasley hat," which to him means a hat with ear flaps and ties. Of course, being ME, I had to dye up a Ron Weasley colorway for his Ron Weasley hat, and then I had to use handspun for the hat instead of regular yarn, because that makes it ~~more complicated~~ more cozy.

Here's a picture of the hat along with the rest of the yarn I have in order to finish it - the yarn is a 2ply of my Ron Weasley colorway on SW BFL with a ply of natural oatmeal colored Icelandic wool. I love how the natural wool kind of mellows out the Ron a little bit, making this hat JUST wild enough for my husband to still wear it (I hope!).

I'm using the basic idea of the pattern, A Practical Animal Cracker Hat, by Becca Evans. This hat was inspired by the actual Ron Weasley hat from the third movie (the one my husband is referring to when he tells me the kind of hat he wants), so it's what I'm modeling my hat after. I had to frog the first one, though, as it turned out several inches too big circumference-wise, so I'm continuing on with my own method of decreasing since my numbers will be off from hers. For that I'm using Crazy Aunt Purl's guide to decreasing the crown of a hat.

The down side of this "quick hat" project is that I'm going to have to line it, because the Icelandic makes this handspun a little scratchy and I don't want the hubster NOT to wear it because it's too scratchy. So I'm going to use a SW Merino/Bamboo blend yarn to line it so it will be nice and soft and double cozy that way, but essentially that means I have to knit two hats. Oh well, at least it's going to be a fun one when it's finished!

The reason for all my rushing on these WIPs is that I'm DYING to cast on for the gorgeous pair of fingerless mitts that my friend Steph designed for quarter one of my A Yarn and a Tale book club. I'm making myself finish at least one of the above projects first, though, preferably the hat. So, there's that.

I did manage to squeeze in a little spinning this week - I spun this corespun yarn from a pair of batts by Ever Improving Me. I plan to knit it into a corespun crown for a KAL in the Funhouse Fibers Ravelry group. Wahoo!

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you, Fiber Fangirl. I also added some new goodies to the Storied Yarns Shop this week:

So, I guess that's it for me! Watch for an announcement next week about Quarter 2 of A Yarn and a Tale, and to stay the most up to date, hang out in the Storied Yarns Ravelry group.

Happy Stitching!

XOXO,
Jess

Meet a Colorway: Tesseract

2013-01-23T14:51:00.001-08:00

Hello, and welcome! Are you looking for information on the Fiber Arts Retreat in April? Here you go!

Today we're up for another rendition of "Let's Meet a Colorway!" If you've been here before, you know that all of my gorgeous colorways for yarn and fiber are inspired by characters and stories. When I meet a new story, I tend to obsess over it; I dream about it, I think about it, I find myself quoting it in my head. All of this tends to continue until I make a colorway inspired by it. Then I can finally move on and think about other things, ha!

Anyway, today's spotlight colorway was inspired by a story that I first read a long time ago: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.

This colorway is called "Tesseract," and it's inspired by the wrinkles in space/time that Meg and her siblings use to time-travel in the books. It's a fun and funky blend of white, grey, charcoal, midnight blue, violet purple and burnt orange:

When I look at this colorway on the skein, I'm reminded of those awesome photos they take with satellites in outer space, where all you see is a blanket of stars against a dark sky and then there are these mysterious, colorful, glorious clouds:

Andromeda Galaxy from Space.Com

This colorway is one of my all-time favorites, and it was inspired by a book that I truly loved as a child. Need some ideas for what to knit with it? How about Time Traveler Socks? Ha! Or maybe a Wrinkled Scarf? I also think this yarn would be ahhh-mazing as an In the Pink Shawl. I mean, wow. It would look just like a galaxy on your shoulders!

Buy this yarn for yourself when you want to escape to another place or time. Buy it for someone else who encourages you to try new things, see new places, or is always there for you when you get lost and need to find your way home.

You can find Tesseract in the Storied Yarns shop. And hey, I just updated it today, so there are a few other new lovelies in stock as well! If your favorite colorway happens to be sold out, just use the custom order yarn or roving listing and I'll dye it up for you. It's okay, fangirl - I've got your back. ;)

Stitched Together 2013: A Fiber Retreat from Storied Yarns

2013-01-11T06:49:00.003-08:00

I am SO excited to make this announcement! A dream I have had for a long time is finally going to come true, and the best part is that I get to share it with my fibery friends!!!

This year I will be hosting a Fiber Arts Retreat - YAY!!!! (Enter Muppet Flail Here.)

Do you want to join me?!? Of course you do! Here are the details:

What: Stitched Together 2013: A Retreat for All Things Yarny

When: April 26-28, 2013

Where: Fall Creek Falls State Park in Pikeville, TN

Cost: $100 per person to include food, lodging and extra goodies.

Come join us in a mountain retreat for the weekend! We'll surround ourselves with all the natural beauty Tennessee has to offer. Fall Creek Falls has six waterfalls, including the one called Fall Creek Falls which is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States! There are nature trails to explore and other activities including golf, horseback riding, and sports fields.

The theme I've chosen for this year's retreat is "Circle of Friends." Last year was a very challenging one for me in a lot of ways, and I felt that I got bogged down in the negativity. This year I'm trying my best to elevate myself, my circumstances and my surroundings. One way for me to do that is to gather together a circle of friends for a weekend of fellowship and fiber! Though we may not all know each other before the weekend begins, I'm sure that through the magic of yarn we will leave as a circle of friends. :)

The main thing I want to do this weekend is relax and play with yarn! I'm sure most of you feel the same way, so that will be our main event. I will bring as much of my fibery equipment as I can pack, so you can try out something new. We won't have any structured classes, per se, but it's my intention to form smaller, impromptu group lessons and demonstrations so we can all learn or see something new. On Saturday I will invite fiber artists to showcase their wares in a mini marketplace, so come ready to shop! We'll also weave a group banner and take at least one nature walk together. Options will be available for you to add on other activities on an individual basis as well, if that's what you prefer.

I will be providing the food for the weekend; we'll eat together in the dining room of our group lodge, with a casual and relaxed, home-cooked atmosphere. I will do my best to accommodate any dietary needs you may have as well. We'll eat three meals a day and indulge in plenty of snacking. ;)

Please note that this is a retreat for YOU, not your family. Please leave your children at home for this and come and enjoy a weekend with the girls! Special exceptions may be made if you have a child who is an infant/nursing. :)

The spaces are limited as the lodge only holds about 30 people, so sign up now if you are interested! The cost is $100 for the weekend, but I can set up a payment plan if you need one; just let me know. The registration form is here; get your name in now and then you can pay via PayPal or check/money order after that.

If you are interested in vending at the retreat, please use this form here. I will give preference to the vendors who are also going to attend the retreat for the weekend, and the vending spots are limited as well.

I really hope to see you there! If you have any questions at all about the retreat, you can visit this thread on Ravelry, contact me on Ravelry (I'm Jessecreations) or e-mail me at jess@storiedyarns.com.

Knits for Men

2012-11-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome back for another edition of "Jess's Holiday Knit Suggestions" here at Storied Yarns Central!

This week I've been thinking about what I want to make for the men in my life this year for the holidays, and I confess I've been a bit stuck at times. Most of the women in my life are happy to own a variety of scarves, hats, mittens and gloves. My husband, on the other hand, has only ever let me knit him ONE scarf and he only ever wears that ONE scarf and he doesn't see the point of owning two (or, heaven forbid, several). Ugh, what's a knitter to do?

In case you're in my boat, here are some pattern suggestions for the men on your knitted gift list. These patterns are all free, and they all work with 150 yards (or less than that) of worsted or bulky weight yarn. Maybe, just maybe, your guys will love these so much they won't mind finding room for them in their wardrobes! ;)

The scarf my husband let me knit for him was solid black, and very basic; it was, essentially, the same as this Basket Weave Scarf pattern. It wasn't the world's most exciting knit, but it was fairly simple to follow the pattern without having to refer back to it all the time, and if my picky husband likes it then I'm fairly sure yours will, too! Here's a picture of the one I made:

This year, the husband says he wants a hat. I'll have to get the yarn for it (I know; weird, right? I'm an indie dyer who has to buy yarn to make her husband a hat, but he only wants solid black and it's easier for me to buy plain black yarn as it is to dye it), but I'm already perusing the patterns. I really love this Antler Hat; it's got nice cables (which I've never quite tackled but I'm willing to try) and it's part of the Pacific Knits collection which I LOVE. (Please note: the hat pattern is free, the whole collection is not.) I also like that the Antler hat comes with a fold-up brim so in case it's not quite the right length when I finish it, it will still probably work out.

I might also just go with the Brother-in-Law Basketweave Hat so it will match his scarf. :)

If you prefer to warm their hands (you know, warm hands = warm heart, right?), fingerless gloves are always a nice gift. I made a fairly boring pair for my dad a few holidays back when I was still a newbie knitter, see?

He likes them because he can wear them when he goes shooting. If I were to make them over again I'd probably go with these Manly Mitts, because they have a little bit more style while still being understated. I really like them, actually - I wonder if I can get hubby to wear them? ;) If you're looking for a nice, basic pattern, it seems like the Fingerless Mittens with a Flap would be great for shoveling snow, driving around town or whatever else your man of choice might be doing outside at this time of the year

This year, I'm giving my dad a cowl, which should also come in handy while he's shooting. I just finished spinning a luxury merino/yak/silk blend for him - it's still hanging to dry on my yarn shelf:

When it's totally dry I'm going to knit it into the Wonky Cowl pattern, designed by my friend Brittany. My dad doesn't mind a little color in his knitwear so I think he will really like it.

In case you've been wanting to tackle your first pair of socks, this Easy Peasy Socks for First-Timers pattern works up quickly in worsted weight yarn to help you understand the basics of sock construction. Worsted weight socks might be a bit thick but they'd be great under a pair of boots this winter!

In case you have a man who's a little more adventurous and whimsical than my darling hubster, how about Invading Your Earspace? You can't go wrong with a hat full of space invaders, right? My husband has been joking around for years that he wants me to knit him a Beard Hat, and I'm telling you he'd better be careful what he wishes for because this might just be the year for it! ;)

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed my list of manly knitted gift ideas. In case you need some yarn, the Storied Yarns Shop is fully stocked and ready to serve. ;)

Happy Holidays!!

XOXO,
Jess

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Quick Gifts to Knit or Crochet

2012-11-13T09:49:00.001-08:00

Howdy! Long time, no post! Sorry about that. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming ...

This is the time of the year when I mentally start to whittle down my Handmade Holiday List. You know, all those grand plans I had back in August seem maybe just a little too grand by November, so it's time to really figure out what I can and cannot accomplish between now and December 25th.

If you're feeling the holiday crunch like I am, I've put together a little list of gift knits (and crochet projects, too!) that seem like they wouldn't take too long to complete. They all use about a skein (or less than one skein) of worsted weight yarn. This way you get to make something special for a special recipient and keep your sanity: win-win!

Let's get started, shall we?

I love a good gender-neutral project; knit it up and keep it in your drawer so when you need a last-minute gift you've already got one! I think the Knotty but Nice hat pattern falls well into that category. Its all-over cable pattern adds interest whether you use a solid colored or variegated yarn and it would look equally snazzy on a man's head or a woman's. If you used a colorway like Walkers, this hat could easily go for either gender, too. After all, zombies are equal-opportunity killers. :)

"Walkers" on SW Merino Worsted

The Mustard Scarf by Jane Richmond is a pattern I've actually made myself. It looks particularly awesome in handspun, because the simple stitch pattern lets the yarn take center stage and the open, meshy style allows for differences in thickness without making the pattern seem off. This one's more for the women on your list than the men, but it's such a quick knit it'd be great for your kids' teachers! Here's a photo of mine:

I think this scarf would be gorgeous in my Goddess in the Storm or All Things Nice handspun; if that's not your thing, stay tuned as I've got several more skeins to add in this week!

I don't know about you, but when it starts to get chilly outside I grab a pair of fingerless gloves for use indoors and out! These Cozy Thermal Mitts do a fairly good job of straddling the gender gap, and at 110 yards for the small size you could actually get two of them out of a single skein of worsted weight yarn! Personally, a pair made in my new "Garden State" colorway would match almost anything I wear this winter (grey is definitely a staple color in my wardrobe), and it's a nicely neutral color palette to give as a gift to someone if you don't know all about their favorite colors.

If you have any babies on your gift list, these Ruth's Perfect Baby Booties would be an adorable and useful gift. Knit up a pair in superwash worsted weight yarn so Mom and Dad don't have to worry about hand washing on top of all the other Baby-induced chaos! :) Today I'm actually dyeing up several skeins of a brand new worsted weight (all-American, 100% merino, SUPER soft) yarn in my Nursery Rhymes colorways, too! That particular base won't be superwash but the hand washing is worth it to get yarn like this! Watch for news on that later in the week. ;)

This "Josh Lyman" colorway would be perfect for a baby boy!

Sometimes you may not know accurate sizing for a recipient on your list, so this Cabled iPad cozy or these Leg Warmers come to the rescue! Both of these gifts also come with the added bonus of being useful for any teens or tweens you might be making gifts for this year. Try a cozy in Mr. President for the guys on your list or Lady Bianca leg warmers for the girls!

If you're attending a holiday party, you might want to bring along a Hostess gift. How about a wine bottle cozy? If you use my Grapes of Wrath or Mr. D yarns you can incorporate the theme right into the yarn! Another hostess gift could be a pair of handmade slippers! I'm hoping to crochet up three pairs of this pattern this weekend; am I nuts?!? I hope not! If you don't own the DeFarge book, this pattern would be an adequate substitute!

Grapes of Wrath for the wine-lovers on your list!

Whatever you make this holiday season, the point is to put love in every stitch! I hope you enjoy your holiday crafting and have a wonderful Winter!!

Mystery Knits

2012-08-28T07:57:00.001-07:00

Hello there!

It seems like mystery KALs (knit-alongs) are all the rage these days, aren't they? For those of you not familiar with them, the basic concept is that you start to knit something without knowing exactly what it is that you're knitting! You might know as much as what type of garment/accessory it is and how much yarn it will take, but beyond that the actual design and construction are a mystery. The designer reveals the patterns via a series of clues or sections and at the end you have a fun new item you never knew you were going to knit!

In case you've been bitten by the mystery bug, I thought I'd showcase some of the yarns available in the Storied Yarns shop that will fulfill the yardage requirements for a few of the mystery KALs that are "hot right now" on Ravelry.

First up, the WestKnits KAL; this was a KAL for a shawl and the final clue was revealed earlier this month, so you have the advantage that you can peek in the projects if you want to see the finished shawl before you cast on! For this one you need 460 yards of a main color and 410 yards of a secondary color. Might I recommend the combination of Grandma Redbird and The Handmaiden?

Another option is the Dandelion on a Meadow KAL; this one uses one or two skeins. For a single-skein shawl, I think Night at the Fair would be a gorgeous choice; if you'd like to add yardage then why not pair it with Hot Shot?

Designer Laura Nelkin has a new KAL as well; it's called Trapeze and it's for a shawl that will work with a single skein of fingering weight yarn. She recommends a yarn that is semi-solid or slightly variegated/tonal; I think anything in this palette would work really well:

From left to right that's The Princess, The Farmer's Daughter, Arabian Days, The HotShot and The Handmaiden.

The Wendy Knits Summer Mystery KAL also recommends using a yarn that is subtly variegated or semi-solid. How about one of these?

Left to right that's The Ingenue, Arabian Nights and The Crone.

I keep going back and forth about the Leethal Knits KAL myself; I'd love to join but I'm worried about having the time! Maybe one of you can just sign up and do it instead and I can watch and live vicariously for a while. ;) This pattern is easy to customize to different yarn weights and yardages, but the designer recommends anywhere from one or two colors for the main and up to several options for contrasting details. I personally think it would be awesome to knit a shawl in this combo:

That's The Ingenue, Arabian Nights and The Handmaiden. Can't you just see how awesome the three of these yarns would work together in a shawl?!?

For something that takes a little bit less commitment, why not a skein of Daisy combined with The Princess for contrast?

Even if you're not into mystery knitting, any of these color combinations would make an awesome project! I myself am planning to knit a top out of a color palette very similar to this one:

That's The Crone, The Ingenue and The Handmaiden for those of you keeping track. ;) Whatever you knit, stitch yourself a story worth telling with yarns that are worthy of your project! Visit the Storied Yarns shop today for these beauties and several others. I just updated today! ;)

Thanks, everyone, and happy stitching!

Meet a New Colorway: Donna

2012-08-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome!

Today I'm introducing a fabulous new colorway, inspired by Donna Noble (so far my favorite companion of the one and only Doctor Who). Do you want to see it? Of course you do!

Ahh, Donna. Throughout her time on the show, she's forever yelling at people, the Doctor included ("Oy, Space-Man!"). Though it seems like she's mad at the world, we know she's got a heart of gold underneath; after all, it was Donna who saved that family in Pompeii and wept with the Ood when she heard their song of captivity.

Toward the last few episodes of series 4, the Doctor figures out that Donna doesn't really value herself. She's always yelling at people because she thinks nobody would listen to her otherwise. She doesn't realize how special she is. Then, for one bright, shining moment, she gets to be the most important woman in the universe. The Doctor-Donna is born and she is fabulous.

I created this colorway in honor of that bold, sassy redhead. It's a combination of deep red, fiery orange, rich gold, time-traveling peacock blue, purple and teal. This is a kettle dyed colorway, so each skein will come out slightly different from the last and I never quite know what I'm going to get from the dye pots (a lot like Donna herself, don't you think?). You can see in the following photo that these two skeins are a little bit different from one another, even though I dyed them in the same pot:

Since I believe that character-inspired colorways add depth to your knitted and crocheted items, I'd like to offer some suggestions for these skeins, if I may. I think a skein of this Donna colorway would make a gorgeous lace shawl for a time when you just need that little extra "pow" in your outfit. It might also create a fabulous hat to transform your outlook on life or the most amazing pair of socks to lift your spirits from head to toe.

Knit with Donna to make something for a woman who needs to be reminded how wonderful she is; maybe that woman is YOU, so knit something pretty for yourself! I think we all have a little bit of Donna inside of us - we all have the capacity for her boldness and bravery as well as her self-doubt. Let your inner Donna come out to play when you need a fiery redhead on your side, and use this yarn to remind you that sometimes YOU'RE the most important woman in the universe, too! ;)

In case you're wondering, these skeins are available right now in the Storied Yarns shop and Donna is a repeatable colorway available for custom order on any yarn or fiber base.

Thanks, everyone!!

XOXO,
Jess

Put on Your Party Hat

2012-08-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

I'm sorry I haven't been good at blogging regularly. Life is insane here, with school just starting and lots of goings-on at Storied Yarns Central that I'm not quite yet ready to reveal.

I have been plenty busy playing with yarn, though, so don't worry about that! I've got a Hunger Games themed update planned for Saturday in the Storied Yarns Shop. To keep you busy until then, today and tomorrow you can save 16% using code BigTen in honor of my 10th wedding anniversary on August 16th!

Most of the knitting I've done lately is still in top-secret stages of development. However, there is one project I recently started and finished that I'm ready to share!

I should preface this with a brief apology. The only other person home right now is 3 years old and not so great with a camera, so I had to take some not-so-fantastic self portraits in my bathroom today, ha! I'll try to get better pictures later, and I might even weave in the ends first! ;)

Anyway, here's my recent FO - a slouchy hat:

One of the things I hear a LOT in the knitting community is that nobody knows what to do with 4 ounces of handspun yarn. They take one look at the uneven gauge or the low yardage and they run for the hills. I think this is a real crying shame, because one of the greatest joys of my life is knitting with handspun yarn (oh yeah, and motherhood and all that stuff, lol)!

It IS the uneven gauge that I find so interesting about handspun. You can take a basic stitch pattern and instantly transform it into something magical and awesome with the use of a fabuous yarn like the one pictured above. The fiber I used to make this handspun was from the Fiesta Spin-Along from CraftyPuppyLover's shop, and this yarn was definitely a party to spin. Just look at the way the texture worked up in the stockinette fabric of the hat:

There were only 68 yards in this skein of handspun, and it weighed in at 3 oz. I added just .6 oz of a 2ply superwash merino handspun to make the brim, so overall the hat still weighs under 4 oz.

Here are some tips I've learned about knitting with handspun yarns. These are tips that apply specifically to knitting a hat like this one:

- Use needles that are bigger than you might think you need based on the yarn's weight. This yarn was a pretty standard bulky weight, but I used size 15 needles. This gave the thicker parts of the yarn room to spread out in the stitching and also helped only 68 yards of yarn go a lot further.

- Knit hats from the top down. This helps with customizing the size as you can just stop increasing when your hat is wide enough (or too wide, if you want it to be slouchy like mine). Also, if you happen to run out of yarn then you can use a contrast yarn for the brim and not the top.

- Don't be afraid of the yarn! Embrace it for all its beautiful and unique properties. Put it together with a simple stitch and a basic pattern and watch it become something extraordinary.

Hopefully by now you're all fired up to work with some awesome handspun, too! I challenge you to put some handspun on your needles this weekend. I promise you, it'll be an instant mood lifter (trust me, this week I know a mood lifter when I see one!). If you don't have a big drawer full of handspun like I do, I happen to have a shop full of yarn that can help you out with that. (Don't forget the coupon code, and remember I offer spinning service if you buy my fiber!)

If you're not sure what to make, PLEASE feel free to ask! I'm happy to help you pair up a gorgeous skein of yarn with just the right project. Just leave me a comment here or on Ravelry or Etsy!

I'll leave you with one more photo of me posing like a nerd. HA! Happy stitching, everyone!!

Meet a New Colorway: Severus

2012-08-02T10:06:00.003-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the Storied Yarns blog! Today I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to one of my new colorways: Severus.

Severus is inspired by Severus Snape, the character from the Harry Potter series. I created this colorway as a custom order request from one of my customers, so the skein above will be going to live with her tomorrow. Don't despair, though, because this skein down here is going to go into the Storied Yarns Shop:

Severus is a combination of mulberry purple, emerald and spring greens, mysterious midnight blue and black.

Here are some of the things I thought about when I created this colorway:
- "One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."
- Lily's eyes. "After all this time, Severus?" "Always."
- The jealousy felt by a little goth wizard, bullied by the cool kids.
- The mystery of a mind closed off to the Dark Lord, a double agent to the bitter end.
- The final gift of memories and truth at last.

Ok, here I go getting all teary-eyed over a skein of yarn. This is why they pay me the big bucks, folks; I geek out over these colorways in a big way. ;)

I hope you've enjoyed meeting Severus and that you'll give him a proper greeting in tomorrow's Storied Yarns Shop update!

Tour de Fleece and Ravellenic Games: Fuel Up

2012-07-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all, and Happy Friday!!

So, the end of the Tour de Fleece is in sight; just 7 more days of spinning. I don't know about you, but I haven't quite met all of my goals yet for this TdF, so I'm hoping to spin like a maniac in the coming week, ha ha!

Right on the heels of Tour de Fleece, we'll be gearing up for The Ravellenic Games. Wahoo! I'm planning to knit myself a sweater this year, and that's going to be the main project I focus on along with a few little designs if I can get to them. I'm planning to knit the Rivel Cardigan using yarn that I bought on clearance at MDSW about 5 years ago! It's about time, right?

If you're looking for a team, feel free to pop on over to the Storied Yarns group. We'd love to have you! And even if you don't join our team officially, I'm still going to be offering prizes for anyone who uses Storied Yarns yarn, fiber or patterns during the Games. So make sure you post photos in our official thread (that goes for Tour de Fleece, too)!

Anyway, for today's post I thought I'd do something a little different. In our BohoCrafty TdF team, we've been sharing recipes. I shared one of my own recipes, too, which I call Jess's Jumping Beans and Rice! I suppose I should technically call them Mike's Mexi-Melts since the recipe was my husband's invention, but he's not on Ravelry so I took the credit, HA!

Anyway, if you're going to be participating in some marathon crafting you'll need the fuel to keep you going, right? This dish is filling, delicious and vegetarian (with an easy vegan alternative). The meat-free ingredients are pretty cheap, so it's perfect for cooking dinner on a budget, too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Jess's Jumping Beans and Rice (aka Mike's Mexi-Melts)

Ingredients:

- 1 small to medium onion
- 1 green pepper (or the color of your choice)
- 1 can black beans
- approx. 1/2 can corn
- taco sauce (can substitute salsa/picante sauce)
- 1 cup dry rice
- shredded taco/cheddar cheese (vegan alternative: soy cheez)
- 1 tomato (optional)
- 1 hot pepper (optional)

Directions:

- Chop up your onion and green pepper into small, bite-sized pieces. Toss them together in a skillet over medium high heet until the onions start to get translucent and the peppers start to brown.
- Add one can of drained/rinsed black beans and 1/2 can of corn. Mix together.
- Pour in a heavy tablespoon of taco sauce OR approx. 1/4 cup salsa. Mix some more.
- Optional: Some like it hot, so if you're one of those, add a chopped up spicy pepper.
- Simmer over medium-low heat to allow the flavors to blend.
- Meanwhile, cook 1 cup of dry rice according to package directions. I use brown rice but white is also fine.

Serving Options:

- Option 1: Spread the rice onto a plate. Add the skillet contents and sprinkle with cheese (or alternative) on top, then add a diced tomato (also optional). Season with additional salsa or taco sauce as needed. Eat with a fork.
- Option 2: Follow directions for Option 1, but eat with tortilla chips.
- Option 3: Put a flour tortilla on the plate first, then stuff it with the ingredients from Option 1 and eat it like a burrito.

I hope you enjoyed my little off-the-beaten-path post today! Also, if you happen to need more fuel for your spinning and knitting, there's plenty of fiber in the Storied Yarns Shop. (Ha ha, I couldn't resist!)

Semi-Solid Stitching

2012-07-18T11:46:00.002-07:00

Hello, and welcome!

Today I updated the Storied Yarns Shop with this lovely selection of my "Stock Characters" (semi-solid) colorways on my Storied Yarns Bamboo Sock base:

Every time I dye up my Stock Characters, I think of all the gorgeous hand-knits they could create. These colorways are all semi-solid or tonal, so they'd make ideal choices for things like lace work or color work where you really want your stitches to stand out and show off.

I also love to imagine the gorgeous combinations you might create by pairing these colors together in groups of two or three. How about these combinations?

This is my kind of color palette. Deep blues and purples, burgundy wines and a pop of bright red-orange just for fun.

I've come up with a few other combinations, too:

Pinks and purples to show off your feminine side, moody blues for subtle contrast or bright, summer fun in pink and orange!

I've been browsing Ravelry for some two- and three-color pattern ideas. How about this Two Color Crescent Shawl in Unicorn and Evil Queen? I've always loved Stephen West's Spectra Shawl, which I think would be ahh-mazing in Hot Shot and Princess or Hot Shot and Crone. The colorful pattern of the Ulmus shawl would be good for showing off a bit of contrast, like with Time Traveler and Unicorn.

You could make two contrasting pairs of Vagabond Mitts or Cordelia Fingerless Gloves using any two of the yarns in today's update - how about The Vampire and The Crone?

Anyway, I hope you'll find as much inspiration in these colors as I do! As always, feel free to send me a message if you're looking for a specific color that isn't currently in stock. Thanks!!

What to Knit with DK Weight Yarn

2012-07-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to Storied Yarns Central, where we're bringing you another edition of "What to Knit with That" today! I recently added some Giganto Skeins of DK weight BFL wool yarn into the shop. Wanna see?

The top one is a rich, eggplant purple color and is called The Sorcerer. The botom is a dark, spooky hunter green and is called The Enchanted Forest. Both are part of my semi-solid stock characters line, and with these skeins you get a whopping 250g and 500 yards of DK weight 100% BFL yarn for only $38!

So, what do you knit with 500 yards of DK weight yarn, anyway? I'm glad you asked! Here are some of my suggestions:

If you've got a little one to knit for, why not the Olearia sweater which comes with two cardigan options and one shrug version in a single pattern? This pattern goes up to 700 yards for a size 8, so with 500 yards you should be able to get several size options.

I'm a pretty big fan of hand knits that grow with a child, because I don't want to go to all the effort to knit something for my kid just to find she's outgrown it in a few months. With that in mind, I absolutely love the Bloom pattern; it fits as a dress on a younger girl and then when she grows it becomes a tunic/top, all in the same size! The medium works with DK weight yarn and is shown in the pattern photos on an infant and a preschooler - the SAME dress!

If you've fallen in love with those deep, dark shades above and you want to knit something for yourself, how about the Clothilde shawl? You can get a full-sized large, lacy shawl out of one of these skeins, perfect for the transition to cooler weather (or out of it, depending on where you live)! I also really like the shaping on the Miami Beach Shawl, if you're bored with triangles.

Of course, there's always my Infinitely Simple Lace Infinity Scarf! It's a free pattern and you could get two or even three of them out of one of these skeins, perfect for holiday gifts!

One last suggestion: Trivium is a set of THREE patterns - a hat, a cowl and a pair of fingerless gloves. Knit all three from just one giganto skein of this yarn! Wouldn't these colors look lovely with your winter coat? Now you can have a coordinated set!

Psst - if Semi-Solid Giganto Skeins aren't your thing, I've got a few variegated 100g skeins of DK Superwash Merino in the shop, too!

As always, if you'd like one of these skeins for yourself but in a different color than the ones in the Storied Yarns shop, just send me a message and I'll be happy to dye up a custom skein for you!

So, now that the TdF is almost over, what are YOU going to be knitting next month?

Fiber Friendships

2012-07-10T09:55:00.002-07:00

Every once in a while, something happens in this lovely world of Fiber Arts that just warms my heart. Yesterday was a day like that.

I opened my mail box yesterday to find a package inside. For once I hadn't actually ordered anything recently so it was a bit of a surprise. A very pleasant one, I soon discovered! I opened the package to find this:

It's an adorable project bag from my friend Sally! It's super sturdy, has adorable and handy handles and closes with a drawstring in matching cupcake ribbon!!

Plus, it's PINK, which of course I love. I can't wait to tote this baby around town with all my newest and top-secret WIPs inside!

The part about this that was truly fun and magical was that I had sent Sally a package last week, and it arrived the same day I got her package! Kismet, I tell you! Here's what I sent her:

Sally's expecting her second baby in just a little while, so I sewed up a patchwork blanket. The top side is shown above and the bottom side is solid green fleece. Here's a close-up of the center panel, which just screamed "Sally" to me when I saw it:

It has adorable little moose on it (perfect for a woman who uses "Muddymoose" as her Ravelry ID) and cute little woodland cottage scenes. The fabric for the patchwork squares around the center is all from my stash, most of which I got FROM Sally in the first place when I first started to sew. It's like the Crafty Circle of Life! :)

I also made a cute little Crinkle Bot for her son (he's almost two and about to be a big brother for the first time), but I forgot to take a photo of that. It was a fast and easy gift, using felt from my stash. Also I was pretty sure he'd love it because my own 2-year-old came into the room while I was making it and immediately demanded a second one for himself, ha!

Of course I couldn't leave Mommy out of the gift, so I sent Sally this skein of yarn - it's a 2ply from some of my batts that I knew she had liked from my shop:

I'm really grateful to have awesome fiber friends like Sally. Surprising mail days are just one of the benefits of having friendships with other knitters!

What about you? How are you cultivating your Fiber Friensdhips?

Adventurous Spinning

2012-07-03T06:38:00.002-07:00

Maybe it's the festive spirit of the Tour de Fleece, but lately I've been in the mood for some adventurous spinning. In the Team BohoCrafty thread we've been talking about the ways that some fiber artists seem to have a knack for combining different fibers to create stunning yarns. Follow along with our discussion here, if you're so inclined.

All this talk of combining fibers has had me thinking about the ways my lovely friends and customers at Storied Yarns might combine character colorways in order to spin an adventurous story. Today I'm here to offer some suggestions on the ways you might combine fibers from my shop - stay tuned until the end of the post and I'll even give you some coupon codes!

OK, let's see. If you like warm and earthy colors, why not this combination?

That's Mrs. Patmore, Haymitch and Rue.

If you're a fan of blue (like I am), then I bet you'll love this combo:

Gonzo, Zoot and Titania; gorgeous!

For the pink lovers out there, this duo is sure to please:

Fun, feminine batts inspired by Aphrodite and Effie!

And one more - I couldn't resist a purple pairing, now, could I?

This combination is my fave - snag it from the shop and save me from myself, please!! That's Mulan and Vidia, both on superwash bfl top, yum!

If you're not a spinner, right now I'm offering FREE Spinning Service in the shop! Buy any fiber (including the sets I've listed above) and send me a message at checkout. I will spin them for you for no additional charge!

I've also got two very special coupon codes that are active right now - use code TDF12 to save 12% on anything in the shop, including custom orders and club listings, now through July 31. Use code July4 for the next 3 days only (July 3-5) to save 20% on any in-stock item (excludes customs and clubs). Shop now at Storied Yarns and save!!

Thanks, everyone, and Happy Tuesday!

What to Make with 50g of Sock Yarn

2012-06-29T11:18:00.001-07:00

Hello, and welcome to another edition of What to Knit with ______ here on the Storied Yarns blog! In a few minutes I will be updating the Storied Yarns Shop with these nine lovely skeins of sock yarn:

Each of these skeins is on my Colonial Sock base (75% SW Colonial Wool/25% Nylon) and each one weighs in at 50g.

So, what exactly CAN you make with only 50g of sock yarn? If you think "not much," you're sadly mistaken!

Personally, I have made a handful of projects with only 50g of sock yarn. How about a Swirl Hat? Here's one I made for my friend's baby about two years ago:


This is my "Medusa" colorway, if you're curious.

For some other hat suggestions, why not the Ishbel Beret by Ysolda Teague or the HitchHat by Martina Behm?

I also made a really fun pair of fingerless mitts out of 50g of sock yarn in my "Party Ponies" colorway:

The pattern is the Quilted Lattice Mitts, and it was a lot of fun to make! You can do a 2-color version or a single color version as I did. Fingerless gloves can often be made with only 50g of sock yarn. For a different pair, try Veyla, Lepidoptera Mitt (Oh wow I love these!) or CanCans on for size!

I have a pattern for you hookers out there - it's my Crocheted Adjustable Scowl. My friend Carrie made this one in my Mrs. O'Leary colorway:

If you want a cowl but you prefer to knit it, why not the lovely Abstract Leaves Cowl or A Very Good Cowl Indeed?

For all you shawl lovers out there, a pattern I have long admired, yet never made, is the Storm Cloud Shawlette. It's a FREE pattern and it looks lovely in a nice, variegated yarn. The best part is it uses 150-200 yards of fingering weight yarn, huzzah! I think if all the yarns in my shop don't sell there will be a Storm Cloud in my future and maybe a pair of Lepidoptera Mitts, too!

Don't forget all the lovely baby items you can make with 50g of sock yarn - just TRY to look at Christine's Stay-On Baby Booties or Cable Baby hat and not go "Awwww!" I dare you!

I also dare you to give 50g of sock yarn a try. The ones I'm adding to my shop sell for just 10 bucks a pop, so for a low budget and a little bit of time you can make a truly beautiful item for yourself or a loved one. It's a win-win!

Craftaholics Anonymous Swap

2012-06-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

This year I happened to notice that someone I follow on Twitter (I can't remember who it was now, sorry!) posted about an upcoming event called the Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange. The main idea is that you get a secret person to spoil and you make a handmade gift just for that special person and send it off to them. I only had about a day before the deadline so I jumped right in, and I'm glad I did!

Linda of Craftaholics Anonymous used Elfster to match us up. I was given the opportunity to spoil a lovely crafter in California! She hasn't received her package yet so I won't say anything more about that here.

I was able to find her Pinterest account (she posted a link to it on Elfster) so I used that to give me inspiration for her handmade gift. She had a lot of party decorations pinned, so I decided to make a "party in a box" for her gift.

I started with a cake stand, inspired by this one and others flooding the pin boards. One decorative melamine plate, one plastic sundae cup and a little Gorilla Glue and this baby is finished!

I used the bright colors in the plate to inspire the rest of the package, focusing on blue and orange with accents of pink, green and blue. The next thing I made was a flag banner:

I cut the flags out of my stash of scrap fabrics, added felt backing for stability and sewed a felt circle to the center of each one. I used double fold bias tape to connect the banner together and puffy paint to write "PARTY" on the flags. I figure it's both festive and gender-neutral for any occasion.

The last thing I made was a little wall plaque. My recipient said she enjoyed reading the Bible and there were a lot of crafty quote plaques in her Pinterest boards, so I made one for her:

I simply painted a plain wooden plaque from the craft store with blue paint, then added an orange border and a quote with an orange paint pen. I sprayed the whole thing with clear coat to protect it, so you're getting a bit of flash reflection going on in that photo, sorry about that!

I also included a note and some fun little extras and this morning I sent the package off! It felt strange to be making a handmade gift that had nothing to do with yarn (what would a Californian do with hand-knits in July, I ask you?), but it was really fun, too! I enjoyed thinking outside the box in order to fill a box for my special recipient, and I hope she loves it!

I've heard from my spoiler that my package is in the works and I'm excited to see it! I'll be sure to post here and show off what I get!

If you'd like to join this swap, Linda hosts one twice a year so stay tuned to Craftsaholics Anonymous (a favorite new blog of mine) to find out when the next one will start!

Pattern Pairings: Stock Characters

2012-06-22T10:34:00.001-07:00

I dyed up some more of my Stock Characters this week, and I'm pretty excited about them! You can find them in the Storied Yarns shop. I thought it might be nice to give you some inspiration about what you might do with them!

I've been seeing a lot of excitement over the Color Affection Shawl pattern lately. Some of my friends have made some truly gorgeous versions of this shawl! I think The Handmaiden, The Knight in Shining Armor and The Wizard would make a REALLY cool rendition of this pattern:

There are also quite a few two-color shawls and patterns that I've been crushing on lately. How about Cladonia, Spectra or Kleio in Wizard and Knight in Shining Armor?

If shawls aren't your thing, how about the Tempest sweater, Endpaper Mitts or Disappearing Act socks in Evil Queen and Handmaiden?

Evil Queen also pairs up nicely with Knight in Shining Armor, don't you think?

Another fun combination is to pair The Princess with The Handmaiden:

or with Evil Queen:

This combination (since the Princess skein is 68g) would be amazing for the Whippoorwill Shawl, Fracture or Zenobia.

Pretty soon I'll have this shawl finished and ready to publish:

And once I do, I'll have a new pattern to recommend for you! ;)

Happy Fiber Friday, everyone!!!

Free Crochet Pattern: Cozy Milk Forever

2012-06-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today I present a re-creation of a free crochet pattern I used to have on another site. It has since been taken down and I had a request for the pattern on Ravelry, so here it is!

Cozy Milk Forever
Free Crochet Pattern for Baby Bottle Cozies
by Jessica Cook of Storied Yarns

Materials:
- Worsted/Aran weight cotton yarn
(samples used Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in Walnut, Blueberry and Dusty Blue)
- Crochet hook size US I (5.5mm)

Note: For the samples, 1 skein of the LB cotton (106 yards per skein) was enough for two cozies.

Directions:
Round 1 - Begin with a magic adjustable ring. Make 5 sc stitches in the ring. Do not join; just place a removable stitch marker on the first stitch of the round and move it up as you proceed to subsequent rounds.
Round 2 - 2 sc sts in every st around
Round 3: 2sc in the first st, sc in the next st; repeat around
Round 4: 2sc in the first st, sc in each of the next 2 sts; repeat around
Round 5: 2sc in the first st, sc in each of the next 3 sts; repeat around
NOTE: Continue to increase in this manner until the circle you are making is approximately the same size as the circumference of the bottle. For the Born Free bottles I made mine for, the circumference was 8 inches.

Next Round: Make one sc in the back loops of every st around (this helps to keep the base flat)
Following round: sc in every st around (both loops)
Repeat this last round until the cozy is tall enough to cover the bottle just past the neck (but not interfering with the nipple). If you like, switch to a contrasting color for the top round. Fasten off.

Make the drawstring: Make a chain length that is twice the circumference of the bottle. Fasten off. Use a darning needle or your crochet hook to weave the chain length in and out of the stitches in the second row down from the top of the cozy. Use this to keep the cozy snug around the neck of the bottle.

Enjoy!

Please feel free to use this pattern for yourself, to crochet gifts or to crochet items to sell. All I ask is that you do not try to sell the pattern itself and that you do not copy the pattern somewhere else. If you want to refer to the pattern publicly, please link people back to this page. Thank you!!

In which we interrupt this fiber blog with a post about vegan dessert

2012-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so normally I talk about yarn and fiber. And sometimes general crafting. Today, though, I have a recipe to share!

I'm sure my sister would be falling out of her chair if she were reading this, because let's just say I am NOT the person in my family to have the cooking gene. Normally I don't enjoy cooking at all, but when there's dessert involved then I'm all for it.

I should premise this post by saying that I have my own personal brand of vegan-ism. I'm not here to turn this into a vegan-centric blog and I don't really want to spend a lot of time talking about my dietary choices. Suffice it to say that I'm trying hard not to ingest dairy foods just so I can get fat, and that means no more ice cream for me.

We bought an ice cream maker and attempted to make vegan style ice cream by substituting the milk in the standard recipe for almond milk and the cream for vegan creamer. It turned out mostly mushy and not very good. I have big issues with food texture and this was just wrong on so many levels. I had almost given up on the idea of ever having frozen, creamy dessert again.

Then, inspiration struck. I got a coupon mailer with a smoothie recipe in it, and it got me to thinking that a smoothie put into an ice cream maker might make for some really good sorbet. From that idea, this recipe was born. I hope you'll use it, tweak it, modify it, and ENJOY it!

How to Make Vegan Fruit Sorbet

Directions:

- Fill your blender with one sliced banana, a large handful of frozen fruit (I used peaches because that's what I had on hand; I think pineapples would be ahh-mazing) and a can of creme of coconut (available in the liquor/mixers aisle at the grocery store).
- Blend until super smooth.
- Pour the blender contents into your ice cream maker and turn it on. Wait the amount of time you normally have to wait for the ice cream to form.
- Eat and enjoy!

I think this recipe would be great with pineapples, as I said. I also think it would be nice to add nuts, shredded coconut or other goodies. I used two bananas in the original recipe and that turned out to be a little heavy on the banana flavor for me, so I hope it still works out, texture-wise, with only one.

Another good thing about this recipe is that there were only 110 calories in the entire can of creme of coconut that I used, so that plus fruit gives you a pretty low calorie content for a VERY sweet dessert!

Quick and Easy Yarn Gift: Wire Core Bracelets

2012-06-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

I'm having a lot of fun with a new project - spinning bracelets! Do you want to see the ones I made?

I attended the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival a few weekends ago, and I picked up a wire core bracelet kit from Moonwood Farm. It looked like this:

It contained three mini batts (gorgeous, luxurious Roo batts!), a spool of jewelry wire and a strand of beads. I could hardly wait to get these babies on my wheel!

Here's how to spin your own, if you're so inclined!

1. Pick up a bracelet spinning kit like mine from Moonwood Farm. (Note: I see she doesn't have any in stock but I'm sure she could put one together for you if you ask her nicely.) OR make your own by just acquiring some jewelry wire, mini batts and beads (the beads are entirely optional).

2. Start spinning one of the batts on your wheel as a relatively thin single. Spin for a few inches.

3. Bend the end of the wire over onto itself to protect you from the sharp, cut end. Insert the wire into the middle of the fiber you're about to spin as if you were going to core-spin it (which you are).

3. Core-spin around the wire. Helpful Hint: When I first got the fiber turning around the wire and got the wire itself to spin, it took a lot of work and the stuff I had already spun got pretty over-twisted, but that's okay; it all works out in the end.

4. Continue to core-spin around the wire and wrap the wire onto your bobbin as you go. Mine just wound right on there, but you may have to pause and help it along with your hands.

5. When you're almost out of fiber, cut the wire. I just used scissors because my wire was fairly thin/pliable. Bend the cut in over onto the main body of the wire as you did at the beginning.

6. Continue to spin the fiber itself as a single until you run out.

7. Unwind the bracelet from your bobbin. Coil it around itself to make it large enough to easily slide onto your wrist without being so large as to fall off. You can leave it like that if you wish, and it will be an open coil bracelet. In that case, use a little hot water on the ends and rub them with your fingers to wrap the fiber-only strands around the ends of the wire to keep the wire hidden. Option B here is to do what I did - wrap the fiber-only ends around all of the coils to secure them together, then wet felt with your fingers and hot water to secure the connection (see my photo above to see how that looks).

8. Wear your bracelet or give them as gifts! These are SUPER fast - maybe 10 to 15 minutes of time per bracelet. I plan to make several and hold onto them for future swaps and holidays!

Optional Beads (as in the pink one in the top photo):

If your bracelet is thin enough and your beads are large enough, you can probably string them on after spinning. In my case the wool was too thick for these beads, so I strung them onto the wire itself before spinning. Then I'd core-spin for a while and pause, pulling up a bead. I'd sort of core-spin the fiber around the bead to hold it in place on the wire and then keep going. This is a fun way to add a little extra bling to your bracelets!

Tips:
- Use wool-blend fibers so you can felt the ends when you're finished.
- In my experience this worked really well with super smooth mini batts (approx. 1/4 ounce per bracelet). I'm not sure the same would be true with chunky art batts, which might not secure themselves around the wire as easily, but it might be worth a try!

Color Inspiration: Stock Characters

2012-06-08T07:12:00.003-07:00

Happy Friday, everyone! It's time for another post of color inspiration stories!

Today I want to introduce my new line of semisolid colorways - the Stock Characters line! Here are the first few colorways and the stories behind them:

This electric-blue skein is called The Time Traveler. It's bold and adventurous; a blend of royal blue with a hint of turquoise for a sort of peacock blue result. Wouldn't this one be great for Bigger on the Inside?

The Ingenue is subtly gorgeous. She blends in and stands out at the same time; she's a seashell-blue shade that would make an absolutely stunning lace shawl. How about Rough Sea Shawl?

The Harlot is bold and super feminine. She's a rich, bright shade of magenta that's sure to turn heads wherever she goes. Can't you just see yourself wrapping her around your neck as a Romance scarf?

The Damsel in Distress is sweet and feminine. She gets herself into some tough situations but she always manages to find a brave hero to rescue her. She could find her match made in knitting heaven with a Princess Cut Diamonds scarf or even a BAD fairy princess stole!

The Vampire is a true prince of darkness. He's a rich, black cherry shade that is a customized blend of red, burgundy and black. He will lure you in with his silky smoothness and his deep tone will bring a true luxury to any knitted item. Wrap your feet in a pair of Gothic Spires Socks made out of this yarn and you may never want to get out of bed again!

All of my stock characters are custom blended colorways, so you won't find their equals in any other shop. I think these colorways would be ideal for lace or cables and would also work really well in large quantities to knit a sweater. Contact me in the Storied Yarns shop if you'd like a custom order in a larger quantity, or if you want me to dye up a custom color blend of your favorite shade!

While you're there, I just updated the shop today with plenty of rovings and yarns to suit your fancy. There are plenty of yarns and fibers to get you through a long, hot summer and you can even use the code Tdf12 to save 12%!

Happy Friday, everyone!!

Color Inspiration: Jareth

2012-06-06T09:51:00.002-07:00

Today I bring you another post inspired by inspiration itself! Sometimes people ask me how I come up with the ideas for my yarn and fiber colorways.

Sometimes they don't, but I make them listen to the story anyway.

Today, I present the story behind my "Jareth" colorway. Here he is on Sparkle Sock:

Mmm, isn't he divine?!? I am so in love with this particular skein that I dyed one up for myself. More on that later.

This colorway was inspired by one of my favorite childhood movies, "Labyrinth." I have seen this movie so many times that I can nearly quote it word for word. Of course, I wanted to BE Sarah - she had a rockin' cool bedroom, an amazing collection of costumes and there was a mega-hot Goblin King in love with her. Plus, she gets to hang out with Muppets; what could be better, right?

This colorway isn't inspired by Sarah, though - it's inspired by that Goblin King. Mmmmm, yummy.

It's a kettle dyed colorway, so I never know quite what I'm going to get - the nice goblin king who takes my brother away after I wish for it to happen, or the unfair goblin king who turns the clock ahead to shorten my time in the Labyrinth? In any case, he always comes out of the dye pot looking stunningly gorgeous, don't you think?

The actual colors are tan, purple, midnight blue, grey, black and white. They are inspired by spiky rad-tastic hair, magical powers, wicked eye makeup, a fluffy white shirt and tight black pants. Ha!

You can find this skein in the Storied Yarns shop, ready to come home with you and make some magic of its own. Need a pattern recommendation? (Perhaps, What Kind of Magic Spell to Use? Hahahahaha!) I'm planning to knit Ysolda's Ishbel shawl with mine. Come and knit along with me if you want - there are several of us knitting it together on Ravelry.

Well, that's it for me today. I'm off to throw some dye at some wool for a Storied Yarns shop update later in the week. I'll try to do another inspiration post then, too, because I've got a brand-new line of semisolid colorways to show off!

XOXO,
Jess

Stitch a Story ... Together

2012-06-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you've already heard me say that I believe you tell a story through your handmade crafts. That's why I create colorways inspired by all of the stories we love - those colorways bring added depth to the stories you create. Now, I'm offering you an opportunity to stitch a story together with your fiber-loving friends, AND receive a discount!

Big, exciting things are happening this year at Storied Yarns Central. One of those things is that I'm now happy to introduce Group Package Deals! Basically, all you have to do is grab a group of friends and place a Storied Yarns order together and I'll let you cash in on some great savings!

Who qualifies for these group discounts, you ask? Any group of people who love to knit, crochet, spin, and weave! Whether you've got a regular Knit Night, a Stitch n' Bitch, a Ravelry group or a Fiber Arts Guild, you can get in on this awesome deal. You just need a minimum of five people to get you started.

There are two main options to explore:

Themed Packages: Choose this option if you want to have a collaborative yarn or fiber experience. You choose the theme and I create the colorways. Everyone receives their choice of yarn or fiber in one colorway or a collection of colorways inspired by your theme. You can choose any theme you like that has to do with books, movies or television; possibilities include Classic Literature, Famous Female Characters, Saturday Morning Cartoons and much more! I will send out your packages, along with an extra special surprise in each one, and they will all coordinate together so you can enjoy talking about the theme as you knit and spin. This option also works well if you all want to knit or spin one particular fiber type in the colors of your choosing, or if everyone in your group wants to knit or spin one colorway on multiple bases.
Co-Op Orders: This type of package works well if you want to order as a group and save money but you don’t have one specific theme in mind. In this case each member of the group will place an order with me for any yarn or fiber that they like, and they will save money simply by ordering as a group rather than placing orders individually through my shop.

The Discount:
You get access to some special group savings through this option, of course! Here's how that goes -

If your group has 5 people, you get 10% off my regular shop prices on everything in your order.
If your group has 6 to 10 people, save 15%.
For 11 or more people, save 20%

How it Works:

I will need ONE group leader or coordinator. That person will contact me with a request for more information and a basic idea of the type of package you would like to get. I will provide all the necessary information to that person. (Psst - that person also gets FREE yarn or fiber for doing the job!)
The group leader will send me a list of everyone in the group who wants to participate along with their PayPal e-mail addresses and their order requests. (Note: If you have a Ravelry group we can probably do this step in one of your discussion threads if you prefer.) Members can order in-stock items or custom orders; may be subject to availability.
I will send individual PayPal invoices to each group member. Everyone pays for his or her own order and his or her own shipping.
I will order supplies and dye/card/spin/whatever once I receive all orders and payments. I will work as fast as I can to fill the order and ship them all at one time.

A couple of things to consider:

I cannot take on too many group orders at once or I might not be able to fill them in a timely fashion. Therefore, you should try to give me as much notice as you can before you want your order so I can put you on the waiting list, if need be.
I will communicate with you as I complete the steps of your order so everyone will know their order status.
Order items may be subject to what is in stock or what I can easily order; not all of my bases are 100% available all the time, especially with yarn bases, but I will do my best to fill everyone's order as fully as I can.

I don't want to take up too much space here making you read allllll of my ideas, but suffice it to say I have a lot of ideas for how to make this a really fun event for your fiber-loving group.

Please send me a message on Ravelry (I'm Jessecreations there) or e-mail me at StoriedYarns [AT] Yahoo [DOT] Com if you want more information on these packages!

Spinning and Skeining and Swatching, Oh My!

2012-05-28T16:11:00.003-07:00

Oy, vey, what a month! May is almost over and I'm racing against myself to meet some self-imposed deadlines this week. I have been under so much pressure (again, entirely self-inflicted) that I literally gave myself HIVES from the stress, yikes!

I've been skeining mini yarns like a madwoman in preparation for sending out the shipments for my first installment of the Mini Skein Mania club this week. I WILL ship those packages on Thursday, come Hell or High Water, I tell you!

Skeinskeinskeinskeinskein. Windwindwindwindwind. Labellabellabellabellabel.

Anyway, if you still want one, I have just a few listings left for Disney Princess/Fairy and Percy Jackson themed mini skeins! With each purchase you get 10 mini skeins in 10 unique colorways along with an extra bonus surprise for pre-order customers ONLY! I will list the leftovers in my shop by the end of the week, but no extra bonuses will go out with those purchases. ;)

What a little preview? Here's a bowl full of fairies and princesses for you ...

Hahaha, I'm such a tease! I'm sorry, I can't help it - I promised the club members that I wouldn't post any overt spoilers until the packages go out. I WILL tell you that I'm seriously in love with several of these colorways, and they will all be available as regular shop colorways starting in June, huzzah!

In all the chaos I've taken at least a little time to enjoy myself! I attended the Middle TN Fiber Festival with my daughter this weekend, and picked up some lovely new fibers for myself. I have also done a little spinning - here's a skein of 470-some odd yards of lace/fingering weight singles spun entirely from Star Bright Nylon fiber:

Star Bright Nylon is a kind of sparkly nylon fiber similar to the faux cashmere and other faux fibers you find in batts. This has a feeling similar to pantyhose, actually, but it's super smooth and soft to spin. I have no idea how the resulting yarn will perform, knit-wise, but I just really wanted to spin some of this stuff all by itself. :)

I'm also designing like crazy. I love it when I get bitten by the inspiration bug, but sometimes I have a hard time focusing, ha! I'm going to need some test knitters, so shoot me a message if you're interested! All the patterns I'm currently designing are for handspun, so it's my preference that you KNIT them in handspun as well, but if that's not an option then commercial yarns are okay, too. I just want to be sure the patterns make sense to anyone but me, HA!

Anyway, that's all from here. Thanks for hanging in there and reading along even through my long absences. Hopefully I'll have time to post more in the near future, and I promise to share some VERY exciting news in the next few months!! ;)

XOXO,
Jess