Meet my Colorway: Jordan Baker

Hello, friends and fangirls! I've got a new colorway to introduce to you today - Jordan Baker, from my Great Gatsby series!

In the book, we learn that Jordan is a professional golfer; she's a fairly liberated woman, especially compared to the others in the book, and she's got lots of style. Also, an air of mystery; after all, "she had begun dealing in subterfugest when she was very young."

For Jordan's character I wanted something feminine but not girly, bold and attention-getting. I pulled together bright blues and greens and anchored them with deeper tones of violet, teal, and black.

Here's the colorway on my Sparkle Sock base, perfect for a Flapper:

A yarn like this needs a pattern that's worthy of it, right? After all, Jordan Baker is famous and doesn't like to be ignored! Here are a few suggestions for you:

Of course, how could I resist an adorable hat with ruching that's actually called Gatsby's Girl? 

Image from Kalurah on Ravelry

\And as soon as I saw Glitz at the Ritz on Ravelry I knew it would be perfect for one of my Gatsby colorways. Jordan could ROCK a shawl like this!

Image from Helen Stewart on Ravelry

And of course, what evening ensemble would be complete without an elegant pair of long gloves or mitts? How about Lacy Mitts!

Image from Roko on Ravelry

The Jordan Baker skeins are available in the Storied Yarns Shop right now, along with several others that arrived in my Roaring 20s shop update last week. Remember, now that I'm having monthly themed updates, the colorways I add to the shop won't come back around for quite a long time. So grab 'em while you can!

Happy stitching, flapper-inspired fangirls!

Mystery Knits

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

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

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!!

Color Inspiration: Stock Characters

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!!

Fiber Arts Friday: Random Fun

Hello, and welcome to Fiber Arts Friday! I'm sorry I've been a little absent from blogging lately; things have just been busy as usual around here!

Recently, most of my fiber arts activity has involved buying fiber, ha! I've been on a real combed top kick, though I haven't spun any of it yet (I think I'm starting to hoard for Tour de Fleece). It's funny, though, because just when I think I'm on a combed top kick, I pull out my drum carder and start playing around. Then suddenly I want to keep all the batts I make!

This week I whipped up a few beauties to add to the shop, like this one:

or the silky-shiny-sparkly goodness of this one:

At this point I remind myself that it's good to have a stash with plenty of variety to suit your moods. :) If you're looking to boost up YOUR stash for Tour de Fleece, might I suggest having a peek around the Storied Yarns shop? The batts above are just two of the beauties I've added recently. :)

In other news, I have actually been knitting and spinning this week! My first-ever sock is coming along nicely; I've done the heel decreases and now just have to do the increases and then move on to the ankle portion:

I'm also knitting a Shimmer Lace Top using KnittinK Black Canary sport weight yarn:

In the spinning news, I've been spinning up the mini wool samples from my February Phat Fiber box and a few others I had here using my Threads Thru Time medium hot pink spindle:

I'm planning to include them in the shop as a mini skein set for hexipuffers who want some handspun in their blankets. So far, though, I only have three samples done:

Left: Storied Yarns BFL/Firestar in "Lady Chatterley." Middle: Masham top from BohoKnitterChic Spins. Right: Berry Gelato batt from Zauberzeug.

Anyway, that's about it from here. The Hunger Games KAL/SAL kits will be going out very soon, so follow along with us in the Ravelry thread and cheer on the Tributes as they compete to have the best yarn or FO!

Happy Friday! Head on over to Andrea's blog and have a visit, will you?

Shop Update!

I updated the Storied Yarns Shop last night with a pound of Polwarth and some merino, too! :)

Here are the items I added:

Artemis Fowl on Polwarth

Jack and Sally on Polwarth - there are 2 of these sets in stock!

Nobody Owens on Polwarth. This one is graduated from dark charcoal/black to grey to white!

Sarah Sanderson on Merino (Hocus Pocus)

Nucky Thompson on Merino (Boardwalk Empire)

Remember, use coupon code Pumpkin to save 15% in the shop this month! I will be heading to my first ever fiber festival at the end of October, so if you have a favorite item you'd better snag it now before it sells out! :)

Halloween SAL/KAL Packages Available Now!

Trick or Treat!

I'm having a Halloween themed Spin-Along and Knit-Along! Come join in on the fun!

Purchase your package now in my Storied Yarns Etsy Shop. Choose from yarn, batts and roving options!

With this listing, you will receive:
- One full-sized yarn or fiber item (yarn, roving or batts) dyed to match your choice of Halloween inspiration.
- Extra Halloween themed goodies from me!

After purchase, come on over to my Storied Yarns Ravelry group and share what you receive in your package. Spin your fiber or knit with your yarn and enter in the group to win a special Halloween goodie package!

After all the work you're doing to make the holidays special for other people, isn't it time you gave YOURSELF a Halloween treat?