The Yarn Shop and Fiber Place

Sustainable Bolivia

I had so much fun talking with Dorinda Dutcher this week.  Dorinda first went to Bolivia as a Peace Corps volunteer and got so interested in the people and culture that she didn't want to leave!  She began a project called PAZA (Project Artesania Zona Andina) which helps the weavers of traditional textiles to market and receive a fair price for their handwoven goods. 

Dorinda is especially interested in the natural dyeing traditions and is helping to keep the knowledge of natural dyeing alive in the Bolivian spinners and weavers.

It's just so much fun hearing Dorinda talk about her passion for this work and these people, as well as seeing her photos and beautiful weaving and yarn samples.  She will be giving a brief presentation describing her work at The Yarn Shop this coming week, on Wed., June 2, from 7 - 8 p.m.

Join us to learn more about the PAZA project and learn too, of volunteer opportunities (could this be you???)!

Barbie Pink

Yarn of the Month: Organic Cotton

 

During the month of May, save 20% on our selection of organic cotton yarns.  Perfect for summer knits, items for baby, and for taking your mind off of this terrible spell of spring blizzards.

Many of our organic cottons are already very affordably priced, making them the perfect fit for a fair weather knitting or crochet project.  And if the fair weather isn't here by tomorrow, come on down to the shop for Open Knit Night (6-8 pm) and join us for some good old fashioned complaining.

We have plenty of inspiration for everyone.

Knitters sweep the podium...

Sadly, the Olympics are over.  But, happily, our Cast-Off for the Olympics is over too, and many more wonderful projects are finished and ready to be worn!  We gathered Sunday, February 28 for a knit-in and award party. 

Here is Leslie, our gold medal winner, enjoying some refreshments.  You go, girl!  

In addition to the bronze, silver and gold medals of finishing, a "people's choice" award was presented, determined by popular vote.  Check out Leslie's olympic hat.  How cool is that???

Tough decision.  All of the projects were beautiful.  Ultimately, the purple lace scarf in the middle of the table, knit by Barbie (in black sweater) was overwhelmingly named the "people's choice."

Laurie, our silver medal winner, looks comfy in her gorgeous cabled tweed sweater.

Congratulations, all!  Keep on finishing those projects!  (But don't be afraid to start new ones too when the spirit so moves you.  After all, this is supposed to be fun!)

Happy knitting,

Barbie Pink

Making silk ribbons - part one

Hoo boy, making hand-dyed silk ribbon for knitting, weaving, whatever-else-I-can-think-of is something I've wanted to do for a really really really long time and I'm finally doing it!!!

Started with the leftover Easter egg dyes (Kool-aid and food coloring):

Using a yard of dupioni silk, I soaked the fabric overnight to make sure it was thoroughly wetted.  I then poured off the water and decided to keep the fabric all scrunched up.  This would ensure an interesting dye result.

Poured all the leftover dyes onto the fabric. Tried to isolate colors in sections, but with little success. They all ran together but oh well! Serendipity happens!

I simmered the dyebath for about 20 minutes and then left it to cool completely in the dyepot.

The next morning, I noticed that the dye had been exhausted (all taken up into the fabric), so I rinsed it twice (it still smelled yummy like Kool-aid) and hung it out on the line to dry.

Very pretty, very sparkly!

Next I will cut it into bias strips... stay tuned for part two!

~ Barbie Pink

New month, new yarn-of-the-month...

And the yarn of the month is (drumroll please) Lopi, one of my personal favorites!  Lopi is a wild and rugged wool, loftily spun from the fleece of Icelandic Sheep.

Lopi and Lopi-Lite come in a whole range of natural colors from white to natural black with lots of browns and grays of all shades in between.  It also dyes beautifully into lovely heathery colors or bright and dark solids.  I've definitely noticed guys gravitating toward this yarn while in the shop.  It looks Manly.  Or should I say it can look manly, but it has many pretty girly colors too. 

As outerwear, it has no equal.  It's incredibly light but super warm.  To counteract any itchiness in hats, simply line with a strip of polar fleece (also available at the Shop).

Come on down to the shop and enjoy 20% off of our wide selection of Lopi yarns during the month of April!

Barbie Pink

Stoked on Habu

Wait a minute, did I just say "stoked"?  Okay, I have been hanging with my 12 year old son quite a bit lately.  But the point is, the yarns from Habu Textiles are amazing!   A couple of weeks ago, we had a brainstorming session on what to do with these incredible yarns and just got so excited.  Though these unique yarns can do just about anything, I tend to go for "simple." 

Check out our inspiration board, compiled from a simple search of "Habu" on Ravelry:

 

1. BlackBkrnd3, 2. black2, 3. Behold, The Felted Shawl, 4. Rules, 5. falling leaves scarf, 6. strangebed2, 7. Guinevere Finished!, 8. habu tunic, 9. Starry Starry Laminaria, 10. Wild Grasses Side, 11. Knitted Paper Lanterns, 12. PICT1777, 13. Kusha Kusha scarf, 14. IMG_5870, 15. bracelet from Elements of Style, 16. Back View of the Bloom Shawl

And if this isn't enough to get you going, let me mention the world of weaving.  I've been dying to weave with these yarns and have some curtain panels in my mind that I hope will see the light of day soon.  I'll keep you posted!  

Oh, and may I remind you that our Habu Textiles are on sale at 20% off for the month of March?  Seize the day to try this wonderful yarn collection!

Barbie Pink

Surprise, Surprise!

What is this?  Shining sun, temperatures warmer than the refrigerator?  My cat wants to go outside again?

I think this is what other parts of the country refer to as "Spring".  Just in time for our new shipment of colorful and lightweight yarns!

Like these beautiful (and affordably priced!) Down To Earth organic organic cotton yarns from Kertzer:

And these please-make-me-into-something-summery yarns:

Beginning from the left: Queensland Haze cotton.  A sweet, verigated yarn in multitudes of colors.

Bamboucle yarns from Elsebeth Lavold, made with a blend of cotton, bamboo, and linen.  Can you say dreamy?

And Cool Wool (both rows on the right), a super soft 50/50 blend of cotton and wool.

You've been asking...here they are!  A shipment of gorgeous hand-dyed ribbon yarns from Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks in this season's hottest colors.

 

You'll see these little beauties right as you enter The Yarn Shop--Berroco's Seduce line.

Shimmery.  Soft.  Lightweight. In a wide selection of colors.

I think I've been properly seduced.  Seriously.

And while the deep freeze may be over, you and I both know better than to say that Spring has arrived in Montana quite yet.  Come on, now.  For those of you who refuse to fall for the tricks of the fickle ides of March, we are pleased to give you a sneak peek of a special new local product:

Montana Bison Wool from the Montana Sweater Company:

Come on down and bolster up your warm weather stash today!

Utterly mesmerized

I don't know when I've had so much fun knitting.  I'm creating our Yarn of the Month free patterns out of the Habu Textiles and a lace-weight kid mohair/silk blend.  It's a small shoulder wrap that I've decided to call "Cherry Blossoms". 

I can hardly wait to get up in the morning and rush to my knitting.  Or to sit down with a cup of tea in the evening to add a few more rows.  It's a very slow and meditative kind of knitting.  Working with such fine yarns on large needles, I find I must pay close attention to placing the needle into each stitch. 

It's hard to explain why I love this so much; the slowness of the work seems in sharp contrast to my usual rush-rush pace.  And perhaps that's the gist of it right there.  The slowness and the exquisitely beautiful yarns.  The name "Cherry Blossom" was inspired by one Habu yarn in particular, the Paper Moire.  It has tiny little tufts of linen paper on a nylon core that look so much like tiny leaves on a vine or blossoms on a branch. 

We hope you enjoy this month's free pattern--please come on by the shop to pick up a copy or download a copy by clicking on the link below.

Download Cherry Blossoms

I hope that some of you will enjoy knitting this ethereal shawl as much as I have!

Barbie Pink