Hopefully you’ve had a chance to meet Lucina and Celeste, our two new fingering weight yarns from Space Cadet Creations. We always love the creativity and talent that goes into making hand-dyed yarns – not to mention the fun surprise that is seeing it all when it arrives! But behind all the yarn, there’s usually a story or two to be told. I wrote to Stephanie Alford, the dyer behind Space Cadet Creations, and she was gracious enough to write me a big long email all about who she is and what she does. [Then I told her that I'd edit it all into a narrative, but I think you'll like her words much more than mine, so we're going to do a little Q-and-A instead.]

So, first things first. Where are you from?

I’ve lived my life split between Britain and the United States.  I was born in Pittsburgh to British parents and, when I was young, I grew up in a big community of British immigrants.  But I went to an American school and made American friends, so I also had a very American childhood.  I moved back to the UK right after graduating from university, and stayed there until three years ago. I’ve literally lived half my life in each country, and they are both home to me.  It’s both a blessing and a curse — when I’m in one country, I miss the other, and when I’m in the other, I miss the first!

I see from your website that you spin, knit, weave and crochet a little, and you have a degree in Textiles and Clothing – and this was all before you started dyeing. What got you hooked?

Looking back, I can see I have always been drawn to the fiber arts, but it’s taken me all my life to realise it.  I remember when I was about 11, we went to a pioneer re-enactment day and I was completely fascinated by the woman spinning fleece on a wheel, and begging my mother for lessons.  The woman came round to our house to teach me — I loved the spinning but hated the carding and she insisted you had to card lots and lots first…  and so I didn’t stick with spinning.  I tried it again years later, when the community center near my house in England offered a spinning and weaving class. Most of the women in the class were shepherdesses and I’d buy my fleeces from them fresh off their sheeps’ backs.  And I found that I still hated carding, so I started to spin straight from the fleece, uncarded and in the grease.  And I discovered that, without having to card, I love spinning!

At university, I flailed around from one major to another until I finally settled on Textiles and Clothing.  I had no real talent for fashion or for design, but I love everything I learned about fiber composition, textile chemistry, and clothing history.  I distinctly remember waking up on Thanksgiving morning of my sophomore year with an overwhelming desire to learn to knit. I have no idea why – no one I knew knit, hand-knitting wasn’t even mentioned in my classes, I’d never seen a knitting magazine and this was way before the Internet. And, yet, for some reason, I woke up that morning and knew – knew even before I’d sat up in bed! – that I needed to learn how to knit.  I taught myself from a copy of Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book and started a cardigan about two weeks later  …in cream acrylic yarn!  I still have it — the yarn is hideous, but I love every stitch.

That sounds like something lots of us can relate to! So it wasn’t until later that you began dyeing?

I moved back to the US just as Ravelry was starting to take off and then met some of the members of the Pittsburgh indie fiber arts community – incredibly talented women whose work got me feeling turbo-charged!  I started to experiment with dyeing and…  oh, I loved it!  I felt like I’d finally found my fiber-arts calling! After the encouragement of my friends and knitting group, I set up my studio and started SpaceCadet Creations.  Would you believe, for the first three months of the business, my studio had no running water?!  And I’m married to a plumber!  Eventually, I threatened to ring one of the guys my husband works with and pay them to do the plumbing.  And guess what?  I had running water the very next day!

You say you dye from primaries – what does that actually mean?

When I first started dyeing, I made a list of all the dye colours I wanted to get…  and then I added up the cost!   So instead, I bought just the primaries plus black, and decided to mix my own colours to begin with.  But once I started dyeing from primaries, I realised I really like it — there’s a real art to seeing a colour in your mind and then mixing dyes by hand to hit it exactly.  It makes every colourway feel really special to me — I didn’t just dye the yarn, I created the colours from scratch.

Everybody has a favorite color – and colors they don’t like. How does that work as a dyer?

You can easily find yourself just sticking to the colours you love and never dyeing the ones you don’t, which isn’t good!  For instance, last year I realised I was really avoiding yellow — it’s just not my colour — and I decided to make myself dye more yellow. It was so hard to do!  At first, everything I dyed just felt wrong, none of the shades would work for me — it was really depressing.  But then I realised that even if yellow didn’t work for me, both gold and honey did.  So I warmed things up a bit and tried again and…  fell completely in love with what came out of the pot!  Now I add golds into a lot of my colourways and, every time I do, I feel like I’ve created something really special.

Finally, what’s really fulfilling about what you do?

One of the most exciting things for me is knowing that what I create isn’t the finished product, it’s a part of other people’s finished objects. I want to give my customers’ projects wonderful, intense colour — colour that stays in their minds even after they’ve stopped working on their projects.

I want to extend a big thank you again to Stephanie for sharing a bit of her story, her enthusiasm, and her process with us. Of course, because we’re all space cadets too, I think this is a great match-up!

Swans Island Yarns has developed a stunning palette of colors.

We’ve just received Swans Island Certified Organic Chunky in the shop, and it’s just what a yarn with the word “swan” in its name should be: light and soft, yet strong. What’s more, the yarn comes in colors that will make any stitcher drool.

Swans Island began as a company selling woven wool blankets made using traditional techniques (their blankets won the Smithsonian Blue Ribbon for Craft in 1996!). The company started making yarns about a year ago, after blanket customers started clamoring for a yarn line. They asked Michele Orne for help developing a yarn line, and soon Michele had joined the company as Design Director.

Michele Orne's goals for Swans Island's design line is to create classic, wearable garments and readable patterns.

Best known before as the author of Inspired to Knit: Creating Exquisite Handknits, Michele got involved with the company more than a year ago, when Swans Island was beginning to explore the possibility of selling the yarns they made for their woven blankets to hand knitters. “It was a serendipitous coincidence that I happen to live just 15 minutes down the road from the ‘factory,’” says Michele, who has more than 25 years of experience designing handknits. “I’d been thinking about developing my own line of yarns and patterns for many many years, and here the opportunity came knocking on my door. When opportunity knocks, one should listen!”

Knitters near and far are fortunate that Michele did listen, because since she joined the company Swans Island has developed three new yarns – Bulky, Worsted, and Fingering – and a gorgeous array of colors. The yarn line is growing so fast that Maine’s sheep can’t keep up – so the fleece for the yarns comes from South America. It’s spun in a mill in Maine that is one of four in the United States that are certified organic yarn producers. “What that means is that the mill is inspected by a Global Organic Textiles Standard and must meet certain criteria,” Michele explains. “Only certain kinds of oils may be used in spinning and our yarns don’t receive the same harsh chemical processing as most commercially produced yarns.” What does this mean for knitters? The yarns that come out of organic mills are softer than most, and Swans Island is one of the softest we’ve felt.

Swans Island achieves depth of color through multiple dips in natural dyes.

For their gorgeous colors, Swans Island uses only natural dyes – plant-based dyes that have been used traditionally for centuries – yet their shades have a depth of color difficult to achieve using natural dyes. Michele sees using natural dyes as a challenge rather than a limitation. “I quickly realized that in natural dying, you don’t choose the colors – the colors choose you! In trying to achieve certain colors, we were spending a lot of time in development and coming out still not matching the goal…but in the process, lots of other beautiful colors were being produced. So we’ve switched the thinking here, putting colors that we can successfully make on the line rather than matching to a specific target color.” She compares the process to painting: “Many of our colors are created through a process of multiple dips into different dye baths, creating a richness and depth of color much like a painter would build up layers of color on a painting.”

The Twenty Ten Cardigan will layer wonderfully this fall.

Of course, another aspect of Michele’s job is creating patterns for Swans Island’s fibres, and she’s done a wonderful job. The Clara Cowl, the Sasha Cowl, and the Snow Bowl Hat will be in Space next week, and we can’t wait to show them to you. In the meantime, or if you’re in the mood for a sweater, consider Veera Välimäki’s Twenty Ten Cardigan – a fantastic transitional garment that will look stunning this fall.

Manos del Uruguay Maxima: single-ply wool in brilliant kettle-dyed colors.

It’s said that, if someone learns to knit with Manos del Uruguay yarn, that person will be a knitter for life. Here at fibre space™, we’ve met lots and lots of people who swear by this wonder fibre. It’s not just delightful to the touch. It’s not just presented in amazing colorways. It’s also produced by a co-op that started more than 40 years ago to help women in Uruguay earn their own living.

Long a shining example to other knitting companies, Manos recently was admitted as a full member of the World Fair Trade Organization. Membership in the WFTO requires an thorough evaluation in which a company proves that it has a 100% commitment to fair trade and follows the organization’s 10 Principles of Fair Trade in its daily operations. But Manos does much more than that.

Yarn dries in the sun at a Manos Co-Op.

The first kindergartens in Uruguay were founded by the Manos cooperatives, to provide childcare for Manos artisans. Manos provides health insurance, maternity leave, paid vacations, and retirement pensions to its members. The Manos cooperatives are 17 individual small businesses: each is run individually, but together they make up a well-organized business.

The Manos model is truly special, and fibre space™ is proud to become a Manos yarn shop. We’re stocking Manos Silk Blend, Maxima, and Lace – a trio of stunning yarns. Let us take you on a tour of the wonder that has arrived at the shop…

Lacy and cropped, the Moonstone cardigan is sure to be a staple this fall.

Silk Blend. Manos Silk Blend is 70% merino wool and 30 percent silk. The silk gives this yarn a gorgeous sheen, while the wool remains soft and squishy. A DK-weight yarn available in 40 semi-solid colors and 17 space-dyed colors, Silk Blend’s versatility means you’ll use it again and again, while its drape and color will get you compliments once you’re done knitting!

Try knitting Churchmouse Yarns & Teas’ Welted Fingerless Gloves in Silk Blend for a quick-knit holiday present that will earn you compliments (or a gift to yourself to remind you that fall is coming!). Another great gift idea is the Forest Canopy Cowl, a lace cowl that shows off Manos’ silk content nicely. Or treat yourself to a Welt and Rib Raglan, in which different kinds of ribbing shape this raglan sweater to flatter your body and show off the color you select. The truly bold will make themselves a Moonstone Cardigan – striking in space-dyed colorways, and sure to be gorgeous in any of the semisolid options as well. Slightly cropped, with lacy hem and cuffs, this is a great transition garment, as fall arrives and you start layering.

The Cilantro Shawl will keep you warm at a football game this fall or impress a gift recipient this winter.

Maxima. A single-ply, kettle-dyed worsted weight wool, this yarn is Manos at its finest. The yarn is squishy and soft, and Manos’ famous colors are sharp and dazzling in wool. Available in 15 space-dyed and 11 semi-solid colors, Maxima will capture your heart and keep you coming back.

Try Amy Swenson’s Cilantro Shawl in Maxima for cozy flair. This long wrap is warm yet stylish, and lets you knit lace without ending up with a grandmotherly result. Make one for yourself this fall, and one for a friend once you’ve got the hang of it – she’ll be really grateful when the holidays roll around! Or try the Elysium cardigan for a fun transitional garment with a unique fit. Knit from side to side in garter stitch, Elysium is a simple garment that will still teach you something new – and the garter stitch pattern works wonderfully for kettle-dyed yarn. Finally, the Quest Hat patterns from Knitty’s Winter 2011 edition will work wonders with Manos Maxima – and, again, please your nearest and dearest come gift-giving time.

The Veyla Mitts are another great gift idea - or keep them for yourself!

Lace. Last but not least, Manos Lace is a blend of baby alpaca, silk, and cashmere – sure to please the highest standards. You’ll want to make all your shawls in this yarn once you’ve seen it, but start with Susanna IC’s Little Leaves, to remind you that the leaves will soon be falling from the trees and we’ll be back in prime knitting season. If you aren’t yet up for a lace shawl, try Ysolda Teague’s Veyla mitts – their lace cuffs will dress up your winter garb, and (once again) serve as a lovely, quick-to-knit gift.

Whatever you choose to make, we’ll be here for help and encouragement – so hurry down to the shop and check out Manos. You’ll be glad you did!

Named after a national park in Maine, Acadia blends merino, baby alpaca, and silk into a gorgeous DK-weight yarn.

One of the most exciting new yarns of the season comes to fibre space™ this week – The Fibre Company’s Acadia (rav link). Acadia is a two-ply blend of merino, baby alpaca, and silk. This Friday, we will be one of the first shops in the nation to have this yarn in stock. Come down and admire it in person (and maybe get yourself a skein or two)!

The Fibre Company puts months of development and careful thought into each new yarn it creates, and Acadia is another masterpiece. With its DK weight and range of glorious colors, this yarn is a must for warmer weather knitting. The different fibers in Acadia take dye in slightly different ways, giving the yarn a tweedy appearance, and the silk has occasional slubs reminiscent of The Fibre Company’s Terra.

The Avery Cowl by Kate Gagnon Osborn was designed for Acadia yarn.

The Fibre Company has already released a free pattern for Acadia, the beautiful Avery Cowl (rav link) designed by Kate Gagnon Osborn. Although you won’t be wearing a cowl in the DC heat this summer, this is a great project to take with you when you’re traveling – compact enough to rest on your lap and yet interesting enough to keep you busy. The lace in the cowl is beautiful – you’ll get lots of compliments on your handiwork.

Another cowl option is the Wicker Cowl (rav link), also a free download and also designed by Kate. The Wicker Cowl was designed for The Fibre Company’s Savannah, but the two yarns may be substituted for each other. The very simple Honey Cowl (rav link), another free pattern, would show off Acadia’s tweediness nicely.

The Linden Shawl is perfect for walks on the beach or evenings out.

Not feeling cowl-ish? Consider making the Linden Shawl (rav link), a wrap designed by Courtney Kelley that proves modern shawls can be chic. Simple yet beautiful, lacy yet not too frilly, Linden would be lovely over a little black dress on a summer evening or paired with jeans and a tank top on the beach.Or try it with a short summer dress, the way the model is wearing it! The options are endless.

Consider knitting Linden in one of the more complex colors, like Summersweet or Dusk, to give your stitches some depth – or choose a deep color like Blackberry to give the shawl some oomph.

Heidi Kirrmaier's Peasy Cardigan will keep you comfortable in DC's aggressively air conditioned offices, or on a cool summer night at the beach.

If you really want to pamper yourself with Acadia – and especially if you work in one of those offices where the air conditioning is always cranked – you’ll make yourself a cardigan.

Heidi Kirrmaier‘s Peasy Cardigan (rav link) has a lace panel at the yoke and 3/4 sleeves to make this a transition garment. Knit from the top down, this is a great pattern for an intermediate beginner who wants to move beyond hats and scarves. The pattern is available as a Ravelry download in a range of sizes from XS (32) to XXL (50).

If you prefer your cardigans a bit simpler, check out Hannah Fettig’s new Spring Ribbed Cardigan (rav link). It has lovely half-sleeves and a ribbed pattern that clings in the right places. Another top-down pattern, it’s available as a Ravelry download and is available in bust sizes 32 through 56.

We’re as happy as pigs in mud to announce the arrival of a new hand dyed yarn from Alexa Riether of Oink Pigments.

Lexi hails from sunny southern California, where she’s been dyeing yarn for just over a year!

She says, “Dyeing yarn is such a HUGE passion of mine. I think I might love it more than knitting – if that’s even possible! It’s so satisfying to come up with an idea and then actually create it and to have other people love it as much as I do.”

Ladybug Love - photo by Oink Pigments

We can’t decide which we love more, the bright happy colorways or the clever color names!

Some of our favorites: Pretty in Oink, Steam Boat Wooly, and Retro Rocket (of course!)

Lexi says, “Coming up with the names for the new colors is always fun. Some just scream what their name should be, and others take a little bit longer. The naming process is often a group effort with my fiance and roommates shouting out ideas.”

Slime Time - photo by Oink Pigments

In between dye sessions, Lexi also knits, crochets, and is currently planning her wedding (congratulations!)

She says, “My fiance is a big help with everything, but most of all naming – since after all he is the KING of bad puns.”

Lexi plans to expand her line with new colors and yarns in the coming months – we can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next!

Sunset Fiesta - photo by Oink Pigments

We are currently carrying Oink Pigments in 24 variegated colorways in worsted weight superwash Merino – a 230 yard skein is just $16!

With such great yardage, you can make a super affordable project – here’s a few ideas for you!

Jane Richmond’s Mustard Scarf will be a quick knit on US 15 needles – a great Perl Grey or Moving Mud button would be a perfect accent for this one-skein project.

In Threes: A Baby Cardigan takes one skein for the smallest size or just two skeins for up to a 5T size!

A slouchy Etta hat would be super cute in a gently variegated color… what’s your favorite?

Retro Rocket - photo by Oink Pigments

The shop now has all thirty (count ‘em – 30!) colors of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft in stock, and they are gorgeous. Ranging from a pale periwinkle to the boldest orange, the color palette is bound to include one of your favorites. You can check out the most popular colorways on the yarn’s Ravelry page while the NFC website undergoes its facelift.

Even better, this blend of silk and mohair is perfect for knitting summer garments: light enough that you won’t get hot if your project is draped in your lap, and delicate enough that both project and finished product will fit into your suitcase easily if you’re headed out of town.

NFC Loft offers a color for everyone, and then some. This photo looks blurry - but that's actually the mohair halo on this beautiful yarn.

The biggest problem we foresee in this yarn is choosing a color: the options are endless. Consider the colorways we suggest below, but don’t limit yourself. You have a whole rainbow to choose from. If you were part of Ann Weaver‘s color theory workshop last weekend, or if you’re up for some experimentation, you might choose a colorway in Loft and a complementary (or contrasting!) color in Malabrigo Merino Worsted or even Viola Silky DK to make the Purl Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (a fantastic book that’s available at the shop).

The Mohair Bias Loop: an effortless yet chic summer accessory. Photo courtesy Churchmouse Yarns & Teas.

Watching how the two colorways knit up together will give you a whole new perspective on how colors combine and how different fibers take color. We have a similar scarf on display in the shop if you’d like to see this one up close and personal.

The Mohair Bias Loop by Churchmouse Yarns is a simple loop garment knit on the bias. You can wear this lovely piece as a wrap (see photo), doubled into a cowl, or draped around your neck as a long endless scarf.

The ingenuity of this garment make it a perfect choice to pack for vacation this summer – or to make your next “staycation” feel special. The Rock Creek Park colorway, a bright teal blue, would make this pattern glow next to your face, or you could go more subtle and try it in the periwinkle of Randle Circle.

This is a great pattern for beginning or intermediate knitters; it’s knit flat and seamed together, so if you’ve made a scarf this could be the perfect second project.

Veronique from French Girl Knits: Wear it daily, even if you aren't going to Paris this summer.

If you’re looking for something with a bit more cover and a bit more challenge, consider Kristeen Griffin-Grimes‘ Veronique from French Girl Knits (another book available at the shop – this one a lovely, chic collection inspired by French fashion).

A light bolero, this sweater would be perfect over a strapless dress at a beach wedding, or would dress up a tank top and jeans the next time you’re in Rehoboth. It would pop in the bright orange of Cooper Circle or the purple of Truxton Circle, but then Thomas Circle, a deep charcoal colorway, might make a more versatile garment.

Not excited about sewing the seams on this baby? The French Girl Fans group on Ravelry has a tutorial on knitting Veronique in the round.

The Seascape Stole: a lacy reminder of a day at the beach. Photo courtesy knit/lab.

The really brave among you will want to try knitting the Seascape Stole in Loft. Its undulating lace pattern recalls the calming movement of ocean waves and the roll of sand dunes, so whether your in town or out you’ll have a little bit of the beach to surround you.  This pattern would be stunning in the deep blue of the Georgetown colorway or the green of Logan Circle.

Whatever you choose to make, bring it to the shop so we can take a look!

We are really excited to introduce our newest hand dyed yarns from Emily Foden of Viola Yarns!

This indie dyer from Toronto loves fibre (just like us!) and gets inspiration for her beautiful colorways from her surroundings.

photo Viola Yarns

We’re lucky enough to be carrying two of her unique and lovely yarns:

photo Viola Yarns

Viola Fancy Sock is a sumptuous blend of 70% alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere in a fingering weight. At 437 yards per skein you have enough to create shawls, cowls, scarves… A wonderful treat for yourself or a gift for that special person! We think this would be perfect for the Spring Leaves scarf by Katrin Vorbeck. Emily used this yarn in her Radioactive colorway for a beautiful Boneyard Shawl.

photo Viola Yarns

Viola Silky DK is a shimmering plied 50% merino 50% silk blend with an amazing depth of color. At 231 yards you can create projects from shawls to sweaters in just a few skeins.

Viola Silky DK in Juniper - photo Viola Yarns

Try Gudrun Johnston’s Simmer Dim shawl or this gorgeous Cedar Leaf Shawlette (shown in the Marigold colorway) – both use just two skeins. For a sweater, we love Ysolda Teague’s Coraline cardigan or Cecily Glowik Macdonald’s Breakwater.

photo Viola Yarns

Carina Spencer’s Toorie hat pattern makes the most of a single skein of this lovely yarn as well!

Read more about Emily and her yarns at her blog.

The Fibre Company Canopy Worsted: Delicious!

At fibre space, we’ve been fans of The Fibre Company (rav link) since before we opened our doors. From Canopy‘s (rav link) luscious drape to Terra‘s (rav link) delicious color palette, we can imagine knitting an entire wardrobe using nothing but FC yarns.  So how did they get as good as they are, and how do they stay that way? We caught up with Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley of The Fibre Company to find out what makes their yarn so gloriously stashable.

Founded in 2003 as a processing mill by Daphne Marinopoulos and Iain Stanley, The Fibre Company quickly gained a following when they added a dye studio and began wholesaling their yarns. “Since Daphne and Iain spun and dyed all the yarns in Maine in the beginning, as the company grew they couldn’t keep up with the demand and customers were waiting a very long time for their orders to be fulfilled,” Kelley told us.

Savannah, The Fibre Company's new yarn, is produced entirely in Pennsylvania.

When Kelley and Osborn learned that Marinopoulos and Stanley were looking to change their business model, they founded Kelbourne Woolens to serve as The Fibre Company’s exclusive distributorship. Now, most of the yarns are spun and dyed in Peru, leaving Marinopoulos and Stanley free to focus on the creative side of the business.

“The Fibre Company yarns were practically unavailable for an entire year as [Daphne and Iain] traveled to Peru to work with the artisans there to perfect the yarns and teach their dyers the techniques they had developed,” said Kelley. Now, the yarn is sold all over the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with fiberphiles buying it in local yarn shops or online. The company hasn’t stopped innovating, either, adding new colors and patterns — and a new yarn this fall.

Savannah (rav link) a blend of cotton, linen, wool, and soya fiber, is produced entirely in Pennsylvania, by a mill that has been family-owned and -operated since 1907. This makes The Fibre Company one of a handful of American yarn companies who support the textile industrial tradition of the eastern United States.

Terra's bright colors with unique highlights make it one of the company's most popular yarns.

One of the reasons fiberphiles love The Fibre Company’s yarns is the care the company puts into every part of the process. When developing a new yarn, Kelley said, “We first start with an end result we desire, whether it be the hand, spin, weight or fabric characteristic, and work backwards from there.”  One of the most important considerations for their product development is that the end result be unique and classic, resulting in “a quality and lasting product inspired less by fads and more by longevity.”

When it comes to color, that focus on innovation and practicality comes through in colors that are dazzling yet still wearable.  “Daphne’s eye for color is really wonderful.  She has a great way of tweaking colors just so, so that they are slightly different from what is expected,” said Kelley.  The principals of the company choose new colors every few years, and the process is rigorous.  Marinopoulos prepares hundreds of different color samples for consideration, and those that pass muster are “colors that will be relevant for many seasons to come, so ultimately we try to balance what is (and will be) popular, and what will still be relevant years from now.”

Pop on down to the shop and see what the fuss is all about — fibre space carries Canopy in both fingering and worsted weights, and Terra.

Pear Tree Yarn: 10 percent off while it's still in bags!

If you’ve been knitting for a while, you’ve heard about the glories of Australian wool — but do you know why we prize Merino wool, and why Australian wool is spoken of in hushed tones of admiration? The advent of Pear Tree yarn at fibre space gives us a chance to talk about exactly what makes Australian Merino the best of the best.

Australian Merinos are known for the softness of their wool and the brightness of its color.  The first Merinos were brought to Australia in the late 1700s, and as shepherds bred them for the Australian climate they developed a fine, bright wool that is highly prized today.  If you know your Knitters’ Book of Wool (available at the shop! get ‘em while supplies last!) you know that Merinos offer some of the finest fleece in the sheep world.

There's fibre, too! Come and get it...

Now, Pear Tree Yarn offers their line from only the best of Australian fibre.  So you know you’re getting “the best of the best” with them.  Meanwhile, Pear Tree also ensures that the fibre is grown and the yarn is processed using ethical and environmentally sustainable practices.  We’re very excited to add Pear Tree to the fibre space treasure trove – come grab some while it’ still in the box, for 10 percent off!

Did You Know?

• Australia has been exporting wool since 1807 – more than 200 years.
• Of the more than 90 million sheep in the Australian flock (that’s a lot of wool!), 89 percent are Merinos.
• One of the most famous paintings in Australia is Tom Roberts’ 1890 Shearing the Rams, which celebrates pastoral life and the work of sheep shearers.
• This past June, the famous painting was re-enacted in New South Wales. Here’s a video about the re-enactment.

Greenfield Cardigan, from New England Knits. Photo courtesy Interweave Knits.

Project Heaven
So, which of these will you make with your haul of Pear Tree?

Crown of Leaves – Twist Collective Fall 2010
The Greenfield Cardigan from the book New England Knits (also available at the shop!)
Milly from Knitty First Fall 2010
Ivydene by Woolly Wormhead (ravelry download for ~$5)

So many options, so little time!  Who’s up for a knitalong?

photo - Stonehedge Fiber Mill

Do you know where your yarn comes from? We do, and we’re here to tell you about it!

Stonehedge Farm is a 150 year old working farm in Michigan, owned by Debbie and Chuck McDermott since 1988. (Hi Debbie and Chuck!) They thought that since Chuck was retiring, it might be nice to have some horses, and maybe a few sheep for their daughter’s 4-H project… you know, nothing big.

photo - Stonehedge Fiber Mill

100 sheep and 10 years later, Debbie, a shepherd, spinner, and fiber artist, started Stonehedge Fiber Mill, providing custom fiber processing services as a way of adding diversity and value to the farm. Her goal was to be able to process 500 pounds of fiber a month. Sounds reasonable, right?

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Within the first year of operation, Debbie realized that the milling equipment she had purchased couldn’t meet her needs and was too high-maintenance. (I think I may have dated her milling equipment back in college…) What to do? Well, if you want it done right, do it yourself!

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photo - Stonehedge Fiber Mill

Enter Chuck, with a 30 year background in production methods and engineering, and Stonehedge Fiber Milling Equipment Inc, was born. (You know, just a few horses, maybe some sheep… nothing big.) With the equipment that Chuck produced, they were soon able to process over 1500 pounds of fiber a month.

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Naturally the next step was to start producing their own yarn!

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photo - Stonehedge Fiber Mill

Shepherd’s Wool is made from fluffy soft Merino wool, dyed in the wool to Debbie’s specifications and then blended and spun at the mill, allowing Debbie to create beautiful heathered and marled colors.

The yarn is worsted spun, which makes it smooth and durable, with great stitch definition for lace, cables, and textured stitch patterns. It’s also great for colorwork and felted projects.

Debbie is now producing Shepherd’s Wool in both worsted and fingering weights (and we’ve got them both!)

I’m thinking of some colorwork mittens for the winter, how about you?

photo - Kate Gilbert

photo - Tuulia Salmela

Kate Gilbert’s Bird In Hand pattern uses worsted weight yarn in two colors, knit firmly for warmth. Cozy! Register for the class here.

Tuulia Salmela’s Deep In The Forest Mittens use fingering weight yarn in an unconventional asymmetric design – the designer points out that one advantage of this is that if you make a mistake that no one will notice!

Elizabeth Zimmermann, the grande dame of knitting, sprang into existence clutching her knitting needles on August 9, 1910 (8/9/10!) What better way to celebrate than to knit a lace project based on EZ’s very own Pi Shawl?

Mwaa Knit

Designer Mwaa Knit created the EZ 100th Anniversary Pi Shawl as a tribute to the lady that taught us to knit fearlessly – all the lace and pattern repeats are multiples of 8, 9, and 10, the numbers in EZ’s birthday.

You’ll need approximately 1300-1400 yards of laceweight or fingering weight yarn and US 6 – US 8 needles for knitting in the round – or substitute the yarn and needles of your choice, as EZ would tell you to do!

(Look for the new Prairie and Tosh Merino Light yarns from madelinetosh that should be arriving soon… we also have the new Miss Babs Yasmin, Neighborhood Fiber Co. Penthouse Silk Lace and Pagoda Lace, Malabrigo Lace, Cascade Alpaca Lace, and a whole wall full of fingering weight yarns to choose from.)

Come on out and knit some lace in space!

(Don’t fancy this pattern? The free Ravelry download also includes a Hearts & Vines For EZ version, and the designer is working on adding a THIRD version to the pattern in time for EZ’s birthday! Or knit the original EZ Pi Shawl from the book Knitter’s Almanac.)

Featured Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Cotton

Callie Bib Knitalong

Join our next knitalong – the Callie bib tee! This is a supercute tee with an adorable bib & button detail – make it in Skinny Cotton for warmer weather or try it in wool over a blouse for the winter.

O-wool Balance is a blend of 50% merino wool and 50% cotton with a tweedy and earthy look. The cotton keeps it cool while the wool content softens it up and makes it wonderful and flexible to work with. The yarn is certified organic, which means that it is made from organic fiber and spun in a sustainable way – the mill uses vegetable oil in its machines and meet strict standards for waste water management.

I think it would be wonderful for a light Spring or Summer cardigan and have been looking for something special to throw over a tank top for those cooler Summer evenings. I found this pattern and would like to host a knitalong for it!

Pattern: Lilas Cardigan

Source: download for $5 from the author or on Ravelry.

Sizing and Yarn requirements: 690 (800, 885, 995, 1080, 1190, 1275) yards for finished sweater bust size when closed: 28.5 (33, 36.5, 41, 44.5, 49, 52.5)”which requires 5 (6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10) hanks of O-Wool Balance.

Experience required: this is a great first sweater project. It is worked in one piece and has a raglan sleeve style top. Ability to knit and purl and some experience working increases or working in the round would be helpful.

Photo courtesy of Hilary Smith Callis

The sweater closed in the front:

Photo courtesy of Hilary Smith Callis

Lilas Knitalong!

Join us this Thursday, May 6 to select your yarn. Any worsted weight fiber will do, should you decide not to use O-Wool. We will start the neckline during Stitch in Space Thursday night! Our goal is to finish the sweaters before Stitch n Pitch, which is May 21st. That gives us three “Stitch in Space” weeks to meet up, solve problems and get the pattern moving along. If you aren’t sure that you can work the project, come in and ask! We are happy to help outside of Stitch in Space too.

We got our newest shipment of Madeline Tosh Sock today and it was filled with four brand new colors of Madelinetosh: Composition book grey, glazed pecan, stovepipe and moorland.

During our Mad Hatter Tea Party tonight, Beth and Michelle had their hilariously hatted heads in the box.