yarn – Page 4 – New England's Narrow Road

Missing Yarn Shops and Farm Stands and Unique Crafters

Alice Blue shop — Little shop on School St. in Peterborough NH

New Englander’s are known for their ingenuity. So many independent crafters live in the area, they have formed the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. This is a group of individuals who have been identified as superior craftsmen and chosen to be part of this prestigious group. They have a collective show every summer at Mount Sunapee. I never had a chance to attend, but have seen their wares in fine shops in the area.

When I lived in New Hampshire, it was easy to find handmade items, farm stands, unique gifts, home decor, and beautiful yarn shops. People in the area seem to live and breath the arts. Just down the road from me was the famous MacDowell Colony.

Artists and Crafters Galore

My next door neighbor was a member of the League and made pewter items in a little shop next to his house, which had once been an Inn. I became friends with his wife and visited his shop once. It was a very small shed located at the side of the yard, filled with all the tools he needed to bring his ideas to life. I have a little pewter turtle made by him.

At the end of my road was a man who did glass-blowing. Another woman raised rabbits and used the fur to spin yarn. My son’s third grade class took a field trip to a fellow student’s farm to see how sheep were raised to supply wool for knitting. I bought all the plants for my yard from a local farm, in that same town. And if you wanted a handcrafted basket, head over to the Peterborough Basket Company.

I mention only a few of the many crafty places located close by. It was a wonderful place to live, and shop if you had the money to enjoy these things. The atmosphere of the area was quaint and peaceful.

Now That I Am in Florida Once Again

In 1979 I looked forward to moving to Florida. In 2016 I did not. I knew what I was in for, times 10. In my opinion Florida goes downhill year after year. Grrrrr…… For now, I’m talking about crafts, and specifically yarn arts.

I’ve taken up knitting again, but I must purchase all my yarn online. In order to discover which types of yarn I like best, I have to buy lots of different types whereas, in a shop, I could see the colors and feel the yarn before purchase. I may even get some much needed advice!

Although I live in a highly populated area, I can’t find a single place close to me to buy a hand-dyed, home spun skein of yarn. We have Walmarts and Michaels Craft Store, which do not carry that type of yarn. I keep hoping I am missing something and will stumble upon a cute little yarn shop somewhere that simply doesn’t advertise online.

Yarn Stores Closest to me: The Knitting Patch and Knit, both in Longwood. There are others in the same general built up area of the state that I try to avoid visiting.

I miss being able to drive to a store and shop for something unique, or pick out beautiful yarn myself. Florida is not conducive to crafters. That is not to say there are none, but this is a big state and I’m not about to drive an hour (through horrendous traffic) to get to a yarn store.

I miss my home and all the talented people who readily share their artistic abilities in the form of their creations. In New Hampshire many artists can make a living doing what they love best. They’ve carved out a little niche for themselves and made it work.

As I sit here in an air-conditioned house, I pick up my needles and latest knitting project, and dream of home.

What I Have Knit So Far in 2018

Once the knitting bug bit me a few months ago, I have been nutty with greed for new yarn and new patterns to try. Here is what I have knit so far this year. (Most of these items have links to the Free Patterns.)

Pom Pom Hat

First photo: The chunky knit child’s hat with a pom pom on top was the first “little” hat I ever made. I gave it as a gift for a new baby girl who lives in a cold climate. She will probably wear it next winter. The nice thing about hats is that they are stretchy.

View my blog post, and get the link to Purl Soho’s Snow Day hat, which is a free pattern. I did change it up a bit by using another type of yarn and smaller needles.

Screen Shot 2018-05-23 at 1.40.34 PM — “Snow Day” hat pattern

Big Flower Pink Hat

The little pink girl’s hat below was begun using a free pattern I found online. (Get the link on my page here.) I also found a crocheted flower to add to the edge. You can find that tutorial at Classy Crochet. *Note: The center of the flower is made first, then you work outward. This was also a gift. I don’t have any little ones to knit for.

Screen Shot 2018-05-23 at 1.40.25 PM — Child’s Big Flower Hat

Worsted Twist and Fisherman’s Rib

The Fisherman’s Rib scarf was fun to make and I loved the Worsted Twist yarn I purchased from Purl Soho. I did find a good pattern, which tidies up the edges better. You can see all that info in my post. I wanted a hat to match, and still had yarn leftover. The Fisherman’s Rib is not as easy when worked on a circular needle, so I decided to make up my own hat pattern. I named it the Long Rib Hat. It needs either a pom pom or flower, which I have yet to add.

Love Chunky Rasta Yarn!

Okay, the Rasta yarn I used for this chunky knit hat and scarf set was so much fun to use! Malabrigo makes it, and that company is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I haven’t written about this set yet. The hat is a simple k1,p1 around until decreases at top. I think I took notes, but I have to find them. The scarf is short, but I used the same Fisherman’s Rib stitch as the scarf above. I used 2 skeins of Rasta “Arco Iris” color, for both (less than one skein for the hat, and remaining for the short scarf – about 40 inches). I wasn’t too sure about the color, but ended up liking it. And I love working with the super soft, and colorful yarn! *One drawback – often this yarn is out of stock in many colors.

Screen Shot 2018-05-23 at 1.39.31 PM — Malabrigo Rasta Chunky Yarn Set

Autumn Colors Double-Wrap Cowl

The cowl below was also a free pattern I found at Ravelry. See my notes and the link to the pattern and creator on my Ravelry Project page. This one wraps double around the neck.

cowl in shades of brown and gold — Infinity scarf / cowl in Madeline Tosh

Gray Cables Knit Hat

The hat below was knit from a book called Cozy Stash-Busting Knits. It has shawls, hats and mittens to knit using heavier weight yarns. The “Astrid” hat gave me some good experience using a cable needle (yikes). I used Mad Tosh Vintage yarn which is a little too stiff for a hat, IMO. I would also measure the height better, as this one came out too tall.

cable knit gray hat — Jen Lucas “Astrid” Hat Pattern

I Made a Shawl!

Recently I finished my first shawl! This was also a Free pattern. You can see my photos and notes about the “Shade Loving Shawl” on my Ravelry page.

Free triangle shawl pattern – my first shawl

Connect With Knitters on Pinterest

As with all things, knitters gain knowledge and experience by knitting! I make many mistakes, but the important thing is that I try new things. Most days I spend at least a little bit of time searching for more patterns, yarn, and online shops to “favorite”. Usually I save them to my Pinterest knitting board which you can follow below so I can come find you!

Buying Yarn by Fiber Type

Once we want to take up the knitting craft, there are basics to know about buying yarn by fiber type. It matters because if you want to knit a warm hat or pair of mittens, you will want to use a soft, yet cosy, yarn for the project. Also fibers have varying thickness, or weights.

Worsted wool is great for knitting hats, scarves and mittens. Worsted wool is what I began knitting with. Wool is of course good for keeping warm, but often it is scratchy. Merino wool is very popular, and so is alpaca. Or choose combinations of wool with other fibers like cashmere or silk for extra softness.

Most of the really nice wool is hand-wash only. But there is washable wool also, like Mrs. Crosby’s Steamer Trunk washable wool yarn, and the Hat Box yarn line (shown below) which is “machine wash cold”. Delicate knits should be washed carefully, even if the yarn says machine wash. Hand washing is my preference, but keep this in mind when knitting for someone who may not like that idea! Baby items should be easy to care for.

Mrs. Crosby hat box African gray yarn — Mrs. Crosby’s Hat Box yarn in color “African Grey” is part wool, silk and cashmere

There are too many yarn types to really mention, but basically there is synthetic (man-made) cheap types that can be purchased at Walmart, and the real deal which came from an animal. This is called natural fiber yarn and includes alpaca, sheep, cashmere (goats) and rabbits (angora yarn). There are also blended yarns which combine various types together. See this page at Knitting 101 for a more inclusive list of yarn fibers and their pros and cons. Also, where you can, read reviews left by knitters who have worked with the yarn. The Webs yarn site often has reviews listed at the bottom of the page.

Beginners may want to buy cheap synthetics to start with, but honestly I would use something better like cotton. Some great beginner projects are facecloths and dishcloths. They are small and will accommodate mistakes well. They are also perfect for trying out various stitches. My dishcloths don’t follow any pattern. They are made up of whatever stitches I feel like trying. Buy washable yarn such as Purl Soho’s Cotton Pure, which will provide enough yarn for a few projects, or Lily’s Sugar and Cream which is available in many colors, and can be purchased at Amazon.

knit dishcloths — Practice new stitches and patterns on little dishcloths

In closing, I would like to say that in my knitting experience I have found that if I plan to put a lot of work (and time) into a special project, I want to use a nice, natural fiber, hand-dyed yarn. I like to think I am supporting a farm somewhere in the process.