Tag Archives: scarf

Fabric Fridays

Remember how I mentioned on Sunday that I had a cold? Well, I have been home from work all week, sick as a dog. Thursday was the first morning I was able to forgo a nap after bathing, and even then, I laid down on the sofa for about 30 minutes. I haven’t been this sick in ages, and I’m certain it’s as bad as it is because I’m pregnant. My body’s number one priority is grow the baby, not to fight off a virus, so I have been making it my number one priority to rest so that there is energy to fight off the virus. I am beginning to feel much better, though still definitely in the recovery period. They baby seems perfectly happy and healthy, and likes to kick me when I cough like it’s a really fun game.

I’ve had all these grand plans of what I was going to get done this week, before I got sick, when I was still planning to work everyday, but now it has amounted to little more than sleeping or staring at the walls. I did manage to do some laundry at some point, and make a run to the craft store when I was also going to the pharmacy. (It’s not my fault the built the CVS right next to JoAnn.) So, I have a few things to show you this week.

First, my fabric order came in–and I pre-washed it.

osnaburg
This is the osnaburg for the ring slings I want to make. The photography is horrible, but you can see the woven texture to it. It’s sturdy, and still next to skin soft. The next step is to split it in half and decide how it’s going to be decorated, but don’t worry, I have all of the paints!

meadowlark muslin
I also bought some muslin that is mostly just for practicing my printing. I am very pleased with this muslin. It’s a nice tea towel muslin, not too gauzy, not to heavy. It should do equally well for baby blankets, scarves, or you know, tea towels.

cloth diapers
I also picked up a pack of cloth diapers for the purpose of making into burp clothes. I loved using cloth diapers for general baby clean up with Athrun, they’re just so handy. However, since I’m planning on using cloth diapers on this little one’s bum as well, I wanted it to be clear which ones were the bum diapers and which ones, well, weren’t. I found this sweet tutorial one of those times this week when I was mostly staring at the wall, but trying to be productive.

I was cognizant enough to pick up some fat quarters to give it a whirl, which you can see on my instagram, because for some reason, I haven’t figured out how to share photos from there yet.

Red Scarf Project

Do you remember what is was like in college? Maybe you were flat broke, scraping enough money for a splurge like a pizza or to put gas in the car. Maybe you worked your way through college, taking a night job and trying not to fall asleep in the middle of class. Did you ever get a care package from home? Do you remember how awesome it was to open that package with your favorite cookies, or maybe a little present from home? Maybe you couldn’t afford to go to college and instead had to work at a job hoping to work your way up like your parents were able to, but fearing that in a changing economy it wouldn’t be as easy. Maybe going to college would have made all the difference to you.

Now imagine that until your 18th birthday you were in foster care. And that whole time you looked for a place to call home. Someone to call family. But it never happened and you “aged out” of the system. Would you really be ready to step out on your own without any support? It’s not easy to face the world at 18, even with a loving family to catch you when you fall, let alone when you have no one. That’s where Foster Care to Success steps in. In 1981 they’ve been working with young adults who’ve aged out of the foster care system to provide them with food, housing, and transportation.

One thing that Foster Care to Success does every year is the Red Scarf Project. They collect handmade scarves to give out to college students on Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a hard day for many people, but I bet that opening up handmade present, maybe with a little note, on Valentine’s Day would be incredibly special, particularly if you didn’t have a traditional family to send you a little care package.

In 2010, Juniper Moon Farm did a giveaway to support the RSP. We received many beautiful scarves and sold out of all the yarn that we dyed extremely quickly. Here’s a smattering of the scarves that we received:

red scarf project

Do they make your heart swell three sizes? Because it certainly does mine! This year, for a brief few moments I imagined myself dyeing a couple hundred hanks of yarn to put up in the shop. And then I realized just how crazy that was. November is going to be a very busy month and I somehow I feel like I’ve misplaced October! So this is what Susan and I came up with instead.

There are a number of our national (and now international! Thanks, Canada!) yarn lines that come in red. If you make a scarf for the Red Scarf Project, we will give you, dear reader, a discount on anything in the shop – shares included. What will the discount be? Well, in honor of Valentine’s day, it will be 14%.

Here’s how it works.

Read the important info about what Foster Care to Success is looking for (RED scarves, 60″ long between 5-8″ wide. Handmade – knitted, crocheted, woven. Unisex. Feel free to include a card with some encouragement, washing instructions and love. Maybe even a small gift card.)

Choose some JMF yarn in a red color for your scarf:

JMF Red

Pick a fantastic scarf pattern, either one of JMF’s or from somewhere else. Make your scarf and mail it to Foster Care to Success to be received by December 15th. I know, holiday knitting is just getting started, but you can probably take a scarf project’s worth of time out, right?

Foster Care to Success, Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive Suite 130 
Sterling, VA 20166

SUPER IMPORTANT FINAL STEP: In order for us to know that you knit a scarf, before December 15th,  you must create a Ravelry project page and have a completed picture with the tag it with 13redjmf. As scarves are completed, they will show up on that page. I will message everyone that completed the discount code for 14% off everything in the shop! (If you don’t “do” Ravelry, you can email me instead.) (If you need a refresher on how to tag, you can find the Ravelry Wiki here.)

Tomorrow I’ll share scarves in Yarned by You for inspiration!

And a final note, if you have a JMF farm yarn in red, that absolutely qualifies for the Red Scarf Project coupon as well!

Fall Preview

Look What's Coming Soon (and other news)

Fall 2013 Preview

As you know, I attended The National Needlearts Association convention in Columbus, Ohio back in mid-June.  With it being my first time attending and I attended alone, I was overwhelmed by all the exciting new things.  Of course, I couldn't help but keep in mind new things, especially things that you may not find in the other yarn stores in the Milwaukee area, but I also gravitated towards things that caught my eye (including designers I admire).

Nevertheless, I did walk away from the convention with some exciting orders placed for brand new yarn and kits for the upcoming fall season.  All things that would provide for excellent class projects and inspirational fall/winter knitting.  So here's a few things you can expect to see on your fall class roster:

If you'd like to sign up in advance for any of the classes below, contact me at info@midwestyarn.com for more details (and selecting kit colors).

- The Color Wave Shawl, featuring Kauni Effektgarn (100% wool, sport weight). Class price $40, plus cost of kit, coming later this fall (class dates to be determined).

Copyright RYN


- The Block Party Eternity Scarf, featuring fingering weight yarns from Knit One/Crochet Too.  A great pattern to learn a good provisional cast-on and mosaic knitting (beginner level color work which allows you to work one color at a time per row...it's almost magical).  

Class price $55 (4 classes), plus cost of kit.  
Sundays, 12pm - 2 pm
September 22, 29, October 6, 13

 Contact me ASAP as the kits are set to arrive September, so I will need to know if more will need to be ordered prior to that.

Copyright Knit One, Crochet Too

- Sea Lettuce Shawl.  The sample for this is already on display in the shop, mainly because I couldn't put this gorgeous yarn down.  Featuring Crock 'o Dye fingering weight yarn from Knit One, Crochet Too.  

Learn striping color work, drop stitches (on purpose), and how to read lace charts.  More of an intermediate/advanced class, so must have basic knitting skills like casting on, working in garter stitch (knit all rows) and binding off.


Class price $55 (4 classes), plus cost of kit.  
Saturdays, 12pm - 2 pm
September 28, October 5, 12, 19



More classes are to be listed soon...


Midwest Yarn's Makeover
We've also updated our shop to make room for more yarn and give it more of a boutique atmosphere.  With that change, we are also upgrading the website to be more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing.  Do bear with me as those changes are being made, I want to make sure that it is easier in the future to run sales online and even make the online customer rewards program an automatic process, rather than run manually on my end.

Other news
Unfortunately, due to the lack of interest and no pre-orders made, we will not be adding spinning wheels and accessories to our inventory until further notice. I do urge our customers to continue to support Midwest Yarn's growth by participating in yarn and supply pre-orders.  Remember, we are a smaller shop and big risks like bringing in new yarn lines and other products must be worthwhile in order for us to make it and continue serving the Milwaukee area. 

 A big thank you to those who take advantage of special ordering yarn from the companies we have accounts with.  We may not have room for everything, but we still make sure you can get what you need as quickly as possible.  If you don't see what you're looking for, ask to take a look at our catalogs.  Most custom orders arrive within a week, because our suppliers are awesome!  Don't worry, you customers are awesome too and I live to make you happy by providing yarny goodness.

Lastly, we'll be closed Friday and Saturday the third week in August to go mobile.  That's right I'll be running a booth at the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair in Newark, Ohio (just outside of Columbus), selling not only the wonderful yarns we have in the shop, but also OMG's hand dyed yarn, hand dyed fiber, and hand spun yarn.  My patterns will also be available for purchase as well.  

Until next time!

Free Pattern: The Caroline Scarf

carolinescarfedge

For her birthday, my sister, Caroline, asked that I knit her a scarf. She wasn’t specific about how it should be, except maybe purple. So I made up a design to knit for her and the color may be purple, so I feel like it fits the bill. Never you mind that it’s nearly May and her birthday was in March.

carolinescarf

This is a chunky lace scarf meant to be wide and warm, but distinctly spring-like. Knit out of merino yarn, it is soft and cozy and perfect for those nippy spring days-or you’re having a spring like we are this year, it will keep you warm while you are still waiting for spring to officially arrive.

carolinescarf

Materials
About 200 grams or 400 yards worsted yarn
Gauge
2 Lace Repeats is 4 inches, blocked
Needles
US size 10/6mm straight needles
Tools
Darning needle
Stitch Markers (optional)

Pattern Key
BO– bind off
CO– cast on
K– knit
K2tog– knit 2 stitches together
(a decrease)
P- purl
SSK- slip two stitches knitwise then knit together through back loop (a decrease)
SL1 K2tog PSSO slip one stitch, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over (a double decrease)
YO– Yarn Over —wrap yarn once around needle in the opposite direction as normal to create an increase.

Pattern
CO 52 stitches
Set Up Row 1: Knit
Set Up Row 2 : Purl

Lace Repeat:
Row 1: k1, p1, *ssk, yo, k3, yo, k2tog, p1,* repeat between * until last two stitches, k2
Row 2: p2, *k1, p7,* repeat between * until last two stitches, k1, p1
Row 3: k1, p1, *k3, yo, sl k2to psso, yo, k2, p1,* repeat between * until last two stitches, k2
Row 4: p2, *k1, p7,* repeat between last two stitches, k1, p1

Repeat these four rows until scarf reach 50 inches long or desired Length

Edging:
Edging Row 1: knit
Edging Row 2: purl
BO

Block, pulling scarf long to add length but not so long that you lose width. Finished measurements on mine are 15 inches wide by 62 inches long.

Weave in ends and wear.