Fibertinis – Minou meets Hot Toddy

yarn paired with cocktail

We are back with our second edition of the Fibertini Series! This time, we are pairing our wonderfully soft Minou yarn, with a fall favorite – the Hot Toddy.

As the chill of the coming season creeps into our lives, so do thoughts of sitting by a fire, with a warm beverage in hand. We can’t help it! It is the ultimate cozy-cold-weather daydream. Whether to pass time curled up with a book or a project is the only thing to ponder. For me it’s project – no question!

Forest Slipper Socks in Minou and Bamboo Pop Sock, designed by Rachel Brockman.

We recently released the Minou collection Soft Simplicity, which perfectly captures the vibe of our Fibertini pairing. My main inspiration for this pairing comes from the Forest Slipper Socks, pictured above, for obvious reasons as the photo features a beautiful tea cup. This made me crave the wonderfully warm cocktail selected for this post – the Hot Toddy. This simple classic is made by mixing hot water, bourbon, honey, and lemon juice – although I like to steep some spiced tea in mine for a special seasonal flavor!

Hot Toddy. Image Credit: Sip Awards.

According to Sip Awards, there are two versions of how the Hot Toddy came about. One theory is that it was originally started in India in the 1610’s, during a time of British control. A Hindi word “taddy,” was used to describe a drink made with fermented palm sap, which was later adapted in 1786 as an alcoholic drink made with hot water, spices, and sugar. Another variation of the drink’s history, is that an Irish doctor named Robert Bentley Todd, prescribed patients a mixture of hot brandy, water, cinnamon and sugar to relieve symptoms. The article referenced even proposes that perhaps this good doctor came across the original “taddy,” and revamped it a bit to make his own concoction. With the historical view that this drink can cure the common cold, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that a doctor helped to push its popularity!

Pacific Cardigan in Minou, designed by Rachel Brockman.
Project worked in Minou inside the muud leather case, Heaven.

Minou is the obvious pairing for a drink which elicits such warm and happy feelings. This yarn is spun in Italy and made from a blend of 40% baby alpaca, 8% Merino wool, and 52% nylon. The delicate strands of fiber tuft out of a thread base to create a sophisticated take on an eyelash yarn. When worked as a project, Minou creates a featherlight fabric that feels soft and luxurious. Or, when held with other yarn, like in the Silverbirch Cardigan, it adds a perfect halo of texture and warmth without being too avant-garde, as some novelty yarns are wont to be. Simply put, it’s a must-have in this season’s cold-weather stash.

Color Blocked Scarf in Minou, designed by Rachel Brockman.

After researching the history of the Hot Toddy, and how distinctive it is, I feel that it is truly the perfect match for a yarn as unique as Minou. Both Minou and Hot Toddies bring about feelings of warmth and coziness. I hope you’ve enjoyed this second pairing in the Fibertini series! What would you pair up next, and what project will you make in Minou?!

Happy Stitching, y’all!
Ashley Jane

Fibertinis: Old Fashioned Meets Tweed

Hi Fiber Friends!
I’m so excited to introduce you to a new blog segment I’ve been dreaming up called “Fibertinis” where I match popular cocktails with our yarn for a perfect pairing! For my first segment, I’m matching up our Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash with an Old Fashioned.

Both of these classics have a long and rich history. According to Clan, by Scotsweb, Tweed as a name was first used in 1826 when a London cloth merchant clerk received a misspelled invoice which was meant to read “tweel,” the Scottish name for the fabric twill. Legend says that he presumed it was meant to be a brand name for the woolen fabrics hailing from the Tweed River region so they advertised them as such, and it stuck! Regardless of the nomenclature, tweed has always held an iconic and polished status since the woolen fabric elevated from a Scottish practical peasant garb, to a symbol of wealth and royalty with the rise of Estate Tweed in 1835.

Pilger designed by Rachel Brockman

Nowadays, tweed is still coveted both as a symbol of refinement, or its casual and cool rustic appeal. In a word, it’s a classic. It is for this reason that Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash is the perfect pairing with an Old Fashioned – a timeless, classic cocktail. According to a ranking of the 50 Most Popular Cocktails in the World in 2021, the Old Fashioned was the number one most popular cocktail in the world. The Old Fashioned’s beginnings are a bit hazy as its namesake has also been used as a catchall for any cocktails including bourbon or whiskey, which were considered old fashioned before the art of cocktail making was refined. As far as I can tell though, the general recipe of spirits, bitters, water, sugar, and citrus have been around and in demand since the 1880s. Even the origins of this pair land on a relatively similar timeline!

Drifting Hap designed by Rachel Brockman

Just as tweed has always been a blend of practicality and posh, our Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash is made from 90% superwash wool, 3% viscose, and 7% acrylic, making it both easy to care for and sophisticated. The soft and springy feel of the wool and beautiful stitch definition are the things I love most about this yarn. With 20 colors to choose from, and plenty of pattern support, there’s no reason not to make something perfectly classic for yourself or a loved one! Some of my favorite designs to try come from our collection Rustic and Refined, including Pilger and the Drifting Hap, featured in photos above. This robust collection has 13 total patterns, so you are sure to find quite a few things you won’t be able to live without. In addition to those I’ve already named, I also really like the Traverse Socks, and Sojourn Tunic, seen below.

Now that I’ve researched a bit about the origins of my chosen cocktail and fiber, I truly feel they are a match made in heaven! I can picture it now – curled up in a booth of a cozy tavern sipping some citrusy bourbon goodness and stitching along on my next make. Won’t you join me?! I hope you’ve enjoyed this first edition of our Fibertinis Series! Let us know in the comments what tweed project you’d make, or what cocktail & yarn we should pair up next!
Happy Stitching!
Ashley Jane