Tag: fiber

Posted on

Spring Yarns For Your Stash

Spring has sprung, and we’re thrilled to share some of our favorite yarns for the season with you! There are many things to look out for when searching for the perfect yarn for spring, including fiber content, weight, and color palette. If you haven’t heard of the yarns below, let today be the day you try something new! Let’s go ahead and get started with the newest addition to the Uptown Family of Yarns!

Photo of three colors of Uptown Bamboo DK
Uptown Bamboo DK
Photo of a person wearing the Subtle Shells Ruana
Subtle Shell Ruana

Uptown Bamboo DK is a fiber blend of 80% anti-pilling acrylic and 20% bamboo in a DK weight. Each 100g skein has 284 yards of yarn, with 38 different colors to select from. Bamboo fibers are highly breathable and moisture-wicking, allowing you to keep cool in warmer weather. Uptown Bamboo DK is machine-washable, making it an excellent option for wearable pieces and baby projects. The color palette of this yarn includes plenty of beautiful hues for spring, like 515 Wisteria and 528 Breeze.

Photo of Cotton Supreme Speckles in two different colorways
Cotton Supreme Speckles
Photo of a person wearing the WIldflower Tee
Wildflower Tee

Cotton Supreme Speckles is the newest member of the Cotton Supreme Family, and it’s already receiving so much love! This yarn is made up of 100% cotton fibers in a worsted weight, just like Cotton Supreme, but with speckles! Cotton is a plant-based fiber that is excellent for spring and almost any project you can think of. Due to the durability of cotton, Cotton Supreme Speckles is phenomenal for homewares, like the Seedling Washcloths. Additionally, this yarn makes for beautiful wearable pieces, like the pictured Wildflower Tee.

Photo of three different colors of Bamboo Pop
Bamboo Pop
Photo of a person wearing the Sabal poncho
Sabal

Naturally, we wanted to include one of our staple yarns, so say hello to Bamboo Pop! We already talked through the benefits of bamboo and cotton fibers, and guess what? Bamboo Pop is a blend of both! With that being the case, this yarn is breathable, soft, and exceptional for any project. One of our favorite things about Bamboo Pop is the versatile color palette. Both solids and multis are available, and many pair faultlessly with each other! Try a fun accessory with this staple, with the pictured Sabal poncho. Plus, if you love to make baby projects, you will want to add Bamboo Pop to your stash; it’s a customer favorite for such patterns!

Photo of Rico Design Baby Dream DK and Rico Design Baby Dream DK Uni
Rico Design Baby Dream DK
Photo of the Besties cardigan
Besties

Speaking of baby projects, Rico Design’s Baby Dream DK is next on deck! With a fiber blend of 50% polyacrylic and 50% polyamide, Rico Design Baby Dream DK is incredibly soft and easy to care for. Solids and multis are available in this yarn, with a range of gorgeous colors, especially pastels. The polyacrylic and polyamide fibers mean that Baby Dream DK is machine-washable, so it’s ideal for your little one. We love the idea of a baby blanket or cardigan, like the pictured Besties pattern!

Photo of Rico Design Creative Fluffily DK in two colors
Rico Design Creative Fluffily DK
Photo of a person wearing the top from Pattern 1016 Top and Shawl - Rico Design
Pattern 1016 Top and Shawl

You may have never heard of Rico Design’s Creative Fluffily DK, but we’re thrilled to introduce you! With a fiber blend of cotton, polyester, acrylic, and wool, Creative Fluffily DK is sensationally soft, machine-washable, and includes a subtle sparkle! Each 150g cake of this yarn contains 459 yards of yarn, making it great for larger projects like pullovers and shawls. There are 14 shades to choose from, and we can’t wait to see what you will make with Creative Fluffily DK!

Which one of these yarns would you work with first? Let us know in the comments! We can’t wait to hear your response.

Thanks for stopping by!

Robert

Posted on

Meet A Local Yarn Shop – Ewe & You Fiber Arts

The New England region is an iconic place to live or visit on your travels. With beautiful scenery and delicious food, this small cluster of states has a lot to offer, including yarn! For our local yarn shop October feature, take a virtual trip with us to Windsor, Connecticut, where you will find Ewe & You Fiber Arts! This yarn shop is owned and operated by Rachel Schuster. With its fifth anniversary passing in September, it’s the perfect time to learn more about Ewe & You Fiber Arts and the story behind this sensational store!

When Rachel Schuster began learning to crochet in college from a friend, who would’ve guessed that years later, she would open a yarn shop herself. After college, Rachel married an Army officer and had the opportunity to live in many different places, including Seoul, South Korea. Eventually, she and her husband made their way to Hartford, CT. The local yarn shop in Hartford was about to close, so Rachel decided to open Ewe & You Fiber Arts. After writing a business plan and receiving funding, her shop officially debuted in September 2018!

On the shelves of Ewe & You Fiber Arts, you can find many yarns from Universal Yarn, including staples like Uptown Worsted and Bamboo Pop! Rachel shares that our collection of Uptown yarns is a favorite at her shop, and it’s clear to see why. This line of anti-pilling acrylic yarns features a robust palette and has excellent stitch definition. Their affordability and easy care make it perfect for beginners, and it looks beautiful in all projects, from baby blankets to adult sweaters. One of our new releases, Uptown Bamboo DK, can be found on the shelves of Ewe & You Fiber Arts, and we suggest you try it out! The gorgeous drape of this yarn would look incredible in a scarf or blanket for the upcoming winter season.

With so many yarns to choose from, it’s obvious why so many flock to Ewe & You to get their fibers. With all these customers, Rachel has built a supportive and encouraging fiber arts community. We often hear shop owners say that community is the most rewarding part of their job; there’s nothing like seeing one of your regular customers show off a newly finished project.

Additionally, this shop has many opportunities for knitters and crocheters to grow their skills. Plenty of beginner-friendly classes are available at Ewe & You Fiber Arts; for more information, visit their website at this link. Rachel has also offered knit-alongs and crochet-alongs for her community to engage with each other, and we love to see that!

We are so thrilled at the opportunity to learn more about Ewe & You Fiber Arts and owner Rachel Schuster. Her shop will have a brand-new online shopping experience shortly; until then, follow Ewe & You Fiber Arts on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated!

Thanks for stopping by!

Robert

Posted on

Meet A Local Yarn Shop – Charlotte Yarn

Our featured yarn shop of September is close to home, just over twenty miles from our headquarters! Nestled in the Dilworth neighborhood close to the big city lights of uptown, you will find Charlotte Yarn. This beautiful shop, owned and operated by Remi Haygood, is the city’s longest-tenured yarn store. Let’s learn more about Charlotte Yarn and all they have to offer!

Photo of the front of Charlotte Yarn

Charlotte Yarn opened in 2005 when Remi, determined to start her own business, finally got the opportunity to. Through her hard work and dedication, she is proud to own the oldest yarn shop in Charlotte, NC.

Photo of the inside of Charlotte Yarn

As we’ve heard since starting our “Meet a Local Yarn Shop” series, owning a yarn store is anything but easy. Remi said her biggest challenge was “being a single mom and balancing work with raising her daughter.” But plenty of joys come along the way, too. With a community of fiber artists in the Charlotte area looking for a yarn shop to call home, Remi has been able to provide that, which is truly incredible. Seeing a group of crafters show off their finished objects and become such a close-knit family (pun intended) makes it all worthwhile.

Let’s get to the fibers! Remi carries many of our yarns in her store but names Cotton Supreme and Uptown Worsted as the favorites. These yarns are perfect for baby projects, sweaters, and blankets, making them popular choices for projects at many local yarn shops. Remi also noted that her customers love working with fingering-weight merino wool yarns for cold-weather-creations.

Photo of hanks of Cotton Supreme with a baby project being displayed

We have loved working with Remi and her store throughout the years and are pleased to hear her feedback for our team. “Everyone that works there is a great representation of the company. They truly care about their customers and supporting their quality yarn.” We appreciate Remi and her kind words!

Photo of the inside of Charlotte Yarn

Charlotte Yarn has many classes to support the fiber artists in their community. We love to see beginner crocheting and knitting classes available, as well as more targeted lessons like “Cable Fingerless Gloves” and “Christmas Tree Washcloth” on their website. Additionally, there are some more advanced options like “Fern and Feather Sweater” and a “Tunisian Crochet Washcloth” class. If this is the first you are hearing about Charlotte Yarn, we encourage you to follow them on Instagram today!

We are so honored to learn more about Remi and her store, Charlotte Yarn! Join us in October for our next local yarn shop feature.

Thanks for stopping by!

Robert

Posted on

Meet a Local Yarn Shop – Darn Knit Anyway

From a sandwich board full of inspirational quotes to a shop full of friendly fibers, say hello to Darn Knit Anyway! We are very excited about this month’s local yarn shop feature, and you should be too! Located in Stillwater, MN, this incredible shop is just minutes from the Wisconsin border and Minnesota’s largest city, Minneapolis. Let’s learn more about Aimee and her sensational store!

Photo of the front entrance to Darn Knit Anyway
Beautiful entrance to Darn Knit Anyway

Aimee Pelletier owns Darn Knit Anyway, but that wasn’t always the case. Commercial interior design was her previous occupation, but all it took was a drive by a storefront available for leasing, and everything changed. Four months later, her yarn shop opened up and has been operating for fourteen years!

Below you will see the Maker’s Lounge, a space that Aimee created in 2022 just for her customers. This space is open whenever the shop is open and is a great way that Darn Knit Anyway is fostering a community around their shop.

Photo of the Makers Lounge at Darn Knit Anyway
The Maker’s Lounge, created in 2022

We all know Minnesota is known for very cold winters, so it came as no surprise to us to hear that some of the most popular yarns at Darn Knit Anyway are our warm and cozy offerings! As seen below, shop owner Aimee is holding a woolly gnome created with super bulky Be Wool. Plus, who can forget Uptown Worsted! This versatile yarn is on the shelves of many of our shops across the country, including Darn Knit Anyway!

Photo of a giant stuffed gnome being held by a person
Gnome being held by Aimee, using Be Wool
Photo of Uptown Worsted being held with a shelf full of yarn in the background
Uptown Worsted is on the shelves of Darn Knit Anyway

Kits are another hot commodity at Darn Knit Anyway, especially the Easy Does It Winter, featuring Creative Melange Chunky from Rico Design. This soft yarn is self-shading, so the beautiful colors will come to life as you knit!

We are so happy to see Aimee’s shop stocked with our yarns, and we love to see their exciting content on their Instagram!

Photo of the Easy Does It Winter Kit knit in Creative Melange Chunky
Easy Does It Winter Kit in Creative Melange Chunky
Photo of a hat knit in Be Wool Multis with a shelf of Be Wool Multis and Be Wool in the background
Beautiful hat knit in Be Wool Multis

If you’re looking for a shop full of fun activities, Darn Knit Anyway is definitely for you! From monthly stitch socials to weekend retreats, you can find all types of fiber art happenings at her store.

Additionally, this shop offers classes for beginner knitters and crocheters, allowing anyone to grow their skillset. Last but not least, Darn Knit Anyway offers an Epic Sweater Camp!! It is three days of fun that is in person and virtual. Join them in 2024 for their 4th year of camp.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to learn about Aimee’s incredible store. To find out more about Darn Knit Anyway or shop online, please visit their website!

Stay tuned for more local yarn shop features each month!

Thanks for stopping by!
Robert

Posted on

Rico Spotlight: Fashion Light Luxury in Crochet

Hello there, Welcome back my second installment of “AJ’s Crochet Corner!”

I’m slowly swatching my way through various yarns and infiltrating our knit-heavy office to inspire envy and the desire to switch skills amongst all I meet! Now that you know my evil plans to motivate my coworkers to share my craft, you can help give me feedback on what types of yarn and patterns I should try out and show off next!

Today I tried out Fashion Light Luxury by Rico Design, which is a wonderful brand that we recently started to distribute. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the chance to incorporate their yarns into our pattern collections just yet, but keep an eye out later in the year for new patterns from us featuring Rico Design yarns. This blog post felt extra special, because I was the first one in the office getting to swatch some stitch patterns in Fashion Light Luxury! This particular yarn is made from 74% Alpaca, 22% Wool, and 4% Nylon. It is ultra fluffy so you have a lot of room to play with techniques, gauge and texture.

Rico Design Fashion Light Luxury in Powder 009

For example, our site notes that a recommended hook or needle size is a US 10 or 6mm, to accommodate the fibers as a bulky weight yarn. However, I wanted to get funky and see if I could work up some visible texture, so I scaled down to a US 6 or 4mm hook. It still worked well, as the base yarn housing the fluffy fibers is quite fine.

Rico Design Fashion Light Luxury in Light Blue 018

I worked up a swatch in a Honeycomb stitch, which turned out lovely! The smaller hook wound the fibers into the stitches more and helped to create a unique texture. I would definitely recommend a metal hook for this, as the yarn was a bit grippy when I tried a wooden hook. The overall effect was worth it though! Between the color, the swirls of the pattern, and the bouncy material I’m reminded of sea foam on the shore of a stormy ocean.

I mentioned earlier though how this yarn is meant to be treated as a bulky weight. When you size up your hook, you have more room for the intended airy halo, and get a satisfying drape to boot. Check out the Crochet Cardigan and Shawl designed by the Rico Design Team below!

Rico Design Fashion Light Luxury Cardigan in Pastel Green 024
Rico Design Fashion Light Luxury Shawl in 7 various colors

Here you can see that the fabric made is not as dense as my swatch, and that there is a bit of a cozier quality overall. Ultimately I feel that Fashion Light Luxury is really versatile for the different looks you can manipulate, and for the adaptability of its blend. It’s extremely lightweight, yet very warm, and the nylon gives it enough strength to handle making garments.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this experiment with gauge and a unique yarn! Let me know what you think you’d try to make out of it! Please also drop a comment if there are any specific yarns, or techniques that you’d like to see in crochet.

That’s all for now!

Happy Stitching, Ashley Jane