Hello, New Year! After 12 full months of Simple Knits and many requests for a repeat (thank you so very much), I think you'll like what's in store for you in 2016!
Say "hello" to the SIMPLY HANDMADE-along! I wanted us to have a similar 'along', but something a wee bit different this year. We'll still be mostly knitting with our focus on building skills, trying different fibers and designers, but we'll also mix things up from time-to-time with other handmade techniques. What will they be? Well... that's kind of up to you! When you sign up here for our SIMPLY HANDMADE-along, you can tell me what you'd like to see. Of course, I have ideas (I always do), but I want your input before I pull ideas from my brainstorm list (and, oh boy, do I have a list!). I want this 'along' to be the best ever - I hope you're on board and ready to have some fun! Here we go...
JANUARY | Arbutus by Jane Richmond | through February 8th
Mr. Yarnista and I opened Firefly Fibers almost 6 years ago *gulp* and it's been a roller coaster of amazing since the beginning. I work with amazing fiber and designers each and every day and I've had the opportunity to watch some of them grow, just as the shop has grown. Over the years, there are a handful of designers that have had a constant presence...
One of those designers is Jane Richmond. According to Huffpost Canada, Jane has built an "empire" and I'm happy to have followed along her journey to building her empire. Her first book, ISLAND, is amazing and I've knit every design at least once - our first 'along' project is from this fabulous book.
Meet Arbutus...
© Nicholas Kupiak
This structural cowl with its unique construction, uses short rows and subtle shaping to create the illusion of volume with just one skein of yarn. Knit in the round from the top down, these three tiers create a stacked effect mimicking the look of a double wrapped cowl. A slightly looser gauge creates a light and springy fabric that is easy to wear and perfect for any season.
I currently have an Arbutus on the needles for our 'along' in our gorgeous Tosh DK and it's stunning. Truth be told... this will be my 3rd Arbutus since ISLAND was released and it's just as much fun this time around!
I decided on Cousteau and it's knitting up beautifully - the two other Jane Richmond projects on my needles are also knitting up beautifully and I'll share those later this week.
Need yarn? To launch our 'along', Firefly Fibers is offering 10% OFF a skein of Tosh DK for your very own Arbutus through Monday, January 25th (11:59PM CST) in our online shop, just use code 'HandmadeAlong' when checking out or visit us in person at the shop and mention the Simply Handmade-along to us when you're checking out and we'll discount your skein of Tosh DK for you.
So, are you in? Just sign up here (we'll have some giveaways throughout the year) and get your yarn ready.
Want to hear more about Jane and Firefly Fibers? Check out our podcast! This week's episode is mostly about Jane and my accidental design stalking and Mr. Yarnista talks a wee bit about wanting to hug some baby goats. True story... I can't make this stuff up.
CHEERS!