Yarn Shop Secrets, Summer Knitting Projects & Our Annual SALE

Although I kind of fiddled it in my Ravelry page. I don't know, maybe that's the wrong thing to do. Yeah, but now you've just told everybody. Hello and welcome to Yarn Story. I'm Carmen. I'm Susan. And we are back with another episode of our knitting podcast. Yes. Yes. Susan and I have just worked the first day of the sale. Very busy. Very, very busy day. Busy day. We definitely deserve the wine that is in front of us. As long as we don't fall off the stools. Well, yes.

Yeah. We also, we don't have any knitwear. We can't like start with what we're wearing because it is hot. It's very, very warm. I have no summer knits. You have some summer knits. Yes. Well, I was going to. Susan's just going to show off her new finished object. I was going to do what we're wearing. I did a ranunculus. A little ranunculus. Which was great. So good.

I've been wanting to do it for a while. And what's on this? Just a little bit of fluff. A little thread. Add a fluff. Two skeins. Perfect. Bing bang. You are on your microphone now though. Oh, sorry. I'm at skip. Two skeins off the microphone. And it was great. Yeah. Flew off. Yeah. You had that done very quickly. Yeah. I don't know. I think I was in Canada and I came back and you were like, look, I just have the sleeves to do. No, the sleeves are done. The sleeves do themselves.

Yeah. You cast them off on that one. Oh, maybe that's it. You were like, I just have the ribbing. Something. Just ribbing. Yeah, just ribbing. Yeah, it went really fast. And two skeins of fluff, size three. Boom. Great. Locked out. A lot of ease. Yeah. Easy to wear. One more finished object for Susan. It's not a competition. You are clearly winning. No, I'm not. It's not. I just enjoy knitting. So, hey. There we are. Yeah. And you actually, I was looking at that one.

It's got another sample here in the shop. Which is a nice summer knit. Yeah. But you're wearing a dress, not a knitwear item. No. It's too hot. It's really warm in the shop. It wouldn't be unless it was a camisole. Yes. But mine's still not done either. Yeah. So, we'll dive right into the wine. Into the wine. Right. You chose the wine. I chose the wine. And you read the description. I read it. So, tell us about the wine. I read the description. Oh. I've got to get my phone out again.

Sorry, folks. This is from our sponsors, Wolf Wine, once again. Angus basically dropped off a selection of wines for us for the season. Some reds, some whites. It's too hot to drink red, so we're having this lovely chilled... Hungarian wine. Dry white. 100% Cajun. 6,500 bottles made. That's not many at all. That's not many at all. It's got an unrestrained temper. And you know that it's worth waiting for. You write as always.

The wine comes to a standstill and its merits are there for you to see in their full splendor. Grapefruity, salty walnut. Grapefruit, salty walnut, rosemary, and so many stories. Now it's our turn to tell our story to the wine. Well, we're going to do just that. I can see why Angus picked this one for us. A yarn story. A yarn story. Very good. Nice. It is. It's very... Fragrant. Very fragrant. Very fragrant. Cheers. I don't know what the alcohol percentage. The winery is called Sabar.

Thirteen and a half percent. Okay. Okay. It's fine. We deserve it. It's not low alcohol. It's Friday evening. Inventory on Sunday. I got day two of the sale. I quite like that. That's very slide down. That is. Tasty. A little bit spicy as well. A little bit, yeah. Nice. It was right when it said it's not what you would expect of a grape. No, it's not. That's nice. This is dangerous. It is. This is quite... Very drinkable. Drinkable. Very cold. It is cold. Yeah. In the fridge for a bit.

Yeah. Mmm. Mmm. Well. Thirteen percent though. That is an absolute delight. Highly recommend. So if you aren't on our mailing list, you might not know that we have a sale this weekend. And it's our annual, we don't want to count the inventory sale. Which I have been doing since our very first year. Have you? I have. Yeah? Yeah. I thought I'd talk a little bit about why we do that. Okay. As opposed to other things. Okay. Just because, you know.

Yeah. I think people are curious about how businesses

are run. Exactly. Shops are run. I, you know, I personally have a bit of a theory that somebody's like, oh, there used to be like a yarn shop on every street. Okay. And, you know, there used to be loads and loads more yarn shops. And now it's like a novelty. I mean, we hear it when people pass all the time. Ooh. It's a knitting shop. How cute. Ooh. Ooh. Yes. I love that. And the bigger yarn companies definitely have a seasonal, you know, they try to sell you a spring, summer yarn.

Yeah. And then autumn, winter yarn. Like clothing. Yes. Absolutely like clothing and novelty yarns. And then they bring out like a very big pattern book. Rowan does this. Definitely needs to do it more. And you have this yarn available for these 20 patterns in this book for like three or four months. That's it. And then it gets discontinued. And then it's gone. And then, so you, you as the knitter don't have a chance really to fall in love with it. No. Because you can't.

You don't all knit as fast as Susan. You can't. No, but you can't do all those projects. Yeah. Usually in the book there's maybe one or two you want to do anyway. Yeah. And you might fall. That was my experience in knitting days. And I think the thing too is I look through stuff and I fall in love with the pattern later. Yes. And you don't always fall in love with it on first glance.

No. And then you can't get the yarn for it because it got discontinued and the store had to buy a certain quantity at the beginning of the season, sell as much as they possibly could, and then sell it off at a deep discount. Yes. Because there's no more patterns. There's no more available to order from the manufacturer, et cetera. So you get into this cycle just like fast fashion. And I personally think that is part of how there was a big slump in the industry.

Yeah. Because we all pretended we were fast fashion. Yes. And I very much believe that the yarn we have on the shelves is good for a very long time. It is. It is. It keeps going. So we very much believe in ordering yarns that we can get again. Yes. And we believe in yarns in colors that have some longevity. That's not to say we don't have anything. No. That's like a little bit trendy or might not be like super popular two years from now. Maybe not. But there are things over their time.

Yeah. I mean, there is trend as well. And wool isn't there a bit. It's more sustainable to have. Navy blue is going nowhere. At the moment. Anywhere. Well, no, I just mean like navy blue will always be. Always. Yeah. Yeah. And cream. Navy blue. Cream. Hey. Cobalt. Cobalt. Our new favorite. We actually don't really have any cobalt in the shop at the moment. Don't worry. Yes. Yeah. We're on it. We're going to get some cobalt. Sort of. Sort of. Not really. Not really.

Julie Ashland does a really nice cobalt. Does she? Okay. That we will get back. Yeah. Nice. Nice. So instead of falling prey to cycles of sales, because we don't have the margin for that. No. In our industry. Not at all. Or the energy. It's a lot of energy to run sales and discount things. We just do an inventory sale once a year. And it's a good sale. It's a good sale. It's a real sale. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's what I remember a sale being when I was a kid.

Yes. Yes. Not just stuff in the corner. Get rid of. Yeah. And we've seen some people take advantage. We have. It's been a good day. It's been a good day. I also loved, so we, this year, we've done it. I've done sort of different things every year. We changed it up a little bit. Yeah. This year what we've done is it's 10 % off everything in the store. Yeah. For Friday and Saturday. This will all be over by the time this airs. It will be. So don't get too excited. Disappointment.

And then when you get to the till, there's a lucky draw fishbowl. And you can pick a discount. So it might just be the 10%. Or it could be. A few exciting moments at the till. Yes. So we did have someone draw the 50 % off. We did. Today. We did. Which was very exciting. Very exciting. I get very excited. And don't worry. It's the same time every year. Probably we won next year. So plan. Yes. The end of June. If you want to visit us. Always. That's when our year end is.

And we have to count things. Yeah. And we have a sale. There is a sale. Next year. Yeah. But yeah. That's why we run the inventory sale that we run. It works for us. And it's such a great idea. Our friends in Montreal. Yes. I mean. There are a few places that. Such a good idea. They do it this weekend as well. I mean. In fairness.

I took the idea. From my friend Jen. Who used to run the purple pearl in Toronto. So that is where. I don't know if it's her original idea, but that's where I got the idea from. And it is definitely in other places. Yes. It's a very good idea. It's a good idea. Yeah. It's a great idea. And less yarn on Sunday. Less to count. Yes. There's always buttons. There's always buttons to count. So true. So true. So. Do you have anything. Well. Do you want to do your finished project.

What you're working on first. Well, I'm working. I'm working on. I have things I'm working on. Try the other one on. It's so hot. You're sitting in the sunshine. So I'm working on. Sorry. I just had a name. Because I always get mixed up. I like your. I never bag matches your dress. I know. Look at that. I could be my dress. Do I like blue? No, not much. So I'm making the cumulus tea by. It's not blue. I'm going way off again on a green. Oh, my goodness. Little trend. Little green thing.

Apparently green is a good color on me. Green is a good color. And it says cumulus tea in knitting for all of silk in khaki, which I'm slowly but surely 3.3. I think. Just a three. Closer to the camera. Just a three. I think it is. A beautiful. I would call it an army green. Yeah. The Brits would call it a khaki green. Khaki green. And because I can read. Olive green. On a three. On a three. Yeah. So. It's a much denser fabric than my camisole. So I haven't.

Don't think I've done much on this size needle. So the gauge is. There was some. There's a question. So the question. You know, my gauge is a little bit uneven, but I'm hoping it's going to block out. And so it's a good round around around television. I just decompress knit and I'm just not sure how long I'm going to make it. I hope. I think it fits. I tried it on. It's going to fit. It looks like it's going to fit. And a bit of sleeves and I'll be done.

Yeah. So I just get this one done before August. I think you should think about cropping it. Keeping it cropped. Maybe. You could. You could do the trick. On this one. Because it's just under your boobs now. I could do the trick. Right. That would involve. It would not involve much at all. Much. Okay. I could do the trick. Yeah. If you did it like right now. But decrease a bit. Decrease a bit. What? Every four rounds. You have to do the math. Oh. Right. To the waist.

So Susan and I regularly are regularly discussing our boobs. If we're honest. Well, we're not really. Well, our how things fit. How things fit. Yes. How things fit. Or not. Or not. As the case may be. Yes. Because I'm very small shouldered. And my waist is gone. But I still have a bit of a waist. You have a small waist. And yeah. And so it's just getting things to not look oversized below the bust. Yes. And not look out of proportion. Yes. And I have.

While I have broad shoulders and a large bust. I. My waist. Is not. Small. So I like. It's all about giving the illusion of these things. Right. Okay. Well, I don't want to give the illusion of any bigger breasts and busts than I have. However. A smaller waist would be nice. But it's all about things that fit correctly. Yeah. So you think I'm hung on too far. No, I think you're probably fine. Because that is. Up there. Actually further up there. So. And you could probably have put bust darts.

I could have. In that as well. But. If you don't. I mean. Would they show though? They do show a bit. I'm not sure I like that so much. So what I. Amanda's really good at that. Amanda's brilliant at that. And everything she makes fits. Yeah. She's also just. Yeah. She's a. She's a proper fashion designer. But. So what? Just do the math to take it down to waist size a bit. Yeah. So I would just. Decrease a bit. You could just decrease a bit. So is there a ribbing on the end of it or anything?

Yeah. I could. I could. Okay. You just need to figure out like how many stitches you want to end with. All right. So. Okay. And how much you want to take it in. And where would you do it? On the sides. Yeah. Well, I would do it evenly around the body. Oh, so as you go. Yeah. Every so many stitches. But you want to. You don't want to like decrease too quickly. No. You do want to just gradually. Just a little bit. Just a gradual. I might do that. Yeah. That's a good idea.

Like if you took it in like half an inch even. Yeah. It would. So that would only be about four times. Yeah.

Knit together or something. Yeah. Something like that. Something like that. Just hide a bit. I think that could. That would be good. It's about. No, no, no. Not hiding. You know, get them. Yeah. And the idea was to wear white linen trousers. That was my idea. Do you have white linen trousers? Yes, I do. I was going to say, do you need to go buy them? No, I don't. No. And on the West Coast. Later this year. Yes. So that's that. Yeah. Okay. Well, I. With the way that's coming out. I also have.

I mean, I'm going to bring this project out for probably the 12th time on this podcast. Because I have my. But it is beautiful. It is. And it will get finished. I also want to get this done for Seattle. Yes. For the West Coast. Wow. These are all sorts of stuff in there. What's that? Those are extra needles. Oh, extra needles. Oh, because you did the. Did you do the. I don't know why they're in there. Are they there to do the straps? No, I don't think so.

Or if you're looking for them, you know where they are. Yeah. So I. Need to try this on too. I know this is going to go well. It's going to grow. Cause my gauge on the knitting for all of silk is much looser than yours. Okay. It's going to grow. Yeah. It's so nice though. I mean, it's broken rib. So it's broken rib. Yeah. It's just going to, I just want to be like a loose. Yeah. Nice. Cute. I think I need to do the strap soon. I would do the straps. So that I can try it on. Yeah. And then.

So this is currently my. Sit around. Like and talk to people project. Cause. It's just around and around. And around broken rib. Well, just put a. String in it. The bottom of it. Do you straps and try it on. And you'll know where you want to get to do the straps. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That'll work. That'd be great. And then you'll know where you are. I mean, in fact, we liked the knitting for all of so much that we thought. Oh yeah. Oh, we thought. We got all excited. We did.

So I went to Taylor swift on Friday, which I won't talk about too much because Kaylee came with me. And we'll have to talk about it together. You will. Yes. Kaylee's unfortunately sick this week. I didn't go, but I made bracelets for everyone. Susan did participate in the bracelet making. I have one of yours right there. The lavender. Hey. Yeah. Our new color. I mean, it is our new color. Fantastic. I almost went. You almost went. But anyway, we'll talk about that.

Kaylee and I will talk for a while about it. I'm sure the next episode. I'll go another time. Yes. Well, there's August. You could try and get tickets. Yes. They're crazy. But as many people saw, Taylor stepped out in a very cute crochet dress. She did. And so we thought you could do it in knitting for all of us. Yep. Two strands held together. Two strands held together. And that would be just the most amazing thing. It would be so gorgeous. It would be so amazing.

It would be better than the dress she was wearing. But it would be better because it means full silk. Yeah. In fact, we could write to her and say that we could make this for you. Dear Taylor, would you like a replica of your dress? A better dress than your dress. Anyway, so it's gone all viral with lots of other kind of yarns, which is fine. Yeah. Lots of cotton options. Cotton, yeah. But I just thought, oh, it would be so amazing in silk.

So I got the videos out and started trying to do crochet, really. Sort of chain, and then do the whatever. And it looks, I mean, she makes it look so easy on the video. The lady who's got a video up on YouTube. But anyway, it's maybe a bag. Maybe a bag. Taylor Swift-inspired bag. It's quite long. I mean, it's 150-something down. I mean, it's a lot. Because you're doing it this way across, right? Yes. And then, I don't know how Amanda would know, but you know.

Yeah, I mean, I did send it to her, and I was like, Amanda. I mean, you want it to sort of flare at the bottom, and you've got to do crochet increases, I don't know, and a bit of flan sleeve. But it's a great dress. It was a cute dress. It was a really cute dress. Yeah, so. And, you know, very happy for the designer who made it. Absolutely. And sold out online for it. I think that's fantastic. Yeah. And I love that it's gotten people making something.

Because there are definitely people who are like, oh, I'm going to dust off my crochet skills. Yes, and make one for my dog. Yeah. That was a good one. There's someone who made one for their dog. A little dog, which I could do. Not for Pete. I don't think she'd wear it. She's too hot. But then it would look very cute. She wouldn't wear that. I tried to put a Christmas jumper on her, and she was just looking at the corner like, what are you doing? So that was it.

She was like, not going to wear clothes. So anyway, that was that. She did wear a bandana once. She did. Briefly. But yeah, smart clothes. She's not the kind of dog you can dress up. Anyway, we digress.

Yes, we do. So finished? I've got something finished. Well, I'm going to just finish with, I'm going to do my whips. Your whips. Okay. That you have with you. Yes, I have a whip. Yeah. Oh, that's coming along nicely. Yeah, so this is the Bella Blocking, which I haven't knit on actually since I started bracelet making. So I did this in like a day, because I had to rip back. You had to rip the whole thing back. Because I messed up. That was short. But it's very fascinating.

I am doing my Bella Blocking in just floss. That's going to be amazing. It's so light. It's going to be really light. That's going to be great. I love this pattern so much though, and I love yours. I might do a second one. Do you remember? Beverly was wearing it last time. Oh, was she wearing it last time? Yeah, that's the one I did, which I can't wait to wear, but not the weather yet.

And if you're wondering why I'm holding on to needles on live stitches, and there's needles hanging off the bottom, which is actually my working yarn, it's because you start this sweater with Judy's Magic Cast On for the shoulders. Exactly. It's a little bit like, what is happening? But it's quite clever. It's really clever. It is very clever. Very clever. And then you just pick them. You don't even pick them up. You just start, and you knit the front. No picking up, which is quite nice, really.

Just as long as you don't think about it too much. Just go, okay, I'll do this. And I think that's the thing with Anne's patterns. Just don't overthink them. Just get on and follow the instructions exactly. It's all there. And that is how I messed up the short rows. I know, I know. I did the same. So this is, I'm using Cinema, the red. That's your neck. That's my neck. And then I'm going to use English Rose, which is the light pink. Fantastic. That's the bottom. I'm hopefully still getting...

Cropped. Yeah, I'm not going to do super long. No, and cropped things are long. I think I will see proportionally when I am able to try it on where we end up. But I want this done for Seattle as well. Absolutely, yeah. So I've got these two projects to get done for Seattle. Okay. And... Oh. I just wound some yarn. You did. Because someone... Wants something. Danny has requested some socks. Okay. So I let him pick some yarn from my stash. Yes, very nice. This is a club colorway from Les Garçons.

Very nice. I don't know what it's called. It's very nice. I've wound it into two small balls. And what size needle? I'm going to do 2.25s. Okay. That's what I prefer my... Yeah. But I'm going to do two at a time socks for the first time. Okay. He would also like these because we're going hiking in Oregon. For Seattle. He wants them... Okay. So no pressure there then? Nope. Three projects to get done. In what? Like six weeks? No, long flight. We do have a long flight. Time in the lounge.

Okay. The sale's done. I can just like chill out, right? Just go and knit. Yeah. Nothing else to do. No ordering or restocking or anything. No, we're just... Filling the empty shelves. Carmen's... Where's Carmen? Carmen's knitting. I'm just knitting. She's just knitting. So yeah. Wow. We're all slaving away. No. I think... Well, I might join you in the two at a time socks because I've got a tiny bit of a little toe done for some socks for Isla. Just a little bit. It increases.

Like it's just a little pointy bit. But I like it, but I just kind of got distracted doing other things as you do. And it was a bit... It was a bit fiddly, the two at a time, but as long as I don't... I mean, I should be able to do it because I can hold two yarns and I'm not a tiny one. Yeah. So, but you almost need two ball bags. I can use a ball in each bag. I only have one ball bag. Anyway. So I might join you. I'm sure I have another bag. I'm sure you have another bag.

It would be appropriate. So, yeah. So I might just get some tips hot as you're doing yours and just get mine done as well. Maybe. I'm going to Seattle. Yes. We can have some... It's a good travel project. It is a good travel project. And I haven't got another one at the moment. I do need to get the right needles for it because I usually do my socks on VPNs and I did look and we don't have the right needles. Oh. I mean, we have to order some next weekend to get some after.

I'm not sure what size I'm using. So that's what we have on the needles. And in between customers today, Susan kept going, what about this yarn for this project? Yes. Why don't we do... And Carmen forgot what it's like working in the shop where you... For a full day. For a full day. And you're fully inspired by... Yeah. ...looking at yarn combinations. It's kind of how I got to like 30 whipsets. Yes. I can understand that. So one has to be a little bit restrained and not take it all home.

And I've sort of been very good today. I haven't done anything. I said, well, if it's still there on Sunday or Monday, then maybe it's meant to be mine. Really? But I... And I have plenty at home to go around with. What were the things you were looking at today, though?

Oh, I was looking at doing an inclination shawl. Not shawl, cowl. Oh, yes. Oh, I could do a shawl. That's a point. Anu made hers a shawl. That's in DK. You can do it. You could do it in there. I mean, yeah. You just don't have to sew it together, basically. Sew it together. But there is a shawl. There is a shawl, yeah. In DK, I think. Okay. But you could just do a pointy one. You could do that one. Anyway, in using...

Because I thought it'd be nice to have something done in the next level of Seattle. No time pressure there either. Not much. But I really have to get my moon bumps done. That's what I was supposed to say. Seattle. I told our boys if I don't have it done, because they think I'm really fascinating. They do. We all do. I better get that done. But I was looking at combinations with next level, because I just thought it would be really nice to have something done.

And I think it's really nice with the stonecrop, so I'm... Yeah, I really wanted to do it with Bad Egg, but Bad Egg is gone. I know. Well, he can't. He can't. Bad Egg's gone. Bad Egg's gone. We know who bought that. It's all gone. We do know who bought that. Yeah. We know. We don't know where she is. No, we know who it was. We know who it was. She's a Taylor Swiffer. I'm not going to mention any names. Anyway, so I looked at that, because it's a nice knit. Again, it's a nice...

You don't have to think too much, and it's interesting. I always like to have a spin cycle project on the go whenever I'm doing something else, just to keep me interested. So that was one. Looking at lots of combinations with Bella Block and with customers. Yes. I amazing. I love the black and blue. What we came up with today was like... Yeah. We got a really good combo with Bluff and Tweed. So that was exciting. What else did we talk about? Well, I actually... I have mine sitting here.

Your what? Easy V. Oh. Oh, yes. And that was the other thing. A customer came in and wanted to do an Easy V. So we started looking at new combos for Easy V, because we have such a lot. We have a lot of dream state at the moment. But in really good colors. Yeah. I mean, I'm actually thinking buying my skeins for the Big Shift Night Shift show. Okay. Yes. Or starting it and then getting somewhere along the way. But anyway, so Carmen's picked her combo.

Yes, because I definitely want to do another Easy V, because I wear that one all the time. Yes, and it's a great sweater. It's a great sweater. Yeah. And I'd really like to use Beaver's Den for the background. It would be amazing. And then. Next level. We were putting this color combo together for customers. So Beaver's Den is our warm brown, dark, dark brown from Walcott Yarns Origins. Which is a great color, almost black. Almost black. And then. Because of a customer.

I put these two together, which is Rosy Maple and Holy Toledo. Holy Toledo is such a good color. So Holy Toledo is like teals and blues and orange. And then Rosy Maple is purples, yellows, oranges. So I need a third. And we have such a good batch of the Rosy Maple and Holy Toledo. That was launched at Rhinebeck. And I bought some. Katie bought some. We all bought some, I think. Oh, yeah. I have some in my stash. Do you have some as well? What did you buy? I don't remember.

It might have been Plump. Oh, you did buy the Plump. And you gave it away. No, I did give some Plump away. Not that one. Not that one. Oh, okay. Right. So there was talk of adding Next Level into that, which is quite good. I might need to look through every single skein to find the perfect one. So with the brown. That's the good thing about being a yarn shopper. And the thing is, what we have to remember is different bits will line up at different times. Exactly.

And it will look amazing, whatever you do. What I've learned over the years of Spin Cycle is you can put almost any of them together. You can. And they will look good. You can. So there's Next Level, or I do quite like this one. Big Sky, which has more neons in it. Neons in it. It's good. But I think. It's good. I mean, I've got to use my Next Level, right? So. I think you do. I think you need to just get a. But that is a phenomenal combo. That's great together. That's great together.

Why are we out of focus all of a sudden? Okay. We're back. We're back. That's a great combo. And I think you get a punchy Next Level in that. I was thinking about doing a more elegant Easy V. In? Well, I was thinking about using fluff as the color work. Okay. That was my kind of original thought. And I'm really liking that. Does fluff on its own? Yes. Or would you? I don't think I'd hold it double. I think I'd use it on its own. No. I think I'd have to play with gauge a bit. You might.

Yeah. Hmm. Hmm. Yeah. That'd be a bit like I put no hair in mine. So that would be quite interesting.

Yes. Elegant. Interesting. But I think that might be more me. That's probably more you. I thought you meant elegant. Well, I mean, in terms of colorways. I was thinking of a pale one. That was very nice. I made a white one already, and I love it. And I thought I'd use the origin. Oh, I can't reach it. No. Lighthouse. Lighthouse, yes. Lighthouse with some blues, which we're looking at. Oh, yes. Next level, and the two blues, Valley Girl, and the other one next door. Yeah. The next level one.

It was definitely those two. It was those two. And I think a next level, possibly. A bluey next level. Or, yeah. And so that was, yeah. And then like that. Like that. On a white background. Yeah. Which I could reach if I stand up. We are allowed to move. We are allowed to move. I need to move. Which is very me, and I think that would be rather. You've got the longer arms. You've got the longer arms. I mean, I would love this too, but I'd spill stuff on the white. Yeah. That's really good.

Something you don't wear when you're making spaghetti. Sauce. Although, Soak is amazing. Soak's everything out. Soak gets everything out. Soak gets everything out. Yeah. I know now. I wish I'd had it a few years ago. But anyway. But you can wear white. You're white. It's great on white linen, by the way. Oh. Soak on white linen. Anyway, so I love that combination. Or I just make a big shift. Night shift shawl. Also good. Also good. I have a bunch of Dreamstate sitting about for a night shift.

I don't have much Dreamstate. Okay. Dreamstate is not something I have a lot of. Oh, well. So I could start. So there could be some Dreamstate in the future. It could be. I think that is probably. As soon as we're in Seattle. As soon as everyone's going to have a custom color. Yes, there are. So we keep talking about Seattle because we're going to flock. Walcott Yarns is vending at Flock. We will be vending with our friends, Les Garcons. So you'll be able to find Opus, Origin, and Fluff.

Plus some of the Les Garcons hand dyed. I don't know exactly know which ones they're bringing. So I can't reveal. More about this later. Yes. In July. Later in July. I think there's episodes coming out in July. All right. Later in July. Oh, well, maybe we have to talk about it now. Yeah. So. Yeah. Flock is in Seattle, like right in downtown. I know. Convention Center. Convention Center. Yeah. They do big. They do big. Yes. It looks like a beautiful space. Atrium. Yes, it will be light.

Yeah. Yes. Gorgeous. And when was the last time you were on the West Coast? I'm trying to think. About 12 years, I think. I've been in six. Right. Double. Been a while since we've been. Yeah. It's been a while since I've been. That's for sure. And Seattle, I don't know. Long time. I. 20 years more. Probably more than that. Did I go. I did not actually go through Seattle on my last road trip before I left the States. We did Spokane. Okay. And Vancouver. Vancouver. Washington. Canada. Canada.

Yes. Okay. But you didn't stop in Seattle. No, we didn't stop. Fantastic. Because we did it. We like went through Spokane. Okay. Yeah. And then over to Montana. Yes. Yeah. So, yeah, it's going to be. Nice weather. Warm. Mountains. The sea. Mountains. Favorite North American foods. Yes. Yes. Wines. Wines. Lovely wines. I think we're going to go on a wine tasting in the Willamette. Oh, well. Not you. Put it in your suitcase. Not me. I'll be in Vancouver. You'll be in Vancouver.

Yeah. I think we'll do a wine tasting. I think we should. Absolutely. Yeah. That'd be great. Yeah. Wonderful. Wow. Coming up soon. It is. It's actually coming soon. We need to get an itty. It's July on Monday. Yeah. So, there we are. That's why. Well, would you like to show off what you actually finished on before. What I actually finished. Seattle. Because at our last team meeting. Wasn't it? Yeah. We got a little excited at our last team meeting. We got a little excited about things.

Oops. And a bit like working in a shop. You get all the knitters together. It's so hot. It's really. So, we have these windows across the front of the shop and we get the afternoon sunlight. So, from about two o'clock this time of year, it basically just heats us like an oven. It's really quite warm. There's still a needle on here because that's fine. I was doing some frantic sewing before I came out this morning. Anyway, this is inspired by Gisela, Carmen's mother. Oh my gosh.

The sauna sweater. No. The Sunday cardigan. Yeah. Very overlapped.

There we are. It's oversized, obviously. Very oversized. But I have. It's really cute. Still got some ends because I didn't snip them yet. And I realized I should have sewn them in on the other side. But on the right side, not the wrong side. Because I'm rolling up the cuffs like that. So, that's a top tip for next time. Sew them on the. Darn it. I've sewn in the ends there. But they'll disappear anyway. They'll be fine. Yeah. So, it's got this really big ribbing at the top, which just flies by.

It flies off. It flies seven needles, which I happen to have. Oh, I'm covering my microphone. Size seven needles. There we are. It's just that side. Sure. My best side. Not necessarily. My face isn't in there. Anyway. So, size seven needles, which I had because of Max's, this one here behind us. The plump it up. The plump it up. So, I already had some sevens detachables. And, yeah. So, it's quite fun at the back. Yeah. It's really good. It's not cropped. No. It's not cropped.

But it's got this nice ribbing. It's very hot. It's very warm. You can take it off now. And it probably never gets quite that cold here. But anyway. It's a chalet, ski chalet sweater. Yeah. Cardigan. Throw it on. And that's in fluff and origin. Yes. However, it is quite light. Yeah. That's the thing when you use the fluff. Yep. But the thing is, the combination for chunky knits has just blown my mind. And I'm already looking at other patterns. I'm holding it right up to the camera.

Right up to the camera. So, you can actually see the moral of it. The moral. Yeah. So, it's cinema of fluff with petunia in origin. Which is the brighter pink, actually. It is the brighter pink. We had a little debate between petunia and hippie heart. I didn't really want a Christmas. Well, I mean, I'd love a Christmas cardigan. So, hippie heart is on the top, which is a redder pink. And then petunia is on the bottom, which is a pink pink. I don't know that it's showing up properly on camera.

And then cinema is a red red. Yeah. So, it goes well with both of them. But the cinema with the hippie heart gives you a red red. Definitely very Christmassy. And I'm more pink. Yeah. So, either is really good, though. Yeah. And the great thing about the pattern is the button band is part of. It's not an add-on. There's like no finishing to this one. There's no finishing. No, you're done. When you're done, you're done. So, you just do the ribbing. You have seven stitches.

You put your markers in and just do it. And then you've got a funny little make up thing. You put your finger into the buttonhole thing. That'll work. My mom did not enjoy that. No, I know. She was like, why is there no buttonhole? I'll text her and get some tips. And buttons. We haven't done the right button. We might have to order some buttons next week for my cardigan. But, yeah. And it's just. But they're looking at some other options. Like the My Favourite Things cardigan number eight.

Yes, well, that was another one that a customer came in with today. And we thought, well, that's a really good one for an origin fluff. And a cagery pattern as well that someone came in to do. So, I mean, anything that's in Smef Mag or Chunky Anything. Smef Mag and Chunky Anything. And combinations. And it just literally flew off my needles. Even though it was knit one row, purl a row. It's still. It's not knitting in the round. Knitting in the round would just fly.

But I think cardigans in that. Just the way forward. And the amazing thing. I haven't told you this. This is a surprise. Is that four skeins of Walcott. Oh, okay. Four. Four. Nothing. No. And three and a quarter. About a fluff. Oh, wow. Okay. So, way more fluff left over. Yeah. Although I kind of fiddled it in my Ravelry page and said it was the same. Because I thought, otherwise I've got too many questions. Why is it the same? I don't know. Maybe that's the wrong thing to do.

Yeah, but now you've just told everybody. I know. I just thought, oh, people are going to go, that doesn't help me anyway. Maybe I should be honest. I'll be honest. I'll fix that. I'll fix that. I'll put it back. I never put the amount of yarn I use. But I just thought it was time to get organized. Because people have been DMing me and asking me. That's good, because you're becoming a knitfluencer. A knitfluencer. So, I need to keep my notes properly. Yes, you do. I do. So, 3.2 of fluff.

That's very good. Something like that. I weighed it. It's just my memory. But I thought that was really interesting. Because there's way more than 200 yards on this. They're both supposed to be the same. No, that's 191. Okay. And this is 200. And that's 200. Yeah. So, I still had like 50 to 60 meters maybe left. Because I had two thirds to three quarters of a skein of the fluff left. So, that's a hat. Yay. Put it together with something for a hat. Yeah, so that was interesting.

Because way more left. And that's nice. And the fluff, you know, two skeins for an ankylous, four skeins for that. So, it doesn't make it, you know, too, you know, pricey. I mean, if you start adding. No, not at all. If you start adding in mohairs and chunky, you know, whatever. I mean, this is a big reason why we designed fluff the way we designed it. Right? Is it can do anything. It can do a lot of things. Like, Max was always designing with like two strands of mohair. Well, mostly sturry.

Held together plus something else. Because that was the texture he liked. And there's a lot of things with, yeah, two strands of mohair plus something. And fluff will take the place of that. And when you block the combination, it just really bloomed, didn't it? And it blocked out. And it dried yesterday. That's the good thing about the summer. That's the good thing about the summer. So it was a heavyweight coming out of the water. That's quite heavy. Yeah, we got there. We did.

Yeah. Two towels later. So, yeah. So that was that was a great net. So on to the next. What else do you have on the needle, Susan? Oh, oh, yes. I forgot. I made her. She made me do it. Reengage with the project yesterday. Yes. So I have the Rubinia Light, which I got all excited about a year ago. A bit more than a year ago. And I'm using Isbini and mohair. And I'm going to do a color blend from cream down to hot pink. And I had it all. You swatched the color. I swatched the color blending.

I was nit-flinched by things on Instagram. I'm pretty sure we have a podcast episode where you show off. I think we probably do. And anyway, I got going great guns. And then I didn't quite read the pattern the way it was supposed to be. And I put it away and I didn't know. And then Cameron questioned me on it. I said, why didn't you do it? Why didn't you finish that? Why? And I thought, because I don't know why. I don't know why. So I took it out and we looked at it. We investigated. We did.

And the reason why is because I didn't do enough rows on my first three, on my first two. So I did like 12 instead of 14. And I was like, oh, it looks okay because it's the same on the back. No, it doesn't because it won't work. It won't go down to the sleeves. It won't actually hit your arm holes. I won't hit my arm holes because I'm short several rows. So what I did was I did the short rows. And then I did half of the bit after the short rows. Because of the way I read the pattern incorrectly.

So I handed it to Cameron and said, rip it out, please. Rip it out. And it's mohair and spinny. Actually, it unraveled very easily. I separated the yarns and it was all fine. Little balls. So Cameron left and I sat down and I got the first on the front done. Yay. With my short rows and everything. And I probably did the short rows wrong as well. The first time. The first time. I think I probably added stitches instead of yarn overs. So I now understand the pattern more clearly.

And I'm hoping to carry on with that. Although it's kind of back into the bag a bit. But it's not a travel project because it's too many colors. So it's a sit down at home. A lot of management. Yarn management. With your maker's board and your pattern and read it. But I think I'm getting the hang of it now. But because I've done this blend. And then we changed the blend as well. Because it wasn't quite right. Maybe that's why I stopped. A better gradient. Maybe that's why I stopped as well.

But having done the Bella blocking, I got my head around, you know, how Anne does everything. And I'm really, I am excited about that one. Very excited to get back to that. It's like a lightweight. It will be like just on a three and a half. Yeah. So it's not my jam either. But my jam is a seven. Woo! Well then you should do the Badger and Bloom you were also looking at earlier. I was also looking at colors for Badger and Bloom. Because I've got some of the yarn for that and some of that.

I have quite a bit of yarn at home. Anyway. And then there's other things aren't there. So what's on my needles? That's my needles. The Moonbumps is on my needles. The pair of socks. Right. And something will have to be started in Spin Cycle probably. But who knows what. We'll see after Inventory. What's left in the shop. But yeah. So I think I've got plenty to get. Although I really like that number eight card I got to be. That was really good. I am definitely thinking of an origin.

I was thinking. I was thinking. Glacial Depths and. Wild River. Yes. Oh, Cascades. Pacific. Glacial Depths. So I was thinking Glacial Depths and Wild River. Okay. Well, you can do that. I can do that. That is very good. So Glacial Depths is our blue. And then Pacific is our sort of teal blue. It's really good. We need samples. We do need samples. I don't need any more swears. No cardigans. But I've also been looking at the Edinburgh lanes. Because I just think, oh. It's a good shawl.

Actually, I'll grab that one. And I've never done that much lace. I mean, my first lace is the Minunculus. And I think I made one mistake. So I'm quite happy about that. But, yeah. So, yeah. I was thinking, oh, that one might be a nice travel. I'm going to Portugal for a week. And I was thinking, that might be a nice travel project. This is the Edinburgh Lane shawl by Helen Stewart. AKA Curious Handmade. And she designed this. Five years ago. For the 2019. Edinburgh Yarn Festival.

And it was a collaboration between Helen, myself, and Magpie Fibers. So this is Magpie Fibers swanky sock. And I'm on my microphone now. So Magpie Fibers already had a color called London Rain. So London Rain is one of the original colors. Which is kind of a gray with speckles. You know, think rain, moody, London. And then Paris Train, which it turns out we are sold out of. Which is the white with the blue speckles in here. So those two colors already existed.

Yes. And then Fading was very in at the time. This is like before your knitting time. It was. A Fade. We loved a Fade back then. Fade. So Damie developed Edinburgh Lane. Which is the darker, the even moodier. Yes. Sort of version with the same blues. Cobblestones. Yes, cobblestones. Wet. Cobblestones. Yes. And then Helen did her magic. And made a Fade-ish. But also did her beautiful like lace panels that she likes to do. A bit of striping. It's a lovely asymmetric shawl. It's very wearable.

And it's funny because we just pulled this out of. The sample. Sort of archives we have downstairs. We change up samples quite a bit. Yeah. And I was looking at stuff. That was such a good pattern. That was so nice. It's a great pattern. And then Helen like re-released it. The same week. It's like the universe is just. Yeah, it was great. Yeah. So we have. We do have kits for this now. And I'm going to talk to Damie and see if we can get the original back.

Because Edinburgh Lane doesn't exist as a. Yeah, as a color. Color. Standard. So as the Paris train is gone and there's no Edinburgh. Make up your own. But I think that'd be nice. Forcing me into something a little bit. I think. Gee, there's a blue in there. No surprise that. But you can show that to the camera. And it's maybe a bit less moody. But I would wear that. Yeah. Or the green. So Lundgren on the bottom. Which is the speckled alloy. Which is a cool gray in the middle.

and then it is topped off with in the Navy, which is a Navy. Let's call that a French Navy. Yeah. And there's other combinations on the... Yeah, we've done some nice combos. On the website, but the number one is sold out, so the last one went out today. So that's good. So that's just, you know, plans. And then there's the stash. You just organized your stash, though. I did, which is always a fun activity. Yes. But it's now neatly organized. It's neatly organized in bins, under the stairs.

Perfect. It doesn't look quite so overwhelming, and it's not that much, but I am carrying a suitcase, maybe. Well, I'm not. I'm still carrying on. Susan thinks she's gonna go to a yarn festival on the west coast of America with a carry-on suitcase. And a visit to Bellingham. And a visit to Bellingham. To Spin Cycle HQ. So let's all tell Susan to book the suitcase. I will. I just don't want to schlep around with the big suitcase. But they're on wheels. They're on wheels. They'll be fine.

Yeah. All right. So shall we get to our Q&A? Q&A. Yeah, absolutely. Yes. So first one, I think, is very much for me. How do you decide on a yarn to carry? There are so many fabulous yarns. You can help with this a bit, because you've come to H&H with me. Yeah. On a buying trip. Yeah. And so different ways. Yes. Staff pressure. No names mentioned. You really should get this in. You really should get this in, Carmen. I think you should get this in, Carmen. I've told you about this.

You really should get this. Carmen, are we getting this? Okay. That's one way. But that's not the most common. That is not the most common way. That's after all the other ways. That is after all the other ways. Yes. Which is mostly me falling in love with the yarn. Yeah. And then investigating if I really like the yarn. So whether that's, I met it in person at an event, or I've seen it online, or it's just a really interesting fiber combo. I have to fall in love with it.

Yes. Like, I have to really like it to bring it in. Yeah. Yeah. So we go to shows. We went to H&H. Previous year saw some new things and got a few things in. And that's gone well. And more types of Izzy Girth. Because we saw it in person, we saw the samples, we saw all that. So the yarn combos. That really influenced the colorways. Yeah. We definitely picked a couple things we probably wouldn't have had we not seen them in person.

Yes. That's the type of brand, too, that's really good to see in person because it's all about making your own fabric. So seeing their samples knit up with lots of different yarn combos is like, oh. Yeah. Because we don't always have time to make a sample or a swatch for every combo imaginable. And I think there must be an element of it's unusual. You like to have things that are a little bit different. Yes. Well, we don't have anything.

Yeah, we don't have anything that you would find in a department store. So if you could find it in like John Lewis, we don't have it. We don't have it. No. Except for the Toft kits, but that's a different story because there are like 2,000 different animals. John Lewis is a big department store. What would you even like? I don't know. JCPenney, but a bit more up market. A little bit more up market. Yeah. And I don't know. Did JCPenney do like craft? I have no idea. John Lewis does kind of.

They have haberdashery. They have haberdashery as well. Big section. Yeah. But math buying. So, yeah. So nothing like that. No. And I just don't see the point in also the race to the bottom. No. No, there's no point. Our rent is too high in math. Yes, that's right. And also we're providing a niche service. And I think the other thing is small niche producers. Yes. Not necessarily always hand dyers. No. But people who have a vision, who are doing something that you feel you want to support.

Yeah, that is very true. The smaller international. Yeah. Nothing that's really mass produced. No. In a mill that has to run like a ton of yarn. Yeah. Or a ton of fabric or a ton of fiber through to get. Yeah. So it's very much. Yeah, we support other businesses like us. Yes, exactly. And we know the owner of almost every brand we stock. I'm trying to think of a brand I don't know who have like never talked to the owner. Not really. Not really. No. No. I mean, I probably know Camero's the least.

Yes. But the owner is the one who sends the emails. Yeah. And it's so big seller. Yeah. It's very popular. But most of the other brands I can even call the brand owners my friends. Yes. Yeah. And that's developed over the years. So it's so that's the other one. Yeah. But sometimes the team pressures me. Sometimes. Occasionally. That's actually what we ended up admitting for all of. Is it? Okay. So that was a Kaylee and Marissa double team. Right. Yeah. And then Ritual Dyes.

Ritual Dyes. That. No, I meant. You knew about it. Yeah. Yeah. No, I had it on my radar. This is the thing too. I think sometimes the team doesn't think I have things on my radar. You have it on your radar. Sometimes they send me things like, have you seen this? We should get this in. I'm like, yep. Been watching that for six months. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah. See how it goes. See how it goes. We just can't always have everything. And then suddenly you bring things in like a surprise.

Nobody had it on their radar. And it's here. I did though. You did. I wish you did. Some more of this. That's one of the shelves that's looking sad. Post. Too sad. And Ushitita. Steffi and Juergen. Yes. You've not met them in person. No. So Steffi's also quite tall. Is she? Okay. And we always get a photo together. Right. And Juergen is the worst photo taker of tall people. So he takes it like, she's a gorgeous woman as well. And the two of us look hideous.

Like we look terrible in every photo of us together. It's all Juergen's fault. So now it's like a thing. I haven't seen them in quite a while. But yeah. So that's how we. That's how we decide. Yeah. You decide. Or we all decide. We all decide. It's slightly democratic and then I say yes or no. No. And they say no. This is probably my favorite submission. Okay. It says, bugger. I thought of a really good question the other day. Now had a glass of wine and forgot. Right. Yes. The customer.

And we're pretty sure we know who this was. We do. Pretty sure this was Gail. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. And Sammy. So if you think of that question. Again. Come back to us. No names mentioned. We have several places you can submit questions. So I think on the podcast section of the website. So up in the blog section. Okay. You can go to podcasts and there's a big like a big old button that James has put there. Okay. Where you can submit a question. That's good.

And then we put it up in stories. Okay. Right. Yeah. All right. Yes. Now what's your favorite older pattern that you would knit again or knit for the first time? Hmm. I might have to think about that. Well, you got to. I've got several. Have you? Well, you start what I think. So first thing. How old? How old is old? Well, it can be as old as you want it to be. The first thing that is coming to mind is this pattern that was knit in pebble originally. Cocoa knits. Pebble.

You don't even know pebble. I don't even know pebble. Before your time. Shibui knits pebble is one of the most glorious yarns that has ever existed. It, I think it has come back now. Okay. Cause the company closed like a year ago. I think someone has brought the yarn back. It is stunning yarn. It's a three ply Merino cashmere recycled silk, like Tweedy yarn. It sounds gorgeous.

It's it's such a beautiful yarn and it is something we had from the beginning and then it just got too expensive to stock. Like it's 25 grams and it was suddenly, I think it got up to like 26 pounds. Yeah. It was really, it just got too expensive to stock. Um, I do have a sweater quantity sitting in my stash somewhere. Okay. So, uh, I think it's called the Bella. Yeah. So Bella by Julie Weisenberger. One of my favorite patterns of all times. It is so flattering.

It's so clever and it's so simple. You probably never seen this. Nope. Uh, we'll definitely get a photo. Oh yeah. It can be knit in a ton of different yarns and it's basically a rectangle sort of like this and the arms literally do that and then you put it on and then it drapes in a bias and it goes off over your shoulder and you can do it in linen. You can pebble. You can do it in a bunch of things and it's, it is chef's kiss. I like the sound of that. Yes. That was a really popular pattern.

Okay. Eight years ago maybe. Okay. So that's it. I still haven't knit it, but I like love it as a pattern. Um, so that's my first one. Do you have any in the meantime? Well, I mean the one I knit time and time again, I don't know how old it is. It's the night, it's a shift. Oh yeah. The cowl. I mean, we always talk about that, but I knit that over and over again. Um, but I mean my knitting time doesn't go back far enough for me to know a pattern.

Um, although I wouldn't mind doing it like a proper Icelandic again, you know, like in the 1970s that we knit. Well, and you really enjoyed your Celine, which was kind of. That's that vibe. That's what I did. But that kind of in the round, quite thick yarn, um, what we call the Icelandic and knit and knit again and felt like we were amazing when I was about 12 or 13. We were amazing. Um, to knit that. So that was fun, but actually it was cold enough to wear them.

Um, so that's, that's a really old thing that, um, other than that, I don't know, I've been knitting long enough to have a favorite old pattern. Well, just looking back through my old, um, robbery. Uh, does anyone remember color affection, color affection shawl? That was probably the pattern that like made me a knitter. Okay. So this is knit in Dublin had a knit along for it. And I had, I'd kind of, I was just turning the corner of like becoming a real knitter.

Okay. I didn't have any friends in Ireland. I was like, have a stash, but you had, you had made a couple of things. I'd made a couple of them to the yarn shop. I'd taken the class and I hanging out there yet? Not quite. I was, I was still being a bit like, and I was at that place too, where it was novel. So everybody was like, Oh, make me a hat. Oh yes. I made a lot of hats for people. Of course. And then they did this knit along for color affection. And it's very addictive pattern.

It's very available Mackie. I didn't have a clue who she was at the time. She's very popular finish designer. Okay. Yeah. Um, this pattern and it is the first time you short rows. It's a three color stripe. Um, that is the pattern. Oh, okay. We'll get it up for you all. Um, Oh, fun. I made three of them. You made three of them. I made one for my mom and by then you were full blown. And then by that point I was like, this is the most amazing thing.

And also the time I was like, this is the most amazing pattern I've ever seen. This is like the most fun I've ever had. I just kept going into buy more color combos. I think I have yarn in my stash to make like three more. Okay. Because I was gifting them very into it. It was back when I was able to knit so much. I was like, yeah, sure. I'll it's very wearable. It's really cute. All right. Let's see if we can come up with one more pattern.

I actually like the easy V. Yeah, I was going to say the easy V. That was a great knit. Really good knit. I mean, I'm thinking about making it again. And it's, it's, it's so interesting. The neckline is so interesting and simple, but not simple. Well, it is simple knit, but it, um, and just the color work and the combinations you could do. You could just, as you said, swap out fluff for spin cycle, add a mohair, do two colors together. Lots of different versions. There is.

Okay. I'm gonna bring up another pattern that I haven't made yet, but I do have yarn in my stash for this. Another one of my, like, I don't know why I haven't made this because it's so stunning. It is called Mangatta by Candice Koenitzer. Uh, it's in Julie Astlin Lazy Worsted, which I don't know if she does anymore, but the Merino cashmere silk worsted weight. It's beautiful. Oh yeah. It's really cute. It's off the shoulder. It's off. That's wonderful. Um, it has, it's from 2015. Yeah.

It's a pom pom quarterly from 2015. Okay. Nice. But yeah, we'll get a photo up for you guys so you can see it. Um, yeah, but it has these, like, it's off the shoulder. It's got like slip stitch textures and literally have exactly those colors sitting in a box somewhere. I have them. Wow. I have the yarn for that. You have the yarn. Well, you got to do it then. I know. Isn't that so neat? That's great. Yeah. And the drape of that yarn must be amazing. Yeah. That yarn is amazing.

I mean, I like the, the, what we have. Yeah. So we have the Lazy DK, which is a Merino silk. And then we have the Fino, which is four-ply and that's Merino cashmere silk. Yes. So the late, no, what is it? Basically I have the worsted weight of the Fino. Oh, okay. And then you use the Fino for the cuffs. Okay. And the ribbing. Wow. Yeah. Cause it's folded over. Oh, okay. So lush. Oh, more knitting time. Dreamy. Yeah. Okay. That's nice. So I think that's actually our Q&A. Good. Great.

Which leads us actually into our lessons in knitting. Lessons in knitting. Which is how to choose the right yarn for your project. The right yarn. The right yarn. Right. Best to go to a yarn shop where they know what they're talking about. I mean, yes, but let's give some advice as yarn shop workers. Yes. Well, no, that's, that's where you start, but well, read the pattern carefully. Swatch. Yes. Be prepared to swatch. Yes. Be prepared to swatch. Also, you want to think about the fabric.

Yes. What do you, what do you want it to be like in the end? Because yarns have very different properties. Absolutely. And that is all dependent on the fiber they're using, which we can get really nerdy about at some point, maybe with a guest who was really nerdy about fiber. Maybe, maybe. Um, cause I won't do it justice. So I don't want to go too down too far. No, no, that's probably a nice way beyond me as well.

Um, so, but if you want something drapey, like you want it to just like fall over you, you're looking at your softer drapier fibers, alpacas, silks, cashmeres. Yeah. You want something with structure. You're looking at woolier things. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or you want something in between you mix your yarns. Yeah. So, so if you want, um, you know, something with the structure, but a bit of softness, then you add a mohair to a woolly wool even.

I mean, the mohair with the Jensen or, or, you know, that, that just takes it to another level. Yeah. Amanda's sweater with that combo. It is unbelievable. It is. And they're made to go together and you would have, Oh, that's quite, you know, that's quite woolly, the Jensen mohair. And then you put them together and you've got the structure of the Jensen with the softness of the mohair and it just blends the whole thing, doesn't it?

Um, um, so you can blend, but that's not everyone's come to you, but it's, it's what, what you want it to. And I think the important thing is that if your pattern says you need a four pie or your pattern says, I need a DK, like all four pies do not equal all four pies and all DKs do not equal DKs. So you do need to look at the fiber content of the yarn you were choosing or substituting. Yes. And you need to look at things like the spin of it, the twist twist.

Yeah. Um, but those are the two things I would look at immediately. Yeah. And if you're looking at something that maybe with a machine washable yarn versus a non machine washable, because the process that wool goes through in order to make it machine washable dramatically changes the properties of the fiber and the yarn and will behave very, very differently. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah. And the same with chunkies, not all chunky is going to be the same. Some of it will get very heavy.

Some will be heavy. And then you'll be like, I'm like sinking under my weight. It'll just loft and be poofy. So yeah. Which is why the origin fluff is such a good combo for the chunky because it's not going to drag. No, it's not heavy. Yeah. It's not heavy. Although it's a warm sweater. It's not a heavy sweater. It's not like a heavy sweater. So my mother used to put a heavy sweater on when it's cold. Cause you grew up in Canada. I did. Anyway.

Yeah. So, I mean, that's, I mean, when someone comes in with a pattern, I always start with what it recommends, check it against that yarn on, on the internet and then give it something we don't know that we don't know if I don't know it and then check what we have that is similar fiber content. And then usually it comes down to color. Yes. It does often come down to color in the shop. And I would also say, but just making sure, yeah.

Don't be afraid to play with yarn choices and play with fabrics that you're making. Like that's the best part of this. That's what you're doing. You can do whatever you want. Really. It's your project. Yeah. Absolutely. I think that's fun. Or, you know, take Susan's original blights and go into your local yarn shop or email them or, you know, ask questions, ask plenty of questions. I mean, we certainly don't answer emails, patterns, whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Will this work for that type thing?

We get that quite a lot. We're happy to happy to answer them. So you're a good yarn shop will not be mad about those kinds of questions. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. And we'll always find something. We will always find something. It is very rare that we have to say we really don't have anything. Exactly. It is. It is a rare thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So those are your questions for this week. Those are your lesson in knitting. Fantastic. I think it's time for us to go home.

Yes. I've got to be back in the shop tomorrow. You do. I don't. I'm back Sunday. I still have much bad news for Sunday. But thank you. Thanks for, for joining me after hours. Having me. It's been a long day. It's been a very long day. I don't even know what time it is. Peaches is so over us. She's just dead asleep. She's just dead asleep and having dreams and ready to go home. So, yeah. Thank you very much for joining us again this week.

Don't forget to like and subscribe and share us with your friends. Yes. Comment. Comment. Ask questions. Ask questions. And keep watching. Yes. See you next time. Bye.