Hand Dyed Yarn Clearance

I've had the mantra, "keep it simple make it fun" for many years now. I adopted this mantra in college after finding a random sports t-shirt at Goodwill that had these words written across the front. I wore the t-shirt to absolute shreds and it exists no more, but it's words always resonated with me.

However, somewhere along the way I seemed to have lost track of my beloved mantra. Lately, I've done everything BUT keeping it simple. So, for the sake of my sanity and what little studio space I have,  I am going back to keeping it simple. I am going to simplify my yarn line.

I am sad to announce I will no longer be offering my Sport Weight BFL yarn base or my Thick and Thin Merino yarn base. They both are such lovely yarn and I really do love them- the way they feel, the way they dye, especially the way they knit up, but I just can't do it all!

I originally started my hand dyed line to offer a lower price point than my handspun with all the beautiful colors that I have to offer. I saw it as a way to free myself up for spinning more of the finer weight 2 ply's that I love so much (and are very time consuming). Little did I know I was just burying myself in more work, and wool.

 Seems so obvious writing it down- darn hindsight!

So with that said, both the Sport Weight BFL yarn and Thick and Thin Merino yarn  are on clearance. They have both been marked down 30%- no coupon codes needed, the prices have all ready been changed and they can be found in the CLEARANCE section of my shop. The price will not drop any lower so their is no sense in waiting it out, once they are gone, they are gone for good. Also, while clearance yarn is not available for wholesale orders you are welcome to use any coupon code you may have on them.

So that's that. Please enjoy!

Click here to shop my CLEARANCE section.

New- Basic Beenie Knitting Pattern

Basic Beenie Knitting Pattern Available Now!

Often when I tell someone I am a knitter, or someone see me knitting, I am asked to knit that person something. It's the funniest thing..... Does that ever happen to you?

As a result of constantly being asked to knit, I designed this simple little hat. Simple and flattering- perfect for everyone all shapes and sizes! It's the perfect pattern for gift knitting because the shape is basic enough to look good on everyone.

I've done this hat in commercial yarn, handspun  yarn, and recently my own hand dyed heavy worsted weight yarn. This pattern is so versatile!  When I decided to write this pattern down, I knew that my hand dyed heavy worsted weight was absolutely the perfect yarn choice. I love this hat the most when it's knit up in a soft squishy single ply yarn, and considering you only need 2 oz-my affordable  fine count wool was a natural choice. Solid or hand painted- keep it simple or jazz it up, there are so many options you will never get sick of this hat!

My basic beenie knit hat pattern is available for instant download NOW at www.ontheround.etsy.com- and there is plenty of 2 oz skeins of hand dyed heavy worsted weight yarn available too!

Happy Knitting!

2/24/13 Shop Update :: Superwash Merino

Tonight I have four new colorways in my superwash merino base that I will be adding to my Etsy Shop. There are 4,4 oz 210 yard skeins of each new colorway. Also,these are repeatable colorways, so if you are interested in more skeins or a full sweater lot please just drop me a convo, email, or comment and I'll put together a dye lot just for you!

Although tonight's update is just a small one, it is a beautiful one! These new squishy, pops of color will definitely inspire you to knit a cute spring bolero or a pair of longies for a little one in your life. Remember, this yarn base is washable and absurdly soft- perfect for next to skin and baby.

Please stop by and check out the new colors at 8 pm, EST tonight and follow along live via Twitter! I'd love to hear what you think of the new colors!

WIP Featuring OTR Hand Dyed Maine Yarn

Yes, it is true, I have started yet ANOTHER project. This really is so unlike me, typically I prefer to work on only one project at a time, but for heaven's sake there is so much pretty yarn in my house! I can't stop myself! I'm not sure when I am going to finish all these projects, but every morning I am very optimistic about it. That counts for something.... right?
Yesterday I cast on Dorie, a cleaver and simple sock pattern from Rohn Strong's new book The Heritage Collection: Knitting Patterns Inspired by WWI & WWII. This pattern was just too good to resist! I love the spiral rib and I knew my light worsted weight Hand Dyed Maine Yarn would be SO perfect....also my husbands birthday is coming up, and I needed a knit sample in this yarn....and well, I JUST WANTED TO!
Let's just take a deep breath, I mean, we are knitters here, right? I'm not being judged. I can knit as many things as I want to.

Anyway, the pattern is totally awesome and I highly recommend it for those of you who have never knit socks before, and/or have a husband that often complains that you never knit him anything.
As for the yarn, there were two skeins of Quarry left in my shop and I just had to steal them. I am totally LOVING the way this colorway is knitting up! I'm not sure if you can tell in the photo or not, but the colors are subtly spiraling along with the rib pattern. Tres cool! The color is enough for me to enjoy while I'm knitting, but subtle enough that my hubs won't feel it's not manly.
This yarn is a 2ply Clun Forrest/ Alpaca blend that I purchased from Field's Edge Farm in Leeds, Maine. Kim, the Owner/Farmer is a wonderfully sweet and cool homesteader who takes amazing care of her sheep, and it really comes through in her wool! The yarn was spun at a small mill in Belfast, Maine and it has a great artisan feel to it. It is a lot like working with handspun yarn, and you could easily work it in with your own handspun or OTR Handspun. The Clun in this yarn gives it a soft woolen feel that makes the stitch work pop nicely, but the alpaca gives it total softness and tons of warmth! This yarn is ideal for socks, gloves, hats, and sweaters with lots of stitch work. There are both bright and subtle colors available- so whatever your tastes are there is something for you. Mixing and matching would be fun too.... Hmm, gears are turning.

Ahhh! Before I cast on another project, I will say this. There are two yarn weights available in this yarn blend, Sport and Light Worsted. Be sure to click on the listing to see how many skeins are available, some colorways have up to 6 skeins. This is a Limited Edition yarn base and I have dyed all that I have for the year- so get it now before it's all gone (or before I steal it, which ever happens first)! You can find this yarn in the Hand Dyed Yarn section of my Etsy store. If you have all ready got your Hand Dyed Maine Yarn from ontheround, then be sure to stash it or any other OTR Yarns on Ravelry!
And while your at it, why not share your OTR Yarn projects on the OnTheRound Fiber Art Facebook Fan Page !? I know it will help me have less knitting project remorse...
Be well, stay positive- and get knitting (that last part is really for me)!

Navajo Plying

NavajoBlog, originally uploaded by ontheroundfiberart.

Lately I've been experimenting with Navajo Plying, or chain plying handspun yarn. I work with hand painted roving a lot and I really like the way that the method retains the color changes in the wool.

When I am trying a new technique, I prefer to wing it initially, and then research the technique. The yarn above is my first attempt.

I've since done quite a bit of research on the subject and have learned a thing or two.

Overall, my first attempt turned out quite well. I used a one hand method and it became clear to me that I need to use my left hand to hold the twist so I don' t get little tangles as I work a new loop (see middle photo). I also was treadling very quickly and had my bobbin on fast intake resulting in a frantic spin...clearly I need to slow it down next time.



This morning I found this great video by Sarah Anderson on youtube. I really think that this video is THE video you should watch if you are interested in learning to N-ply yourself. She explains quite a lot in a very methodical, logical way all while showing the technique, slowly and clearly.

I'm going to do a few more play skeins with little bits of singles I have laying around before taking it to the shop. My plan is to N-ply the Finn wool I recently hand painted and offer it up in the shop next week.

Stay Tuned!