Welcome Pickles Merino and a Yarnaceous Trunk Show!

Thank you to everyone who came shopping during the first week of Sundance! Because of you, we were able to raise $516 for the  Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Fire Relief and Recovery Fund! We had a great week at the store; everyone loved the yarn they purchased, and disabled, aged or convalescing residents in Altadena had meals delivered to them via Pasadena Meals on Wheels. What could be better than that! (The tranche of funds that included our donation was distributed to organizations serving older adults as they face unique challenges in the aftermath of a disaster.)

********

Do you watch knitting podcasts on YouTube? Over the last couple of months, I have gotten addicted!

One of my favorites is Wool Needles Hands with Tayler Earl. I find her vlogs fun and very informative. She covers so many different topics, everything from identifying unlabeled yarns to exploring new projects on Ravelry. One of my favorite episodes is why and how to pair mohair or suri-alpaca with conventional base yarns. Here is the link if you are interested in watching.

One sweater that Tayler loves and has knit several times is the Felix Pullover by Amy Christoffers. Looking at Tayler’s navy Felix Pullover which she is wearing above, I was reminded of one of our new yarns, Pickles Merino Worsted and how gorgeous that yarn would be held with a strand of mohair and knitted in this pattern.

Pickles was founded in 2009 in Norway. Two advertising agency colleagues Heidi Grønvold and Anna Enge started Pickles as a knitting blog where they shared ideas with each other. (Think of it as a Norwegian Modern Daily Knitting.) They quickly gained a following and starting their own yarn line was the next logical step. For years the yarn could only be purchased in their Oslo store or website, now a select group of stores outside of Norway carry their yarn. We are the only store in the US.

The first yarn we brought in is Pickles Merino Worsted (Tjukk Merino). This is their softest yarn. It is loosely spun and can be used on everything from tightly knitted projects on thin needles, to airy garments. The yarn is made from very soft fibers which are found on the innermost part of the sheep’s fleece. It can be knit on its own or with a strand of mohair.

Four patterns by Heidi Grønvold are shown below.

Spirally is an easy to knit bottom-up pullover for Merino Worsted that features a unique spiral pattern. It comes in sizes XS through XXXL.

Easy as a neck warmer and Easy as a hat are also from Heidi.  Both are easy to knit and easy to wear with Merino Worsted. The neck warmer is perfect under your coat when you don’t want a big clumpy scarf.

Trigonon is a gorgeous cardigan designed for Merino Worsted. It is worked top down in a triangle stitch pattern with increases for the V-neck and body width. Stitches are picked up for the sleeves and for the knit button band.

********

Yarnaceous Trunk Show February 22!
11am - 5pm

We are also very excited that we have a trunk show with Yarnaceous Fibers on Saturday, February 22! Maggie is bringing a wide range of her hand-dyed yarn favorites. This includes her Salta Fingering sock yarn (a blend of 85% Merino and 15% Nylon) and her Doodle Mini Bar!

In case you are not familiar with Doodles, these are not the four-legged variety that give a lot of kisses (though my little doodle Zellie may make an appearance). Doodles are card deck sized collections of patterns by Jamie Lomax that you can mix and match together to create personalized accessories or garments using colorwork knitting. Maggie has created a Doodle mini bar of her Bronto DK yarn, a scrumptiously soft blend of 85% Superwash Merino and 15% Nylon, to help you pick out colors specifically for your creations.

Maggie is also bringing some of her brand new non-superwash yarn in fingering, sport, DK, and worsted. These are the yarns that I am most excited about!

The base of these yarns is Shaniko Wool. Shaniko Wool Company is a branded and certified program of American Merino wool. The wool comes from Merino and Merino/Rambouillet sheep raised in the Great Basin Region (which includes Utah) of the American west. It is a process where the sheep are specifically chosen not only for their consistently fine, long staple wool, but for their ability to thrive on the open pasture in range conditions while giving back to the land as they eat their way through harmful flora – helping the land to thrive. Both the sheep and the land benefit in this manner.

I am also excited about this yarn because Shaniko Wool Company (SWC) is the first farm group in the United States certified under the global Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), developed by Textile Exchange. The RWS aims to improve the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on. I have seen and chosen this accreditation and others like it while in Europe purchasing yarn for the store, but I had never seen it on a US brand until now.

In addition to stringent guidelines covering the humane treatment of sheep, RWS provides full traceability of wool and sets strict standards for worker welfare and careful land management practices that ensure the continued sustainability of the ranges where sheep are raised. 

Please come by on Saturday, February 22, to see this beautiful yarn!

Jeanne Carver - the driving force and founder of the Shaniko Wool Company. Photo is from Bend Magazine's May/June 2024 issue.

Sheep on the ranch.

Paris 2024 Team USA Summer Olympics uniforms - Ralph Lauren designed these wool blazers that highlighted the versatility of this natural fiber. 

********

Upcoming Classes

Learn to Knit Class
$75 plus supplies*

Thursdays, March 6, 13, and 20 from 5-7pm. (The first class is from 5-8pm.)


The first class Tori is teaching is a Learn to Knit class for beginner knitters. In this class students will knit the Learn to Knit Mitts by Katherine Lynn. Students will learn to cast-on, the knit stitch, the purl stitch, slip stitches, ribbing, binding off and weaving in ends.

Supplies needed for the class are US #6 (4mm) knitting needles, 100grams of DK-weight yarn (which needs to be purchased from Wasatch and Wool), lockable stitch markers, and a tapestry needle.

********

Help Sessions with Susan

Wednesdays from 11am-2pm. (No session February 19th.)

$25 fee per session
Or free if your yarn was purchased from Wasatch and Wool. 

Join us Wednesday mornings at 10am for our Sit and Stitch and the first Tuesday of the month from 5-7pm for Prosecco and Purls.

There is no charge, but we request that you use yarn purchased from Wasatch and Wool.

We love when visitors drop by for our knitting get-togethers. If you are working on a project from home, let us help you find a souvenir that you can bring back from your trip to Park City.

Happy Knitting and Crocheting,
Margaux