Yarn Tasting at the Hawaii State Library

My current plan is to have a short talk on the library collection of knit/crochet books and specific books particularly applicable for our climate, and then a quick review of the yarns. I haven't chosen and acquired all the yarns yet; Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton and Skinny Cotton, Cascade Eco Wool, Lana Knits Hemp for Knitting, and a seacell/silk blend are on the for-sure list, though.

Quick update:

"Come to the library for quick reviews of knitting and crocheting books in the library collection and a yarn-tasting! Sample bags will include mini-skeins of yarns good for tropical-weather garments as well as yarns good for use in felting and making warm garments and accessories for cold-climate friends, relatives, and charitable organizations. Feel free to bring a project to work on during the presentation, or to show off afterwards if you like. There will be a brief Q&A session if you have any questions about knitting/crocheting in Hawai'i. No how-to knit/crochet/spin lessons will be given at this event; reviews of instructional books, videos, and DVDs will be included in the presentation, though, and a handout of yarn shops and where you can take lessons will also be available."

Knitting on O'ahu (Honolulu Advertiser article)

If you are here because you read Karen Iwamoto's article in the Dec. 05 2008 Island Life section of the Honolulu Advertiser, um, hi! Karen did a great job interviewing me (she's very easy to spill your guts to - good thing I'm not in politics), and Rebecca Breyer, the photographer, did a great job too (and we even small-worlded it and figured out that she used to live in the same town in Wisconsin that one of my friends grew up in, and where I saw snow up close for the first time).

Links!
O'ahu has several yarn shops, and I know that there are shops on the island of Hawai'i (the "Big Island") and Maui. I've been maintaining a list of yarn shops and a list of craft stores that carry yarn; if I'm missing any, please let me know. The list of yarn shops in Hawai'i is also available as a free PDF download.

I like to hang out with the Aloha Knitters (and crocheters and spinners) on Thursday nights at Mocha Java (Ward Shopping Center, 7 - 9pm) Please join the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group for the most up-to-date information including when/where for Windward and Leeward meetings. It's free, open to all ages and skill levels, and it's fun!

Etsy is a fantastic online marketplace for handcrafts and handcrafters. I have a storefront there where I sell patterns in PDF format (you can also buy them as instant downloads if you use the links on the left sidebar of this page). Occasionally I sell finished items as well; if you really really really want a hat or scarf from one of my patterns but do not knit or crochet, you can check my Etsy Favorites for Etsy sellers who have finished items from my patterns, or use the Alchemy feature to find a crafter for hire. Etsy also has a Shop Local feature (Honolulu!) so you can find items from local crafters, like The Opalescence (handspun yarn and stitch markers) and Acornbud (project bags, stitch markers, and adorable stuffies like Snowball the Cat With a Christmas Hat).

Knitty is a free online magazine, edited by Amy Singer, with patterns, articles, and a forum. The Womb pattern was published in the Winter 2004 issue because Amy has got a sense of humor like mine; if you have any questions please check out the Womb FAQ first.

The Alt Fiber show (curated by the super-talented and always on-the-go Shannon Okey) took place at the Assemble gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, in January 2006.

The hats shown in the article were all knit using the Top-Down Ribbed Beanie Recipe, which you can download for free. It's easy to customize, and a great way to show off unusual yarns like the handspuns used for two of the hats in the photos.

Mobile Monster Piggy is in the Stitch 'N Bitch Nation book, edited by Debbie Stoller. You can find it in the craft section of most major bookstores, along with the original Stitch 'N Bitch, Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, and Son of Stitch 'N Bitch (featuring knit and crochet patterns for men).

The crochet Sushi Pillow pattern is in the book Get Hooked!, edited by Kim Werker. It is also available through many major bookstores.

The Rosetta flower hairclip is a crochet pattern in progress, as are the scarves seen in the photos (yep, there's a lot of crochet going on in the photos - it's okay, the yarn muggles generally can't tell the difference between knit and crochet and ultimately I don't think it matters. I love both.). Feel free to nudge me into getting those patterns formatted, photographed, and published...but know that I am really, really good at procrastinating.

Interested in learning to knit, crochet, and/or spin? Check out this post for Honolulu.

...and if you still need a reason, please read Page 197, or 10 Reasons To Knit a Sweater in Hawai'i.

Etsy: Recycling and Upcycling Yarn With Nikki Ross

Etsy Buy Handmade my7kids

left to right: Rainbow Trout and Twilight

Nikki Ross (my7kids on Etsy) hand-dyes yarns she recycles from sweaters when she isn't riding a motorcycle, roller-skating, or homeschooling her kids (she has 7 children and 2 grandchildren!) in the beautiful Smoky Mountain foothills. This 46-year old college graduate also bakes gourmet desserts, quilts, sews, reads, gardens, and knits. Nikki graciously took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about her Etsy shop and the yarns she recycles.

Nikki, when did you get started on Etsy?
I registered as a buyer in Feb. 2008 and started selling in May 2008.

What got you started on upcycling/recycling yarn and/or yarn materials?
I dabble in all kinds of crafts... I bake gourmet-style desserts, quilt, sew, read, garden, knit... I LOVE to knit.  I started exploring different fibers and was APPALLED at a couple things.  The first one was, the price of high-end fiber yarns!  With 6 kids still at home to feed and on 1 income, no WAY could I afford to indulge in mohair, cashmere, merino.  The second thing was, I came across a site on the internet, explaining how to re-use a sweater.  Like, Aunt Gladys gave you a darling knitted deer jumper... hmmm... what can you do with all that yarn?  I started noticing all the wonderful fibers hanging around the Goodwill and yard sales, disguised as sweaters.

Who/what inspires your work?
My husband of over 25 years, Richard, is always an inspiration and encouragement.  He lets me bounce ideas off him, inquires about what I am doing, how my sales are, whether my prices are competitive.  Also my kids are a terrific inspiration... because they haven't yet learned to fear judgment and failure, they come up with the BEST ideas.

How do you choose the themes for your yarns?
My oldest daughter (now married and a mom herself) is SO into literature... I guess she got that honestly... she suggests a literary work that we both love, with interesting characters and then there we are, on the phone talking about how this personality should be this color...  The next thing you know my stove is covered with dye pots, the air in my house is full of floating wool fibers from my swift spinning around and around with the latest sweater casualty, and my hands are multicolored and blistered from squeezing dye out of yarn...  LoL

left to right: "The Gruffalo" and "Early Dark"

What are your favorite parts of recycling/upcycling?
Hard to say if my favorite part is  "the Hunt" for suitable victims, or the actual unraveling, which is kind of soothing; or the coming up with ideas, or the dyeing, or seeing the end result, or being able to offer these wonderful, soft, luscious yarns at SO much less than they cost at the LYS.

But I kind of think it might be the coming up with ideas.  Because once I have an idea, the fiber takes on that character for me, and it is almost an obsession to get it into its yarn form and see it "come to life," dyed into beautiful new colors.

What are the most challenging things about recycling/upcycling?
The first most challenging thing is balancing what I want to do with yarn and on Etsy, with my time with the kids, their school, and order in our home.  It would be easy for me to just create, and neglect other things.  But I can't because the 2nd most challenging thing for me is space.  There are 8 of us living in a 1450 sq. ft. house and I have to make sure my creativity doesn't overtake us.  LoL!!

Oh and the 3rd challenge is, finding sweaters that have been gently cared for.  I recently took a trip and SO many of the sweaters I came across had been washed improperly, felted, etc.  It is a shame that we are so consumer-driven that we can treat what we have shoddily and then just cast it off and go buy more!

Anything else you'd like to add?
I am incredibly so thrilled to have found a marketplace like Etsy.  It is such a refreshing (and polite!) change from just anything else out there. For the remainder of 2008, all the profits from my Etsy listings (sales
less listing fees, CoMS, and mailing supplies) are going to the
building of a new Youth Center here in the Greater Knoxville area!

Etsy Buy Handmade my7kids

Etsy: Upcycling and Re-imagining yarn with M.K. Lawrie

Go into the average thrift store and what are you almost guaranteed to find? Lots and lots of t-shirts. What to do with all those t-shirts? In Chicago, 31-year old Mary K. Lawrie turns t-shirts into yarn, and has been selling on Etsy as mklawrie since January 2008. She cuts shirts with a single, continuous cut, with carefully handsewn joins, for a smooth, even yarn. Weights range from worsted to bulky to super bulky, with worsted weight being cut from the lighter, thinner t-shirts.

worsted weight t-shirt yarn

What got you started on upcycling/recycling yarn and/or yarn materials?

I started using recycled materials when I was in college in part because I was a poor art student, and recycled materials were free. However, the more I work with recycled materials the more aware I am about what else I can do to create more sustainable practices in my life and daily routines.

left to right: Super-Bulky Red, Super-Bulky Yellow-Orange, and Super-Bulky Black

What are your favorite parts of recycling/upcycling?

It's like a puzzle. I love the challenge of finding new ways to reuse things.

worsted weight t-shirt yarn



What are the most challenging things about recycling/upcycling?

Limitations. By that I mean both setting limits on how much stuff I can save to use later, and feeling limitations on what I can accomplish.

Etsy Buy Handmade mklawrie

Mary is planning to increase inventory and provide a wider selection in her Etsy shop (M.K. Lawrie), where you can also find cozy handknit hats and scarves.

All photos in this blog post are copyright Mary K. Lawrie and are used here with her permission.

Recycling and Upcycling Yarn: The Adventures of Cassie

'Vintage Gingham' hand-dyed recycled bulky yarn

23-year old Cassie is a full-time graduate student in Illinois who started selling on Etsy about a year and a half ago. Her shop, cassiemarie, features recycled, handdyed yarns and handspun yarns plied with recycled yarn.

What got you started on upcycling/recycling yarn and/or yarn materials?


I’ve always been ‘thrifty’ in a sense, recycling and reusing things has always been second nature. When I started knitting and crocheting, I would use yarn from the thrift store, or yarn that had been handed down to me from someone else. Eventually I started spinning in addition to knitting, and of course dyeing yarn was the next rational step. I started dyeing with kool-aid, and then I moved on to using acid dyes. I’ve been taking apart sweaters for yarn for about two years now, but haven’t started to sell it until recently. I’ve been dyeing and/or re-spinning the recycled yarn in order to give it a second life, and a chance at being something beautiful once more.

left: baby sweater knit with recycled yarn (based on the baby sweater pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, heavily modified); right:
Bold and Bulky Mini Cardi (pattern from the book Fitted Knits), knit with recycled yarn

Who/what inspires your work?


My grandmother Joanne first got me interested in crafting in general. She crochets and sews, and ever since I was a kid, she would teach me how to make crafts of all sorts. I remember her being so patient with me -- she would have me take mini sewing lessons, and take notes on how to thread the machine and so forth. I was always fascinated by how she could take a pile of plain looking fabric or yarn and turn it into something wonderful. She was also very thrifty, and whenever I would sleep over at my grandparents’ house on the weekends, she and I would wake up at the crack of dawn and go to garage sales.

Nowadays, I’m very inspired by the online community. Places like Etsy, Craftster, Ravelry, and Blogs are all excellent resources.

left to right: Cooties, The 80's, and Bleached Algae handdyed recycled yarns

What are your favorite parts of recycling/upcycling?


I really love the idea of taking something discarded or cast aside (sweaters) and rejuvenating it into something that is both useful and desirable. I also love the challenge of it all, and the ‘hunt’ to find the perfect sweaters to recycle. Most of all I love using the yarns I create, and seeing others use them as well!

What are the most challenging things about recycling/upcycling?


Like all things in my life – simply finding the time! I really enjoy spinning and dyeing, but I’m also a full time grad student, so I really have to make time to do it. Other than that, it has only been a positive experience!

You have such evocative names for your yarns - how do you come up with them?


I choose my yarn names with a lot of care. I don't come up with them until they are fully dyed and dried, and then I think about what the colors remind me of. So many colors in our lives are associated with certain moments. One of my favorites is the "vintage gingham" yarn, I specifically remember those colors being on a tablecloth that someone in my family owned. It may help that I'm a painter in 'real life,' and that my vocabulary for color is fairly wide. Painting and naming yarns is similar in many ways to painting and naming artwork.

Etsy Buy Handmade cassiemarie

Future plans for the cassiemarie Etsy shop include listing larger ‘lots’ of yarn, vegan yarns, and knitted items. You can see more of Cassie’s work on Craftster and Ravelry (username cassiemarie), as well as on her blog, The Adventures of Cassie.Cassie's paintings can be seen at cassiechristenson.com.
all photos in this post are copyright Cassie Christenson and are used here with her permission.