Big Twist Yarn Now Available at Michaels

It’s been quite the year for lovers of Big Twist yarn (I’m one of them; it’s one of my favorites for using in a circular knitting machine). First Joann stores, which was the exclusive carrier of the yarn, filed for bankruptcy, then it announced the company was for sale, it sold to a liquidator and all the stores closed.

Then craft retailer Herrschners said it would distribute Big Twist, and it does still have a variety of Big Twist yarns available. I’m not sure if these are closeouts left over from Joann or new product.

Back in June, Michaels announced it had acquired the intellectual property of Joann including Big Twist yarn. And now they are selling Big Twist yarns in stores and online.

Currently it looks like they have the regular Big Twist Value and Value + (which is more than a pound of yarn in one skein), as well as Big Twist Twinkle. The site says that Loops & Threads Posh Purl is standing in for Big Twist Posh, and Cozy Cub is their substitute for Baby Bear. I never used these yarns so I don’t know if they are comparable. If you’ve got intel on that let me know!

Speaking of yarn, Michaels has expanded yarn and fabric selection in around 800 of its stores and promises more soon. The store closest to me (an hour away, though we’re getting one closer later this month!) doesn’t have fabric and the yarn when I was there last month was underwhelming. When I can see an expanded yarn selection I’ll let you know.

Hopefully this ends the saga of Big Twist yarn, and they will be introducing more of the other lines that Joann carried over time. (Hereschners, for instance, has more multicolored yarns in the Big Twist line.)

Are you excited to see Big Twist back? Have another favorite in the line you wish they’d revive? Have you seen a change in your local Michaels to carry more yarn? Let’s talk about it!

[Photo via Michaels]

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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