Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Buy A Share in a Flock of Yarn

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Ok, so maybe sheep and goats should not be reffered to as “Walking Yarn” but anyone addicted to yarns will know how I feel.

Dreamend of owning your own yarn supply? But Don’t have room for some “Walking Yarn” in your back yard? then this just might be the answer.

Martha’s vineyard fiber farm is selling shares in their flock.
You can purchase a share of the Spring 2008 clip and they take care of all the fun stuff like shoveling shi* and tending to the need of the “walking yarn” animals.

Here’s How it Works

When you purchase a share in the CSA you are investing in the Spring 2008 “yarn harvest”. You’ll receive an shareholders certificate, weekly email updates on what’s going on around the farm and an invitation to the Shearing Day Celebration.
After shearing, you’ll receive your share of the harvest. The number of skeins, yaradage, etc., will depend on the size of the clip . You can chose to take all of your share in one kind of yarn or receive a sampler with some of each of the yarns they produce, including mohair, kid mohair, Cormo and Cotswold.

How much does a share cost? it is $100 per share. For more details visit the website

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]