Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Classic Elite Yarns Closing its Doors

by

classic elite yarns closingWe hear a lot these days about local yarn shops closing their doors, but less often do big players — or what we think of as big players, anyway — in the yarn industry shut down.

But that’s what’s happening soon with Classic Elite Yarns, which announced on its blog that it will be “closing its doors in the very near future.”

Their post doesn’t provide a lot of detail on the why, but one of the company’s first creative directors, Kristin Nicholas, explained on her blog that the yarn industry is a tough business to be in and no one really knows what is going on behind the scenes (which she learned when she saw what was behind all those glossy back-cover ads on the major knitting magazines).

I agree with her about many of the factors that make things hard for yarn companies these days, from the aforementioned closure of local yarn shops to the proliferation of small-scale yarn producers able to reach customers online and at shows. And there will always be people who only buy the bargain yarns from the big-box stores. And running a company with employees, production and distribution will always be hard and expensive.

I’m sad to see Classic Elite go. They have made some great yarns through the years. I’m actually working on a project with one of their yarns now. I love the sentiment from company president Betsy Perry, who said:

I am proud of what we did for all these years. Classic Elite Yarns will live on – on your needles or in your stash, as finished pieces, on Ravelry, and yes, for a while anyway, in shops. But as it fades away, be sure you do your best to enjoy the craft and do your best to support those who bring you the fibers and designs we all love.

Did you use Classic Elite Yarns? I’d love to know about your favorites.

Comments

  1. I have to admit, this is the first I’d heard that CEY was closing. That’s actually really sad! But, they’ll live on in my stash for a while yet! I’ve loved their yarn and stashed quite a bit of it. 🙂

Have you read?

Knitting Machine Scarves with a Fun Twist

One of my favorite things to make on a circular knitting machine is scarves, because they’re a great way to use leftover yarn and certainly faster than knitting by hand. 

But if you pay attention to the colors you’re using and how you are using them, you can make fun knitting machine scarves that look like something different when you roll them up. 

One of the first versions of this I saw was the sushi scarf, are there are a lot of variations on this one. For example this one from Flower and Anchor that uses five colors of yarn, or this one from Three Threads NE that uses four. These generally are made to look like California rolls, but you could change up the colors to make them different things if you like. Just make sure the outside of the “roll” is black or green to indicate the nori. I found another version on Pinterest if you’re looking for a free pattern, but there’s no image of it rolled up. 

Another popular variation is making a scarf that rolls up to look like a mug with coffee, tea or another fun beverage inside. This collection of three mug scarf circular knitting machine patterns from Idaho Cottage Creation includes green tea, a pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream and a candy cane colored confection (which honestly reminds me of the Grinch since it has a green mug!). Again you can change the colors of the mug part and the drink part. The little handle looks like it’s crocheted on these, and it doubles as a loop you can thread the scarf end through when you wear it.

Again there’s a version of the green tea scarf on Pinterest with crocheted elements. I also found a latte done with a striped yarn and a red mug that’s pretty cute and gives you an idea what a different beverage would look like. 

I also love this pumpkin pie scarf designed by Jodi Favish Saunier. It has a bit of crocheted edging to give it a fancy crust but you can omit that if you don’t crochet. These are all on Facebook but she also has a watermelon and lemonade pattern that are super cute.