Learn What’s Up with Your Favorite Indies in One Place

I love supporting independent yarn makers, dyers and designers, but sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with all the different sites you’d need to visit (or mailing lists you’d need to be on) in order to keep up with your faves or to know when a great indie is having a sale or introducing a new product.

Enter Indie Untangled. This website aims to be a clearinghouse for independent yarn, notion and accessory makers, where they can post information and readers can learn about lots of different companies all in one spot.

The site has been live since the spring, and it has a marketplace where you can scroll through news or visit particular participating vendors. When I looked there were just over 50 vendors (and if you’re an indie you can apply to be a part of it).

The site also includes a blog with knitting tips, product updates and more. Looks like a great one to bookmark if you’re a fan of small makers!

[Photo via Indie Untangled.]

Next Pattern:

It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born.

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]

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