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.]

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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