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Red State, Blue State, or Neither? “Vote” at Jimmy Beans Wool

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none of the above yarn jimmy beansJimmy Beans Wool is all about having fun while we create our knit goodies, and they’re getting into the election spirit with limited edition colorways of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted.

There’s blue state, red state, independent and none of the above. The first two are rather self-explanatory, with either red or blue and gray tones. The indie colorway is dominated by orange and green, while none of the above, which is probably my favorite from a color standpoint, is in shades of pink.

The skeins retail for $24.95 and are pig enough to make a pair of adult socks. Jimmy Beans is tallying the “votes” as people purchase different colors. Last time I checked blue state was in the lead. Which would you “vote” for?

[Photo via Jimmy Beans Wool.]

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Comments

  1. I have to say that I am a bit partial to Indie, but then None of the Above is great too!! BUT if I have to choose one I’ll go with Indie…sigh…like I need more yarn!! Ha ha!!

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Yarn Cozy Knitting Patterns

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a yarn cozy or yarn ball holder on the circular knitting machine, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. In the meantime, here are some yarn cozy knitting patterns you can make with knitting needles. Use yarn to hold you yarn!

In its simplest form, a yarn cozy is just a sleeve or a little basket that holds your yarn when you’re working with a center-pull ball so it doesn’t fall apart when you knit. The easiest ones I could find are from Love in Stitches KN, which has a regular size and a mini size. They’re worked with sock yarn and there are options for making them with ribbing, faux cables and with self-striping yarn.

For bigger cakes there’s a project called We call it the “bail holder” from Nicole LeBlanc. This pattern is available on Ravelry and you can use any yarn and make it any size you like. It features an I-cord edging that has a loop in it so you can thread they yarn through the loop to keep it extra contained as you knit.

Another large one that has a slightly fancier pattern is this one by Mareike Meye. You can use any yarn and any gauge, and slip stitch pattern worked in different colors on the sides makes it a little more fun and uses a bit more stash. A strap buttons across the top to hold the ball in place and you can add a buttonhole to the middle of the strap to thread the yarn through. Check this one out on Ravelry.

Adding lace to a yarn cozy makes it fit a wider variety of balls and expand or shrink a bit as needed. Jennifer Sugarman’s Ball Sack uses sock yarn and is made to hold sock yarn. It has the option of making I-cord or using ribbon or cord you already have to make a drawstring at the top. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Another lacy option is the yarn ball holder from Frugal Knitting Haus. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has an easy mesh lace pattern and an I-cord drawstring that’s sewn together at the ends so you could loop it over your wrist while you knit if you like. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Speaking of wrist yarn holders, I also found this one form Knituition. This one uses sport weight yarn and has a spiral rib pattern on the body. The strap is attached to the bag with D-rings, or you could make it a little longer and just sew it into the bag.