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Schaefer Yarn Set to Close

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schaefer yarn nancyI feel like I have nothing but bad news for you this week (and this is not the end of it, unfortunately) but word on the Web is that Schaefer Yarn Company, based in Interlocken, N.Y., is going to close after 33 years in the business. Owner Cheryl Schaefer is retiring and closing up shop effective the end of this year. She is apparently not interested in selling the business, which has produced lovely handpainted yarns in beautiful colorways named for powerful and influential women (new colors for 2012-13 include Janis Joplin and Josephine Baker, among others).

These yarns are still available from local yarn stores and online, but no more will be produced, so if you want some you better order it now!

I used some of the yarn in my first book and really enjoyed it. I always thought it would be kind of fun to knit a sweater in the funky Nancy, a thick and thin textured yarn. My journalism background tells me I should want the Nellie Bly colorway, but I love the softer look of Elizabeth Zimmermann. But the bright colors of Janis Joplin are pretty great, too. Guess I should make up my mind quick!

I’m so sorry to see this business go and I hope you’ll take a chance to check this yarn out while it is still available.

 

Comments

  1. Sad when a business that could carry on isn’t allowed to do so. Wonder why she doesn’t want to sell?

    Do share with us when you knit up your sweater!!!

  2. Goodbye and good riddance!

    Their yarns looked good on the skein but were nothing special when worked. Rip off.

Have you read?

Knit Little Fish to Use Your Yarn Scraps

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out. 

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs. 

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make. 

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color. 

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash. 

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail). 

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs. 

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]