Wait, keep reading, this isn’t about politics
by Christine Weiss

So there is a grand debate at the knit shop about what needles to use when one gets into projects that are too small for any standard circular needles. If you know me, you know I prefer DPNs or double pointed needles. However, I have lifted my resistance and tried the two-needle method and the magic loop and I even bought a teeny tiny US1 9inch circular. I have come to understand why people choose each of these. I can now utilize each of these and I have made at least one project, ok only one, with each. 

There are places where I may reach for the other options. The two needle method seems a good idea to me for sleeves. I am not entirely sure why, but having less rigid needles with points on them near a sweater makes things go smoother and less snagging when turning your project. The magic loop is still my least favorite, but it is more straightforward with less loose stuff hanging around as with the two needles and it requires less equipment. I found these most useful for the toes of socks. The 9inch circulars are a challenge, but great for an airplane when you are not wanting to drop stuff, and have less room around you. I think people with smaller, younger, and agile hands could use these more than I do.  

The DPNs sort of tick all the boxes for me and I am just comfortable using them. I learned to knit on DPNs with campfire socks (cuff down) and I have great memories of that. My grandmother used DPNs because circulars did not  exist. I suspect, if she had had a choice, she would have adopted another method if it made her life easier and better.  I have noticed with our customers that your needle choice seems to depend on who taught you to knit as much as the way you knit does (continental or english style, or something in between). So DPNs work for me, I will keep those front and center, recognizing in the end I did not actually change my mind, I expanded my mind. I have a better appreciation and understanding that the method people choose for knitting their projects is personal, has backstory and is valid. Oops, maybe I am talking politics.

Our YDT 2025 patterns go hand in hand with fall sports season. Every year I pack my car with 4 seasons worth of wardrobe changes for every soccer and football game. This year I’ll be adding our Yarn Discovery patterns, the Laceleaf Cowl and Cowltopus, to that collection- no time for idle hands even at the games.
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I am particularly happy about our two patterns this tour. Both designers present unique and modern designs that are accessible for most levels. We paired the patterns with yarn from Spun Right Round and will have them available at The Artful Yarn during the entire Yarn Discovery Tour beginning September 2nd. 

Haley, the crochet designer behind Haley Handcrafted, has a collection of unique crochet patterns, from modern yet cozy garments and accessories, to fun home decor. 

Her love for using basic crochet stitches in unique ways inspired the Laceleaf Cowl. The textured stitching used in this cowl give it warmth and comfort, while the open stitches give it drape and wearability. 

The Cowltopus by Laura Nelkin has a whimsical feel of it. The combination of striping yarns, cables, and the transition from hood to cowl where you choose your own adventure and proceed with brioche or 2x2 ribbing with stripes make this pattern a fun, quick knit. And when the end of season hits it’ll be the perfect accessory at all the games. 

by Christine Weiss

As we do, many of us find a month here and there where we go back to projects that need our attention. I did this once my family abandoned me post July 4th. Here are my notes:

Of Course I Did Not Quit
A few months ago I blogged about my failed experiments with indigo vat dyeing. I had thrown in the towel. But I took it back out again because I was not about to allow nine 100g skeins of pure 100% organic merino fingering weight yarn be ruined. I put my thinking cap on and threw all that I had learned from plant dyeing over the years right at those skeins.

Here is what happened. Five of them I put in vinegar because all the (wrong) blogs about home dyeing tell you to do that, even though I know it is not a good answer to my problem and would very likely cause more issues. Surprise (not), it shifted colors. The happy part is that some green popped out (you know, yellow and green make blue), the unhappy part a lot of dull yellow came out in some of them. So I pulled three of these and because I had added a tiny bit of madder in a pot with these I got some pretty pinky shades too and nice skeins. After soaking 7 of them in a cool bucket of Alum Sulfate for days (really too many), I pulled out the chafing dish and did some spot dyeing. This is much trickier with plant dyes than it is with acid dyes. Plant dyes just don’t get grabbed in the spots you want like acid dyes, they sort of seep in and wash into general locations of the yarn. So, knowing that, I used a very strong solution and was conservative where I placed it. I did sprinkle some dry ground sappenwood at the other end of the dish. I did not get the fun speckles so popular nowadays in hand dyed skeins, but I did get some results. I pulled three of these and washed and dried them. A few had some ugly brown splotches I was not fond of, so I took the remaining four and created a madder root dye pot into which I dipped the (ugly brown) ends of these skeins. I then washed and dried these. Looking at all of them, I am pleased. Not only are these much more colorfast than the original indigo skeins, they are soft, colorful and retain the earthiness that characterizes plant based dyes, and have some character. You know, skeins people would actually use.

​Another note about indigo. I had been told that one can also get blues with a plant called false indigo or wild indigo. Apparently Americans native to this land had used it to achieve various color results for weaving and cloth making. I found next to nothing about using this plant in my dye books nor on the internet. But I had a lot of it, so I gave it a try. I got yellow. It was pretty, but there are a lot of ways to get yellow and most require less work. I will keep my eye out for successful results by others, but this one will be left in the garden.

Revisiting Adventure Calendar Minis (and other minis you may have in your stash)
Until recently, I was never a mini person. But, I have a number of mini skeins that I dyed for the ADVENTure Calendar at the store this year and with these, I am getting ready to embark on another crazy intricate crochet blanket.  As I wind and prep them, I am always thinking of other ways they can be used. Lo and behold into my inbox came Laine’s new pattern for a scrap yarn project called The Colour As You Go scarf. Basically you hold your beloved minis with mohair or something similar like alpaca silk and knit small squares choosing your colors as you go and attaching them to each other working in the ends so you don’t have to do this at the end (can you imagine?). As we are not all that far from the Great Yarn Discovery Tour 2025, and some of us are stash busting in preparation, I thought you may want to check that pattern out for your current mini collection (it is in their book and on Ravelry). If you don’t have a mini stash this type of pattern may be just the answer when you grab some of those beautiful minis calling to you on the tour even though you don’t have a clear plan. (Oh, I would never do that…) 

​My sister used her minis all up. Here is her finished crochet scarf/wrap from the ADVENTure calendar. I really like it. I had finished one section, but never completed the whole thing. Now that I see hers, I will have to. She likes that, even as it folds on itself, you can see the circle shapes. So even though I really am a full skein kind of gal, having dyed minis, knitted minis and crocheted minis I may just have to keep them in my minds eye as I shop in September. But for now - August.

​By Erin Witschey

Almost two years ago I started my first real sweater--the Rainbows in the Gorge with Wonderlands Yarn rainbow gradient set. It took me about 9 months start to finish and it is probably one of my favorite projects ever. Since then, I've made several other sweaters and while I was content to "one and done" the Rainbows in the Gorge. I've been working on making multiples of all the sweaters I have made since then

I liked these patterns and found other yarn that I thought would be fantastic for it. Like the Luminos tee. After I made the first, I liked it so much, we had a class for it. And when we had the trunk show with Cornbread and Honey, they had a colorway--Alabama Foliage--that I thought would be fantastic in it. Similarly, the shop hosted a Spun Right Round trunk show and I loved their Neon Nectar sample pattern and how it turned out with the Beachball colorway I got from the show. I ordered Squish DK in Storm from that show and I'm about a third of the way through a second tee. This year, I also knit the Allure Camisole with Emma's Super Silky in Lucky Charms. It's a simple but great pattern to keep my hands busy when on virtual meetings. Given that, I started another with Laughing Cat Fibers in their Kamala colorway, but this time I adjusted the pattern to start from the top down with an icord and only two triangles instead of four to turn it into a halter top. So far it's turning out great and I'm hoping will be a single skein project. 

The pattern I've remade and plan to remake the most is the Boneyard Sweethearts pattern by Tellybeans. This was my second sweater and while I loved the colors I used in Woolstok, I wanted a better fit. So I re-worked the yoke with Pacific Knits doodle dinosaur patterns and knit it again with Malabrigo scraps for the dinosaur colors and loved these results. Then the store brought in this gorgeous dark blue Rios and all I could think about was a snowflake sweater so I reworked the yoke again and knit the sweater a third time. This is probably my favorite of the three. I have the yarn to knit a fourth (and maybe final) one of this sweater with Malabrigo and with the original skeletons. 

So this past year has not only been the year of the sweater for me. It's also really been the year of the re-knit. The yarns inspired it!

I am in the midst of experiment dyeing with an indigo vat. This is a bucket that has ground indigo (in my case) fructose and calcium chloride, heated, that then sat for a few days fermenting and which I can now use. As I look back at previous blogs, “its not hard its new” and “ a thing worth doing is worth doing so-so,” I appreciate the sentiments.

The vat was not difficult to put together, but I did have to gather supplies from various vendors. Bucket, bucket warmer, the ingredients, the yarn all wetted and warmed, and my giant stirring stick. And once heated and aged it wasn’t quite balanced so I added more fructose and so on. Then I got my 12 skeins of yarn and dipped, dipped again and again, until I got my blues. But they just wouldn’t set. So now I have blue skeins and blue hands.

I took a few skeins and put them in chafing dishes and added some more colors. The results, meh. I soaked them in vinegar to set the dyes, but of course that alters the plant dyes. So several are sort of blue with splotches of mud color. I am going to use the rest of the vat to try a shibori dye on a table cloth I have. Hopefully it will go better. So far, although I love the blues I am getting, I am underwhelmed by the potential for dyeing yarn that won’t bleed. Others have done it. I have lots of stuff to try with, but for now I will consider it an experiment failed. I guess I am singing the blues. Next time I will mordant the yarn and maybe it will help getting the additional colors to stick and I can get some more interesting skeins. 

Stay tuned!
Christine Weiss, The Darling Yarn Company & Shop Staff Member

By Randi Russell

If you’ve ever thought of knitting as something reserved for grandmas in rocking chairs or folks preparing for the next big “scarf season,” it’s time to unravel that stereotype. Knitting is not just a wholesome hobby - it’s also surprisingly good for your mental health. So grab your needles (or someone else’s if you’re new here), and let’s stitch together the delightful, fuzzy truth about why knitting is basically yoga in yarn form.

1. It’s Basically Meditation With Bonus Sweaters
Let’s face it - sitting still and meditating can feel like trying to herd cats on a caffeine binge. Enter knitting: the repetitive, rhythmic motions of knit-purl-knit-purl are a sneaky form of mindfulness. Your brain gets into a flow state, like a spa day for your neurons. Except you leave with something wearable instead of just inner peace (although you get that too).

2. Stress? What Stress?
Knitting is like a soft, yarn-based stress ball. The act of creating something, stitch by stitch, is calming and grounding. That rising wave of “What am I doing with my life?” gets gently replaced with “Look, I made a hat!” It’s hard to panic when your hands are busy making something squishy.

3. Anxiety Can’t Hold a Needle
When your brain is doing the mental equivalent of 32 browser tabs open (and one of them is playing music but you can’t find which), knitting swoops in like a woolen superhero. Focusing on a pattern keeps your thoughts from spinning out. You’re too busy counting stitches and trying to remember where you left your cable needle to spiral into existential dread.

4. Productivity, But Make It Cozy
There’s something magical about turning a ball of yarn into a tangible thing. Unlike cleaning the house (which tragically never stays done), a finished scarf stays finished. That sense of achievement gives your self-esteem a warm little boost - much like the socks you just made.

5. Community, Not Competition
Knitting circles are like book clubs, but everyone’s hands are busy and no one judges you for not reading the book. Whether it’s a weekly group, a local yarn shop hangout, or just sharing your latest project on social media, knitting comes with a built-in community of enthusiastic, often hilariously passionate people who love a good fiber pun and are willing to cheer you on when your sweater sleeve goes rogue.

6. It’s Okay to Drop a Stitch - And That’s a Life Lesson
Knitting teaches you that mistakes are part of the process. Drop a stitch? No biggie. Tangle your yarn into a spaghetti mess? Happens to the best of us. It’s a gentle reminder that life, like knitting, isn’t about perfection. It’s about patience, creativity, and knowing that you can always frog it and start again.

Final Thread
Knitting might not be a replacement for therapy, but it’s definitely a mental health power-up. It’s portable, it’s productive, and it makes your brain (and your hands) feel good. So the next time the world feels a little too much, just remember: when in doubt, knit it out.

And if anyone asks why you’re carrying a giant bag of yarn around? Just tell them it’s for your mental health. Because it totally is.

Now go forth and purl with purpose.

​By Linda Schaefer

I have been in a bit of a knitting slump over the past couple of months. Although I haven't stopped knitting, my outcomes have been underwhelming. In moments when I can be kind to myself, I realize that my focus is compromised by the stresses that plague us all at some time or another: family issues, world issues, personal issues. 

At one point I announced that I was going to knit no more this year. The idea of tossing all of my unsuccessful projects onto a blazing bonfire seemed reasonable. In calmer moments I pictured myself boxing up all of my yarn and donating it to delighted recipients to be knit and crocheted into blankets and hats and scarves for those in need. Imagining my once overflowing closets now empty was somewhat calming.

But once the dramatic wave subsided, I took a gentler look at the situation. Was I disappointed that a pattern I really liked and had worked on for months didn't fit? Yes, I was. Was I frustrated with the fact that I'd believed I'd done the preliminary work before starting the project and it still wasn't right? You bet I was. Did I promise myself that I'd do the math more carefully next time? Ask Jennifer. While all of those things were true, another reality crept into my consciousness: though I considered myself a failure, I had to admit that I'd learned a lot.

Even though the main project I'd been working on was eventually unraveled, the beautiful yarn relegated to a box to be dealt with in the future, I conquered several techniques that I thought would be out of my wheelhouse and created new neural pathways, something I celebrate. I learned how to do the Italian or tubular bind off and now love the process. I learned how to do an Italian cast on, concentrating hard and starting over again and again and finally working it out and enjoying the finished look. I learned how to attach a double knit placket and a new way to do buttonholes at the same time, which created a beautiful design and professional finish to the piece. 

My father used to say "What's worth doing is worth doing so-so." To me that means that there is value in attempting to do things that you may not ultimately be proficient in because otherwise you mightn't try anything new at all. Worrying about not doing something perfectly, or even well, robs us of learning new things that we might enjoy doing just so-so. This adage certainly rang true upon my evaluation of my knitting. So-so is fine. Mistakes are fine, because in fact they are lessons, and we can all stand to learn new things. 

Shop Owner, Tiffany Perry, was live on New Day Cleveland in January to talk about The Artful Yarn, her creative journey, love of  yarn and helping other people realize their crafting dreams! Here's the link. We thought she was amazing and did an awesome job on-air!

Behold My Humble Library
by Christine Weiss

I kid you not that 10 of the 14 rooms in my house, hold some part of my personal library.
The dedicated shelves contain books on politics, religion, art, travel and history. There are cookbooks, how-to books, fiction books, children's picture books and alas knitting and crocheting pattern books! I love my pattern books. There have been a lot of beautiful books published in this genre in recent years. We seem to be in a bit of a renaissance time for knitting and crochet books and I couldn’t be happier. We are so used to the visually outstanding cookbook, and now we have the visually outstanding crafting book. These bound volumes are tastefully done, many are hardbound and some even have fabric case cloth and liners. Some are done as sleek little handbooks to keep in your bag. Others are multi volume periodicals that you can collect. But all use visuals to inspire, explain, entice!  The photos are relevant and inviting and the text offers so much more than simple recipes for stuff. Our pattern writers are now sharing their stories or the stories of their inspiration. 

A few of my favorite books have stories about various animals with accompanying patterns, stories about the animals from which wools were shorn, and even hand drawings of said animals. Others have hand drawings of places and seasons that led to the imagined finished products of included patterns. I have come to enjoy the journey of my fellow fiber artist and I am really pleased they have found such artful ways to share. 

So even though my books are filled with things I want and plan to make, they are so much more. I can curl up on the couch and read, anticipating what yarns I may choose and how I will approach my project. I can see and understand new perspectives on designs by artists I never knew and now love. I can even see, sometimes, a few cracks in the design thinking and maybe pass on a project or two.  These books  have brought me yet another way to engage with fiber, knitting, crocheting and accompanying crafts community. They help me find my place in this corner of the crafting community. This community is real, and bound, and not popping up on my social media to make me buy, buy, buy indiscriminately. These books add intentionality to my work and have tangible ways to allow me to share and discuss with my friends and colleagues the designs and designers pushing our craft forward. It is often, nowadays, when I enter a yarn store I go straight to the books. I am building my library with intention and am proud to support the hard work of my community when they produce a wonderful, eye-catching volume of good patterns, inspiration and just plain joy. 

Favorite yarn in the shop: Fable by West Yorkshire Spinners
Favorite non-yarn item in the shop: Patty Lyon's Knitting Bag of Tricks
What I am looking forward to: Heading to Ecuador for a bit to visit some birds in the jungle.