Yarns at Yin Hoo - A Podcast About the Fiber Arts and Other Post Apocalyptic Skills

Episode 259

Since receiving my stenciled fabric from FiberTrek Sarah, I’ve been in a stitch trance. In this episode, I talk about starting my first Alabama Chanin-inspired

October 12, 20201 Min Reading

Episode 258

We went apple picking near Kerhonkson, NY. Determined to remember what we picked, I asked Samuel to photograph apples with their markers. The Cox Orange

October 5, 20202 Min Reading

Episode 257

It was an adventurous weekend, with crafting ups and downs, and a new pattern release. Thank you so much for joining me. Pictured here is

September 21, 20201 Min Reading

Episode 256

NEW DESIGN — COMING SEPTEMBER 20th! Deep in the Forest, a cowl in fingering OR worsted weight yarn, will be released with tiered pricing. This

September 14, 2020September 18, 20202 Min Reading

Episode 255

In anticipation of the hungry ghost moon, here is Episode 255 for your listening enjoyment. I talk about knitting projects, and some stitching. I also

August 31, 20202 Min Reading

Episode 254

PODIVERSARY! Seven years ago, I recorded Episode 1 of the Yarns at Yin Hoo podcast. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to make friends, learn new

August 16, 20202 Min Reading

Episode 253

In this episode, I talk about past, present and future makes, including the Seabright Swimmer from Friday Pattern Co. I also share the cake recipe

July 26, 2020July 28, 20203 Min Reading

Episode 252

In this episode I share the inspiration and creation of my most recent knitting design — the first in a collection inspired by Clarissa Pinkola

June 21, 20201 Min Reading

Arrows and Doorways

The design for this super-cozy cowl was inspired by textiles in a hotel lobby. Concentric geometric shapes kept playing in my mind until finally I was able to chart the pattern and get it onto my needles. The interplay of this chevron-like patterning has a mesmerizing effect–while you’re knitting and when you wear the finished accessory.

Knit up a cowl with yarn from your stash, adding some magical new mini-skeins from your advent calendar, or exchange leftover yarn with a friend. The design invites frequent color changes, and makes an ideal knit for the advent season. It could be just as striking knit with two high-contrast colors.

While most cowls of this type are seamed within a band of a single color, this pattern incorporates a technique called stranded donut grafting, an incredibly clever and completely seamless graft that allows you to maintain colorwork patterning so that your starting and ending rounds are undetectable. Really! With many possibilities for color play and a new technique to add to your skill set, this cowl pattern is really an opportunity for knitters to level-up!

NEW PATTERN DESIGN!

ONE DARK BLUE NIGHT

This hat is the third in a series of patterns inspired by teachings in Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run with the Wolves. This time, I drew inspiration from Estés’ retelling of a Japanese tale, Tsukina Waguma or “The Crescent Moon Bear,” in which a young woman travels to the cave of an incredibly intimidating and ferocious bear. She makes several journeys to the cave, leaving food and quickly retreating, until “one dark blue night,” she musters the courage to stand her ground and ask for what she seeks--one hair from a moon-shaped patch on the bear’s chest--which she is granted. The young woman returns, triumphant, to the old healer who has sent her on this quest. She believes this single hair is the magic ingredient in solving the problem that plagues her. She holds it forth, but the healer tosses the hair into the flames. The young woman is in despair until she realizes the true lesson of her quest: that using her determination, courage, and patience, as she did with the crescent moon bear, will help her to confront the challenge at hand.

The moon phase motif of this colorwork hat is meant to capture the magic of a dark blue night--when the moon shines brightly overhead, the frosty air sparkles with possibility, and we succeed in summoning accumulated wisdom from deep within ourselves so that we can apply it to our own healing. Choose colors to conjure a wintery night sky, or select a palette of your signature colors.

Available on Ravelry December 20th.