Yarns at Yin Hoo

Episode 299

Updates on my Rhinebeck sweater and coordinating skirt. Plus, en plein air “painting” with felt, my version of fig financiers and a poem by Jane

September 26, 2022September 26, 20222 Min Reading

Episode 298

A catch-up on finished projects and upcoming makes — including my Rhinebeck sweater. Plus, pollinators, recipes to savor summer, and a poem by Fatimah Asghar.

August 30, 2022September 2, 20221 Min Reading

This newly-completed Brise cardigan in 100% yak yarn is going with me everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. In this episode, I talk about felted landscape sketches in Provincetown, upcoming Slow Fashion classes at Yin Hoo studio, and a giveaway of brilliant fiber from Riot of Color. Plus, a poem by Major Jackson.

July 30, 2022July 30, 20221 Min Reading

Episode 296

In this episode, I talk about knitting Brise cardigan no.3 and sewing a blouse based on a commercially made top. There’s also exciting news about

July 8, 2022July 8, 20222 Min Reading

Episode 295

I’m knitting Brise cardigan no. 3 in beautiful lace weight yak yarn, thinking carefully about small modifications and sharing tips for picking up and knitting

June 12, 2022June 12, 20221 Min Reading

Episode 294

In this episode, I talk about projects I’ve been working on (and completing) this spring. There’s knitting, sewing, cooking, and a poem in celebration of

May 15, 2022May 15, 20221 Min Reading

Episode 293

In this episode, Marybeth and I reflect on our 100 days of wearing a wool.and dress and pairing it with hand sewn and hand knit garments from our wardrobes.

March 27, 2022March 27, 20221 Min Reading

Episode 292

In this episode, I catch listeners up on recent knitting projects, like my completed Baltian sweater. I’m contemplating patterns for summer tops. Plus, sustainable options for buying and recycling and a poem by Amy Gerstler.

March 12, 2022March 12, 20221 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.