Yarn Craft
I've got the world on a string
I'm sitting on a rainbow
Got that string around my finger
What a world, what a life - I'm in love
Abigail looks good in the hat and the hat looks good on her. She knit it with a madder dyed yarn on circular needles. World On A String might well be the knitter's song.
I've got a song that I sing
And I can make the rain go
Any time I move my finger
Lucky me, cant you see - I'm in love
Life's a wonderful thing
As long as I've got that string
I'd be a silly so-and-so
If I should ever let you go
Music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Ted Koehler, 1932. Frank Sinatra recorded the song in 1952. It reached number 14 on the Billboard chart.
I've got the world on a string
I'm sitting on the rainbow
I've got that string around my finger
Oh, What a world, what a life - I'm in love
Need help with your hat? Come by the stand Saturday and ask Abigail about knitting with circular needles.
I was at the stand when Rachel came by to get another skein of natural worsted to finish the cabled scarf she's working on. "It's so soft," she said; we can thank the sheep for that. The pattern from Smariek Knits is called the Regina Cable and Bobble Scarf; we can thank Rachel for showing us her lovely work.
Sara and her farm are our winter neighbors in Union Square. I'm always flattered when a fellow farmer trades here and look at the hat she knit from the wool.
If the truth be told, I don't shop at every stand in the market but I do have my vices; Hawthorne Valley sells one of them: a "Luscious Lemon Cupcake" made with corn meal and frosted with a sugared quark that will teach you how to read and write Dutch by the 2nd bite. And it's biodynamic too.
It's not Dancing with the Stars, but you might be a feature of the Knitter's Slideshow; take a look.
Cheryl has knit a lovely scarf from a subtle indigo over a light cochineal; and below, her second scarf is knit from a more robust indigo yarn. Beautiful work—perhaps she can describe the stitch and tell us what size needles she used.
Daughter is a knitter
Laura knit Jen's coat from Ember yarn, both pictured here with Lukas, son & grandson.
"The design is based on The Einstein Coat in Book 1: The Knit Stitch, by Sally Melville. (available on Amazon) However, I modified the length, position of waist, shape of sleeves, shoulder width and collar shape per Jen’s wishes. Essentially, a customization of the basic design...(the coat) accumulated many air miles as I commuted weekly to my project in Houston.The folks at Downtown Yarns on Ave. A had turned me on to the Denise knitting needles (flexible with interchangeable size so I could knit in my coach seat without jabbing anyone."_ Laura Heinrich.
See how we dyed Ember in Natural Dye Workshop 7 and find the pattern reference on the Yarn Craft page. Thanks Laura, thanks Jen.
"This beret pattern is called Urchin by Ysolda Teague. Ysolda is gorgeous and her patterns are whimsical. The yarn was a holiday gift from my roommate Ruchi; a hand-dyed bulky merino from Catskill Merino at the Union Square Greenmarket. Its rustic quality made it a good candidate for this beret, and because I only had one skein of it, it was at the top of the list. As expected, I didn't get gauge, so I cast on 26 stitches (effectively, an XL) and I was able to easily modify as necessary (Just did everything recommended for the large size +1). Though I only did six repeats and reinforced the headband with elastic, I wish I had only done five repeats instead because then I would have gotten a more pronounced shape." Chloe at Corazón de Fuego
Needles Size 11 Susan Bates Ones
Yarn Mystery (Catskill Merino) hand-dyed bulky merino (indigo) from the Union Square Greenmarket.
From Moira & Obbie—handmade vintage inspired clothing from recycled fibers—by Vanessa Filley
“My grandparents, Moira & Obbie, were the first people I knew who recycled. As a kid in the '70's I remember being taught to crush soup cans and collect compost. In many aspects of my life they have been a great inspiration, a font of creativity and inventiveness. When I began collecting old clothes, cutting them up, dyeing, screen-printing and quilt-patchworking things back together, they were a wonderful source of inspiration offering me their old sweaters, and memories of my great-grandmothers party dresses.
The work I create is from 95% reclaimed fibers which I deconstruct and then rebuild into something new taking inspiration from the story or use the item may have previously had to inform what it will become. Men’s business shirts become frilly blouses, extra large sweaters get felted and patch-worked into form fitting ‘swackets,’ discarded t-shirts change color and get quilted into to new fangled t’s, and old kitchen curtains become boho bags. All work is handcrafted and one of a kind.”
Vanessa uses Catskill Merino hand-dyed yarn around the thumbholes of her Flashdance Mittens. We are proud to be part of her marvelous play of fibers.
This girl came by the stand in Union Square and tried on a hat while her mom bought lamb chops for dinner.
"Here are a couple of pics of the hat I made from your yarn...It is really, really soft and not itchy at all. I think I could also supply you with this pattern, as it is a very old one and I do not think that there would be a copyright on it."
On Saturday David came by the stand to show us his hat knit with Naturally Hand-Dyed Yarn. He said he felt good knitting yarn that came from a shepherd and his sheep, rather than from a store. That's what farmers' markets are all about—connectedness—it's refreshing to see it take hold of people; and when he felt it, I felt it too, thanks David. These are the moments that make the world worth itself and more. I invited him to come up and help us shear the sheep on March 18th.
Hat & Scarf in Catskill Merino Gray Heather Yarn
Thank you for coming by and showing us your work Holly, Joe looks great. A hat in stockinette (alternating rows of knit and purl) will take one skein, but a cabled hat like Joe's will take more yarn. As a rule of thumb, a scarf will take 2-4 skeins depending on its length and width, and cables in the design will always take more yarn.
