So much fun your head might explode

I’m spending the whole day this coming Saturday at Loop Yarn, in Philadelphia, and we’ve got all sorts of fun stuff planned. Start out by taking my class, “Making Friends with your Handpaints.” If you’ve ever wondered why handpaints pool and what you can do about it, this is the class for you. We’ll talk about how handpaints are made; dabble in some color theory; learn about dividing handpaints into three categories to make them easier to work with; discuss why handpainted yarns so often pool, and tips for minimizing the pooling; we’ll even talk a little bit about intentional pooling, how you can harness the power of a handpainted yarn to make patterns instead of random pooling of colors.

In the afternoon, I’m giving a one-hour talk on sock yarns. If you’ve ever wondered how to pick from among the many types of sock yarns out there, the pros and cons of various fibers in sock yarns, how a plied yarn differs from a single, and how self-striping yarns work, you’ll want to come to this lecture. We’ll have fun and you’ll learn some good stuff, too.

Of course, there will be Black Bunny Fibers yarn!  I’m introducing a brand-new base, Bartram, that will be available exclusively at Loop — nowhere else on the planet. I’ve got about 30 skeins dyed up already and I can’t wait for you to see the supersoft, cushy merino yarn. Takes the dye beautifully!

I’ve also been playing around with some other yarns. Take a look at these:

I’ve handdyed some Lana Vida Hannah (above) — a lush blend of merino, baby alpaca and cashmere in a worsted weight, with over 200 yards per hank.

I’ve got some other sock yarns to bring in, too, including some Plush with Silk, a plump 80% merino/20% silk blend, and some blue-faced leicester blend sock yarn, too. And my amazing graphic designer just created these knockout labels for my yarns:

We’re having a cold winter, so it’s the perfect time to treat yourself to some handpainted yarn — and maybe take a class or lecture, to learn more about what to do with your beautiful yarns. Then go home and knit like the wind while you watch the Olympics.

All the details you need can be found on Loop’s blog, here. See you then!