Think Globally, Knit Locally

Plus, How do cables change the fit of your knitting? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Think Globally, Knit Locally Choose fiber thoughtfully, opt for natural and well-grown products as much as possible, and support local producers: three manageable goals for knitters and crocheters that will help fibersheds thrive. By: Carol J. Sulcoski

Take a quick walk through a grocery store and you'll immediately be hit with choices: organic, non-GMO, locally raised, free-range. . . . We've come a long way in thinking about what we eat and where it comes from. Rebecca Burgess, founder of the nonprofit organization Fibershed, is surely delighted that we have options when choosing what we put into our bodies. Her organization's mission is a bit different: to get people talking about what they put onto their bodies. Continue Reading

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE How Do Cables Change the Fit of Your Knitting? An experimental approach to yarn, gauge, and cabled fabric By: Katrina King

As a knitwear designer with a science background, I like to play with different elements to see what happens in a piece of fabric. The first time I added a cable to a basic sock pattern, I did not think about how it would affect the fit. Thankfully, adding a cable traveling up the leg of the sock did not change the circumference and fit greatly, but what would happen with a larger garment? How would the fit change if more cables were added or if they were taken away? I knitted some swatches to find out. In every experiment, there are conditions you can control and those you are trying to solve for. In being consistent with the ones I can control, the ones I cannot control can express themselves equally without outside interference. Continue Reading

Crafting Farm Yarn from Local Wool and Mohair Starting with a flock of sheep and goats, Flying Goat Farm has developed their own lines of farm yarn from their fibershed. By: Lisa Check

I used to be a city girl. Growing up on the West Coast, I had never even touched a goat or sheep. But when we moved east to Maryland, I saw an opportunity to buy a farm and to live my dream of having a couple of Angora goats. I wanted the goats so I could spin their fiber, and because they are so cute! Continue Reading

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SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE A Shepherd-Knitter Cross Breaking out of the breed-specific mold, some shepherds crossbreed for the variety of traits they want in a fleece and yarn. Continue reading.

A Knitter's Guide to Crossbred Wool Yarns What should you do with your intriguing new skeins of farm-grown yarn? After developing a line of yarns from her own flock, the author and shepherd has some good advice. Continue reading.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Welcome to the Sheep Barn Whether you're roaming the barns at a fiber festival or trying to make sense of a yarn label, understanding what fleece you'll get from different breeds of sheep will help you have a happy knitting experience. Continue reading.

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