December 2019 Newsletter!
Happy December!
We got a nice snow storm that brought us a nice pile of snow! Here’s a picture of our house (and studio in the basement) after the storm!
We’ve been drinking a lot more tea in the studio, and the doggies have been lying by the heater more. Willow and I both feel like November just flew by and here we are, in December! As a tropical girl I prefer the heat, so I think I’ll be spending even more time in the pottery studio, which is super toasty warm thanks to an antiquated heating system which is just fine by me. Where else (other than the circus school) can you strip down to your tank top in the middle of winter? Here’s a picture of some clay jewelry I made which may find its way to the Round Mountain Fibers online shop… we shall see. I am still in search of the perfect clasps. To stay informed and see pretty photos like these, do follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Things got awfully busy during October, so I’ve been slacking in the Trivia Tuesday and giveaway departments. So again, if you’re not following us on social media, you might want to in order to enter these giveaways! We did have a really awesome giveaway recently, to debut the super cute Isabella Beanie by Yessy’s Designs. The pattern is available on our website here as well as on her own pages and on Ravelry. It calls for 1 skein of either of our Worsted Weight yarns. Use our Spruce Worsted for the pointy look, or our Willow Worsted for a nice slouch! Either way this super cute hat is guaranteed to be as fun to knit as it is to wear! We will be launching a kit for this hat in the coming weeks (we’re just waiting on our kit labels to get printed and shipped). So stay tuned for that!
Our Fan Club has been growing like crazy and we’re loving it! If you love the idea of helping to design a colorway and receiving a brand new, exclusive Fan Club colorway each month, you can sign up here. You can sign up for 3, 6 or 12 months commitments. These make awesome gifts too! If you do purchase a subscription for a friend or family member, just put your address in the billing spot, their address in the mailing spot, and mention in the comments that it is a gift. We will write your friend/family member and tell them about the gift, and explain how club works! You can make it anonymous or not, your choice!
Fan Club subscriptions are available in ALL of our bases, and you can also switch up your bases from month to month (as long as you email us before we start dyeing). Here’s what one of our Fan Club members had to say about our Alder Fingering base. If you haven’t tried it yet, you may want to! Here’s what she said:
Since joining the fan club, I’ve knitted two pairs of socks with the Alder Fingering base (80% Superwash Merino and 20% Nylon), and oh my goodness! They are so very soft and warm. This is yarn which I could wear around my neck, and I am SOLD!!! I’ll be using this for socks and shawls and wraps and held double for hats, too! I just couldn’t keep the lusciousness of the Alder Fingering base to myself! - Sharon J.
Here are some pattern recommendations for our Alder base!
Top Row (left to right): Magnolia Socks (photo by Helen Stewart), Sockhead Slouch Hat (photo by maniacjay), and curling Fern Shawl (photo by verybusymonkey).
Bottom row (left to right): Harlow Hat (photo by Andrea Mowry), constellate (photo by Hunter Hammersen), and Birds and Ships (photo by caitlin Hunter).
The Sockhead Hat, a classic, is perfect for showing off the natural pooling and striping of our Ornithology and Entomology colorways. Make it more elegant with one of our Botany colorways. Or use it to show off the pools and speckles of our Aquatic line! The Harlow hat is perfect for beginner brioche knitters! The Constellate Hat has a really pretty pattern, and is probably best in our semisolids, or a Botany colorway.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sockhead-slouch-hat
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/constellate
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/harlow-9
The Magnolia Socks are super pretty and delicate, and would also look best in a semisolid or Botany colorway so as not to distract from the very pretty pattern.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/magnolia-socks
The Birds and Ships cowl is perfect for our Alder base, as it is super soft and will feel great around the neck. This cowl looks fantastic in our Aquatic colorways as well as Botany colorways and semisolids. It would probably work well with a more muted Ornithology colorway as well.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/birds-and-ships
The curling fern shawl is entirely lace, disguised as cables! Another delicate beauty, it can be knit up in a variety of sizes, from one skein to more. I would, again, recommend a less busy colorway for this pattern, either Aquatic or Botanical, or a semisolid, to show off the lacework.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/curling-fern-shawl
Since December is often a time for gift giving, we would like to offer you a gift! Place an order of $100 or more this month, and we’ll send you a free 100g skein in the base of your choice! That’s a $30 retail value! Just be sure to let us know in the notes section of your order what base you’d like to receive!
Finally, here are December’s Club Colors! You can purchase them at the shops listed below each one!
December Ornithology club: Snow Bunting and Bunting Blush
Available for purchase at the following shops: Yarning for You, Nitro Knitters, Harriet and Alice, The Curious Crafter, Unwind Fiber Arts, Untangled Purls, Silk Road Textiles, Viola Jo Studio, FIBRE, Sethany Knits, Ewe-Nique Knits, Notion VT, and Chicks with Sticks (Stitching Memories).
December’s Entomology club: Silvery Blue Butterfly and Butterfly Blue.
Available for purchase at the following shops: Yarning for You, Nitro Knitters, Ewe-Nique Knits, Fancywork Yarn Shop, and FIBRE.
December’s Botany club: Lichen and Lichen Green.
Available for purchase at the following shops: Yarn Stash, Silk Road Textiles, Yesterday's Ewes, Unwind Fiber Arts, and Chicks with Sticks (Stitching Memories).
December’s Aquatic club: Sockeye Salmon and Salmon Belly.
Available for purchase at the following shops: Unwind Fiber Arts, Harriet and Alice, Yarning for You, Seattle Yarn, Cabled Fiber and Yarn, Nitro Knitters, McNeedles, FIBRE, Spinnin' Yarns, Untangled Purls, Seattle Yarn, Yesterdays Ewes, SethanyKnits, Stars Hollow Yarn, Mosaic Yarn Studio, Ewe-Nique Knits, Fuzzy Goat, Fancywork Yarn Shop, Makit Takit, and Norwich Knits.
Hugs and Happy Holidays,
Monica MacNeille