Snuggly Sock Preview

I know!  Gorgeous work knit by the magical and intrepid Colleen, Wonder Assistant.  She always makes my patterns look good.  (That's Colleen's foot in the photo.  Unless you're looking at this on your phone, it's probably close to actual size.  Her feet are tiny!)

This is the Gift Knit Kit Club pattern for February, Snuggly Socks.  Sized for both men and women, it is made from the incomparable Mountain Colors Yarn, Crazyfoot.  It's a very cozy sock in colors that can only come from Mountain Colors.  I love the way they blend!  It's an easy knit, but due to the yarn and the pattern, looks harder than it is.  It will definitely elicit comments of, "I can't believe you made these!"  If you choose to give them away, be sure to make another pair for yourself.

More beautiful Mountain Colors yarn in
in my Elk Mittens pattern.

I'd like to shout out once again to the lovely ladies at Mountain Colors, led by founders Leslie Taylor and Diane McKay.  It is a nearly all female workforce, and every part of the process at Mountain Colors is done by hand.  (I know.  I've been there and seen it myself.)  The yarns are terrific quality, and the colors take my breath away.  Thanks for all you do.

Like last month's gloves, the yarn alone for the socks costs more than the club members are paying for the yarn and the pattern,  (In my LYS, $26 plus tax for the yarn vs. $26 no tax for the club) and it gets delivered right to your door.  How cool is that?

Wishing you could get the pattern for yourself?  All club patterns will be released for sale 90 days after the club members recieve their kits.  Just wishing you could have the yarn? (I'm only slightly offended.)  Call your LYS and see if they carry it, as the colorways are truly magical in person.  They are available on line (at somewhat discounted prices) through Paradise Fibers.  Seriously, though, check the LYS first.  No computer monitor can show you these colors like they really look.  And we need to support our local knitting communities.

Mountain Colors Yarn

It's Thursday, and I'm back at home now.  I spent the night in DC due to poor weather and subsequent flight cancellations.  Yuck...  I would love to visit DC when I've PLANNED to, but not as a beleaguered traveller in a monsoon. 



The Sign at the Highway

 I promised photos of Mountain Colors Yarn dyeworks, so here they are. 

This is the sign out front that made me jump for joy (thank heavens I was the passenger and not the driver!)

We (Lisa, the BFF, and I) went in and were greeted by Diana McKay herself.  Diana and her friend, Leslie Taylor, started the dyeworks 19 years ago in their kitchens, and have owned the company ever since.  They were just back from the big TNNA conference, and even so, Diana was very generous with her time and materials to help us understand the company and products better.

Copper Mountain Colorway in 4/8's Wool

There is a wide variety of yarns available, including everything from lace weight to bulky to novelty, and most yarns are available in most colorways.  Each and every colorway contains nine different colors, making them unique and distinctive.  Although they didn't say so, they don't appear to use any colors they can't see out of their windows overlooking the Bitterroot Valley.  The valley has a distinctly Northwest palette of stone, river, grasses, buffalo, cattle, wildflowers, snow, and sky.  You'll find all of these tones in their yarns.

The current dye kitchen

Diana gave us a full tour, and this is the dye kitchen.  She explained that when they started the company, they both had small children at home, and needed to have a "family first" focus.  They have maintained this policy to this day, and many of their employees work from home.  "Nobody has to miss a soccer game or school play because of their job," she explained.  "We have a very low employee turnover.  People are happy here."

I can see why.  The few employees we met were cheerful, polite, and working steadily but not anxiously, in spite of the obvious work of re-stocking and bookkeeping after TNNA. 

Here in Buffalo, there isn't nearly enough of this yarn available.   It offers a unique style of variegation, and a great opportunity to add a new layer to colorwork.  I mentioned to Diana that I'd like to encourage local LYSs to carry the full line, and she generously loaded me up with a variety of yarns in a rich array of colorways.  I purchased yarn for a few projects of my own, and later today I'll be talking to some shops and advocating for more.

Visit their website, Mountain Colors Yarn for more info and to see the beautiful yarns.  They also offer a wide array of patterns.  If you can't get the yarns locally, try Paradise Fibers.  They carry the whole line, including the new and delicious Jeannette, a cashmere and silk blend.