Working hard on the new location.

We spent a few days of hard work over at the new store location in Bigfork,. The new address is 7984 Hwy 35 Bigfork, MT. We got the signs up, the slat board, dry wall, and a new bathroom door. A productive trip and really moved progress forward. My truck had to be fixed before we came over, so we are a month behind. Such is life.

This is actually the rear entrance where the parking is located.

My awesome husband hard at work.

Slat walls are up. That is a huge accomplishment and hurdle.

Signs are up!!! Talk is getting around.

Malabrigo KAL - FEB 2022

MALABRIGO KAL

Our Arroyo KAL starts next week and we would like to invite you to join our online knitting groups.

FACEBOOK GROUP: JOIN US HERE

RAVELRY THREAD: JOIN US HERE

These groups are the best places to meet other knitters and ask questions.

If you post on Facebook or Instagram, please use the hashtag #malabrigokal

Knitting Celebrities? A journey of discovery

By Kimberley Mumford

Seven years ago, I received an email touting a new online workshop called Knit Stars where one could take courses from “celebrities of the knitting world”.  I was not a novice knitter at this time, but the concept of knitting celebrities was totally new to me, so this course didn’t spark my interest at the time (disclaimer, now I own all the seasons).  At the time, my typical habit was to visit a yarn shop, select a design and materials and just get busy creating.  I really didn’t pay much attention to who designed the patterns or whether or not they were “famous”.

  Over the course of the ensuing year, I increasingly selected my patterns on Ravelry rather than through magazines or print patterns at the yarn shop.    Many of the designers had videos to support their patterns, and I found I gravitated toward the teaching styles of some of them.  One of these was Andrea Mowry, so when I had the chance to attend a retreat where she was teaching, I signed up. The organizer of this event put together a much smaller intensive retreat the next year. I signed up for it and there I was able to attend a day-long design workshop with Andrea.  A quick internet search can provide you with Andrea’s bio so I won’t go into those details here, but I can attest that not only is she a wonderful teacher and gifted designer, but also an incredibly gracious individual.  She encouraged each of the twelve participants in the workshop to stretch our boundaries in design and color choices, and ended up sharing her time with us at meals and during her ‘down time’ over the weekend of the retreat.   

The Fall KALs Cindy is offering feature Andrea’s patterns, and if you haven’t knit any of her designs before, you are in for a real treat—her patterns are all tested, tech edited and incredibly detailed.  Please don’t be intimidated by the fact that many of her patterns are long—this is because she really spells things out.  None of those puzzling instructions that direct you to do the next section as a previous one, making subtle changes.  Typically, she will write out instructions for each step rather than having you flip back and forth to other parts of the pattern.  Additionally, she hosts Ravelry support groups for many of her individual designs and also provides numerous videos walking you through different techniques.  If you subscribe to her newsletter at dreareneeknits.com, you will receive advance notifications regarding new pattern releases as well as discounts.  She also has an active Instagram feed as well as a youtube series called I’ll Knit if I Want to.  Check it out!

The first pattern I knit of Andrea’s was the Range Shawl, and I was wearing it when I first met her.  I purchased a copy of her Ramble shawl that evening, and you can see I finished it before meeting her at the second retreat.  We were surprised when we found we had both chosen that design as part of our outfits! Since that time, I have knit up several of her designs for hats, socks, shawls and sweaters.  She has inspired me in my knitting journey, and I hope each of you enjoys working with her patterns as well.

Berroco Summer Tee Party!

Lots of summer tee patterns to choose from at www.berroco.com

Hi Makers!
Berroco is hosting a Tee Party again this year! Grab a pattern, some yarn and join us in making a tee for the month of August!

We will be hosting weekly LIVE check ins and giveaways over on our Facebook Berroco Makers group but you can also follow along in our Ravelry group and our YouTube channel!

Finish your tee in time to be eligible to win our Grand Prize at the end of the make along! To be considered for the Grand Prize, your tee must use either Berroco Yarns or yarns from our partner brands: Lopi, Lang, WOOLADDICTS or Amano.

If you share your project on social media tag it with #BerrocoTeeParty so we can see it!

What is a party with out gifts!
Download a tee pattern on us using code BerrocoTeeParty21 (One tee pattern per person and please do not share the code!)

As always, make sure to get your yarn from your favorite LYS!

Alright, enough with all that talk, who's ready to....

Creative Inspiration? - by Kimberley Mumford

Today's column is written by Kimberley Mumford, an avid knitter and pattern designer. Mazama has been her part time home for the past 25 years. Find her on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/designers/kimberley-mumford

Hi, I am Kimberley Mumford, and over the past year I’ve become acquainted with Cindy.  Recently she asked me if I’d be interested in doing a guest column on her blog, so I decided to give it a go!

My grandmother taught me to knit the summer I was six years old, and I was an on and off knitter throughout my growing up years.  About 20 years ago, I started knitting more regularly, and fortunately for me my renewed interest coincided with a big surge in both the fiber industry itself and the technology to bring patterns directly to consumers via sites like Ravelry.   Currently, it is unusual for a day to go by in which I don’t spend at least a couple of hours knitting.  I am not a monogamous knitter; I have several projects going at once-- an easy knit like a pair of socks or a dishcloth in a to-go project bag for quick trips, something challenging like lace or cables for meditative knitting, and something low stress while socializing or watching movies.  Typically, I use a published pattern, though I have branched out and started creating designs of my own.  An objective of mine is to wear handknits daily’ and I probably succeed about 80% of the time. 

Kimberley Mumford modeling Springflor - by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne

Often I am asked what inspires me, and I thought this subject might be a good jumping off place for this column.  I find I am a process knitter rather than a product knitter—I look at projects to be sure there is something I will enjoy or learn while making them. I visit the online Ravelry community often and pop potential patterns into my favorites list, tagging them by weight or fiber content.  Then when I find yarn I like, I can quickly search for patterns I have already selected so I know how much to purchase.  I have also used the Stashbot app on my phone to know how much yarn to get if I don’t have a pattern in mind. 

Close To You Shawl

Sometimes the yarn comes first.  I love to visit yarn shops when I travel and pick up skeins to remind me of my trip.  I have lots of one or two skein patterns for socks, hats, cowls, scarves, shawls and baby garments so when I find that skein I have to have, I have confidence that I can create something special with it.  Here are some examples:

• Reyna Shawl - Noora Backlund

• Close To You Shawl - Justyna Lorkowska

• Hat patterns in various weight yarns

Reyna shawl with malabrigo yarn

Other times, I am so impressed with a pattern, that I go in search of the right yarn.  This happened recently when I kept seeing these gorgeous sweaters posted on Instagram and realized they were all from the same book, Vernal, which I decided to purchase.  I usually just buy single patterns but I wanted to knit all of these, and Cindy was able to help me choose the right yarn to get started.

Vernal

A Collection of warm weather knitwear.

purchase

aliso creek top from Vernal

I used Cambria by Berroco, a beautiful DK weight yarn consisting of baby alpaca, linen, and lyocell

Cambria

Lastly, sometimes the technique provides inspiration.  I will see something like cables or brioche and want to master them. Most of the time I will select a small project like a hat, socks, or baby garment to learn on before I decide whether I like this yarn enough to use in something larger like a shawl or adult garment. 

Flicker&Flame hat

Uses Malabrigo Rios Superwash merino, or Berroco Ultra Wool Worsted, or Cascade 220 Superwash

Sunnyside Baby Cardigan

Uses fingering weight yarn like Malabrigo sock, or Berroco Ultra Wool Fine

Hopefully these thoughts will help inspire you and give you confidence in starting new projects of your own.  Happy knitting!

Berroco - Summer Top KAL - Starting May 26th

Join us for an easy relaxing project for summer. We are doing Phillipa summer top with Zinnia Yarn. It is a great cotton top that is easy to wear and cool and comfortable. Lots of colors available on this site. Just ask for the free pattern when you purchase yarn for this project. If you want to join in the KAL just send me an email and I will send you the zoom link. Starts Wed. May 26th @ 5:30. Here are the specs so you can figure your yarn requirements.

Phillipa Top - Just realized it calls for 2 contrasting colors

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS Bust: (381⁄2, 421⁄2, 461⁄2) [501⁄2, 541⁄2, 581⁄2] {621⁄2, 661⁄2, 701⁄2}" / (98, 108, 118) [127, 138.5, 148.5] {159, 169, 179} cm

Length: (191⁄2, 20, 201⁄2) [201⁄2, 21, 21] {211⁄2, 22, 221⁄2}" / (49.5, 51, 52) [52, 53.5, 53.5] {54.5, 56, 57} cm Shown in size 421⁄2" / 108 cm. Recommended ease: 4–8" / 10–20 cm positive ease.

YARN

BERROCO ZINNIA (50 grs): (5, 6, 7) [7, 8, 8] {9, 10, 11} balls #7146 South Sea (MC) and (2, 2, 3) [3, 3, 3] {3, 4, 4} balls #7144 Gulf Stream (CC)

NEEDLES and NOTIONS

32" / 80 cm circular needle, size 7

/ 4.5 mm or size to obtain gauge 1 stitch marker

Color Therapy - Enjoy The Small Shop Experience

Owning a yarn shop has shown me a world I knew was there, but to see it everyday has been really eye opening. It’s been really interesting to see people walk in, many are not knitters, and they gasp and say “oh, look at the colors!”. They bathe in the colors and literally tell me it is making them feel good as they are petting a skein of yarn. I see this time and time again. I like to watch the friend tagging along behind the avid knitter, wide eyed and totally having an experience they never had before. Visual, tactile, soothing, inviting, inspiring and creative. These are just a few of the words folks have uttered to me as they were moving around the store.

It fills me with so much joy to hear the knitter’s friend say, “Hey, you could teach me how to do this” as they are feeling a juicy skein of alpaca. Not only are they inspired to learn something new, but they are now embarking on a journey that they can do together. As an artist, providing inspiration is my main goal of my shop, but the colors speak for themselves. I hear experienced knitters say “oh, I have to have this color, it just does something for me”.

Color Therapy is a real thing. Advertisers know the power it has on our emotional decisions and the effects it has in their ads. So if a color makes you feel so good, why wouldn’t you want to wrap your self in something you created with it. I definitely have certain colors I feel more comfortable wearing than others. Some days I feel like I need a bold splash of color to perk me up or cool me down, depending on what is going on in my life. I think women do this instinctively with their clothes and colors by balancing or stimulating our emotions. It is really fun to work with and to become aware of how it affects us in our day to day lives. Working with colors can also help you break out of old patterns and thought processes simply by rocking that bright purple sweater or that intense chartreuse shawl. Some colors make us feel younger or more confident. The colors we wrap our lives in can really change our outlook on ourselves and our actions. Intutively, we know what we need on an emotional level, but we often deny ourselves that ability to listen to that quite creative voice within. So play with color and try to notice how it’s making you feel. Ask your self that question, and try to focus just on the color and what that conversation is inside. Enjoy the process and don’t forget to play.

By Cindy Ruprecht

“I love coming here, It’s like a spa day for me”

— Customer

“I just have to have this color, I don’t know what I’m going to make yet, but it will tell me”

— Customer

Malabrigo Knit a long - Temperance Shawl

We casted on our projects on April 1st. They are coming along. I decided to work with fun, bright colors and just go crazy! The shawl is interesting, and changes often, so you won’t get bored. I love doing KALs because it pushes me to keep up with the other knitters and actually finish a project before I get burned out on it. I work on it continuously and don’t get distracted by other shiny things! Or other yarns…lol. You can still join us if you want to get started. just shoot me an email at twispfiber@gmail.com.

Malabrigo KAL - Temperance Shawl April 1st 2021

Join us for this fun colorful KAL put together by Malabrigo. All you need to order is 3 different colored skeins of Sock by Malabrigo and mention “Temperance Shawl KAL” at check out and I send you the pattern for free with your order. Cast on is April 1st. We will be zooming at 5:30- 6:30 on the 1st. I will send the link to your email. If you already have yarn and want to join in, just send me an email and I’ll add you to the list for the zoom link. twispfiber@gmail.com

Temperance Shawl KAL

Zoom Knitting Group

I finally decided to do Zoom Groups and Knit a-longs. I got my act together and have several planned coming up this year. I hope you will join us from wherever you are across the country. Simply email me for details, or join my group over on FB - Twisp Fiber & Knitting Group, and I will send you the link to the meeting.

First KAL is Berroco’s - Olivet 2/24 5:30-6:30

You will need 2 balls of 2 colors of Providence for this KAL.

Olivet by Berroco in Providence

2 balls of 2 colors needed