

It’s the colors and the touch that first draws you in. Twirl Yarn continues to be a staff and store favorite. The colors are Earl Grey Sukumo, Sea of Bella Nova and Cromwell on Earl Grey. I chose to use Twirl Yarn - specifically Petals, an angora, wool and alpaca blend. I love that within 30 miles either north, south or east of San Francisco, there are an abundance of farms with sheep, alpaca and goats.
Cast away and folk free#
+ Join a free knitter’s gathering each Sunday at Cast Away & Folk to knit-along in personĪs a knitter, it’s great to see the source of the yarn. + Visit Cast Away & Folk online and in-person My son loves animals so much so we went together last time and she named a baby goat after him! I can’t wait to get some yarn made from Griffin the goat! I have visited her property a few times and it’s always a treat. The yarn comes from Mary’s 2000 acre ranch in Napa. It’s a fingering/sport but I love it knit up on a size 6 or 7 needle. I have this color in Mary’s other yarn that we sell, Petals, and as soon as I found out about the Fibershed KAL I emailed Mary at Twirl and asked her to dye me some Ditto in the same color! Ditto is a 2 ply blend of wool, alpaca & mohair. I love wearing that color, especially since as a child I was always told that redheads should never wear red! Once I realized that I look good in red in my 20’s I have always loved red, especially orangey reds. I just started carrying this yarn in the shop and have been itching to use it in a new project, so the timing couldn’t be better for this knitalong! I love the color I chose- it’s an rich mandarin orange- almost red. I am using Twirl Ditto for my knitalong shawl. We are so lucky to have Twirl yarn in our area and I hope to sell local yarns from other growers. It means the pieces we knit have a story that predates when we chose it from the shelf- it had a life before us and it was an authentic rich one! It’s difficult at times as a shop owner to source 100% local products- often times the yarn is dyed locally, but the fiber is sourced from another state or country. Each label tells a story of which animal the yarn came from and the source of the dye for the plant dyed yarns. And straight from her amazing animals and land. I love knitting with Mary’s yarn line Twirl because of how beautiful it is, but also because it is straight from her heart and hands. I have dabbled in lace, cables & colorwork, but always go back to plain stockinette and garter stitches and have my fun creating new shapes and different ways of wearing classic accessories. I love knitting simple stitches in unusual shapes. + Learn more about Mary’s fiber production practices and philosophy on the Fibershed blog

Photography by Paige Green except where noted.įiber Producer partner: Mary Pettis-Sarley, Twirl Yarn Be sure to follow Fibershed on Facebook and on Instagram for updates and prize information. If your project is selected, you will receive one of the prizes donated by our wonderful Fibershed producers! Prizes include finished goods and yarn from the Fibershed Marketplace, natural dye seeds, and more.

To celebrate this community effort, each week we will highlight Knitalong projects that have been shared (posted) on social media sites with the hashtag #FibershedKAL. Find the pattern and sign-up information here, and share with us on social media by adding #FibershedKAL to your captions. Here, we asked a few Fibershed members and supporters to share a few words on connecting with their fibershed through the act of knitting.Īre you interested in ‘knitting along’ with us? Keep reading for inspiration from our Roundtable of knitters, and for a list of resources from participating Fibershed members and Affiliate groups. It is an invitation to deepen your understanding of your region through connecting with local fiber producers and creating a regionally grown garment with your own two hands. The Fibershed Knitalong is a collaborative endeavor that will support us all growing closer to the land that shelters us.
