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Crafters are becoming more and more aware of where exactly their crafting supplies come from. After all, local products are usually more eco-friendly because it takes less gas to transport local products. Besides, it always feels good to think that your yarn came from a neighbor...even if that 'neighbor' is a few states away!

 The Mountain Meadow knit-along incorporates amazing American yarn along with great patterns from Y2Knit. I wanted to feature these two great companies on this blog so you can take a peek at what they have to offer.



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Mountain Meadow Wool, who produces the yarn used in the KAL, uses earth-friendly practices in their production. They reuse or repurpose all the waste byproducts that are created during their process. They use natural citrus-based cleaners, instead of the harsher carbonization process used by other companies, to clean their yarn.

They also dedicate 10% of the profit from each skein sold to the ranchers who grow the sheep who produce their wool. All of their wool is sourced from ranch farms located in the Rocky Mountains and each skein label has the name of the farm from where the skein came. Mountain Meadow Wool helps to protect our environment and they also help to support small farmers in America.



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Now take a great American yarn and add some talented American designers. Y2Knit is a wonderful company with two talented designers at the helm: Jill and Susan Wolcott. Mountain Meadow Wool and Y2Knit have joined forces to create a great knit-along that combines local yarn with local patterns.

 These adorable bobbled mitts and the two hats in the pictures above are all Y2Knit patterns. Market Street Yarn & Crafts is proudly supporting this knit-along. Each month, a different yarn and a different pattern arrive. We've been knitting up samples so you can see how well these yarns and patterns fit together. In fact, we're starting our very own KAL class for these bobbled mitts. We hope you join in and enjoy trying out these great new yarns and patterns!


Bobble-Back Mitts Class May 6th, 13th & 20th
Time: 1:30-3:30

Cost: $75
Includes the yarn and the pattern.
Bring size US 4 double-points, two circulars or one circular for Magic Loop.



 
 
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Last week I talked about our upcoming Fair Isle class. It was last night and we had a lot of fun! The main technique taught was how to hold your yarn using the two-handed method, but everyone ended up using their own style. This cute little blue and white snowflake square was knitted by an English style knitter who held both her yarns in the same hand and alternated between colors. As you can see, different styles still lead to the same end!

 Other upcoming classes include two socks at a time from the toe-up, knitted handwarmers, spinning and even weaving. I always especially enjoy the sock classes just because the students are always so much fun, but that is probably my sock bias showing :) Stop by or call if you want to join in and craft!