What comes to mind when you think of fall? At The Spinnery, in Putney, VT, we think of leaf-peeping in early October, hiking with great views in great temperatures and no bugs, and bundling up in hand-knit sweaters. November Knits is a new book by designers Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. Here they act as “curators” of the twenty-three projects, two of which feature Green Mountain Spinnery yarns!
The Market Jacket is designed by Tanis Gray and is knit up in the ever classic Mountain Mohair. As Tanis herself says on the Ravelry pattern page, “The three-quarter-length sleeves in this coat leave your arms and hands free to explore, while the wool/ mohair blend provides warmth. The cable-and-lace pattern reminds me of the vegetation on the forest floor, and the heathered yarn, with its golds, reds, and oranges, evokes the colors of changing leaves.” This time of year is just about peak leaf-peeping season, and we agree that the Spice colorway of Mountain Mohair truly evokes the foliage. Mountain Mohair is available in over thirty colors and would look fabulous in a more vibrant or more subtle hue that reflects your personality! We create this premium yarn by hand, selecting the softest yearling mohair and spinning it with fine wool. It is also our best selling and longest running yarn; it is about 25 years old!
The second garment in November Knits is the Thayer Street Cardigan designed by Melissa Wherle uses Local Color, our DK-weight 100% U.S. Grown Certified Organic wool. Inspired by school colors, fall sports, and rooting for the home team, this sweater is a modern take on the classic varsity cardigan, sans letter. Stripes are one of the easiest ways to introduce multiple colors in knitting- the combination of different stripe patterns makes them that much more interesting. Our Local Color yarn comes from wool grown in New Mexico on the Manzares Ranch. Shown here in the Dark Indigo and Fern colorways, this yarn is dyed in small batches using Earthues Natural Dye Extracts mordanted with alum. This gentle handling maximizes the softness and elasticity of the natural fibers.
Interweave Press has provided us with a copy of November Knits to give to one lucky commenter on this thread in our Ravelry group. The winner will also receive 2 skeins of Mountain Mohair yarn! Please leave a comment letting us know what comes to mind when you think of fall! Did you know that here in Vermont many refer to the month of November as “Stick Season” ? It is too early for snow (usually) and too late for foliage. Our colleague Laurie loves fall and November for being deer season! We will randomly draw a winner on October 18, 2012. Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour – the next stop is scheduled to happen at Veera Valimaki’s blog.