Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pick Your Poison Yarn Club


Join the Club!
3 shipments ($75) • 6 shipments ($135)

I'm starting another club! Yup. I did it! The Mythos club is so much fun that I just couldn't resist. So far this club is already a good time. I finished the logo this morning (image above) and I'm in love with it. I thought it was so cute that I went and added it to my Cafe Press shop so you can get the Pick Your Poison logo on tees, sweatshirts, bags, glasses, and mugs. My favorite items are the pajamas, pint glass, and messenger bag. One (or more) of those items will be mine!

I had this idea the other night to create a yarn club that was even more customizable than the Mythos club. Something where you could pick your yarn weights and color themes. A different (currently unpublished) pattern would accompany each skein of yarn. It sounded like a good plan to me. I decided to call the club "pick your poison" due to the customizations. When I told Chris about my plan he came up with the idea to name the colorways after mixed drinks and include recipes for the drink with each shipment.

So here's my spiel.....

This is a yarn club designed with you in mind. It’s not just another sock yarn club (unless that’s what you want, of course!) With the “Pick Your Poison” club you’ll be able to choose the weight of yarn you want as well as the color tones.

Just for a little fun all the colorways will be named after mixed drinks. Each shipment will be accompanied by the recipe the colorway was named for. Sip & knit folks!

Registration
Registration for the Pick Your Poison Yarn Club will remain open until Monday, April 30, 2012.

Schedule – When you get the goods
Yarn will be shipped on a bimonthly basis.
The first shipment will go out around May 10. Remaining packages will then be mailed around the 10th of July, September (stops here for 3 shipment membership), November, January 2013, and March 2013.

Options – Customize your club
All yarns will be wool or wool blends. Fibers will be all natural with one exception, nylon may creep into the mix on occasion (think fingering weight yarns).

Yarn Weight
You’ll have the option to pick 3 weight ranges or a “tasting plate.” Your choices are:
Light (lace, fingering, sport)
Medium weight (sport, DK)
Heavy (worsted, aran, bulky)
Tasting Combo (I pick what weight yarn to send you. You will be able to specify if there is a weight you would like NOT to receive. For instance, you may pick “combo” and specify “No lace weight”)

Colors
Brights – Knit in vivid color!
Earth Tones – Blues, browns, greens… the colors of nature
Neutral – Browns, tans, blacks, grays
Mix – Colorways from Bright, Earth Tone, & Neutral categories

Skill Level: Approx. Intermediate
Designs will be one-skein projects that are appropriate for the color and weight yarn you’re receiving. Patterns will include hats, fingerless mitts, shawls, stoles, and slippers. To get an idea of the Fiddle Knits style take a look at the pattern page of the FKD website.

Patterns will be printed in full color and mailed with your yarn.

Pricing
3 month subscribers will be given the option to register for the last 3 months for an additional $75 plus shipping costs. By registering for all 6 shipments at once you save $15 on yarn plus the additional shipping.

3 shipments: $75
6 shipments: $135

Shipping
Shipping cost covers the entirety of your membership.

3 SHIPMENTS
US – $12.00
Canada – $15.00
Mexico – $18.00
Everywhere Else – $20.00


6 SHIPMENTS
US – $18.00
Canada – $20.00
Mexico – $25.00
Everywhere Else – $30.00

You can register for the yarn club in the Fiddle Knits Etsy shop.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Merriment

"Merriment" Shawl Two from the Mythos Collection
The second shipment for the Mythos Yarn and Shawl Club should be arriving on knitter's doorsteps right about now. The design for this month is titled "Merriment" and named in honor of Dionysus (aka Bacchus), the god of madness, wine, merriment, and a general rowdy raucous good time.

Merriment is knit from the center of the wingspan out and down toward the longest row. The first section boasts clusters of nupps that represent grapes for wine. The majority of the shawlette is worked in a yarn over pattern. I chose to place size 6 seed beads at random along the last 16 rows because I had the beads and they matched the yarn so perfectly that I simply couldn't resist. Using beads is completely optional. Leaving them off won't hurt the design since you can't even see they're there unless you're up close.

I knew I loved this shawl the whole time I was knitting it, but I didn't realize just how much until it was blocked. The yarn over pattern blooms amazingly when it's wet blocked. I was so happy with the results that I left the shawlette draped over the couch for a few days just so I could admire it. The Polka yarn is nice preblocking, it's actually one of my favorite fingering weights, but after blocking it becomes delicate and airy and oh so beautiful! I want to knit another shawl using this yarn, but I can't at the moment. Deadlines are calling!