Category: News

News

The Inaugural Oklahoma Yarn Crawl Part Two: The Central and Western Shops

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The 2024 Oklahoma Yarn Crawl recently wrapped, and my gosh was it FUN! If you haven’t checked out Part One of my recap, read it first here.

Twelve fiber businesses from across Oklahoma got together to put on the state’s first yarn crawl. Yarn shops, dye works, a working farm, and a mini fiber mill dot the state map, and fiber lovers made the trek to each one during the August 16th to 24th (excluding Sunday) special event. 

Each shop had their own special charm and yarns in addition to special events just for the yarn crawl. Some fiber businesses aren’t usually open to the public every day of the week, but they all kept special hours for the crawl.

My friend Susan and I had five of our twelve yarn crawl stops stamped, and set off early in the morning to visit our first shop of the day.

We learned our lesson trying to hit five stores in one day, so we broke up the remaining seven yarn crawl locations into two days— Thursday and Friday,August 22 & 23, 2024.

Each shop we visited was wonderful, and I hope I can convey something special about each one, as they all have their own unique charms and strengths. Oklahoma has a widespread and vibrant fiber community, and the yarn crawl really showcased that. 

The Oklahoma Yarn Crawl website had a handy link to a Google Maps list all of the stops on the crawl.

It was a two and a half hour drive to our first shop of the day, the westernmost in the crawl

Cozy Corner Knits – Enid

I’m fairly familiar with the western part of the state because I have family there. It’s full of farms, oil wells, and wind turbines, but that’s about it. I used to think there wasn’t much else worth visiting in that part of the state. 

Cozy Corner Knits is such a welcome addition to that part of the state.

The shop is easy to find if you ignore Google and trust your eyes and common sense while driving. Maps had us take an odd detour through a really cute neighborhood before telling us to turn the opposite direction from the shop we could see right there just across the street. 

That wasn’t the shop’s fault at all, so consider calling ahead for directions to any shop if your map app has your route doing silly things.

Cozy Corner Knits is very neatly laid out with a knitting area near the front window and nice displays guiding you back to the classroom area at the rear of the shop. 

Susan and I had such a fun time chatting with the owner, her husband, and another customer that it was after 1:00 before we knew it, and we needed to move on to our next stop. 

I had briefly considered not visiting Cozy Corner Knits because of the drive out to Enid, so I’m glad Susan convinced me that we absolutely needed to see all of the shops to experience our first yarn crawl to the fullest. 

I stuffed some yarn with subtle sparkle from Feederbrook Farm and some gorgeous orange Emma’s Yarn Super Silky into my yarn crawl tote, and we were off to the next one. 

You can learn more about Cozy Corner Knits at their Instagram or Facebook pages.

It was about an hour’s drive to our second stop, Susan’s favorite of the trip, 

Oklahoma Mini Mill – Guthrie

Oklahoma Mini Mill (OMM) isn’t usually open to the public for walk-ins since they’re a working mill and conduct most of their business online, but one of the owners gladly gave us a tour after she stamped our card. We got to feel some amazing fibers at different stages of processing. It was really interesting to be able to feel the different lanolin contents of wool as the cleaning and fluffing (industry standard term, I’m sure) progressed. 

I’ve seen a friend hand process llama fiber before but never really paid attention to this part of the yarn process before, so this visit was very educational and interesting. We even got to touch some amazingly soft bison fiber that costs around $30-35 an OUNCE, and I think that’s the cost before processing.

Oklahoma Mini Mill mainly focuses on processing fleeces for hand spinners, so they process fibers until they are ready to be spun but don’t do the actual spinning. Customers send their fibers to be cleaned and blended into fiber batts. They can even add in special things like this angelina sparkle.

Another neat factoid about OMM: They don’t waste any wool! Pieces that aren’t suitable for processing and spinning are saved and used as insulation.

I didn’t purchase anything from OMM while we were there during the yarn crawl. Most of their business is actually online through Etsy, which I’ll link below.

Oklahoma Mini Mill also vends at the Fiber Christmas in July show, so there is yet another incentive to attend Fiber Christmas if you haven’t yet!

You can learn more about Oklahoma Mini Mill at their website, Instagram, Facebook, or Etsy pages.

Guthrie had two stops on the yarn crawl. Next up was in historic downtown Guthrie

Sealed with a Kiss – Guthrie

Sealed with a Kiss brought in trunk shows and debuted HowdyDo, a new locally dyed yarn inspired by the women of the Wild West, during the yarn crawl.

We missed their Lunch in the Loft event by a couple hours because I forgot to check ahead with every yarn crawl stop like I meant to. Learn from my mistakes and check each shop ahead while planning!

Sealed with a Kiss had a really nice selection of knitting accessories as well as bags, fashion accessories, and even some non knit garments. It’s a yarn boutique but not just a yarn boutique. 

I bought a wonderfully sparkly shawl pin. I just can’t resist sparkles.

You can learn more about Sealed with a Kiss by visiting their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

Susan and I got a hotel in Edmond for the night that ended up being less than 10 minutes from our next stop

Kristy’s Fiber Arts -Edmond

Kristy’s Fiber Arts is a dyeworks that features Kristy’s hand dyed yarns with a few other yarns alongside them. 

Susan and I grabbed a coffee and waited in the parking for 10AM, the daily yarn crawl start time, but Kristy saw us and another group in our cars and invited us all in early.

We had a great time browsing and chatting, and Kristy shared a little bit about how she names her colorways. A lot depends on who or what she’s thinking about when she dyes. Mine would all end up being named after my chickens or food! 

Yarns were organized by weight. I love to see hand dyers working with more than just sock weight yarn. I want those pretty colors and one-of-a-kind skeins in lace and bulky weights, too! 

Kristy also stocked pretty macrame cord, so I made note of that for my mom, who does really nice macrame work. It was the most colors of cord I have ever seen in store, so if you like macrame, Kristy’s Fiber Arts is a great stop for it, too!

I bought some orange yarn and a mini skein kit from her at Fiber Christmas in July this year that I really liked, so I was excited to see what I missed that she’d have in store. The green and black yarn made me think of my younger brother, so Merry Christmas to him! I hope he’s not tired of beanies!

You can learn more about Kristy’s Fiber Arts from their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

The next stop was also in Edmond-another dyeworks. 

A Chick That Knitz – Edmond

A Chick That Knitz used to be a “full blown” yarn shop a few years ago, but they weren’t as able to focus on dyeing yarn as much as they wanted, so they took a step back and opened as a dyeworks with exclusively their own yarn and limited days open to the public. 

I’ve followed A Chick That Knitz online for quite a while, and I was excited to see their planned pooling yarns in person. The concept is simple— knit in one stitch, perhaps stockinette or garter stitch, for the main color of the yarn until you come across the color pooling bit (this is the section that isn’t the main color) and perform a special stitch. 

It’s simple enough, but because each hand dyed skein is unique, it really enables you to create a one-of-a-kind item. 

A Chick That Knitz has much more than just planned pooling yarns, but those were something I had been waiting to see for a long time because they’re how I learned about this way of using planned pooling. I’m in their area a few times a year, but the timing never lined up before to be able to see their space, so I’m glad I finally got to experience it during the yarn crawl. 

I bought planned pooling yarn from their website after the yarn crawl ended.

You can learn more about A Chick That Knitz at their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages. Also look at their cool chicken logo!

The cloud ate my pictures from our next stop alongside most of my pictures from A Chick That Knitz, so I’ve linked some of their Instagram posts to show you their space.

MoonDrake Co. – Oklahoma City

When we reached MoonDrake Co. dyeworks in Oklahoma City, it started to hit me that our yarn crawl journey was almost over. The public part of the shop is on the small side but is nicely organized. Wool and dye scents wafted from the back room, and I really enjoyed that. Wool and lanolin smell is so comforting to me.

Because the display area was smaller, it was easy to see the many different types of yarn bases MoonDrake uses in their yarn lines. 

I went home with a large skein that was actually two skeins —one of a stubby yarn and one of a cashmere/mohair blend— that were meant to be worked together into the same project. I also purchased a really pretty neon tweed yarn that I am looking forward to working with. 

I really wish my photos hadn’t been eaten because the display did a really good job of telling the neon tweed line’s color story. They’re gorgeous, vibrant, and fun.

You can learn more about Moondrake Co. at their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

Our final stop on the 2024 Oklahoma Yarn Crawl was 

Yarnatopia—Oklahoma City 

I’ve been to Yarnatopia a few times over the years, having pleaded with Chris to stop by on the way to or from visiting family. I really enjoy stopping by. The shop is a very nice size and has a really nice Malabrigo yarn wall. I know others appreciated it, too, because it had been picked through by the time we got there, and the yarn crawl had two days left! 

I found some really nice “hi-viz” yarn to make a hat for my dad (he always requests a hat for Christmas) and a very nice slub yarn by Emma’s Yarn. (I tried to buy from all different brands but didn’t realize the sock yarn I bought from Cozy Corner Knits was also Emma’s Yarn. Guess that means I need to look into that brand more since I really like what I’ve seen so far!)

I really like the “Yarnatopia” yarn-wrapped letters on the wall, but I don’t think Chris would go for that in our house….

You can learn more about Yarnatopia at their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

The End of the Road Trip

We were both pretty tired at the end of the Yarn Crawl and had a two and a half hour drive back to my place. Susan had another hour to go after she dropped me off. I think we’ll attend a few more days of the yarn crawl next year rather than trying to squish everything into three total days. We’ll be able to spend more time at each shop and participate in events that way, too.

Every shop owner I talked to seemed very excited about the results of the yarn crawl for their business, and the crawl still had three days left to go when Susan and I made our way to the central Oklahoma area shops. 

Many of the dyers had sold out of colorways and had to tell crawlers when they’d be back in stock. I ended up making some purchases online or through Etsy after the official crawl dates were over to find colors, bases, and fibers I liked the most. 

I knew of many of these businesses before the yarn crawl, but I had only managed to visit about half of them before the event. I have family in the western part of the state, and I’m already thinking up alternative routes that would allow me to drop by and see shops again on my way out and back home. 

The yarn crawl did a great job showcasing how amazing and varied the Oklahoma fiber community is. I loved seeing each dyer’s different color stories and the variations in each shop’s different brands and specialties.

I had a wonderful time meeting Oklahoma’s fiber talents, and I can’t wait for The Second Annual Oklahoma Yarn Crawl 2025!

Thanks for joining me on this road trip recap of the 2024 Inaugural Oklahoma Yarn Crawl! Have you ever been on a yarn crawl as a customer or as a host? Do you plan your own yarny road trips?

logo by Mimolette Monster

News

The Inaugural Oklahoma Yarn Crawl Part One: The Eastern Shops

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The 2024 Oklahoma Yarn Crawl recently wrapped, and my gosh was it FUN!

Twelve fiber businesses from across Oklahoma got together to put on the state’s first yarn crawl. Yarn shops, dye works, a working farm, and a mini fiber mill dot the state map, and fiber lovers made the trek to each one during the August 16th to 24th (excluding Sunday) special event. 

Each shop had their own special charm and yarns in addition to special events just for the yarn crawl. Some fiber businesses aren’t usually open to the public every day of the week, but they all kept special hours for the crawl.


The shops encouraged fiber lovers to visit each one by creating a “passport” that is stamped, clipped, or marked in some way to prove that a crawler visited. People who traveled to each shop were eligible to enter a prize drawing, in this case, for a basket full of fiber goodies worth $600!

(I don’t know about you, but I don’t normally need that much incentive to visit a yarn shop! That was just icing on the cake!)

They also created a special tote bag for the crawl, and each shop offered a free stitch marker for the visit!

My friend Susan and I decided to do our first yarn crawl together. We visited the *five* shops on the Eastern half of the state in one day, which was a mistake… 

As fun as it was, it was a lot of driving, and our schedule really limited our ability to appreciate each shop fully. By the time we made it to the fourth shop, we were exhausted, and we had more driving and another shop left to visit.

Next year, we’re definitely splitting the Eastern half of the yarn crawl into two days so we can spend more time at each shop!

Each shop we visited was wonderful, and I hope I can convey something special about each one, as they all have their own unique charms and strengths. Oklahoma has a widespread and vibrant fiber community, and the yarn crawl really showcased that.

Get Stitchin’ – Tulsa

We started out in Tulsa at Get Stitchin’. It’s now Tulsa’s only yarn shop, and it’s the shop I’m most familiar with since I offer machine knitting classes there (when healthy).

Get Stitchin’ frequently has fun events throughout the year for things like Knit in Public Day, Spin-Ins, shop milestones, and more, and the yarn crawl didn’t disappoint. They use their space to showcase small fiber businesses and feature local artists year round, and they brought in even more for the yarn crawl.

I went home with some yarn from Rachel Wolfe Designs and some amazing buttons. Look at that sparkle!

Get Stitchin’ really went all out with meet and greet and fiber artist showcases!
You can learn more about Get Stitchin’ at their website, Instagram, or Facebook pages.

Next up was

Community Fibers – Claremore

Community Fibers is in an office-like building that is divided into different rooms rather than one large retail space. Each turn into a new room reveals more yarn fun and bright displays, and I think they really utilize the layout well.

There is an area where visitors can try out new styles of knitting needles and crochet hooks AND they have a book lending library, not to mention the coziest couches ever to sit and craft in.

Community Fibers worked with Leading Men Fiber Arts and had a build-your-own shawl kit for the yarn crawl that came in both knit and crochet versions. 

Hand dyed yarn is my favorite, so I love finding new-to-me dyers, especially in local shops.

I bought some really fun rainbow speckle yarn.

You can learn more about Community Fibers from their website or Instagram.

Susan visited our third stop years ago, but I had never been to

Shepherd’s Cross – Claremore

Shepherd’s Cross is a farm outside of Claremore with a Christian-based missions focus. Their big barn is a shop with items made from artists both local and international with revenue returning to the artist or mission. They have a fiber museum, teaching area, and outdoor areas where you can observe the farm as well as seasonal things like a pumpkin patch. 

We had to leave sooner than we’d wanted to be able to make the next two shops by 5PM closing, but Susan and I decided to visit again and make a day of it so we had plenty of time to explore their fiber museum. There was so much more than I expected at Shepherd’s Cross.

I bought some fluffy pencil roving to level up my spinning abilities (hopefully). It was very reasonably priced, so I am not quite as intimidated to use it as other gifted fibers in my stash.

Shepherd’s Cross has a “Sheep to Shawl” Wooly Weekend in April where you can watch the sheep be sheared, see the wool cleaning and carding processes, watch hand spinners making the yarn, and then see different fiber art crafts in action to turn the yarn into a shawl.

I know where I’ll be next April!

You can learn more about Shepherd’s Cross at their website, Instagram, or Facebook pages.

My energy was flagging after three stops, but we had two more to go! Fourth up was a hidden gem in a tiny town

Hometown Yarns & More – Deleware

One of the owners of Hometown Yarns also took machine knitting classes from my mentor Pamela Carrico, so I got a bit of a sneak peek last year while the shop was being set up.

Under construction no more, it’s really cute AND they had shop pets-two rescue kitties and a dog! I love meeting shop animals. They’re adorable and can be a little distracting from the most important thing (yarn!), but oh so snuggly and sweet. (I wish my cat was that well behaved.)

Hometown Yarns & More had so many amazing creative fiber arts showcased. There was rug hooking, oxford punch, knitting, crocheting, weaving, and more that I know I’ve forgotten.

They also dye their own yarns in house and present them at the most reasonable price I’ve ever seen for a hand-dyed yarn. Honestly, I think they’re under-priced at around $16-20 per skein depending on the fiber content. Getting beautiful, one of a kind yarn like that is a heck of a deal.

I bought these gorgeous greens to make an Ambah O’Brien-inspired shawl. They included a soak sample pack for washing and blocking the finished project, too!

You can learn more about Hometown Yarns & More at their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

I’ve mentioned this one quite a few times here on the blog. We went to my mentor, Pamela Carrico’s shop, one of my favorite places, for our fifth and final stop on the Eastern half of the Oklahoma Yarn Crawl.

Carrico’s Creative Corner – Bartlesville

The shop is on the smaller side and attached to her house, but the walls are covered in shelving with loads of wonderful cone yarn. Pamela carries handwork yarns, too, as well as the SilverReed LK150 mid gauge knitting machine, which was set up to showcase machine knitting.

Pamela knits samples on her knitting machine so you know what yarns will look like when they’re worked up and lets you know if they’re good for the washer and dryer like they claim or if you need to take special care of them. She can tell you how they feel on the machines and which machine gauge works best with different yarns.

Pamela blends yarn together frequently in her work to create gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces. When I started thinking about things made of yarn as fabric like she taught me, I really noticed a change for the better in my knitting. I’ve visited her numerous times since 2018, and I always walk away having learned something new. Even if Carrico’s Creative Corner is small, it’s always a welcoming experience full of wonder and inspiration. 

I bought some fun specialty yarns to match yarn in my home stash along with the yarn crawl tote. I’m really excited to play with these and make some fun textures and borders in the future.

You can learn more about Carrico’s Creative Corner by visiting their website, Instagram, Facebook, or Etsy pages. (Some social media handles are named after the design side of business, CMO Designer Knits).

Along the way…

The 2024 Oklahoma Yarn Crawl was the first yarn crawl for my friend Susan, myself, and many yarn and fiber enthusiasts I know. Susan and I ran into some of the same groups of yarn crawlers as we visited different stops. It was really fun to see what they were looking at from each shop and hear what part of the state they were from.

I’m really glad that these Oklahoma fiber businesses got together and hosted this event to show off our community and give us another opportunity to meet others within it. As our Eastern Shop day went on and my fatigue increased, I didn’t take as many pictures as I intended, but I made sure to correct that for the Central and Western Oklahoma shops in next post’s Part Two.

Be sure to check out these awesome shops the next time you’re nearby!

Thanks for joining me on this state-wide stretch of my machine knitting journey! Did you also attend the Inaugural Oklahoma Yarn Crawl? Are you planning on joining the next one? I sure am!

News

February Happenings

elyknits

Wow! January flew by! I hope you all are staying warm and well.

Winter Knit-A-Long Continues

Don’t worry if you missed any meetings in January!

If you’d like to join us in knitting the Festival of Stitches by Lisa Hannes, please do! This is a very casual KAL focused on knitting fellowship as we all finally take time to make something for ourselves.

Every Wednesday from 12:00PM to 4:00PM we’ll be at Get Stitchin’ working on this beautiful wrap.

I’ve had a wonderful time making new friends and chatting with old friends. I hope you’ll join us if you’re in the Tulsa area!

Important Date Change–Machine Knitting Spring Seminar

Originally scheduled for April 8, 2023, our Spring Machine Knitting Seminar is now APRIL 1, 2023 from 10AM-4PM.

Someone, not naming names, (EMILY), used Orthodox Easter to schedule the week before Easter. (I learned something, though. That’s good, right?)

Joking aside, I apologize for any inconvenience this scheduling change might cause. I hope that we have changed things early enough for anyone who has already planned their trip to Tulsa to reschedule without issues.

Again, the Spring Machine Knitting Seminar is April 1 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM.

Visit the Event Page on Get Stitchin’s website to sign up.

Pamela Carrico of CMO Designer Knits returns to share over 40 years of machine knitting experience with us.

We will be learning to make a body block and designing a custom fit sweater from that body block!

Eureka! Fiber in the Ozarks

March 16-18, 2023
Eureka Springs Community Center

Find some ELY Knits handmade goodies among others from the Get Stitchin’ crew at the Eureka! Fiber in the Ozarks festival in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Visit the festival’s website to learn more.

Sock Club is coming in March!

There’s more fun coming to Get Stitchin’! Sock Club is starting up in March and will run all year through November. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 10:30AM-12:00PM I’ll be going over the Sock of the Month.

If you prefer weekdays, Ms. Terry has a weekday meetup every 2nd and 4th Tuesday.

This is not a class, so you will need to have some experience already, but Ms. Terry and I will be around to help you troubleshoot. This will be a great opportunity for newer sock knitters and veterans alike as we explore heels, construction methods, and new sock yarns.

As always, you can check out my Google Calendar for standing classes, events, and shows.


Class booking and availability will be according to Get Stitchin’s website, so be sure to check their Classes page.


If you would like to book a lesson that is sold out or is not on the schedule, please contact me and we will find a date and time that work for you.

News

ELY Knits in Tulsa: January 2023 Announcements

elyknits

Here’s to a new year and new knits!

This year I’m continuing my work with Get Stitchin’ in Tulsa, OK and offering in-person hand and machine knitting classes at their 61st and Memorial location.

As before, to sign up for a class, you’ll need to visit their Events and Classes page. If you’d like to take one of my classes but the date or time doesn’t fit into your schedule or it’s sold out, please contact me and we can figure out something that will work!

Take a look at my Google Calendar to find out where I’ll be regarding craft shows, classes, and other events. For classes, please refer to the Get Stitchin’ page for availability–classes on my Google Calendar don’t reflect the official sign-up page and the number of class slots available.

Winter Knit-A-Long

I’m hosting my first hand knitting knit-a-long at Get Stitchin’! Now that my hand and wrist have been snipped and snapped back into shape, I’m ready to go!

After a busy holiday knitting season, are you ready to make something for yourself?

Wednesdays this winter we’ll be knitting the Festival of Stitches KAL by Lisa Hannes.

IMG credit Lisa Hannes Festival of Stitches Pattern

From the Event Listing


“Festival of Stitches” is a fun & playful project that will keep you engaged from start to finish! Different sections make it addictive and knit up quickly. The finished item will add a wonderful highlight to your daily wardrobe with a shape that is versatile and easy to wear.
 
This pattern was designed by Lisa Hannes and has lots of fun colorwork. The colorwork design uses easy slipped stitches and color blocking, and we will be here to help you work through this shawl. There are also some cables, eyelets, and stripes, but no super complicated techniques are used in this pattern.

Get Stitchin’ suggests the new Berroco Vintage Sock yarn and will help you print the pattern in-store when you purchase it through them.

This event is FREE, but please sign up on the event page to let us know you’re joining!
(Well, you also have to purchase your materials.)

I have to confess, I already started! Head over to my Instagram to see my spoiler.

Spring 2023 Machine Knitting Seminar

It’s never too early to plan for our Spring Machine Knitting Seminar!
Our first one last October was wonderful, and we think this spring will be just as amazing or better!

Pamela Carrico of CMO Designer Knits is returning as our presenter on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

I’ve teased a bit of our topic in the past, so here’s more:

How can you use a body block to make custom knits?

See My Work in Person

You can find my work along with the handmade art of many other Eastern Oklahoma artists in-store at Get Stitchin’.

In addition to beautiful yarns, Get Stitchin’ stocks many handmade pieces by local artists from yarn bowls and drop spindles to project bags and hand-dyed fiber.

You can support local artists and small businesses all in one place.

That’s all for January

…but there’s much more in the works.

Keep an eye on the site and I’ll keep you in the loop! Be on the lookout for craft show announcements and new free patterns.

Here’s to 2023 being the best it can be!

Knitting Machines, News, Seminar

Spring Machine Knitting Seminar

elyknits

It’s been a while, everyone!

I hope you’ve been doing well!

If you follow me on Instagram (@ely.knits), you’ll know that I recently hosted my first machine knitting seminar in Tulsa at Get Stitchin’!

“Fit, Fabric, and Finishing” was our theme on October 15. Pamela Carrico of CMO Designer Knits showed us ways to tailor knits to be truly custom, well-finished items and reminded us that we make fabric and can make so much more than just sweaters on our machines.*

Things went so well that we decided to schedule the Spring Seminar already!

**Important Date Change!**

Updated February 2023

Join us Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 10AM-4PM for a machine knitting seminar featuring Oklahoma’s own fiber artist Pamela Carrico!

Pamela has over 44 years of experience in fiber arts and creates one-of-a-kind handmade pieces that have traveled the world. 

The spring machine knitting seminar is brought to you and sponsored by ELY Knits. (Me!)

Click the date above or this link to go to Get Stitchin’s website and sign up! We’ll be teasing out more info as we get closer to seminar, so stay tuned!

First sneak peek:

Do you know what a body block is?

*If you missed it and would like to purchase a copy of the patterns we learned, check Pamela’s Etsy store, where PDF downloads will be available for purchase soon.

If you were wondering where in the world I’ve been and why there haven’t been any posts in ages, here’s the personal stuff:

We moved!

Before, I had the smallest bedroom in the house stuffed full of my knitting, but now we’re on an acreage and I HAVE A STUDIO! I’m so excited!!

It’s still a huge mess even though it’s been six plus months since we moved… but things are beginning to shape up.

I have shelving for my vintage magazine and book collection and a wall of pegboard for my cones and hanks. My to-be-cleaned-and-restored machines have their own shelf in a workroom so I can keep any chemicals separate from the yarn.

It still seems unreal to have a studio, but I have one with two rooms now! And running water! (If this place had a bathroom I’d get a mini fridge and a cooking burner and just live here. Sorry husband…)

Eventually I’ll teach private lessons in the studio, but for now, I’m keeping things at Get Stitchin’ in Tulsa.

I’ve had two surgeries since the move, and recovery has taken a while.

One of the surgeries fixed a tendon issue in my thumb and wrist, but I still have numbness in my hand from the nerve being moved to reach the problem. That should continue to fade as time passes. (See this post for some background on my hands.)

While I’m pretty much recovered from my surgeries, I still have some specialists left to see for a more systemic health issue, so it may be a while before I return to my previous schedule. Even though I hate to, I don’t feel like I can 100% commit to regular posts yet.

But I will still do my best!

You can keep up with things I think are interesting but perhaps not blog post worthy on my Instagram @ely.knits.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you soon!

News

What a year!

elyknits

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope you’re spending the end of the year how you want, where you want, with whomever you want.

From launching ELY Knits as a site to attending my first in person market in years, a lot of things have happened this year. I didn’t accomplish everything that I wanted to, but I was able to do some unexpected things like team up with a local store to become a machine dealer and team up with some local fiber artists to make some exciting projects for 2022.

I’m looking forward to next year. If you’d like to see specific techniques or yarns, as always, drop your suggestions in the comments below or send me a note through the contact page.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me on this machine knitting journey.

Good luck on your last minute knitting, and may you always win at yarn chicken.

News

State of the Ewe-nion 2021

elyknits
Hmmm… I hate myself a teeny bit for that pun.

There are quite a lot of new and exciting things in the future for ELY Knits, so today’s post is going to be different than the usual review or tutorial. Announcements, new policies, and fun fiber collaborations–all that news is right here!

Patterns and Pricing

Going forward, ELY Knits will still have free patterns, so don’t worry! Free patterns will usually feature both hand knitting and machine knitting versions, but expect there to be some time between the releases of each version.

Patterns from my old blog, Emily Does Everything will remain free but change format from blog posts to free PDF Ravelry Downloads.

New, paid versions of old patterns will be released featuring different sizes and more instructional content. If you want to figure out the sizing yourself, download the free version. If you’d rather have me do it for you, that’s what the paid version is for!

The end goal is monthly patterns, but I’m staying flexible on that one because so much is happening at once!

Ko-Fi Support

Like Patreon, Ko-Fi offers readers a chance to “buy me a coffee” as thanks for the content I produce, but Ko-Fi doesn’t take a percentage of any of the funds.

If you’d like to support the website, yarn reviews, pattern development, tutorials, and more, you can check out my Ko-Fi page at Ko-fi.com/elyknits.

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This one’s a big one!

Lessons

I’ll be working at a local yarn store again! I worked at my (now closed) LYS for five years before the pandemic.

I have desperately missed being in fiber fellowship with yarn lovers.

This November, I’ll be joining Get Stitchin’ in Tulsa, Oklahoma to offer intermediate and advanced hand knitting classes along with machine knitting lessons.

Knitting Machine Sales

That’s right! Machine knitting lessons mean Knitting Machines FOR SALE! Partnering with Get Stitchin’, we are offering new Silver Reed Knitting Machines for sale.

The LK-150 Knitting machine is a plastic bed mid-gauge machine with nearly limitless capabilities. Different stitches are created by manually selecting needles and changing simple carriage settings. As my mentor Pamela Carrico says, YOU are the brain with this machine.

Most of the yarn reviews, patterns, and projects featured here on ELY Knits use the LK-150 mid-gauge 6.5mm machine.

This is the machine most suitable to the majority of hand knitting yarns and is a great place to start for beginners.

Classes will be based around projects on the LK-150.

For those who want to learn more before purchasing a machine, we’ll have demo days along with a lecture-style class to teach you all about what you can do with the LK-150 and other machines.

We’ll have metal bed machines available for order, too, along with…

Design-A-Knit 9!

The DAK9 software offers nearly endless knitwear design opportunities and directly connects to electronic knitting machines via the Silver Link 5 Cable.

It’s not just for machine knitters, though. Even without a machine and the cable, you can design your dream sweater and more using this extensive software.

Keep your eyes peeled for future announcements here and @ely.knits on Instagram for news on Knitting Machine and Design-A-Knit 9 demonstration days at Get Stitchin’ in Tulsa.

Online Sales

The ELY Knits online store will be launching soon along with the re-opening of my KnitPurlEverything Etsy shop as ELY Knits.

The Etsy shop will focus on ready-to-ship knits where the ELY Knits store (the SHOP tab at the top, coming soon) will offer customization options.

Now for a bit about what we’ll be doing with online sales.

Shipping Materials

We reduce, reuse, and recycle in my house. It’s not just a smart and frugal business and personal choice. I believe it’s better stewardship of our environment to use and reuse where we can.

Purchases from ELY Knits may arrive in many different types of boxes with different types of packing. As we use up the last of our plastic mailers, we will transition to 100% compostable or recyclable materials.

Knits do need protection from wet weather, so some will still ship in plastic. However, this plastic will be reused shipping materials or recyclable materials made from recycled plastics.

Now for the yarn! You didn’t think you’d get through an ELY Knits post without talking about yarn, did you?

Yarn Composition

I like to think of myself as a bit of a recovered yarn snob. I don’t mind acrylic or synthetic fibers. I think those yarns definitely have their place and uses, and quite a few of my go-to yarns are natural and synthetic blends. I’ve even reviewed a few of them here on the site.

But. I think natural fibers are superior options, especially since I want to support my local fiber community as much as possible. And there are fiber farms in Oklahoma, y’all!

I do have synthetic and semi-synthetic yarns in my inventory currently. These will be used completely and then replaced with a natural alternative.

There are some semi-synthetic fibers like Tencel that recycle over 90% of the chemicals used in the extraction process that will likely stay in my stash.

Old yarn stock and recycled synthetic yarns will also stick around. I do my best to reduce yarn waste wherever possible. If I find old stock yarns, even if they’re synthetic, you can bet I’ll bring them in and use them appropriately.

And last but not least,

Collaborations

If everything else I listed out wasn’t enough, EVEN MORE good things are coming! I’m collaborating with local indie dyers and fiber artists to bring some really cool kits and patterns to you in the future.

Covid delays are the norm these days, so I don’t have a specific timeline for some of these projects yet, but rest assured they will be amazing!

Oh, and Yarn Dyeing friends? Hand Knitting Design friends? If you’d like to collaborate on a hand and/or machine knitting project, hit me up!

Whether you’re looking for a pattern to highlight your yarns or you’d like to make your hand knitting pattern more accessible to machine knitters, I have you covered!

I am always up for working together with my fiber friends.

Thanks for wading through all of that! I wasn’t sure when or how to announce some of these things in posts with more concise topics, so I appreciate you sticking around to the end and reading all of the wonderful things coming your way via ELY Knits.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments below!

What ways do you reduce, reuse, and recycle in your fiber life?