Yarn Test Kitchen – February 2025. Yarn Dragon
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Welcome to our February Woolpack Yarn Test Kitchen!
We are having a wonderful Fiber February here at The Woolpack! When it’s a little bit gray and rainy outside, it’s fun to gather with fiber friends to share our love for this yarny world we are happy to be a part of. This month we were treated to four fabulous skeins from Yarn Dragon – luxurious yarns from the heart of Seattle in Pike Place Market.
Our February Baked Treat : Healthy Granola from Cookie and Kate
Now that I have tried it, I can’t believe I haven’t made granola before. Easy to make, lower in sugar and rather delicious, this simple recipe is set to become a favorite in our home. I made mine with maple syrup and pecans, but this great recipe from Cookie and Kate has many suggestions for add ins. It made a great topping for the parfaits I rustled up for our YTK get together.
I have a collection of small glass jars from shop bought yogurt that are perfect for parfaits. Berry compote formed the base and I added a layer of greek yogurt. The granola topping gave a delicious crunch and made for a healthy breakfast. I have already made more and I am looking forward to experimenting with different granola flavors.
Our February Yarn: Yarn Dragon
Any Seattle-ite will tell you that Pike Place Market is always worth a visit and for fiber enthusiasts, the Yarn Dragon shop is an added bonus. Jonathan’s luxury yarns burst with beautiful color and you are sure to fall in love with these sumptuous skeins. Yarn Dragon has been a fiber feature of Pike Place Market since 2018 when Jonathan first began selling his hand dyes on one of the many artisan stalls. In July of 2024 the business moved into one of the market’s stores and became a destination for yarn lovers across the region. This month’s YTK team were treated to four different Yarn Dragon bases that delivered all the yarny happiness.
Tester: Keeley – Base: Silkpaca Worsted – Color Way : Sea of The Edge – Pattern: Waterfall Neck Warmer by Lee Gant
Soft and luxurious Silkpaca is a yarn you will definitely enjoy having next to your skin! This yarn is beautiful and I am so happy I found this delightful simple lace pattern cowl to showcase it. There are many shades and tones of purple, gold and gray in this complex colorway that really pop once knit up to make the prettiest of fabrics. The alpaca content creates a soft halo resulting in a classy accessory that will look and feel cozy with many of your favorite outfits.
The Waterfall Neck Warmer is a great pattern for those single skeins of worsted weight yarn in your stash. It has an easy to remember stitch repeat with six rows to the pattern. It would be ideal for a new(ish) knitter looking to try their hand at a lacy project. It’s hard to believe that this is fun project is essentially a basic cowl and no shaping is required. The results are a stretchy neck warmer that will keep it’s shape around your neck, yet spreads out enough to sit on comfortably at the top of the shoulders.
I love it and can’t decide whether to give this as a gift to an exceptionally knitworthy friend or keep it all to myself!
Yarn Tester: Caitlyn – Base: Sparkle Fingering – Color Way: Pine – Pattern: Same Thing Only Different by Cheryl Schumer
Caitlyn in her own words: “Sparkly yarn is my current obsession. Let’s make everything shine!”
Sparkly yarn is not just for the Holidays! Caitlyn has had a thing for yarn that sparkles for some time and she enjoyed this one immensely. It’s not too heavy on the glitz, and has more of an elegant shimmer instead. When knit up, this beautiful tonal green gives off deep forest vibes that are rich, verdant and evocative of our PNW forests.
Caitlyn always delivers great one skein wonder ideas for the Yarn test kitchen, and we all agreed that The Same Thing Only Different wrap, is a versatile accessory that would make a useful year round addition to anyone’s wardrobe. Wear it as a scarf in winter or keep it in your purse on a summer’s evening, just in case. Caitlyn’s pattern modifications of additional beads and gold thread on the edging resulted in a little more “pop”, and a touch of elegance. Fabulous!
Yarn Tester: Kristen – Base: Bactrian Fingering Weight – Color Way: Okurax – Pattern: Pyrifolia by Ruth Nguyen
Kristen in her own words: “Perpetually trailing yarn and wielding hooks or needles, I’m a fiber artist who lives for crochet, knitting, spinning and my newest adventure; fine art pieces. My wooly obsession has now spun itself in to drawing, painting and sculptural works, weaving together traditional craft with contemporary art in ways that will soon grace local festivals @yarnplayground on insta.”
Yarn Dragon Bactrian fingering weight yarn is the most luxurious yarn to be featured so far in the Yarn Test Kitchen. The fiber blend is 50% camel and 50% silk, resulting in exceptional softness that also has a resilience due to the silk. Kristen completely fell in love with this beautiful yarn and found it a a joy to crochet with. The natural camel coloring is allowed to shine through amongst the pops of warm orange due to Jonathan’s artistic dyeing and the fabric that is created has a subtle sheen.
Pretty Pyrifolia is a simple but effective lacy pattern that allows the beauty of a hand dyed skein to shine through. Kristen gets top marks for finding the perfect pin for her shawl. Seriously, how gorgeous is that dragon?
Yarn Tester: Megan – Base: Kuan Yin Worsted – Color Way: Princess – Pattern: Bandana Cowl by Purl Soho
Megan in her own words: “I’m Megan Hand, a real estate professional by day and a knitting enthusiast by night. I co-founded The Fiber Bess (@thefiberbess) with a lifelong friend, creating a cozy community for fellow knitter. I’m always looking to attend knitting retreats with friends, learning new techniques and enjoying the craft I love.”
Pink is one of Megan’s favorite colors, so this fun skein of superwash worsted brought a lot of happiness. With so many shades and tones in one skein Megan knew that she had to find a project that would showcase the artistry of this Yarn Dragon hand dye, and she certainly made the perfect choice. Hello Bandana Cowl! This is such a handy pattern to have in your Ravelry Library – perfect for any worsted weight fiber and ideal when you want to create a pretty cowl to add a pop of color. It knits up in no time at all and is a perfect “go-to” pattern that is a relaxing and rewarding knit.
As always, if we have inspired you to knit/crochet any of the featured patterns, simply click on the pattern name to head to Ravelry.com. Huge thanks to Jonathan for providing us with such interesting yarns. When you’re in town, a visit to the beautiful Yarn Dragon store is highly recommended or discover more beautiful yarns at Yarndragon.com
Coming next month in the Yarn Test Kitchen: Skagit Woolen Works.
Yarn Test Kitchen
Your Monthly Yarn Review
One of my all time favorite knitting activities is a “show and share”, with friends – it’s a perfect way to seek ideas, gain inspiration and get helpful advice. This is the idea behind the yarn test kitchen – I hope our projects will have you reaching for your needles as we bring you our ideas on how to turn those neglected single skeins of yarn in to “One Skein Wonders”, and inspire you to try new yarns that are produced and sold across the Puget Sound Region.
Oh, and I’ll also be sharing monthly baking recommendations as we go. After all, who doesn’t love a slice of cake or baked good? Yum!
Happy reading!
Keeley