Yarn Test Kitchen – Huephoria Fibers
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Welcome back to The Woolpack Yarn Test Kitchen!
It felt like Spring was in the air this morning in the Yarn Test Kitchen – bright blue skies and a stunning display of pink blossom on our cherry trees. A truly welcome taste of sunnier days to come, and from our show and share it seems that springtime accessorizing had been on all of our minds when we knitted with our four delightful skeins of Huephoria Fibers. If you are in the market for super cute scarves to add a hint of coziness and bring a stylish touch over the next couple of months, this yarn test kitchen is definitely for you!
Our Lovely Yarns: Huephoria Fibers
A visit to Seattle Yarns in West Seattle is always highly recommended. It’s the perfect way to get acquainted with their stunning hand dyed house yarn – Huephoria Fibers. This exciting range of yarns comes in DK, fingering and sock weight in a stunning array of colors. It’s a yarn with a local pedigree with each skein being lovingly hand dyed by owners Cheryl and Destiny in their Georgetown dye studio. They have known each other since middle school and their dyeing is inspired by their years of friendship. With intriguing names for their yarn bases like Student Council DK, Honor Roll Sock and Spelling Bee Sock, I can’t help but think it would be fun to quiz them about their school days!
Our Seasonal Baked Treat : Carrot Cake by Mary Cadogan from BBCGoodFood.com
I love a slice of carrot cake. When my kids were little, it was on my regular baking rotation, and it would always go down a treat. Having not baked one of these crowd pleasers in ages I had a nostalgic hankering for carrot cake. Maybe it was something to do with it being college spring break, and having my whole family under one roof (a rare occurrence), that made me settle on this nostalgic treat from BBC GoodFood. I’m glad I did – it was straightforward to make and tasted delicious. Both my guests and family members gave rave reviews.
Regular readers will know that occasionally I strive to make good lifestyle choices and pick a healthy(ish) recipe for my yarn test kitchen guests. This month I was full of good intentions and planned to add the fat free frosting option that is included in the recipe, but at the last minute cream cheese frosting beckoned seductively, and I was reaching in to the fridge for the full fat ingredients. It was a delicious substitution. After all, is it even a proper carrot cake without cream cheese frosting?
Tester: Keeley – Yarn: Honor Roll Sock, 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon; 4ply; 437 yds/100 g – Color Way: Scrub – Pattern: Woven by Casapinka
Scrub is such an interesting color way. At first, it reads as a neutral carrying shades of gray and light browns but take a closer look and you will see tones of mauve and hints of silver. It’s a great yarn choice for accessories because it will work with a wide range of colors complementing many of your wardrobe favorites. I chose a simple pattern to see how this variegated yarn would knit up, and Casapinka’s Woven proved to be a great match.
As I knitted it felt like this skein had magical qualities – the yarn transformed into a stunning fabric full of interesting shades and tones that almost shimmer. Casapinka’s asymmetric triangle scarf is designed with variegated yarn in mind. The linen stitch pattern repeat – alternating knit and slip stitches for one row then purling across the next, will prevent unwanted pattern pooling and result in a beautiful fabric with a woven texture that is equally pretty on both sides. The designer describes this scarf as “TV Knitting”, and I have to agree – it’s rhythmic and easy to follow but ultimately rewarding. Such a great pattern to have in your library for those lovely single souvenir skeins!
Yarn Tester: Annelie – Yarn: Student Council DK 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon; 4ply; 246 yds/100g skein – Color Way: Chipmunk Punk – Pattern: Riptide Scarfette by Jennifer Shiels Tolland
Annelie in her own words: “My mother taught me how to knit before I started elementary school. I have been knitting ever since. In my teenage years I didn’t hink it was cool to knit, but when I became a mother, I picked it up again. Pretty much self taught with a few workshops to help me along. Helping other knitters enjoy and be successful in creating something that fits is my biggest joy.”
It was a treat for all of us to welcome Annelie to this edition of the Yarn Test Kitchen. Fiber arts guru Annelie is known and loved across the wider Seattle fiber community and has guided many of us through a project over the years in many different locations. We knew she would put the yarn through its paces and deliver a showstopper. How cute is this scarf? There are many patterns for “skinny scarves” available on Ravelry at the moment and this is one of the prettiest we have seen. The Riptide Scarfette pattern includes directions to customize your scarf with pointed or rounded edges at each end, and the lacy edging adds interest as it grows. This is an ideal speedy project for an advanced beginner looking to learn new techniques.
We were keen to know Annelie’s verdict on the yarn; great news – she loved it! She thought it was a delight to knit with, blocked beautifully and the finished fabric feels great next to the skin. Luckily this pretty shade of coral pink is one of her favorites. Annelie loved it so much she used the whole skein!
Yarn Tester: Caitlyn – Yarn: Honor Roll Sock 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon; 4ply; 437 yds/100 g – Color Way: Senior Band – Pattern: Paloma Pointelle Scarf by Studio Anneliis
Caitlyn in her own words: “Crafting with yarn is my favorite thing to do. Knit, crochet, all day, every day. I love creating something with beautiful fibers.”
Caitlyn loved the finesse of Cheryl and Destiny’s dyeing – beautifully even in tone, but with tiny speckles of darker and lighter teal to add movement and texture to this delightful color way. As well as being sturdy enough to make a great pair of socks (10% nylon), the cashmere brings the luxury to Honor Roll Sock making it an ideal yarn choice for soft and cozy next to skin accessories. Caitlyn was looking for a project with lots of stockinette to show off this beautiful color, and she called off the search when she discovered the Paloma Pointelle Scarf.
The pointelle pattern (reminiscent of spring flowers) and eyelet edge elevate this triangle scarf that can be worn in multiple ways to bring the right amount of cozy on cool spring mornings, or add a pop of color to an outfit. The pattern has options for small and large sizes and is easy to follow. Increases are made with simple yarn overs and create a stretchy edge. Caitlyn played yarn chicken and extended the pattern to get the most from her skein, but you could also opt for the smaller size to make a rather cute headscarf. We love a pattern with options over here at the Yarn Test Kitchen!
Yarn Tester: Taylor – Yarn: PSpelling Bee Sock 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon; 4ply; 463 yds/100 g – Color Way: Video Killed the Radio Star – Pattern: Vanilla Socks by The Crazy Sock Lady
Taylor in her own words:“I’ve always loved sock knitting! I get really engrossed in an small detailed project (bonus points if it can travel in my purse.”
Sock knitting enthusiast Taylor was the perfect person to test this joyful skein of yarn. You have to see this pair of socks to believe how perfect they are! Taylor chose to let the yarn do the talking and showcase the bright and bold dyeing with a simple sock pattern that well and truly rocks! As well as enjoying this fun color way evoking 80s glam, Taylor loved how the yarn didn’t pool and resulted in a vibrant variegated fabric. She modified the Crazy Sock Lady’s pattern by adding a folded cuff instead of a ribbed one to create a cute pair of ankle socks. Fun!
Taylor’s handy hint for knitting the best sock fabric: go down a needle size and up a sock size to create a dense fabric for a pair of cozy, hard wearing favorite pair of socks.
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. You can also find all of the Yarn Test Kitchen featured patterns on our Ravelry Projects Page – PSWoolpack.
We all enjoyed these four beautifully dyed skeins of yarn immensely and we would like to say a very big thank you to Cheryl and Destiny for sending us such marvelous fibers to sample. Do check out the full range of Huephoria Fibers at Seattle Yarn.
Coming soon in the Yarn Test Kitchen: Han Ji from AIO Knit
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