Featured Artists | Darn Good Yarn

All about Faith…. the designer!

So you might remember I asked Chriss (our great crocheter) what inspires her: you read about it by clicking here.

But I had to ask our great knitter Faith the same thing. Read what she has to say!

Click here for Faith's Slipper Pattern

I’ve been knitting since I was in my early teens. I made myself sweaters and ponchos and the like. I earned some of my money for university knitting sweaters. I hadn’t been knitting much lately except out of necessity (I go through a lot of mittens), but I found Darn Good Yarn by accident this summer. I was entranced by the yarn and intrigued by the 80 ways to save the earth tote bag. I ordered some of the yarn. When I decided to make the tote smaller than the pattern called for, I had leftover yarn, so I decided to make mittens. Silk is supposed to be the warmest thing to wear in the winter. They turned out well, so I figured I’d try socks, something I hadn’t knit since I was about 14. This meant ordering more yarn. I was working on them while on vacation, and my daughter and I wandered into a fancy yarn shop in Charlottetown. She fell in love with thrummed mittens, so I figured out how to make those. Her sister needed a pair after seeing them, naturally. By this time I was totally in love with the silk. Nicole was looking for designers, and every time I looked at the silk I came up with another idea for how to use it. We started collaborating, and there you are.

I also design cross-stitch and blackwork patterns and write for various publications, including a review zine.

Click Here Tibet Sari Silk Poncho Knit Pattern By Faith!

Check out Rivka Designs

I love local artists! I have to live vicariously through everyone else who has time to knit because I don’t have time anymore…tres sad. But Rebecca, owner of Rivka Designs, had items which really struck my interest. And she is now making items out of Darn Good Yarn’s Premium Recycled Silk!

Click here to get Premium Recycled Silk!

Rebecca sells her amazing wares in some high-end shops in northern Cali. She has also been setting up shop at Farmers Markets and Renaissance Fairs for over 6 years!

Click Here to Check Out Her Facebook Page and make contact!

Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio

Sometimes you run across great people in the online universe. For me, it was Shannon who owns the Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio. I recently had an urge to get a spinning wheel so I did what most of us would do for a big ticket item…hit up ebay. Lucky for me, Shannon was getting rid of an Ashford Kiwi which I won in a heart-stopping auction which required me to duck out of my other job for 5 mins and bid feverishly on my iPhone while trying beat off this other pesky bidder.

But we got to talking and she owns this great shop! And I got a sample of her rovings…. beautiful! And her handspun yarn will make you drool. I’m serious!

Click Here To Go To The Lodge!

Take a look at the site and order up some crafting goodness and tell her we sent you!

Meet Chriss! Crocheter Extraordinaire!

Nicole: So here goes the question, what inspires you to create what you do?

Chriss: Well, that is a complicated question, sometimes I see an item on a person, such as a hat or a belt, and I haven’t seen it done in crochet, before. So I try it, and sometimes it works out horribly and sometimes I come up with a really awesome item or pattern.

Click Here for the Belt

My daughter, Billie, is a huge inspiration. She is such a huge help when it comes to being able to wear things in different ways. Sometimes, we talk about an idea that didn’t work out, and she can help me modify the idea. Not to mention, she is my resident model.

Click Here for the Pattern

Crochet had this bad rap for a long time as being, doilies, mile-a-minute afghans, bulky vests, and slippers. Not to say those things don’t have there place in crochet, its just crochet is so much more. A lot of people hear crochet and are immediately put off,then I show them and they are so shocked! So, I get inspiration thru breaking boundries or changing the way people think about crochet.

I have said this one before, knitters/knitting inspire(s) me. Why? There has been a major explosion of crochet patterns in the past 7-8 years, but before that it was hard to find cutting edge/ or even really trendy crochet patterns. There are so many really great knitting patterns, so sometimes I look to whats happening in the world of knitting.

The origin of yarn can be inspiring. I look at the texture, drape, and color of the yarn. We’ll use DGY Premium Recycled Sari Silk for an example: Well, first off its silk, and silk has wonderful drape. Color? Well, that one speaks for it self. Texture, I love to work with Sari Silk in fairly tight stitches, that way it stays put and doesn’t fray too much. Also I think that is one of the best ways to display the yarn.

Premium Recycled Silk Yarn

And lastly nature inspires me, sometimes its listening to the rain, an awesome sunset, being in my veggie garden, playing with my kids, or like many others the season inspires me.
You say, “why?” And I say, “why not?”

Alpaca Yarn Made in the USA

So you might have noticed that we’ve been adding a lot of new items to darngoodyarn.com

Find Tinker Belle and other's yarn by clicking here

We decided that aside from bringing you yarns and crafts from Nepal that we should feed our domestic supply chain. So I reached out to an alpaca farm right up the road from me here in California. I’m so glad I did! Mette and Tom (the owners at Ranch of the Oaks) showed me and Mike around their great farm. Not only do they have alpacas (which I learned really do spit) they have ostriches, Icelandic sheep, and some funny dogs.

Click here to view this great yarn

So Darn Good Yarn decided that we had to carry their yarn. And by the way we’re the only place online to get Ranch of the Oaks yarn! So, check out the great selection of their award winning yarn by clicking here

What do you think? Does it look beautiful and cozy or what?

Just in time for the chilly season ahead!

Cloudy day? Visit SunFleur1 on Etsy!

Catch the rainbow - Bulky Entrelac hat at Sunfleur

Guess what this hat is made from? Darn Good Yarn’s very own Yo-Yo Diet thick and Thin Wool Yarn

I’ve been working with Michelle for a quite a while now and you just have to see all the cool items she makes. I know we all have the best intentions to make everything ourselves, but when you don’t have the time I think it’s equally as important to support our fellow crafters and resist the urge to get mass produced ho-hum items. This is where Michelle’s shop comes in super handy!

Michelle owns her own etsy store “SunFleur” which you can visit by clicking here!

High quality and really great prices and did I mention how whimsical everything she makes is?

Sari silk knitted beaded cuff

Chriss Smith Rocks!!! Her Etsy store is magnificent!

So, you know how sometimes life puts the most coolest people in your life? Well Chriss has been this person for me with Darn Good Yarn.

She owns this great Etsy Store which you can visit by clicking here!

Sari Silk Patchwork Bag/ Purse

Hemp Shower Bath Puff

So, I know that we all have the best intentions to knit or crochet gifts for our friends and family…but if you’re like me, OMG where the heck does the time go? It’s like, I get home, cook, clean, put the never-ending pile of laundry away… and I’m supposed to craft now?! It breaks my heart, but sometimes a clean house is better than a hand-made gift….this is where Chriss comes in. She is this master crochet-er based out of British Columbia… see, we’re international here at Darn Good Yarn:)

The Sari Silk Fringe Neck Piece/ Scarf/Bib

I mean look at all these crafts Chriss crocheted… and think about the time you will save and the looks on the faces of the people you give these as gifts to…or the look on your own face when you get yourself your own gift..hehehe!

Oh yes, please watch out for exclusive patterns by Chriss which will only be here at Darn Good Yarn!