It's hard to believe that we're already halfway through our pop up shops this year! We've been traveling the wool-d from the comfort of our own projects bags, knitting with fibers from the likes of mYak, Vrinda Yarn Co., Rosy Green Wool, and now Neighborhood Fiber Co.! With each step of this journey, we've learned what drives people and what brings them joy in the world of the fiber arts. At each shop we've highlighted, they've built a name for themselves by doing what they love, and that's truly living the dream!

Have you ever wanted to reach out during a thunderstorm and touch the rainbow that appears on the horizon, but it always seems to be just out of reach?

Well, Karida, the mastermind behind Neighborhood Fiber Co. managed to bottle up that brilliant color and spread it over her wide array of bases, creating a simple way for all makers to harness those gorgeous tones for their own projects! Drawing from the beauty found in the city, from skylines to graffiti, she found her calling in saturated shades and earthy neutrals.

To learn more about what inspires Karida and have a peek at how she would decorate a yarn-themed parade float, take a look at our official blog post! There, you can read about Neighborhood Fiber Co.'s roots and how Karida has grown into the expert color crafter she is now!

Penthouse Silk Fingering perfectly mirrors the feeling of a luxurious late-night soiree in a penthouse overlooking the city! This 100% silk yarn boasts an incredible 500 yards of light fingering strings that would be the talk of any good dinner party! The silky sheen catches the light beautifully and the drape is so elegant, you'll think you're walking right out of the pages of a romance novel!

Reminiscent of cozy cottages and the warm scent of food always cooking in the kitchen (maybe even with a pie cooling on the windowsill!) is the lightweight Rustic Fingering yarn! Each single-ply skein is kettle dyed with natural ingredients and has enough yardage (475 yards to be exact) to make a shawlette! Soft and comfy, this yarn is a non-superwash work of art, which makes it a touch easier to block into shape!

Studio DK is a 3-ply superwash merino that's seriously addictive to squish! Sturdy and reliable, this yarn feels like coming home from a hard day at work and having your dearest furry friend greet you with glee. You need a break from all the hard work you do, so letting the yarn do the heavy lifting just feels correct! Each skein holds 275 yards to play with, making it the perfect choice for garments and accessories alike!

Drawing inspiration from the fun names and supple strings from Neighborhood Fiber Co., our Bean, Amy, quickly got to work, needing to get all of her creativity out through her needles! This month, we're featuring a boomerang shawl, a large wrap, and a lace sleeveless top!

There's a weird emptiness that hangs in the air when we sign off from our virtual hangouts with our friends and family. Our hearts ache for not being able to see them in person, but we want to be careful not to expose them (or ourselves) to anything. Each sigh as we close our laptop or turn off our phone after our calls feel heavier with each passing day and it's really starting to weigh on us.

These calls, while a great way to stay connected, just don't feel the same as a warm hug for your kids or from your parents. That's why Melanie Berg focused these emotions of longing and loving into her newest pattern, Together Apart. This design uses a gorgeous blend of lace sections sprinkled throughout a garter stitch body. With this shawl, we can knit a hug for our friends and family, or just use it as a piece of our own personal history during this weird time.

Melanie's signature use of tasteful stripes shines brightly in this design by using a small amount of contrast color to make them really pop!

Using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light yarn (and a Unicorn Tail, depending on how many you make), this asymmetric shawl starts from one tip and knits up easily to the other end. The lace section also includes written and charted instructions for you to use at your leisure!

You may also notice that there are different sizes available for this kit! The larger kit gives you enough yarn to make two shawls in contrasting colors that you can share with your loved one! Doing this brings your virtual hug to life, giving you both the warm fuzzies of being wrapped in the same yarn!

Please note: The purchase of this kit does not include the pattern, which can be found on Melanie Berg's Ravelry.

TML + Tweed Enters the Ring!

*Overly-excited announcer voice* We've seen yarns big and small come to the Jimmy Beans stage to test their skills, vying for the title of the Ultimate Fuzzy Fiber in hopes to win over everyone's hearts and project bags.

On this side of the ring, we have the crowd-favorite reigning queen, Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, weighing in at 100 grams! Her yardage and bright, vivid colors go unmatched, making her a powerhouse on the world stage of fiber arts. Each skein boasts a hefty 420 yards, making her the ideal choice for projects large and small, all while wrapped up in a soft, single-ply 100% merino wool base. Perfect for being used alone or tag-teaming a project with another yarn, is there nothing we can't see her achieve!?

The crowd gasps and falls silent as our challenger approaches the stage. An up-and-coming fan-favorite texture - tweed! The crowd goes wild! This contender packs a punch with its ever-changing exterior. From small, monochrome fuzzies to large pieces of rainbow fluff, this cozy chameleon will find its way into every maker's repertoire!

Now that we've established our contestants, let's get ready to rumb- wait... this is impossible! We've never seen anything quite like it! Instead of butting heads and fighting for the crown, they've fused together into one yarn! Taking the best aspects of both contenders, they've transformed into the super yarn that is Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Tweed! Holding the same amount of yardage and squishy soft strings of Tosh Merino Light with the added comfort and interesting texture of tweed, it's the yarn of our dreams!

Perfect for all kinds of crafts, Tosh Merino Light + Tweed has the added benefit of 2% nylon for an extra bit of strength (heavyweight champion, anyone?). Does inventory show 0 available? We can special order any amount you need - no minimums necessary!

How Vogue!

Being a maker is super exciting because there always seem to be new patterns - it's like watching your favorite show and feeling the excitement of the next episode airing! From independent designers to books chock full of fun patterns, it's like every day is our birthday! We're always on the edge of our seats when the seasons change because that usually means a new collection is on the horizon, and we've hit the nail (er, needle?) on the head with that assumption!

Vogue Magazine - '20 Spring/Summer seamlessly blends the worlds of summer nights and spring brights! Like dipping your toes into the pool on a hot day, Vogue Knitting is dipping their needles into the fun, vibrant shades of summer in between simple, sophisticated shapes and timeless designs.

In this issue, you can find things like a summery shawl with an eye-catching lace pattern and striped pullover with a fun and flirty asymmetric hemline. All of the garments in this issue can be built on in your outfits or used as their own statement piece, making them excellent projects that will be wardrobe staples for years to come!

Summer Lovin'!

We experienced some insanely high temperatures this week! There's a running joke around the Reno area that says we don't experience spring, but instead, we jump from winter directly into summer and we're starting to believe it! It catches us off guard every year, and yet we still hold onto this dream of mild temperatures and breezy days before the impending doom of the summer heat. But alas, we were proven wrong again!

We've been scrambling to get some projects on our needles that will reflect the sweltering heat as we say our somber goodbyes to bulky wool sweaters and huge cowls. As we blow a kiss to our winter wardrobe, we take the next step in our journey for crocheted projects: cotton blends.

Berroco Medina checks everything off the list of summertime projects that we're takin' a stab at! Cotton, acrylic, and viscose meld together in this gorgeous DK-weight yarn. And the best part is that it's self-patterning! Just like it effortlessly balances the qualities of different fibers, it brings the worlds of warm and cool hues together for a fun and unique making experience!

While we understand that Pride events have either been cancelled or rescheduled across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn't erase the struggles and triumphs of the community itself. We're quickly coming up on June, which is Pride Month in the United States - this dates back to the very first official Pride March back in 1970. We're incredibly proud to see this tradition hit its 50th anniversary even amidst the stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines in place.

To celebrate this incredible event and stand with this community in the ways we know best (though some yarny goodness), we've come up with a handful of kits that were announced a few weeks ago to get your needles in gear for the summer celebrations! We only have a few left in each project, so if you haven't, make sure to pick one up ASAP (As soon as... Pride?).

Two shawls, the knit Love is Love Shawl by Adrienne Anila and the crochet Stitch Equality Shawl by Amy Gunderson make it especially fun to spread your wings and show your support using the Scheepjes Whirl gradient cakes!

Two beanies were also created as a more subtle nod to the community, making them easy to wear with any outfit! The Rainbows Reign Hat and Inner Strength Slouch, each designed by Amy Gunderson, feature flags that represent the community in the classic rainbow and trans colors using Marianated Yarns Practicality Sock yarn!

For each kit sold, we are donating 5% of the proceeds to further the fight for equality. Please note that this is not a sponsored partnership and all funds collected will be donated directly to the Human Rights Campaign. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBT+ civil rights organization, representing over 3 million members and supporters nationwide! Their fight for equality is a driving force in helping this community take the much-needed steps toward ensuring basic equal rights as well as a safe and open environment in the workplace.

Shibui Knits Amos Tee

The boxy construction of this pullover features clean, crisp stripes that really shine when layered over another shirt. Perfect for building any outfit and complete with options for different sleeve lengths, it'd be hard to NOT wear it! Worked flat from the bottom up, this pattern alternates between knitting with 1 strand of Shibui Knits Vine, and working with 1 strand of Shibui Knits Vine held with Shibui Knits Fern for a touch of texture.