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Head Gardener's Log: February 24th, 2025
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| Hello friends!I am excited to announce that YG will be hosting our first EVER MAL, starting in March. What is a MAL, you might be asking? The abbreviation stands for Make-A-Long, and it means we're excited to include any maker that wishes to join along and create a sweater. Regardless of which skills you currently possess, knit OR crochet, we want to include you in our next community project.
Pick a pattern from our curated bundle here and create a top down, raglan sleeve style sweater! You'll be knitting or crocheting along with the support of a community of other makers, both in-person and virtually via Zoom. There are several style options in the bundle: some crochet options, some beginner-friendly options, and several more advanced options using lace stitches.
How/When do we meet?
This will be a hybrid KAL, with weekly meetings on Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 7ish. We will be hosting both in-person and Zoom meetings, based on our participant input (we will create a schedule in our exclusive Facebook group once the KAL begins). Our first gathering will be in person on Thursday, March 6th, where we'll be making our project and yarn selections (this meeting is optional... you don't have to wait if you want to pick out your yarns ASAP or if you can't make it at that time). We will cast on and get started with our projects in person on March 20th! Please note that our in-person meetings will also include a Zoom component, for those that are not local. As always, I do not choose an end date. The group makes that decision as we work through the sweaters together.
Cost
The cost for this KAL is FREE, but I do ask that you purchase your supplies for the project from Yarn Garden. By supporting YG with your yarn purchase, you’re helping ensure that we can stay open to continue offering these fabulous events. Once you've made your purchase, you'll be given access to our private Facebook group, where the KAL will take place.
Yarn Options
The patterns I've selected in the bundle all call for a dk weight yarn. I would encourage you to consider the season you'd like to wear this sweater in when choosing your yarn. If you're looking for a wool option, Clever Gnome from Gnome River Yarn or Sami/Marla from Manos are all great superwash merino bases. Scout from Kelbourne Woolens is a fabulous workhorse wool that comes in a variety of beautiful heathered shades. If you're thinking of more of a summer top, Remix Light or Vintage Baby from Berroco or Cirrus from Juniper Moon Farms would make a lovely three seasons fabric!
How Do I Join?
Sign up for the MAL via our website here. If you've participated in any of our previous KALs, this is a new step! There is an opportunity for sharing and conversation via our exclusive Facebook group, but we'll also be utilizing email communications for our community members that aren't on Facebook. This is the easiest way to capture everyone's interest! Once you've made your yarn purchase, you'll be added to the FB group.
Gnome River Yarns COTM for March!Have you seen our color of the month for March, "Sandstone Adventures"? It is inspired by our EPIC adventure trip we took last March, to visit the otheworldly landscape that Utah has to offer. We went canyoneering near Kanab, visited Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, and even spent a little time in Vegas! The color inspiration comes from the rocks and geological formations we were surrounded by during our adventures. It is dyed on our Clever Gnome base, which is a dk weight, sw merino/nylon blend. The notion from Gnome River Crafts this month is a stitch marker, with a mountain-scape and evergreen trees etched into it.  It's not too late to order for delivery during the first half of March... choose from pick up or ship here. If you need more than one skein, be sure to use the "Extra Skein" option to add additional skeins. Other Gnome River Yarns colors that would be lovely with "Sandstone Adventures" is Verdant (to represent the scrubby vegetation) or Ozone (to represent the brilliant blue sky). If you're looking for something with less contrast, Monarch, which is a gorgeous brick orange or Brunette, which is a deep, warm brown. You can find these colors listed here!
New Yarn from Juniper Moon FarmCotton + Merino is a harmonious blend of organic cotton and Merino wool that combines the best of both worlds in one luxurious ball. It's a chainette construction yarn, with pretty fluff blown in. When worked up, it looks like you've held a smooth yarn with a strand of a halo-style yarn, but you didn't actually have to! The colors come in two versions: the first is a white chainette with colorful fluff blown in. The second option is called Cotton + Merino: Shadows, and in this style, the chainette is colorful and the fluff is black. Yarn Details:70% organic cotton & 30% Merino wool (19 micron count = soft!)229 yards per 100 gram ball16 - 20 stitches = 4" using a US 7 - 9 needleRecommended hook size: I (5.5mm) - K (6.5mm)Price: $24.95Find our Ravelry bundle for pattern inspiration here.Shop here!
We've got less than a week to go for #FOFebruary BINGO. Have you been burning through your WIP pile? It's a great feeling to get so many things wrapped up and off the needles or hook. I'm proud of how much I've gotten done... including this sweater and shawl! The sweater is the Zelie tee, crocheted out of Summer Sesame. I had never seamed together a garment that was crocheted, so I set it aside until I could appropriately focus on it. It turns out that was February, when I was forced to look through my WIPs! The shawl is a pretty design from Lisa Hannes, called Minimania. I used our exclusive mini skein pack of Fino from Manos, along with a solid blue called Admiral.  I'm very excited to get some new things on my needles... a new class sample for brioche and our new MAL project, just to name a couple! What are you excited to start?
Your Head Gardener,
Lindsay Potter
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