Circle of Stitches

Purveyors of fine yarns and witchy goods

Textured Knits by Paula Pereira

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I’m a longtime fan of Laine Publishing, we’ve been carrying their magazine and books for years - but I’ve never been as excited for a new release of theirs as I am for Paula Pereira’s Textured Knits.

Paula and I met a few years ago, two Brazilians (more specifically, two Paulistas!) excited to find each other in the online knitting realm and we were super excited to finally hug in person at Rhinebeck 2019. There’s a tenderness in Brazilian friendships that doesn’t seem to quite cross the cultural bridge. All this to say that seeing Paula’s growing success as a knitwear designer has been so wonderful, and now I’m super proud to support her first book: Textured Knits, published by Laine. Her designs are classic yet contemporary, and the inspiration is deeply rooted in Brazilian culture. Get your copy here!

Textured Knits is a thoughtfully curated collection of contemporary and timeless handknits. The book includes sweaters, cardigans, shawls, and a pair of socks. The 20 fascinating patterns feature a variety of inventive ways to combine different textures, such as cables, colorwork, and embroidery. The result is a versatile knitwear collection that features stunning yet delicate elements. In true Laine-style, the knits are photographed and presented beautifully creating a publication that promises to be a true classic.

Paula Pereira is a Brazilian knitwear designer. She is currently based in Luanda, Angola, where she lives with her husband. Paula is constantly inspired by the textures, colors, and motifs she sees around her, especially in architecture and art, which she then turns into stitches.

Below is a preview of all the patterns, along with the required yarn weight.

Alen

DK weight

Cestaria

worsted weight

Espedito

sport

Lygia

sport

Musgo

worsted weight

Balaio

worsted weight

Cidreira

sport weight

Florada

lace + lace

Manacá

sport weight

Oiticica

sport + lace

Brocado

fingering weight

Cobogó

worsted weight

Franzidinho

fingering weight

Mesclada

DK weight

Rendado

fingering weight

Caliandra

fingering/sock

Diamantine

DK weight

Lina

fingering weight

Milhazes

DK + lace

Viana

fingering weight

Don’t you love this beautiful collection? Pick up your copy of Textured Knits by Paula Pereira here!

Meet the Witches: Emily O'Brien and Kemper Wray!

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We're kicking off summer with a super fun event: The Totally 90's Nostalgia Trunk Show and Stitch Night! This event features two amazing fiber folks, Emily O'Brien (she/they) of Kitty with a Cupcake, and Kemper Wray (she/they) of Junk Yarn. Emily and I first connected a couple of years ago when she visited Salem and showed us her adorable witchy progress keepers, then I met both of them in person at Wool & Folk last year. I'm super excited to host this amazing duo at the shop! Keep reading to learn more about their work. 

Emily, I'm always super excited to connect with another fellow witch in the fiber industry. You describe yourself as a Craft Witch, and you are a practicing witch as well. Can you share a bit about your practice, and how craft intersects with it?

Emily: Being a crafter is actually what got me into witchcraft! Taking a ball of yarn and turning that into an actual wearable garment has always felt like magic to me! The special feeling of wearing a handmade garment that was made by someone you love, it’s like the yarn is imbued with coziness. Talking about these feelings with some crafting friends made made me curious and start reading into actual magical practice. I have always loved and been drawn to tarot decks just because I’m a slut for cool art cards. As far as my practice goes, I do love taking the time to do a really intentional planned out ritual, but my daily practices include tarot, color magic, and what I affectionately call “pocket rocks” (small crystals I choose with intention for the day that make great pocket fiddle objects!) 

In terms of crafting and witchcraft, I choose colors for projects with specific intentions. I also will think about imbuing gift projects with special protection, calming, good vibes, or whatever I wish for the person. I also am working on a very long term project of cross stitching my own tarot deck design. I’m the slowest cross stitcher ever though so it will seriously take me like 10 years to finish this and release it unto the world! 

 

Your designs are witchy, but with a much more pop culture aesthetic than what folks might usually associate with witchiness. I'm so curious to know how you arrived at this super unique intersection. What was your first pop-witch (not sure if that's a real term, but now it is) design and how did it come to be?

Emily: A lot of people looking at witchcraft from the outside associate it with various  dark and spooky aesthetics because of media and various churches yelling about how “evil” witchcraft is. I think that magical practice flexes your imagination and is actually just an aspect of play. I try to make my designs play on nostalgic colors and imagery from my childhood to make them more friendly and show that magic doesn’t have to be scary, it can be joyful. As a result my designs resonate with out and practicing witches, witches in the broom closet, and people who just love pop culture fictional witchy things! My first “pop-witch” design was actually the Basic Witch Magical Merit Badge. I was noodling around with the idea of Girl Scout Badges but for witches. The rest of that line kind of designed itself because it just worked! 

Kemper, can you tell us a bit about what witchcraft means to you, and how it ties into your fiber work?

I haven’t identified as a witch until very recently because I grew up Catholic, so I had quite a bit of residual religious guilt and trauma to sort through. But I’ve found so much to love in witchcraft, especially tarot. I’ve always loved learning about witches and magick, so seeing the number of witchy fiberistas out there has been super encouraging. I also dye plenty of witchy colorways, too! Color and magick are inextricably linked! I wear clothes that bring me joy and draw energy to me in ways I need for that day, so I like to think of my yarn and knitting as doing the same thing.

 

How long have you been dyeing yarn, and what inspired you to get started?

 Kemper: I’ve been dyeing yarn for about seven years, but it’s so hard to believe it’s been that long. I didn’t expect it to become my career!

I’ve always been an “artsy” person; I even have an MFA in Creative Writing. I started dyeing yarn after two attempts at more traditional office jobs in editing and marketing. But in dyeing I found a job that would allow me the time to pursue my creative goals, like writing a novel and painting more. 

I have ADHD, so I usually have about five active hobbies at any given time, but my longtime loves are writing and knitting. Dyeing allows me to do both!

What is something you wish more people knew about you and your work?

Kemper: I dye yarn that makes me happy. I used to try to keep up with the color trends more closely, putting out collections every season, etc. But now, I put out collections based on what’s inspiring me. I love to make moodboards and capture aesthetics that bring me joy! I also keep my dyeing more of an artistic process rather than manufacturing.

 Yes, I so resonate with this! I don’t dye very much these days (the shop keeps me busy), but I have never been able to keep up with trends. Speaking of which, I have no idea what this year’s Pantone colors are. Or what last year’s were.

So, how did you two first meet?

Emily: I actually knew who Kemper was even before I knew who Kemper was? I started knitting their Coziest Memories pattern back in 2016. I then saw the Junkyarn booth at a Vogue Knitting Live back in 2018, it was so crowded I didn’t get a chance to chat but I did follow Junkyarn on Instagram. I’ve been a fan of Kemper’s work since! I was super excited when Kemper backed my Magical Merit Badges Kickstarter campaign in 2021. We started chatting about our similar aesthetics and the Totally 90’s Witch collab we worked on in 2022 was born via Instagram DM. 

We met for the first time in person actually setting up for our Wool & Folk booth in 2022. We are now legit real life friends in addition to internet friends. Which is, the best kind of friend. 

Kemper: I can’t remember when I first saw Emily’s work, but I loved her use of color right away. At the time (and still!) there wasn’t anything else in the knitting swag world like her designs, so I knew I wanted to work with her. Becoming friends wasn’t necessarily the goal in working together, but I couldn’t help myself! She’s the best!

I love this story! It reminds me so much of how Rochelle, one of my all-time fave fiber witches, and I met. I am so excited that you two are joining me here in the Witch City! What is the concept behind your Totally 90s Nostalgia Tour, and how did the idea for this project come about?

E & K: We really loved hanging together in person during our Wool & Folk booth last year so we were basically brainstorming different schemes to be able to hang out together more. We chatted about how much we love Salem and how fun it would be to get to explore it together and here we are! Also in terms of our colorways and designs our Totally 90’s Witch Collab was super popular for both of us so we expanded upon that for the theme of this tour! 

What are you both most excited about sharing with folks at our upcoming trunk show?

E & K: We both make things that we truly love and enjoy wearing and using, so when we see those things give people joy it’s really the reason we do what what do! Also it means that fans of our work are generally our kind of people, so they’re so fun to meet in person! Kemper is super excited to see how people enjoy the new cotton base in its ice creamy color palette. It’s so perfect for summer. Emily can’t wait to hear the squeals of intense cuteness overload when people witness the new Mermaid Pocket Set. Also it’s always rad to see pictures of my progress keeper designs on projects so seeing Kemper’s new colors with the new progress keepers will warm her heart when they pop up on Instagram. 

I can’t wait! For our local folks, come meet these wonderful witches on Thursday, June 1st from 4 pm to 9 pm! Their trunk show will kick off at 4 pm, and from 6:30 pm onwards we are having a stitch night so we can hang out with Emily and Kemper. Yay! And don’t worry, you can shop their trunk show until 9 pm!

If you’re not local, don’t worry! You can shop the trunk show online here. You can browse now, but everything will show as sold out until 4 pm Eastern on June 1st, so bookmark this link and set yourself a reminder! You can also sign in to our virtual Stitching Hour between 7 pm and 9 pm and meet Emily and Kemper virtually.

xo, Ana

Test Knitting with Tones: Norte by Isabell Kraemer

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When the opportunity appeared to test knit Isabell Kraemer’s Norte I jumped at it. I knew it would be the perfect way to satisfy my urge for a new colorwork yoke, with less commitment since it’s a chunky weight sweater. I chose to knit it in Tones because I couldn’t resist all the color options. This is Brooklyn Tweed’s new creation, dyed on over and under tones to produce pairs of light and deep colors. What could be better for a colorwork lover?


First about Norte. The pattern is chunky weight, which means it’s a very quick knit. There is definitely time to squeeze this in for cold weather wear this season. Norte is a great combination of simple with clever details that keep your attention. Isabelle suggests the Italian cast on and bind off. This is almost exactly the same as the Tubular with Kitchener stitch, just a slightly different sewing rhythm. If you’ve never done this type of cast on or bind off Norte is a great place to learn it. Her instructions are very clear, and there is a supporting video. And remember it’s chunky, so there are fewer stitches. The stretchy finish can’t be beat.

The sweater yoke has some added texture with purl bumps. This is such a simple detail, but it immediately adds an extra dimension. She uses lifted increases (with very clear instructions) that become almost invisible. The chunky gauge makes the body and sleeves fly by, I didn’t feel sleeve island on this one at all. 

Chunky weight means you can hold two strands of worsted together. Hello Tones! I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous color options here, plus I love the warmth of a woolen spun yarn. The concept with Tones is that light and dark fibers are dyed separately. This produces pairs of light and dark colors - over and under tones, sunlight and shadow. For my contrasting colors I picked one of each, choosing  a coral over tone, Lychee, and a green undertone, Granita. I kept my main color neutral, choosing the base overtone. 


Tones is a rustic feeling yarn very similar to Shelter. When I held it double it produced a stiff fabric which had me initially worried, but I knew it would soften up when blocked. I blocked mine in hot, hot water, letting it soak for over two hours. I wanted maximum softness.  I made sure to shape it to at least the recommended gauge of 12 stitches per inch, or even a little bit larger. A chunky sweater looks better with more ease. 


I’m so pleased with the end result, and I’ll definitely use Tones for more projects. Norte has a lovely fit, and I’ve been wearing it on repeat. The pattern was fun, quick and taught me some new techniques. 

Follow Jana on Instagram @janaplesums!

Shifting Sands: Making Memories Into Stitches

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Tomorrow is Local Yarn Store Day, and I couldn’t resist creating a new pattern: meet Shifting Sands!

Honestly, I don’t always go into a design knowing where it’s going to end up. I recently brought Wooldreamers yarn into the shop and knew I had to play with it! Wooldreamers is a line of beautiful Spanish heritage merino wools with a beautiful story. Ramon is the creator of these gorgeous yarns, and this is the story in his words:

Wooldreamers, as its name implies, was born from a dream. The dream began with a vision of natural fibers, especially wool, overtaking the ever present synthetic materials. I envisioned conversations with longtime shepherds and ranchers, telling me how their view of wool had changed. I saw them pampering their sheep because they appreciated the value and importance of raising wool. Simultaneously in this dream, the public became aware that there is no better way to fight against micro-plastic pollution and climate change than the use of 100% biodegradable materials.

I chose Wooldreamers Dehesa de Barrera DK for my design, an absolutely stunning non-superwash Merino yarn spun from a flock of sheep that is over 200 years old. This flock was originally started by monks! How amazing is that?

I picked my three colors (Queso Curado, Alpaca de Trigo, and Campo Arado) and let the yarn take me on a journey. The result is Shifting Sands, in honor of my late father and my earliest memories of us together.

My earliest memories of my dad are of standing together at the beach, holding hands with our feet sinking into the sand as the waves washed over out feet. Dad was a being of sunshine and salt water, and from an early age, he shared his love of the ocean with me. Now, almost three years after his death, the sandy beaches are where I feel closest to him. When I visit my home country and revisit the many beaches he took me to, I dig my feet into the sand and know that he was here once too. These shifting sands connect us across space and time.

This design is full of love and memories, each stitch a little love note to my dad. I hope you love this design as much as I do! You can get your copy here. I love my sandy palette, but I couldn’t resist playing with some other color combos too!

Knitting to Keep My Grief Company

Ana Campos

And just like that, another year has come and gone. 2022 was an incredibly difficult year for me, starting with a massive rupture that changed everything about my life. It ended dramatically too: I started December in the ER, spent the solstice holiday weekend at the emergency vet because one of my cats at a bar of soap, and ended the month putting Munin to rest, my companion of 15 years. If you’ve been part of our community for a while, you know that Munin was battling cancer for the last three years. We did everything we could, including administering chemo at home every other day for over a year. Finally, in the last week of December, it was time to say good-bye.

It’s hard to talk about the grief of losing a pet. For those who haven’t experienced a deep bond with a pet, it seems trivial. For some of us, a pet is part of the family, a daily companion and fur baby. Munin came home with us at 8 weeks old, and was a sweet, funny, affectionate, and charming companion until the very end. His sweetness was truly one of a kind, and he’s left a huge hole in my heart and my home. His sweet little face, adorable little fangs, his little chirp, and the cutest white patch on his chest.

My grief is heavy, tangible, always lurking right behind my shoulder, and sometimes washing over me completely. I know one day it will be less heavy, and eventually it will be a quieter companion, whispering rather than taking over. But in the meantime? I am going to knit. This cardigan is taking me a while to work through, so Munin had several chances to nap on my knitting and my project bag before we said goodbye. I know there’s at least a couple of his little black furs knitted into the fabric, and I will always treasure that.

It seems silly to say that knitting can get us through the hard times, but for me, knitting is a life line. When I am overwhelmed, knitting allows me to slow down and gather myself. Since my grief is so present right now, I’m knitting to keep it company. With each stitch, I allow myself to acknowledge this new companion, to sit with it and say, I see you. I feel you. And with each stitch, I hope the hole in my heart gets a little smaller.

A special thank you to everyone who donated to Munin’s healthcare fund over the last three years. With your help, we were able to give him the best possible care. If you are interested in contributing to his end of life costs, please make a donation here.