Socktober - Help us make a difference!

For us sock knitters, October is "Socktober," the month where we cheerfully knit as many pairs of socks as possible. After all, wearing hand-knit wool socks helps us make it through the dreary winter months!

This year, we want to use Socktober to make a difference in our community. Many people are unaware that the homeless shelter desperately needs, and rarely receives, socks. This article from Points of Light is a couple of years old, but speaks of the importance of socks to the homeless population.

Salem is home to Lifebridge, an organization that provides transitional housing and helps those in need move into permanent housing. They serve over 1,000 people a year, and provide 300 meals a day, 365 days a year. So how can we help?

This Socktober, Circle of Stitches will purchase and donate one pair of socks for every 100 grams of sock yarn sold. Most skeins of sock yarn are 100 grams, so that's just one skein per pair! Help us spread some Socktober love this month and check out our selection of sock yarns! Can't knit socks? Join us for a class, or use your sock yarn for shawls, hats, mittens, whatever inspires you!

Our goal is to donate at least 50 pairs of socks - do you think we can make it to 100?

Introducing Quince & Co

At Circle of Stitches, we are committed to supporting small, unique yarn companies whenever possible. This fall, we are partnering up with Quince & Co and we couldn't be more excited! 

Quince & Co is local to New England, based out of Maine. In 2010, founder Pam Allen partnered with a historic mill to design yarns from the ground up, using wool sourced in the U.S. Quince is deeply committed to supporting American ranches and mills to produce high-quality knitting yarns. You can read more about their story and values here. 

So far, we've introduced Sparrow and Willet. Sparrow is a beautiful lightweight linen, sourced from Belgium. The U.S. does not produce commercial quantities of linen, so Quince & Co turned to the heart of historic linen production in Belgium to source organic linen yarn. Sparrow uses no toxic chemicals in any stage of its production. If you've never worked with linen before, here is an excellent blog post by Quince on working with this fiber.

Willet is a lovely, minimally-processed cotton yarn. It is spun from Cleaner Cotton, which is grown by family farmers in California. Cleaner Cotton is the product of responsible farming and reduced water use - read all about it here. 

Starting in September, we are introducing Quince & Co's core wool line, kicking off with Chickadee. Their core line is made of American wool grown in the ranges of Montana and Wyoming, and is a blend of Merino, Rambouillet, and Columbia-based sheep. Ana has already knit up a Sibella pullover, which you can see at the store, and plans on casting on Ebba in a couple of weeks when Chickadee officially arrives. 

Ebba

Sibella Pullover

Quince & Co yarns will not be available through our website, but can be purchased in-store or on the phone. We can be reached at 978-745-9276.

All images courtesy of Quince & Co

Summer of Sweaters KAL!

With our Odele KAL in full swing and some of us nearing the end-point, we can't help but start to feel that tingle - that idea that tugs at the edges of your mind, that tickle that runs through your fingers - Startitis. The desire to start a new project.

Our lovely Carrie teamed up with Jen Beeman of Grainline studio to host the Summer of Sweaters KAL! Join along with #SummerofSweatersKAL on Instagram, and enjoy a summer of relaxing stitching. By the time fall rolls around, you'll have a fresh sweater to wear right away!

Tinley in Softyak DK

Docks in Fingering Weight

Dessine-Moi un Mouton in Sport Weight

Breathing Space in Fingering Weight

Luxa in Fingering Weight

BlueSand Cardigan in Skinny Cotton

Summer KAL: Odele

At last night's Sip n' Stitch, we cast on for our summer KAL: the Odele top! This pattern calls for Berroco Mykonos, which is a super slinky linen, nylon, and cotton core-spun yarn. It feels cool to the touch and has a lovely sheen, making it perfect for a summer top.

It's not too late to join in! Pick your color of Mykonos and come knit in person or follow along in our Ravelry thread.

We meet in the evenings on 1st and 3rd Thursdays during Sip n' Stitch, and we regularly have folks coming in to sit and knit on Saturdays and Sundays. See you soon!

We Are Knitting: Spring Tops

Sometimes people ask us if we knit year round, and are surprised when we say: "Yes! Absolutely!" So we wanted to show you some of the things we are working on.

Boardwalk is an adorable top, which can be worn either as a layering piece or by itself! Carrie is currently knitting it in Madelinetosh.

Folded is a sweet and lightweight pullover. Ana is knitting hers in Toil & Trouble Sonnet, but it would look beautiful in any of our fingering weight yarns!