iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 02/02/2026

The shop will be closed from Feb. 2 - 13, 2026 so that I can travel back to France to visit family. Stay tuned for short snippets of the adventure! And if you're a newsletter subscriber, check your inboxes in the morning for the latest issue.

A teal background with gold text that reads "Shop closed Feb. 2-13, 2026." A white jet plane is shown in flight over a collage of images of a 17th-century chateau, a white and roan cow, and a silver stylized lion rampant.

030

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 15/09/2025

This week's shop schedule: - classes open for registration on the shop website at 7 PM - Community Crafting Circle on Tuesday, 1-3 PM - Stanwood-Camano Spinners on Thursday, 6-8:30 PM - Rise & Shine Social Time on Saturday, 9 AM - noon - Shop closes at 1 PM on Saturday for travel to Spokane

030

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 14/09/2025

It has been a fraught few days. So I went and petted a few local sheep, provided a little financial and lots of moral support at a makers’ market, and am getting ready to teach a spinning class.

040

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 04/09/2025

Here’s the table I mention in the video; this is from the August 22 edition of the ASI newsletter:

010

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 04/09/2025

Sad to say, a lot of folks are just now understanding why the domestic wool industry in the US is in deep trouble. A huge part of the conversation is the lack of financial incentive to produce wool - SO much work but so very little return. Here’s my quick explanation (the table I mention is below)

120

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 30/06/2025

This week at the shop! Tuesday: Book signing with Deborah Held (and a sold-out class), so no community crafting circle - and After Dark Social Night is rescheduled to next Tuesday, 7/8. Shop opens at 11 AM on Wednesday. Closed on Friday/Saturday for the holiday weekend.

040

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 13/05/2025

Ready for some @lystour.com pattern reveals since we're just a day and a half out? Here we go!!! Our crochet pattern is called Something You Can Cuddle Up In, featuring @berrocoyarn.bsky.social Wizard. Our knitting pattern is Calculated Stars, featuring Juniper Moon Farm Cotton + Merino.

Gold text on a navy background reads Crochet: Something You Can Snuggle Up In, Featuring Berroco Wizard. A photo features an older woman with glasses, short grey hair, and a black cardigan holding a multicolored striped triangular shawl; and a younger woman wearing a pink blouse and blue jeans holding a red/pink/burgundy/black striped triangular shawl that is slightly smaller.

Navy blue background with gold text that reads Knitting: Calculated Stars - Featuring Juniper Moon Farm Cotton + Merino. In the middle of the frame, there is a photo of a grey cowl with a mesh front draped over a piece of wood with a tree and apartments slightly out of focus in the background.

070

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 12/05/2025

What a day shearing yesterday! Made it through 4 Kerry Hill crosses (1 x BFL, 3 x Cheviot), tried a new-to-me pattern that will be my go-to from here on out (check out that blanket in the 2nd photo 😍), and taught a new shepherd how to skirt for milling.

Three fluffy white sheep wait to be shorn, but they aren’t thrilled about it - they’re backed into the far corner of a sheltered enclosure.

A person wearing a grey shirt that says CANADA stands over a partially shorn white sheep. The shorn wool cascades off the sheep towards the floor just like the novice shearer standing partially out of frame on the left side has dreamed of for over a year.

An outdoor scene. Three adults and a toddler (yarn swatch obscuring his face for privacy) stand around a skirting table built fr snow fence, dimensional lumber, and PVC pipe. They are sorting fleece to keep only the good stuff for milling or hand processing.

Four freshly-shorn sheep are in a field and face the camera. They are much cooler and lighter than they were that morning.

160

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 11/05/2025

One of the big advantages of our new location: PARKING GALORE, especially for @lystour.com! The red cars in the 2nd image show areas where you can park while visiting the shop. Please help us be good neighbors by NOT parking in condo resident spots across the alley from the shop (3rd image)!

A satellite view of the neighborhood around the shop is annotated with cartoonish red cars in areas where guests may park during the LYS Tour. At the bottom of the image, there is a green electric vehicle symbol superimposed on another building. At top, a car emoji is shown with an equal symbol, followed by the text "available shop parking." At bottom, the EV symbol is shown with an equal symbol, followed by the text "EV charging stations."

The sidewalk in front of the shop is shown with empty parking spots directly adjoining the building. Across the alleyway, gold arrows indicate parking spots mostly filled with vehicles. Text at top reads, "The spots across the alley from the shop (indicated here with gold arrows) are for condo residents only - please help us be good neighbors by NOT parking in this area!"

070

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 10/05/2025

Next up on our @pugetsoundlystour slow reveal, you might love our featured yarns so much you’ll need a bigger boat… errr… TOTE. Our knitting project will come in at just about $23; the crochet project will cost about $27 for the 1-ball size and $54 for the 2-ball size (all totals include tax).

A calm scene on a lake from the point of view inside a canoe. Four balls of yarn are apparently in charge of rowing the boat. One is light green with a weird white tubing running through it; one is black with fuchsia tubing running through it; one is a gentle gradient that runs from grey to green to turquoise; one is a gradient through various greys that ends with beige.

180

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 09/05/2025

We’re rolling out our @lystour.com pattern reveal over the next few days… first up, this year’s literary inspiration! I read both of these last year and was really touched by them. Our knitting pattern is called Calculated Stars, and our crochet pattern is called Something You Can Snuggle Up In.

A black and red book cover. A creature with tentacles, a pointed hat, and yellow facial feature dominates the cover but envelops a stout, scared-looking feminine figure. Grey chains frame the image in a diamond. Text reads: Someone You Can Build a Nest In - John Wiswell.

A predominantly blue book cover, with the silhouettes of 7 figures walking across uneven ground. Text on the cover reads Mary Robinette Kowal - The Calculating Stars - A Lady Astronaut Novel. (A blurb reads “An alternate history of space flight that reminds me of everything I loved about Hidden Figures.” - Cady Coleman, Astronaut)

3375

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 08/05/2025

The @lystour.com starts next Wednesday, and as your local #FullServiceYarnShop, we’re here for your travel planning needs. On the Tour page of our website, you’ll find detailed directions, all the info on parking for the shop, a list of parks, and a list of restaurants. And for the EV owners…

1101

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 30/04/2025

The LYS Tour is just the start of a summer of learning and community events at Stilly River Yarns. Join us on Saturday, May 31 from 3-5 PM for a class on How to Doodle with @pacificknitco.bsky.social herself! Register here: www.stillyriveryarns.com/store/p682/D...

A white background with a top-bound spiral notebook just right of center. A black pen sits at the far right of the frame, and a full spectrum of pens is arranged along the left edge. Text on the notebook reads: CLASS: How to Doodle with Jamie Lomax (Pacific Knit Co.) - Saturday, May 31, 3-5 PM @ Stilly River Yarns

091

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 22/04/2025

The @lystour.com bags are now available in our online shop - and in-person tomorrow starting at 10 AM! Have us ship them or reserve one for pickup: www.stillyriveryarns.com/store/p681/L...

Two event-branded bags are standing under a growing bright green hosta plant in a mulched garden bed. Both bags feature a green image on a natural canvas background: a WA State Ferry is centered on the image, flanked by tall pine trees and a large mountain - Tahoma - in the background. On the large bag, a moon rises behind the mountain and a large ball of yarn is placed in the near foreground. On the small bag, the ball of yarn is placed behind the mountain to represent the moon. Both bags read “Puget Sound LYS Tour 2025.” The large bag has dark green sides and handles. The small bag has a dark green bottom and a zippered top.

171

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 20/04/2025

Chapter 6 of Domestic Wool Doldrums: what can you do to help improve the situation and learn more?

021

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 14/04/2025

Chapter 5 of Domestic Wool Doldrums is here, and I’m talking about just three of the things we count on having in local yarn shops that… you can’t get domestically in commercially viable quantities. Chapter 6 will drop Wednesday - the topic will be “what do we do next?”

051

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 14/04/2025

Chapter 4 of Domestic Wool Doldrums: mills and other infrastructure. We’re losing domestic commercial-capacity mills at an astounding rate - and micro mills aren’t able to produce enough yarn to satisfy domestic demand. Plus, we only have 2 commercial-capacity scouring facilities left in the US.

0102

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 13/04/2025

Nothing like thinking you’re almost done with a brioche section of a giant circular blanket when you re-read the directions and realize you VASTLY miscalculated the rounds remaining on the section. 😭 📓: Starflanket by Stephen West 🧶: Berroco Vintage in Mochi, Fennel, Douglas Fir, and… not Sunny

A giant blanket sits mockingly in a person’s lap. Steel needles poke out at the top of an olive green and white brioche section, with welted sections of dark forest green and gold below it.

070

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 13/04/2025

And here’s some of the re-scour in process, done in mixing-bowl-sized batches. Even though I’ve hand-picked all of the locks of wool open, there’s still so much dust in there… here’s to hoping the drum carder will pull a lot of it out 😭

A plaid flat sheet - beige base with thin navy and maroon lines crossing it at regular intervals to make squares - covered in damp, clean white wool. It is laying out on a lawn with a yellow plastic tote lid in the background on a partly sunny spot.

040

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 11/04/2025

Thrilled to share that I’ve had an essay published in the Middlebury College alumni magazine - who knew it would be so timely when Matt Jennings, the editor-in-chief, invited me to write it last fall? Also blown away by Ben Kirchner’s illustration and how well it embodies shearing school 😆

A woman with auburn hair and sunglasses pushed back over it smiled and holds a magazine, folded back to reveal an illustration of a similar woman astride a bucking white sheep. A yellow shearing hand piece is flying away from her, as she accidentally kicks off a pink boot to reveal a handknitted Fair Isle sock.

1100

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 10/04/2025

Sigh. The vacation that was not really a vacation, but living out an existential crisis on behalf of my business and shop community while also pretending to be totally present with my family. I hate this timeline. Anyway, here’s a view of stuff I love, made/designed by good humans. Details below

An overhead view of a canvas project bag, printed with mountains and earth tone rainbows; a crocheted wavy chevron blanket in gold, brown, magenta, sky blue, and olive green; and a blue-leaning teal piece of knitted fabric that the photographer promises is actually a sweater

1120

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 10/04/2025

Chapter 3 of Domestic Wool Doldrums: wool prices. They’ve been declining since WWII. They’re laughably low, and when you can slaughter lambs and sell meat for $15/lb rather than 83 cents/lb for wool… it’s a hard sell to encourage folks to look at wool as viable production income.

093

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 09/04/2025

Chapter 2 of Domestic Wool Doldrums, in which I explain why the US wool industry can’t just reboot to replace imports in 2 weeks/months/years. 🧶 Today’s topic: shearers. #StillyRiverYarns #FullServiceYarnShop #LocalYarnShop #AmericanWool #SheepShearing #tariffs #CantRebuildWhatDoesntExist

2154

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 08/04/2025

AHA I remembered where the download capacity was in IG. Here’s Chapter 1 of Domestic Wool Doldrums, direct on BlueSky. #tariffs #SmallBusinessLife #SmallBusiness #StillyRiverYarns #FullServiceYarnShop #AmericanSheep #AmericanWool

151

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 03/04/2025

Here’s our first notice of direct tariff impacts on goods we carry in the shop. Tariffs are taxes. Our wholesale prices on everything will go up, which means unfortunately our retail prices will need to go up. We made it through lockdown. I hope we can make it through this.

White text on a black screen: Good morning. With today’s US tariff announcement, we’ve had some questions regarding the impact to Ashford purchases and deliveries.

All shipments to the USA are sent “Delivered Duty Paid.” This means all duties/tariffs and import fees are included in your purchase price and are not billed to you.

You can order today with confidence based on your current price list with no extra to pay.

New Zealand has been included in the announcement of increased US tariffs; we are assessing the impact of this cost increase and expect to issue a revised price list shortly. In the meantime, your existing price list remains current and you can order as normal.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your continued support.

5181

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 01/04/2025

Fezzik (with horns) is a Teeswater-Valais Blacknose cross; Westley (no horns) is a purebred Wensleydale. Their fleeces are incredible, too! Here they are prior to shearing:

A white Wensleydale sheep with serious locks and a bit of a man bun stands in a horse stall with straw on the floor. He is giving serious side-eye to the camera.

A very curly-coated sheep stands next to a barn wall. His fleece is white, but he has black ears, eyespots, muzzle, and feet. His muzzle is dusted in a white powder - this is baking soda, which he snorts out of the minerals bin when he feels like showing off to visitors.

360

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 01/04/2025

Shearing Day #2 is in the books for this year! This was my first time shearing wethers (neutered males) AND my first time shearing longwool sheep. These boys (Fezzik at left and Westley at right) are HANDSOME and have some serious personality. Photo is courtesy of their owner, Leah.

Two freshly-shorn sheep are hanging out together on a gravel driveway. The one at left has horns and a particularly stylish topknot, along with a black muzzle, black eyespots, and black ears. The one at right is all white with a tiny black birthmark on his left hip. It is a sunny day and they are enjoying their freedom.

2170

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 28/03/2025

#CustomerCraftinessFriday is back this week! 🧶 First up: socks by Lynne! Both socks feature yarn from @schmutzerella.bsky.social that Lynne purchased with us. The first pair features our custom colorway Dumpster Fire at cuff/heel/toes; the second pair is in the Michaelangelo colorway.

A pair of heavily ribbed knitted socks with glittery orange and green ribbed cuffs, short-row heels, and regular toes. The body of the socks is a coordinating light yellow, dark green, and orange colorway. The socks are laid out on a light wooden table.

A pair of tonal orange socks with bands of colorwork halfway up the calf and across the ball of the foot. The colorwork bands feature diamonds, flowers, and a dotted geometric border. They are laid out on a light wooden table.

0200

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 26/03/2025

6) Watches = “conditions are right for this weather situation to develop.” Warnings = “this weather situation is confirmed to be happening or developing right now.”

From the RhodeIsland subreddit; a graphic from Pinpoint Weather 12 explaining a weather watch vs a weather warning. At left, a cupcake watch illustrated by a photo of butter, flour, eggs, milk, and spices accompanied by the text “the ingredients are there.” At right, a frosted cupcake on a white surface is a cupcake warning with the text “it is there.”

170

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 24/03/2025

Less than 2 months out from the @lystour.com , so time to finally get those last tasks done that we couldn’t do right after moving. Today: painting the back partition. This shows it after the 1st coat - I gnashed my teeth about a 2nd coat, but it was the right choice.

A view of a yarn shop having a very messy day off. The freshly painted partition is now a very light olive green - it’s shown here after just one coat, but it did receive a second one later in the day. Through a doorway, a messy office is visible. Spinning fiber and books and small looms are visible in the foreground.

180

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 18/03/2025

This post was one of the catalysts for my interest in sheep breeds and their fiber/appearance. Which then led to me going to shearing school. Which has led me to working with the fine lads below in 2 weeks. Can’t wait to visit you all to bring the journey full-circle!

A fine specimen of a Wensleydale wether, standing in a stall in a barn. He is a dirty white, but with amazing long locks of fleece falling from his back. A slight man bun is on his forehead because his owners felt uneasy about his wool being in his eyes.

A white sheep with gorgeous ringlets and black muzzle/ears/knees stands next to a wooden barn wall and looks at the camera. His horns are behind his ears but not truly visible. He chose to show off by snorting baking soda from his minerals bin.

0130

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 14/03/2025

#CustomerCraftinessFriday , Round 1! Wendy recently completed this pair of mitts. They're the Spruce Fingerless Mitts by Kay Litton, and the yarn is one of the awesome tonals by @schmutzerella.bsky.social!

A person's hands are held up in front of the camera with the backs facing the viewer, modeling a pair of bright green tonal fingerless mitts with cables that form motifs that look like stacked trees. In the background, the lights are on and the social table is full.

090

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 13/03/2025

Our monthly shipment from Round Mountain Fibers has arrived! We've got 5 each from this month's clubs, all on Spruce Fingering (100% superwash Merino wool): L-R: Purple Sunbird, Arizona Rosemallow, Rosemallow Calyx, Amazonian Warty Spider, Desert Coyote Available in our online shop! (link below)

Two hands in denim-jacket sleeves hold five skeins of yarn. The one at far left is a very dark rainbow, from black through indigo, burgundy, red, orange, and a bronze yellow. The next one to the right is grey at one end, then white, then a purply-brown, then orange, then very light yellow. The next one is a tonal pink-burgundy; one end is significantly lighter than the other. The next skein is a little hidden behind others - it's another rainbow that has a burnt orange end and streaks of dark brown-black. The final one at far right is variegated and includes burnt orange, light yellow, cream, and has olive green patches as well.

160

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 13/03/2025

“Delightfully unhinged” is sometimes the best way to describe the shop energy. Ed the Unicorn is my shearing stand-in. Someone in the Saturday social didn’t want him sprawled across the armchair in an undignified way. So we ended up with this instead.

A giant plush unicorn - white with pink trim - sits in a chair at a messy table. The way that its fur is running, it looks like it has had a VERY rough previous night. It “holds” a red Solo cup, only adding to the image.

1100

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 10/03/2025

Here's this week's schedule of events! Tues: Community Crafting Circle (1-3 PM), second class for our steeking students (6-8 PM) Thurs: second class for Basic Doodle Beanie students (6-8 PM) Sat: Rise & Shine Social Time (9 AM - noon), work session for Intrepid Sweater Brigade (3-4 PM)

020

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 10/03/2025

Weaving lessons are hard work - but so satisfying! Here are some photos (shared with permission) from a mom-daughter session yesterday. Project guidelines: Lenny-Kravitz-style, woven on vibes rather than strict planning.

A person in a black shirt sits at a table with a small loom balanced on their lap. They are threading yarn ends through the holes in the loom’s reed.

A freshly-started weaving project in shades of green and pink. Notably, a line of very bright pink crosses the work and meets a stripe of the same pink at the far right edge.

A person with brown hair pulled back, wearing a grey-blue sweater, sits at a table with a small loom balanced on their lap. They are threading yarn ends through the holes in the loom’s reed.

A person’s hands are visible while hemstitching the start of a weaving project in shades of green with bright orange accents. The hemstitching is being done in a particularly vivid shade of swampy yellow-green.

1241

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 07/03/2025

#Knitting #BehindTheScenes - 15 hours of swatching later, I finally figured out how to get the vision in my head to work for my knitting pattern for @lystour.com ! As @flannelandpurls.bsky.social says… those patterns don’t cost enough once they go up for sale.

A blue square. At the bottom, a handwritten note: “Increases - work @ end of Row 1 (x2) & beginning of row 2 to integrate new stitches seamlessly in pattern”. Above that, there is a cartoon with a series of yellow, red, and blue gears next to a drawing of a skein of yellow yarn with a light pink label with a diamond on it.

180

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 06/03/2025

Time for another round of “what were we teaching last night?” Wrong answers and good guesses all welcome! 😆

Drawn on a dry erase board: large green circle with four sets of three lines coming out of it. The set at top’s rightmost line has several Vs drawn on it. A dotted line connects each set of three lines.

110

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 03/03/2025

Out looking for shop fixtures today. No fixtures located, but I did find these treasures (and left them where they were):

An old orange and white can of Magnis Waterless Hand Cleaner: Rich in Lanolin! It sits on an old table saw top in the middle of the antiques section of a salvage shop.

The end of a display features a handwritten sign on bright pink paper: Haunted Hardware??? First wave of our Northern St Hospital Pick… notice the brazed and ground hinges. The pins have been modified to be impossible to remove!!! These were used in the doors to the (not verified!) actual patient “rooms”… (perhaps!!) After closing… the buildings were used for state surplus storage…

Next sign down reads “Haunted??” with part of an online newspaper article about Northern State Hospital.

The last sign reads, …so indeed, some items may be very haunted, cursed if you will… touched by thousands of poor… lost souls. BUYER BEWARE. A sage “smudging” could be advisable!! Stay tuned… more to come!!

A reel to reel tape titled “Touchdown, U.S.A. The ‘Big Ten’ and Other Great College Marches of the Gridiron.” University of Michigan, William D. Revelli, Conductor.

170

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 03/03/2025

This week's shop schedule! I'll provide a link to our online social, Zoom-Baaaaah, in the replies.

A light white background with light grey gridding. At the top, a teal banner that looks like a swipe of paint has white text that reads "this week at the shop." Below are three rectangles, each with a calendar date. The blue-green one at top reads Mar 3: Zoom-Baaaah (online social), 7-8 PM. The olive green one in the middle reads Mar 4 - Community Crafting Circle, 1-3 PM / SRY After Dark (Social Night), 4-7 PM. The light purple one at bottom reads Mar. 8 - Rise & Shine Social Time, 9 AM - noon, Intrepid Sweater Brigade, 3-4 PM. A yellow yarn ball is at lower left in the corner, a set of red circular knitting needles is at lower right, and a hybrid crochet hook with a purple project is placed near the upper-right corner

180

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 02/03/2025

Overwhelmed by everything. A good day to make visible, measurable progress on my home workspace. Desk cleaned off. Breakfast, then handling the Doom Piles.

A mostly-clear desktop surface. It’s a giant wooden butcher block. At the far end, a lamp shaped like the Eiffel Tower is on, and various things are stuck to it magnetically. Random white charger wires are piled at the near left corner, while a small yarn winder is clamped to the near right corner. In the background, a messy closet and wall-mounted shelves with art and candles are visible.

Piles of items formerly sitting on the desktop, laid out by theme on a beige carpeted floor. One pile for art/photos, one for health items, one for random things, one for tech items, one for items related to volunteering and travel, one for fiber arts, and one for stationery.

1130

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 28/02/2025

We support anyone participating in the economic blackout on Feb. 28! It’s been a lean month for us, and as a micro-business, we’ll be open tomorrow - Amazon won’t miss your $$, and their crochet/knitting help is terrible 😘 Cash is great for us EVERY day - no fees and immediate access to funds!

Alt text: grey background with yellow text. The title reads Economic Blackout - Feb. 28. A large red X is next to two focus points that read Don’t shop Amazon, Target, or Walmart: don’t gas up or choose fast food. A big green check mark is next to two focus points that read Spend with small businesses! and Use cash!

1331

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 26/02/2025

Now open: The Fleece Bar! Whether you want a shot of Shetland or a growler of Gotland, experiment with wool beyond Merino. Merino is of course lovely in its own right, but easy to find - but Coopworth and Finn and Norwegian are much more challenging to track down! All wool sold by the ounce ⚖️

An oatmeal-colored sheep is dressed in a blue server’s apron with the initials SRY. On one hoof, she balances a bobbin full of fiber; on the other, she balances a cocktail glass with a small bump of fiber anchored by a drop spindle. A blue bag marked FLEECE is at her feet. Blue text at her head reads The Fleece Bar; blue text under her reads Stilly River Yarns.

A closeup of a white pegboard with several mini-skeins of natural colors of wool, each tagged with their name and price per ounce. A text overlay in brighter-than-intended green reads Now Open!

2150

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 25/02/2025

In a fit of sloth, I decided that I didn’t want to handwash it the way I had washed the swatch. And the label directions said the yarn was machine washable on cold delicate. So I did. This was the result. (It’s folded in half widthwise, but full length shown - neckline at top and hem at bottom)

A sweater malfunction of the highest magnitude. A formerly adult-sized grey sweater has shrunk to a kindergartner’s crop-top-sized sweater. An adult person’s hand is shown on top of the sweater to show scale. The light grey color has turned to black tweed, due to compaction and felting.

120

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 25/02/2025

I wanted a shop sample for a yarn I was bringing into my shop for the first time. So I made it. Here’s my first one on the needles.

A beautifully-detailed grey sweater, partially completed, is laid out on a messy desk. Faux cable and lace details are visible at the raglan lines. The sleeves are missing, but the main body has almost been completed at this point.

120

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 25/02/2025

A Knitter’s Cautionary Tale: A Thread This is the Weekday Pullover by Aimee Sher. This is the second time I’m knitting it. Because I love it? Well, yes. But also because I didn’t follow my own damn rule - wash your finished object the way you washed your swatch.

A tealish sweater start sits upside down on the arm of a blue recliner, with a black, gold, and white fleece blanket just visible at bottom. The sweater start is on the needles and has several stitch markers visible at raglan points. The yarn seems to have a white core and teal halo due to its construction.

480

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 23/02/2025

Finished my first complete project from last week’s conference skills: a skein of 517 yards / 460 meters from Greenwood Fiberworks, colorway Carnation, on heathered BFL. These are unwashed singles; into the fulling bath they go to finish them and make them more stable.

A bundle of unwashed handspun yarn singles sitting on a worn beige carpet floor. The singles are rusty orange-pink, smoky green, and a green-grey in a gentle gradient. A battery pack and cable are visible at the top of the frame, and the photographer’s leg is visible at bottom of frame in a constellation-patterned pair of pants, wearing bright orange and very light grey socks.

1130

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 22/02/2025

Let’s hear it from Chris for the next #CustomerCraftinessFriday post! She’s a new knitter and loved the idea of a giant, cozy shawl as her first fancy project.

The top of a woman’s head and lower body are visible behind a large triangular shawl. She is holding it stretched out to show off the striping pattern in the yarn. The interior of a local yarn shop is in the background.

2260

Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA) @stillyriveryarns.com · 22/02/2025

More #CommunityCraftinessFriday from Rose, who sent these back from Arizona with her daughter! These beanies really show off the beauty of Round Mountain Fibers’ yarn - a great illustration of how amazing colorways sometimes benefit from the simplest canvases.

A pair of beanies laid flat on a black tile tabletop with light wood trim. Both are simple, ribbed hats. The beanie at left is variegated greys, cream, white, and teals. The beanie at right is mostly sky blue with pops of dark brown and burnt orange with hints of purple. Various other projects and yarn things are visible in the background.

1130