Mountain Colors Hand Painted Yarns

Holiday Knitting Ideas- Part 6

2011-12-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Need a last minute gift idea??? These Wine Bottle Hat and Scarves are VERY fast to knit and make that gift of wine just a little bit special! Use any of your leftover worsted weight yarn.

Mountain Colors would like to wish everyone a joyous holiday season and a happy, healthy 2012.

Wine Bottle Hat and Scarf LINK

Holiday Knitting Ideas- Part 5

2011-12-12T06:59:00.001-07:00


Missoula Mobius

This week we have our 5th holiday knitting idea! Knit from our Monarch yarn this snuggly soft Missoula Mobius would make a lovely gift for someone special. It can be knit with any of our other worsted weight yarns as well. And explaining the term mobius to the recipient will make the gift even more interesting!

Grab a skein of Monarch and knit a warm gift for yourself or a friend.

Missoula Mobius Link
in the diagram on page 2 the upload will NOT display the lines and has duplicated the letters. I've tried to fix it twice, SO...for the diagram delete the 3rd and 6th line of letters (the extra letters) and draw two rectangles, one inside each of the A, B, C, D letters that remain. Sorry I couldn't figure out how to make the lines show up!!

Holiday Knitting Ideas- Part 4

2011-12-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Great Falls Slouch Hat

It is snowing here in western Montana. It's starting to feel like December! I guess that means the holidays are approaching FAST. To help you out with your holiday knitted gift giving we have added another free design... this week we have a slouchy hat knit out of one of our newer yarns, Monarch. Monarch is so soft and will make this slouchy hat extra soft next to the ears.

The Great Falls Hat will make a quick to knit project for yourself or someone special on your gift list. Knit one up and then be sure to share pictures with us. We love to see what you have made with our yarn!

Great Falls Slouch Hat link

Holiday Knitting Ideas- Part 3

2011-11-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. If you are like many folks you did some eating with friends or family, some shopping, maybe watched some football, and of course knitting!! In case you need inspiration for your next knitting project check out our fun River Valley Hat.

River Valley Hat

There are 5 "Just One Ounce" skeins of yarn used in this slightly slouchy textured hat. These yarns are Mountain Colors Mohair, Mohair Loop, Merino Ribbon, Wooly Feathers and Missoula. Missoula is ONLY available as a "Just One Ounce" yarn. Yarn stores have been stocking up on kits containing these 5 yarns for our Long Beach Scarf design but if you have the kit you could make this hat with the yarn instead of a scarf!!! OR buy two and make both projects!

Contact your yarn store or Mountain Colors (406-961-1900) for information on how to buy your Just One Ounce kit for the River Valley Hat. Feel free to share this pattern (click link). Happy knitting!

Holiday Knitting Ideas--Part 2

2011-11-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Woven Stitch Cowl

The second in our series of holiday knitting projects is a cowl knit with our new 100% merino wool, Monarch. Monarch is a thick/thin yarn in a heavy worsted weight and it knits up into a super soft fabric. This cowl only takes 1 skein of yarn and makes a wonderful snuggly neck warmer.

The pattern link is below and you are welcome to share the pattern with anyone. I am trying a new way of linking to the pattern...if you have any trouble at all opening the file please let me know via email. info@mountaincolors.com

Woven Stitch Cowl

Holiday Knitting Ideas-- The first in a series

2011-11-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

We are planning to share a series of patterns that we hope will inspire you for any holiday knitting you hope to complete. These are going to be small, quick projects!!

The first one is Lacey Jeannette Wristers, which as the name suggests uses 1 skein of our cashmere/silk yarn, Jeannette. It is super soft and oh so nice against the skin. These wristers have a lace panel on the back of the hand and picot edging at the top and bottom. Two sizes are available. For those who aren't comfortable knitting lace you could just leave out the lace and knit these in stockinette stitch.

Feel free to share this with your friends!! Just use the little print button that shows up under the pattern box and it should print out for you!! There is also a gray button in the bottom right corner of that box and you can enlarge to full screen mode, then right click on your mouse and download the pattern!!

Mountain Fusion Teton

2011-10-20T16:10:00.000-06:00

Have you seen our Mountain Fusion Teton?? It is fun and extremely popular. Teton is a wonderfully soft 2-ply extra bulky weight yarn. We dye the two plies...one "fat" and one "skinny" in two different colorways and then the folks at Mountain Meadow Wool Mill in Buffalo, WY ply it for us.

Teton comes in 8 colors. Check them out here. The color names describe them for you! The above photo shows all of them in natural light. Teton Berry, Violet, Woods, Sky, Flame, etc.

Best of all you can knit a VERY easy hat with one skein of Teton. It knits at 2.5 sts/inch. On the inside of the label is a free hat pattern...or find your own design and knit a quick gift for the holidays!!

Check out this popular yarn at your local yarn store!

Featured Colorway-- Sagebrush

2011-09-14T06:38:00.000-06:00

Sagebrush grows everywhere in the dry climate of Montana and the western United States and Canada. For those who haven't been around sagebrush it has a distinct smell and it grows in many shades of soft gray-green. There are hints of yellow when the plant is in bloom. Numerous fields in our valley have sagebrush...but only if they are not irrigated. We typically get only 13" of precipitation a year and sagebrush manages to grown over 3 feet tall!

Our colorway, Sagebrush, is also a soft green color with a dash of warm light brown. It is lovely when knit or crocheted into a throw, sweater, or hat! As you look at Mountain Colors yarns be sure to look for Sagebrush!

Feature Colorway--Indian Paintbrush

2011-08-26T09:50:00.000-06:00

Our colorway, Indian Paintbrush, was named after a plant that grows all over western Montana. It blooms in the Spring at lower elevations and by mid to late summer it blooms at higher elevations up in the mountains. It grows in many different shades of red-orange and it is one of my favorite wildflowers.

On a recent camping trip I saw a lot of Indian Paintbrush....

and this spring I saw lots of Indian Paintbrush.

And here at Mountain Colors we have lots of Indian Paintbrush!!

Mountain Colors Indian Paintbrush

If you have something knit in this colorway we would love to see a picture! You can share it in our Ravelry Group or on the Mountain Colors Facebook page.

Happy knitting!

Reversible Cables Eyelet Stole

2011-08-01T06:43:00.000-06:00

Our friend Jackie at HeartStrings Fiberarts has designed the lovely new Reversible Cables Eyelet Stole made in Mountain Colors Bearfoot. We saw it at her booth at the June trade show and it is even more beautiful in person. She is such a talented designer. She has used our Bearfoot yarn and our Winter Lace yarn in a variety of designs. If you are looking for a new lace project during the heat of August try out a HeartStrings design and our Bearfoot or Winter Lace yarn!!

Featured Colorway--Huckleberry

2011-07-18T21:35:00.000-06:00

Huckleberries are everywhere right now. They are a small berry, similar to blueberries, that grow wild here in Western Montana.

At the Farmers' Market you can buy them by the 1# bag and in the woods folks have their secret spot where they go to pick their berries. Bears also love huckleberries so that is a huge factor when picking berries in the woods!! They make delicious jam, syrup, candy, ice cream, milkshakes, pie, muffins, etc. YUM.

Our colorway Huckleberry has the purple of ripe huckleberries, the reds of the less ripe berries and this colorway continues to be a favorite. If you are in Montana be sure to taste these wonderful berries and check out a skein of our yarn too!!

Feature Colorway--Lupine

2011-06-20T14:12:00.000-06:00


The colorway Lupine

The colorway Lupine (pronounced Lew-Pin) is named after the beautiful flowers that bloom all over western Montana in the springtime. The lupine around here are purple and this year because we had LOTS of rain they were even more numerous than usual.


The field by Leslie's house

If you love purple you will love Lupine.

Feature Colorway--Sun River

2011-06-01T20:13:00.000-06:00

Sun River Valley, Montana

Photo by JohansenGallery from Google Earth


Sun River

Sun River is named in memory of Diana's Mother. Pat grew up in the Sun River valley about 30 miles west of Great Falls, Montana in a little town called Simms. This is a beautiful area and a great fly fishing river. It is very rural (approx 49 people per square mile) and very windy and cold in the winter. Pat was a very talented batik artist and she loved pinks and purples so we wanted to design "her" special colorway. It is a cheerful color and very fun to use in a special knitting project. I know Pat would love it.

Our Yarn is on the cover of Knit, Swirl!!

2011-05-24T07:31:00.000-06:00

Have you see the newly released book, Knit, Swirl! by Sandra McIver?? The cover picture of her Coat of Many Colors is done in Mountain Colors Mountain Goat yarn!! Isn't it beautiful!! We are so excited about this lovely book. In conjunction with the release of this book we are offering kits (yarn only, No book) in 3 different color combinations:
     1.   Poppy--Pinks & Purples (like the cover)
   2. Blue Flax--- Blues & Teals
     3.   Sunflower---Warm Autumn colors

Each kit contains 10 skeins of Mountain Goat in 9 different colorways...enough yarn for Size 2 in the book. These kits can be ordered through any Mountain Colors retailer. Contact us if you need help locating a shop!

406-961-1900 www.mountaincolors.com

Yarn Giveaway!!

2011-05-13T15:25:00.000-06:00

It’s time for another yarn giveaway! This month we are featuring a brand new collaboration between Mountain Colors yarn and the Mountain Meadow Wool mill in Wyoming. We are so excited to be combining our talents – Mountain Meadow Wool spins the yarns and we hand paint them in our original colorways. This is your opportunity to be one of the first people to get your hands on this exciting new yarn venture!

This month we are offering three kits and three different ways to win them. That means that three lucky participants will win a kit containing a gorgeous skein of our first collaborative yarn, the just-released Mountain Fusion Teton. Along with this super-squishy bulky merino yarn, you’ll also receive your choice of one Mountain Colors pattern to knit or crochet yourself something cuddly and colorful. You can play on our blog, in our Ravelry group, and on our Facebook page for three separate chances to win!

How To Play:

- To drop an entry here on our blog, reply to this post and tell us what your favorite Mountain Colors colorway is.

- To play on Ravelry, simply join our Ravelry group and then post in the giveaway thread and tell us what your favorite Mountain Colors colorway is.

- To throw your hat into the ring on Facebook, just like our Facebook Fan Page. That’s it! Easy-peasy!

We’ll be announcing the winner in exactly two weeks, on May 28, in a LIVE VIDEO DRAWING at 1 p.m. Mountain Time (3 p.m. Eastern) in our Ravelry group.

Enjoy this chance to win some beautiful new yarn!!

Feature Colorway--Chinook

2011-05-09T12:22:00.000-06:00

Mountain Colors Chinook Colorway

Chinook winds blow on the eastern slopes of the Rockies during the coldest months of the winter. They bring warm air and a welcome relief to the sub-zero temperatures. The temperature can change over 30 degrees in a few hours. These are very dry winds so humidity drops, snow and ice melt, and people feel "better". Most people welcome a chinook wind.

Our Chinook colorway helps celebrate the chinook winds of Montana.

Feature Colorway--Goldrush

2011-04-18T12:32:00.000-06:00

Goldrush on the dye table

Goldrush drying

One of the fun things we do every year is name our Colorways. The newest colors are released soon but I thought you would enjoy hearing our naming "logic"!! We try to choose names that reflect where we live. Montana; the mountains, woodland, prairie, or valley; local geographic features, local flowers and plants; and the history of our area. We use all of these as inspiration.

Mining for gold, copper and silver have greatly influenced our state. There are ghost towns where mining used to happen and there are still active mines near towns like Butte and Anaconda. Known as the "Richest Hill on Earth" Butte produced more mineral wealth than any other mining district in the world up to the middle of the 20th century. We chose the name Goldrush as a way to remember all the hundreds of thousands of people who came to Montana in the late 19th century to work in the mines, supply the miners, or entertain the miners.

So next time you pick up a skein of our yarn in Goldrush remember the brave folks who came from all around the world to settle in the remote state of Montana.

Another Yarn Giveaway!

2011-03-21T08:46:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are members of the incredible Ravelry site we have a new contest going!! Join our group....Mountain Colors Yarns and check out the contest rules!! The prize is a skein of our newest yarn, Jeannette, a Cashmere and cultivated Silk yarn that is SOOO soft! If you aren't on Ravelry and you are a knitter/crocheter be sure to check it out. Membership is free!

Jeannette is a brand new yarn and we are just beginning to ship it out to stores. If you want to knit with it be sure to let your yarn store owner know. Have them give us a call for details!! It comes in approx 50 gram skeins with 158 yards. That is enough to make a scarf!! Perfect Spring knitting!

Contact us if you have any questions!! info@mountaincolors.com

Spring Fling Lace Scarf

2011-03-14T09:07:00.000-06:00

Our Silk'n Ewe yarn is a lovely blend of wool and raw silk. It is "cool" to the touch and works perfectly for Spring. This quick to knit scarf uses 1 skein of Silk'n Ewe and the one pictured above is knit in our new Harmony Honey. We have included a link to this free pattern below.

Need help finding our Yarn?

2011-03-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

We sometimes have folks contact us who are having trouble locating our yarns in their area of the country. Sometimes they don't have a local yarn store, sometimes their local shop doesn't stock our yarns, and sometimes their shop has some of our yarns but not in the colorway or yarn style desired.

If you fall into one of these categories please let us help you!! Our Mountain Colors website has a Yarn Stores page. On that page we list stores by region of the country. Many have their email and website information listed. Also we have Special Orders shops and these stores would love to custom order any colorway, quantity, etc that you need. These Special Orders shops are also listed on our website. If for some reason you still can't locate exactly what you want feel free to contact us by email infoATmountaincolorsDOTcom (change the AT and the DOT to the usual email symbols) or by phone 406-961-1900.

We are open weekdays from 9am-5pm Mountain time. Call for assistance or come visit if you are in our area of western Montana.

Happy knitting!

Patterns now on Patternfish

2011-02-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well somehow it is almost March. Where did January and February go? We had lots of snow, ice , cold temperatures....winter stuff. And here in Montana we can not hope for Spring weather until April or sometimes May. So it is time to start another knitting project, grab a cup of tea and make the best of perfect knitting weather!

Are you looking for a new knitting project too? We have recently sent almost all of our designs to Patternfish. They are in the process of uploading them to their website and all will be available as PDF downloads. We even included some discontinued designs from years ago!! Check them out! It may take them awhile to upload well over 100 designs so be patient!

Stay warm!! Diana and Leslie

Easy Moguls Scarf

2010-12-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

This perfect last minute project makes a wonderful gift for yourself or a friend. Our cheerful employee, Lynnet, is shown wearing our Easy Moguls Scarf in Indian Paintbrush. It is made with 2 skeins of Mountain Colors Moguls and is knit in garter stitch. It couldn't get any easier and with such great results. You are welcome to copy off the pattern and pass it along to friends. Happy holidays to all from Mountain Colors!!

Mari's Star Hat

2010-12-14T19:13:00.009-07:00

This lovely hat was knit and designed by Diana's niece Mari. Everyone at Mountain Colors wants to knit one. Mine would be in autumn colors, one of our dyers loves browns, another loves blues...hmm the possiblities are endless. What color hat would you knit? It uses one skein of Mountain Colors Weavers Wool Quarters and 2 accent colors. Feel free to share it with friends.

The Mountain Loop--Free Pattern of the week

2010-12-06T10:42:00.012-07:00

This lovely loop scarf uses 2 skeins of Mountain Colors 3-ply Wool. It is knit on large needles and is very soft and warm. After knitting the large loop, just give it a twist and put both loops over your head.

Wouldn't this make a great gift for someone on your holiday gift giving list?? Or perhaps YOU need to make one for yourself!! The free pattern can be found below:

The Mountain Loop

By Diana McKay

Our coldest predicted winter in many years is now here. I developed this scarf to keep the chill away. It’s very quick to knit, cozily warm and is a great last minute Christmas gift to whip up. Enjoy!

YARN: 2 skeins of Mountain Colors 3Ply Wool

NEEDLES: #9 or #10 circular needles (24” seemed to work fine) or size you need for gauge

GAUGE: 3.5 – 3” stitches per inch

FINISHED SIZE: 8” x 58”

BROKEN RIB PATTERN STITCH:

Row 1: K1, P1 around

Row 2: Knit around

CAST ON 200sts loosely. Knit the first row and join into a circle without twisting the stitches. Place a marker where you join. Work the Pattern Stitch for 8”. Bind off with a needle a couple sizes bigger than the size you are using to keep the bind off edge loose. Weave in the ends and block lightly. Wrap around your neck and keep it warm!

The link previously posted doesn't want to work. If we get it repaired we will correct that problem!

Feel free to share this with friends.

Stay warm!

Free Pattern-- Arrowhead Lace Cowl

2010-11-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Arrowhead Lace Cowl is a quick knit. The lace pattern is VERY easy to learn and it takes only 1 skein of Mountain Colors River Twist yarn. It is super soft, warm and makes an attractive accent to your winter coat. Knit one up this weekend!! Here is the link to this free pattern. Feel free to share it with friends.

Free Pattern of the Week- Sailor's Rib Fingerless Mittens

2010-11-16T06:10:00.007-07:00

These VERY quick to knit fingerless mittens are made as shown with Mountain Colors Twizzle. Our other worsted weight yarns would also work well....Mountain Goat, 4/8's Wool, River Twist or Alpaca Blend. Make yourself a pair and several for holiday gift giving. There is still plenty of time!! To print out the pattern click the printer symbol at the bottom of the black box below! Happy knitting.

Sailor's Rib Fingerless Mittens LINK

Facebook Game and a Free Pattern

2010-11-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you on Facebook ... Both of us are a bit new to Facebook but we created a "What Mountain Colors Yarn Colorway best describes You" game. It is fun to take but apparently due to lack of experience on our part you can only see your results if you share them with someone! Check it out and we would love it if you joined our page.

We are offering a free pattern each week leading up to the holidays. This week it's the Yoga Socks. Keep an eye on our blog each week for something new! The files are in PDF format and there is a little printer symbol at the bottom of the black box!! Enjoy!

New Mountain Colors Yarn Facebook Page

2010-11-01T11:06:00.000-06:00

We have created a new Facebook page for Mountain Colors. This a real learning experience. I figured out how to add the sharing button to our blog page. Any other suggestions about what I should add to the Facebook page would be most welcome!

Please upload your projects that were made with Mountain Colors Yarn! The photo I am including here is of a baby sweater made with two strands of Crazyfoot yarn. It was very quick and easy at 5 sts/inch. The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting...it's the One Piece Baby Kimono. It took less than one skein of yarn for the body of the sweater and made a nice washable gift for the mother-to-be.

We look forward to seeing YOUR projects made with our yarn. Please share!!

Beautiful NEW Warm & Wooly Throw Trio Kits

2010-10-13T15:17:00.005-06:00

Shown in Log Cabin, Garnet & Sky

We here at Mountain Colors are enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. The trees are turning yellow, the gardens have been harvested and we've had our first hard frost of the season. It's time to think about knitting and staying warm.

In celebration of this season we are have an Autumn promotion that features our new Warm & Wooly Throw Trio kit. It comes in 8 colorful colorway combinations and includes the patterns for three different designs. There is a pattern for an easy knitted throw, an intermediate lacey knitted throw design and a pattern for a crocheted throw too. Each kit includes THREE of our colorways in an assortment of our yarns....Mohair, Moguls, Mountain Goat and Merino Ribbon.

Contact your favorite yarn store to order one of these delightful throw kits:

Forest...a lovely blend of greens
Garnet...a rich combination of burgundies
Homestead...plums and warm purples
Ice...the palests of blues and cream
Log Cabin...rich warm browns
Mountain...majestic purples
Nighthawk...a lovely gray combination
Sky...steely gray-blues

These throws will make great Christmas gifts and beautiful home accents. Order yours today!!

What was HOT at the Trade Show

2010-06-25T13:56:00.003-06:00

Greetings from Montana!!

We just returned last week from TNNA in Columbus after a great show! Our new Yarns, Designs and Colors were well received by those that came to shop. We thought you would enjoy hearing about what is new.

The Seven new colors were popular and the favorite seemed to be Thunderstorm. It is a lovely blend of soft grays, lavenders, and blues. Along with Thunderstorm we introduced Clover (beautiful greens), Osprey (rich deep charcoal & blues), Snapdragon (warm rose tones), Hummingbird (olive greens and festive accents), Portland Rose (crazy brights created for the Portland sock summit) and Spring Eclipse (deep rich purples and magenta) which we introduced January 2010.

The 3 new River Twist colors....Rock Creek, Grasshopper Falls, and Glacier Lake were very Hot Sellers! You have to see these three.

Crazyfoot...our beautiful new sock yarn was the big attraction in our booth and at our Sample It booth. It makes wonderful scarves and other wearables as well as socks.

While in Ohio we went to a local yarn store and held a yarn "tasting". We took along our new designs and the favorites were the Sawtooth Capelet made from one skein of Half Crepe, the Bye Bye Baby Bunting which uses our 4/8's Wool, the Fantastic Lace Scarf which uses one skein of Crazyfoot and the Shawl Collar Vest which uses any of our worsted weight yarns but is shown in River Twist. These patterns are all available for order at this time and you can see pictures of them on our website www.mountaincolors.com

Happy summer and Happy knitting!
Diana and Leslie

Crazyfoot WINNERS

2010-02-02T10:23:00.001-07:00

We have WINNERS!! Thanks to all who entered our Crazyfoot contest. We may do another drawing in the future so stay tuned!!! For those who find their name listed below please contact us at info@mountaincolors.com with a complete mailing address so we can start shipping out the yarn. If you put CRAZYFOOT in the subject line that would be a big help!!! Also include your Ravelry name so we can keep track of everyone.

If you listed a Ravelry name I have used that. Some folks had no contact info listed so hopefully they will recognize themselves!!

Dobarah
Darcie
Mare
rpepperpot
Frankie
Leslie
Melrose
momsue84
Mary Contrary
finnknitter
jeepgirl
marjimarks
Shannonstoney
megi
dmop
Dansgram
chenke
BumbleKnits
rainlover
knittingintexas
alchemybunny
KK454
Dawn
Mirella in Netherlands
cantsitstill
Lovs2Knit
Darlene in Maine
Beki
basketballknit
costumatty
SadBlueDog
Staarrkatt
NicoleS
nbgriz
morninglori
Debbie in Ft Lauderdale
Ludwig’s Drivers
CreationsMT
Avalanche
oregonknitter
blythe111
Patchwork Rose
sdhsmc86
Kelly-ann
franzazz
MTKnitter
knitonepugtwo
Elyss
Gwynne in Michigan
loique

Crazyfoot Yarn Giveaway!!

2010-01-25T11:46:00.002-07:00

We are looking for folks to test knit our new sock yarn, Crazyfoot. We would then like the winners to post/blog about the yarn!

We have 50 skeins, each 425 yards, for testing! Leave a comment with your name and contact info in our blog and we will use a random number generator to select the winners. We will select the winners on February 1st!

This new yarn is now shipping out to stores. If you want YOUR store to order some for you be sure and let them know!

Crazyfoot---Our NEW Sock Yarn!!

2010-01-25T11:40:00.002-07:00

We have a NEW Sock Yarn. Crazyfoot is 90% superwash wool and 10% nylon. It comes in 425 yards/ 100 gm skeins. We are just starting to ship Crazyfoot to yarn stores. The yarn is incredible…even our dyers are lining up to get skeins to use in their knitting…and it comes in ALL of our colorways. I am knitting my first pair of Crazyfoot socks and I am really enjoying the yarn. We tossed some test socks in the washer and dryer and they came out GREAT. They turned out very soft and squishy. It doesn’t have any mohair (our Bearfoot does) and the stitch definition is perfect. The yarn is tightly twisted so it should wear really well.

Ask your yarn store to get you some Crazyfoot and give it a try!!! Then let us know what you think!

Only 9 more days!!

2009-12-27T09:57:00.002-07:00

The book Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinksy is being released on January 5th! In this book there is a group of women who knit and dye yarn. We have worked with Barbara to create a new colorway that celebrates these women dyers. We have been shipping it to yarn stores during the past month. The colorway is called "Spring Eclipse". Some stores already have it in stock. If your local store doesn't have it yet have them give us a call. We are offering it in all of our yarn styles and also in our Targhee Top.

Won't it be fun to knit a project in Spring Eclipse while you are reading the book that inspired the color?!!

Happy knitting!

New Colorway inspired by New Book

2009-11-03T07:08:00.005-07:00

We are so excited!! Barbara Delinsky, the well known novelist, has a new book called Not My Daughter coming out Jan 5, 2010. In conjunction with this book we have designed a new Colorway called Spring Eclipse. We have been working with her publicists at Doubleday to make special tags that talk about the book and the yarn. It is such an honor to participate in this project with Barbara!!

The main character in this new book has a hand dyed yarn business with her friends. That is not the main storyline but we were excited about it anyway!! And all the ladies in this fictitious business are knitters. How fun is that??? If you are interested in reading more of what Barbara wrote see her blog post dated October 5, 2009. www.barbaradelinsky.com/blog

Here is how Barbara described this colorway when she first saw it, "Flares of fuschsia, copper and plum in the shadow of a sapphire night, forest green and teal."

Spring Eclipse is available in all of our yarns. If you would like to order this exciting new colorway contact your local yarn store and ask them about it. If they haven't heard about it yet have them contact us. We are going to start dyeing soon. Then you can knit Spring Eclipse and read Not My Daughter at the same time!!

Sally Melville's Faux Fur Hat

2009-09-02T08:33:00.003-06:00

Sally Melville is such an amazing knitter. She always has a new, clever idea. This time she came up with a technique she calls knit-weave and to demonstrate this technique she designed a hat!!

Won't this hat make a great winter accessory? I just read that the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a very cold, stormy winter. Why not knit one for yourself or someone on your gift list so you are ready when the temperature starts dropping!! You need 1 skein of Mountain Colors Moguls and 1 skein of Mountain Colors 3-ply wool. They can be in the same colorway or in two different colorways.

And the BEST part is the hat is completely reversible. Sally asks that you please where the hat straight across the forehead at about your eyebrows!

Happy knitting!

Portland Rose Bearfoot NOW available

2009-08-12T15:49:00.004-06:00

Portland Rose Bearfoot was the Mountain Colors entry into the Sock Summit/Ravelry Dye for Glory contest. It was very well received in Portland at Sock Summit and now all of you who couldn't attend that show can order some too!

The color comes only in Bearfoot yarn and we welcome special orders through any of the Special Orders shops listed on our website. Or contact your local yarn store and have them order some! It is great for socks, sweaters (held singly or doubled), baby clothes, etc. Don't miss out on this fun new colorway!

Have a wonderful August and happy knitting!!

Sock Summit/Ravelry Dye for Glory contest

2009-07-24T10:02:00.002-06:00

Portland Rose

This is our entry into the dyed sock yarn contest being held right now on Ravelry. The voting is open and our yarn is in the Painted category. If you are a member of Ravelry you can go there now to vote. www.ravelry.com/socksummit The yarn will be for sale at Sock Summit in several different booths and later in August it will be available to everyone!

We called the yarn Portland Rose as it is inspired by the many rose gardens of Portland. This is also where Sock Summit is being held in early August.

We hope everyone is having a great summer!

Leslie & Diana

We are back from TNNA

2009-06-17T20:01:00.007-06:00

We are home from the trade show in Columbus, OH. Whew. That is always a busy 5 days of travel, setting up a 40 foot booth, visiting with shop owners, designers, publishers, booth tear down and wonderful dinners in nice restaurants! It is great to be home.

We introduced a new design that was VERY well received. It's the Sock Stash Hoodie. It uses two strands of sock yarn...one of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the main color and then 1 to 4 different colors of sock yarn from your stash. It has cute cabled ribbing and zips up the front. Be sure to check it out.

Our new colorways were also well received. These newest colors are:

Peppergrass-Teals, Peacock, Deep blue and a splash of Lime green

Indian Paintbrush (new retro)-Orangey red, pinkish red, true red and a dash of dark purple..not sure why picture is so small

Heather-Subtle blend of Mauve, Plum, & Chocolate

Cedar-Chocolate browns, Raspberry, Burgundy and Teal

Copper Mountain-Copper with Violet, Blue, Teal and Raspberry

New River Twist colors:
Bear Creek : Chocolate with touches of Copper, Teal & Rose
Canyon Ferry : Fun mix of Navy, Marigold, Violet, Raspberry & Teal
Rosebud River : Rich blend of Sienna Reds, Copper, Dusty Green and Plum
Salmon Falls : Subtle blend of Plums, Rose, Mauve & Chocolate
Sundance Springs: Wild blend of Yellow, Lime Green, Purple, Blue and Pink

Check out these latest additions on our website!

Happy knitting to all!!

Leslie & Diana

Trendy Triangle Shawl

2009-06-10T12:43:00.000-06:00

We are off to TNNA on June 11 and hope to see many of the shop owners who are attending. We are excited to show them our new colors, designs, etc. This past week we have been busy packing and shipping the contents of our booths and trying to get some last minute dyeing finished before we leave.

One of our sales reps, Andra Asars, has a beautiful and VERY popular triangular shawl design using one 12 oz hank of our Wool Crepe. It is called the Trendy Triangle Shawl and can be found at www.andra-asars.com then click on For Knitters. After that go to Free Patterns. She is letting us borrow the shawl for our TNNA booth. It is so simple to make but in the Wool Crepe the finished shawl has such a nice drape. A smaller version can be made with one Half Crepe. Check it out!!!

Happy knitting to all!!

Leslie & Diana

Bearfoot Now in Pastels!!

2009-05-04T10:22:00.008-06:00

We ARE listening!! After a large number of requests and much discussion about dyeing techniques we have decided to offer our Bearfoot yarn in ALL of our colorways, including pastels. In the past we did not offer this yarn in the lighter colors as there is a marbled/frosted effect with lighter colors. Knitters have told us they don't mind these lighter highlights so....effective immediately these yarns are available. Keep in mind that our Bearfoot yarn takes the color a bit darker than any of the other yarns we have so our pastel Bearfoot is lighter than our other colors but it is not extremely pale!!

It may take your local shops awhile to get the colors in stock so if you contact your shop for a Special Order don't forget to mention you read this NEW information in our blog!! We don't mind Special orders and we can fill your special order quickly!! We can then send the yarn to your local shop or drop ship it to you if the store isn't nearby.

The lady who knit the socks in the photo above said these were the "most beautiful socks" she has ever knit!! Wow. That was sure nice to hear! We hope you will love this yarn as much as she did!

Happy knitting,
Leslie & Diana

Spring Cardigan

2009-04-17T08:23:00.002-06:00

Have you seen our new Spring Cardigan?? It is knit with our Silk 'n Ewe yarn and we have been shipping the yarn and pattern to many yarn stores recently. If you don't see it in your local shop, you might ask them to place a special order for you!! It only takes 4 skeins of yarn and is light weight and perfect...for SPRING or cool summer evenings. Silk 'n Ewe comes in all of our colorways!!

Kristin's Sad Knitting Tale

2009-04-07T16:15:00.003-06:00

Kristin is a gal in our building who is a new knitter. She runs a daycare and during her lunch break she runs over for help with her projects. Several weeks ago she decided to knit a baby blanket for a future niece/nephew who is due to arrive in late April. All was going well...she had finished knitting the first ball of yarn. And then she went to the car wash. Not just any car wash. It was one of those "fancy" ones where the people actually wipe down your car and open the door to wipe off the door jam.

You guessed it. The blanket fell out of the car, unnoticed by the car wash guy and unnoticed by Kristin. A mile later Kristin arrived at her next stop and realized that her blanket had unraveled/dragged as she drove down the road. She didn't lose her needles but the blanket was just about all gone and what remained was not worth saving. She was so depressed about the whole thing that it has taken several weeks for her to start a new blanket. Today she came over and cast on for her new blanket. It may not be ready for the newborn baby but hopefully she will finish it before that baby graduates from high school!!!

As fellow knitters we were all so sad to hear Kristin's tale of woe. And next time I go to a car wash I am going to be sure and keep track of my knitting!!

Baby Knitting

2009-03-20T09:32:00.003-06:00

There is nothing more quick and satisfying than baby knitting. Every time I have baby knitting to do I am tempted to make at least 6 sets of booties or 3 hats or 2 sweaters....you get the idea. It's hard to stop!! Someday I hope to have grandkids and then I won't have to stop!! For now a cousin's son and his wife have a new baby and I have finished 3 sets of booties and 1 hat. Maybe next Fall when the little girl is older I will make her a sweater (or 2).

If you like to knit for babies and young toddlers watch for our newest Back To Basics patterns coming out this summer. There will be three really cute designs.

Stitches West 2009

2009-03-09T09:51:00.004-06:00

Stitches West was huge. There were a LOT of people in the market place where we had our Sponsor Booth. Saturday was the busiest day...probably because a train full on knitters arrived from Sacramento at the same time 2 buses full of knitters arrived from somewhere else in the area. Whew.

We had a small booth in the Sponsors aisle and it was packed with folks checking out all the colorways, etc. No yarn store could possibly stock all colors so we had a display where folks could write down their favorites for shopping later. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time and we especially appreciated all the folks who brought in projects they had knit with our yarn. I love "Show & Tell".

Every time we go to a show I try to learn something new. We couldn't take classes because we were in the booth but I did manage to learn about knitting back backwards. It has always intrigued me and now I will have to practice to make sure I can really do it later.

For those who stopped by to say Hi we really appreciate it. And for all those newer knitters who made the effort to attend the show...keep on knitting!!

Now we are home dyeing yarn and planning all of our new colorways, designs, etc for the next Trade Show. If you are in Western Montana be sure to come see us!

Sock Contest Winners

2009-03-09T08:56:00.003-06:00

We have returned home from Stitches West and wanted to congratulate the winners of the Mountain Colors categories in the Knit Outside the Sox contest.

In the Cuff Down category the winner was Terri Gogolin from Michigan (photo is sort of dark):

And in the Not Cuff Down category the winner is Nancy Hazen from Washington:

There were LOTS of beautiful entries and the judging was difficult. Everyone had beautiful socks and we were thrilled to see the quality of the work. I got to try on some of the socks to see how they looked on a foot. That helped us look at the patterning, shaping, style, etc. It was great fun.

Congratulations to all who participated!! We wish everyone could be a prize winner! Keep on knitting those great designs!

We're headed to Stitches West...

2009-02-23T14:34:00.004-07:00

We are busy packing our suitcases in preparation for our trip to Stitches West. We leave Montana bright and early Wednesday morning. Mountain Colors is one of the sponsors for the "Think Outside the Sox" contest. We will be judging the socks entered in the Mountain Colors categories and will have a display booth so folks can see our yarns, models, etc.

If you are going to be attending Stitches West in the Santa Clara convention center be sure to stop by and say Hi!! We look forward to visiting with all of you and I personally enjoy seeing what everyone is wearing. Some of the knitwear that folks wear is amazing. Last year I met a very precocious ten year old knitter who wasn't sure why she couldn't use her Mom's credit card to buy more yarn!!! Wow.

Of course I will have to do some shopping while I'm at the show. It is so nice to be able to touch yarns and see knitting related products that I've read about online.

I have my airplane/airport knitting all set to go. For me that is the most important item to pack for any trip. I started a sweater using our 4/8's Wool in Harmony Mist and I am really enjoying the project.

I want to read up on short row shaping for the shoulders before we leave as I really prefer that effect rather than the stairstep look of casting off at the shoulders.

Happy knitting to all and I hope to see some of you this weekend!!

Newest Harmony Colors and Silk n' Ewe Yarn!!

2009-02-05T05:50:00.005-07:00

I was gently reminded that I forgot to post the photos of our newest colorways and our recently added yarn style. I'm so glad I received the reminder as I had completely forgotten!! So here are some photos of the colorways!! We call them Harmony Colors. They are all tone on tone and have only subtle color variation within a skein. All of the colorways come in almost all of our yarns (except Cashmere, River Twist and Winter Lace). Harmony Mist also does NOT come in Bearfoot and Twizzle.

Harmony Woods--from plum to coppery brown

Harmony Rose--from rose to cranberry

Harmony Mist--from wintergreen to soft bluegreen

Harmony Lake--from dusty turquoise to peacock

Harmony Iris--from purple to deep blue

Our newest style of yarn we are calling Silk n' Ewe. It is 50% Raw Silk and 50% Wool. It is very light weight and feels like raw silk when knit up. It will make wonderful Spring sweaters or non-fuzzy sweaters for those who like that look. It is coming in 250 yd/75gm skeins. Look for this yarn in any store that carries our yarn. If they don't have it ask them about it!! Silk n' Ewe comes in all of our colorways.

We hope you like these new additions. Diana loves the Harmony Rose and has made herself a Lace Vest in 4/8's Wool. I also used 4/8's Wool to make a Now & Then Cozy Vest in Harmony Lake. Both turned out great. Now I am working on a simple scarf in Silk n' Ewe. It will be nice to wear when it is a bit chilly but not frigid cold outside.

Happy knitting!!!

Planning My Next Project

2009-02-02T16:25:00.004-07:00

Well somehow January came and went before I was ready for February. We have had a very snowy winter this year and I think my focus was on that instead of days of the month. I even scheduled a Saturday to help teach two friends to knit...but I had the wrong weekend in my head. Sigh. The knitters get together did happen and the ladies are progressing nicely.

But now it's time for ME. I want to start planning my next sweater. I want to use Mountain Colors 4/8's Wool. I still haven't picked a color and I still haven't decided for sure on a pattern but I decided today that I really needed to do a good gauge swatch. You ALL knit swatches don't you!!?? For what ever reason I knit very loosely. I almost always have to go down at least one or two needle sizes when following a published pattern. No big deal once I am knitting BUT how do I know what size needle to use to make sure I get the CORRECT gauge? You guessed it...I knit a swatch.

At some point in the past I learned a handy way to keep track of what needles I have used to knit a given swatch. So I thought I would share this tip with all of you. As you can see in the photo I put holes in each section of this swatch. When I use size 5 needles I make 5 holes; size 6 needles I do 6 holes, etc. To make these holes I just do a YO (yarnover), K2tog for each hole. I find this method very handy and much easier than finding a tag somewhere in the house and attaching that with string.

After I knit my swatch I treat it like I would the finished garment. Then I measure over 4 inches and divide the result by 4 to get my stitches per inch. My results on this 4/8's swatch were:
Needles: 5 Measurement over 4": 20.5 sts= 5.1 sts/inch
Needles: 6 Measurement over 4": 19 sts= 4.75 sts/inch
Needles: 7 Measurement over 4": 18 sts= 4.5 sts/inch

One of the gals who works for Mountain Colors is a very tight knitter. For her to get a gauge of 4.75 sts/in she would have to use a size 8 needle. Everyone is different and everyone knits a slightly different way....that's why the swatching is critical to the success of your project. I recently ripped out a sweater that was going to be 8" too big because my gauge was completely different in garter st than it was in the stitch pattern I was using. So if you plan on using a stitch pattern be sure to check that gauge too!!

I'm off to start browsing the patterns. I might try something with cables as I really want to improve that area of my knitting skills. What do you have planned? Be sure to do that swatch!!!

What's New for January 2009 !?

2008-12-08T07:42:00.002-07:00

We have been busy working hard to get ready for the trade show (TNNA) in January. At that time we are planning to introduce several new things!! We thought we would give those who read our blog a description of what will be new in your yarn store sometime soon.

1. Harmony Colors Series
This will be an ongoing series of colorways, available in all yarn styles (call first about cashmere as we may limit the offerings on that yarn). These colors flow from one to the other in a more subtle way. They are not solids but they don't have any high contrast between colors either. We have 5 ready to introduce:
Harmony Rose- rose flowing to cranberry
Harmony Mist- wintergreen to frosty blue
Harmony Lake- dark turquoise to peacock teal
Harmony Iris- purple to deep blue
Harmony Woods- dark coppery brown to plum

Ask about them at your local shop....if they don't have a chance to attend TNNA they won't have seen them first hand.

2. Silk'n Ewe
This is a new 50% wool/50% raw silk blend. It is a DK weight yarn (a bit lighter than our 4/8's wool but not by much) and when knit up it feels like raw silk. It is very fun because the silk in the yarn lightens the colors in the dyeing process. We are putting this into 75 gm, 250 yard skeins. We are going to dye this in all of our colorways!

Sorry we will have no pictures available until after TNNA!!

Enjoy the holiday season and remember January is "Knit for Yourself" month!!

Sock Contest Entries

2008-12-01T13:04:00.003-07:00

Have you turned in your "Think Outside the Sox" contest entries yet? For contest rules go to the Think Outside the Sox website. The deadline is Jan 1st, 2009. Diana and I will be judging the Mountain Colors category while we are at Stitches West 2009 and we look forward to all of your entries. And lets face it...the $6000 grand prize would be pretty nice to win!!!

Will your sock be knit from the toe up? From the cuff down? From some other direction? What interesting stitch pattern might you include? You still have plenty of time to design that pair of socks!! So get out the double pointed needles...or use the magic loop method and cast on with some Bearfoot yarn so you don't miss out on the chance for those BIG cash prizes.

Leslie's Holiday Knitting

2008-11-17T16:07:00.003-07:00

Almost every year I tell myself that I will NOT do any last minute knitting for gifts. And almost every year I get last minute inspiration from something I've seen or read. This year is no different. For me this year it is cowls. I like wearing them; I like knitting them and I hope my gift recipients will like them too.

I am on Ravelry and I found patterns that would work with my favorite Mountain Colors Yarns. A cowl needs to be made with something soft and not scratchy so I chose Twizzle for my Darkside Cowl (this link may only work if you are a member of Ravelry) knit in Sapphire Trail; I chose 4/8's Wool in Alpine for one Birthday Cowl and Rich Red for the second one. I am thinking of knitting a fourth cowl also in Rich Red as it's such a festive color.

If you need a quick gift idea a skein of Twizzle or a skein of 4/8's Wool would be enough to make at least 2 cowls. I haven't knit three with one color so I don't know for sure if that would work. So get those needles out, start scanning the internet for patterns and start knitting with your favorite Mountain Colors Yarn!

Holiday knitting inspirations

2008-11-03T10:44:00.003-07:00

As always this time of year, I start planning my last minute knitting projects for the folks on my holiday gift list. This year is no different. Some of the ideas I have been considering are the Homespun Throw, the Fairisle Mittens and several cowls (patterns downloaded from Ravelry) knit in Mountain Colors 4/8's Wool.

The Homespun Throw is very fast and easy to knit but the results are stunning. Last Fall Diana made 3 different throws for folks on her holiday list. The pattern calls for 3 skeins of Homespun Wool/Silk but on one of her throws she used an extra skein of yarn to make a larger throw. This yarn comes in ALL of our colorways and makes a wonderful gift.

The Fairisle Mittens use a colorway for the background and a Solitary solid cream color for the pattern stitch. This could easily be reversed for another fun look. These are knit in Mountain Colors Mountain Goat but our 4/8's Wool would also work.

For a cowl I am planning to use our 4/8's wool if worsted weight is used in the downloaded patterns or our Weavers Wool if a finer yarn is needed. I think I could make several of these before it's time to ship my packages.

I'm off to start knitting. How about you??

Sweater Season has arrived!!!

2008-10-01T14:01:00.008-06:00

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I like the cooler weather, the warm cast to the light in the sky, the changing color of the leaves and especially the fact that it is sweater weather. Here in Western Montana it is now officially time to unpack the sweaters for the season!!

During the summer on a long car ride I was able to finish most of a sweater. The pattern I used was our Back to Basics Shaped Pullover. I am so pleased with the results. I knit it using our Twizzle yarn and it was quick to knit, comfortable to wear and very soft. Of course I used my favorite colorway (Red Willow) and that makes me want to wear it ALL the time!!

If you haven't seen our Back to Basics patterns check them out and if you haven't used our Twizzle yarn I highly recommend it! It is my new favorite yarn.

Happy knitting,
Leslie

New Duets Project

2008-09-21T11:43:00.006-06:00

Summer has been a blur of activity here in Montana. We had perfect weather and NO smoke from forest fires. Yeah. We have been dyeing lots of yarn to prepare for the release of our latest Duets project in conjunction with Lorna's Laces.
This project is a vest designed by Ginger Luters and is called the Tuscany Vest. You can order these through your local yarn shop. If they haven't heard of this kit have them call us!! It is brand new!

The color of this vest is not coming through correctly and I can't seem to fix it. The vest comes in a choice of color combinations...Rust, Browns, Blue/Greens or Purples. This photo is suppose to be of the purple combo. Maybe it's just my monitor....!! Check out the Mountain Colors website www.mountaincolors.com for more information on all of the Duets projects and a better version of this photo.

Happy knitting,
Leslie

New Yarns are shipping!!

2008-06-29T15:09:00.005-06:00

Summer is FINALLY in full swing here in Montana. We had snow the second week of June and it has slowly been warming up since then. Today we are forecast to hit 100. Our dyers have been dyeing like crazy and we've been shipping out the new Winter Lace and RiverTwist yarns to many yarn shops. Be sure to check with your local store to see if they've ordered and/or received their yarn yet.

Don't forgot to check out the Duets projects we are doing in conjunction with Lorna's Laces. The shrug has been very popular and the sock kit is a crazy design by Cat Bordhi. Later in August there will be a vest designed by Ginger Luters!

Our website is in the process of being re-done so some of the newest yarns and colors aren't online yet. Our website designer is hoping for mid-July. Sorry for any problems this may cause you.

For those who are flooding in the midwest and burning up in California our sympathies are with you. We can relate too well with the folks experiencing lots of smoke from wildfires as we seem to have them every year around here. Luckily this year, despite high snow levels, our rivers did not have any drastic flooding. Mother Nature seems very grouchy lately.

I have switched to small projects as it is too hot here to have a huge sweater on my lap. We live in an area where not many folks have air conditioning (including me) so we have to try and stay cool in other ways....dipping in the local river or lake, sitting in the cool basement, sitting in front of a fan, etc. I hope all of you are having a good summer so far and happy knitting to all!!

Our New Lace Weight Yarn--"Winter Lace"

2008-06-02T15:25:00.003-06:00

We have recently started shipping our new lace weight yarn, Winter Lace!! Ask about it at your local yarn store. Some may not yet even know about it as our trade show, TNNA, is this weekend and we will be displaying it there for the first time. It's 50% Wool, 50% Silk and it's lovely. The put up is just under 4oz, 1200 yards.

Winter Lace comes in 10 of our colorways:
Chinook
Crazy Woman
Deep Blue (a solitary solid)
Marias Falls
Mountain Twilight
Red Tail Hawk
Red Willow
Ruby River
Sierra
Wild Horse (a new for 2008 colorway)

We have had lots of requests for a yarn like this so hopefully everyone will be pleased with this beautiful new yarn. I have never knit any lace and I am ready to start something so I can try out this incredible, lightweight yarn!!

Happy knitting to all.

Getting Ready for LOTS of new things

2008-05-02T12:42:00.003-06:00

Well we haven't been very good about posting in the past month. But we have a REALLY good reason!! We have been preparing to introduce our new designs, 5 new colorways, 2 new types of yarn, the spinning fiber (I mentioned that before), and the second in the Duets series with Lorna's Laces. Whew.

Our photo session was last week and when we woke up that morning it was snowing. That made for a VERY cold photo shoot. We had two college gals modeling and they were frozen by the end of the 4+ hours it took to take all the photos.

Encourage you local yarn shop to inquire about our latest yarns. One is a merino wool with an incredible mixing of colors. The other is a wool/silk lace weight yarn. Warm up your spinning wheels and get ready to try out the targhee top we have been selling too. Targhee is a breed of sheep and it produces a very soft, lofty fiber.

Our second Duets project will begin shipping to yarn stores next week. It is a sock kit designed by Cat Bordhi and it uses yarn from both Mountain Colors and Lorna's Laces. Check it out!!

For those headed to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival this weekend have a blast. I would LOVE to go to that show sometime...I grew up in Maryland but left before that show became so popular.

Happy knitting, spinning, crocheting, etc!!

Spin some top

2008-03-24T09:07:00.003-06:00

Are you a spinner? We have recently started shipping Targhee wool top to various shops across the country. Targhee wool is VERY soft and very easy to spin. We are dyeing it in 10 (maybe more as we get things rolling) of our colorways and it is bundled in 4 ounce "skeins". The following colorways are currently available:
* Alpine
* Chinook
* Crazy Woman
* Firestorm
* Indian Corn
* Lupine
* Meadow
* Moccasin Trail (new!)
* Northern Lights
* Ruby River

So check out this new Mountain Colors product and go spin some top!!

Interview with Stash and Burn

2008-03-14T09:15:00.002-06:00

While at Stitches West, Diana and I were invited to do an interview with Jenny and Nicole who host the podcast "Stash and Burn", www.stashandburn.com . It's our first ever online interview and it was a lot of fun. We are in Episode 48 at about minute 14:40. Check it out and let us know what you think.

For those of you who don't know about podcasts, they are digital voice recordings of folks talking about their favorite subject. There are podcasts about every topic imaginable. Of course Stash and Burn is about yarn and knitting...our favorite topic. You can listen to podcasts on your computer or you can upload them to your MP3 player and listen while you exercise, knit, drive, etc. They are VERY fun. There are actually quite a few knitting related podcasts. If you haven't tried them before I highly recommend giving them a try!

Happy knitting!

Stitches West excitement

2008-03-01T15:03:00.005-07:00

WOW! The excitement of everyone at last week's Stitches West show was amazing. Over 8000 people attended and MANY of them stopped at our booth to say Hi and to get a stamp on their Ravelry Passport game.

Our Stitches Booth

It was so fun to see projects made with our yarn, meet folks who had never seen some of our types of yarn and to feel the buzz about the XRX sock contest announced on Feb 21st. Check out their website thinkoutsidethesox.com for information about all the different contest categories. Mountain Colors is helping sponsor this event and we have two categories for all of you sock designers. The cash prizes are large!! We hope many of you enter!!

Our Duets shrug kit (yarn from Mountain Colors and yarn from Lorna's Laces) was fondled and admired by many of the folks passing our booth at Stitches. Folks checked out the lace stitch pattern and tried it on. It looks so beautiful on many different body types! These are available through May.

It has taken me several days to recover from the go-go-go pace of the show but things are back to normal now. We have had lots of stores sign up to be Socks Hot Spots for the sock contest (see above) and they should all be stocked with Bearfoot yarn before too long because we have been dyeing that yarn like crazy.

Happy knitting to all!!

Early Morning Departure

2008-02-19T10:32:00.002-07:00

Well two weeks have passed in a blur since our last post. We have been busy getting ready for our 5 days at Stitches plus dyeing LOTS of yarn for all the orders coming in. Everyone must be knitting like crazy!!

One of the joys of living in western Montana is the limited airline service. There are generally, on a given airline, two flights out a day. Sooooo tomorrow we have to be at the airport by 5am and we live an hour from the airport. I am afraid to calculate how early I have to set the alarm clock!! Yikes. But I look forward to seeing all the folks who will be at Stitches and I hope everyone else will be reading the numerous online postings from folks at the show.

Be on the lookout for the Sock contest being announced by XRX on the 21st. We will post a link to the special website when we return from the show next week. There will be all sorts of sponsors and categories for various types of socks. We are one of the sponsors so we will get to help judge the socks next year at the end of the contest!!

I am off to pack my suitcase! Happy knitting!!!

Triangle Scarf Pattern

2008-02-02T11:50:00.001-07:00

Here is the pattern for a Triangle Scarf that uses Mountain Colors Mohair and an optional skein of Moguls. Enjoy!!

Materials: 1 skein Mountain Colors Mohair
1 skein Mountain Colors Moguls (opt)
Needles- size 10.5 and size 13 for bind off

Cast on 3 sts in Mohair. Knit 1 row.
Pattern row: *Knit 2 sts, yo, knit to end*

If using optional Moguls yarn, change back and forth between the two yarns after every second row (ie. 2 rows Mohair, then 2 two rows Moguls).

Repeat pattern row until scarf is desired size or until you have 6 to 10 yards of Mohair left for the bind off. Then using size 13 needles, bind off LOOSELY in mohair.

To wear, pull one tip through the 4th or 5th hole up from the other tip.

Come see us at Stitches West!!!

2008-01-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you fortunate enough to be attending Stitches West be sure to stop by and see us!!! We will be in the Sponsors section of the show in booth 220. We are alloted a very small space so we can't bring everything but we plan to bring a display that shows all of our colors in one spot!!

We are looking forward to meeting lots of folks and seeing all the fun garments at the two fashion shows. Bring your Mountain Colors projects to show us!!

Happy knitting!!

Our NEW Colorful Relationship

2008-01-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hi!

We are back from the TNNA trade show in Long Beach and wanted to share a new project we are beginning. We are going to have a year long series of kits...a new one each quarter...that combine our yarn with yarn from Lorna's Laces. This idea was well received by the yarn shop owners attending the trade show and they were excited about the idea that knitters could try yarns from both companies all in one project.

The first kit will be shipped to stores as of February 1st and will be a beautiful shrug that combines our Half Crepe with Helen's Lace from Lorna's Laces. It is available in 5 color combinations (our yarn colorways will be Ruby River, Chinook, Evergreen, Yellowstone and Moondance and these will combine with coordinating yarn from Lorna's).

The beginning of May we have a sock kit designed by Cat Bordhi, then the third quarter we will have a vest designed by Ginger Luters. The fourth project is still in the works.

We hope you love this shrug as much as we do!! It is soft, full of drape, light weight and elegant!!

Pictures of Mountain Colors and a question at the end...

2008-01-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Mine was great...both of my sons were home from college and we had a nice visit with them. Since I had the camera memory card out at the computer I thought I would post some pictures of things at Mountain Colors. For those with dial-up service this may be a bit slow to load....

We have been given the opportunity to purchase organic wool for dyeing. It would be the same gauge as our Weavers' Wool yarn, would NOT be a superwash and it would probably be dyed in organic dyes. Would anyone be interested in this yarn?? We would love to hear from you about this before we decide to jump in. We are also going to poll the shop owners we talk to at the trade show next week. Don't be shy!!! Let us hear from you!!

Office Christmas Traditions

2007-12-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our annual Christmas luncheon. We usually go to Diana's home and have goodies from a local coffee shop/bakery/caterer. This time we had two kinds of delicious quiche, a green salad, a pasta salad and then for dessert we have a cookie exchange. We may be dyers by day but boy can everyone bake a great cookie by night!! We had 12 different kinds of cookies...4 dozen of each...so by the time I went around the table sampling and exchanging I had a HUGE plate of goodies to bring home. When my boys were younger they always looked forward to cookie exchange day. Now I will have to track them down in Missoula where they live and go to school so that I can share the wealth.

Our other tradition is to have an ornament exchange. It is simple and fun. Its amazing how beautiful some of the ornaments can be. Some folks make them; some purchase them at craft fairs; some purchase them at local department stores. I have received some very nice decorations for my tree over the years.

This year we are adding an extra event for those who can make it. We are going out to dinner and to a local Christmas choral concert. Mountain Colors is sponsoring the Snack table (seems we have a sweet tooth). Everyone gets so busy with friends, family, club and guild obligations but this year we are trying to make time for ourselves too!

The nearby mountains are getting lots of snow for skiers but so far we don't have any here in the Valley. That would make it perfect.

Have a wonderful holiday. I give thanks for all my family, friends and the folks who work to make Mountain Colors a possibility.

Last Minute Knitting!

2007-12-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

I found a great quick project for a last minute gift! A store owner told me that Wine Covers were popular this year and I found a pattern for one in the book Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living by Barbara Albright. I used Mt Colors Homespun but you could use any bulky yarn. It is done on double point needles and has a neck of ribbing and a body of stockinette stitch. It looks like a bulky turtleneck! It's fun and you can hang a ribbon or a few beads around the neck. I already gave one to my Aunt and she loved it. I actually attached a moguls flower pin and a little ribbon. It might have been a little over the top but it was festive!

The great thing is that it only takes about and hour and a half to make one and not too much yarn. I think I'm going to adapt my next one to a shorter fatter bottle of Bailys Irish Creme.

We are wrapping up the year here at Mt Colors. We have 2 more dye days before we break for the Holiday. We are looking forward to a few parties next week and a lot of nice family and friend time.

More later I've got to get back to my knitting.........

Moguls Flower

2007-12-05T20:55:00.001-07:00

Here is the knit flower I promised yesterday. It was designed by one of our sales reps and uses scraps of Mountain Colors Moguls. For the leaves you are on your own. They are knit with some sort of very soft fuzzy yarn and the designer didn't tell us how she knit them. Perhaps one of Nicky Epstein's books would help. Or leave out the leaves all together.

So here is how to knit your very own flower to pin on your winter coat or add to your next knitted hat!! We would love it if you would share photos of your Moguls flowers!! Our email is info@mountaincolors.com for those inclined to share!

Needles: US size 9 or 10

Yarn: Mountain Colors Moguls....about 1 ounce.

Cast on 6 sts.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Inc 1 st in each st (total 12 sts)
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: Inc 1 st in each st (total 24 sts)
Row 5: Knit
Bind off. Decorate with bead and attach a pin back.

For a very small flower skip Row 1.

Seasons Greetings!!

2007-12-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone. Before we know it 2008 will arrive. Time is flying by here in Western Montana. We had a wonderful BIG snow (over 10" at my house) a few weeks back and everything looked so nice. Then it rained. Now everything is muddy and we are eagerly awaiting fresh new snow later this week. It makes me feel very festive when the trees and fields are snow covered.

We have been selling a new Homespun Throw kit to our suppliers and it has been very well received. If you need a last minute, very quick to knit gift these throws might be just what you are looking for. See a photo on our website www.mountaincolors.com under patterns and then under Throws. We have been dyeing lots of our Homespun wool/silk blend yarn for this project. It comes in all of our colorways!!

We are also in the process of developing a new yarn. It is taking longer than we thought to get the test yarns from the mill but we are so excited about what we have worked with so far. The final yarn won't be available to yarn shops until late this Spring but it gives you something to look forward to!!! Meanwhile we will be busy dyeing yarn, getting some designs made up, taking photos, etc. Hint...the fiber is merino wool.

We hope to be posting to this blog about once a week. As the holidays approach we may run out of hours in the day to say much but we will try!! I have had a wild couple weeks with a septic flood in my basement. Not good. None of my yarn stash was damaged but I had to pack and move ALL yarn, fabric, basketmaking, weaving stashes, plus books, etc out of the area overnight. I had everything organized before it was thrown in boxes...now I will have to start over. Sigh. Maybe I should take this opportunity to weed out some of my stash and decide whether sorting by color is best or sorting by fiber type and size is best. Hmmm. Any suggestions are welcome!

We have a sales representative in Northern California who has designed flowers knit with remnants of our Moguls yarn. I will run home tonight and take a picture so that tomorrow I can post a photo and directions. They are so cute and look great pinned to a hat or coat!

I'm off to dye yarn today.....

New for us

2007-11-01T14:36:00.001-06:00

We have decided it would be fun to post Mountain Colors stories, news, etc to all of you who read blogs, online newsletters, etc. This is our Premier posting!! The picture to the right is of the Bitterroot Mountain just to the west of where we live. Now you can visualize the scenery when you think of our yarns!! We love to use the local views as inspiration for our colorways and as many of you know we also use the natural habitat of the area for our names. It is always great fun when we have to brain storm about new color names. Husbands, children, dyers, the UPS...everyone has ideas!

As we become more comfortable with the workings of this blogging software we will be posting pictures, contest announcements, what new things are in the works, etc. I know we won't be writing as frequently as some folks do but check back every few weeks and I know we will have more news for you.

We welcome any helpful hints. What would like to see? What information would you like to read about? Let us know what you think!!