I have an embarrassing amount of yarn. Bins and bins of yarn. When we travel and I see a yarn store, my husband gives me the look, you know that look, the one that people who have known each other forever use to silently relay whole sentences. I don't need to tell you what it means, because some of you also have bins of yarn, or stacks of fabric, or collections of craft supplies, and you know exactly what is wordlessly conveyed.

It's sometimes very nice to be traveling alone, or to know there is a conference to attend, or in the case of this weekend, a century ride that will take most of what is forecasted to be a rainy Saturday in the White Mountains. Such a shame that Patternworks is a 15 minute drive from my sister-in-law's lake house.

However, I won't be spending any money this weekend on yarn because we have Brooke Sinnes of Sincere Sheep coming into town next week for a trunk show.

Oh my.

I have a fatal attraction for the kind of colors she obtains from natural dyes. FATAL. I will not be about to walk away from the blues or the purples with their undertones of gray....

Brooke is committed to terroir, which is often a way of describing wine and the earthy qualities obtained from the area where the grapes are grown - the soil content, the regional climate, and the weather in a particular year. Because Brooke's business is located in Napa wine country, this idea resonated with her and she initially sourced wool from local farmers. Thirteen years later, she has expanded her offerings to include wool sourced from across the country, while including blends that take up the natural dye colors she has worked hard to master in distinctive ways.

Run to her Instagram account to see the pretty colors. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Next Thursday, Aug. 4, Brooke will be bringing her stunning yarn to the Craftstitute. You can talk to her about her natural dye journey, pet the pretty yarn, and fill that compunction we have to envision the next project. Accompanying Brooke is knitwear designer Julia Farwell-Clay, whose designs have appeared in Knitscene, Pom Pom Quarterly, and Interweave Knits - to name a few. I am smitten with the Niela Cowl, Hiro Petite, and the Tambourine Cardigan.

The two have graciously offered to create a kit (yarn + pattern) as a door prize for the evening, which you can win just by showing up! Double your chances with an RSVP on the "class" listing - it's free and you don't have to put in your credit card. I know this because I was the first to sign up. Join us for this fun and free event, it's a wonderful chance to meet people following their passion and making a career of it and support their effort. Plus, snacks. Bring your knitting and come hang out for the evening.

-Robin

Julia's stunning Metronome - from her website.

Yarn trunk show? Oh yes.