This will be the second year in a row we’re not able to revel in our shop’s anniversary with an in-person event—and 21 years is kind of a big deal. But instead of being sad (we’ll cry if we think about it too hard!), we’re getting very, very excited to celebrate with you from afar. In fact, we’re planning to bring the party to you. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 29th at 1 pm ET—and there’s the ultimate party companion to go with it.

Introducing The Nickel Anniversary Box. Think party favors, but for knitters. From now through May 10th, pre-order one of these boxes to be delivered straight to your doorstep, and while you’re welcome to take a peek, wind the yarn and set up the other extras when the box arrives, it’s meant to be shared together.

What’s inside the box? Valued at twice its listing price, this package includes so many treasures, it’ll knock your hand-knit socks off: one full skein of Hudson + West Weld, one ready-to-brew cup of Bee Happy tea, one full set of semi-precious stone stitch markers (handmade by our favorite jeweler Liz Saile), one exclusive (new) hat pattern, one beeswax votive candle and a handful of sweet (surprise) party favors to make things extra festive. Even better? Shipping is included.

The hat pattern comes from our love of pairing a laceweight mohair silk with a fingering weight to achieve new levels of texture and colorplay in our knitting –and to get DK-weight gauge at the same time. (Which, as you know, means a project that’s quicker to knit!) The box comes with the skein of fingering weight (Hudson + West Weld), and when you add it to your cart, you have the option to stash dive for the mohair, or for an additional charge, allow us to select a coordinating skein of mohair for you.

The colors—for the yarn and the stitch markers–will be a surprise. Almost every box will be different, but we think that that’s a huge part of the fun. Not just for you when your box arrives, but as we all start knitting together during the party, you’ll be able to share your color combinations with the group. A few rounds in and the magic begins!

Tucked inside your box will be a special Zoom link invitation for 1 pm on Saturday, May 29th–let’s see how many of us can get together virtually at the same time! At 2 pm, we’ll have a drawing for not just one but FIVE (5) grand prizes—that each of the party-goers will be entered to win.

The prizes include:​​​​​​

-a Joji & Co. needle wallet in ‘Dusty Pink’, a skein of Must Stash Yarn Self-Striping 2020 Advent Sock + 2 skeins of Playful Day Yarns Worsted ($225)

-eight (8) skeins of AVFKW Dawn in ‘Milk & Honey’ from the original dyelot ($210) 

-ten (10) skeins of Barrett Wool Co. Woolens in ‘Garner’ ($120)

-one full set of ‘Little Women’ collection minis from Six and Seven Fiber ($80)

AND

-one Fringe Supply Co. Field Bag in ‘Waxed Canvas Clay’, an experimental color that never went into production (read: SUPER RARE UNICORN‑‑priceless)

Light the candle, bring your favorite mug, a pair each of US 4 (3.5 mm) and US 6 (4 mm) 16” circular needles and let’s sit and enjoy an afternoon cuppa (hot or iced!) and cast on a new project together.

Boxes will be shipping on May 19th, and because we need time to gather enough party supplies for everyone, we’ll be offering pre-orders through May 10th only. Even if you’re not able to join us at the virtual party, this special box is not to be missed; it’s an incredibly good deal, but it’s also simply gorgeous–all the ingredients you need to spend an afternoon treating yourself.

These photos are just a FEW examples of the mystery color pairings we’ll be putting together–the combinations are truly endless. 

Pre-order The Nickel Anniversary Box HERE.

Merino with a capital M. Round and smooth, this yarn rebounds against your hand with a satisfying spring. Ranch 03 Campbell-Hansmire comes in a modern palette of vibrant colorways, showcasing the glowing hues that only Merino can provide.​​​​​​​

This limited edition yarn is both brand new and exceedingly special: from a small flock from one ranch in Eagle County, Colorado, this collection offers a soul-filling burst of inspiration for winter-weary eyes. A smooth-spun sport weight, Ranch 03 is light and soft, warm and lithe, sturdy and bursting with life‑‑synonymous with Spring.

For 30 years, rancher Julie Hansmire has been lovingly tending and thoughtfully breeding her Merino flock, honing the sheep’s high quality fleece into a supple wool with unparalleled softness. Dedicating herself to the hard-bitten life of open range ranching, her commitment to the Merino breed shines through her joyful demeanor and earnest candor.

​​​​​​​Moving with the seasons, the flock is grazed across open grasslands by Julie’s close-knit team of Peruvian shepherds. This environmentally-sustainable ranching method cuts down on flammable brush and controls the spread of noxious weeds. The Campbell-Hansmire Merino sheep are ethically sheared and compassionately raised, producing a soft, downy wool that mirrors the tenderness of their care.

Not sure what to knit with Ranch 03? Liz knit the child’s size of the Hansmire Hat with two skeins of Rosegold Ranch 03 for Cecily. Two or three skeins will make the Dalleray Cowl, and, if you’re feeling like sinking your teeth into a bigger project, go for some gorgeous colorwork–the Spero Sweater.

We invite you to meet Julie Hansmire, and listen to her describe her life’s work‑‑raising responsible, sustainable, beautiful Merino sheep‑‑by watching this video ​​​​​​​HERE.

‘it’s okay if you aren’t okay. not feeling your best. dealing with so
much stress. so much tension in your body. up late and can’t sleep.
it’s okay if you’re not all put together as you normally are. but
nothing is normal during these times. you’re going through a deep
cleansing and keeping it together really means allowing yourself
to fall apart and see yourself in pieces. you’re strong enough to
re-assemble yourself. you are your own missing peace. relax your
mind. you are loved you are loved you are love.’
-Adrian Michael, ‘missing peace’

We are tired. Life is hard. We know you feel it, too. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s okay.

It’s okay not to have anything to say.
To need to talk.
Not to push on as normal.
To want to get Back To Normal.
To abandon your knitting.
To cast on All The Things.
To rest.
To move.
To sleep.
To binge.
To weep.
To laugh.
To indulge.
To refrain.
To comfort.
To seek pleasure.
To safely gather.
​​​​​​​To retreat.

We are coming up on a sobering anniversary, and with it comes a range of emotions that are wringing us dry. We are grieving, in very public and very personal ways. For what was, was is, what will never be. We are taking time to sit with these feelings‑‑the only way out is through.

Remember‑‑when you can‑‑that you are not alone. You are important. You are necessary. More people love you and need you than you could ever know. If you need someone to talk to, please text HOME to 741741 to connect with a real, life crisis counselor who will listen, at any time, and give you a soft place to land.​​​​​​

Adrian Michael Green is a human whose work we love and deeply respect. The poem in this newsletter is from Giver II, but every single one of his collections is magical, lyrical and speaks to the Soul.

Open Stitch
Saturdays
10 am to 12 pm EDT

Sitting and creating with you on Saturday mornings…it’s what we DO.

Join us every Saturday morning as we sit and drink caffeinated beverages and knit (or crochet/spin/stitch/weave!) together. It won’t be exactly the same as being together in person, but it’ll be so very good to see you.

JOIN US HERE.

Meeting ID: 835 6727 2501

(In the event that the link itself isn’t working, head to Zoom’s home page,
enter meeting ID: 835 6727 2501
and you should be able to get right in.)​​​​​​​

An extremely precious yarn, The Hills is a secret project that’s been in the works for almost a year: a yarn 100% made in Michigan. From the first shearing of Rambouillet lambs from one farm, this yarn holds the promise and wonder of new life. Created from the entire flock of this Manchester Michigan farm’s 2020 fleeces–chocolate brown–it’s combed together in a small-batch, ring-spun yarn that’s plump, soft and farm-fresh. This is a very limited edition yarn; there is a finite number of skeins available, and once this year’s batch is gone, that’s it.

Zeilinger Wool Company is a fourth-generation-run wool mill in Frankenmuth, Michigan. We have worked closely with Jon and April for years, and when they got wind of the fact that this single-batch lambswool was available, they immediately thought of us. It’s an honor to work with this historic mill to create another custom yarn for our hive.

Jill Zielinski Designs in southern Michigan has our deepest gratitude for creating a gorgeous pattern–a combination of soothing garter stitch and simple, chunky lace–specifically for this yarn, aptly named the Making Comfort Shawl. Thank you, Jill, for your vision!

About the shawl, in the words of the designer…

“The Making Comfort Shawl is a classic top-down, triangular shawl. Rows and rows of garter stitch are broken up with a simple, easy to memorize, chunky textural stitch. The shawl is finished off with an elegant ribbed border. Knit up in an absolutely stunning and buttery soft lamb Rambouillet, this project is just the comfort every knitter needs and loves— a comfort to knit, and a comfort to wear!”

To order the kit:

1. Add four (4) skeins of The Hills HERE.

2. Add the Making Comfort Shawl pattern HERE.

That’s it. Really. Our one resolution. To knit. More. Everything. Anything.

2020. Can we say anything about it that hasn’t already been said, in a more poetic/snarky/neatly-packaged way? The simple truth: the year took us to our knees. And our (collective) knitting mojo completely dried up. Somehow Liz managed to knock out three sample sweaters (her Cedar Pullover, Party of Five and her golden Ginn), but other than that, she hasn’t knit a stitch. I’ve half-heartedly banged out a few rows–finished two Oslo hats and a Sunset Slouch–but for Professional Knitters (okay, Enablers!) three hats and three sweaters between two people isn’t much to show for a year. We’ve talked about this a lot in our Comfort and Joy series, but the year hasn’t left us with a lot of time–or motivation–to knit.

It’s okay. It is. After 20 years (!) in downtown Cedar, the shop has been busier than it ever has been. EVER. And for that, we are supremely, undeniably, unbelievably grateful. We have kept Makers in wool during the times when y’all have needed it most. (Even if you’re still in the stashing stage–don’t feel bad. We are, too.) We’re also part-to-full-time e-learning teachers during the weekdays; turns out being teachers AND business owners during a global pandemic really cuts into your making time.

But it won’t always be like this. One day–when it’s safe–our children will go back to school. We will catch up, we will plan, we will establish new routines. With the bustle of the latest holiday season behind us, we’ve been feeling like we’re seeing what winter is going to look like….and it looks good. There’s room in there for restoration, for quiet, for peace, for reading, for walking, for cooking, for knitting, and really, what else is there?

Hard truth: we don’t subscribe to the notion that 2021 is going to be better. The calendar page isn’t going to flip over tomorrow, and suddenly, we’ll be back on our feet, running toward the light. It’s going to be more of a slow crawl on our knees, making our way toward the mirage in the desert.

We’re still navigating a global pandemic. Black lives still matter. USPS is still in crisis. We’re still lonely. We’re still tired. We’re still reinventing ourselves, every moment of every day. Our friends are depressed and overworked, the systems are racist and broken, neighbors and strangers and family members will get sick and they will die.

But. We know. We know the things we’ve seen. We know there are goals to fight for. We know it’s okay to let go of things we thought we knew, thought we loved, thought were right. We know it will be hard. We know we will be deeply sad. We know we’ll get parts wrong. But we know–without a shadow of a doubt–that we’ll keep going.

We know now, too, how to take better care of ourselves. That a full life means movement and rest. Coffee and tea. Greens and chocolate. Sunshine and rain. Knitting and dreaming. Lucky for us, it looks like we’re moving out of a dreaming stage and into a knitting one.

We’re starting to make pacts with ourselves–all of us, here at the shop–that we’re just going to knit. To knit for knit’s sake. To stop hoarding yarn and to start knitting with it. To stop waiting for The Perfect Project For The Perfect Moment…and just cast on. To knit because we love it. To knit because it soothes us. To knit because it challenges us. To knit because it numbs us. To knit because it invigorates us. To knit because it rights us. To knit because it binds us.

We don’t know what that means (cables? brioche? sweaters? socks?), but it doesn’t matter, really. We just want to knit. Anything. Everything.

Let’s usher in the New Year, dear friends–and make it full of knitting, shall we?

As you may have heard us announce on our Instagram Live chat with Aimée last week, we are so very thrilled to say that Wool & Honey is the newest La Bien Aimée stockist in the United States. (There are currently only two others.) We cannot tell you what an honor it is that Aimée was willing to write a chapter in our shop’s story‑‑and that this has been a very long time coming. It feels like an extremely natural fit‑‑Aimée’s spirit is so warm and gentle and light and comforting‑‑we hope you will find the same deep joy in her yarns that we do as we embark on the next step in our relationship together.

We thought the best way to introduce our first batch of LBA yarns would be during our virtual holiday party‑‑this Sunday, December 13th at 4 pm.​​​​​​​

Not only will we have La Bien Aimée yarn available on Sunday afternoon, but we will have an entire virtual shop stocked full of yarns, gifts and notions that make for wonderful stocking stuffers.

What to expect on Sunday afternoon:

* LBA Yarn Bundles
-the Oslo Hat by Petite Knit (5 colors)
-the Wispy Shawl by Joji Locatelli (3 colors)
-the Satellite Shawl by Andrea Mowry (the original colorway)

* LBA Super Sock (individual skeins in 14 colors)

* Red Stag Dachas Sock in a full rainbow

* Northern Dreams Alpaca in new colors and weights

* Cocoknits notions in all our favorite styles

* Icelandic wool blankets, ready to ship

* NEW notions bags and project notebooks

* Northern Nail Polish bundles

* all the holiday scents fromFarm House Candle Co.

AND. We’ll include a free gift (a $20 value!) with every online purchase between now and December 24th. 

We are SO excited about this sweet little bag. It’s vegan leather, large enough for a small project, and emblazoned with the words ‘I Am Making Comfort and Joy’, it’s your way of sharing with the world that while Life is extremely difficult, as a Maker, you have chosen to infuse yours with a bit of comfort and joy.

We are extremely sad to miss out on our in-person gathering this year, but we know the safest way for everyone to celebrate is virtually. Our hope is that sharing the things we love‑‑and sending you a little gift, too!‑‑will help, at least in small part, to make things merry and bright.​​​​​​​

Stay tuned for an email on Sunday afternoon with live links to all these goodies‑‑we hope you’ll ‘join us’ online!

EDIT: We are THRILLED to tell you that we’ve discovered a way to save and publish these recorded video conversations to a platform outside of Instagram‑‑we’ve now uploaded them to our YouTube channel for those of you who are not Instagram users. Find our previous conversations with Luigi of Brooklyn Tweed, Toni of TL Yarn Crafts, Rachel of Six and Seven Fiber, Meghan + Sloane of Hudson + West,  Aimée of La Bien Aimée, Summer Lee Knits, Stephen West, Jill Zielinski, Andrea Mowry, Melanie of Big Little Yarn, Joji Locatelli, Paola of mYak, Rachelle of Moondrake Co., Gwen of Bella Filato Studio, Amy of June Cashmere, Aimee + Brian of Little Fox Yarn, Lavanya Patricella, Tif Neilan and Jodi and Tracie of the Grocery Girls on our YouTube channel HERE.

As the days become shorter and the weather turns colder in Northern Michigan, we’re seeking as much tenderness and connection as we can find over the next several months. Our desire is to deepen our relationships with others, cocoon ourselves in fibers that feel good and to reignite the spark that illuminated our path to Making in the first place. ​​​​​​​

We’d like to introduce to you a multi-part series that we hope will connect Makers (that’s you!) throughout this community to each other: Making Comfort + Joy. Once weekly throughout the next several months, we will be spotlighting Makers, Designers, Dyers and yarn companies who we deeply respect and gain inspiration from‑‑in work and in life. We will be hosting a FREE virtual space for gathering, for learning, for organic conversation, a way to go deeper with all aspects of Making; American-made or yarn from the mountains on the other side of the globe, heartwork from all genders, Makers from multiple crafts, bodies of all shapes, colors and cultural backgrounds. We’ll be having casual conversations with these Makers about what makes them tick-‑a few of the reasons we love their part in this community’s ongoing, nuanced story. ​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​While we’re not releasing the full schedule yet, we’d like to introduce a few of the Makers who’ll be joining us over the next few weeks. Luigi Boccia on 11/5, co-owner and Operations Manager of Brooklyn Tweed loves running, gardening and spent five years traveling the world as a professional opera singer‑‑in addition to his affinity for yarn. Toni Lipsey on 11/12, indie crochet designer, certified yarnaholic and coffee lover, created TL Yarn Crafts in 2013 out of her desire to build community around her craft and share her excitement and experiences with other creatives. (What can we say, Toni? You had us at caffeine!)  Rachel Lundstrom on 11/19, artist, empath and the indie dyer behind Six and Seven Fiber‑‑we’ve come to think of her pretty much like our fourth sister. Her colorways are sweeping and romantic and utterly unforgettable‑‑just like her personality.

(All three of these Creatives are also major readers‑‑you can bet books will be a common thread throughout this series, too!)

​​​​​​​These conversations will be taking place via Instagram Live, beginning this week, Thursday, November 5th at 7 pm EDT. Look for another email on Thursday morning with more details‑‑and a little surprise, too. (Don’t receive our email newsletter? Drop us a line at thebuzz@woolandhoney.com and we’ll add you to our list.)

Take care, dear friends. We can’t wait to see you on Thursday evening.

xo,
Melissa & Liz