Almost ten years ago, we launched our Sleeping Bear Yarn Club and there is simply no way we ever could have conceived what it is today. The dyers we’ve met, the colors they’ve created, the relationships that have grown‑‑the impact of this club in our lives‑‑personally and professionally‑‑is beyond our wildest dreams. (And just wait until we tell you about Year Ten! Next month.)
Because our club continues to add new members every month, there are many, many customers who’ve only just joined us‑‑and have missed out on some of the previous months. And almost everyone has said that they’d love to get their hands on at least one more skein of one colorway or another.
So. We’re opening up the opportunity for everyone who has been hoping to get another go at one‑‑or more!‑‑of our exclusive yarns. We reached out to the brilliant dyers who’ve produced colorways for our Sleeping Bear Yarn Club and asked them to dye a limited edition run for the spectacular colors from the first nine years: The Colors of Leelanau.
As always, these yarns are available to you at 10% off retail prices. But this year? We’ve got something even better. For a limited time, they’re all discounted juuuuuust a little bit more‑‑an extra special gift to you, a thank you for making our lives so much more colorful.
However. You must be a Sleeping Bear Yarn Club member.
We’ve said from Day One that these colors are exclusive to our members and we still stand by that. Before you can order any of the colorways pictured here, you first have to join the club.
After that, you can order any of the colors between now and March 27th.
After that, they may be unavailable forever.
Club memberships are available for 3, 6 and 12 months, with the ability to pay monthly, quarterly or in full.
A current membership of any kind will grant you access to the Colors of Leelanau.
Not a current member? Sign up HERE.
Already a member? Click HERE to order the Colors of Leelanau.
We’ll be taking pre-orders for the Colors of Leelanau for a VERY limited time‑‑through March 27th only.
Orders will ship with the May 2023 packages.
Not sure what to knit with a single precious skein? How about a pair of simple socks? Our Constant Companion is a steady Eddie. The free Honeycomb Socks by Emily Bolduan are so appropriate, no? And the Bearly Bonnet by Pure Stitches is just darling.
Into small projects with two colors or more? There are SO many high contrast options within our palette‑‑think about Stephen West’s Woven Checks Socks, Stephanie Lotven’s Morning Sunshine Cowl, or Midori Rose’s Paul Klee Sweater.
Consider combining multiples and fading them‑‑making a gradient color run‑‑like the Snap Hat by Tin Can Knits, Joji’s La Prairie, the North Coast Pullover by Tamy Gore, Stephen West’s Fiery Foliage or the original Find Your Fade Shawl by Andrea Mowry. And of course our Basic Buzz Hat is the old standby.
Love some of the colors so much you want a full sweater’s quantity? Try this Ravelry search HERE for fingering weight sweaters. Some of our favorites include Isabell Kraemer’s Dingley Dell, Rachel Illsley’s The Waves or Dārta by Inese Sang (from the new Neons & Neutrals by Aimée Gille).
And of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that so many of these (okay, all of them!) provide a gorgeous backdrop for mohair sweaters, too. Some favorites are the Cozy Classic Raglan by Jessie Maed, Broadleaf by Wool & Pine and of course, The Love Note by Tin Can Knits. (Holding a fingering weight and a laceweight yarn together will yield a DK weight gauge.) Try a Ravelry search for DK weight sweaters HERE. We’ve got several laceweight mohair yarns in the shop, including Along Avec Anna Silk Mohair, La Bien Aimée Mohair Silk (for anything with yellow!), Fangirl Silk Mohair, Moondrake Mohair Lace, Wobble Gobble KidMo, Little Fox Nuages, Bella Filato Bella Suri and Quince & Co. Piper.
Not sure how to choose your coordinating mohair, or how it will look with the yarn? This blog post from Tin Can Knits is so very helpful‑‑thank you, Michele, for sending this one along! Read the post HERE.
Our Colors of Leelanau display in the background. You’ll notice that not every month from the original lineup is included. That’s because some of the dyers were unavailable to recreate their original colorway. If you have one of those original skeins, hang on to it like your life depends on it.*
*Um. We mean knit with it. Who hoards yarn anyway?
