Yarnify

Make sure to come by during to pick up your free copy of the Violetta Cowl. We'll also have a crocheted capelet, image coming soon.

Introducing the newest collection of colorways from local favorite, Sister Ananse! The Knot, a downtown art mural celebrating Chicago's diversity and resilience, inspired a range of vibrant and cheerful multicolors just waiting for your next project!

Just in time for Yarn Crawl: come see (and touch!) a trunk show of fabulous yarns and fun sample garments from our newest local hand dyer, MUSE 2320, from Minnesota! Only here till the 28th, don't miss it!

Are you excited for ?!? We still have some bags and pouches available. Swipe to see a preview of our free knit pattern.

Hi friends, something has come up and we're going to have to close the shop on Wednesday. We should be open again as usual on Thursday, but I'll update if anything changes.

And also a reminder that we'll be closed next Monday for Labor Day.

Are You Ready for Yarn Crawl? It’s almost here, and it’s going to be huge! The Chicago Yarn Crawl, now in its 15th year, is the time when yarn shops throughout the greater Chicagoland area band together to offer our crafty community nine jam-packed days of special events, prizes, fetching new patterns*, and enough yarn to st...

You've waited patiently and admired them in store, so it's time to announce our patterns for this year!

Our knitting pattern is a modernized twist on everyone's favorite sample around the shop. This reversible cable möbius cowl (is it really reversible if it's all one side) uses two strands held together: one strand of Alpaca Boucle and one strand of Dramaturg.

Our crochet pattern is a summer top. Barbara was inspired by the new Beatles colorways that released last summer.

Check out the link in our bio to see the patterns on Ravelry.

One more post to celebrate our new local yarn!

We are so excited to have them in our store! ❤️🧶

Say hello to our newest local yarn: Northwoods Fiber from Wisconsin!

Check out this dramatic assortment of luscious multicolors! These fingering-weight beauties would make gorgeous socks…or anything else! ❤️🧶

You know how much we love crochet? Check out these trendy items we've just finished. What have you been working on?

Holkham Snood by Lena Fedotova
3 skeins of Malabrigo Rios 618 Liquidambar
Modified start to create a separate I-cord to cinch

Mezzo Cardigan by Jess Coppom
6 skeins of Berroco Wizard 2936 Realgar
Pattern is written for a DK, so some modifications made to use bulky yarn and an L/8mm hook

Mother Nature threw an icicle into our last-minute Christmas shopping plans. 😢 yarnify! will be closed December 23 and 24.  Shop our online sale ... and we hope to see you next week!

PS: as always, we're happy to consult via phone or email

Just in time for the , we're welcoming our newest local product from .galaxy! These smooth, die-cut stitch markers come in both knit and crochet sets, and we even have an individual stitch marker depicting the Chicago skyline.

July 16th: Its time for your close-up! will be at yarnify! It will be epic!

Robin just stopped by to show off what she made with our custom colorway from our beloved . Robin, you did a beautiful job.

Happy Thanksgiving! Be sure to read on for details about our Black Friday/Small Business Saturday sales.

secure.campaigner.com yarnify! will be closed on Thursday, November 25th, to celebrate Thanksgiving. We wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday!

Well, like democracy itself, it happens WITH YOUR HELP!

The Knit Democracy Together initiative -- begun in Vermont by fiber artist and former election lawyer, Eve Jacobs-Carnahan -- seeks to engage and educate crafters of all ages about our electoral process and some of the challenges it faces. Here in Illinois, on May 4th, Eve kicked off our local initiative with an enlightening presentation on how elections are conducted and audited, including topics such as gerrymandering and the current debates, across the United States, about how votes may be cast and by whom. For more information, check out www.knitdemocracy.org.

Attendees were encouraged to knit or crochet 4” x 6” blocks to be assembled into a soft sculpture of the Illinois State Capitol Building, and to drop them off or send them to us at yarnify! The blocks started coming in the very next day, and as you can see in the photo, we’ve received a lovely knitted hat that will make a beautiful dome for the sculpture. If you haven’t sent us any blocks so far, there’s still time for you to be a part of this historic endeavor! For pattern instructions, please see www.knitdemocracy.org/chicago.

You even have more reasons to want to participate, because we are delighted to announce that the Harold Washington Library, the main branch of the Chicago Public Library, has graciously agreed to display the finished soft sculpture! We are still working out details for an unveiling celebration, but the History Department is enthusiastic about the project and already thinking of appropriate books and displays to complement the sculpture.

The initiative doesn’t stop there. Whether or not you attended the May 4th presentation, you are invited to be part of a continuing dialogue about the electoral process and what each of us can do to knit our democracy together! As voters, election workers, volunteers, advocates, or even holders of public office, we have the freedom and the responsibility to be knowledgeable and thoughtful participants in what some of our founders called the “Great Experiment”, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

You asked: we answered! Yarnify! is now open on Thursdays from noon to 6 pm. More times to search for the perfect yarns!

For March 2021 Herstory colorway, Brave Enough, we celebrate all the women who attended the inauguration. We, at Yarnify!, would like to bring special focus to the Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman who captured the nation’s hearts and imagination. Her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” is a stunning vision of democracy. As a native of Los Angeles, she experienced multiple cultures both isolated and rolled into a medley. Gorman was raised by her mother, a middle school teacher. Her mother’s love of education and enrichment inspired her to write early on. Gorman has an auditory processing disorder. She uses the hypersensitivity to sound to fuel her creative process, composing her poems the way a painter might approach a canvas. In describing her process she says, “Only then do I think about a shape that comes out of meaning. Where do I want this line to break? Do I want the stanzas to be shaped like a girl, or a house? ...I just see it, rather than hear it.” In “The Hill We Climb,” Gorman figures out the shape of democracy. She raises “democracy” with “delay,” which tells us that democracy is a thing expected, anticipated—not a thing we have built, or possessed, but a dream. Forman’s explicit assumption is radical and challenging and we are thrilled to have it put forth. Her forthcoming book of poetry is expected in September, but you can purchase “The Hill We Climb” at the local Chicago bookstore, Unabridged Books.

For the February Herstory, we are celebrating the incomparable Stacey Abrams with our Persistence colorway. One of the meanings of the Hydrangea is perseverance and gratitude. Unity and togetherness. Stacey Abrams and her team are full to the brim of all of those things. In the 2 short years since she lost the governorship of Georgia, she dug her heels in, gathered a diverse team, and DID THE THING. That thing may well prove to be what literally saves Democracy.
Our February colorway, Persistence, is an homage to the Hydrangeas that are starting to bloom in the Spring. To the hope that Stacey Abrams and her hard-working team have caused to bloom in our hearts. To the work that is left to do, and the voices we need to lift up in order to get that work done. As we move forward in the US and work at a more positive and just society, our hope is that you look at and work with this yarn and feel that hope and joy and gratitude that Stacey Abrams embodies. That we all do what we can to uplift each other, and allow those voices that are so necessary to be heard. And to a future in which all of the votes by all of the people count in the same way.

Whoops! We forgot to include the photo and promo.

secure.campaigner.com Today I’m a very sheepish Sheepie. It’s all my fault, of course, for not proofreading before telling the minions to go ahead and send the last email. Apparently the picture of Cathi’s beautiful cowl didn’t come through. And what’s worse, some of my deathless prose ended up on the cutting r...

Check out Sheepie's Interview with Cathi Nuelle of Stone Barn Fibers.

secure.campaigner.com Hi, Sheepie here again! So many kind folks have mentioned how much you enjoyed my holiday picks. It’s been wonderful meeting visitors to the shop, but I know that many of you are staying safe at home right now. Looking around from my vantage point on top of the fixtures, I realized that you can’...

2021 Herstory is all about celebrating women who are leaders in their communities. The January Herstory honors Vigdís Finnbogadóttir with the colorway, “Lava.” She was the first democratically-elected female head of state in the world, and remains, to this day, the longest-serving female head of state (she was President of Iceland for 19 years). In no small part because of Finnbogadóttir's work and standing in the world, Iceland is now considered by most to be the world leader in gender equality. In recent years, Iceland has passed laws to ensure gender balance on boards and to secure paid paternity leave. Almost half of all political candidates in any given election are women, and universal early childhood education is a nationwide priority. In 2013, a law was passed that required companies to ensure that a minimum of 40% of their boards are women. All of these laws and policies are created to make the world more equitable, and offer more women, from all backgrounds, the opportunities to achieve success.

Join us tomorrow for Fiber Klatch on Zoom!

Topic: Fiber Klatch
Time: 5-7pm

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7908475195?pwd=NWc3TVl1T20zdGZrcnFGdnJLaVZjZz09

Meeting ID: 790 847 5195
Passcode: L5pGcd