My Sister Knits is gleefully looking forward to an upcoming weekend! Jill Zielinski (also known as the designer Knitterella), founder of North Bay Fiber in Pinconning, Michigan, will be at My Sister Knits from 10 - 5 on Friday, July 11th and Saturday, July 12th. Not only will Jill be here but so will her yarn!

Jill Zielinski © Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Jill creates breed-specific yarn and will have her Elemental, Journey, and Heritage yarns with her. You may be wondering what is so special about breed-specific yarn and why we’re so excited about it. Read on!

Most yarn that is commercially manufactured is made with wool that is sourced from a large number of various breeds. The wool is blended together to create softness and consistency so the yarn can be depended on to always be the same. This type of yarn has value but it’s like always buying the same brand of grocery store bread.

Kits will be available for Jill’s In a Flurry hat!

Breed-specific yarn is like going to a farmers’ market and choosing a homemade loaf. Many of these yarns are spun in small batches and some are only available in certain regions. Usually a breed-specific wool can be traced back to the flock that produced it.

Choosing a yarn from a specific breed or blends from a couple of specific breeds lets the characteristics of each breed’s fiber stand out. The qualities that make each breed different include staple length, micron count (fiber diameter than indicates softness), and crimp. These let us anticipate how the yarn will look and behave, if it will be bouncy or smooth or a bit shiny. They’ll tell us if our garment will have drape, if it will stand up to hard wear, or need to be treated a bit more carefully.

Jill’s three yarns that she’s bringing are from three different sheep breeds.

Elemental is Cormo. It’s a long-staple yarn which means it is less likely to pill and fuzz so it would be good for a sweater. It’s also lustrous and is soft enough to wear against your skin. The sheep are raised in Wyoming, the fleece is spun in Pennsylvania, and it’s dyed by Jill.

Journey is Romney. It’s a medieval breed from England, dating back to the 13th century, and its wool is strong and lustrous. It also has a long staple length but it isn’t quite as soft as Cormo. Deb Robson, who co-authored The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook, says that “if nonspinning knitters could get their hands on reliable supplies of Romney, they'd fall in love.” North Bay Fiber’s Romney is raised in California, spun in Pennsylvania, and dyed by Jill.

Heritage, North Bay Fiber’s signature line, is entirely from Michigan and is from Targhee-Polypay sheep not far from Jill’s home. The Targhee brings softness, loft, and elasticity and the Polypay brings a combination of softness and durability. Also, since it is worsted spun, this yarn will be lightweight and warm.

Jill will have samples with her so you’ll get to see and feel these yarns knit up but, even better, you’re going to have the chance to knit with all of these Friday and Saturday! Friday we’ll have a casual Q & A time with Jill while ‘sitting and knitting’ from 10 until noon. Saturday’s Q & A time is from 1 - 3. Bring your own project to work on when you aren’t sampling her yarns!

We’ll have special treats both days and you’ll have a chance to win a kit with a purchase of North Bay Fiber yarn.

Andrea Mowry’s Comebackigan cardigan using Heritage Sport

Jill will bring kits for two projects. One is for her In a Flurry hat and the other is a surprise! She’s also bringing sweater quantities for Andrea Mowry’s recently published Comebackigan cardigan, designed with Heritage Sport!

We encourage you to set aside plenty of time to come to the shop during Jill’s visit! You’ll be able to ask questions about her yarn, squish and smell it, enjoy knitting a small sample with each base, and decide what to make with it! This is truly special yarn and we’re thrilled to host Jill and North Bay Fiber!

Happy knitting,

A Special Weekend with North Bay Fiber

Paintbrush Tank by Briana Arlene