For a touch of luxury, it is difficult to beat silk next to the skin. Our Seamstress Silk Socks do one better by blending fine silk with alpaca and linen, improving on its sheen and elegance with a delicate halo and a bit of strength. The simple lace cuff sets the feminine tone of these little luxuries, while columns of purl stitches form faux ...

Our Starburst Mitts are snuggly to wear and surprisingly quick and easy to knit. The mosaic colorwork means you only need to work one color in a row, slipping a handful of stitches to create the motifs. The yarn’s unique blend of Coopworth lambswool, alpaca, and yak make the mitts warm, elastic, and strong enough to hold up to all the tasks han...

Like ice floes on the big lake, a crystal glass that slips from the hand, and any of us after a few too many libations, beautiful things get fractured all the time.

2020 marks the 100th year since the United States guaranteed women the right to vote by adopting the 19th Amendment. Our Suffrage Cloche adopts the movement’s colors—purple, white, and gold—and celebrates the bravery and determination of the people who worked tirelessly to have the Amendment introduced into Congress in 1878, and for another alm...

In the ancient Egyptian pantheon, Seshat was the goddess of STEM. She invented writing, recorded all data worth remembering, and was known as the Mistress of the House of Books. She had charge of knowledge in general, and measurement and records in particular—including the fields of accounting, architecture, astronomy, building, mathematics, an...

When a wave encounters an obstacle or an aperture, it bends a bit. This phenomenon is called diffraction, which comes from the Latin for “to break into pieces.” If you’ve ever played with a laser pointer on a rough surface and seen a speckle pattern, or spotted a bit of iridescence on deli meat, or heard someone even though they were behind an ...

The ancient Romans called amber “electrum,” which means “the beaming sun.” Although they understood that amber was a tree resin, popular Roman myths held that amber gems were the tears of the sun god’s bereaved family, or drops of sunlight captured by the earth and ocean just as the sun set. The Latin name doubtless was inspired by the golden h...

Hashiri (走り) translates from Japanese as produce from the first harvest of the season. The first fruits and vegetables of their kind to perfectly ripen each year are expected to be the most delicious and healthiest. These hashiri accordingly command top price and confer prestige on the grower and purchaser. They commonly are given as a generous...

Our Flipperling Blanket is inspired by the stunning waters of Michigan and Seal Lullaby, a lovely poem written by Rudyard Kipling. The center is worked in a slightly undulating chevron that evokes a lakebed near the shore, where the sand looks as though it has been combed by the rocking of the waves. The borders represent waves, bubbles, and th...

Aestivating is the mirrored pair of hibernating; with its roots in the Latin word for summer, the term means to go dormant during periods of heat and to return to life with colder weather. According to one theory, we haven’t found extraterrestrial life because it’s aestivating, waiting for the universe to cool so that computing power becomes mo...

A chyron is a text or graphic overlay commonly found in the bottom portion of a video broadcast. A news broadcast might use a chyron to tell the viewers the name of the person on screen, while other broadcasts might use a chyron to show current stock prices or recent sport scores.

In some of the driest places in the world, people use fine nets to pull drinking water out of thin air. These fog catchers trap unbelievably small particles of water in the fibers of their mesh and direct them through a filter into a reservoir, gathering thousands of gallons of drinking water each day in locations where there was little to begi...

Michigan has more than 50,000 miles of river and has been inhabited for centuries. It is home to many beautiful bridges built long before modern materials and power tools existed. These elegant and practical structures were constructed from hand-cut lumber and hand-forged nails.

In the last ten years, there has been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records. Our Audiophile is a poncho designed in homage to a classic twelve‐inch LP. Knits and purls form ridges and grooves that mimic the spacing and look of a vinyl record, and the swirl shaping is reminiscent of a spinning disc. Worked the round in simple stitches with g...

Powys is a region in Wales known for its natural beauty. The name Powys emerged during the Middle Ages, when the area was referred to as the Paradise of Powys. It’s thought to derive from the Latin for “peasant,” or “dwellers in the countryside.”

The Mikasa Scarf is part of Firefly Fiber Arts’ Fandom Fibers line.

The term hibernating, with its roots in the Latin word for winter, means to go dormant during periods of cold and to return to life with warmer weather. Although humans don’t technically hibernate, many of us find ourselves more sluggish and snuggly in the winter.

There are no officially marked trails in the woods near my home, but many feet and bikes have nevertheless found their way through the tangle of trees and brush. Over many years, these travels have sculpted a network of visible paths. Even among routes traveling essentially the same direction, some cross, some converge, and some meander nearby ...

Once upon a time, there lived a gifted shifter. Like many, she could transform fluff into yarn and blankness into color. Like many, her hands could help a thing became its best version. Like only a few, her power was so great that it touched not only stuff but people. This shifter could change sadness into hope, energy into action, strangers in...

In the last ten years, there has been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records. Our Audiophile DK is a poncho designed in homage to a classic twelve‐inch LP. Knits and purls form ridges and grooves that mimic the spacing and look of a vinyl record, and the swirl shaping is reminiscent of a spinning disc. Worked the round in simple stitches wit...

The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, is an annual extravaganza of all things cherry. Its events include picnics, parades, orchard tours, an art fair, and of course, all the cherries you could dream of in every form you can imagine (and some you probably couldn’t). It’s a highlight of the cherry season for Michiganders and th...

A folly, from the French for favored abode, is a structure created purely to accent the landscape rather than serve a practical purpose. It might be exotic or rustic, subtle or ostentatious. A folly often involves an element of architectural trompe l’oeil; for example, some were built in the 1800s to look like ancient Roman ruins. Many also hav...

A folly, from the French for favored abode, is a structure created purely to accent the landscape rather than serve a practical purpose. It might be exotic or rustic, subtle or ostentatious. A folly often involves an element of architectural trompe l’oeil; for example, some were built in the 1800s to look like ancient Roman ruins. Many also hav...

Temenos, from the Greek verb “to cut,” is a sanctuary: a space separated from common uses and reserved for higher purposes. The term originally referred to physical spaces; the sacred valley of the Nile and the Acropolis of Athens are both temene. The term also has been used to describe a safe space for contemplation and connection with the unc...

Sun Drop is a hearty, completely reversible hat with gorgeous texture and a deeply ribbed hem. Worked in a lively blend of Finn wool and alpaca and a plush stitch pattern, Sun Drop is a warm and woolley knit that is stylish and practical from fall through spring.

Italian has a particularly lovely euphemism for pregnancy: the time of sweet waiting. And what better way to fill a bit of a wait than with a heartfelt knit?

Akhet is an Egyptian hieroglyph that depicts the sun rising or setting between two hills. It translates as mountain of light, and is an ideogram for the horizon. Akhet, like the sun, is associated with light, warmth, and growth, and with creation and rebirth. The hieroglyph also bears a bit of a resemblance to a sleeveless vee-neck shirt.

Wakakusa (若草) translates from Japanese as young grasses, wildflowers, or herbs. In Japanese poetry, it is associated with the spring season and evokes the feeling of soft sunlight and a light breeze rustling new growth; it also is a poetic epithet for wife. The term famously appears in The Tale of Genji, where it alludes to a future bride, and ...

A sepal is the leaf that protect the petals and interior of a budding flower. Our Sepal is a tidy shrug with an openwork back and a wide trim of lace ribbing that can be worn upright or folded over in a shawl collar. It is a little jewel of a sweater: perfect for a bit of protection and warmth without sacrificing ease or style.

Walking through the bamboo forest in the Arashiyama (嵐山) district of Kyoto, Japan, is a truly mystical experience. Your first step into the grove transports you. Instantly, the heat, glare, and noise of the city is gone. The light inside filters softly through the towering stalks; the air is cool and clean. The bamboo creates an almost active h...

Britomartis was worshiped as a deity in the ancient world. No one spoke her true name; Britomartis was a nickname that translates as sweet maiden, and she was so called to soften her hard heart and terrible temper. Her weapon of choice was the labrys, a double-headed ax, and she was further aided by large snakes and other wild animals. She was ...

Pudding stone is a unique and beautiful rock conglomerate found throughout Michigan and parts of Ontario, Canada. It is a sandy colored stone heavily studded with brightly contrasting pebbles of red jasper, white quartzite, semi-transparent quartz, and black chert. The stones originated in a quarry in Ontario, and they were deposited across Mic...

“Kokuhaku” (告白) translates from Japanese as making a confession or revealing something, but it most commonly refers to a first declaration of romantic interest. When such a confession is made and accepted, it marks the transition from casually dating to something more serious; it is an acknowledgement that both people see a real future for the ...

Baphia nitida, also known as African sandalwood, is hard‐wooded shrub that thrives in the tropical regions of central west Africa. It has simple leaves and small clusters of delicate flowers. Its finely colored wood has a soft, warm, smooth fragrance, and it is prized by woodcarvers for its touch and scent. Its name comes from the Greek “to dye...

Abrus precatorius, commonly known as the love pea, is a climbing plant that thrives in warm to tropical regions. It has fernlike leaves, delicate pink or white flowers, a distinctive seed pod, and a dangerous secret. The leaves and stems of the plant are used in Siddha medicine as an aphrodisiac. Its flowers make a seductive tea. And its beauti...

Lonely Sea is a crescent shawl inspired by The Tuft of Kelp, a tiny pearl of a poem. Herman Melville wrote it while working as a customs inspector, after his novels failed to provide him financial support.

Kanazawa Castle in Kanazawa, Japan, is a beautiful structure that was designed and built to last through the ages. Its walls are a grid of thick bamboo that is reinforced with layers of straw, clay, and stone, and finished with white mortar and inset tiles. A display inside the castle explains the complex structure of the walls by showing each ...

“Kokuhaku” (告白) translates from Japanese as making a confession or revealing something, but it most commonly refers to a first declaration of romantic interest. When such a confession is made and accepted, it marks the transition from casually dating to something more serious; it is an acknowledgement that both people see a real future for the ...

As Plato tells the legend of Atlantis, the mythic island civilization was part of a large ocean territory ruled by Poseidon. Atlantis’ main island was a rocky, windswept mountain that Poseidon carved into a palace for his lover, Cleito. He surrounded the palace with concentric rings of walls, moats and rock that he gilded with metal. From this ...

Legend holds that the Isle of Mann was named for Manannán, a king who could turn his cloak into a veil of mist that he drew around the island to protect it from invaders. Our Manx Cloak is a little piece of knitterly magic in that same tradition: a warm cowl that can be drawn up into a charming and spritely hat or, should the mood strike, tied ...

Kenroku-en, one of the most famous and beautiful of the many extraordinary gardens in Japan, is known for its elegant pine forest. To protect the trees from breaking under the heavy snows of the Kanazawa winters, gardeners have developed yukizuri—structures with hundreds of ropes, each one hand-tied to a single branch at one end and the central...

According to Irish legend, Etain fell in love with the fairie king, Midhir, and became his consort. As punishment for her their transgression, Midhir’s wife transformed Etain into a butterfly and conjured a storm to send her swirling around the world forever. Etain eventually escaped the buffeting winds, but not for hundreds of years, and it wa...

Bolinus brandaris is the scientific name of the spiny dye-murex, a predatory sea snail. This humble gastropod is one of the primary sources of a dye, Tyrian or royal purple, that was prized in the ancient world for its rarity, vivid color, and colorfastness. The snail’s mucus is the source of the dye, but its protective shell, with its spiralin...

Diegesis is a term used to describe the layers of reality in a work of narrative fiction. The extradiegetic level describes things that are real for the audience, but not the characters in the story; it includes the narrator’s voice intoning, “Once upon a time,” or the swelling soundtrack. The diegetic level is the level of the characters’ expe...

In the 1600s, a sugar plum was a particular kind of comfit, a hard candy laboriously made by heating layers of sugar around a seed. By the late 1800s, the term could refer to any roundish candy or, more generally, any good thing. Today, sugar plum calls to mind some of winter’s best: the graceful fairy in Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet, and vi...

The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, is an annual extravaganza of all things cherry. Its events include picnics, parades, orchard tours, an art fair, and of course, all the cherries you could dream of in every form you can imagine (and some you probably couldn’t). It’s a highlight of the cherry season for Michiganders and th...

As William Carlos Williams confessed many years ago, a chilled plum is too good to pass up. Our Icebox Plum is a treat for your arms that starts with one delightful base and finishes either of two ways: as a cuff/wrist warmer, or as a fingerless mitt. In either case, there are three sizes so you can get the perfect fit.

Morvarch is a stallion from Breton legend who could gallop on water and breathe fire. He is said to have served the great magician Malgven, Queen of the North, and to have carried her across the sea after she broke King Gradlon’s siege.

Callirhoe is a unisex scarf named after Callirhoe of Sicyon, the co-inventor of relief modelling. Legend says that she was determined to capture her beloved’s image before he left for war and, inspired by the shadow he cast in the firelight, drew his profile on a stone wall. Her work was so lifelike that her father, a sculptor, applied clay to ...

Iwashigumo is a lacy, rectangular stole named after the Japanese word for a mackerel sky, a beautiful pattern of clouds that breaks and scuds across the horizon in undulating rows.  Knit in one (whole!) skein of Why Knot Fibers’ lace weight Merino yarn, Savor, the colorway does all the work of creating the subtle, dappled streaks of a mackerel ...