Live Stitch @ Little Knits

It has been a hectic week here in Seattle.  We have several giant road construction projects going on, which have made our lives a little difficult.  Life has been especially hectic for me as our daycare was closed for two weeks!  This and having to go into store after-hours has made posting here near impossible.  With that, here is a long overdue introduction of Monarch, second yarn line from Fly Designs (with more coming).

 Monarch is slightly thicker than Lace Wing as it is a three-ply sport weight sock yarn with which I am currently knitting a hat and gloves for my 4.5 year who demanded (nicely), a pair of gloves.  And given that there is so much yarn (125+ grams with 370 yards), I decided to make a matching hat.  I also have a pair of socks in line for my husband who has size 14 feet – too much personal info I know- I simply wanted to let you know that these are BIG hanks with tons of yardage.

 Pat Fly, the color-genius behind the Fly Designs, labels Monarch as “Super soft, super twist, super wash” and we agree.  Monarch has a lovely soft hand, has a super tight twist and washes beautifully without loosing color.  When I first posted the Lace Wing (Fly Designs’ lighter sock yarn – see below for a post), we received quite a few emails asking for Monarch as some of us like to work with a little heavier weight of yarn for socks and of course, Monarch is great for baby and kids garments. 

So here it is and here is some feedback we received from Carolyn who is an avid Monarch knitter:

Monarch yarn is very very soft to knit with.  It is a little denser then some sock yarns, making it great for winter socks when you want that cushy warmth on your feet.  After washing they soften even more and loft slightly. 
 Over time (and by this I mean years), there is some pilling, not unsightly and easily removable.  The yarn wears like iron.  I’ve probably made more than 30 pair and have yet to hear that anyone has worn out a pair of socks made with this yarn.
 
If I were a good sock mom I know I would wash all my socks by hand and dry them in the air.  But the families for which I knit – with Monarch – are all hard-working families, trying to raise kids, and even if I did hand laundry they wouldn’t, so we all need socks that can go in the washing machine and dryer. 
 
  These Monarch socks were made a year ago and they have been worn and washed, etc. many times.
 
Need I say, I love Fly Designs yarns.

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 Thank you Carolyn!  I almost forgot, Monarch also comes in center pull skeins.  We have bunch of them on their way to us in addition to new Lace Wing colors.

Wishing everyone a great Friday and a good weekend.

Sue Fulay

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Photos courtesy of Karen who notes: “I was so very impressed with this yarn knit up for socks. I just finished a ribbed pattern in “Rainier” colorway and was thrilled with the results.   It feels and knits almost identical to a another tight twisted very well known sock yarn. This yarn rocks;).”

 Karen, thank you for the photos and for modeling them for us at 100 degree weather.