And we’re live! My Go Tell the Bees pattern is now available through Ravelry. (If you’re a newsletter subscriber, don’t forget to use your coupon code for 20% off. If you’re not a subscriber and want to be, let me know in the comments.) This shawl was inspired by the title of the upcoming book in the Outlander series, “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.” I’m not sure who’s gone, but the title is highly evocative.
This crescent shawl begins at the lower edge and features lacy honeycombs and bees. This is the 645 yard shawl version above.
And this is the smaller 430 yard version. You’ll definitely want at least 430 yards; I used nearly every scrumptious bit of mine.
The pattern has been tech edited and both sizes have been test knit. We’re having a KAL beginning June 11; you can sign up for the KAL in my Ravelry group here. I hope you’ll knit along with me! I’m having fun picking prizes for it already.
If you’d like to use the same yarn I did, you can order Renai in many colors from Fierce Fibers. This is a lovely single ply fingering weight yarn. Stacey is offering it at 10% off through June 30, 2017 with coupon code MICHELEBEE10.
I’ve been very impressed with the color and non-kinkiness of Stacey’s gradient yarns, so I asked her about her process. Here’s what she had to say:
I started looking at the various decisions a dyer needs to make in order to create a good quality gradient. The obvious requirements were that the color change can’t be abrupt, there can’t be white spots and there can’t be any kinkiness to the yarn. Solving these problems really fired up my inner engineer and after months of development I started releasing a small set of gradients in the fall of 2016. I dug deep and bought the best equipment I could afford so I can make my own knitted blanks. This means I can make any yarn into a gradient and I’m not limited to blanks from a manufacturer. I can make my blanks to any yardage, any gauge and any width I choose (which if you can believe will affect the “fade” of your gradient).
Getting rid of the kink took considerable work. Frogging the blanks immediately while wet is a whole other set of possible failure modes that had to be solved. I also discovered that after some time, no matter what you do, certain yarns just have too much memory and can’t be straightened without herculean effort. Anyone who also spins knows there’s just a point where the yarn you’ve made, can’t be undone. So believe it or not, my blanks have a “fresh by” date!
Here’s Saigon Cinnamon just after dyeing, before drying and being wound into a cake. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting with Stacey’s yarn for these shawls.
Let’s knit!
PDXKnitterati 
good morning! I received your email that tell it to the bees is released, with the KAL start date. would it possible to get the “coupon code” from you?
Hi, you are subscribed to the blog but not the newsletter. I’ll add you to the newsletter list. Coming right up!
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Hello, I received this Go Tell Te Bees post this morning but I am unable to locate the discount code. I would very much like to join the KAL.
Done!
Please add me to your newsletter. I may want to try the KAL for the Go Tell it to the Bees Shawl. Thank you.
Done!
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Hi Michelle, I want to get the discount code for this for the ravelry pattern that you offered, but I don’t see it anywhere on your newsletter. Would you be able to send it to me please? I love that pattern! Great job.
Jae
Sent from my iPad
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Done!
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That is gorgeous. I’m glad to see it knitted up (and envious of your knitting speed!)
The insight into how to dye gradients was fascinating. It’s not something I’d given much thought to, though it makes a lot of sense now that it’s explained. Thank you for passing that on!
I had always wondered how it was done, too. I know it costs more because of the labor, and now I really know why!
I went back and added a picture of the freshly dyed yarn in the sink; I do’t know if you read before or after that picture went up. If you missed it, it’s definitely interesting to go back and see!
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Ooh, I had missed the picture of the yarn in the sink. That’s actually a really neat picture! Thank you for adding it!
You’re welcome! It’s so pretty! And educational, too.
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And yes, I definitely want to subscribe to your newsletter! Your patterns look wonderful! Sign me up!
Lsreuther@gmail.com
Done!
Michele Lee Bernstein http://pdxknitterati.com Sent from my iPad
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I’d like to get your newsletter
Done!
I seem to have the same issue as Marian V. I get your newsletter but couldn’t find the code. Please help as I would love, love, love to get the pattern. Thanking you in advance.
You’re subscribed to the newsletter, so I’m not sure where it went! Forwarding it now.
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Michele I am in the same boat – missing coupon code. I get 2 emails from you one is the newsletter and the other just blog follow. Obviously I threw out the wrong one and not longer have the code Sad since I already ordered the Fierce Fiber yarn. Can you resend please???
Done!
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