Yumiko Alexander Visited the Guild July 11

Just in time for the summer heat, Yumiko Alexander, founder of DanDoh Designs, brought us “The Joy of Knitting with Plant Fibers” July 11. Because she lives in Arizona, her designs use cooler plant fibers like cotton and linen instead of warm animal fibers like wool. In addition to many beautiful designs for openwork garments, she has her own line of cotton, linen and silk yarns.
Yumiko shared many tips for successfully working with yarns like these. She discussed what to think about when you want to use a plant fiber instead of wool.
We found out the best type of needles to use, the role of swatches and the importance of seaming when working with plant fibers. We also learned how to join a new ball of yarn in her lacy patterns so the join doesn’t show.
After all these valuable tips, Guild members were eager for the trunk show that followed the presentation. How inspiring to see so many of Yumiko’s designs in person and to take home the patterns and yarn to create them!
Yumiko Photo Galery
— Tina Rounsavell