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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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High Desert Yarn Review & Giveaway

April 21, 2021 1 Comment

Yarn provided by Knit Picks through their Brand Ambassador Program. Post contains affiliate links. See site policies. Opinions are my own.

Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein.

Hey! It’s been awhile since there’s been a yarn review & giveaway on Hands Occupied, and we’re breaking the dry spell with a yarn appropriately named High Desert. This springy yarn from Knit Picks is 100% American from sheep to skein, which is more rare among accessible yarn brands than I wish it were. I’m so excited about this yarn that I already have a few handmade gift and design ideas in mind after putting together this review.

Read on for more about High Desert, recommended patterns, and to enter to win FOUR skeins to add to your stash!

“Made with 100% American grown and spun Merino and Merino/Rambouillet sheep from Shaniko Wool Company, ranched across the American West.”

via Knit Picks

This yarn was released just this month. High Desert is available in two weights, sport and worsted, & 12 jewel tone colors inspired by Oregon’s outdoors. (There’s more info about the development of this yarn on the Knit Picks Blog if you’re curious). For this review and giveaway, we’re looking at the lighter blue in the collection, Juniper Berry, in worsted weight.

Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein.

Like I said, it’s been a moment since my last review, so as a refresher, here’s what I like to do when I am trying a yarn for the first time (or reviewing it for a post like this). I make a swatch in both knit and crochet using a needle and hook size as recommended on the label. I wet block both swatches a couple days before the photo shoot for the post, and I try to capture the look of the yarn for both knit and crochet in the photos. Each review contains a short profile of the yarn, including label information like fiber content, weight, needle and hook recommendations, and a couple pros, cons and recommended patterns.

Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein.
Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein.


THE YARN: Knit Picks’ High Desert Worsted

Where to find: Knit Picks website
Colorway pictured: Juniper Berry
Skein details:
 bullet skein / 217 yds / 100g // 100% USA Shaniko Wool // Worsted Weight
Knitting needles: US 6-9 / 4-5.5mm // 18-20 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Crochet hook: US I-K / 5.5-6.5 mm // 11-14 sc = 4 inches (10 cm)
Cons: The price point is a little more than you’d find at a big box store, but…
Pros: (…continuing from above) we’re talking about 100% US sourced & processed wool, from sheep to skein.
Pattern Ideas: Another pro for this yarn is its springy texture and stitch definition, so I like it especially for making vintage knits for me and baby crochet projects for gifts.

Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein.

THE GIVEAWAY

Enter to win FOUR skeins of High Desert Worsted to try! Giveaway is open to U.S. only. Enter in the box provided below or here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein.
Knit Picks High Desert is a new yarn available in a range of jewel tone colors & two weights. Take a closer look at this versatile yarn that's 100% American from sheep to skein. #KPHighDesert2021 #sponsored

Yarn provided by Knit Picks through their Brand Ambassador Program. Post contains affiliate links. See site policies. Opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: gauge, giveaway, high desert, knit picks high desert, swatch, swatching, worsted, yarn review

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

Previous Post: « Yarniversal Championship Belt Design Diary & A New YouTube Series
Next Post: Hands Occupied, 11 years on 😳 »

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Comments

  1. Cindy G

    April 21, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    I read the magazine Simply Crochet and I’m always jealous that England has access to so many sheep to skein brands of yarn, so it makes me happy that there is a decent one available that is 100% US made! Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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