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Review & Giveaway: Knit Picks’ Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye Yarn

October 11, 2019 1 Comment

Yarn provided by Knit Picks. Post contains affiliate links, see our policies.

If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.

I am so excited to finally share with you a Knit Picks yarn review! Knit Picks is one of the first yarn companies that I felt like understood me as a knitter in my early 20s (we’re talking 10 years ago now). They not only offered supplies that were a step above the big box needles and yarns I’d worked with as a kid/teen, but they were still within the realm of affordable for a young woman balancing college debt and scraping by with a couple retail shifts a week during the recession.

That genuine gush of gratitude aside, let’s take a look at Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye Yarn today! They generously sent me a skein of Picnic (the lovely red) and Wisp (the light celestial blue) to try, and after swatching in knit and crochet for this here review, I 100% cast on a sweater using the remainder of both skeins. (I’ll save my in-depth analysis of said sweater for a Handmade Wardrobe post when it’s finished. 😉)

If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.
If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.

THE YARN: Knit Picks’ Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye Yarn

Colorways pictured: Picnic (red) & Wisp (light blue)
Skein details:
 357 yards/326 meters per skein // 3.5 ounces/100g per skein // 80% Fine Superwash Highland Wool, 20% Polyamide (Nylon) // Fingering Weight
Knitting needles: US 1 – 3 / 2.25 – 3.25 mm // 28-32 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Crochet hook: US B – E / 2.25-3.5 mm // 21 – 32 sc = 4 inches (10 cm)
Cons: By nature, superwash wool with a bit of nylon isn’t the softest thing ever, so it might not be the best fit for every single project.
Pros: Retailing at $13.99 per 100g skein, this yarn is pretty affordable for its quality! A superwash wool/nylon blend (and here’s the other side of the con coin above), this yarn is a great workhorse for sweaters and especially socks.
Pattern Ideas: Rick & Roll Socks would be perfect for this yarn! Crocheters, making a finer-gauge version of the Moss Stitch Cowl would be adorable!

Rick & Roll Socks by Heidi Gustad - Try out this colorful, fun-to-make and beginner-friendly sock knitting pattern!
Rick & Roll Socks
This cute, two-color cowl is crocheted with just two 50g balls of 100% wool yarn. Get the free Moss Stitch Cowl pattern from Hands Occupied.
Moss Stitch Cowl
If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.
If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.

THE GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a skein to try! Up for grabs: two skeins of Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye Yarn, one each in the Picnic and Wisp colorways. Giveaway is open to U.S. only. Enter in the box provided below or here.

If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.
If you're looking for an affordable, go-to fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks' Hawthorne should be on your radar. Get the skinny on this yarn and enter to win TWO skeins in the October yarn review and giveaway on the Hands Occupied blog.

Yarn provided by Knit Picks. Post contains affiliate links, see our policies.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: crochet, hawthorne fingering, knit, knit picks, yarn giveaway, 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.

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Comments

  1. Barbara Colvin

    October 18, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    Woo Hoo!!! I am so excited to be the winner! Thank you:)

    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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Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

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INSTAGRAM

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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