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Zen Yarn Garden Magical Dye Pot Series – Review & Giveaway

January 24, 2018 10 Comments

Zen Yarn Garden Magic Dye Pot Series - Yarn review & giveaway at Hands Occupied
This month’s yarn review & giveaway is an interesting one. Zen Yarn Garden is a Canadian yarn company that makes gorgeous and interesting colors of yarn on great-to-work with yarn bases (the plain yarn they dye with beautiful colors to make it extra special). They sent me a few skeins of their Superfine Fingering yarn, an Italian-spun yarn, dyed in their new Magical Dye Pot series to share with you. Essentially, there are several sets of color series, labeled A through F, and within each lettered set, there are 6 colors. Each color, indicated by a number (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 & A6, for example) is designed to go with the other  colors within the same letter series. For testing’s sake, I grabbed two of the three colors they sent and played with different striping patterns in a knit swatch, and then I used the same striping pattern in a crochet swatch. 
Zen Yarn Garden Magic Dye Pot Series - Yarn review & giveaway at Hands Occupied

The Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Magical Dye Pot Series

Colorways pictured: D5 & D6. Shown striped together in bands of 4, 2 & 1 stripes of each color per swatch.
Skein details:
400 yds / 366 m skeins / 90% Superfine Merino / 10% Nylon
Knitting needles: US 3, 3.25 mm / 20 stitches & 28 rows over 4 inches
Crochet hook: US D-3, 3.25 mm / 22 sc & 26 rows over 4 inches
Cons: Wrapping your head around which colors to buy since their naming convention is unusual could be a challenge if you’re intimidated by selecting color combos online.
Pros: This yarn is a lot of fun, and opens up a lot of opportunities to play with stripe, gradient and color in your knitting. And hey, if you’re finding yourself curious about that fade shawl that’s so popular but don’t want to stash dive for it, you could buy a whole set of Magical Dye Pot colors (all of the D options, for example), and go to town knowing the colors are dyed to work together. 
Pattern ideas: Because of the striping and gradient possibilities, I’d go ahead and knit a Top Notched Shawl, playing with the striping in creative ways. For crochet, it would be fun to play with a tiny gauge version of the Scraps Scallops Scarf, using it as an opportunity to play with making your own gradient stripes.

Zen Yarn Garden Magic Dye Pot Series - Yarn review & giveaway at Hands Occupied

The Giveaway

To enter the giveaway, use the box below. If you’re on mobile, you’ll need to click a button that takes you to the entry page. If you’re on the desktop site, you’re all good to go right here! Open to US, UK, Australia & Canada. Full terms & conditions available by clicking the link in the box provided.

One hank of the colorway pictured below (color D4 in the series) will be raffled off.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zen Yarn Garden Magic Dye Pot Series - Yarn review & giveaway at Hands Occupied
Yarn was provided by Zen Yarn Garden. You can follow them on Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: giveaway, magical dye pot series, yarn review, zen yarn garden

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Anne

    January 24, 2018 at 8:33 am

    What a gorgeous yarn! And an interesting review. Thank you for the opportunity to enter the giveaway, the rafflecopter doesn’t seem to work, unfortunately. I’m on mobile, will try desktop later.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 24, 2018 at 9:36 am

      Hi Anne, it looks like there was a hiccup on mobile early this morning, but I just confirmed it’s all working now! Thanks :)

      Reply
  2. Pamela

    January 24, 2018 at 11:55 am

    Wow what pretty yarn. I love the speckles!

    Reply
  3. Dani

    January 24, 2018 at 3:01 pm

    I’m not entering this month (because I was lucky enough to win last month!), but I had to say THANK YOU for such informative and clear reviews. I really look forward to reading them, and “testing” yarns vicariously thru you :) You’re awesome!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 25, 2018 at 2:40 pm

      Aww, thanks Dani! :)

      Reply
  4. Pam

    January 27, 2018 at 11:23 am

    Interesting yarn.

    Reply
  5. Becky

    January 27, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    Hi Heidi! I love seeing those swatches, especially the crochet.. Every time I see a crochet pattern featured in your blog I want to learn to crochet too. I’ve haven’t found time to make it to a class and I’m tempted just to try Craftsy or YouTube. Although, it seems like I can’t keep up with all the knitting I want to do already, so maybe it’s not the best idea!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 1, 2018 at 9:15 am

      I am probably the worst yarn craft enabler in the world, so I would tend to say “Go for it!” I taught myself to crochet (I’d knit for like 12 years) using mostly YouTube, and I enjoy getting to change things up. Like I said, me = enabler. ;)

      Reply
  6. Jaime McCorry

    January 27, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Hi Heidi! Thanks for the review & raffle! I had no idea this yarn came from Canada, I saw this yarn at a trunk show at String Theory in Glen Ellyn during a Yarny field trip with my knitting group!
    You’re the best!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 1, 2018 at 9:14 am

      Aww, shucks! Thanks :)

      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), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #continentalknitting #howtoknit #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #knit #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #knittinghack  #handknitting #handknit #norwegianpurling
Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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#handsoccupied #fridayintroduction #heidigustad #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #yarncrafts #latchhookbook
Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #knittingstyles #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitter
Spent time with family this weekend down South. Go Spent time with family this weekend down South. Got some stitching in & felt spring for a minute, which was lovely. ☀️ 
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I’ll be catching up on comments, etc. tomorrow. 
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#handsoccupied #travelknitting #planeknitting
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