Summer has a way of distilling itself into small, perfect moments: sunny day bike rides, cool sips of refreshing lemonade, and kids smiling and filling cups at their front-lawn stands. This month’s Club colourway, Lemonade Stand, is inspired by exactly this kind of sun-soaked sweetness. It features a light, citrusy palette of sunshine yellow with hints of lime green and grapefruit. Hand-dyed hues that feel like summer even when it’s tucked inside your project bag during the crisp months of winter. Pour yourself a glass of lemonade and grab your needles (or hook or spindle) with our June Secret Stash Club!
COLOUR INSPIRATION: SIMPLE SUMMER PLEASURES
Every year on Canada Day (July 1) we ride our bikes down to Steveston Village for the annual Canada Day parade and “Salmon Festival”. It’s usually a hot, sunny day and the 10-minute ride is not long or particularly difficult, but it’s always improved when we stop at the little kid-run lemonade stands along the way. Ruddy cheeks and grass-stained shorts, little entrepreneurs selling mom-made lemonade and freezies outside on their front lawns is one of the sweetest moments of the day.
Maybe I’m nostalgic for when my kids were younger or maybe I’m preemptively sad because we will be on the road and missing this year’s Canada Day celebrations, but please indulge me while I take a moment to enjoy the simple summer pleasure of a lemonade stand. Our “Lemonade Stand” colourway is light and sweet tints of sunshine yellow, with hints of lime green and grapefruit notes.
PROJECT IDEAS: OUR BELOVED BFL
For the Yarn
Bluefaced Leicester wool is one of my absolute favourites to spin and knit with. In this case, we are enjoying it this month as an untreated (non-superwash) wool that has been spun into a lofty and bouncy 2-ply fingering weight yarn. Untreated wool can bloom and felt if you wash it with hot water and soap, so consider what you might want to do with the finished project.
We knit this month’s yarn into the Spring Winds shawl pattern by Claire Walls. Paired with one skein of SweetGeorgia Trifecta Fine in Sea Glass, the textured details stand out beautifully in the exclusive BFL Fine base part of our June Club. It’s like adding a burst of tropical sun to any outfit.
Two-ply yarns lend themselves beautifully to lace projects since they will often show off the lace designs more clearly. Weaving with this yarn will also be wonderful. A wool that blooms and fulls in a project is always great to work with, and this fingering weight yarn will be easy to handle.
For the Fibre
SweetGeorgia BFL+Silk is a gorgeous, soft, and delicious fibre blend to spin with. Bluefaced Leicester is one of the softest, glossiest medium-long wools (longer fibre staple length), and is naturally more durable, making it a favourite spinning fibre for many. The glittery tussah silk in this blend adds to the softness and shine, making this an indulgence to spin.
The delicate pops of colour will smooth out and blend in as you spin and ply this colourway. If you want it even lighter, maybe blend it with some undyed fibre. Or if you want to make it more colourful, blend or ply in bits of stronger hues.
We use BFL+Silk for everything including sweaters, shawls, hats and more. This fibre works up beautifully in knitting, crochet, and weaving projects. It’s versatile because of its combination of strength, softness, and shine.
JOIN THE CLUB CONVERSATION
One of the fundamental beliefs we have at SweetGeorgia is that the colours we surround ourselves with can transform our experience of life. Whether you knit, crochet, weave, or something else, join us at our SweetGeorgia + Co community. We’d love to hear your thoughts on our Lemonade Stand colourway and see what you make with it.
Thank you for following along with us for our colourful Secret Stash Club adventure. We’ll see you next month!
