National Parks 2023: Aztec Ruins NM

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops, Vacay Bingo, the KAL, and more here.

Where is it located?

The Aztec Ruins National Monument is located in northwestern New Mexico, on the western bank of the Animas River in Aztec, New Mexico, about 12 miles northeast of Farmington.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Navajos and Jicarilla Apaches live on reservations in northwestern New Mexico, and 19 other Native American groups reside elsewhere in this state.

When was it established?

January 24, 1923

About this park:

The Aztec Ruins National Monument in northwestern New Mexico, USA, consists of preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians.

This is kind of annoying and colonizerish, but early settlers mistakenly thought that people from the Aztec Empire in Mexico created these striking buildings. They named the site “Aztec,” a misnomer that persisted even after it became clear that the builders were the ancestors of many Southwestern tribes. The people who built at Aztec and other places throughout the Southwest were called “Anasazi” for many years. Archeologists had adopted that word from the Navajo language, which they understood to mean “ancient ones,” and then popularized its use. Most Pueblo people today prefer that we use the term “Ancestral Puebloans” to refer to their ancestors.

Aztec Ruins, built and used over a 200-year period, is the largest Ancestral Pueblo community in the Animas River valley. Concentrated on and below a terrace overlooking the Animas River, the people at Aztec built several multi-story buildings called “great houses” and many smaller structures. Associated with each great house was a “great kiva”—a large circular chamber used for ceremonies. Nearby are three unusual “tri-wall” structures—above ground kivas encircled by three concentric walls. In addition, they modified the landscape with dozens of linear swales called “roads,” earthen berms, and platforms.

The construction at Aztec shows a strong influence from Chaco Canyon, the site of a major Ancestral Pueblo community to the south. Aztec may have been an outlying community of Chaco, a sort of ancillary place connected to the center to distribute food and goods to the surrounding population. It may have also been a center in its own right as Chaco’s influence waned after 1100.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used this photo of fall leaves through a corner doorway in the ruins as our inspiration for our Aztec Ruins NM colorway.

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aztecruinsnm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AztecRuinsNM

National Parks 2023: Big Cypress National Preserve

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops, Vacay Bingo, the KAL, and more here.

Where is it located?

Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Calusa, Miccosukee, and Seminole all occupied the area now known as Big Cypress National preserve at some point in the past.

When was it established?

October 11, 1974

About this park:

The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Florida’s southwest coast. Conserving over 729,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities that are home to diverse wildlife, including the Endangered Florida panther. 

In the 1960s, plans for the world’s largest Jetport, to be constructed in the heart of the Greater Everglades of south Florida, were unveiled. This project, and the anticipated development that would follow, spurred the incentive to protect the wilds of the vast Big Cypress Swamp. To prevent development of the Jetport, local conservationists, sportsmen, environmentalists, Seminoles, Miccosukees, and many others set political and personal differences aside. The efforts of countless individuals and government officials prevailed when, on October 11, 1974, Big Cypress National Preserve was established as the nation’s first national preserve.

The concept of a national preserve was born from an exercise in compromise. Everyone saw the importance of protecting the swamp, but many did not want this region merely added to nearby Everglades National Park that was created in the 1940s. Many felt that national parks were managed in a restrictive manner and access to the swamp would be lost. The resulting compromise created a new land management concept – a national preserve. An area that would be protected, but would also allow for specific activities that were described by Congress within the legislation that created the preserve.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used this photo of plants in the preserve as our inspiration

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigcypressnps/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigCypressNPS/

Big Waffle Energy, the story

When we (ShannaJean) were at the Red Alder Fiber Retreat in Tacoma, Washington in 2020, we got matching heart waffle tattoos, to celebrate our friendship with each other and mutual love of sweet treats. Inspired by Leslie Knope (from Parks & Rec) and her waffle obsession and unflinching friend energy, we talked (and ate) waffles a lot on that trip. We wanted to harness some big loving energy, and turn some existing phrases on their heads. We truly believe that language has power, and, to quote Glennon Doyle, “Intentional speech is such a lovely way to love.”

Lorajean and Shannon showing off matching heart waffle tattoos while holding heart-shaped waffles


To that end, you may have heard the phrase “big d*ck energy”, which is a sexist and misogynistic metaphor for swagger or having an aura of confidence, without the cockiness. That is the phrase we wanted to turn on its head, and by doing so, harness a sweeter, less male-anatomy-centered energy, which we gleefully call Big Waffle Energy. What Big Waffle Energy means to us is this: big friendship energy, big uplifting others energy, big loving energy. Sweet and fluffy energy.

heart waffle shaped sticker and pin with Big Waffle Energy printed

If you want to embody this Big Waffle Energy alongside us, check out our website, where we have Big Waffle Energy enamel pins, needle minders, and stickers!

Pride & Palettes and our LYS partners

“Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”

-Jane Austin, Pride and Prejudice

We are feeling romantic for our Spring Collection, and want to feel the love too! We’ve chosen 8 of our favorite moments from Pride & Prejudice (and, more to the point, from the 2005 film adaptation of the book), and created variegated colorways inspired by those moments! We’ve paired them with 8 solids that complement both the collection and each other, and some of our LYS friends are carrying selections now!


All Pride & Palettes colorways shown above. 
Solid colors, back row, from left to right: Basic B, Coho, Sakura, Beaujolais, Pistachio, Kiss’nTeal, Winter’s Night, Oscar the Grouch

Variegated colors, front row, from left to right: Officers!; A Great Proficient; No Money, No Prospects; Useful Employment; Barely Tolerable; Excellent Boiled Potatoes; Violent Affection; Most Ardently.

We did an Instagram live, where Lorajean explains inspiration for the collection. Check it out here.

LYSWebsite
A Piece of Ewehttps://www.apieceofewe.com/
Cozyhttps://www.cozy-yarn.com/
Knit n Purlhttps://www.knitnpurl.com/
Knits & Pieceshttps://www.knitsandpiecesofannapolis.com/
McWalker Yarnshttps://www.mcwalker.us/
Needles in the Haymarkethttps://needlesinthehaymarket.com/
Northwest Woolshttps://www.northwestwools.com/
Sister-Arts Studio Inchttps://www.sisterartsstudio.com/
Yarn Parlorhttps://www.yarn-parlor.com/

National Parks 2020: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

It’s time once again to explore more National Parks through yarny goodness. Over the past four years, we have explored the United States through its National Parks, and in 2020, we will have represented them all. Many of these are lesser-known National Parks, and we hope you spend some time exploring them through the links we’ve shared.

Check out our Socks on Vacay/Socks on Staycay summertime sock knitting collaboration with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-on-vacay-staycay-2020/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/

Where is this National Park located?

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located in Southern Colorado.

Whose land does this National Park reside upon?

Many Native peoples lived on or around the land on which the park now occupies, including the Uts, the Jacarilla Apaches, the Navajo, and the Twea/Tiwa. The traditional Ute phrase for the Great Sand Dunes is Saa waap maa nache (sand that moves). Jicarilla Apaches settled in northern New Mexico and called the dunes Sei-anyedi (it goes up and down). Blanca Peak, just southeast of the dunes, is one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo, who call it Sisnaajini (White Shell Mountain). These various tribes collected the inner layers of bark from ponderosa pine trees for use as food and medicine. The people from the Tewa/Tiwa-speaking pueblos along the Rio Grande remember a traditional site of great importance located in the valley near the dunes: the lake through which their people emerged into the present world. They call the lake Sip’ophe (Sandy Place Lake), which is thought to be the springs or lakes immediately west of the dunefield.

When was it established as a National Park?

March 17, 1932

Why is this park amazing?

This park is home to the largest dunes in North America, huge dunes like the towering Star Dune, and for the seasonal Medano Creek and beach created at the base of the dunes. The backcountry Medano Pass Primitive Road winds through a canyon toward the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Trails lead to forests, wetlands and alpine lakes like Medano Lake, which is home to trout and tundra wildlife.

Why did we choose these colors?

The photo we found perfectly captured the park at sunset, and we tried to pull out the sky, the mountains, the water, the reeds, the wildlife. It’s a dreamy skein of a dreamy photo of what we can only imagine is a dreamy space.

For more information:

National Parks 2020: Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

It’s time once again to explore more National Parks through yarny goodness. Over the past four years, we have explored the United States through its National Parks, and in 2020, we will have represented them all. Many of these are lesser-known National Parks, and we hope you spend some time exploring them through the links we’ve shared.

Check out our Socks on Vacay/Socks on Staycay summertime sock knitting collaboration with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-on-vacay-staycay-2020/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/

Where is this National Park located?

Lake Clark National Park is located in southwest Alaska, about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Whose land does this National Park reside upon?

people first came to the Lake Clark region around the end of the last ice age. Dena’ina, Yup’ik, and Sugpiaq peoples. The Dena’ina people have called Qizhjeh Vena, also known as Lake Clark, home for thousands of years, and still reside here, living with and off the land, and working to preserve their culture.

When was it established as a National Park?

December 2, 1980

Why is this park amazing?

Volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage, and craggy mountains reflect in shimmering turquoise lakes. Here, too, local people and culture still depend on the land and water. Lake Clark preserves the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina people, an intact ecosystem at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world, and a rich cultural wilderness.

Why did we choose these colors?

With a park name of Lake Clark, OF COURSE we’re going to showcase the lake and the area surrounding it for our colorway. Rich blues and greens run through the skein, making us all want to jump in a lake in celebration.

For more information:

Why “menstrual products”?

Some folks may wonder, as we advertise the menstrual products drive we’re hosting as a part of our Halloween Harry Potter Pub Quiz Extravaganza, why we’re using the phrase “menstrual products” instead of “feminine hygiene products.” Well, it’s because not all people who use menstrual products are females.

Language is so powerful, so important. That old phrase “sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you” is a big lie. Words CAN hurt. Words DO hurt. Just look at the current occupant of the White House, and tell all of folks who have been victims of hate crimes since he started spewing his racist rhetoric that his words will never hurt them.

If we, as cis, white women, who have so many privileges just by dint of our outward appearance, can help folks who don’t share those privileges feel even just a wee bit more comfortable in the world, you know we’re going to do it. And that’s why adopting more inclusive language is so important, and it’s something we’d implore all of those in our orbit to do, as well. It is completely and totally painless to change our language surrounding menstrual products. Look, I said menstrual products and it actually felt good.

Now, let’s get rid of as many of these exclusionary (and outright racist/sexist/othering) words and phrases as we can, ok? I, for one, have taken to saying y’all instead of you guys, because we are not all guys, and y’all sounds cute. What else can we do to make language a bit more inclusive?

National Parks 2019: Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Skein of our National Parks colorway Sequoia & Kings Canyon in Sock

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park is another fabulous park with huge variances in wildlife, terrain, and geography. The elevation gradient is over 13,000 feet, and it’s home to the breathtaking Giant Sequoias and the ecosystem which gives life to them.

February Sassy Holidays 2019: Gumdrop Day

This club is exclusive to our Local Yarn Shop partners, so if you see a color way you need, contact your LYS! There is a list of Sassy Holidays-celebrating LYSs on our home page.

Friday, February 15th is National Gumdrop Day! There isn’t much information available on the origins of Gumdrop Day, so we’re going to share some gumdrop facts as we chew on some gumdrops of our very own and journey through Gumdrop Pass on our way up Gumdrop Mountain, playing Candyland with our kiddos…

Gumdrops are chewy, often sugar-coated candies that are well-known around the winter holidays as a treat AND a decoration for gingerbread houses. They come in fruit and spiced versions, and were believed to have been invented in 1801. The largest gumdrop ever created was a bit more than ten pounds (!) The NASA Apollo Command modules were nicknamed “Gumdrops” because of their conical shape (but don’t try to eat those; you’ll get a broken tooth or two!)

Our Gumdrop colorway, perfectly and aptly named Gumdrop, contains the primary Gumdrop colorways, red, yellow, green, and blue. But the real question is, are they the fruit-flavored gumdrops, or the spiced gumdrops?

So, grab your skein, grab a bag of gumdrops, and celebrate this sweetest day! 

2018 National Parks. Week 7: Gates of the Arctic

We really do hate to play favorites, particularly when each color is so unique and beautiful, but this color is this year’s answer to last year’s favorite, Acadia. For Week 7, we are visiting Gates of the Arctic National Park, and oooh, baby, is it a gorgeous place to be!

Check out our inspiration photo for this park, and tell me that you don’t want to climb right into the screen.

Remember, get this colorway on our website starting today! Make socks with us this Summer as a part of our 2nd Annual Summertime Sock Knitting Extravaganza, otherwise known as Socks on Vacay. Use #socksonvacay2018 on IG while sharing photos of your Knitted Wit/Shannon Squire socks (must use our yarn and Shannon’s patterns to be eligible), and you might just win a prize!