Yorty Yarn & Yap

Hello! Welcome to Yorty, Yarn & Yap. I’m Emily the Yorty that’s here to yap. On this episode, I want to introduce my first self-drafted pattern and the dog-boy behind the name. We will also talk about my current WIPs. Let’s just jump right in! I am in the process of creating a sock pattern. Before my camping trip, that I talked about last episode, I decided I wanted to pick up and finish a sock project that I started a while ago. Like during a knit along with Ex Libris around 2022… I stopped working on these socks because my little dog-boy, Bean, got a hold of the yarn ball when he was still a puppy. While he won’t bother my knitting stuff now, that yarn was all over the floor of the cozy “time out” space in our home. Tried as I might, I could not get it untangled. Four-ish years later here I am untangling that same ball to finish the same sock. I untangled enough to finish the second sock and abandoned the tangle to the scrap drawer for now.Please allow me a break in our chat to introduce my dogs. Bean is a five-year-old chihuahua and terrier mix who is a momma’s boy through and through. He will cause heck and grumble if his naps are disturbed. He’s our spunky little guy. Archie is almost seven. He is an American Pitbull Terrier who loves naps, his favorite words is snack, and he is a gentle giant who puts up with his literal ankle-biting brother. Archie “Goobie” is the dog that made us want to rescue another. The second dog syndrome is very real. Beware. Back to the socks. When I made these socks, I was dealing with a flare up of my plantar fasciitis—which funnily enough I am now also. I wanted a pair of socks that gave my sore feet that extra little hug at my arch. Arch support socks existed, so why not try to knit a pair? I used my vanilla sock recipe and modified it for a colorwork heel-flap and did a bit of color work at the arch to tighten up that part of the fabric. That first sock felt great and if it wasn’t for Bean tearing through my project bag, I would have likely finished this pair a long time ago. These are my Archie Support Socks. While these socks don’t provide a medical level of arch-support, they add just a little more pressure, a cozy hug, to the arch of your foot. I had no notes from the first sock and had to reverse write my pattern from the sock itself. I go it about 70% the same, which is why both my pattern and garment ratings aren’t better than four stars. I think I was off a needle size or that I just knit this second pair really tight. The heel was also only half as long as it should have been on the first one but fit better than the second one. It was a weird combination of differences, but they wear almost the same when it comes to feel. One arch is more snug, which I like. I already cast on my next sample. There are a few things I’d like to change on this pair, but if all goes well I will write up my pattern and get it ready to test knit. I’ve had so many thoughts about my pattern and what I want to add, to explain, to give options for, and images for a nice layout. While my idea for the sock itself maybe simple, I do intend to make the pattern available in several sizes, give instructions for at least DPNs and 9” circulars, and help those who are knitting it as their first sock. I know some patterns can be vague and say to follow your normal sock recipe, but I know that not everyone has one, and it is something I would like to include in my pattern. With all of that, I do intend to make my pattern a paid option. Sometimes, I feel weird for charging for something not revolutionary, but at the same time I will be putting a lot of work into making it friendly across multiple sizes, skill levels, and knitting styles. Does anyone else out there struggle with feeling like your product is worthy of a price tag? I deal with imposter syndrome across all of my hobbies and skill sets. I think this is just another one of those times of feeling unworthy but that little voice in my head is telling me that this will be the time that I come off as cocky instead of confident. Don’t even get me started on the idea of plagiarizing someone unknowingly. I’m scared to even look to see how many other “arch-support” socks are on Ravelry. What makes me qualified to tell other knitters how to knit?Eugh. I still have plenty of time to work through these feelings while I finish the pattern and have test knitters. For today, I want to have the confidence in myself to take good notes while I work on a me-made pattern (that I already did once to mild success), tell myself that my ideas matter, and be at peace with my progress. The rest will start to fall into place if I keep making small actions to move toward my goal. Speaking of making small steps. I have several WIPs to share! My Archie Support Socks V1 are my only finished object for now. Let’s start off on a good note, work through the troublesome moments, and end with my newest version of the Archie Support Socks. WIP #1A little backstory for this WIP: My grandmother is dealing with dementia and the other day she left the house, getting lost for hours before she was found in by people living up on the ridge. She keeps trying to leave and “go home” even though she is already there. She fell, broke her glasses, and was in the emergency room where she didn’t recognize my mom, her daughter. I live a bit of a distance from her and wanted to do something, in my power, to try and provide her with some comfort. For as long as I can remember she has loved Pooh Bear. So much so that she called her home the “One Acre Wood” in lieu of Pooh’s one-hundred acres. I decided to make her and I matching teddy bears that I am stuffing with identical sachets of lavender and other calming herbs. They will be a way for me to feel more connected to her and my way of providing her some comfort if I can. The mohair is so soft and makes for a nice stuffy texture, and the herbal smell comes through deliciously. I honestly can’t say if she will like it or not because her tastes have changed in the last few months, and my mother said she is much more irritable at things in general, but if the making of the item can provide me with some sort of comfort in this slow and distant loss then I believe it is worth it. Making comfort objects and foods is how I show my love and care for others. In this project, that is true for her and myself alike. I love that this yarn is called “memento” and it is left over from a sweater I made that I know she loves. I think it is turning out great so far, but man was it a refresher in tiny in the round knitting on DPNs. WIP #2This WIP has me feeling a little defeated to be frank. I was feeling really good about it until I went to pick up for the shoulders in the front. First side: perfection. Second side: hmmm…that’s weird. The twisted rib stripe didn’t line up. I missed an entire section of the ribbed stripe down the back panel. Here’s where I’m at. I adore the color, the fabric is great in the Berroco Remix Light, the pointelle is cutie patootie, and I really don’t want to frog it. I am thinking about getting to where I join for the body and then trying it on. I know I’ll need to finagle the pattern a bit to get the pattern chart to line up but what if it works and fits? Then I don’t have to reknit the entire thing. But if it doesn’t work then I need to reknit more than I would if I just start over now. Another option that I have is to unravel it, put the yarn away for the season, and then work on a piece that will be more wearable in the Autumn and Winter. I was thinking maybe a merino and silk tee. What do we think? My gut says frog it, but if I do, I know I wo… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yortyyarnandyap.substack.com

Hello! I’m Emily and I’m the Yorty that is hear to yap. On this podcast episode, I want to explore my thoughts on what I want out of social media, which was on my mind over the weekend while my husband and I were away camping. The weather in the mountains was high seventies and partly cloudy—an almost perfect combination for weather if you ask me, maybe a bit too warm, but with these heat waves it felt like a crisp autumn day—so we decided to go camping for a few days. I had just cast on my Elderflower Top by Sunshine Stitching Studio with Berroco Remix Light in Leaf, and perhaps you saw the picture of me trying to untangle the mass of yarn that my dog, Bean, got a hold of years ago, for the pair of self-drafted socks I am starting to work on again. These are the two knitting projects I brought to camp. I worked on the Elderflower Top on the drive down, still trying to make it to the length for the back panel. We got to camp in the evening and set up in time for a few s’mores before heading to bed (to hammock?). My husband and I hammock camp, as we both find it more comfortable and easier to set up and tear down than a tent. I fell asleep to the sounds of the forest, cozied up in my Rosie Sweater by LE KNIT, handmade wool socks, and my handspun bandana. It was so nice to be out in the woods away from everything. So why was I thinking about social media?Less about social media at first and more on trying to take pictures of our trip. This is two fold. Most of those pictures are for my personal journaling and our adventure book. Some though, I wanted specifically for my Substack post. This was new to me and it felt weird. Like I was weirdly connected to social media while actively trying to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few days. I felt even stranger asking my husband to take a few pictures of me knitting. Now I’m roping him into the mix, right?So we talked about it, and I am still gathering my thoughts here for us to talk about it. Posting a blog or a podcast felt different than posting on Facebook or Instagram. More thoughtful. And that is not to say there aren’t a lot of people who write thoughtful essays on Instagram, it’s more about how I find myself (and how I notice others) interacting with the content. Chances are if I am on short form media and I’m directed to go to the description to get information, I will just scroll because that hit of dopamine isn’t in the text, it’s in the intriguing image or the eye-catching short. I don’t open short form media to aesthetically doom scroll for hours, but my time blindness and the way the algorithm is designed make it hard to pull away from everything. The sound, the image, the longing for experience. I didn’t want to miss out of the camping experience by taking photos that I knew would never be perfect enough for Insta. But taking a few pictures from my journaling ones to show some context and vibes from out trip? Not so stressful. My husband didn’t mind taking the few I asked either, and we only took them at times when we weren’t losing the experience for the photo. In a video by Cozyorenda on Youtube, she said that she wants to create more than she consumes. That stuck with me. Not only do I want to create my crafts more than I consume content of others crafting, but I want to create more moments of my own than I watch iterations of other people living their lives. And the thing is? I have been creating. Look at how many of my finished object from my 2026 round-up were finished in July! I picked up this old pair of self-drafted socks again and came to the conclusion that I was going to write up my own knitting pattern. I used to think that was so far outside of my realm of possibility because just look at what everyone else was creating. I could never. Although I already started, didn’t I? I began my sock pattern when I was looking for something I couldn’t find. No pressure. It was just for me. I’ll share more information on them later as I am still finishing my first sample, but I’m doing it. It will take time but I want to share these little arch support socks with others. Though, I’m left with the question: Who do I share this with if I don’t have community? I have my family as community but they don’t knit. I know people in my community at work that knit but don’t make socks. As a knitter, I feel like I should have a bunch of friends that knit. I don’t. I am a homebody through and through, so my community outside of my family is very small. It’s not that always I don’t want to go places, but the stress and anxiety of it all can take the interaction from the intended cozy afternoon to an upset stomach and ringing ears. As an AuDHD adult maintaining friendships in person is hard for me. I know Pittsburgh has a big knitting community and knit nights galore. I’m just not in that season of my life right now, but I do hope to be some day. What is great though is that I live in a time where we can find like-minded individuals and groups online! All of the places I went to (Facebook groups, Instagram, TikTok) did not give me a sense of community. I felt entrapped in aesthetic, willingly forced to look at other content, isolated by inadequacy. I didn’t engage in commenting either due to getting lost in a sea of un-replied-to responses, or found myself coming in, in the midst of cruel, senseless arguments. This felt like the anthesis of community. I found myself enjoying the content on Youtube the most. Knitting podcast videos are a part of my morning routine at this point. I started commenting a little more on smaller creators’ video and enjoying my time more online, but I was still feeling a little alone. When I got on Substack and found how much crafting content was on here, I was so happy. I decided that Substack was where I would make my blog, podcast, online presence? I wasn’t sure which, and I am still learning how to use the platform and finding a cozy corner of community for myself. It’s been a week and I have had more back and forth communication than on all my other socials combined. Here is the perfect place to shout out to my six followers, almost all of whom I’ve had a connection with in the comments of their posts. If I haven’t had one yet, don’t worry I plan to! I’ve had some back-and-forth with other creators as well who I follow. I’m new and shy, and just peeking my head in to say hello with high hopes. I have the feeling that Substack has the opportunity I’ve been looking for to find genuine community.When I am feeling a bit braver, I do think I would like to try a Youtube channel, as I believe a big sense of the community on there is for creators of content and less for the lurkers. Heck, I am so proud of myself for recording a twenty minute podcast. When I say I’m shy, I mean, like, awkwardly quiet. Voted most likely to be the weird antisocial girlie in the corner at any gathering. Something I have always wanted people to know though, is that just because I am quiet doesn’t mean that I have nothing to say. Here I feel like I have found a space to let my voice out to explore—maybe flexing those muscles and growing my confidence in the mean time. Confidence. Not a word I would use to describe myself. However, I do feel a bit confident that I won’t be making a Yorty Yarn & Yap Insta or anything short-form. I watched a great video essay by From Carly B, that I’ll link at the end of the post, about the morality of short-form content. By no means am I on a moral high horse and neither is she. I’m here to slow down, experience my own life, and find community along the way. Those other pl… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yortyyarnandyap.substack.com

Hello! My name is Emily and I’m the Yorty that is here to yap. I live in Pennsylvania with my husband, god-son, his friend, and our two dogs, Archie and Bean. I swear, sometimes, that my hobby is just collecting crafts, but my main three are knitting, spinning, and trying my hand at sewing. I’ve been knitting since 2019 and spinning since 2020. My first attempts at sewing were in 2023 with a wonky skirt and my efforts were on pause until July this year.One of my goals in this season of life (those flirty thirties) is to work toward a fully handmade and thrifted wardrobe. My style began to develop over the past few years into something that I am truly comfortable in and that I feel represents who I am. Flowing skirts, knit tops, a wide-leg pant, and, most importantly, a dash of whimsy. I am fortunate that my job as a Teen Librarian’s Assistant allows me to dress practically any way I would like. It has been my time as a library worker that I have had the opportunity to play around with my style the most. Library workers are supportive and weird. If you don’t believe me, go visit your library. If you do, also go visit your library. Wonderful places for knitting patterns too.Alright, let me just tuck away that soapbox.Most of the pieces that I have made are knit sweaters and socks. I have a few accessories, recently began some summer knit tops, and have one sewn skirt. I won’t introduce myself by sharing my entire wardrobe, but let me show you what I have finished so far in 2026. Some of these items were started last year at varying times, but all were cast off—most ends sewn in—at some point this year. My intention for the layout is to show a graphic with the project information like pattern name and designer, materials used, dates started and finished, ratings, and a picture. I hope that this translates well to readers. This is my first Substack article and I am welcome to feedback.Let’s get into it, shall we? We’ve got seven projects to look at.Project #1 Hadley’s Birthday TeeMy first finished project this year was the tee I knit for my niece’s birthday. I am so fortunate that my niece (3) and nephew (11) are appreciative of handmade projects. They both got Emotional Support Chickens for Christmas, along with my sister. They all loved them, especially my chicken obsessed nephew. Hadley wanted a sweater and so I made her one for her birthday. This pattern is the Zoe Sweater and Top ( I made the top) by Esti Juango from some Cotton Kings I had in my stash. I adore how this turned out. The baubles were fun to work up and it was an easy pattern to memorize. One thing I added was the ruffled sleeves. I did some rapid increases to achieve those. She loves her own handmade sweater and says that it is comfy. This was my first toddler knit and it worked up so fast for a garment.Project #2 Rosie SweaterOoo, my Rosie Sweater. This was my big knit from 2025 that I didn’t quite finish in time. To be fair it is a lot of fabric to work up. I worked one it fairly consistently along with some socks, my husbands mittens, and gift knits. I also finished this in March. The Rosie Sweater is a pattern by LE Knit, the same designer of the Porcelain Sweater. I cast this on as soon as I could after the pattern release, which I have never done before. Keeping up-to-date with new releases isn’t something I am very good at. My favorited patterns on Ravelry sigh each time I add more items, creating a collection of things I will never be able to knit all of in my lifetime.The woman who runs my local yarn shop helped me pick out the Juniper Moon Patagonia Organic Yarn for my base. I knew I wanted to do a green main color with a cream floral motif. The moss Patagonia and Ivory were great. I had to order an extra Ivory skien through my LYS but it came in a couple weeks. I still had to wait on my Alpaca Cloud Lace from KnitPicks, and when it came in I was able to begin the yolk while the I waited for the Ivory. The Patagonia by Juniper Moon feels a little toothy when knit up at first but it blooms beautifully. I will be knitting another sweater with it (this year maybe?). Holding these two yarns together gave me a gentle halo around the garment, not overly fuzzy like mohair, which I can find itchy if I sweat at all. The finished garment turned out a little bigger than I anticipated but I still love it. My Rosie sweater is big and squishy and perfect for the winter or cool nights camping.My experience with the pattern was similar to others: the English translation was worded strangely at times and there was a mistake in one of my size charts that I believe was fixed. The pattern was still mostly easy to follow, but not as cohesive as some other designers that I have purchased from. I was surprised that such a popular designer had a bit of poor tech editing/translation.Project #3 Rainbow VeilThis yarn is my own handspun! I haven’t made many pieces with my handspun yarn and I always feel a special connection to the item when I do. This fiber was a beautiful rainbow braid with black streaks, adding a little extra depth to the colors. I spun up the singles and then chain plied to get that lovely fade. I was so pleased to see how well the colors developed with the Emerald Forest Lace Kerchief pattern by Rachel Stuckey. Even though there was more purple than pink, the distribution of each color is fairly even. I couldn’t be happier. I also played yarn chicken with this piece. I had a scrap ball that was a loose one inch bean shape. I was not sure how it was going to go and this was all of the yarn I had. The second single is only partially plied, and I’m glad I didn’t have to pause this project to finish spinning another skien of yarn. The kerchief sits well on my head and covers more of my hair, keeping it off my neck more, than my Romanticist Bandana by Meredith Campbell. Also, I know a lot of people make their bandanas in summer yarn, but I will say this is 100% merino wool and I still rock it on hot days. I overheat easily and it doesn’t bother me. I would like to make one in summer yarn too though!Project #4 Darjeeling TopI made my Darjeeling Top by Trust the Mojo out of left over yarn from my Zweig Sweater by Caitlin Hunter and a treasured skien from Ex Libris to make my first summer piece. The Old Stone Line fade set matched so well with the colors in Little Brick Library that I thought this would be the perfect project to use up my scraps—which I still have more of. Thats okay. I love the colors and I think there is something special about seeing bits from one project in another. Not only does it make my wardrobe more cohesive, but it shows care for what remains and a cherished thought for the unused.A fun story with the Ex Libris yarn: I bought this yarn during the Great Yarn Crawl of ‘21. Or so my husband likes to call it. I went over budget by so much. Like six times my original plan. Needless to say I have not been to the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl, or any other, since. I found out later, while wearing one of my pairs of knit socks at my library job, that my previous coworker was friends with the dyer of Ex Libris, Rita. She used to work at the same library as I do. As someone who grew up in a smaller town, I never believed when they said Pittsburgh was a small town, but I get it now. Things like this happen all the time here. Ex Libris yardn knits up with almost no pooling and the book themed colors are moody. Please go check out their site!I am happy with this top for the most part. It goes well with my linen dresses and hits right at my waist. Cute. Flattering. Tea and library themed. However the i-cord edging on the straps keeps rolling in even after blocking, and I’m not used to such a wide u-shaped tank so it feels like the straps are always sliding off my shoulders. This, I believe, is a me problem and not one with the design. The pattern was great and easy to follow. I may go in and add an i-cord strap that connects the two straps at the back of the neck, like a tie or s… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yortyyarnandyap.substack.com