Atlas Insider: 3 Big Things Afoot

Dear faithful reader,

Maybe we’re restless, or jonesing for fun, but it feels like a lot of stuff going on at MDK has a vibe of Let’s Do Something New.

Kay and I and the whole team here at MDK are grateful to you, faithful reader, for being game for these new adventures. We’ve been at this since 2016, and one of the promises we made to ourselves was that we would aim to make a place online that is ever evolving. We keep having ideas—many of which have come from you, faithful reader—and we keep trying them.

In particular, we’ve got three new big things for you.

Big Thing No. 1: Nash Yarn Fest

Ticket sales opened last week. Big moment. Superhappy that so many folks will be heading to Nashville March 14 and 15 for Nash Yarn Fest.

We’ve set it up so you can come however works for you.

Friday night: an opening night party with shopping (80+ vendors), bevs, and a talk by Arne and Carlos, who are being airlifted into Nashville from Norway for the weekend.

We’ll have a big day on Saturday, with a gathering of knitters and crocheters and more than 80 yarnmakers and crafty vendors. We just added makers coming from 13 more states. Really wishing I had an RV with a map on the back so I could add more state stickers to it. To everybody who’s coming, thank you so much! We’re incredibly grateful to you for making this yarn fest so rich.

And—unprecedented!—we have a complete four-day tour, the Nash Yarn Fest Getaway. This trip includes all the Nash Yarn Fest events, coach transportation around town (the MDK Bandwagon), four nights at the Bobby Hotel downtown, breakfasts and some meals, festive receptions, a bag of yarnish goodies, and a special workshop at MDK on the Monday after Nash Yarn Fest. The intrepid Patti Odinak of Yarn Culture (a NYF vendor too!) has been a dream to work with on this trip—she’s a superb curator of experiences, and I love the thought and care she has put into developing the itinerary.

Tickets for all these hijinks can be found here.

Big Thing No. 2: Jane, Our New Yarn

We launched our second-ever MDK-exclusive yarn a few weeks ago. Our tender British Jane has become a fast friend to knitters and crocheters already.

We went nuts and had samples made for 15 designs we really love. Turns out, this has helped folks get a feel for what our sweet Jane is good for.

Here’s the Jane lookbook. It includes handy charts that show how many skeins of Jane you’ll need for your size.

See what happens when popular patterns are made with Jane? You can cruise the gallery up top as well. We are pretty sure you’ll see a design you’ve wanted to make. And now you have a brand-new yarn to explore.

We’re really proud of this lookbook, and Jane. Hope you try it out soon.

Big Thing No. 3: MDK Holiday Shop

Our annual collection of special things is shaping up to be our most surprising mix ever.

We’ll be offering new fun things to do, gifts for the people in your life—and for you too.

The newest new thing: we will be announcing new ways to be a part of MDK. Your support is more important than ever to us, and we’re working hard on a whole new slate of fun for 2025.

Get ready for the Holiday Shop launch coming soon. We’ll be Zooming about all this on Wednesday, October 30—sign up here for this free event, and we’ll email you the link on October 30.

As ever, we all appreciate your enduring attention. Thank you so much!

Love,

Ann