Say hello to June's Sample of the Month: The Aurora Vest ✨
We are SO EXCITED to be embracing the start of summer with our June Sample of the Month: The Aurora Vest by !!!!!
As the temperatures started to warm up, I was perusing our sample shelves, and our cutie Aurora Vest nearly jumped out at me, begging to be featured this summer 🥹 Originally crocheted up for us by Marissa for our Farmers Market Collection launch back in 2023, this vibrant Beet Juice sample has been a staple in my wardrobe from the jump. This colorway is not only one of my favorites I’ve ever created, but this clever design makes it so easy to layer and pair with dresses and other tops. It’s lightweight and made with our Denali Sock base, which is just PERFECT for summer.
June’s SOTM will launch Thursday, June 4th at 10am MT!
May Sample of the Month: Gr8 Gingham 💚
Our sixth EKF Sample of the Month for 2026 is the Aurora Vest by Nomad Stitches.
Marissa, one of our lovely sample crocheters, made this sample for us way back in the summer of 2023 when we were launching our Farmers Market Collection. This collection was when we really started to embrace vibrant colors, and I look back on it so fondly!! 👩🏻🌾🍓🥑🌽🫐
I have always had an affinity for Sandra's crochet designs, especially her lightweight, summer-forward designs. They always seem to fit so perfectly into my wardrobe, working as a great layering piece or styled alone!
Beet Juice, the colorway used in our original sample, was created for the Farmers Market Collection back in the fall of 2023. It is one of my favorite EKF colorways of ALL time, and I find myself constantly trying to bring it back whenever we can 🥹 Nanocrystals, our second colorway offering, was originally created for the Into the Wild Collection alllllll the way back in 2021 when we were still dyeing yarn in the basement! It has been AGES since this one has returned, and we're so happy it's here just in time for summer! Finally, we've got Dreamsicle, which came from our Ice Cream Social Collection back in 2022 — the first one I developed in the EKF Studio 🤍 This trio screams summer, lightness, and joy to me, and it is exactly what the doctor ordered this season ☀️
All 3 colorways will ALSO be available as single skeins on Denali Sock in our Aurora Vest: à la carte listings!
June's Sample of the Month launches Thursday, June 7th at 10am Mountain Time. Sample of the Month, our 2026 Club, will be a monthly offering that has a turnaround time of four weeks.
D.I.Y. LEVEL 2 is BACK! 🌈
If you’re new to EKF, here’s a quick rundown of what level 2 looks like: first, you’ll need to take D.I.Y. Level One with us, whether you took it in 2024, 2025, or are signed up for our class in just a couple of weeks! Next, the actual class 👀 D.I.Y. 2 is your chance to have even more creative freedom than level one with the opportunity to create your own exclusive colorway!! Here’s how it works - once you sign up for the class, I’ll send you a Google Form where you will submit photos to create your very own colorway inspiration board for the class! I’ll take your photos and create unique dye steps for you, and from there, the colors are YOURS to decide what to do with and how to dye with. The class will be 3 hours long, giving you plenty of time to plan your colorway AND allowing us to work together if you want more one-on-one help once we’re actually in the studio.
Getting to do this course means getting to do my favorite parts of the job — creating with color, collaborating with you, and spending time in our community 🥹🌈👩🏻🎨.
Sign-ups for D.I.Y. Level 2 open on Sunday, May 24th at 7pm MT
EKF x The Punnett Square
After sharing our BUTTERCHROME Suri Punnett Square, we got LOADS of messages asking us for the design so y’all could make a version yourself!
Well, the lovely Sarah (knitwear designer + EKF team member), wrote the pattern up for free for y’all to use as a guide if you want to make a version yourself!
Click below to snag the pattern for free 🥰🦋🌈✨
Welcome to Explorer Knits + Fibers 🌲
EKF is a women-owned and operated business that warmly welcomes all adventurers, knitters, crocheters, makers, hikers, and yarn lovers alike. Our goal is to create a safe and inclusive space that encourages diversity and does not tolerate hatred of any kind.
Black lives matter. LGBTQ+ lives matter. Equal rights matter. Mental health matters.
Our colorways are inspired by my favorite places around the world + the whimsical musings that come to me in my daydreams ✨
Meet Explorer Knits + Fibers, a hand-dyed yarn company.
ever wonder what it looks like to run a hand-dyed yarn company? come take a peek behind the curtain with us and learn what Explorer Knits + Fibers, a women-owned and operated small business, is all about 🤍
this short film was shot by Gretchen Powers, a professional photographer + videographer, knitter, + close friend of the EKF team
FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
want to stay up to date on the latest happenings here at EKF? follow us on instagram @explorerknits for lots and lots of yarny beauty and guaranteed chaos and behind the scenes content on our instagram stories!
