Mother’s Day Yarn Art

Mother’s Day is tomorrow!  Are you ready?  Me neither!  Fortunately, Amy came up with marvelous way to put together a handmade gift from your stash in a flash.  Yarn art!

Step one is to find an image that you want to use and draw or trace it onto your card.  We used a cut-down sheet of foam core board.  We’re going to be using adhesive for this craft, so construction paper or thinner paper is a little iffy – we don’t want it to buckle or ripple from the moisture of the glue.

Card 1 Card 2

Amy freehanded her design, but you could also use clip art.  You can see it above with a couple of flowers already filled in with Bamboo Pop.  We’ll show you how to do that in the next step!Card 3 Card 4

 

Outline your design with glue (we used Alene’s clear gel tacky glue).  It’ll be easier to do a small section at a time rather than the whole thing – it’s easy to accidentally smear your yarn through the glue if the whole card is covered in it.

Card 5 Card 6

Card 7

Position your yarn over the outline and stick it down.  We used the point of a pencil to press the Bamboo Pop to the card.  It keeps glue off the fingers and it’s more precise.

After you do your outlines, fill in the area inside, then if you wish you can cover any remaining space.  Be as creative as you want.  Incorporate straight lines, whirls and swirls, unusual colors or shapes – it’s all up to you!

Card 8 Card 9

I love the touch Amy included of the chain stitch around the edge of the card!

Finish it off with a personalized message on the back.  Draw your own, or use clip art or illustration from the internet.

Voila! A personalized card that you made yourself without making yourself crazy.  We’ll hope that Amy’s mom gets the card before she reads this post!

Happy crafting!

 

 

Bamboo Pop Adult

BambooPopAdultCover_final

It’s here!  Our new e-book Bamboo Pop Adult is finally available for download from Ravelry and Craftsy.  Patterns are also available individually.

Bamboo Pop is one of our most popular yarns.  Our e-books Bamboo Pop Kids and Bamboo Pop Dolls were well-received, but we had a lot of people requesting grownup designs.  Here they are!

Craftsy Boho1

 

The Boho Tank is an A-line top worked from the bottom up.  Sandi Rosner provided the embroidery detail, showing once again that what designer Charles Eames said is true – “The details are not the details. They make the design.”

 

Craftsy Dewdrops1

 

The crochet Dewdrops Tank is worked in two pieces and seamed.  While I love the bright contrasting colors Amy Gunderson chose for the “dewdrops,” this would be a great piece to customize.  Just use your favorite colors as accents!

 

Craftsy DrapeFront1   Craftsy DrapeFront3 back

The Drape-Front Cardi above may be a candidate for “most wearable design.”  The flow of the fabric flatters a range of frames.

Craftsy Hospitality1Here’s my favorite – the Hospitality Tee! Down South, the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality, so as a native Southerner this feels like a very welcoming design to me.  As a knitter, I appreciate details like the corrugated ribbing at the sleeves and hem and the pink applied crochet chain stripe that gives it an extra pop of color.

 

Craftsy Staggered1   Craftsy Staggered3

Love love love.  The dramatic Staggered Shawl has the graphic styling that is so popular, and it’s so easy to knit.  No purling – just garter stitch!

Craftsy Steeple1The Steeple Pullover has been an early favorite on Ravelry.  Work it bottom-up in the round, then separate for the armholes.  The pattern is written and charted, like all patterns in Bamboo Pop Adults (except the super-simple Staggered Shawl). Sized from extra small to 3X, this is a great breezy design to dress up or down when the weather has just a hint of chill.

 

Craftsy Surf1

 

Surf ‘n Stripe is a simple eyelet design accented with bands of color.  Knit in two pieces and seamed, this slouchy and comfortable dolman-sleeved top strikes me as great vacation knitting!

 

 

Craftsy Tennis1

 

The Tennis Vest  is a classic design.  The twist cable and rib pattern is quite stretchy, making it a perfect layering piece.  I hate feeling like a stuffed sausage when a sweater over a shirt doesn’t breathe with me – this is a great vest for looking as cool as you feel.

 

 

Craftsy ColorworkCardiHat2

 

From the cover, the Colorwork Cardi and Colorwork Hat featured on the cover are two super-cute coordinating patterns.  The cardi is a top-down seamless sweater (with pockets!) and the hat can be customized to be taller or shorter as you wish by adding or subtracting pattern repeats.

 

I’m not sure what I’m going to knit first.  I’m thinking maybe the Staggered Shawl.  I’ve been wanting a very modern accessory, and that looks fabulous.  We’d love to see what you make!

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – Bamboo Pop Dolls

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

blog BambooPopDolls cover

Did we say “free pattern?”  Try five free patterns, part of Bamboo Pop Dolls!

Bamboo Pop Kids is such a popular E-Book for us, and no wonder – Bamboo Pop is a versatile yarn for kids and adults.  One of the things we heard from stores was, “wouldn’t it be great if there were matching outfits for the kids’ dolls?”  Once we were done squealing over the adorableness of that idea, we got to work!

 

Blog TBall Tee composite

The T-Ball Tee keeps the sweet little ties at the arms and shortens the body, making this a very quick lace knit.  I can absolutely see the two little ladies above palling around town together!  Matches the T-Ball Tee from Bamboo Pop Kids (Ravelry link).

Blog Pixie Skirt composite

The Pixie Skirt removes one tie from the shortened waist of the 18″ doll at left.  It’s a shortened length of i-cord that can be made with either a crank machine or by hand.  This is a great skirt to spin in.  Matches the Pixie Skirt from Bamboo Pop Kids (Ravelry link).

Blog Little Patriot composite

The Little Patriot is all decked out and ready to go!  For me, what really makes this top pop is the red edging around the star and the edges.  Being a Southerner, I think this is a great top for a summer day of watermelon and fresh-churned ice cream.  Matches the Little Patriot from Bamboo Pop Kids (Ravelry link).

Blog Hoodie composite

The Fading Stripe Hoodie uses a slipped “pebble stitch” to give texture.  Something just a touch warmer for the girl on the left as she wait for her friend to come home from school.  Matches the Fading Stripe Hoodie from Bamboo Pop Kids (Ravelry link).

Blog Berry Blossom compositeThe Berry Blossom Pullover lends itself well to “dollification!”  This is one of our most popular designs for girls, and it looks great on an 18″ doll, too.  Matches the Berry Blossom Pullover from Bamboo Pop Kids (Ravelry link).

Many thanks to our store owners who brought us this great idea.  We always love to hear what you have to say.

Happy knitting!

Throwback Thursday – Bethany

It’s Throwback Thursday!

TT Bethany

Today, we have Bethany!  Originally this was a “pay” pattern, but we’ve released it into the wild as a free pattern and bring it to you today to enjoy.

First stitched in Fibra Natura Cottonwood, this would make a great cover-up in either Bamboo Pop or Little Bird, which would provide great drape for this piece.  You might also try Uptown Baby Sport anti-pilling acrylic.  Uptown Baby Sport’s palette features some very sweet pastels, and at 361 yards per ball you’d only need three balls to make the smallest size.

In this traditional knit-flat cardi, the easy lace pattern is featured on both front and back.  A great lacy sweater to start now and have ready when the first chill creeps back into the air.

Happy knitting!

Throwback Thursday – Spring Snowflake Cardi

It’s Throwback Thursday!

TT Snowflake Cardi

This little cutie is wearing the Spring Snowflake Cardi.

Originally, this took about 300 yards of Morning Glory Cotton (a cotton/acrylic blend) on a size 6 needle.  We’re recommending several other machine washable options for this charming baby and toddler cardi.

DM_Morning_Glory Sparkling Snowflake Sweater_cu300Lightweight Little Bird, Bamboo Pop, and Uptown Baby Sport would all be good matches.  These yarns also have greater yardage per ball than the original yarn, making this sweater potentially a great one ball project!

Uptown Baby Sport has some really great pastels and kid-friendly color options.  You might even try doubling up Little Bird or Bamboo Pop solid and multi for an interesting color color combo.  Hmm… I feel a Sunday Swatch idea coming on.

Happy knitting!

Sunday Swatch – Bamboo Pop

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Bamboo Pop colors 108 Lime Green, 208 Pink Joy, and 102 Cream.

SS Bamboo Pop flower

Today’s swatch started as an experiment to see just how thick various i-cords were in Bamboo Pop.  Bamboo Pop is one of our most popular yarns, a lightweight blend of 50% cotton and 50% bamboo.

The entire flower was knit on size 4 needles.  The petals of the flower are one long 4-stitch i-cord, the stem is a 3-stitch i-cord, and the center is a 2-stitch i-cord curled around itself.

SS Bamboo Pop flower back side_blogI took a picture of the back side so you can see how it’s assembled.  I had hoped to put a chenille stem (pipe cleaner, for those of my generation) into the center for stability, but the i-cord was just a little too narrow to fit the jumbo-sized chenille stem that I had on hand, so instead I used some very thick floral wire for stability.  The extra wire extending from the bottom lets it stand upright without causing the i-cord to push up on itself and wrinkle.

The leaves were a last-minute addition, but they’re a nice touch.  Here’s the leaf pattern, done on size 4 needles:

CO 4

Row 1: k1, (kfb) twice, k1. (6 sts total)

Row 2: purl

Row 3: k2, (kfb) twice, k2 (8 sts total)

Row 4: purl

Row 5: k3, (kfb) twice, k3 (10 sts total)

Row 6: purl

Row 7: k1, k2tog, k4, ssk, k1 (8 sts total)

Row 8: purl

Row 9: k1, k2tog, k2, ssk, k1 (6 sts total)

Row 10: purl

Row 9: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 (4 sts total)

Row 10: purl

Row 9: k2tog, ssk,(2 sts total)

Row 10: purl 2 tog (1 st total)

Pull yarn through remaining stitch to bind off.

I have some bits of Bamboo Pop in other colors, so I’m considering making an entire bouquet for an empty flowerpot.  It would be a nice maintenance-free addition to the front porch.

Happy knitting – and gardening!

Throwback Thursday – Rainforest Cardigan

Welcome to the first Throwback Thursday!

Starting this week, we’re going to be featuring designs in retired yarns that would still look great now!

Rainforest Cardigan in Seasong from web_throwback

Today we’re featuring the Rainforest Cardigan, originally in Sea Song.

Sea Song was a member of our Fibra Natura line of luxury organic yarns.  It consisted of cotton and seacell, both plant fibers which give this garment a relaxed feel.  We’re recommending another plant fiber yarn for this garment, Bamboo Pop.

Bamboo Pop ball_2_webThe sideways construction of this cardi makes it especially well-suited for variegated yarns like Bamboo Pop, which also comes in solids.  Although slightly thinner than the original yarn, Bamboo Pop will still give 5½ stitches to the inch, the required gauge for this pattern.

This is an easy to knit, easy to wear piece that would be a great accent for mild weather.  It’s a classic design with a current look.

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – Swingy

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Swingy in Bamboo Pop

Today, Amy Gunderson brings us Swingy in Bamboo Pop.

Swingy sleeve detailAfter releasing our E-Book Bamboo Pop Kids we had quite a few requests for an adult pattern in Bamboo Pop (292yds/100g), our popular cotton/bamboo blend.  This lightweight swingy cardi fits the bill.

Worked with raglan shaping from the top down, there is no seaming involved.  This is the kind of loose, drapey jacket you reach for when you want comfort as well as style.

Happy knitting!