Free Pattern Friday – Loop Bag

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Yashi Two-Color Handbag blue blog

Yashi ball blogToday, the Loop Bag in Yashi.

Yashi is our brand new 100% raffia yarn, great for accessories and home decor projects.  I love it in this crochet bag.  The handles are from JUL Designs, which has a good variety of high quality leather and metal bits and bobs for customizing your designs.

I love this bag, so I worked a little rough Photoshop magic on it to see what it would look like in other colors.  Answer: nice!  I particularly like it with the pink.

Yashi Two-Color Handbag red blog     Yashi Two-Color Handbag gray blog

You could keep the neutral base, or go for an even more Spring-like look by substituting white for the natural.

In the pattern, the base and sides are crocheted separately and sewn together.  Plastic canvas stiffens the sides, and the entire purse is lined with fabric.  It’s a kicky summer bag in a great yarn.

We hope you like this fun crochet project.

Happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Sunblock Hat

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Yashi Sunblock Hat blog

Today, the Sunblock Hat in Yashi.

Yashi ball blogWe are looking forward to summer, partly because it gives us more excuses to use this great raffia yarn.  Yashi (40g/99yds) has a papery texture, but is much softer and more pliable than others we’ve seen.  It’s easy to work with and is proving a fast favorite around the office for crochet.

Because it’s so soft, with a project like this very wide hat, we’d suggest you crochet it tightly and maybe give it a little starching to stiffen the brim.  You’ll start at the top and work your way out.

I can see myself lounging in a chair by the pool in this hat, reading a good book and sipping… uh… tea.

Yes. That’ll do nicely.

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!

Knitspiration – Comestibles

Blizzard coming your way? Let’s warm up.

Comestibles Dorothy Dell Dennison 1952 with swatches_blog
Comestibles by Dorothy Dell Dennison (1952)

Not scorching, perhaps, but warm enough to want to stay in the shade.  The open, inviting doorway is a connection rather than a divider between the two women. Although both are occupied with the tasks of day-to-day  life, you can almost hear the conversation.  Is the seated woman knitting?  I’d like to think so.

Llamalini Comestibles
Fibra Natura Llamalini

This reminds me of the warm tones in Llamalini, a blend of royal alpaca, linen, and silk bourette spun in Argentina.  There are some additional jeweltones rounding out the palette that you can see on our website.

What do these colors inspire you to make?

Generosity in Llamalini
Botanical Scarf in Good Earth Adorn
Southwest Suns Shawl in Good Earth
Yatomi Pullover in Nettle Lana

If you’re in the storm’s path, stay in.  Pick up a project.  Think thoughts of sunnier days.

Happy knitting.

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous Giveaway!

Annies yarn-shop_banner_500x400

Have you visited Annie’s Craft Store’s new site yet?  I love features like Build-A-Kit, which makes it easy to grab everything I need for a project that catches my fancy.  The stitch guides are a great help too – it’s nice to have that resource at my fingertips.  Annie’s is proud of the new site too, with good reason, and they’re having a sale to celebrate!

From now until Jan 23rd, use the code NEWYARN at the Annie’s site and get 20% off any yarn purchase.   This is great, because we all know, even if you’re on a yarn diet, sale yarn doesn’t count!

To keep the celebration rolling, they’re also giving away a subscription to Crochet! magazine.  We’re partnering with them for one of our favorite projects from the Spring 2015 issue, Amy Gunderson’s Bruges Edged Round Throw shown below (Ravelry link here).   What a great burst of color for Spring!

Crochet Spring 2015 Cotton Supreme Bruges-Edged Round Throw_B

So here’s the deal:  comment on this post and tell us your favorite kind of project to crochet.  We’ll select one entry to win a year’s subscription to Crochet! magazine as well as enough yarn to make the Bruges Edged Round Throw.  Enter by Jan 30th to be counted!

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Free Pattern Friday – Sheldon Sheep & Friends

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Sheep group shot posed_blog

Today, Sheldon Sheep & Friends in Deluxe Chunky Naturals.

First things first: I am going to try to restrain myself from making sheep puns.  But no promises.  These little friends inspire a certain playfulness.

Our wooly friends made their debut at the Winter TNNA Trade Show, where we asked local yarn store owners as well as our Facebook family to help us name them.  And you delivered.  Meet Sheldon, Sheila, Sherry, Shirley, and Woolma!

Each is made in a shade of our Deluxe Chunky Naturals.  It’s particularly fitting, because those shades are completely undyed.  They come from different flocks, so each color of yarn is the color of the sheep that it came from.  In this case, the wool is literally going from one sheep to another!

Sheep single shot 1_blogThe construction on these is a blend of knit and crochet.  The limbs and face are knit in color 1900 Ebony, with the body and wool cap being crocheted in just one skein of the main color.  There are some nice details, like short row shaping on the heels for a more foot-like shape.

When crocheting the body and wooly cap, the wrong side faces you as you work.  The textured alternating triple crochet/single crochet naturally falls to the opposite side.  Simply turn the pieces inside out before completing.

Sheep cap_blogThe crochet cap surrounds the knitted face like a snug hood.  The ears are attached to the cap, but if you are a proficient crocheter you could surely leave openings for a completely removable cap.  We didn’t, though – we don’t want anyone’s head to get cold!

These guys and gals are adorable in the Naturals, but I’m also thinking about a technicolor toy in a non-natural shade of Deluxe Chunky.  Chartreuse sheep, anyone?

We hope you enjoy these adorable little friends.   Happy crafting!  Wool see you next time!

(Darn.  So close without a pun.)

Sheep two shot 1_blog
That was baaaaad.

Knitspiration – The Knitting Lesson

Looking for a new project?  How about a little knitspiration?

The Knitting Lesson by Eugene de Blaas
The Knitting Lesson by Eugene de Blaas
Deluxe Worsted
Deluxe Worsted
Southwest Suns in Good Earth
Backstage Sweater in Mohair Mountain
Flowering Herb Scarf in Llamalini
Rosette Messenger Bag in Deluxe Worsted

 

Wall Hanging 1_crop
Wall Candy in Deluxe Worsted

 

What would you make in these colors?

Happy crafting!

Throwback Thursday – Jolly St. Nick

It’s Throwback Thursday!

TT_Jolly St Nick

I’m home celebrating Thanksgiving with my family, but couldn’t resist sharing this little guy – especially after we promised the crocheters last week!

Jolly St. Nick is a crochet version of Santa from Michele Wilcox, the Queen of Cute.  He stands 18″ high including hat – if you’ve seen an American Girl-style doll, that’s about the same height.  Just as with last week’s knit Santa, we’re recommending Uptown Worsted.  The 100% anti-pilling acrylic stands up to a lot of beard-pulling and snuggles.

Start at the top of his head and work down, then go back and add all the details that make him so adorable.  Any pattern that instructs you to embroider a smile is a keeper.

We hope you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving.  This year, as every year, I am grateful for the ability to create, and in so doing to bring joy to myself and others.  And always, always, there is gratitude for the community of fellow crafters who enrich our lives.  What are you thankful for this year?

All the best this holiday.

Holiday Helper – Pattern Sale!

Holiday crafting going okay?  Maybe you’re still looking for just the right design.  Don’t worry, we’re here to help!

Pattern Sale 1BIt’s our first online pattern sale!  From now through Monday December 1st, 2014, take 30% off of all purchases from our Ravelry store.  Just enter code 2014HOHOHO at checkout.

This includes e-books, pattern collections, and individual patterns.  Pick from favorites like Bamboo Pop Kids and Contrarian Shawls, gorgeous designs from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton and Yumiko Alexander, and lovely cool-weather knits in the Deluxe family of yarns.

I just have to point out, there are quite a few great options in Garden Book 5.  That one book could knock out a lot of your gift crafting.  The fact that they’re very satisfying projects to make is a nice bonus.

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to pick out a great pattern, swing by your local yarn store (Small Business Saturday is this weekend!) and make something gorgeous for the people you love.  And include yourself in that list of people!

Happy crafting!

 

Throwback Thursday – Crochet Candy Stripes Stocking

It’s Throwback Thursday!

TT Crocheted Candy Stripes Stocking

Can’t you hear those sleigh bells jingling?  We had a Facebook message asking for this pattern, so we just had to set it free for the holidays.

The Crochet Candy Stripes Stocking is another great pattern from Michele Wilcox.  This was formerly part of a kit using Classic Worsted Holiday.  We’re recommending Uptown Worsted.  It’s soft, machine washable, anti-pilling, and able to last through the years.

I will freely admit that my crochet skills are not as strong as my knit skills (yet!) but this is a project I could tackle with no problem.  And I love the button panel.  It’s a great detail that makes the project.  I’m already thinking about who deserves a lovely stocking to hang by the chimney with care.

Happy crocheting!