Cheery Crochet Checks!
November 24th, 2009
Andrea shows how versatile crochet can get with crochet checks today!
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared with you some of the scarves we’ve been making for our Hat & Scarf Charity Drive at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Today, we continue with 8 days of scarves. Whether you’re making them as gifts or for charity, come back from now until Thanksgiving for inspiration & patterns for easy scarves from the Studio’s staff.
Andrea’s Crochet Checks (shown in Vanna’s Choice Burgundy)
Ch 20
Row 1: *(Sc tbl) twice, (sc tfl) twice, repeat from * to end.
Row 2: *(Sc tfl) twice, (sc tbl) twice, repeat from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 & 2 for body of scarf.
Bind off and weave in ends.
*As with all of our scarf patterns shown, we only used one ball for our scarves, but you can use two and make them as long or short as you wish. Vanna’s Choice’s recommended hook size is J-10; its recommended needle size is US9.
Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
November 23rd, 2009
It’s Thanksgiving week and since it’s a holiday all about gathering and sharing, here in Marketing, we thought we’d share with you what each of us brings to Thanksgiving dinner. Whether it’s our favorite food or something simple, these are the dishes that we bring to dinner.
Zontee:
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays AND I love to cook, so every time I’m asked to bring things to someone’s house, my selections vary. Sometimes it’s pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie. Sometimes it’s mashed yams. But my favorite thing to bring is mashed potatoes, which is my ultimate comfort food, as well as a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This year, I think I’m going to try something a little different, and go with a recipe I spotted for mashed potatoes with brown butter, goat cheese, and sage (click here for the recipe from Simply Recipes). Mm, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
Ilana:
Since I am not known for my extraordinary cooking skills, I make something simple but delicious, and maybe even a little nutritious. I take Brussels sprouts, which are abundant in the stores now, cut off the little nubs, line them up in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, add some salt and bake, turning occasionally until they are very soft. They actually taste sweet!
Lindsey:
Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally at my family’s house and we all work together to make everything. Usually the guests bring pies for dessert, but even so my sister and I always make pumpkin cheesecake (you can never have too much dessert, right?). Even on rare occassions where Thanksgiving isn’t at our house and we aren’t asked to bring anything, this pumpkin cheesecake is a must! Click here for the recipe from Epicurious.
PT:
I have been to only two Thanksgiving dinners so far. Thanksgiving is something that I discovered only when I arrived in United States four years ago to pursue my college degree. The first Thanksgiving dinner I went to was at my Dad’s friend’s house in Brooklyn. Since it was my first I don’t recall bringing anything with me. However, I do remember really enjoying the pumpkin soup and the company of really nice people.
Now, I find myself more attuned to American culture. My Thanksgiving dish to bring would be pecan pies. Pecan pies, just like Thanksgiving, were something I only discovered here. I love the pecan pies sold at the Green Market in Union Square Park, near our offices in New York City.
What are you making for Thanksgiving this year? Post a comment and share your ideas. Let us know if you try any of these recipes!
Experiment with Diagonal Lace
November 23rd, 2009
Today’s scarf gets a little lacy! Only 2 more scarf patterns left!
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared with you some of the scarves we’ve been making for our Hat & Scarf Charity Drive at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Today, we continue with 8 days of scarves. Whether you’re making them as gifts or for charity, come back from now until Thanksgiving for inspiration & patterns for easy scarves from the Studio’s staff.
Gillian’s Diagonal Scarf (shown in Vanna’s Choice Charcoal Print)
CO 24.
Row 1 - 8: Knit.
Begin Row 1 of chart
Row 1 of chart: K4, follow chart , k4. (Garter border)
Repeat chart rows for entire body length, keeping garter stitch border
Row 2 and every WS row: K 4, purl across chart, K4
Row 3 - 11: follow chart, maintaining garter stitch border
Repeat chart until desired length
End with 8 rows of Knit
Bind off and weave in ends.
*As with all of our scarf patterns shown, we only used one ball for our scarves, but you can use two and make them as long or short as you wish. Vanna’s Choice’s recommended hook size is J-10; its recommended needle size is US9.
Scarf Inspiration: Gina’s Shells
November 20th, 2009
Today, we bring you another beautiful crochet scarf! Pattern below.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared with you some of the scarves we’ve been making for our Hat & Scarf Charity Drive at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Whether you’re making them as gifts or for charity, come back from now until Thanksgiving for inspiration & patterns for easy scarves from the Studio’s staff.
Gina’s Shell Scarf (shown in Vanna’s Choice Charcoal)
Ch 21.
Row 1: 2 dc in the same ch, (sk 2 ch, 1 sc, sk 2 ch, 5 dc in next stitch) twice, sk 2 ch, sc, sk 2 ch, 3 dc in last stitch, ch 1 turn.
Row 2: sk 2 (5 dc in next st, sk 2, sc, sk 2) twice, 5 dc in next st, sk 2, sc, ch3, turn.
Repeat rows 1 & 2 to end.
Bind off and weave in ends.
*As with all of our scarf patterns shown, we only used one ball for our scarves, but you can use two and make them as long or short as you wish. Vanna’s Choice’s recommended hook size is J-10; its recommended needle size is US9.
Only 3 days of scarf ideas left, so keep coming back!
Take 2 Minutes for Yarn
November 19th, 2009
Back in August, I had the opportunity to make some two-minute inspirational videos all about knitting, crocheting, and crafting with yarns. They’re perfect for getting just a little dose of yarn in your day with a couple of patterns and ideas thrown in.
It was a fun experience, and now, I’m happy to announce that these videos are up on the Lion Brand YouTube channel for you to check out.
Here are just two of the videos:
And if you enjoyed them (or you want to use them as bait to convince your friends that they too should be knitting and crocheting), click here to see them all.
And don’t forget to check out more videos including tutorials, the basics, and more inspiration at the Lion Brand YouTube channel.
Discover Granite Stitch
November 19th, 2009
Add a lot of texture with today’s scarf, courtesy of Claire!
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared with you some of the scarves we’ve been making for our Hat & Scarf Charity Drive at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Today, we continue with our 8 days of scarves. Whether you’re making them as gifts or for charity, come back from now until Thanksgiving for inspiration & patterns for easy scarves from the Studio’s staff.
Claire’s Granite Relief Stitch Scarf (shown in Vanna’s Choice Navy)
CO 24
The first 4 stitches & the last 4 stitches of every row are knit
Keeping your garter stitch edge, the following is the pattern stitch in the middle:
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: K2tog across row, repeat from * to last 3 stitches
Row 3: Kfb of each stitch.
Row 4: Purl.
Repeat these 4 rows for full length of the scarf.
Bind off and weave in ends.
*As with all of our scarf patterns shown, we only used one ball for our scarves, but you can use two and make them as long or short as you wish. Vanna’s Choice’s recommended hook size is J-10; its recommended needle size is US9.
Visiting the Soundview Knitting Guild
November 18th, 2009
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking to the lovely ladies of the Soundview Knitting Guild in Trumbull, Connecticut. It was a very special evening for both the guild and myself as I got to present the LB Collection among other new yarns. These women exude so much enthusiasm and passion for their craft that I knew they would be the perfect group to show the LB Collection to. Since these yarns are only sold through our Studio, catalog, and website, not many people have an opportunity to touch and see these exquisite yarns firsthand. It was so wonderful to see them experience these yarns for the first time.
I also had the opportunity to speak to the group about our amazing Lion Brand Yarn Studio, and I was pleasantly surprise to find that three women had already traveled to New York City to visit the store. By the end of our meeting the ladies were discussing getting a bus and taking a group trip to check out the Studio.
The cherry on top of the cake for me was having four Blumenthals from different generations — Ruth, Irene, Rhoda, and Mark (not shown) — come to see my presentation and say hello. It is always fun to see relatives that you haven’t seen in ages. Here at Lion Brand, family is of the utmost importance so having them there made the evening that much more special.
Have a group of 50 or more in the tri-state area? E-mail jack@lionbrand.com to arrange for Jack to come speak to your guild or yarncrafting group!
Related links:
- Lion Brand Visits the Danbury Crochet Club
- Lion Brand on Long Island
- One of the Greatest Parts of My Job
- Lion Brand Visits the Westchester Knitting Guild
Drop a Stitch On Purpose!
November 18th, 2009
Live on the edge with today’s scarf! Drop stitches on purpose for a unique look!
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared with you some of the scarves we’ve been making for our Hat & Scarf Charity Drive at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Whether you’re making them as gifts or for charity, come back from now until Thanksgiving for inspiration & patterns for easy scarves from the Studio’s staff.
Andrea’s Drop Stitch Scarf (show in Scarlett)
CO 24.
Row 1 - 7: Knit.
Row 8: *K1, YO* repeat from * to last stitch, end with K1.
Row 9: Purl across row, slipping each YO
Row 10: *K1, drop YOs* repeat from * to last stitch, end with K1.
Repeat rows 1 - 10 for body of scarf.
Knit 7 rows.
Bind off and weave in ends.
*As with all of our scarf patterns shown, we only used one ball for our scarves, but you can use two and make them as long or short as you wish. Vanna’s Choice’s recommended hook size is J-10; its recommended needle size is US9.
Milk + Knitting = Comfort
November 17th, 2009
I love advertisements that feature knitting or crocheting, and this Canadian milk campaign is so fun and innovative! The website features a milk-drinking woman who has covered her house in all things knitted, from her phone to her cat. Take time away from knitting to try their virtual knitting game! Quebec residents can even enter for a chance to win computers and video game consoles.
Add Cables for Texture
November 17th, 2009
On our journey through Scarf Land, we bring you to the classic cabled scarf…get the pattern below. 6 more days of scarf patterns left!
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared with you some of the scarves we’ve been making for our Hat & Scarf Charity Drive at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Whether you’re making them as gifts or for charity, come back from now until Thanksgiving for inspiration & patterns for easy scarves from the Studio’s staff.
Gillian’s Cable Scarf (in Vanna’s Choice Taupe)
Cable stitch definition: CR4: slip two stitches to cable needle and hold in back, K2 , K2 from cable needle
CO 30.
Rows 1 - 8: Knit.
Row 9: K5, P4, K4, P4, K4, P4, K5.
Row 10: K9, P4, K4, P4, K9.
Row 11 & 13: Repeat row 9.
Row 12 & 14: Repeat row 10.
Row 15: K5, P4, CR4, P4, CR4, P4, K5.
Row 16: K9, P4, K4, P4, P9.
Repeat rows 9 - 16.
End with 8 rows of Garter stitch (knit every row).
Bind off and weave in ends.
*As with all of our scarf patterns shown, we only used one ball for our scarves, but you can use two and make them as long or short as you wish. Vanna’s Choice’s recommended hook size is J-10; its recommended needle size is US9.
