Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
You never know where you will see knitted and crocheted items. Last week I went to an off-Broadway show and found a small café section that had tables and chairs that were all crocheted with vibrant geometric designs. This made my night even more enjoyable. The level of creativity and cleverness that people have never ceases to amaze me. I have attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Click on the slide show below to rotate through the photos.
Enjoy!
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Lion Staff, Yarniverse | 4 Comments »
March is National Craft Month! Everyone is celebrating in different ways: learning a new technique, teaching others how to knit or crochet, finishing old projects, or crafting for charity. Many craft stores are doing free demos and classes, so be sure to check out what your local stores are doing. On Saturday March 6, Michaels stores are doing a demonstration of how to make Nick and Nora dolls with Vanna’s Choice!
I am using March to get my friends involved in crafting. Many of my friends have always wanted to learn to knit, so we’re finally taking the time to do it. We’ll be meeting once a week to perfect techniques and work on projects. Friends who already know how to knit are joining us to start new projects that challenge their skills.
What are you doing for National Craft Month? Share with us in the comments!
Posted in Crafting, Crocheting, Knitting, Yarniverse | 30 Comments »
Surfing around my favorite design blogs and websites, I sometimes stumble upon some really unique ways in which designers are using knitting and crocheting to get inspired and to make out-of-the-box projects, and today’s blog post is another great example of that.
We often think of knitting and crocheting as crafts to make small wearable things, but design studio Ladies and Gentleman has played with scale to crochet rugs with cotton rope, inspired by traditional crochet doilies.
Click here to see more images of this project.
Via Oh Joy!
Related links:
Posted in Crocheting, Yarniverse | 2 Comments »
One of the many things I enjoy about both knitting and crocheting is that they both tend to be fairly straightforward. You start with X number of stitches, work them in stitch pattern Y, and when you’re done, you have project Z completed.
Except sometimes, it’s not all that straightforward. There are increases and decreases to be worked, colors to be changed in and out, stitch patterns to be changed between, finishing to be done…you get the idea. Once you start thinking about all that, your nice, easy hobby becomes a bit more daunting. There’s no reason to panic, though — all these things are really, when it comes down to it, still pretty straightforward.
Let’s take a look at increases, for instance. When you encounter an instruction for an increase, try not to over-think it. Most of the time, the instructions are pretty literal.
In crochet, the most common increase is to work two stitches into one (e.g., “2 sc in next st”). This can be a little confusing if you over-think it, but it’s really literally just what it says: you make a single crochet (sc) into the next stitch just as you normally would, then you go back into that same stitch and make another sc. That’s all there is to it. (Note: it doesn’t have to be a sc — this increase can be done with any type of stitch.)
Knitting increases are a little more complicated. Some involve making a completely new stitch between two other stitches, like the yarn-over (YO) or make 1 (m1). One of the most common, however, is the kfb, which stands for “knit in the front and back of the stitch.” There is one little trick to this stitch, and that is that after you make the first knit (into the front of the stitch), you don’t complete the ultimate step of removing the worked stitch from the left needle; instead, you immediately make the second stitch (into the back of the stitch). Only then do you remove the worked stitch from the left needle.
See? Increases are nothing to fret about!
One thing that will help you keep on track is to check your total stitch count whenever you’re given a reference in the pattern. It’ll look something like this at the end of a row: “– 15 (17, 19).” If your stitch count is correct, you should be in pretty good shape.
Need more help? Visit our YouTube channel for new video tutorials on increasing.
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To | 11 Comments »
Have you ever seen a pattern you like but hesitated to use it because of the colors? We’d like to help you get started as a designer with some simple steps to choosing the color combinations you prefer.
Today we’ll work with the Mulberry Afghan, #90310. Think about what colors you would like to use. Would you like to give it as a gift to a friend? If so, what are her favorite colors? What are the colors of her living room? If it is for yourself, look at the colors of the room where you would like to display the afghan, think about the colors that make you happy, or even draw inspiration from favorite objects like paintings or even a season.
The best way to select colors is by putting together the actual balls of yarn or yarn swatches. Trying to select colors of yarn based on the way the colors appear on your computer or in the catalog is risky, especially if you are trying to match colors you already have. The colors on the computer screen or in the catalog will never exactly match the actual yarn.
The best way to look at as many color options as possible is to have a color card. We’ll be selecting from the Vanna lines of yarn, so you should order the Vanna’s Choice color card for this project. You may order only this color card for $1.99 and shipping will be free by ordering item #ccvanna. It includes sample strands of Vanna’s Choice, Vanna’s Choice Baby and Vanna’s Glamour yarns.
Once you receive the card, compare the colors of the actual yarn to the colors you would like to match or the colors you want to use. Select 2-4 colors for this project. Then use the diagram above (click to enlarge it, then print it out) to put sample strands of the colors into the spots on the diagram and see how they look together. You can play around with crayons or paints while you are waiting for your color card to arrive to get a general idea of the color scheme, then see if there are actual yarn colors that look like they would fit your color scheme.
A ripple afghan is a great way to experiment with colors and to unleash your creativity. Let us know how it goes!
Related links:
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Posted in Crocheting, Tips & How To | 7 Comments »
Every year, color authority Pantone reports on color trends. This year, it has revealed turquoise as its color of the year. This cheerful shade of blue is popping up everywhere, from home decor to clothing and accessories. Turquoise is versatile because it can be bright and bold or calm and soothing. Here are some turquoise-inspired projects.
Clockwise from top left: Turquoise swatch from Pantone.com, Easy Knit Mittens in Country Green Jiffy, Knit Hat and Scarf in Lagoon Homespun, Crochet Amigurumi Octopus in Sage Lion Wool.
The color turquoise invokes feelings of confidence and cheer, making it perfect for any garment, accessory, or decor item. Try using the shade Turquoise in Cotton-Ease, Microspun, or Fun Fur to add a special pop of color to your next project.
Posted in Crafting, Crocheting, Knitting | 1 Comment »
I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to write this particular post. You see, I really, really like talking to you all and helping you with your knitting and crochet questions. I like hearing about the project you’re making for your son on the East Coast, or your daughter in the Coast Guard. I really think it’s neat that you’ve been crocheting since you were 10, or that you’re in your 70s and have just decided to learn to knit. I want you to keep calling me and emailing me, and I want to keep helping you when you find yourself having a bit of trouble.
On the other hand, I think some of you only call and email because you’re not sure where else to turn, and I want you to know that there are some other resources out there that you can turn to if one of us at Lion Brand isn’t immediately available to you (like when you can’t quite remember how to properly do a hdc or sk2p at 3am on Sunday morning). So without further ado, here is a quick reference list of some helpful resources from LionBrand.com:
I hope you will find these resources as helpful as I do. If you’re still stuck, though, please do give us a call or send an email (click here for customer & pattern support contact info) — we really do enjoy hearing from you and helping you!
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To | 2 Comments »
A site we like called Everyday Health, promotes knitting and crocheting for health reasons alongside some better-known stress reduction techniques. This article talks about the health benefits of the crafts that we love. Here is another article that points to the impact of expressing your creativity on your health and also mentions knitting and crocheting.
Now, if we could only get health insurers to cover yarn!
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Posted in Crocheting, Knitting | 1 Comment »
Over the last decade, we’ve collected many of the common questions we’ve gotten from yarncrafters like you and created a useful database. Our Frequently Asked Questions section (LionBrand.com > Learning Center > FAQ) is a great resource for most of the basic questions that crocheters and knitters have about yarn, projects, techniques, and even our website!
One of the most common questions we get is “How do I substitute one yarn for another?”
Want more answers to your FAQs? Just type a few keywords into the search box in the middle of the FAQ page and it’ll bring up related topics! Click the title of the article that you want to read, and get the answers you’re looking for!
Posted in Crafting, Crocheting, Did You Know . . . ?, Knitting, Tips & How To | 10 Comments »
Every once in a while, I find myself working happily along on a pattern when I’m suddenly confronted with an instruction or abbreviation that completely throws me. It’s not too bad if it’s something I can work out and then continue on, but occasionally I find that I’ve worked past a certain point where I was supposed to begin doing something else and I end up having to rip back. And while there is no shame in ripping, there is a good deal of annoyance when the ripping is caused by my plunging ahead, recklessly ignoring the concept of reading the pattern through before starting.
Before you even work your gauge swatch, maybe even before you decide for sure this is what you want to make, you should read the entire pattern through. This is a great time to circle all of the numbers for the size you’re working on, make sure you understand all of the abbreviations in the pattern, and look for instructions like “AT THE SAME TIME.”
If you find abbreviations you’re not sure of, take a look at the “Abbreviations/References” table at the end of the pattern, and if you don’t see the instruction there, check the “Stitch Explanation” section near the top of the pattern.
For instructions like “AT THE SAME TIME” you will want to read all the way through that set of instructions, noting at which point you are to begin working those instructions. In fact, let’s talk a bit about just what that instruction means.
You will usually see this in a pattern that requires a good deal of shaping, like a sweater. Take a look at the schematic for a sweater front, and you’ll see that much of the neck and armhole shaping will be taking place on opposite ends of the same rows. In an effort to avoid confusion, the instructions for shaping the armhole and the instructions for shaping the neck will be written out separately and then joined with the “AT THE SAME TIME” instruction.
What you need to do is note where you are to begin working that second set of directions. Usually this is a measurement or point in the stitch pattern, and will be indicated just after AT THE SAME TIME, for example “AT THE SAME TIME, when piece measures 17 (17, 17 1/2, 17 1/2, 18, 18) in. (43 (43, 44.5, 44.5, 45.5, 45.5) cm) from beg…” You will then be instructed to start working on the next instruction. The trick here is to continue working the first shaping instructions while beginning the new instructions. Don’t be thrown off by things like being told to work the first shaping a certain number of times — you will keep counting those repeats, but you won’t have completed them all before beginning the AT THE SAME TIME instructions.
Once you’ve taken a look at the bigger pattern picture, you’ll be ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy the process of creating a beautiful project, one stitch at a time.
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To | 2 Comments »
