Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Swatching is an important part of the design process. Let’s say we decide to design a striped afghan knit with Vanna’s Choice. The variables are infinite! How many of the 49 colors do we want to include? How long should each stripe be? What colors should be placed next to each other?
When designing the afghan, we make all of these decisions, by experimenting with mini-versions of the ideas in the form of swatches so I can see how each possibility looks.
Color sequencing is very important and I’ll share with you the inner dialogue that I have as I knit. First I knit a few rows of one color. I started with Chocolate (bottom right of this swatch). It’s dark so I figure, “Let’s brighten it up a bit now.” So I try a stripe of Magenta. I like the way the two look together, but I think we need something at this point to give it some “pop” so I add just a little of the Pea Green color. Now I want to do something unexpected so I put in Cranberry, which doesn’t really “match” the Magenta but looks great just a little further on, in between the Mustard and the Silver Gray. Deciding when to shorten the stripe and when to lengthen it is part of the process and there is no formula. You think it through visually, execute it by trial and error, coming up with a combination that works.
We swatched up a number of other combinations that you can see below, but thought that the swatch above was the most successful one in terms of achieving the look we wanted.
It’s like making soup–start with a basic idea and start adding. “I think it would taste good with some onion. Carrots? Yes, but not too many–I don’t want carrot soup. The carrots add some color, body to the flavor of the broth, and a slight sweet undertone. Can I put in an unexpected spice like jalapeno pepper? Sure, but just a tad because, like the Pea Green color in our swatch, it’s meant to add a touch of excitement and could easily overpower the result.”
The way we do colorways is part of our mark and swatching is our form of research. When you try creating your own color combinations, you’ll discover a look that encompasses your favorite color combinations and expresses something unique to you.
Here’s why I like the swatch we went with for the afghan and the qualities that I believe make it a successful effort:
I hope this gives you some ideas and the confidence to do your own experimenting with color. Remember, there is no right or wrong combination. It all depends on the look you want.
This swatch includes some new colors of Vanna’s Choice, which we will be presenting in an upcoming newsletter. Visit this blog on June 20th to see the afghan we designed based on this swatch experiment.
This is the first in a series of posts about swatching. I’ll be sharing our swatch experiments with you and showing you how to work with color, stitches and pattern to enhance your creativity with yarn.
Posted in Community, Knitting, Lion Staff, Tips & How To, Yarns | 1 Comment »
I’m Hilary the V.P. of Sales for Lion Brand. Lately I’ve realized that two of my passions—health and yarn are converging.
I’m fortunate in that my passion is my work and my work involves selling a wonderful product that encompasses fashion, color, design, and is affordable and beautiful. I take pleasure in the fact that the product I sell makes people happy and gives joy and purpose to their lives.
My other passion is to live a healthy lifestyle. I eat wisely, including dark chocolate and broccoli. I do water aerobics, yoga and lift weights. I am just starting a walking program, thanks to Ilana’s encouragement. I watch my blood work numbers and I’m committed to reducing stress, because most medical professional believe it is a major cause of illness.
So how do my two passions connect? The fact that knitting or crocheting can help reduce stress, has been noted by doctors and crafters alike. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee wrote about it too. The simple repetitive movement of yarn on needles or hook is like meditating. Whether you meditate, or knit or crochet every day, you allow that special space in your otherwise busy day to let your thoughts untangle and your mind be free of all the chatter, planning, and worrying.
I am overjoyed to see friends live better as a result of having a regular knitting “practice.” I’d love to see it become part of a healthy lifestyle routine; to take even 15 or 20 minutes a day to knit or crochet in order to create a peaceful space in which to rejuvenate.
I’d love to hear from anyone reading this about how knit or crochet works into your healthy living program.
Posted in Knitting, Lion Staff | 5 Comments »
I love this phrase, which I’m quoting from an article in TheStar.com by reporter Rita Zekas referring to how knitting has become a basic part of life, especially now that Julia Roberts will be producing and starring in the movie adaptation of the best-selling Friday Night Knitting Club.
Posted in Community, Knitting | 2 Comments »
Wheh! After a few long days of chart following, and cabling for the Twin Trees pattern, the simple knit and purl rows of the Dividing Rows pattern were a welcome relief.
I like to have a few different knitting projects going at all times, of varying levels of skill, to be able to switch back and forth, and never get overwhelmed. The Dividing Rows between the more complicated pattern sections of this project provide that same break from thinking too hard.
I was even able to leave the house and take my project out to a weekly knitting circle that I run at a café on Sunday mornings. Spending the afternoon with friends, knitting, drinking coffee and chatting is a weekly necessity and break from my busy work week. I realized several years ago when I started the group that too many knitters felt isolated by their projects, and loved having the support of the other knitters in the group to get through those challenging patterns. The ease of the stockinette and garter rows allowed me to sip coffee and chat while flying though the section. Until that is, everyone was so amazed by the beautiful Twin Trees, that the afternoon turned into a group tutorial. What fun!
We’ve gotten almost 500 comments on the knit-along posts so far. Here are a few common questions that people have been asking:
Do I continue the knit/purl 4 between repeats throughout the pattern?
While there is a knit/purl 4 between each repeat of the Twin Trees motif as stated in the afghan pattern, the Dividing Rows and Flower Garden motif should be worked as stated. You should have 180 sts at the beginning and the end of each section.
In the Flower Garden section, what yarn do I catch to draw up in a “long, loose loop”?
You catch your working yarn and draw it through.
Do I have to sew on the Tulip-Bud Border?
Because of the way the border is made, sewing it on will make it look best. If you’re concerned about sewing the border, take a deep breath and look at your afghan! You’ve made it through the all of the tree cabling and the Flower Garden motif, so you can definitely sew on the border! Consider it an opportunity to practice seaming, which is an important skill for all kinds of projects from sweaters to bags and more. For more on sewing, visit our illustrated guide.
While you’re here, take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back for all of your progress so far! And a special congratulations to everyone who has finished their afghan already!
Good luck and happy knitting!
Posted in Knit-Along, Knitting | 26 Comments »
Back in January, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with author and knitter, Kate Jacobs, and interview her about her New York Times bestseller, The Friday Night Knitting Club. It’s a book about the lives of a group of women, who bond at a New York yarn shop. Kate has a new book called Comfort Food that just came out and she was kind enough to do a quick interview with us between book tours.
Lion Brand: Your first novel, The Friday Night Knitting Club was a huge success and is even being made into a movie with Julia Roberts. Why do you think this story rings true with knitters and crocheters?
Kate Jacobs: I think the story appeals to women in a general way because it’s all about the importance of our female friendships. But I think the descriptions of knitting, of how it feels to numb your brain and get that kind of buzz from making stitch after stitch, hits home. And this idea of knitting being a metaphor for life –- the characters in FNKC certainly wish they could rip out some of the stitches in their life and start again, that’s for sure.
LB: What has the reaction been from the knitting and crocheting community to you and your book?
KJ: I’ve been to knitting shops all over the country and everyone has been universally warm and welcoming. Exactly as you’d imagine them to be!
LB: In an interview on our podcast, you talk about how it’s wonderful to be able to write about the knitting and crocheting community. What’s the most important lessons you’ve learned from this community?
KJ: You’ve got too much wool when your stash takes up an entire room! No, seriously, the most important take-away is that anyone can be creative, that they can take basic things and combine them to make something beautiful and satisfying. Or, in the case of cooking, make something delicious! You know, I’m just a hobby knitter, and I’m not naturally gifted with my hands in the way that my grandmother was. All I can do well is type. But that’s okay. I don’t have to be granny-good when it comes to knitting. And I don’t have to be a chef in the kitchen. That’s one of the things that the characters come to realize in my new novel, Comfort Food, and it’s something that took me awhile to figure out about my own culinary exploits. It’s about the process as much as the final product. Writing is like that in a way as well.
LB: Your new novel, Comfort Food, is about Augusta “Gus” Simpson, an on-air food personality who is hosting a new show, teaching real food made by real people. Do you think there’s a connection between the process and joy of cooking and the process of knitting and crocheting? Why do you think there is a resurgence of these past-times that are traditionally thought of as “domestic”?
KJ: What’s going on, in my opinion, is that we live in troubled times, and are looking for activities that reconnect us with an image of the good old days, that make us feel nurtured and comforted. At the same time, we’re getting close — I hope! — to moving past this either/or approach about women, this idea of having to choose between domestic arts and the so-called working world. When I was a teen I was so adamant about not learning anything my mother had to teach me about cooking, for example. I just thought that having these kinds of housewifely skills would ruin my chances for professional success. In retrospect, I can see that there are holes in that logic and what I ended up doing, for a long time, was hamper my self-sufficiency because I couldn’t even make myself a proper dinner. Thank God my husband could cook! That said, I’m not sure a person can “have it all” in the sense of being equally good at all things. But why should that be the expectation? I don’t think that’s what we should be aiming to achieve. I think it’s more about balance. And about embracing the right to define for yourself what you want your life to be. This isn’t easy. And often these things change with time and circumstances. I am very focused, and happily, on my writing and my career and I definitely enjoy creating characters whose skills are far beyond my own. And when I’m not working, I also enjoy being a little bit homey — even though I will never be a domestic goddess! And that’s fine.
LB: What are you currently working on (both in terms of writing and knitting)?
KJ: I’m at work on my third novel. But I’m always careful not to talk too much about what I’m writing early on because things change in the manuscript. Generally, though, my interest is in relationships and connections. I try to write books that are fun to read and that have characters we can relate to in one way or another. In terms of knitting, I am drowning under a mountain of yarn…and absolutely no time to knit. I had wanted to make an afghan for my bed by now and I haven’t even started! I have been so focused on promoting my novels, making myself available to telephone book clubs and join in their discussions, and working on my new book that I am busier than I’ve ever been in my life. It’s all good, of course, and I’m so grateful at how much support my novels are receiving. But it’s not leaving me much time to knit anything up!
For more with Kate Jacobs, listen to my interview with her on YarnCraft.
At Amazon.com:
Posted in Community, Knitting | 2 Comments »
Each week, we feature a “stitch of the week” in our e-newsletter. So far we’ve featured basic knit stitches, knit cable stitches, crochet blocks, and crochet stitches. You can find all of these featured stitches and more in the StitchFinder.
Note: Each of these patterns can be used with any yarn that you like. The photos just show an example of what it might turn out to look like, but any yarn and any hook or needles that you’d like to use with that yarn (try the recommended hook or needle size, and go up or down depending on how it feels to you) will be fine.
So you looked through the StitchFinder and you’ve found a stitch that you like. Now what?
Try it out! You could make a few samples of different stitches to put on your inspiration board. You could even use them as coasters. You could take four cotton samples and seam them together to create a washcloth. Sew a few samples together in a row and create a scarf.
If you’re feeling a little braver, use them to create scarves or afghans in one continuous piece. First determine the width you’d like your project to be. Then determine your gauge, using your selected yarn and hook/needle size. Stitches per inch x desired width=number of chains/number to cast on. Just remember to begin with the correct stitch multiple (which may cause you to have to readjust your desired width slightly).
If you’re more advanced, incorporate the stitch patterns into a project. Take that stitch you like to embellish a plain afghan or to make a border on a jacket. You could also use the stitch pattern in a pattern for a scarf or an afghan you already have that uses, for example, plain single crochet or straight garter stitch.
Consider this new stitch pattern to be a great addition to your store of knitting or crocheting skills. There’s no limit to what you could do with these patterns.
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To | 6 Comments »
On the YarnCraft podcast, our bi-weekly audio show, we cover topics from common questions to tips on gift ideas. In YarnCraft episode #15, we devoted the episode to answering questions sent in by listeners like you! My co-host Liz and I were joined by Jackie Smyth, technical editor here at Lion Brand, who helped us answer the following questions:
The answer to ALL of these questions is often gauge. Gauge will affect the size of your pattern; it will affect the way your fabric looks; wrong gauge can cause your fabric to misbehave and curl.
So what is gauge? Gauge is the term that is used to define the proper tension you should work your piece in order to make sure that your piece’s dimensions will match up to those specified in a pattern. It’s usually given as stitches by rows versus the measurement that they should create (say 18 sts by 24 rows over 4 by 4 inches).
To make a gauge swatch, knit or crochet a piece that’s at least 4 inches by 4 inches in the stitch specified by the gauge section of the pattern. Then compare your stitches and rows to the number specified by the pattern to make 4 inches in both directions. The key here is that you do NOT have to adjust how tightly you knit or crochet.
If you have too few stitches and rows, use a smaller hook/smaller needles and remake your swatch. If it’s correct, then you should use this new hook/needle size. If you have too many stitches/rows, go up a hook/needle size and remake your swatch. Again, if it’s now correct, then use this new needle/hook size. If it’s still too many stitches, adjust your needle/hook size again. For a more in-depth guide on gauge, visit our website for knit gauge and crochet gauge instructions.
For more tips, ideas, and inspiration from individual podcast episodes, visit the YarnCraft Podcast Blog.
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To, YarnCraft Podcast | Leave a comment »
We were contacted by Amy Caterina, an artist who uses Fun Fur in her amazing sculptural pieces. She is currently working on an exhibit at the Grand Central Art Center at the California State University, Fullerton. When we saw how amazing her sculptures were, we knew we had to get involved.
Born in Niagara Falls, NY, Amy received her MFA at CSUF in 2002 in photography. In early 2005, Amy started knitting and gave birth to the Pseudo-Sod, a series that quickly emerged as a major component in her evolving oeuvre of mixed media installations. She was selected to be the artist-in-residence at the Huntington Beach Art Center in conjunction with the exhibition “MANufacture”; during her residency she displays mixed media knitted “grass” (made with Fun Fur) covered deer and moose, beside four cemetery plot sized sections of “grass.” The Pseudo-Sod car cover [above] was also featured in 2005 for the first time and presented in various locations throughout Orange County.
Amy Caterina is currently the artist-in-residence at the CSUF Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California, and will open her first solo exhibition entitled, “This used to be real estate, now it’s only fields and trees,” on July 5, 2008.
Amy was kind enough to send us some photos of the progress she’s made so far on this exhibition [right]. She’s got quite a few of these furry woodland creatures in the works, and they’re really coming along! Talk about amazing uses of Fun Fur!
We’ll update you as Amy gets closer to the opening of her exhibition.
Posted in Knitting, Yarniverse | Leave a comment »
1,000 Knitters is a photography project developed by Franklin Habit, a Chicago photographer and knitter. He is in the process of creating individual portraits of 1,000 people knitting the same scarf. Some of them are famous knitters and authors, but most of the photographs are of individual knitters who will ultimately become part of a beautiful work of art.
According to the web site “the goal is to celebrate through portraiture a creative community whose members have historically been either overlooked or sentimentalized, and whose work is often undervalued.” Franklin started photographing the series in July 2007. At the end of the project, he hopes to create a book or an exhibit, or both.
Posted in Knitting, Yarniverse | 4 Comments »
Last Sunday was a bright and sunny day and I jumped at the chance to sit on my roof overlooking downtown Manhattan and start my spring afghan project. It’s calm, quiet and feels like a private oasis in the center of a busy city. Whenever I start a project as large as this, I try to take my time and read through the pattern in advance, as well as double-checking my cast on. It’s so easy to miss 1 or 2 cast on stitches, when you are working with 180 stitches, and even 1 stitch too few will throw your whole pattern off.
A great thing to remember when tackling a challenging project is to not get overwhelmed by the size of it, but break it down into simple components, section by section and row by row. When setting up, remember that in this project, the right side of the work will have a purled background and the trees will pop out of that because they are knitted, so your right side rows will begin with a purl stitch.
The trees are beautiful, with their twining branches, and do take some concentration, but the pattern chart is simple to follow if you can keep track of what row you are on. I suggest using a post-it to cover the rows already completed. The row directly above the post-it, is the row I am currently working on. Where M1 increases are used on the trunks of the trees, be sure to make them knitwise, as stated in the pattern,
The cables that make the branches twist as if waving in the wind are quick and easy once you’ve done one or two. Even if this is your very first cable project, you CAN do this!
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 60 Comments »
