Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
I love watching horror movies to get ready for Halloween. Surprisingly, there are many horror films that feature knitting! Here are some of my favorite scary movies to add to your Halloween queue:
Have a ghoulishly good Halloween, everyone!
Posted in Knitting, Yarniverse | 1 Comment »
If you’re getting bored of garter and stockinette stitch, try something new! I personally love experimenting with the textures of different stitches. Looking through the many stitches on StitchFinder, I always ask “What can I make with that stitch?” The truth is I have too many ideas! Belts, scarves, shawls, blankets, maybe add a little lace here or a cable there… So I thought I’d share a few ideas with you.
First of all, when you’re experimenting with a new stitch, you really should do a gauge swatch. But it’s not so bad, you’ll get the hang of the stitch and you can create a washcloth or squares for a patchwork blanket! Once you know the gauge you’ll be able to make a better decision about what to make and how many stitches to cast on.
Making anything square or rectangular with your new stitch will be a cinch! Just decide on the length and width of your project and divide by the length and width of a repeat in your gauge swatch. Just make sure you’re starting with the right number of stitches for your stitch pattern (for example, if your stitch pattern says “chain a multiple of 6 + 3″ and you want 10 repeats you would chain 63). From there you can make scarves, shawls, blankets, or pillow covers! If you make a long skinny strip and add two D-ring to one end you’ll have a belt! If you knit a rectangle, fold it in half, sew two sides together, and add a strap, you have a purse!
You can also add a new stitch to an existing pattern or idea. Substitute stockinette for a more textured stitch; switch out one lace pattern for another or switch cables. By simply switching up the stitch you use you keep your projects interesting!
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To | 3 Comments »
My mother is the type of person who wants to have all of her Christmas presents purchased before October. She has recently gotten back into crocheting after a 20+ year break from it, so she’s excited to learn everything I can tell her about stitches, fibers, and all things yarn-related. While talking to her on the phone, I mentioned our newest yarn, Hometown USA. Her thoughts immediately went to her almost finished Christmas list.
“Do you have Pittsburgh Steelers colors? I want to make my sister a striped scarf.” I recommended that she try Pittsburgh Yellow with Oakland Black. “How about Cleveland Browns colors? You could make your cousin Bryan a hat.” I quickly suggested Cleveland Brown and Syracuse Orange. Now I have to send her the yarn so that she can finish all of her Christmas crafting.
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Lion Staff | 4 Comments »
In honor of Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change, we want to share eco-friendly yarns and projects with you.
With the recent concern about climate change, Lion Brand has come out with several eco-friendly options, including organic and recycled yarns. Our LB Collection Organic Wool is a worsted weight 100% organically produced wool dyed with low impact dyes. Low impact dyes require less water to rinse and less dye bleeds into the water. Lion Brand also has two organic cottons-Lion Organic Cotton and Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton. Lion Organic Cotton is not dyed, but is available in naturally occurring shades, while Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton’s dyes are certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard by the Institute of Marketecology. Another great option for the eco-conscious crafter is Recycled Cotton, which is spun from cotton fabric clippings that would otherwise be discarded when fabric is cut to produce tee-shirts.
There are a lot of great ways that knitting and crocheting can be used to make your life more eco-friendly. By using a market bag you can prevent plastic bags from ending up in landfills. Even though some bags are recyclable, the recycling process still polutes the air, unlike knitting and using your own reusable bag. Scrubbies and dish cloths are also eco-friendly projects. Instead of throwing away sponges and paper-towels, wash and reuse your scrubbies and dish coths!
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Knitting | 3 Comments »
1. Meet people who will really listen to what you want to talk about.
Ever try to have a conversation with your husband about the hat you are knitting? Can you talk to your friends about the fact that you have 2 bags of yarn under your bed and a secret stash in the back of the closet in the basement? It’s hard enough to find people to talk to (and to listen!) but on our Facebook page you’ll have a forum for your thoughts and people who take you seriously, support you, and debate you in a friendly way on the craft that means something to you. If you’re the quiet type, just hit the “like” button, but you’re free to say more comments and tell us and your yarn-loving friends what’s on your mind.
2. Find out about our sales.
If you subscribe to our weekly newsletter, you’ll get an offer for a kit sale each week, but on our Facebook page, we will alert you to free shipping weekends and 24 hour sales on really yummy items that you won’t find anywhere else. As long as you are checking Facebook regularly anyway and finding out that your old friend from high school had pancakes for breakfast, why not check in to see if we have any goodies for you?
3. Change the world.
O.K. maybe not the whole world, but you can change our world because we listen to what you say on Facebook. We look at the conversations and comments on Facebook to see what you like, what you want more of and what we can do better. We asked you what would be the perfect yarn and many of you said superwash merino. What we didn’t know was that you didn’t know that we offer this yarn, exclusively on our site and in the Lion Brand Studio. So hint, hint, if you join Facebook, you might find out about a 24 hour sale near the end of this week.
4. Explore and discover.
Stay on top of what’s good in the yarn-loving universe. New fashion trend on knitting from the New York Times Style section? We’ll let you know. The knit-along or crochet-along is starting on our blog, and you’ll know the minute it does. When we announced that all our patterns were free, we did it here. Contest announcement — Facebook! New yarn coming into your local stores — Facebook! New video on how to knit socks? You guessed it.
5. Who couldn’t use more friends?
Over 36,000 of them, and they all have something in common with you.
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Knitting | 2 Comments »
We’ve been knitting and crocheting in the Lion Brand Yarn Studio’s window for a week now, and we love all of your reactions. People of all ages have been stopping by to see if our knitters and crocheters are real! Because our building is next to a daycare center, we’ve had lots of excited children stop by the window every day. Keep stopping by to see how many scarves we’ve made, and don’t forget to say hello to the person in the window!
Related links:
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff | 3 Comments »
This November, the Lion Brand Yarn Studio 
celebrates its first birthday. It’s been a fantastic year, so we want to celebrate by giving back to the New York City community. From October 1 to November 22, we’ll be knitting and crocheting scarves in the front window of the Studio. Each scarf will be donated to the Partnership for the Homeless, a 501(c)(3) organization, to keep New York’s homeless individuals and their families warm this winter.
You’re invited to help New York families, too! Simply drop off your handmade scarf or hat at the Studio by December 1, and we’ll ship them to the Partnership for the Homeless. You can also receive some great discounts for your kindness. Click here for more information.
So swing by the Studio to say hello to Andrea (pictured), me, and all the other crafters as we give to a worthy cause!
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Knitting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff | 5 Comments »
Crocheting or knitting for long periods of time can cause discomfort. Here are a few tips to avoid crafting pains:
If you experience serious or prolonged wrist pain, consult a physician.
Posted in Crafting, Crocheting, Knitting, Tips & How To | 1 Comment »
In the special 50th episode of YarnCraft, our bi-weekly podcast, Liz and Zontee answer your questions! From entrelac to invisible seaming, this episode is full of great tips you don’t want to miss.
This episode’s Stash This: Ideas for Your Crafting Life features lots of one-ball projects, perfect for fast gifts or stash-busting. Here are five fast patterns to get your fall crafting started:
To listen to the entire episode, click here [MP3]. For more information about the podcast or this episode, visit the YarnCraft blog. Join the YarnCraft ladies next week for an all-new episode featuring fantastic fall and Halloween crafts.
Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, YarnCraft Podcast | Leave a comment »
New York Fashion Week is the place to see and be seen. Underground yarn-bombing group Knitta Please got into the spirit by adding colorful knitted covers to poles outside of the Standard Hotel. The project, which will be on display through tomorrow, is meant to celebrate the relationship between fashion, design, crafting, and street culture. Click here to take a look at the photographs on Flickr.
Via Gothamist.
Posted in Community, Knitting, Yarniverse | Leave a comment »
