Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
At the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, we’ve been making scarves for the Partnership for the Homeless, an organization here in NYC, as well as collecting scarf & hat donations from local yarncrafters. We’re having so much fun knitting and crocheting for charity in our window, we thought we’d share some of our patterns. Each one of us gets to make whatever we want. Sometimes we use the StitchFinder, and sometimes we make it up. In the next few weeks we’ll share some of the staff’s scarves.
Each one of our window scarves is one ball of Vanna’s Choice, but you can make a longer scarf by using two balls. The recommended needle size for this yarn is US9 and the hook size is J-10, but as always, adjust up or down depending on the feel if your own fabric and your tension. With all of the scarves, you would bind off when you have yarn about 4 times the width of the scarf left. Then just weave in the ends, and you have a great scarf!
Will’s Garter Stitch (shown in Antique Rose):
CO 24 stitches
Knit every row
Will’s Crochet Scarf (show in dusty blue)
Ch 21
Row 1 - 3: Sc across row.
Row 4: Dc across row.
repeat all 4 rows
Michelle’s Basketweave Scarf (shown in Taupe Mist)
CO 24.
Row 1: *K4, P4* repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2 - 6: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 7: *P4, K4* repeat from * to end of row.
Row 8 - 12: Knit the knits, and purl the purls.
Repeat rows 1-12.
Michelle’s V-Stitch Scarf (shown in Dusty Rose)
Ch 21.
Row 1: Dc into 6th ch from hook, ch1, dc into same ch *sk 2 ch, (dc, ch1, dc) into the same ch. Rep from * 4 times. dc into last ch.
Row 2: Ch 3, turn. (dc, ch 1, dc) into each ch 1 space (5 times total). dc into the top of the turning ch of the row below.
Repeat Row 2 to desired length.
Are you in the NYC area? To find out more about how you can help us by donating knit & crochet hats and scarves, please click here.
Related links:
Posted in Community, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff | 1 Comment »
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 | 2 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 | 4 Comments »
If you’ve ever wondered what an owlsquid or a spidercat would look like, look no further than Another Day, Another Monster. Gina from the Lion Brand Yarn Studio is crafting a monster a day for an entire year and blogging about the process. Some are big and some are small, but they’re all original and fun. Her blog is a great inspiration for anybody getting ready to decorate for Halloween. If you love her work, each monster is for sale on her Etsy page.
Posted in Crocheting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio | Leave a comment »
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to visit the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in New York, check out this video from our friends at Craft!
Via CRAFT
Related Posts:
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 2 Comments »
If you love to see what the staff here at Lion Brand is working on — from Lindsey’s great scarf to our group-made Lion — then you’ll definitely want to stop by the Lion Brand Yarn Studio’s blog (for our retail store here in NYC), and see what the staff there has on their hooks and needles. I know I’m certainly impressed with all of the projects they are making for personal pleasure (in addition to the great things they are always making for the displays)!
Click here to see their great projects!
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff | 1 Comment »
Here in New York at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, our customers constantly surprise and inspire us. Here are just a few examples of what some of our customers have been up to.
Wendy made this amazing scarf for her mom. It’s Nicky Epstein’s Tuscan Sun Scarf in Vanna’s Glamour.
We were so impressed we asked her to pose for us.
Fran came by with this beautiful sweater. She wanted to take advantage of our finishing service and our own Tracey sewed in the zippers and made a cute little tie for the matching bonnet.
When I asked her if she had any yarn she wanted to use for the bonnet ties, she pulled out a skein of a discontinued yarn, Lion Brand Sayelle. Our own Jack Blumenthal was in the Studio, and I called him over to see the label. He took one look and said, “I remember that label: 1985.” Fran said she had been knitting with Lion Brand for years.
From a lifelong Lion Brand knitter to a newer knitter celebrating her first finished project: Kendace was so happy with her Wool-Ease Thick & Quick blanket that she couldn’t help wrapping herself up in it…
…and also applauding her own beautiful work. We applaud her too!
Then there’s Bob with his amazing Irish Baby Blanket. It’s made from Cupcake & the Shamrocks are two colors of Microspun
(Bob is actually quite tall, he just couldn’t resist the old “shoe on the table” gag!)
Keep the projects coming! We LOVE seeing your work.
And if you’re outside of the New York area, you can show off your work at the LionBrand.com Customer Gallery by clicking here.
Posted in Community, Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 3 Comments »
A new pattern came out, the Thermal Scarf, and it had a stitch that I wanted to try. It was a scarf using front post double crochet. I grabbed a ball of Cotton-Ease from our demo bin of yarn and gave it a try. I wanted to make sure I understood the pattern in case any of our customers asked about it. I was having so much fun I couldn’t stop. I took it to home and I realized I was getting close to the end of the ball, but alas, I had no idea what the dye lot was. I had two choices, rip it out and start again, or improvise.
I decided to look up how to do crochet button holes. I put in two button holes, picked up some cute buttons from the Studio and turned it into a one ball neck warmer. I love it.
Posted in Crocheting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Tips & How To | 1 Comment »
Following a pattern as written is great, but sometimes you want to mix it up a bit. Don’t be shy, jump in. Here are two different takes on one of our most popular patterns, the Weekend Retreat Cardi.
Michelle followed the pattern as written, but substituted Lion Cotton, color Sagebrush. She really like this yarn and wanted to find a simple stockinette pattern that would really show it off.
How cute is she?
The next take on the same pattern comes from one of our customers, Jodi. She described to me a sweater that she wanted. I suggested she start with the Weekend Retreat Cardi, but then instead of going to rib she knit the feather and fan pattern for the bottom. I think it turned out great.
Before you say, “I could never change a pattern like that,” note that Jodi took her very first knitting lesson at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in February. She has only been knitting for five months! If she can do it, you can do it.
Posted in Community, Knitting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff | 10 Comments »
At the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, we use our Silver Reed Knitting Machine for many things. We teach private lessons on it, we use it to make objects for our windows and displays. This adorable headband was made on the machine by knitting strips of Microspun and strips of Moonlight Mohair and then braiding them.
If you want to read about our gift wrapping, made on the machine, check out the Studio Blog post about it.
Posted in Knitting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 1 Comment »
