Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
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.
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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
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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!
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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 | 4 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 »
For Lion Brand, charity is a part of what we do and we know it is part of your lives as well. Instead of the regular knit and crochet-alongs, this summer, we have decided to try something different — we want to encourage you in joining us in giving back to others in a charity knit & crochet-along.
In the next five weeks, join us as you:
Please comment on this post and make a promise to make something for charity by the end of this summer. When you name the charity, please tell us why they have touched you. If you need help finding a local/national/ international organization, click here to use our Charity Connection.
Join us next Thursday, and every Thursday for the next few weeks, for new ideas, stories shared, and more.
Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting, Knit-Along, Knitting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff, Tips & How To | 131 Comments »
If you haven’t had a chance to make it to our special retail store in New York City, the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, we’ve got a special treat for you! Two friends of ours are going to take you for a special virtual, pictorial tour!
Meet the Studio Squirrels! Sadie and Hazel (short for Hazelnut) show you all the fun things you can do at the Studio. Hazel tries yarns at the Sampling Wall, picks a pattern, gets a private lesson from Will, and even helps ring up customers at the register! Sadie winds a ball on the ball winder, shops around for various yarns and accessories, and learns to machine-knit. Follow Sadie and Hazel on their Studio adventure by clicking on the slideshow below!
And if you have a chance to visit the Studio, say hi to Sadie and Hazel! They will be part of our new window display until the fall! For information and hours about this special retail location go to the Lion Brand Yarn Studio website.
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 19 Comments »
Here in the Studio, we have a customer, Jodi. She’s a great gal, great knitter, but she has one terrible habit. Dumping lots of yarn in a bag and dragging it all around New York City until it becomes a tangled mess:
She came in the other day and our trusty Michelle helped her with her mess. I told them I call this picture
“The Tangler and the Untangler (or friends don’t let friend’s tangle their yarn)”
If this is a problem for you, and you’re in the NYC area (or stopping by on vacation this summer), stop by the Studio and pick up a project bag (or two) to keep your yarn organized, OR read some of the “tips of the day” from customers on LionBrand.com for useful storage ideas.
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 8 Comments »
