The Sweater That Made me a Knitter
May 6th, 2008
To me, my grandfather was larger than life. He had been the sheriff of a small town in the Adirondacks and personified elegance, authority and grace — he rode a chestnut-colored horse and wore a shiny, star-shaped badge. He was always impeccably dressed and adhered closely to a “don’t buy a lot, but buy well” philosophy. I remember his uniforms and suits and how all of the things that hung in hiscloset were tailored and pressed.
One of the items my twin sister and I inherited from him was a beautiful, handmade extra-large gray wool cable knit sweater that he had gotten in Ireland. Every winter we would switch off and either she would wear it or I would. It got to the point where I would jokingly not want to give it back to her at the end of the season and I began to think to myself, what I need to do is make one of these and our problem would be solved. The idea was fun but seemed impossible — the only thing that I had ever knit was a few basic sweaters and blankets and I had no idea how to cable.
I went to my local yarn store and had the great fortune of meeting a wonderful teacher named Beth. During one of her classes, I shared my cable sweater dilemma with her and told her with a smile that I planned to make an exact copy of it. With a large smile back she said, “Well, then let’s do it!” For several weeks, we mined stitch pattern books to try and find the series of cables we needed. Many of the diagonals were too short or too tall and there was an endless back and forth. Then the long hours of learning the twist stitches and different sequences came. We fiddled and charted and tested and finally came up with the pattern. I searched high and low for wool that was just the right color gray (which took a few weeks — had to be 100% wool in just the right shade) and finally set out to make the sweater.
The biggest challenge along the way was the saddle shoulder. I remember Beth said, “Well, we’ll just do a regular shoulder and won’t get involved with that mess!” And I remember pleading with her to help me figure out the saddle shoulder. “It has to be exactly the same!” I told her - big, huge pain in the neck that I was. I even insisted that we recreate two mistakes that I found along the way and ended up stretching out the neck a bit when I was done (Grandpa had a big neck). In the end, it was as close a replica as I could manage and took just under two years to complete.
Since then, I’ve used small sections of the pattern many times for smaller projects - once for a baby vest and another time for a scarf. I laminated the original graph and love having it in my larder to use for future designs. In many ways, I feel that when I use the pattern, I’m giving my friends a piece of my history and love for my grandfather.
Welcoming Spring by Creating Your Own Colors
May 5th, 2008
I don’t know about where you live, but spring seems to be a bit slow in fully coming out this year in New York City. It’s the beginning of May and it feels like the beginning of April right now with cool temps and lots of rain. In a recent newsletter, we featured a special comic-book style piece about hand-dying wool. It was written and illustrated by Michelle Edwards, a regular contributor to our newsletter. It’s sure to brighten your day and get you in the mood for spring, even if the day is cloudy.
Seen in the Yarniverse: Creating Recyclable Bags
May 2nd, 2008
For some of us (especially New Yorkers), getting 10 plastic bags at a grocery store is not an unusual thing. If you’re doing that every week for a year, you’ve collected a lot of plastic bags. Some of you might not know what to do with all of these excess bags, and some may also want to figure out ways to reduce the wasteful usage of these bags. Luckily, Lifehacker posted an easy solution for this by crocheting your plastic bags to create a shoulder tote.
There are quite a few websites where you can purchase your own recycled bags, such as Reusablebags.com, and there are also some people who are creating some very amazing and cool bags out of recycled material. For instance, Cindy at My Recycled Bags does some absolutely incredible things with all types of materials. She’s given me permission to show a couple of her bags here, and she has some incredibly creative ideas. She even created a VCR tote partially using Incredible, a Lion Brand ribbon yarn!
Crocheted Mini Shoulder Bag (Plastic Bags)
Sling Bag (VCR Tape & Incredible Yarn)
Question and Answer - Substituting Yarn
May 2nd, 2008
Q - I found a pattern that I love but it is designed with Wool-Ease and I’m giving it as a gift to someone who is highly allergic to wool. Can you please suggest an alternate yarn that will work with this pattern?
A - You can find a list of yarns that can be substituted for any Lion Brand yarn on our Substitution Chart. In this case, you may want to substitute Lion Organic Cotton or Nature’s Choice (both organic) or you might choose Cotton-Ease or Vanna’s Choice, all completely wool-free. Keep in mind that the importance of creating a gauge swatch before starting most projects, is especially important when you are substituting yarn.
She may never buy from us but . . .
April 30th, 2008
It’s been one week since we launched the Lion Brand notebook and it’s been a real thrill reading all the comments. I especially liked the one from Laura, who wrote from Argentina. She said, “even though your yarns are not available in Argentina, I just want to thank you for all the interest(ing) things I find at your place. . . I can´t buy your products, but I love to see the patterns and all the tips you give us.”
You may wonder why I was so pleased at a comment from someone who can’t even buy our yarn. It’s because when Lion Brand can encourage someone to knit and crochet, I believe we have done something good. I am thankful for the fact that I am part of a business that helps make peoples’ lives better. Yarn provides people with a way to de-stress, a way to express themselves creatively with color and fiber, a way to share something handmade with others and so much more.
You may even be surprised to know that I work with my competitors (I like to refer to them as my friendly competitors) several times a year to come up with ways to promote and encourage crafting with yarn. I’m chairman of an organization called the Craft Yarn Council which, among other things, organizes the annual Knit Out, now held at the Mall of America in February.
Loving my work means loving the business I’m in as well as believing in our products.
Q & A
April 30th, 2008
This is our first Q & A post so we’d like to share how the questions come to us. Lion Brand customer service associates answer questions by phone and email. We respond to over 12,000 email questions each month. This Q & A feature is culled from the most commonly asked questions. If you would like to submit a question, kindly do so in any of the following ways, rather than through this blog:
You may email it to support@lionbrand.com. For questions about an order you already placed, you may email or call 800-661-7551. If you need phone support to help you work through a pattern, you may call 800-705-8636. Keep in mind that these phone numbers are available only weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Q - I’m trying to find an crochet afghan in Vanna’s Choice that is easy enough for someone who knows simple stitch patterns.
A - The best way to find just what you are looking for is to use our Pattern Finder. With over 1,900 patterns to choose from (and growing daily), this great tool will save you lots of time. We used the pull-down menus to select “crochet” as the craft, “Vanna’s Choice” for the yarn, “easy” for the skill level and “afghans/throws/blankets” for the item type. The Pattern Finder located 14 afghans for you.
Try this with any requirement you have. Whether you looking for a baby blanket in Babysoft, a sweater in Wool-Ease or a scarf in Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, the Pattern Finder is the shortest route to get to those patterns.
If you want to fill in the search bar instead of using the drop-down menus, you can enter words describing what you want. The results will not be as accurate as they are when you use the drop-down menus, but if you prefer this method, use what works for you!
Give the Pattern Finder a try and let us know how it works or if you have any questions about it.
Sharing Your Handiwork Pictures Online
April 30th, 2008
Our customer gallery is a spot on our site where you can see what other people are working on or upload your own images. Here’s one we loved, submitted by Jessica Basciano, of a picture that she takes annually of her children wearing sweaters knit by her grandmother. Here’s what she says: “My 84 year old Grandmother, Betty Harris, has made an annual event of making sweaters for 4 of her Great-Grandchildren, Cate, Julia, Colin & Aaron, and having their photo taken. She always uses Lion Brand Yarn and is thrilled to see her work displayed on your web-site. Thank You!
5 Tips for Crafting with Kids from YarnCraft Episode #13
April 29th, 2008
In each episode of our podcast, YarnCraft, my co-host Liz from our Design Department and I like to share some interesting tips about knitting, crocheting, and yarncrafting.
In the podcast episode, “Yarncrafting with Kids,” we were joined by technical editor Jackie from the Design Department to talk about teaching kids. Here are five tips:
- Yarncrafting is more than just knitting & crocheting. Pom poms, tassles, and craft projects are a good way to get even young children experimenting with yarn. Check out our craft patterns for more ideas.
- Think about the materials. Children (as well as most beginners) will knit/crochet tightly, so you may want to give them needles/hooks that are a little bit larger than what is normally recommended for the yarn. Pick needles/hooks that are an easy to work with size (Speed Stix & Speed Hook may be too big for kids!) and yarn that is light in color so that it’s easy to see individual stitches. Variegated yarn can be helpful so that you can point out individual stitches by color — Jiffy Thick & Quick can be a good choice for kids.
- Don’t worry about what they’re making. Let them knit, crochet, loom-knit, or weave for a little bit. That rectangle of material can be sewn up into a coin purse, used as a trivet, given to a doll as a blanket. Even just making chains can be a really satisfying experience for kids.
- Help them start the project. Casting on or working into the first chain are some of the most difficult skills for beginners, so you may want to do the first row for them both to demonstrate the skill, and also so they don’t get frustrated.
- Get to know their learning styles. While some children may learn better watching, others learn better with diagrams, while others learn better by listening to explanations. Getting a feel for their learning styles will make it easier for you to explain things in the most effective way.
For more ideas, check out the podcast every other Tuesday by visiting YarnCraft.LionBrand.com or sign up for BK4K, our monthly newsletter for kids and those who yarncraft with them!
Welcome to the Lion Brand Notebook
April 23rd, 2008
Hi, I’m David Blumenthal, President of Lion Brand Yarn Company, and I’d like to welcome you to Lion Brand through this notebook. As a family business with a long history (Lion Brand has been around since 1878), we are passionate about yarn and dedicated to upholding the values that our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents have instilled in us. Several times a week we’ll share ideas, information and thoughts about crafting with yarn and we’d like to hear your comments.
The picture above is a sign that greets visitors in our corporate offices Carlstadt, New Jersey offices. There is also a bronze plaque in our reception area with the following quote:
The ideals set forth by our parents for this company will ever remain the guiding spirit in our efforts to promote lasting friendship and fair dealing.
We’ll be bringing you answers to your most asked questions, tips and technical support for crafting with yarn, information about the community of knitters, crocheters and crafters, and knit and crochet events. Please check this notebook regularly for up-to-date news and information about new products and plans for an exciting new endeavor that we’ll share with you soon.
We’re looking forward to the conversation. We hope you’ll become part of our extended family. Please feel free to leave a comment, introduce yourself and say hello.
The Knitted Mile
April 22nd, 2008
The Knitted Mile is a project created by fiber artist, Robyn Love, for the exhibition Gestures of Resistance. The exhibition was held at in Dallas Texas, from February 20th to March 22nd.Robyn worked with fifty volunteers to knit a mile-long yellow stripe that was installed in the center of a road in Dallas. The concept was that a knitted median line on a highway interrupts the daily fast-paced movement of life with a lovingly handmade element. Hand-knitting and crafts in general, involve taking ones time and creating one-of-a-kind objects that express our individuality. The exhibition showed that this is an option to mass production, instant gratification and uniformity. The road stripe was knit in garter stitch, 4 inches wide in Vanna’s Choice, mustard color yarn provided by Lion Brand Yarn Company.
