Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
We received this photo and letter from Irene in New Jersey, about a pattern she made for her grand-dog, Zevi. She is a serious Yankees fan who buys Yankees clothes for everyone on her gift lists but there was nothing available for this Boston Terrier, so she modified a pattern designed for Martha Stewart’s dogs, which are French Bulldogs. The colors in Vanna’s Choice are Sapphire and White.
“It took 2 days working several hours each to make this sweater. I used Vanna’s Choice instead of the yarn in the pattern. I had to make a small back and a large bottom. The back was made in two parts, white and navy, and then sewn together. I also eliminated the second button because he did not have enough room for his front legs. I tried the sweater on many times to get the fit right but he was so good about it. He is a terrific dog. We just adore him. Amazingly he really likes wearing it. He actually grabbed it back after I took it off.”
Posted in Knitting | 2 Comments »
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks at Lion Brand preparing for the Martha Stewart show which airs on Monday, March 23rd. Our Design team has been working on special projects that were created especially for the show.
The producer visited our Studio and met with our president, David Blumenthal and our creative team headed by Karen Tanaka in an initial planning meeting. A week later, Martha taped a segment in the Lion Brand Studio on which we blogged about on March 6th. To get less than a 5 minute segment, the camera crew came at 7:30 a.m. and were in the Studio or our Design Department until 7:00 p.m. that night. Martha brought her dogs, Sharkey and Francesca to the studio and they were fitted for sweaters that were designed by Lion Brand.
You’ll be able to get the patterns from our website by the time the show airs on Monday.
Here are some videos of the filming in our Studio:
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Yarniverse | 10 Comments »
The Lion Brand Yarn Studio was closed for part of the day yesterday because we had a special guest. It was an exciting day for us but we don’t want to give away the surprise just yet. In our March 20th newsletter we’ll give readers a sneak preview (before it goes public!)
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 8 Comments »
How far would you go to remember your beloved pets? Some people create elaborate memorials to best give tribute to their best companions. One married couple in England took it one step further, by knitting their pets’ fur into garments. The Cleveland Plain Dealer had readers email their local Dog Lady about the practice with comments. The English couple who had knit their two pets into jumpers had heard about the process through their dog breeders, and now have keepsakes of their best two companions.
Even Martha Stewart creates items out of her dog Paw Paw. In a segment of her February 14 show, she showed the care she takes of her dog, and how she is interested in knitting a keepsake using a skein of Paw Paw’s fur yarn. She personally uses a local company VIP Fibers to spin the fur.
What do you think about this process? Have any of you tried using your dogs’ or pets’ fur to create a keepsake?
Posted in Knitting, Yarniverse | 11 Comments »
Homespun is one of those iconic yarns Lion Brand is known for, so people might be surprised to find out that it was “born” in 1997. I know it surprised me when I started at Lion Brand – I assumed Homespun must have been around forever!
Homespun started when David saw a unique yarn woven into a throw blanket. He thought, with a few modifications, that it would be ideal for hand-knitting and crochet. Lion Brand worked with the mill for over two years to perfect the yarn and the original set of 9 colors.
When we introduced it, the yarn became a sensation. It was totally different from anything else on the market – softer, silkier, and with a wide variety of color effects. It’s also a great weight (CYCA #5 – Bulky). So many crocheters and knitters tell us that they love how quickly they finish projects when they use Homespun. Many charity groups have embraced using Homespun in Prayer or Comfort shawls, because of its soft feel, easy care, and affordability. In 2005, we released a book with Leisure Arts featuring different prayer shawls to knit and crochet. It was so well received; we’re working on a second one now, due to be released in late 2008.
Homespun got an unexpected boost in popularity when we released a pattern for a Homespun poncho designed to look like the one Martha Stewart wore when she left prison. Three years later, it is still one of the most downloaded patterns on our site (out of almost 2,000 total patterns).
About a year ago, we visited the beautiful, historic mill in New England where Homespun is made. Built in 1864, the mill has run on hydro-generated power since 1915 and has such a feeling of textile history. Around the time of this first visit, I was teaching myself how to make yarn on a home spinning wheel (a project still very much in progress) - I was amazed at the similarities between home spinning, and the way Homespun is produced.
The first step in making Homespun begins with dyeing the raw fiber into over 50 individual shades. These shades are then blended together into a sliver, ready for spinning. The colored fiber can be blended in various ways – with one dominant color and 2 or 3 coordinating accents for a Heathered Solid; with 3 or 4 contrasting colors for a Tweed; or with up to 8 colors in a shifting pattern that created the subtle, variegated stripes in our Painterly colors.
We were so inspired by our visit; Lion Brand collaborated with Leisure Arts on a book of patterns with a story on the mill and beautiful photos of the blending and spinning process. You won’t believe the bright shades of fiber that combine to make the earthy hues of Prairie!
Posted in Yarns | 7 Comments »
