Loom knitting and weaving has been increasing in popularity lately; although many people turn to needles and hooks for yarncrafting, there are some who prefer loom boards with pegs and a hook as their yarncraft tool of choice. Loom knitting is a great alternative to traditional knitting for those who may have arthritis or carpal tunnel…

When choosing the best yarn for a project, there are a few different factors that come into play.  You need to consider what you want the focus of your project to be; will it focus on stitch definition, color or texture?  For instance, if you’re working on a complicated lace stitch, you will probably work with a…

When it comes to improvising knit & crochet designs of your own or adjusting patterns, there’s almost always a little math to be done. Don’t be intimidated though! A little arithmetic will take you a long way, allowing you to make sure you get the results you’re looking for. To help you on your way,…

Pantone, the “world renowned authority on color” and provider of color systems throughout a variety of industries, has announced the 2012 color of the year; Tangerine Tango. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute stated,“sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it.”…

If you’ve mastered scarves, shawls, and other rectangular objects, you may be thinking about what else you can make. Or perhaps you want to make a garment, but you like instant gratification and don’t want to think about sleeve shaping, buttonholes, etc. Luckily for you, we have a lot of basic shrug projects on LionBrand.com…

Yarncrafting inspiration comes from so many different sources: colors, textures, drape, shapes, and more. Now there’s a way to create a virtual moodboard: Pinterest, a fun social network that’s a helpful resource for crafters. Essentially, Pinterest allows you to curate different boards of images. This is perfect for bookmarking yarncrafting patterns, yarns you wish to…

Have you ever wondered how to get the perfect color palette for a multicolor project? The secret is surprisingly simple color theory! When selecting your colors, there are two important things to keep in mind: hue and value. To illustrate these, I’ll be using the same Fair Isle pattern with a variety of color combinations.…

With 2011 quickly winding down, I’ve begun prepping my 2012 yarncrafting queue. I’ve noticed a lot of great trends in stores that are also appearing in knitting and crochet. Here are my 3 favorite trends that I’m adding to my to-do list. The classic granny square has become fashionable in a very big way. British…

The Craft Yarn Council has declared October 14th “I Love Yarn Day”; I’m sure all of you wonderful crafters profess your love for yarn all of the time, but now, there is an “official” day we can all unite and do so. In celebration of this day, you are encouraged to knit/crochet in public (as…

It is common practice in cardigan patterns to write out shaping for only one front and then indicate that the knitter or crocheter is to “reverse shaping” for the second front. The practice developed because in print, leaving out those instructions means that there is room for something else (like an additional pattern or a…