Sister and brother duo, Elizabeth and Robby Miracle, first created this dyeing series for a Lion Brand newsletter several years ago. Although that newsletter is no longer around, we loved the idea of making kitchen-safe dyes so much, that we’ve updated it and reprinted the series here.  Creating your own dyes can be a fun…

Technical editor and yarncrafting expert Kj Hay joins us for a series on understanding the different elements of patterns. Click here to read her earlier blog posts. Special Phrases There are some deceptively brief phrases used in prose instructions that have a powerful, agreed upon meaning. At first, you should approach patterns with such phrasing cautiously as they assume…

Knit Weekend Hoodie Crochet Wine Carrier Yarncrafted Ornaments Blogger and author Kathryn Vercillo shares her tips for enjoying holiday crafting – avoid feeling overwhelmed as as the season gets closer! Read her previous blog posts on the Lion Brand Notebook here. It happens every year to the best of us. We get excited about all of the wonderful gifts that we’re going…

Sister and brother duo, Elizabeth and Robby Miracle, first created this dyeing series for a Lion Brand newsletter several years ago. Although that newsletter is no longer around, we loved the idea of making kitchen-safe dyes so much, that we’ve updated it and reprinted the series here.  Creating your own dyes can be a fun…

Technical editor and yarncrafting expert Kj Hay joins us for a series on understanding the different elements of patterns. Click here to read her earlier blog posts. Obviously the most important information in crochet and knit patterns are the instructions. They are also the most challenging to decrypt. Instructions consist of two basic types, 1) row/round instructions, and 2)…

Did you know that you can use your Martha Stewart Crafts™ Knit & Weave Loom Kit to make rubber band bracelets? The small configurations will fit perfectly into a purse so you can take a crafting break anywhere. What’s great about the Martha Stewart Crafts™ Knit & Weave Loom Kit is that different members of…

Sister and brother duo, Elizabeth and Robby Miracle, first created this dyeing series for a Lion Brand newsletter several years ago. Although that newsletter is no longer around, we loved the idea of making kitchen-safe dyes so much, that we’ve updated it and reprinted the series here.  Creating your own dyes can be a fun…

Technical editor and yarncrafting expert Kj Hay joins us for a series on understanding the different elements of patterns. Click here to read her earlier blog posts. Punctuation differs from publisher to publisher, but in all cases is used to separate and group instructions. Typically, commas, semi-colons, colons, and dashes are used to separate. Parentheses, brackets, curly braces, and…

I’ve learned a ton of new skills and tricks from working at Lion Brand. One of my favorite tips comes from crochet designer Robyn Chachula. (I’ve interviewed her several times for our podcast, YarnCraft—check out the first and second episodes featuring Robyn.) Robyn says that you should create a schematic based on YOUR favorite sweater so that whenever you come across…

Technical editor and yarncrafting expert Kj Hay joins us for a series on understanding the different elements of patterns. Click here to read her earlier blog posts. The extensive use of abbreviations can make knit and crochet patterns appear to be written in Klingon or Elvish rather than a human language. There are two sources of abbreviations used in…