When someone you care about is expecting a baby, you’re likely to have the urge to create a one-of-a-kind beautiful gift.  As one of the landmark occasions in a family’s life, a time to celebrate the arrival of a new life, what better way to do that than with something made by hand? Babies are…

It’s finally warming up here in New York, and I’m ready to start working on projects that are appropriate for the warmer days ahead.  Cotton is a great fiber to wear in warm weather because it’s cool and breathable.  It’s also ideal for market bags, accessories, and washcloths.  But, with so many cottons out there,…

A couple weeks ago, I posted about self-striping yarns.  Another fun way to play with colors is using “multis”, where each strand contains multiple colors.  Whereas self-striping yarns change gradually, multis have either short bursts of color change or different colors plied together.  You can see how the Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton in Wildflowers (left)…

Sock-Ease is one of my favorite yarns for sock knitting because of its durability, but did you know that it’s great for other projects, too? Whether you’re trying this yarn for the first time or are using up your scraps, here are 4 great ways to use Sock-Ease for non-sock projects! Color blending. Try stranding…

Unlike the mood rings of our childhoods, color changing yarns don’t actually change color according to a change in their environment.  These are yarns that have multiple colors spun together in unique ways for different effects.  “Self-striping” and “painterly” colors gradually change color as you knit or crochet to create stripes of color.  The color…

I first started knitting with LB Collection Superwash Merino because it was the perfect yarn for a sweater I wanted to make.  It was a DK weight, it knit to gauge, and I loved the Wild Berry color.  So I bought my yarn, making sure I had enough for whatever size I would end up…

Anyone who has ever counted stitches or calculated gauge knows that math is an important part of knitting and crocheting.  Woolly Thoughts, a pair of “matheknitticians”, designed an afghan that makes 10 colors look like 55!   The design is based on triangular numbers–the number of dots that fit in an equilateral triangle, in case…

Superwash wool is a wool yarn that is machine washable and, therefore, will not felt. Each hair of wool is made up of scales. Felting occurs when these scales bind together. The superwash process prevents the scales from binding in one of two ways. Some superwash wools are given an acid bath that removes its…

2011’s color of the year is Honeysuckle, according to leading color authority Pantone. They describe the color as a “dynamic reddish pink” that is “encouraging and uplifting”. With the terrible weather we’ve had on the East Coast, I think this bold color is great for adding a cheery pop of color to a winter’s day,…

We invite you to visit our website, where for a very limited time, you can get  20% off everything you order shipped within the US. Enter the code newyear20 during checkout to receive the discount.  The sale ends at midnight on Tuesday, January 11th. Take a look at the thousands of free patterns in every…