Earlier this summer, I was on vacation and I stumbled upon an adorable looking children’s book called Mischief in the Forest: a yarn yarn in a bookstore. Obviously, as a yarncrafter, I had to flip through it. It was a wonderful story about a grandmother, her woodland neighbors, and what happens to her yarn while…

When it comes to scarves, blankets, and even hats, sizing is pretty straightforward. But when you’re ready for your first sweater, things get a little more complicated. You see, there are really two sets of sizing on lots of sweaters: S, M, L, etc. and then there are the actual measurements. The first type is…

Since 1997, when the first Harry Potter book was released, yarncrafters have had a special relationship with the wizarding world. Throughout the series, knitting patterns are mentioned over and over again, as are magical needles clicking away on scarves, sweaters, hats, and more. “Muggles”, a term from the books, has even become a popular word…

One of the things I love best about weaving (whether it’s on a makeshift cardboard loom or a rigid heddle loom) is that you can get wonderful color effects and patterning simply by arranging the warp1 and weft2 colors and textures in different ways. Vary the texture, the thickness, and of course the colors, to…

Alright, knitters. Now that all of your crocheting friends are cranking out ripple blankets and lacy scarves thanks to last week’s blog post, it’s your turn. The good news is, your choices in decreases are pretty straight forward: k2tog, ssk (or skp) will turn two stitches into one, and for multiple decreases, you’ll either see…

Think you don’t need to know how to work increases and decreases because you only want to make blankets and scarves? Think again–lots of beautiful patterning is created with increases and decreases in both crochet and knitting. Ripple patterns, lace patterns, even some cable patterns will require you to increase and decrease. I wrote about…

What style of crafter are you? Some work up a swatch for every project, and others grab the yarn and dig right in. It’s a little like the difference between rehearsing for a play and doing improvisation. Rehearsed crafting is generally a great approach – it means you know how much yarn you’ll need before…

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,…

Heather Lodinsky is a knit & crochet designer, whose helpful hints and wise words should be familiar to regular visitors to the Lion Brand Notebook–she’s been our knit-along (KAL) and crochet-along (CAL) host on projects ranging from the Cable Luxe Tunic to the Moderne Jacket to, most recently, the Saturday Morning Hoodie. Her first book–150…

Despite the fact that it snowed at the end of March, our thoughts are turning to spring as we head into April. At the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC, that means cottons, lace, knitting and crochet, and trying new things!  Here’s a peek at what some of us have on our hooks and needles:…