Author Archive
The glass and ceramic objects in my house tend not to last too long, given that my house is full of rowdy boys. I was down to my last two coasters from two previous sets, and not only did they not match, but all the edges were chipped. What to do?? I needed to find something that was both soft and able to absorb condensation, and what could be better than yarn? I decided on these felted crocheted coasters by Timary Peterson, because I liked the round shape, the density, and the fact that they would make up fast.
I decided to use Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica, because it felts beautifully and the color variation in the yarn would help hide any stains that will occur. When they get dirty, they can be washed over and over again for years of use. I have been using them for a couple of weeks and they are perfect. The boys can play with them, throw them, move them around on the coffee table and not mess up a thing. It was the perfect solution to my coaster problem and you can make half a dozen coasters out of one hank. -B
We are always having discussions in the shop about different dye techniques and what their definitions mean. After researching some different ways yarn is dyed I decided I would post some information on our site about this subject. Yarn may be un-dyed, or may be colored with natural (organic) or artificial dyes. Most yarns have a single uniform hue, but there is also a wide selection of variegated yarns: heathered, tweed, ombre, multi-colored, self-striping, and marled. Heathered yarn usually appears solid at first glance, but if you inspect it closer you will see lighter and darker hues of the same color within the fiber. Tweed is yarn with flecks of different colored fiber. Ombre is variegated yarn with light and dark shades of a single hue; it is different from heathered yarn because the shades of single hues are in longer sections. Multi-colored yarns are variegated with two or more distinct hues; for example, a “fruit salad colorway” might have green, pink, and yellow. Self striping yarn is dyed with lengths of color that will automatically create stripes in a knitted or crocheted object. Marled yarn is made from strands of different-colored yarn twisted together, sometimes in closely-related hues. Each of these dye techniques will give a different look to whatever project you are creating. A sweater knitted out of single uniform color can look like a completely different pattern if you knit it out of a multi-colored yarn. That is the great thing about shopping for yarn: you can pick something that is a mirror image of your personality. -B
One of our wonderful L & B employees, Mary, was given some brightly colored Jitterbug sock yarn as a Christmas gift. It was, of course, because everything she makes is pink or a variation of the color pink. Even though Jitterbug has 400 yards per hank (which is a lot for a hand dyed sock yarn), she had to find a project that would lend itself well to that yardage, and didn’t want to knit socks.
She found a great pattern on Ravelry—I know you are surprised 
. The pattern was written by Christy Verity is a lace pattern shawl called 198 Yards of Heaven. Knowing Mary, we weren’t shocked to find out that when she finished she only had about 1-2 yards of yarn left. Now that’s what I call knitting dangerously! The pattern is written for worsted or aran weight, but Mary has shown with her finished product you can knit it out of fingering weight. The shawlette starts at the neck and is knitted in the direction of the point, in one piece.
It has a two stitch garter edge and is finished with a finely pointed scalloped border. The lace pattern repeats are consistent in each row, making the pattern easy to memorize. Thanks to Mary for showing off this heavenly finished project!
We were searching for a flirty, fitted, and flattering knitted sweater on knitty, in the fall 2009 and ran across the Margot a classic Audrey Hepburn style sweater. Coincidentally it was designed by one of our talented local knitters and like all of her patterns was a perfect knit.
The construction is straightforward- cast on at the top and join to work in the round. Lots of stockinette and garter stitch with minimal purling and no seams which, I think most of us would agree is incredible. The original design called for Mission Falls 136 Wool and after scoping the store for several days for the perfect yarn I decided that Linden had it right to start with. The 136 Wool is the newest product in the Mission Falls line. If you have used the 1824 Wool and love it, you will love this dk weight yarn as well.
It is soft, gives beautiful stitch definition, and it can be machine washed. The lightweight yarn and the ¾ length sleeves make it a perfect sweater to wear from the beginning fall through the end of spring. Linden- we can’t wait to see what you come up with next! -Leslie
Materials
- 300 yards Manos Silk Blend (DK weight)
- Size 7 needles (4.5mm)
Abbreviation:
CO – Cast on; Sl stitch – Slip stitch; hyif – hold yarn in front; hyib – hold yarn in back,
K – Knit, P – Purl; RS – Right side; WS – Wrong side; BO – Bind off
CO 320 stitches using long tail cast on.
RS row: *K1, hyif, sl stitch*, repeat till end. The row should end with a slipped stitch and yarn held in front.
WS row: *P1, hyib, sl stitch*, repeat till end.
Repeat till about 3 yards left, BO loosely. Weave in ends.
Tension tricks:
It is very easy to get this scarf really tight. Something to do with the fact that you’re only knitting half of the stitches in every row. I find it helps if you let the yarn that is held in front or held in back to be slack over the stitch it helps keep your fabric from bunching up.
Also, if you bind off and the bind off side of your project is always tighter, try going up a needle size when you bind off. This helps to make the bind off as stretchy as the cast on side.
Once a month L & B will be highlighting one of our favorite Etsy shops. This month we are posting about Sammi84 a homemade jewelry shop for bridal and every day. Similar to Leslie and I, the shop is owned and managed by two sisters Sammi and Kelly. At Sammi84 and their sister shop Made by Sam you will find jewelry inspired by nature, made out of fine gem stones, semi-precious materials, sterling silver, and gold filled (rolled gold). Leslie actually bought me one of the pieces for my birthday a few weeks ago and I haven’t taken it off since I opened the package. You will find most of the jewelry featured on the site is very affordable and simplistic.
The packaging and presentation is really cute and great for anyone who is looking for unique handmade gifts. I have received several compliments asking where I found by maple leaf necklace and I am excited to be promoting this shop. You all know that when Leslie went shopping for my birthday present she couldn’t hold herself back from buying a little silver heart for herself and a gold star for our Mom. This actually worked out perfect for us when we decided to post about the products we had three samples to photograph! Thanks to Sammi and Kelly for giving us the opportunity to highlight their Etsy shop on our blog. -B
The first time we met with our representative from Classic Elite Yarn in 2007, the newest line of yarn was Wenlan Chia’s Twinkle. She had also just brought out her new book Twinkle’s Big City Knits, offering the same whimsical and modern patterns that you see in her fashion line Twinkle by Wenlan. The Twinkle Soft Chunky and the Twinkle Cruise were a definite must have for our shop. Ever since the yarn came into the shop we have been looking for the perfect 2 skein project to knit using Twinkle Cruise, a plied DK yarn of 70% silk and 30% cotton.
After searching on Ravelry we came across the Baktus Scarf by [strikkelise] (person) shout out to our Ravelry users, the perfect pattern match for our criteria. The project is lightweight and silky soft, an ideal spring accent. This is a good project for beginner knitters or for someone looking for a quick knit. You only need to know how to knit and the pattern will teach you how to increase and decrease stitches.
If you look at the pattern on Ravelry check out other people that have made the scarf to see some fun twists to the original pattern. Wenlan also has several beautiful patterns out of Cruise in her other books; Twinkle’s Weekend Knits and Twinkle’s Town and Country Knits. -B
Materials:
2 of each color of 1824 Cotton
I Hook
Pattern:
STEP 1: Ch. 80 sts
STEP 2: Dc in each ch
STEP 3: Sc in each dc
STEP 4: Repeat Step 2 & 3 changing colors to your liking =)
Abbreviations:
Ch: Chain
Dc: Double Crochet
Sc: Single Crochet
Growing up in the heart of Oklahoma in the 1980’s, I’m not sure if the bathroom trend back then was white subway tiles on everything; floors, walls, showers, and even counter tops but, at our house that was definitely the norm for every bathroom. When we decided to crochet a colorful bath mat out of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton we thought back to those white subway tile days when we were always looking for something to spice up our monochrome bathroom. Where could we find a picture of the source of our inspiration? I bet Grandpa has some remnants of the good old days, sure enough he did.
The best part about knitting or crocheting your own rug is you can personalize it to your taste and decor. If you want a circle, square, rectangle, or pentagon it is all up to you and your imagination. The color options are endless and the 1824 Cotton has over 40 colors to choose from and every color combination works. The yarn is perfect for anything that you need to wash frequently because it is 100% cotton and can be washed and dried on gentle cycle.
I wanted the bath mat to be dense and thick, so I double stranded the yarn and crocheted on a size I hook, which made it the perfect weight to soften any hard surface. If you want a no skid rug, pick up some grip liner at any store that carries shelf paper. Cut it to size, lay it under your mat, and enjoy! -Leslie
If you are interesting in crocheting your own bath mat check out the free pattern section of the blog!
If you are intermediate beginner and are wanting a scarf pattern with a little more interest than just a basic garter stitch or stockinette stitch, sign up for this linen stitch scarf class. The class is $33 and includes 2 hanks of Manos Silk Blend and 1 hour of instruction. The class will be Saturday, February 27th from 1:00 pm-2:00 pm. You need to bring a size 7-32″ or longer circular needle. If you are interested in signing up for the class call the store at 405-310-3636, come by, or e-mail us!
