Customer Project - Vintage Crochet Blanket

contributed by Shawn


A lovely crochet project came through our doors recently and we wanted to share!

This is a blanket crocheted using Berroco Comfort DK yarn and adapted from a vintage pattern that originally called for crochet thread. The design looks beautiful in the black and white and our customer added tiny rosettes for a finishing touch.

Baby Chucks

contributed by Shawn

Remember these?

Well I recently came across a pattern for Crochet Baby Converse sneakers by Suzanne Resaul on Ravelry and COULD NOT RESIST. They are amazing!

I used Knit One Crochet Too DungarEase yarn for the soles. I don’t usually enjoy knitting with cotton especially at the tight gauge required for stiff fabric like these little shoes. However, the DungarEase yarn is wonderful to crochet with. I enjoyed using it even on a small hook at a tight gauge. The yarn is made in a way that gives it a nice cushy feel and it has some elasticity to it when you work with it. My hands definitely did not complain about crocheting with this cotton blend like the usually do when I knit or crochet with cotton.

The uppers are Berroco Comfort DK. I was going to make little red Chucks, but we were out of the bright red color so I settled for the lime green. They are still awesome!

These little Chuck Taylors are an easy project and everyone who sees the finished shoes is enthralled. I highly recommend making up a pair for the next baby gift you plan to give.

Customer Project - Spotlight on Lang Tosca Light

contributed by Shawn

We recently snapped a photo of a wonderful example of Lang Tosca Light yarn crocheted into a circular shawl. 

Our customer Florence shared this beautiful project with us and said it was created from a vintage (& unidentified) crochet pattern. The Lang Tosca Light yarn shading really is striking.

Lang Tosca Light looks great in knitted projects like this Wonderful Wallaby sweater too! 

My Jojo Ripple

I'm so proud of myself for finishing this blanket! I really do like to crochet, but single crochet is not my favorite stitch. I prefer a "taller" stitch that goes faster. (For all you folks who say crocheting is faster than knitting... it's not! For me, anyway!)

I was so inspired by customer Sue B's gorgeous crocheted blankets (see them and read about them in this previous post) that I had to make one for myself. But I wanted to work with one yarn that changed colors on its own.

I picked the Jojoland Rhythym Superwash yarn (color Cosmic Burst) because I wanted a worsted weight, and I lovee how the colors in this yarn are beautiful, yet completely random. And I mean COMPLETELY! There's no set pattern of striping in this yarn. Each colorway includes a set of colors, and then those colors are used throughout the spinning process, but in no particular order. If you're on the Type A side of the spectrum and want order in your yarn striping, this yarn may not be for you!

I used 11 balls of the Jojoland Ryhthm Superwash. And none of the balls were the same. This is the beauty of this yarn!

I was supposed to use a size H hook, but only had a G and was dying to get started. So my blanket is a bit smaller than it should have been, but not by much. It was supposed to be 30x36" and mine is 28x29". It's still a great size! (Pattern is Ann Norling Ripple Crochet Afghan.)

And doesn't this yarn (in this ripple pattern!) remind you of my Missoni Window blog post from August? 

Maybe that's why I enjoyed this project so much!

Crocheting the Clapotis (Upcoming Class Preview)

Want to learn how to crochet?  This class features an easy project where you will learn beginning crochet skills with dazzling effects! The amazing Clapochet scarf is based on the wildly popular Clapotis knitting pattern by Kate Gilbert (originally released in Knitty, Fall 2004).   

This project is worked on the diagonal, with chain spaces peppered throughout to create a texture similar to the original Clapotis. Using a self-striping yarn creates a striping effect that runs with the texture of the stitches. The finished project can be worn scrunched up as a scarf or spread out like a shawl making it a very versatile wardrobe piece that you won’t want to be without!

This ONE session class meets Wednesday, December 12, 5 pm - 7 pm.

SPOTTED

...on a back street in Florence, Italy in July, while escaping the throngs of tourists.

The most cool light fixture I've ever seen!

I need to grab some Brown Sheep Burly Spun Yarn and figure out how to do this.

What cool things have YOU spotted recently?

SPOTTED

...in a craft shop window, while walking through town the other morning.

A beautiful crocheted wall hanging! This would be lovely on any wall, and made larger with rug wool, would be a delightful floor covering!

What cool things have YOU spotted recently?

Learn to Crochet (Upcoming Class Preview)

We've had tons of requests for crochet help in the past couple of weeks because of our beautiful Sashay scarf shop sample. 

This super soft scarf is an easy project in bulky weight yarn and it's a generous size at 11" x 74". But if you haven't crocheted before, why not tackle one that's a more manageable size?

We've modified this pattern and scheduled a Learn to Crochet a Granny Square Scarf class.  In no time at all you'll be wrangling a crochet hook like a professional. Starting with a simple chain and basic crochet stitches you will build colorful circles within squares in this Granny Square technique.

You'll learn crochet joining techniques to bring your motifs together in our own adaptation of this popular pattern. The Berroco Lodge yarn is so fun, it stripes all by itself and looks amazing in crochet patterns!

This TWO SESSION class meets Wednesdays, October 3 AND October 24, 5:30 pm - 7 pm.
 

SPOTTED

...while picking my children up from their first day of school this Monday in Tampere, Finland!

A beautifully crocheted bike basket/bag.

In cities where people commute to work and school on bikes, this is an excellent idea!

What cool things have YOU spotted recently?

Customer Project - Crocheted Blankets

contributed by Barb

We caught up with customer Sue B. recently and she showed us two blankets she had just finished.  One for a boy:

And one for a girl:

They are made with Plymouth Encore and Plymouth Encore Tweed and are worked in a crocheted ripple stitch pattern. What a perfect blanket for when you are watching TV!

We think they're beautiful and the colors she chose are delicious. It really makes me want to make something like this. Thanks for sharing Sue!

A remake of a beauty - another cost cutting idea

One of our favorite new accessories for this fall and winter is the Sashay scarf. This crocheted scarf is done in Berroco Lodge, a bulky color transitioning yarn with vibrant tweed flecks. The pattern is in Berroco Book #322.

Visitors to our shop this summer have loved this scarf - which is worked in two different colors of the Lodge yarn.

It's a generous scarf (11" x 74") and so it takes 4 balls of each of the two colors, for a total of 8 balls of Lodge. In this day of budget conscious yarn shopping, not everyone wants to spend $64 on yarn for a scarf... And not everyone wants a scarf THAT big. So we've taken the idea of this scarf, and remade it into a less costly, and smaller version.

Barb is in the process of making this scarf, and we'll have it for you as soon as she's finished. We've changed the design of the granny square, and added in some circles (because we LOVE circular shapes in granny squares!). Our finished scarf should take just 4 balls. So from $64 to $32. Oh yeah!

Perfect summer project

contributed by Barb

Before the birth of my second child I did a lot of quilting.  I have a background in accounting and so I'm a numbers person. That's why I loved all the geometric patterns.  One that always stood out for me was the Log Cabin design. Log Cabin blocks can look so different, depending on how they are arranged.

Earlier this summer I found a crochet pattern for a log cabinblock. In addition to using different colors, it uses different stitch patterns so I knew it would be really fun to make. I decided to start a new blanket for my bed.  

This project - since each block is separate - is perfect for summer! Who wants a big, warm blanket in your lap when it's hot out? I found plenty of color choices with the Berroco Vintage yarn.  I had already used this to make the Chic Knits Cassidy Sweater (past blog here) and knew I would like the result.  

I brought in the blocks and Jill and I had fun arranging them in different layouts.

I'm still not sure how I'll put it together. Maybe this way?

Or this way?

What do you think!?

The trouble with working in a yarn shop...

contributed by Emily

I was on restock duty in the shop the other day. This may sound like a boring task, but remember – I work in a yarn shop, so this task is loaded with hidden dangers!

For instance, I’ve been ogling this lovely crocheted afghan for ages now. (Please click on the link for the beautiful pictures!) Lucky for me, I can read the German pattern!

Well, it turns out that while I was checking the Berroco Vintage yarns for restock, it suddenly clicked in my brain – Hey! Vintage now comes in two gorgeous shades of grey, perfect for that blanket!

Like I said, this job has its share of dangers!

Gifts for Kitty

Some friends who watched my two cats earlier this month while we traveled just got a kitty of their own and we're going to meet him today! I wanted to take him a little cat toy, and a hand knit mouse was just a little too boring for me.

So I did some pattern searching on Ravelry and found a free pattern for a crocheted can of sardines. I thought it was adorable, and since I haven't crocheted for a month, I thought it would be fun!

I grabbed some fun colors of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and got started. My can looks a little wonky, but oh well! The sardines were fun to make - I felt like I was making gloves!

Because this is for a kitty, I did not put any catnip in with the stuffing. I thought I'd test the toys out on my cat Maisy, who loves toys. Unfortunately, she was pretty much in the midst of a midday catnap, and she was more bothered than amused. If I sprinkled a little catnip on the sardines, it would be a different story!

What the heck are these things?

Yawn. I'm already bored with this game. You're making me guess?

 

Ok, I'll guess. A hat?

A back massager?

I've got it! A pillow!

No!? Ok, I quit. Naptime.

Bravo!

Early this spring we added a new yarn to our kids' offering in the DK room. We had been searching for a yarn that would be great for sweaters and blankets, come in fun colors, and be super soft and washable. We found all that in Bravo Rainbow from SMC. And so far, it's been a hit with all of you! And it's just $16 for a whipping 580 yards. That's big yardage!

I made a toddler's Fighead Fundamentals Junior Vest out of less than half a skein:

Fighead Fundamentals Junior Vest

and then I used the rest of the yarn to crochet a cute "travel sized" baby blankie (it's about 14-15" square). We're thinking of putting some fun satin ribbon in a bright color on the edges of this - wouldn't that look sweet? And the pattern? It's just your basic granny square where the yarn does all the work.

We had three colors of Bravo Rainbow to start and have now added 3 new colors bringing the total to 6. These are the three newest colors, just out for fall 2012:

color: Aqua

color: Peacock

color: Misty

Great possibilities for boys and girls alike!

One Rug Down

I've been working on this large scale crochet project for a two and a half months now. And I finally finished! The rug I started in the beginning of March was intended for the girls' patio. March was way too early to need it - the temperatures were still frightfully cold. But now we're approaching June and this week our temperatures are headed for the upper 60s and low 70s! So I knew I had to pull this out and finish it, right away. My girls want to use their patio and they're asking for their new rug!

After I posted this picture in March I realized I was headed down the wrong path. 

Attempt #1. Was completely ripped out.

The woman in the shop here gave me no pattern, and I am certainly NOT an advanced crocheter. I'm getting better, that's for sure, but this jersey yarn is HUGE! And the hook, again, HUGE! And for me to just wing something like this was pretty scary. I crocheted a few more rounds of the rug after I took the picture above, and then I ripped out THE ENTIRE THING. It hurt. It really hurt! That was a lot of work.

But I started again and I think my second attempt was much better. I didn't try to do anything tricky - since really, who am I to pull a tricky crochet maneuver? I thought it would be better to stick with the basics this time, because I really am a beginner at this wing-it-crochet-rug-stuff. I did switch to my new Addi Plastic Crochet Hook that I picked up last week in the shop. I love it! It made the crocheting go so much faster because it was more comfortable to hold this hook.

I finished the rug this evening and I love it. More importantly, THEY love it. They keep telling me how great it is and what a good job I did. 

Just finished! It was SO hot working on this on my patio in the sun.

There are plenty of flaws I can point out, but I won't show them. I'll just make my next one BETTER!

In its new home on the girls' patio. Ready for use!

Machine Wash Experiment

contributed by Shawn

I am loving my Greenway crochet afghan project so much that I picked out another crochet pattern to use for the second wedding afghan project of 2012.  I am going to try the Vortex Throw by Lisa Gentry. 

I really love the browns and greens used in the photos of this project so I am struggling to pick out some shades that will show off the swirl effect nicely, but that won't look exactly like the sample in the photo.  I also still want the afghan to be machine washable since it is a gift.  

I have not yet had a chance to work with the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn and since we can get every single shade that is available from Brown Sheep, that makes the selection great! The catch is that the label recommends hand washing this yarn. The fiber content is mostly cotton (80%) with just a bit of wool (20%).  I wonder if it can be washed in the machine without too much shrinkage or felting? I am going to do a test! 

I picked out some nice blue-green shades, 1 skein each, and started the first block. It involves a bit of a strange start and I got Barb to get me going - I wasn't understanding the written directions - I'm a visual learner! Now that she helped me figure it out it is quite easy to continue the pattern.  My finished block measures about 16.5" square.  Now it is off to the washing machine to see what happens!