Lion Brand Notebook

Have You Seen the Winning Entries in the Vanna’s Choice Contest?

Ilana — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:46:15 +0000

Here is a link to the winning entries. Click each photo to see it enlarged. The 32 winners were truly amazing examples of creativity and skill!

Knit an American Flag for 4th of July and Year-Round

Ilana — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:31:15 +0000

Knit yourself an American Flag that is 9″ x 7″ designed by Dori Johnson. It’s a simple project that serves as a reminder of what a great country this is.

Knit Yourself Some Facial Hair

Zontee — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:04 +0000

It’s amazing how creative (and sometimes kooky) people get with knitting and crochet. At this past Maker Faire, we ran into a guy with a full crochet mustache and beard, given to him by his girlfriend because he couldn’t grow his own.

Now, knitters can get in on the action too! Our friends at Craft Magazine point us to a fun project: click here for directions for a knitted mustache from Instructables user Holly2.

It might be a great way to get a jump start on your Halloween costume!

Via Craftzine.com

Related links:

Party Like It’s 1959

Jack — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:00:33 +0000

Recently I have been noticing a trend of people going back to when things were simpler. It seems that the state of the economy is forcing people to realize that it is truly the little things in life that are the most important. I recently came across an article called “Why We Party Like It’s 1959” that I feel describes this trend perfectly. In the article it explains how today’s youth seems to be gravitating back toward the simplicity of things, such as knitting clubs, homemade baked goods, and dinner dances. Even thought we live in a world full of excessive internet-use and text messaging, there is a growing number of young people who seeking more human interaction and simple fun. The article explains how inexpensive activities like knitting are calming and meditative experiences and can help alleviate the stress that these hard times have brought to everyone’s daily lives.

I came across a book the other day called The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts which is comprised of various craft projects from the Fifties and Sixties. I feel that this book is a perfect response to this retro movement. All of the projects in the book are inexpensive and easy to make. With the summer quickly approaching, these cute creations such as the Merry Monsters and Powder Room Poodles (both fun, yarn creations), would be perfect for summer projects.

Related links:

Why We Party Like It’s 1959 from Metro.co.uk
The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts on Amazon.com

When Knitting is Healing

Ilana — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:40:06 +0000

A woman who survived the Oklahoma City bombing stopped knitting because of the trauma. She returned to her knitting to help her with the healing process.

Has knitting or crocheting ever played a part in recovering from challenges in your life?

Studio Snippets: A Very Special Wedding Present

Patty — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:00:35 +0000

A few months ago, a wonderful blogger and knitter named Sinje Ollen came in to do a blog post about the Studio. While she was here, her eye fell upon the LB Collection Cashmere. We keep the cashmere (along with lots of other wonderful yarns) on the needles on the project table for people to play with. She sat down and started to swatch a beautiful lace pattern. She scooped up 15 balls of the Natural color to design the perfect garment for her friend’s wedding. We made her promise to come back and show us when she was done. A few days ago, She came back to show off . . . WOW!

The main piece was a large square with two slits for the arms. The sides of the arm holes had button holes that lined up with the buttons on these amazing gloves

She then folded over the front and used the Lion Brand Yarn Studio’s beautiful One World Button shawl pins to close it. The top of the square simply folds over creating this wonderful shape in the back

As if this gift wasn’t already special enough, Sinje added this beautiful detail of a tree (inspired by Nicky Epstein’s Tree of Life) that was the tree on the wedding invitation and the tree her friends were getting married under.

A truly beautiful wedding gift, and we were honored to have her share it with us.

Lion Brand Visits the Danbury Crochet Club

Jack — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:38 +0000

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Danbury Crochet Club in Danbury Connecticut. What intrigued me about this wonderful group of women was their latest project called the “Butterfly Project”. The main goal of this project is to create 1.5 million butterflies in remembrance of each child that perish in the Holocaust; each of these butterflies will be displayed in the Holocaust Museum in Houston, TX. I think this it is such a beautiful way of honoring those children who lost their lives in such a horribly tragic way. Over 400,000 butterflies have already been completed by this group.

Even though this group was small in size their passion for Lion Brand Yarn was larger than life. It is always exciting to see such adoring Lion Brand Yarn fans, one woman was wearing one of Lion Brand Style American Gothic Art tee shirts from yesteryear and another brought her ultimate Lion Brand tote bag. Their enthusiasm brought forth tons of insightful questions and fantastic suggestions. I wish them the best of luck on their current project and hope to meet with them again in the future!

Have a group of 50 or more in the tri-state area? E-mail jack@lionbrand.com to arrange for Jack to come speak to your guild or yarncrafting group!

Related links:

5 Modern Baby Projects from YarnCraft Episode #43

Zontee — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:00:24 +0000

Expecting a little bundle of joy? Have a friend, child, or sibling who is? You’ll want to listen to the latest episode of YarnCraft for great ideas about fun, colorful, and contemporary baby projects, as well as tips on colors and materials that are baby- (and parent) friendly.

Here are just a few patterns that you’ll definitely want to check out:

Click here for this episode’s guide, and click here to listen to episode 43 [MP3].

What’s YarnCraft? It’s our radio-style audio-show available right over the internet, anytime you want it. If you’ve never listened to it, but want to start, summer’s the perfect time — we’re featuring not only our regular series, but also Summer Crafting with Kids, a special series filled with ideas for entertaining and bonding with your kids this summer. Want more info about YarnCraft? click here for our FAQ about the show.

Find us on Facebook!

Jess — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:00:28 +0000

Are you on Facebook? Become our fan, upload your photos of projects, and share your comments with us! Click here to visit our Facebook page.

If you’re on Twitter, you can follow also follow us. Click here to visit us on Twitter.

Did You Knit In Public?

Ilana — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:06:28 +0000

Last weekend was part 1 of World Wide Knit In Public Day. If you participated, tell us where you knitted and what the scene was like. This weekend is the final weekend of the event. If it’s still raining where you are, remember there’s always your local Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, or mall. Share the time and place here and maybe you’ll find some people to join you!

Related links:

World Wide Knit in Public Day