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Archive: Yarn
September 10, 2009
How-To: Yarn Gift Tags
Patricia Zapata of A Little Hut shares how to put together these quick and cute yarn gift tags with a secret recycled ingredient. Can you guess what it is? Check her tutorial for all the details.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Sep 10, 2009 07:00 AM
Recycle, Yarn |
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September 5, 2009
Crochet Graffiti in Seattle
When I read the review Goli posted of the new book Yarn Bombing, I remembered that I found some yarn-fitti in Seattle. I was in town for the Urban Craft Uprising, and there was some great mural art near our hotel. And to my surprise, along with the paint was some yarn. When I look at the colors on the wall and I look at the colors of the crochet, I can't help but think that the piece was hooked with the intention of complementing the wall.
Posted by Brookelynn |
Sep 5, 2009 06:00 PM
Cozy Up to Yarn, Crochet, Yarn |
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September 4, 2009
How-To: Make a Tassel from Yarn
Yarn is such a versatile material. I often use beautiful yarn to wrap gifts, and it's very simple and quick to make a lush tassel to finish a present. The tassel can be made by anyone, in any color, with any yarn! And instead of being recycled like a paper bow, it will be cherished as a lovely handmade aspect of the gift. If you make a yarn tassel, add a photo to the CRAFT Flickr pool!
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Posted by Brookelynn |
Sep 4, 2009 01:00 PM
Cozy Up to Yarn, CRAFT Projects, Yarn |
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September 3, 2009
Crocheted horse hats
MAKE's photo editor Sam Murphy sent us this great photo she recently took in Vienna. She writes:
I was on a lightning trip with my fiance and his parents in Germany for my soon-to-be family reunion. We were in Germany mostly, but we hopped on the train to Prague and Vienna. These were the horse and carriage rides you see all over Vienna. Not all of them where crochet like this one, but I saw maybe one or two more. (I like the silver details on the ends, the yarn seem to be faded, but it may be the yarn is dyed.) Pretty much all of them had their ears covered like this with a hat, usually of cotton. Too much to see, and too much great food to eat!
The photo -- taken in front of Vienna's famous St. Stephens Cathedral -- got us excited about what other horse projects might be out there for us to crochet. These ear or fly bonnets, used to protect the horses' ears from flies, seem to be the most common crochet project. Here's a short list of related websites we found; feel free to post other resources or photos of projects you've done in the Comments!
- Crochet Horse Ear Bonnet
- St. Patrick's Day Parade
- Crochet for the Horse
- Bonnet Chasse-Mouche
- Pattern: Goose - Horse Hat
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Sep 3, 2009 12:00 PM
Cozy Up to Yarn, Crochet, Needlearts, Yarn |
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Yarn School and Felt School
There's a few more spaces left for Yarn School (Oct 1-4) and Felt School (Oct 5-6) taught by Nikol Lohr and Shannon Okey respectively. The location is at Nikol's Harveyville Project, 2 former schoolhouses transformed into workshop and living/studio spaces in Harveyville, KS. I love the idea of this retreat for intense learning as well as a chance to get to know other crafters. You can see the full schedule online. Sign up for both as "Fiber School" and get a free bonus dye lab and overnight Sunday stay.
My favorite snaps from Yarn School and Felt School are after the jump!
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Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 3, 2009 08:00 AM
Classes, Cozy Up to Yarn, Yarn |
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August 28, 2009
Lego Yarn Ball Winder
This fascinating Lego yarn ball winder works its magic in Portland's Twisted yarn shop. Twisted owners, Shannon and Emily, share how the Lego yarn ball winder came to be.
The ball winder was born out of boredom and concern. A good friend of Emily's is an out-of-work engineer, and he was in the shop, visiting us one day. We were winding a ball of yarn for a customer the old-fashioned way, and he was appalled - why were we expending so much energy to wind a ball of yarn!? So, he took an old winder home with him, and a month or so later, came into the shop with Mr. Roboto, version 1.0. We have since had an upgrade, and we absolutely love it!
He sent some technical info about the ball winder:The Lego apparatus serves to electrically crank a Royal brand manual winder. Two 9V Lego motors, fed by an AC/DC power supply, drive the crank. On/Off and winding speed are controlled through a power button and potentiometer housed in an electronics project box. The entire assembly is mounted to an acrylic cutting board via zip-ties.
Our customers, as you can imagine, absolutely love it.
Love it, indeed! I can't wait to get back up to Portland and visit Twisted to see it in action! Thanks, Lee!
Related:
Lego Yarn Ball Winder
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Aug 28, 2009 09:00 AM
Technology, Yarn |
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August 17, 2009
Wedding Dress Woven From Bride's Own Flock
Shepherdess, Louise Fairburn, of Rsiby, England, was recently married wearing a stunning wedding gown that was made from wool from her own flock. The dress took a spinner and a dressmaker 67 hours to create, and was made from a rare Lincoln Longwool. More pictures and the full story are here.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Aug 17, 2009 08:00 AM
Weddings, Yarn |
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July 14, 2009
Cardboard Box Spinning Wheel
Gareth @ MAKE writes:
This enterprising fellow built a chakra (a spinning wheel) largely out of cardboard. At the end of the post, he also has links to a bunch of other cheap lo-tek spinning wheel projects available online.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 14, 2009 09:00 AM
Yarn |
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July 9, 2009
Simple Yarn Project Travel Case
For you traveling knitters and crocheters, there's an easy way to make your own project caddy for the car, train, bus (or other) trip. When you get a new set of sheets, save the vinyl zippered case they came in, and poke a few holes in the top, then pass through your yarn. The pockets come in handy for scissors, needles, hooks, and patterns. I used a piece of card stock to separate the two balls of yarn, but you could easily sew or glue in a permanent divider. Not only does this keep your project clean, dry, and self-contained, but you can see through the bag to spot your tools. Using center-pull balls will keep it extra tidy.
More:
- How-To: Wind a Center-Pull Ball of Yarn
- Acorn Travel Yarn Holder
- Ask CRAFT: The TSAs of Crafty Air Travel
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 9, 2009 02:00 PM
Crafty Travels, Crochet, Knitting, Yarn |
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July 4, 2009
From Washed Alpaca Fleece to Spun Yarn
As a follow up to this post, Laura at Aran Brew has part 2 of her process from washed Alpaca fleece to spun yarn.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 4, 2009 06:00 PM
Yarn |
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July 1, 2009
Circuit Board Latch Hook Rug
I'm so in love with this circuit board latch hook rug from Red Tarts, I'm not sure what more to say other than ... wow.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jul 1, 2009 07:00 AM
Arts & Design, Technology, Yarn |
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June 30, 2009
How-To: Make Yarn Fireworks
Make and Takes has a great tutorial for making these fun yarn fireworks, perfect for adding a little safe spark to your 4th of July celebrations!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 30, 2009 07:00 AM
Holiday projects, Yarn |
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June 28, 2009
Threadbanger Roundup on Spinning Yarn
Lee Meredith has a great DIY roundup on spinning yarn at Threadbanger from links on tutorials, videos, and yarn techniques.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 28, 2009 06:00 PM
Roundups, Yarn |
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June 26, 2009
Preparing Alpaca Fleece for Spinning
Laura of Aran Brew goes through the process of preparing alpaca fleece for spinning. I don't know about you but I'm melting just looking at that cute sheered alpaca. (Thanks David!)
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 26, 2009 08:00 AM
Yarn |
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June 8, 2009
CRAFT at Maker Faire: Talking with Lion Brand Yarn
The Lion Brand Yarn booth is always a fun place at Maker Faire. It's always constantly busy so I found some time on Sunday morning before the fair opened to talk with Zontee Hou and Liz Shaw on all the fun things coming up with Lion Brand Yarn and their podcast at YarnCraft.
See some of my photos from Lion Brand Yarn at Maker Faire and photos from Lion Brand's blog.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 8, 2009 12:00 PM
Maker Faire, Yarn |
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May 4, 2009
About Silkworms
True Up has a really interesting article up about how silk is made, from worm to usable fiber. (Thanks, Patti!)
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 4, 2009 02:00 PM
Fiber Art, Yarn |
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April 7, 2009
Yarndex: The Yarn Directory
Yarndex is an amazing yarn resource site featuring profiles of almost 4,500 yarns! Use the site when you find yourself in a jam with yarn substitutions for your knitting or crochet patterns. [ via Craft Gossip Knitting ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 7, 2009 11:00 AM
Yarn |
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April 3, 2009
Lion Brand Fashion Show at CHA 2009
I didn't get to make it to CHA this year so I missed watching the Lion Brand Fashion Show. Zontee of Lion Brand just featured the fashion show post on their blog with links to available knit and crochet patterns.
I want to make this knit corrugated scarf, which was also featured recently on Martha Stewart's knitting episode. It actually can be worn also scrunched down like a scarf. Looks really cozy!
You can also see my write up from last year's fashion show here.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 3, 2009 11:00 AM
Crochet, Fashion, Knitting, Patterns, Yarn |
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March 27, 2009
Bazaar: Spinster Yarn & Fiber in Baltimore, MD
Bazaar: A Review on Spinster Yarn & Fiber in Baltimore, MD
By Moxie
When you're as fiber-obsessed as I am, you seek out all opportunities to expand your pallet and deplete your bank account. While visiting in-laws in the Baltimore area, crafty research directed me to Spinster Yarns & Fibers.
Living in the historical Lauraville neighborhood, Andrea Donato and her friends were having coffee one day and imagining what was missing from their community. Filling a niche and following her passion, Andrea decided to create an eco-friendly yarn haven for knit, crochet, and spin enthusiasts. Andrea is especially fond of their weekly Saturday Knit and Hook Night. "Everyone is welcomed," she said "and we get a little wild and crazy in here."
The reason I made my visit to Spinster was the custom batt station. I love needle-felting with batts, but I've never had the opportunity to create blends of my own. With well over a dozen glass candy jars full of fibers of all colors, textures, and origins to choose from, I could have stayed and made batts all day.
The orange and green batt, which I'm calling "Citrus Town" is made of merino, Romney, Border Leicester, and a tiny bit of sparkle. The rich pink and purple batt, which I named "Beyond Pepto" consists of Tencel, sparkle, Targhee, and Border Leicester.
Andrea took the fibers I chose, combed out the curlies, and with finesse and a whole lot of elbow grease, she conjured these beautiful batts for me. I can't wait to stab them.
January marked Spinster's 1st anniversary, and the yarn community is thriving. The store is packed full of beautiful yarn, fiber, and accessories, and there are a ton of classes to take, if you sign up early. Andrea's favorite part of teaching spinning class is the breakthrough moment when a student "...smiles and says 'I got it! I'm making yarn!'" She said, "That makes me so happy."
Spinster Yarn & Fiber
4337 Harford Rd # 1
Baltimore, MD, 21214
(410) 444-YARN
Website: spinsteryarnsandfibers.com
Blog: spinsteryarnsandfibers.blogspot.com
About the Author
Moxie is an artist and writer living in Seattle. She likes context, ice cream, and you.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Mar 27, 2009 11:00 AM
Bazaar, Felting, Reviews, Yarn |
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March 12, 2009
How-To: Wind Conductive Threads Together
Check out this Instructable on winding different conductive threads together to get different thicknesses, resistances, and textures by adding in your favorite yarn, too!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 12, 2009 09:00 AM
Soft Circuits, Yarn |
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