Better Know A Crafter: Jason Spicknall

Jason is an amazing long-arm quilter, and we couldn't resist sharing his most recent Tula Pink Anchors Aweigh quilt! Several of us at the shop have used his long-arm quilting services, Secret Stash Quilting, to finish our own quilts. Jason is a prolific quilt maker and it is always a treat to see what he's working on!

Jason Spicknall

What makes you want to be crafty?

I am a modern long-arm quilter. I have an addiction to fabric, so I quilt.

Tell us about making your quilt. 
I made Tula Pink's Anchors Aweigh quilt using fabrics from her Saltwater fabric collection. For the background I mixed in coral and navy solids. I quilted it on my long-arm machine. 

How did you learn to quilt?

My mother-in-law got me started and it turned into an addiction. After two years I now own a long-arm quilting business.

What is your favorite animal?

dogs

TNNA Columbus Fun 2013!

--amber

Jaime and I had a pile o' fun and saw a million exciting new yarny things at the TNNA trade show in Columbus last weekend!

We debuted six new patterns for our Heirloom yarn, and re-released our classic My Favorite Sweater pattern--now featuring Heirloom as well.

Here is quick look at the trade show behind the scenes fun:

From left to right and from the top:
(1)Nebula--the newest yarn from Anzula--is a sparkle yarn that we ordered in dark, moody shades. Look for it to hit the shop in August. (2-3) Funtimes were had with Stephen West, designer extraordinaire and very fun person. (4) New colors were ordered in Madelinetosh + there is a new yarn coming that you will love! A.S.A.P. is Madtosh's new chunky yarn set to arrive in November, just in time for last minute gift knitting.  (5) Jaime and I had the joy of trying on samples from Annie Modesitt's book, History on Two Needles. Knit replica of the Sutton Hoo ceremonial mask? Amazing.

(6) The folks at Schacht are geniuses, they distributed the Zoom Loom (which we currently have in the shop)  for all the yarn companies to swatch up their yarns! We loved seeing how yarns from different companies worked in this little loom-ette. Our favorite was Knitted Wit's mini rainbow skeins--those will be coming soon for Zoom Loom-ing, knitting, crochet or embroidery fun.  (7-10) Lucky Cat we love you! We ordered some special fiber braids from this adorable spinning fiber company--crazy soft blends that include Possum, Angora, Yak, Camel down, Wild Silks and more! Look for these buttery soft blends in a few weeks.

(11-12) The Crafty Diversions booth was full of exciting things, like teatime with Ysolda! She has a book in the works that is going to be amazing! Miriam Felton was there with her upcoming collection, Modern Colorwork. We can't wait for all the exciting things these ladies have in the works!  (13) Carol Feller was signing copies of her soon-to-be-here book, Among Stones. (14-15) Funtimes were had with Cirilia Rose, including a pedicab race (which, btw, Jaime and I won) and exploring the streets of Columbus with our Stephen West knitting bags.

(16) The Meow Collection. Do I need to say more? Well okay, this hand-dyed BFL sock yarn comes in a range of colors based on our feline friends' coat colors. PLUS, $4 from every skein is donated to the Meow Foundation, a no-kill shelter helping abandoned cats find happy, permanent homes!  (17-18) Nerd alert! Jaime and I are so excited for the upcoming special issue Interweave magazines: unofficial Harry Potter Knits and Downton Abbey Knits! Also, Jaime found a hobbit. (19) One of The Fiber Factor challenge sweaters. Of course, Meghan Navoy's cat sweater is my favorite pick! We can't wait to see the judging of Challenge 2 this Friday, with Stephen West as one of the guest judges! (20) Freia Ombré and Freia Flux yarns will be here in September with all their soft stripey goodness!

(21) Jaime and I were happy to meet one of our favorite designers, Olga Buraya-Kefelian. She has new patterns arriving soon and we want to make them all! (22) A wall made of wool in the Blue Sky booth. (23) Look for the speckly goodness of The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze in the shop in September. (24-25) What! We even got to go visit with Anita of Sew to Speak and April Rhodes at their sewing shop in Columbus while we were there!

Keep an eye on our blog, instagram or facebook to be the first to know when all the newest goods arrive!

Railroad Denims & Chambray Union

--amber

Railroad Denims and Chambray Union fabrics are here from Robert Kaufman! We can't wait to make a million classic indigo dresses, shirts and quilts galore!

We cut just a few fat quarter bundles--great for quilting projects--so if one needs to be yours, come on over soon!

The Robert Kaufman booth was very inspiring at Quilt Market, where they showcased these new classic fabrics. They had made up a Railroad Denim sample using the Negroni mens shirt pattern by Colette, as well as Sew Liberated's Esme Top in a Chambray.

Jaime and I have already cut chambrays to try out the newest Colette Pattern, the Hawthorn Dress. I can't wait to stitch it up!

Summer is for Sweaters!

Yay for summertime knitting! I know you might think knitting is a fall/winter craft, but if so you are really missing out on some sweet summertime knitting. I am addicted to knitting summer sweaters and I just finished another one.

Summer sweaters are great for many reasons:

• Quick to knit (because no sleeves)
• Cool and comfortable to wear
• Summer yarns are fun - linen, silk, hemp and cotton!
• Did I mention no sleeves?

My new sweater is the Silken Straw Summer Sweater pattern which is free from Purlbee. I knit this out of our crisp Shibui Linen. Shibui Linen is a fingering weight 100% linen yarn that is chain-plied. The chain ply means absolutely no pilling or shedding. It is going to hold up like a dream. We also have the Silken Straw yarn from Alchemy yarn in if you want a more luxurious and drapey sweater.

This sweater used 3 1/2 skeins of the color Poppy for the size small. I knit this up in just three weeks. The sweater comes together super quick and easy as it is knit seamlessly in the round from the bottom up. This pattern would make a great first sweater pattern. It is also perfect for pool or beach knitting as it requires little concentration. The sleeves, bottom and neck are all finished with a sophisticated I-cord that is added after the garment is done.

The Shibui Linen yarn feels very different from knitting with elastic and stretchy wool. I love this bright summery color, the drape, and the feel of this sweater. Linen was really easy to block and I simply ironed this sweater with my steam iron and it looks perfect.

You might not see this one up in the shop because I am going to wear it all the time. Summer Knitting for the win!

Final Heirloom Pattern release: Meet My Favorite Cardigan and Kilgore Mitts!

We are pleased to announce our final release of new fall patterns for Heirloom. Welcome My Favorite Cardigan by Emily Platzer, and Kilgore Mitts by Amber Corcoran. Also updated is our popular My Favorite Sweater pattern, now featuring our Heirloom Romney yarn!

My Favorite Cardigan is by superstar knitter and Fancy Tiger instructor Emily Platzer. My Favorite Cardigan is a cardigan version of our popular My Favorite Sweater. This pattern is a choose-your-own adventure style pattern. You get to make your own choices in terms of fit and length for the most flattering and personalized sweater possible. This cardigan is knit seamlessly from the top down so you can try it on as go. The garter stitch button band is picked up and knit with mitered corners for a perfect fit.

Finish your cardigan with fun Liberty of London fabric buttons

Professionally finished mitered corners line up with arm shaping

Wearing My Favorite Cardigan is so much fun!

Kilgore Mitts is a new pattern from Amber. These stylish mittens make use of increasing and decreasing along with garter stitch ridges to create an awesome arrow shape. You can choose to make fingerless mitts or full mittens in three different sizes! Sturdy Heirloom Romney yarn will hold up to wear and keep your hands toasty warm and looking good.

Kilgore Fingerless Mitts in Poppyseed

Kilgore Mittens in Bee Balm on left, Kilgore Mitts on the right

Kilgore Mitts look sexy on men and women!

My Favorite Sweater was our first ever published pattern and continues to be our best selling pattern to date. This sweater pattern is knit seamlessly from the top-down and is written so that the finished sweater will fit your measurements. It looks great on everyone, men and women alike. The pattern has always been for a worsted to aran weight yarn so we were super excited to knit it up in Heirloom. The new Heirloom My Favorite Sweater is the same great pattern you know and love with fresh new photos. The pale yellow Quinoa is a great color to go with almost anything!

We hope you enjoy our new patterns. If you have a shop, all of our patterns are available for wholesale purchase in high quality print, so please email us for a current linesheet. Check out Ravelry or our Etsy shop for the full line of Fancy Tiger Patterns!

Meet More New Heirloom Patterns: An Army of Caterpillars! Tunisian Heirloom Cowl!

Two new patterns are here from amazing Fancy Folks, Miranda Harp and Cat Stolzenbach! Welcome, Army of Caterpillars by Miranda and Tunisian Heirloom Cowl by Cat!

Army of Caterpillars is Miranda's ode to her favorite lepidopterist, her father the moth scientist. These little realistic caterpillars are inspired by the larvae in the Sphingidae family – hawk moths, sphinx moths and hummingbird moths.

Purl ridges create the segmented abdomens, and knitted bobbles form the tiny legs of these adorable larvae.

Knit one in every size to make your own rainbow of caterpillar friends!

Many of you may know Cat as our resident Tunisian crochet expert and instructor. Her Tunisian Heirloom Cowl pattern is a great pattern for those interested in picking up the technique of Tunisian, or Afghan crochet.

A bit like crochet, a bit like knitting--Tunisian crochet makes a lovely fabric that is the best of both worlds. It is a great craft for the knitter or crocheter who wants to take a step towards the other side.

This cowl uses basic Tunisian stitches combined with a Tunisian cross stitch to make the unique “X” texture. Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney yarn provides hearty structure and rustic wooliness to this striped cowl.

We hope you like these patterns as much as we do! Stay tuned for two more coming later this week!

Two New Heirloom Patterns are Here!

Welcome The Imposter's Shawl and Radish Hat to our line of Fancy Tiger Crafts patterns! These two new knitting patterns are designed for our Heirloom Romney yarn and are beautifully suited to show off its rustic woolly qualities.

Amber designed the textured Imposter's Shawl to knit up quick on the worsted Heirloom Romney yarn. The Imposter's Shawl gets its name from its clever stitch patterns, which mimic both weaving and crochet, but it is indeed knit!

The Imposter's Shawl uses two skeins of Heirloom (or 360 yds of worsted weight yarn) and is shown here in Elderberry - a deep almost-black, purple. The shawl's down-to-earth design and long, narrow shape make it easy to wear in various styles. You can buy the pattern online here or a printed version in our Denver shop, and be sure to get some Heirloom Romney yarn when you visit, or order online from our etsy store.

Radish Hat is designed by Holly Priestley. The Radish Hat is a sweet, slouchy hat with both lace and cables!

Radish hat is shown in bright and cheery Heirloom color, Radish. It knits up in no time on size 10.5 needles and therefore makes a great last-minute project. The slouchy design uses one skein of Heirloom Romney or 160 yards of a worsted weight yarn. You can purchase your pattern pdf here.

We can't wait to see your versions of these two new patterns. Be sure to post your projects on Ravelry so we can see them. Of course, if you can wear them into the shop for us to see in person, that is the best!

Stay tuned for four more new patterns coming next week! Pattern bonanza!

Springtime Same-sies!

-jaime

Samesies! Amber, Caitlin and I recently finished some new shirts - the Datura Blouse from adorbz French pattern maker, Deer and Doe. This little tank is cleverly put together and we promise you will want to have a few on hand for all your summertime outdoor-type get-togethers.

I broke the ice and tested the pattern with these awesome fabrics. I've had a couple of yards cut of this Sarah Watts fox print from her Timber and Leaf collection for a bit. I thought it might be too much to have it all over, so I paired it with a soft Kaffe Fassett shot cotton on top and some Kona Snow for a collar. The results are a fun top with subtle-fox-action.

The back of the shirt features a nice button detail so bright yellow buttons were a fun way to finish this top. The fit is great and it is comfortable to wear. The Deer and Doe patterns are now translated into English so there were no problems in sewing this up.

Amber was so excited about this top she went ahead and made two at once! The first one is a soft and beautiful Japanese tank with Nani Iro on the bottom and a Lecien lawn on top. A shot cotton makes for a pretty collar.

Cute! Look at those awesome bright purple buttons! Want!

Did you know the Datura blouse has two collar options? Yep. Caitlin choose to make hers with the cut-out collar. The top of the blouse is fully lined and the top is finished with bias tape. The bottom of Caitlin's Datura  blouse is made from one of our delicate and drape-y yarn-dyed voile fabrics. The top of her blouse is from a fabric she had from her great-grandmother. She inherited this fabric as sleeves that her great-grandmother had cut out but never sewn. The sleeves ended up being enough to make this the perfect top. What a lovely way to honor her, Caitlin! I love it.

Caitlin finished her special blouse with some wooden printed buttons.

Amber's second Datura is a brighter tank. The bottom is from Lizzy House's Constellations collection, the top is an Alexander Henry floral and the bright blue collar is the perfect touch.

Yay!

You too, can be a twinsie with us. We have lots of Datura Blouse patterns in stock so don't delay! You'll want to make a bunch of these this summer and we want to see them all!