Totes-tacular!

It's been a totes Market Tote summer!

All the folks at Fancy have been stitching up Market Totes-a-plenty. We make them as gifts and for ourselves, to take to the pool and to the market....They are just so quick and easy to sew--a delightful way to use and show off your favorite cute fabric!

Aww, shucks...we blushed with pride when a dear customer told us our Market Tote pattern is the most well-written and easy to follow pattern that they have used. Well, we think it's about the simplest and most functional project around, so to inspire you to try making one yourself here are just a few of the fancy totes we've made:

Melissa is showing off her two totes, the green tote is made from the recent Tula Pink Night Shade collection. (Can you tell she is a Tula Pink fan? Her a-line skirt is made from Tula Pink's Parisville fabric!) Her purple tote is made from an adorable organic print from Birch fabrics and veggie print pocket.

Betsy made a Market Tote from stash, picking one of her favorite Japanese forest friends prints accented with a Melody Miller pocket and Essex handles. Instead of finishing her handles by turning them, she ripped the fabric for a cute frayed look and accented it with some decorative machine stitching.

Allison's adorable tote features a super-cute mustard clothing print from Japan. We love mustard clothing + adorable prints from Japan! Do you recognize Allison's skirt fabric? Yep, it's the forest friends print that Betsy used for her tote! That's totes crazy!

Angelique has made about a bajillion totes, but most of them have been gifts for friends. Lucky friends they are! These two totes are just for her, though. Her newest one on the left is an amazing Anna Maria Horner velveteen. Velveteen makes a fantastic tote! The tote on her shoulder is a totes crazy print from Alexander Henry.

Emily made a natural hemp ticking tote with extra long handles so she can wear it like a messenger bag. Perfect for bike riding! For her Echino car print tote she chose some hot pink cotton webbing for handles. Hot! Emily has also made about five million totes for lucky friends.

Erikia used this fantastic yellow Valori Wells butterfly print to make her very first bag ever! It looks amazing and she has already whipped up several more for friends.

New! Snowy Day Cowl Pattern by Fancy Tiger's Own Emily Platzer!

We are proud to have published a new pattern by our very talented knitting instructor, Emily Platzer! The much anticipated Snowy Day Cowl is here!

Many of you have probably seen us wearing or working on this cowl--several Fancy Tiger folks have already whipped up their own. It's a super quick knit and great to wear with jackets on blustery days, or even with a t-shirt on cool spring evenings. In the worst of weather the cowl can be pulled up like a hood to protect your noggin.

Ysolda was kind enough to model for us when she was in town!

The cowl is uses an interesting slip stitch pattern that is simple to work and makes two lovely sides, each with stripes running in different directions.

Emily reverse-engineered the stitch pattern from an amazing item that a customer picked up in Spain. We all fell in love with the simple looking--but totally intriguing--stripes. The texture of the fabric uses a contrast in yarn weight and color, combining super bulky Cascade Magnum yarn with a contrasting thinner sport weight yarn.

Jess, Angelique and Emily model their cowls

Find more details here! You can purchase the pattern on Etsy or by stopping by to see us at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Happy knitting!

Might as Well Face It, We're Addicted To Aidezes

We've been cardigan-crazy around here lately, and the current favorite is the Aidez cardigan by Cirilia Rose. Angelique started the frenzy with her pretty, mustard yellow, cable bedecked cardigan.

Angelique's Aidez

I learned of the Aidez through the Anthropologie Knits group on Ravelry; they were doing a knitalong and after falling in love with those crazy cables, I had to knit one up for myself. Lucky for me there were already a couple dozen finished cardigans, so I was able to modify my sweater to fit perfectly by increasing the sleeve circumference and armhole depth. The knitting only took a couple of days but mustering up the courage to start seaming took about two weeks... however it was well worth it! I've been wearing this sweater non-stop this winter and get compliments on it everywhere I go!

I used Cascade Eco+ in the Straw colorway (I'm obsessed with ochre at the moment) and it took just over two skeins so it was an incredibly affordable knit. Dépêchez-vous et faire une Aidez aujour'hui!

Amber's Aidez

Angelique's amazing Aidez cardigan totally inspired me to make one of my very own. Cirilia Rose's pattern was quick and fun to knit. The cables kept me interested, but they weren't too complicated to keep track of after a repeat or two. Now that I'm finished, I kind of miss knitting it...perhaps I need an oatmeal Aidez too? Aidez moi, I'm addicted!

For my cardigan I used Peace Fleece worsted yarn--my current favorite sweater yarn--in the colorway Kamchatka Sea Moss. It is so durable that you can wear your handknit sweater every day and it holds up beautifully with no pilling. (I've actually been wearing this cardigan almost daily since it came off the needles!) I love the tweedy look and the stitch definition this yarn gives. The company behind Peace Fleece yarn is amazing, too. They began in 1985, working with and bringing together people in countries that were historically enemies, with a mission to create understanding and friendship through trade. You can check out their story here. I ♥ them.

If you want to knit your own Aidez visit the free pattern download!

Pearl & Jack: A Sock Monkey Love Tale

We'd like to share a heartwarming story with you, a tale of crafts and a tale of love. And of sock monkeys.

Pearl & Jack

Once upon a snowy day in February, Pearl the sock monkey sat inside wishing she had a woolen hat to keep her head warm. Being a crafty monkey, she set out to knit up a warm cabled hat. She chose the perfect shade of mulberry merino yarn to bring out the pink in her cheeks and a flattering cabled beret pattern--Gretel by Ysolda Teague.


Pearl is quite the avid knitter and was finished in time to enjoy the fresh snow fall.


She donned her perfect little Gretel, smiled, and set out to enjoy her favorite snowy day pastime, snow angel-making!


Suddenly around the corner came a handsome fellow. Jack the sock monkey also enjoyed a snowy day and became immediately smitten when he saw Pearl making angels in the snow.


Pearl blushed at being caught playing in the snow by herself. "Your rosy cheeks give you away. You need a hot drink to warm you after a day in the snow," said Jack.

She joined him and together they walked to the local coffee house, Metropolis, where Jack ordered a latte for two from the barista.


It was a perfect afternoon and by the end of the day two sock monkeys were in love.

The End

A special thanks to:
Miguel at Metropolis for the mini-latte for two
Angelique for knitting a mini Gretel
Betsy for making Pearl the pink sock monkey
Zach for making Jack the sock monkey

Staff Holiday Gift Picks: Jaime & Angelique

This week all of us at Fancy Tiger Crafts will be sharing our most favorite, most coveted items in the shop. These are the things we might (winkwink) be hoping to find under our own tree, but would certainly make a great gift for your dearest crafty friend. Enjoy!

I'm Jaime, and I'm one of the owners of Fancy Tiger Crafts. Since I do the a lot of the ordering I pretty much love everything in the store, but here is what I think would make the most amazing gifts of all time!

2-1/2 yards cotton velveteen $52.50

Colette Patterns Beignet Skirt $12

For sewing, I really want to make the Beignet skirt out of the Anna Maria Horner cotton velveteens. These rich, soft fabrics are so beautiful and I've been wanting to make a skirt out of them. I think the high-waisted pencil skirt would be perfect.

Fanciful Felties $19.95

Fanciful Felties is a new book that has really been inspiring me lately to hand sew! I love the embroidery detail on the faces and you can see me stitching up these cuties at craft night.

Ladybug Spinning Wheel with Bulky Flyer $600

The Ladybug spinning wheel by local company, Schacht is also at the top of my list. This adorable, well made, light-weight spinning wheel works like a dream. I'd love to get it with the bulky head option for spinning up lots of crazy art yarns.

Hi, I'm Angelique... I'm one of the new faces at Fancy Tiger. I only look scared in this photo, but I'm actually quite friendly. Come in and say, "hi."

Liberty Art Fabrics $38.95/yard

Over the years, I've spent a fair amount of time in the U.K. and one of my favorite places to visit is Liberty of London. I was so excited when the Liberty fabrics arrived at Fancy Tiger... I dream of sewing a dressing gown, but picking the perfect fabric is so hard because they're all so gorgeous!

Last Minute Knitted Gifts $24.95

One of my all-time favorite knitting books is Last Minute Knitted Gifts. This is my go-to book for making quick (and not-so-quick) knitted presents for friends. I've made countless knitted gift bags as featured on the front cover of the book, but another favorite pattern is the Angora Baby Booties. I'm knitting the Men's Cashmere Scarf in Malabrigo Rios as a gift for a friend this holiday season.

Thanks, Jaime and Angelique! Check back tomorrow for Dan and Jess's favorite picks!