A New Fancy Tiger Pattern is here! Howelsen Hill by Sunne Meyer

We are very excited to introduce you to our latest Fancy Tiger pattern: Howelsen Hill! This pattern is designed by our extremely talented knitting instructor Sunne Meyer. Sunne's construction design is simple and effective for maximum cuteness.

Worked in garter and stockinette stitch this cap can be whipped up in no time! Major plus, the band snugly fits around your head with an accent of 3-4 adorable buttons!

Our Howelsen Hill sample is knit in Fancy Tiger's Heirloom Romney yarn, in the wintery color of Hubbard. The pattern calls for just a bit more than half a skein. Don't worry, your leftovers can be used for a perfectly paired set of new Quandry Peak Mittens. 

The Howelsen Hill pattern is available in our Ravelry shop and will be arriving in print here at the store soon.

We are really excited that Sunne is getting recognition for her expertise in knitting with her new Craftsy class: Stranded Colorwork: Basics & Beyond. Check it out here!

2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $50

For the crafter in your life who has been extra nice this year, we have the under $50 gift guide. These gifts range in price from $21 - $50 and we think you'll find something for everyone on your list.

The 1) Ryan Berkley tool case ($30) from Sublime Stitching comes stocked with needles, scissors, and woven labels--and almost every stitcher will love the Ryan Berkley cats in tees cover!  2) Quilt Essential ($25.95) by Erin Harris is our new favorite go-to book for anything and everything quilting. New quilters will love to have this in their library. These beautiful 3) woven baskets ($24 - $44) are the perfect solution to storing your current project out of sight and out of the wrong hands or paws. Made from grass and recycled wire and available in a variety of shapes and sizes, these baskets add charm and style to a room while keeping projects tidy.  4) Two skeins of our Heirloom Romney yarn and our Imposter's shawl pattern ($46.50) would be the perfect gift if you want to spread your Fancy Tiger love to all your knitter friends. Knitters and crocheters alike will go gaga over the 5) Freia lace weight ombré yarn ($33). One skein of this color-changing magic is enough for a shawl or other small project.  6) Modular Modular project bags ($27 - $30) are the most unique gift for your yarn friends - they are handmade here by our very own, Katy, all in different and awesome fabric combinations. We love these letterpress posters from Fringe Association. All fiber lovers will hang this 7)Yarn Pyramid poster ($22) with pride. A one yard cut of 8) Pendleton shirting weight wool ($33/yd) is enough fabric to make a beautiful wool skirt or poncho - the perfect gift for your favorite sewist.

2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Extra Special Gifts!

It's that time of year again where we round up the latest and greatest in amazing craft supplies for our Holiday Gift Guides! This year we're starting with the extra special gifts you might consider for the most special crafty person in your life.

For the knitter who loves wool we have the amazing 1) Heirloom Romney Throw kits ($234). These amazing kits come with 12 skeins of US produced and milled Heirloom Romney yarn to make a large and luscious 72" x 54" knit throw and a high quality print pattern designed by Jocelyn Tunney. Each kit has 2 skeins each of 6 colors handpicked by us in four colorways inspired by the seasons. The Heirloom Romney yarn will wear great and look amazing for years to come. Winter is shown here--check our etsy store to see all four colorways. Any quilter would rejoice to receive a 2) fat quarter bundle of Anna Maria Horner's newest collection, Dowry ($100). This set features all 30 prints and is enough to make a queen sized quilt top. For the sewist who loves wool the obvious choice is the coveted and luxurious 3) Pendleton Wool Jacquard fabrics ($80/yd). Enough of this to make a skirt, jacket, throw, or poncho would make any lucky seamstress or seamster's dreams come true. For the fiber lover in your life we have the 4) Big Loop Merino bumps ($198). One of these yarn babies is enough for a throw or a couple of extremely large and lush scarves that won't burden the recipient with hours of work. This yarn works up in no time.

Stayed tuned this week for our Under $50 Gift Guide and Under $20 Gift Guides!

Jaime's Pippin Sweater for Rhinebeck

Ysolda Teague has just released a new book, The Rhinebeck Sweater, and it's my favorite knitting book this year. It is a tradition for most knitters to knit a sweater to wear when they go to Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool festival. Ysolda turned this idea into a beautiful book with 12 sweater designs by 12 different designers (herself included). When Amber and I decided to go to Rhinebeck this year, I knew I had to make a sweater to wear so I chose to make one from Ysolda's book. This pattern is Pippin by one of my favorite designers, Gudrun Johnson.

Amber and I might have some connections so I was able to get my hands on the this pattern before the book was released. That being said, I knit this up in record time to get it finished in time for Rhinebeck and before Spinzilla started (which took me away from my knitting for a week). 

Pockets!

All the sweaters in The Rhinebeck Sweater feature farm-y yarns that are representative of the yarns you can purchase at the Sheep and Wool festival. I knit this up in our Heirloom Romney yarn which worked so well for this pattern. The worsted weight longwool Romney has great stitch definition - perfect for the brioche details. I used the deep-purple Elderberry and the sweater took 5 skeins for the size 33 1/2".

Upstate New York is a great backdrop for photographing sweaters

There are so many things I love about this sweater, I don't even know where to start. First, there is the unusual sleeve construction. The shoulders are created with short-row shaping and then the sleeve is knit down from there - interesting to knit and soo flattering to wear!!

I love the fluffy brioche stitch details at the collar, cuffs, and pockets. The large fluffy brioche cowl neck was picked up and knit last - it really gives the sweater a striking look, and you know how I feel about large cowls...(insert heart eyes).

Professional details such as the bottom folded hem and kitchener seams make this sweater look fantastic and sophisticated.

I can tell you right now, you will be seeing more sweaters from this book knit up by yours truly - its a beautiful collection. The Rhinebeck Sweater book is in stock now so you too can start knitting up the sweaters of your dreams!

Heirloom Chevron Throw - a new free pattern!

We love Jocelyn Tunney's knitting designs. If you aren't familiar with her, she is the woman behind O-Wool yarns. At The National Needle Arts Association show this past summer, we fell in love with her newest collections of graphic blankets for Manos del Urguay. The colors and designs were irresistible! After the show she approached us about designing a throw pattern in our Heirloom Romney yarn and of course we said yes! Welcome Heirloom Chevron Throw!

Jocelyn was the perfect person to design a throw for our special yarn - she has a modern design sense that speaks to Fancy Tiger's style and she has a love and appreciation for the rustic and sustainable qualities of the yarn. She wanted to do something special for Heirloom and we think she succeeded. Heirloom Chevron Throw uses 6 colors and a series of increasing and decreasing to create a luxurious, color-blocked chevron blanket.

We spent a lot of time developing our fantastic color palette for Heirloom--22 fresh colors that play together so well. This throw allows you to pick the perfect color combo to go with your decor. The bold design of the throw will be an amazing piece in your bedroom or living room. Use the throw to add a pop of color while showing off your crafty skills!

You won't be able to resist cuddling in this thing. Heirloom Chevron Throw is knit in cushy garter stitch so it is reversible and oh-so-squishy! This throw is large at 52" x 74" so 2 people can easily cuddle together under it. It also knits up relatively quick with no purling and on size 10 needles.

When you spend time and money to make an heirloom piece such as this you want to know that your throw will last. Our Heirloom Romney is the perfect yarn for just such a project - the sustainable wool yarn comes from longwool Romney sheep. This wool will hold up to wear over time with little to no piling. If a throw this size doesn't fit into your budget for time or money, the pattern would be easy to cut in half to make a smaller lap sized blanket.

The pattern is graciously available for free download here. Heirloom Chevron Throw kits in this colorway (Summer) as well as three others will be available at the shop and in our Etsy store for your holiday gift giving. We hope you love this blanket as much as we do and can't wait to see your own color combinations. Happy Knitting!

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!

Winterfell Cowl Free Pattern; also Direwolves

Winter is coming... In order to prepare, we have developed a new Game of Thrones inspired knitting pattern to keep your neck warm as you journey to the other side of the Wall. When the winds howl and the snow falls one hundred feet deep you'll be the fairest of Starks.

Winterfell Cowl is made with Fancy Tiger Craft's Heirloom Romney and finished with a leather Jul closure. It knits up as quick as the blink of a dragon's eye in a simple lace pattern and creates a distinctive and noble collar that looks great with leather and fur.

The Jul leather closures come in several shapes of black and brown leather - the perfect finish for all your Game of Thrones accessories. They easily attach to handknits, and are just as easy to remove. This means you can exchange your closures between all your handknits, from cardigans to cowls to shawls. Whether you hail from the North or are Dothraki from Essos, these leather clasps will give you the finest closure in the land.

Direwolves will be drawn to your beauty when you wear the Winterfell Cowl.

This pattern uses only 100 yards of our Heirloom Romney yarn, which means you can get two cowls from just one skein! The rustic Romney sheepswool, shorn from descendants of medieval longwool breeds, makes for a beautiful old-world texture and will keep you warm in the harshest of climes. Download your free copy of Winterfell Cowl here.

Winter is coming. What will you knit?

Thanks to Maya the Direwolf model