Jess made a Breckon Cardigan!

--Jess

I have been dreaming of making sweaters since I started knitting 4 years ago, as a matter of fact it was my driving force to learn how to knit. The idea of being able to knit my own clothes still gives me goosebumps! I am constantly saying "I can't believe I MADE this!!" Needless to say I am extremely happy with my new sweater.

The Breckon is a Brooklyn Tweed pattern by Amy Christoffers that I have had my eye on since it was released. It calls for Loft fingering weight yarn. I fell in love with the color Truffle Hunt which was also featured in the pattern sample!

I was surprised with how effortless it was to understand the lace pattern. This is an easy nine stitch repeat mixed with a few cables and granite stitch. I know that might sound like a lot but I assure you it was a delight! I really enjoyed how much detail this sweater has. Every row kept my attention and I found myself saying "just one more repeat" far too often!  

This pattern calls for you to make the sleeves first.. and phew!  Was I happy when I finished the body to only had to attach them. (this is my happy face)

I decided not to include any waist shaping and I am so certain that was the right decision for me. The results are exactly what I was looking for. I wear cardigans almost everyday and this one has already jumped to the top of my favorites list. 

I could not be more pleased with my new cardigan! I have already cast on for my next sweater thanks to Fancy Tigers sweater KAL! I need to make a worsted weight project before I jump into my next fingering weight Brooklyn Tweed sweater. Be on the look out- I plan on making the Reine out of Loft in 2014 and I can't wait!  

A Grettir for Eddie

--amber

After thirteen years of friendship and nine years of love, this guy definitely deserves a handknit sweater. Eddie has received a couple of handknit scarves from me over the years, but otherwise he's been resorting to keeping himself warm with store-bought woolens. Meanwhile, I've been parading around in a slew of handknit things from head to toe. 

Last month the spirit of holiday giving got to me and I decided it was time to share the sweater love. 

Jared Flood's Grettir pattern caught my eye and Eddie agreed, it was the perfect sweater for him. The Icelandic style yoke would be fun for me to knit, and--in a palette of natural heathered greys--the sweater would be classic and easy for Eddie to wear.

Grettir is written for Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter yarn, which I love and just used for my Reverb. It makes a stunning sweater, but for Grettir I opted to go a little more hardcore with my choice of wool--I wanted to make Eddie an Icelandic sweater with the Lopi that I fell in love with on my trip to Iceland. My own Iðunn cardigan, knit in Létt-Lopi, has been my most beloved sweater for the unpredictable Colorado winters.

Lucky for me, Létt-Lopi comes in an full spectrum of heathered greys so it was easy to find the perfect four shades for Grettir's chart. The worsted weight sweater pattern knit up in just about a month, and in the blink of an eye this sweater was finished. I have to say, I love knitting Jared's patterns. They are well written, create beautiful garments, and I always learn a new technique for impeccably finished handknits.

My favorite thing from Grettir is the rolled crewneck collar. So simple, yet so neat and tidy.

Eddie's new sweater was finished in time for our most recent snowstorm and, my, isn't a Lopi-wearing, bearded man a welcome sight the midst of a snowy forest?

After this sweater success I don't think I'll wait another 13 years to knit Eddie a new sweater. Until the next one, though, this sweater is sure to keep Mr. Corcoran warm and extremely fashionable.

Holy Cowl! Jaime's Oshima Sweater

I recently finished my first sweater using Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn. It was amazing. There are so many wonderful patterns from Brooklyn Tweed, it was a tough choice, but I love a good cowl neck and the Oshmia sweater pattern by Jared Flood has the biggest cowl yet. Perfect. I choose the beautiful ochre color Hayloft which may look familiar from Amber's last post!

Oshima calls for Loft held double which makes for a chunky yarn and was knit mostly on a size 10.5 needle. The top of the sweater is a brioche pattern which means an extra-squishy fabric with beautiful texture. Oshima is knit bottom up - the shoulders and sleeves are seamed for a great fit.

Jared Flood writes very thoughtful patterns and every detail is accounted for. Various needle sizes help make the cuffs turn up perfectly and make the cowl flare out just so. The cuffs are tacked down so they always stay in place. A garter stitch edge on the sleeves and body mean the seaming is easy to work and assures it will look fantastic. The shaping of the shoulders and arms in the brioche stitch pattern makes for a beautiful effect on the back which I really appreciate.

Loft is a lovely yarn to work with - it holds up to its name and is super soft. Since this sweater was knit with the yarn held double it took 9 skeins and means it is extra cozy to wear. My gauge was just a bit off so I did some calculations and knit the smallest size 34" for a finished size of 35". The pattern is meant to be worn with positive ease, so this gave me a bit of positive ease without being overwhelming on my small frame.

I love this sweater - it is the perfect cozy sweater to wear on snowy days or trips to the mountains!

Brooklyn Tweed Loft Yarn at Fancy Tiger Crafts!

A few weeks ago we received an email from Jared Flood which included the most exciting news of all time. Fancy Tiger Crafts was chosen to be one of ten shops in the US to carry his Brooklyn Tweed yarns, Loft and Shelter. We are so honored to be chosen and are thrilled to be able to share this lovely yarn with our customers here in Colorado! Welcome Loft!

Loft is everything you could love in a yarn. It is grown in Wyoming and milled in the historic Harrisville mill in New Hampshire. You can read an extensive look at the mill process here on the Brooklyn Tweed blog. Loft is a woolen-spun, fingering weight yarn made up of soft and springy Targhee-Columbia X wool. The color palette is heathers in 10 neutrals (you know how I love that) and 22 beautiful hues. The colors are absolutely gorgeous, and the names of the colors perfectly encapsulate their mysterious tweedy shades. Postcard is a pale tweed that looks like a found stack of vintage french love letters, Foothills is the color of Leprechaun tears, and Sap is reminiscent of a Maple Tree Fairy's hair. Can you even imagine what color Old World is? or Bird Book?! Here are the 32 tweedy, woolly yarns that are just waiting to become your next project! You will have to stop by to check them all out in person to see just how magical they are.

One of the best things about this yarn is the amazing pattern support. Jared Flood and his team of designers at Brooklyn Tweed are constantly releasing patterns that are sophisticated, smart, and beautiful. Whether you want to knit a shawl, scarf, cardigan, or baby blanket, we can help you find the right Brooklyn Tweed pattern. Jared and Leila were kind enough to send us a few samples to display in the shop to help welcome Loft. Please stop by to have a look at these lovelies in person!

Burnham Mittens by Leila Raabe

Farthing Scarf by Jared Flood

Leaves of Grass by Jared Flood

Thayer by Leila Raabe

Sakura Shawl by Leila Raabe

Stonecrop by Jared Flood

Stay tuned for Brooklyn Tweed Shelter's arrival this summer!

Better Know A Crafter: Amanda Pacheco

Several of us Fancy Tiger folks have Jared Flood's Rock Island Shawl on the needles right now, so we were all pretty amazed when Amanda stopped in wearing her finished Rock Island--because she had handspun the pretty lace yarn which she knitted it from! We love the long color repeats she got from spinning a hand-dyed roving.

Amanda Pacheco

What kinds of crafts do you do?

I crochet, knit, spin, dye, make batts...if it's fiber, I'm in. I love wearing something I made and I love draping my friends in handmade nomminess!

Tell us about your shawl.
Rock Island. I spun the yarn from Maude & Me roving and knitted it with support from Fancy Tiger. This was the finest yarn I've ever spun and the hardest pattern by far.

How did you learn to spin and knit?
I taught myself to knit and spin. I've been knitting for two years and spinning for one. My friend Caryn got me interested in spinning and has been my greatest support (and enabler!)

What is your favorite animal?
Any one that's spinnable. :)

Thanks Amanda! Happy spinning and knitting!

New! Brooklyn Tweed Patterns by Jared Flood!

We are excited to offer Brooklyn Tweed knitting patterns by Jared Flood! Jared's beautiful designs, with their classic style and woolly texture, are a constant inspiration to us.

The stunning Rock Island Shawl in the background was knit by our instructor, Sunne. Look for a class on the fall schedule!

Come by to check out the full line of Brooklyn Tweed patterns--we've even reorganized our knitting patterns display so that you can easily find your favorite knitting designers and peruse all of their patterns!

Knitting Jared Flood

We have all been busy working on epic knitting projects this winter so our project posts have been sparse. I did take some time to whip up a couple of small projects last month that both used patterns from Jared Flood. If you're not familiar with Jared Flood, his stunning photography has made him famous among knitters. He designs sophisticated patterns and now has his own line of US grown yarns that we are dying to get our hands on.


Have you heard how in love I am with yellow right now? I came back from Iceland with a suitcase full of yellow yarn! This project is the Romney Kerchief from Jared Flood's blog. While he does not write out the pattern, Jared gives plenty of details as to how he made this simple triangle shawl and it was easy for me to figure out. I picked up this lichen-dyed Lopi lace yarn in Iceland and was looking for the perfect pattern for it. I love how simple this pattern is - perfect to show off the rich color and texture of the yarn. I love my Lopi Kerchief!


In October we went to the Taos Wool Market and I fell in love with the un-dyed yarns from Elsa Wools. Their yarns are all made from Cormo wool sourced from Colorado and Montana and are US milled. The woolen-spun Cormo yarn is springy and soft. I decided on knitting Jared's Ptarmigan cowl pattern. I wanted something that would knit up quick during the busy holidays. This cowl is super warm and the lace pattern looks great in the pale un-dyed gray of the wool.



Yay for knitting!

New! Llama and Angora Yarn! Jared Flood Book!

Two new yarns are in!

Montera is a 50% llama 50% wool blend aran yarn that comes in a ton of lovely colors.


Lush is an 50% angora and 50% wool blend--perfect for soft and magically angora-y projects.


We have two new books with great patterns for both yarns. Jared Flood's new book, Made in Brooklyn, is full of beautiful, classic shawls and sweaters, hats and mittens.


Snow Day has adorable patterns for sweaters, cardigans, hats and shawls.


Jaime made this Big Stitch Hat from Snow Day in just one hour last craft night!