Fancy Tiger Crafts is coming at you with our Spring schedule!

Oh boy, do we have a fabulous spring schedule to share with you! We have added about a billion new classes for all your crafting needs. We are very excited to bring you a wide range of new classes for this Spring. Expand your skills and come get crafty with us! 

Fresh new sewing classes:

1) The unisex Cooper Bag by Walden 

2) Ruffled Jersey Skirt

3) Peter Pan Collar tee

4) Tablet case

5) Needle felting Flower Garland

6) Fancy Tiger's classic T- shirt 

7) A Pet Bed for your beloved kitty or pup

8) Make your own Undies

9) Polly Top from By Hand London

10) The Quillow (yes, its a quilt that folds into a pillow!)

11) Foldover Clutch

12) Kid's sewn Stuffie Cloud

13) Sailor top by Fancy Amber

14) Color Theory for crafters

15) Dolly the sewn doll

 

Next up, knitting and crochet classes:

1) February Lady Cardigan

2) Crochet Granny Squares by Tymla Welch

3) Color Affection by Veera Välimäki 

4) Howelsen Hill Hat by Sunne Meyer

In addition to our spring classes, we are so excited about the amazing guest teachers we have lined up to teach at Fancy Tiger this Spring!

First up is Cal Patch! She will be in town for the Makerie and is making a very special trip to Fancy Tiger Crafts to teach her Folk Dress. Sign up for both her workshops at the Makerie and at Fancy Tiger Crafts to receive a combined discount of $50!

Spend the weekend with LA's Christine Haynes, the designer of the popular Emery Dress, and all around great person. This intensive two day, 12-hour workshop will have you learning all of Christine's favorite tailoring tips for darts, bodice lining, invisible zippers, gathering, in-seam pockets and perfect hem. Sign up now for this sure-to-fill-up class in coming in April!

Check out these hand stitched goodies! Lisa Solomon, author of Knot Thread Stitch, will be here in late spring with her beautiful and modern embroidery skills. She will be teaching two classes. Embroidered Necklace walks you through making a one of a kind stitched pendant that you will turn into fantastic jewelry, and Embroidered Portrait will have you stitching up textural heirloom artwork from a drawing or photo.

Don't miss this schedule full of all the things! Just give us a call or drop by to reserve your spot!

Caitlin's Miette Cardigan

--caitlin

When I started to work at Fancy Tiger over a year ago I was an experienced seamstress, but I knew I needed to jump on the knitting bandwagon.  I had mastered my knits and purls with many scarves and cowls, but hadn't successfully completed a written pattern until becoming a Tigress.  Feeling inspired by our lovely customers and my co-workers, I picked up some yarn and needles and haven't looked back! 

This is just my second knit sweater and I couldn't be happier with the end product.  It's the Miette Cardigan by Andi Satterlund.  This is a really easy pattern to follow and would be a great project for beginners looking to take the next step to garments.  What's more is it's free so you can save your monies for more yarn!  

I knit this up in just under a month with the Quince & Co. Owl yarn in the color Rosebay.  Owl is an over-dyed alpaca/wool blend that is really delightful to work with.  I'm so happy with how this color shows off the lace detailing!

The pattern is written as a cute cropped cardigan, but I wanted it a bit longer so I repeated the lace repeat 3 times and added a bit of waist shaping.  Now it's the perfect addition to my wardrobe!

Watch out, world!  I think I'm a knitter.

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!  

Amber's Reverb Cardigan

When we recently hosted the Wool People 5 trunk show from Brooklyn Tweed, I have to admit, I tried on every single sweater. That's the great thing about trunk shows--you get to see in person and try on the handknits that you are considering spending a considerable amount of time making. (Note to reader--we have the BT Men trunk show coming at the end of this month, so come try on some knits!)

The sweater I fell hard for is Tanis Lavallee's Reverb cardigan. I didn't want to take it off. I needed it to be mine all mine. So I swatched and cast on immediately.

This tweedy cabled cardigan only took me about a month to knit, if you account for the couple of weeks that our Aranami KAL took me away from it. The worsted weight yarn knit up quickly and the zig-zag cables kept it interesting and kept me knitting "just a few more rows" every evening.

I chose nine leather knotted buttons to accentuate the grandpa-chic style, and I love it!

One thought on the pattern--were I to knit this sweater again I would deviate slightly from the pattern by knitting the button bands along with the body of the sweater. I think this makes for a neater finish and a more satisfying construction for those of us that don't love seaming.

I do love my new sweater and you'll probably see me wearing it next time you are in the shop!

Thanks to Bread Bar in Silver Plume for the beautiful photo setting!

Jaime's Lush Sweater

If you're a regular blog reader, you probably know that Amber and I recently went on a wool-filled trip to Scotland. On the Isle of Skye, we visited Shilasdair yarns where I picked up three skeins of their Luxury dk yarn. This beautiful yarn was naturally dyed with Meadowsweet - a pasture-loving plant that grows everywhere on the island. On our way out of Scotland, we stopped at a local yarn shop in Edinburgh and I picked up a copy of the newly-released book, "Handmade in the UK" by Tin Can Knits. This pattern for the Lush cardigan is one of the many amazing patterns in the book and I knew it would be the perfect project for my special Skye yarn.

Trying to re-create the lush landscape of Skye in Denver Co.

Knitting a project from yarn acquired on a trip is a great way to honor and remember your travels. My new Lush cardigan will remind me of the lush rolling hills of Skye and the great adventures we had there. The color that was dyed from Meadowsweet is the best shade of yellow and is going to be a great addition to my fall wardrobe. The yarn is a blend of wool, angora, camel and silk, so it is super soft, but tight plies mean it should wear well over time.

The Lush cardigan was a quick knit for me. The lace yoke is knit first and then the top and bottom of the cardigan are knit with picked up stitches on the top and bottom band of the yoke. This unusual construction made the cardigan seem to come together super fast. The cardigan features optional waist shaping which I included on my size 33" cardigan. The back of the cardigan is lovely with the leaf lace pattern coming together perfectly in the center back.

I finished my cardigan with metal shield buttons - fitting for a Scottish cardigan. The button band is worked last and you can choose your own button placement and determine the best number of buttons for you. I love my new cardigan - you'll be seeing this one a lot this fall!

We have the Tin Can Knits "Handmade in the UK" book in stock as well as individual patterns for Lush. Unfortunately, you'll have to travel to the Isle of Skye to pick up some Shilasdair yarns. If you can't make the trip, we have plenty of amazing yarns that would be perfect for this cardigan. Anzula Oasis would be the closest in make up as it is a plied camel/silk blend. Madelinetosh Dk and Fibre Co. Acadia would also make lovely Lush cardigans!

A New Sweater for a New Year

The best thing about all the trunk shows we host here at Fancy Tiger Crafts is seeing and trying on knit and sewn items in person. When Miriam Felton was here last October, I was able to try on her Vinculum Cardigan and fell in love. This worsted weight cardigan features beautiful feminine touches such as a smocking pattern in the neck and cuffs and a pretty "V" shaping at the back. I have been wanting to make something with the classic Irish tweed yarn we carry from Studio Donegal and it was a match made in heaven!

You all know how I feel about neutral colors and I couldn't resist this classic color of tweed yarn in Oatmeal. This color is sure to compliment almost anything in my wardrobe for maximum cardigan usage. You also might know I often have gauge issues (I just knit so dang loose!). For this sweater I was working with 16.5 stitches to 4" instead of Miriam's 19 stitches to 4" (and I was on a 6!). I did the math and went ahead and made the smallest size 32" to finish with a 36" which was what I was going for. It worked out well and my cardigan fits beautifully. Miriam's pattern is well written with waist and bust shaping in the body and short row shaping for the back neckline. It knit up quick with no hiccups. I took her advice and blocked the sweater before seaming which made the seaming so easy!

 

I finished this sweater in a record (for me) 1 month during the holidays and seamed it on New Year's Eve. I was at home without access to all of our beautiful buttons so I just put one vintage button I had on hand at the top. I've loved wearing it this way so I might just keep it with the one button.

Thanks, Ironwood for the awesome and other-worldly photo-shoot backdrop!

Better Know A Crafter: Roxanne Miller

Roxanne came in to chat us up about a knitting program she's been working on, and we couldn't keep our eyes off her gorgeous new sweater! It is made with two weights of Madelintosh in the same colorway, for a very cool lacy stripe effect. It is stunning, Roxanne!

Roxanne Miller
 

What types of crafts do you do?

I like to make things. I knit, sew, draw, cook, decorate, garden--anything that pops into my head. I love creating things. I usually get inspired by everyday things. I'll see something someone is wearing or see something for sale in a store & instantly think, "I could make that!", then go home and try to figure it out.

What is the beautiful cardigan you are wearing?

I knitted this using Madelinetosh DK & Tosh Merino Light in the color Opaline. I used the Army Of Knitters pattern Cassiopeia.

 

How did you learn to knit?

I actually taught myself how to knit and crochet. I've been knitting for about three years and absolutely LOVE it.

What is your favorite animal?

My favorite animal is a liger, known for it's skills in magic.

Thanks Roxanne! Happy knitting!

Lettlopi Knit-Along!

Knit-along alert!

With all our holiday crafting behind us, we are ready to embark on a new sweater journey! What perfect timing--our favorite Icelander, Ragga Eiríksdóttir, just published Iðunn, a beautiful Lopi cardigan and a free pattern on Knitty.com.

Jaime and I both can't wait to make this pretty Icelandic cardigan! Which means we're already dreaming of our colors...

Golden Heather  |  Stone Blue Heather

Bottle Green Heather  |  Glacier Blue Heather

We will be casting on our Lopi sweaters at the first Craft Night of 2013--Tuesday, January 8th.

If you want to make Iðunn or any other Lettlopi sweater, please join us and get 15% off your sweater's worth of Lopi purchase up until 1/8/2013.

To make sure we have your favorite Lopi color in stock, please let us know by Christmas Eve (email fancytiger@gmail.com or stop by the store) which colors you would like to purchase and we will special order your sweater's worth of Lopi! Check for yarn requirements on the Iðunn pattern page.

We hope you will join us!

Amber's Cria Cardigan

I'm so happy with my new Cria cardigan! I just finished this knit from Ysolda's book, Little Red in the City. I made my Cria with one of my favorite yarns of all time, Imperial Stock Ranch Tracie in the lovely cool grey, Quail.

The Tracie acts quite a bit differently than the alpaca silk yarns called for in the pattern. Tracie's springy Columbia wool gave me a shorter row gauge and I ended up knitting several more rows per inch. I love the wooly fabric the yarn creates.

The garter stitch yoke is simply adorable and the construction of it will blow your mind. Ysolda uses ingenious short row neck shaping combined with simultaneous set-in sleeves. It's pretty dang awesome. I loved every mind-blowing minute of it.

I'm a big fan of all Ms. Teague's details--faux side seams, garter cuffs with buttons, gathered sleeves, teeny pockets. Each detail is well thought out and exciting to knit.

Now that fall is officially here my dear new cardigan will keep my cozy every day! Hooray!

Emily's Aidez Cardigan

Greetings, crafty peeps!

Do you know how much I love making sweaters? I really, really do, and I'm pretty picky about how I like to make them--top down, seamless, try on as you go. Seeing Amber and Angelique's beautiful Aidezes convinced me to try this *bottom up?!?* *seamed?!?* sweater pattern by Cirilia Rose. Being a bit stubborn in my ways, I at least had convert the pattern to seamless...and add some shaping...and stuff.

This gorgeous sweater was made from Cestari 2ply Fine Merino in Blue Pansy, which is a lovely squishy aran weight yarn. It was really lovely to work with, although you could also use Peace Fleece, Cascade Eco or Eco+, Imperial Stock 2ply Mulespun, or our very own Fancy Tiger Heirloom Romney!

As per usual for me, this turned into a make it up as you go along kind of affair. After teaching the My Favorite Sweater class for so long I'm pretty comfortable with knitting away from patterns. It's like cooking, you take an amazing recipe and then close the book and make it. Sometimes awesome things happen, and it's a certainty that you will learn a lot. And Cirilia's pattern is amazing. Those cables are all gorgeous to look at, fun to knit, and surprisingly easy to memorize. It makes me so happy when you don't need a row counter as much as you thought because the tiny cables tell you when to cable the bigger ones. You smarty!

Have you ever tried fixing cabling mistakes? Well, I have now become somewhat good at that. Fixing a trellised cable is pretty intense, but makes you feel like you can do anything! Invincible! Ha ha, you silly trellis, you thought you could foil me?!?! Or, you could just leave them in, like I did above. Five points if you can see it.

Oh, and one sleeve at a time--not a good idea when you are making things up as you go. I knit the sleeves two at a time using the magic loop method. Two at a time forever! It's not just for socks, two at a time is pretty much the only way I will knit something that needs to be identical (If that scares you, take a class! You might swear off one at a time too!).

This is definitely my new go-to favorite sweater. I love it so much!

The Fibre Co. Yarns are Here and We Can't Stop Touching Them!

Two gorgeous new yarns are here from the Fibre Co!

We couldn't keep our hands off of them and we've already knit up two adorbz samples.

Angelique used Terra to knit up this ittybitty Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig. Terra is a luscious Aran weight yarn in a blend of nubby silk, alpaca and merino. Two red tagua nut buttons finish it up adorably!

Sunne made the Bismark Hat by Kate Gagnon Osborn in Road to China Light, a softer-than-you-could-dream blend of natural fibers. Erikia has perfect pom-pom skills--she made that perfect pom-pom!

Terra

Silky nubs take the dyes differently than the the soft alpaca and wool, which gives this lux yarn a beautiful texture accentuated by the depth and contrast of color.

 Road to China Light

This sport weight yarn is the softest! This alpaca/silk/camel/cashmere blend comes in a stunning array of kettle dyed-beauty. We want to eat it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy knitting and crocheting!