Cricket is Here and We ♥ It!

Cricket is here from Anzula!

The blend of Merino/Cashmere/Nylon gives this hand-dyed DK beauty the softest, plushest feel and the enchanting color palette makes colorwork a great choice.

We fell in love with this sproingy soft DK weight yarn from Anzula after seeing Olgajazzy's Fractals hat pattern.

We have always loved the insane brights from Anzula. Olga uses them to their magical max by mixing these neon shades with delicate neutrals in this new hat pattern!

We ♥ this soft yarn so hard.

Better Know A Crafter: Pink Pitcher

Pink is old school Fancy T. She has been coming to our craft night since the beginning of time. She's also one of the fastest knitters we know--always the first to finish knit-alongs, and she won't follow a pattern to save her life. She gets the gist of a pattern and then makes it up as she goes. It always turns out magically awesome. Because of this, we weren't surprised to find out the epic dragon sweater she has been working on is a little of this pattern and a little of that...

Pink Pitcher

How did you learn to knit?
I learned to knit when I was six, but I never really got in to it until I was 16 or so. My mother originally taught me, but everything after basic knit stitch I learned from trial and error. Along the way I also learned to sew, crochet, spin, weave, felt...etc. I am a seamstress, making bags from recycled materials (www.pinkilicious.etsy.com), so I knit to unwind from my other crafting.

Tell us about your project.
This project was inspired by a Ravelry find a friend forwarded to me: Betsala's Valhalla I Am Coming, a much hipper version of the Norwegian pattern, 9 Viking Boat Jacket. I loved the chart and it was nice to see it liberated from the original drop sleeves (I hate drop sleeves!). I found a colorwork yoke pattern 0611-1 Pullover, also entirely in Norwegian, that worked for the fingering weight yarn I used--Imperial Stock Ranch Tracie. 

Fortunately, since I was only using the charts from these two, the language didn't matter. I also used an altered version of the Deathflake chart, a chart from a book I bought in Norway about "Lice-Pattern Sweaters", and then I made a chart of all 24 runes of the Elder Furthark. 

Basically, I stitched together a Frankenstein's Monster of awesome Norwegian designs.

What inspired you to make this?
Plunder. The promise of Plunder. (There may have been some drunken boasting as well, I don't recall clearly.)

Does your sweater transport you to other lands/dimensions when you wear it?
I transport this sweater to other lands and times when *I* wear it! (But it keeps me mighty warm while I'm there.)

Did you put any protection spells on your sweater?
I asked my homegirl Frigga to do me a solid and keep and eye on it. She's a spinner, she understands.

What is your favorite viking weapon?
My fist.

OMG Pink, we love it. Thank you and happy knitting!

Meet Florence & Buckhorn, Our Two Newest Patterns!

Two new Fancy Tiger Crafts patterns are here for our Heirloom Romney yarn!

Our new Buckhorn Cap is a rugged colorwork beanie, warm and woolly enough for any mountain man or explorer.

This design by Amber Corcoran is worked with two strands of our worsted weight Heirloom held together, for a chunky gauge that knits up super quick on size 11 needles.

It uses one skein each of two colors of Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney, about 150 yards of the main color and about 80 yards of contrast color. Our sample above uses hand-dyed colors Fava Bean and Carrot, and the version below uses Elderberry and Tomato.

We tested our Buckhorn Cap for durability on an ice fishing expedition and are happy to say it kept our favorite fisherman alive and quite cozy!

Our newest shawl pattern, the Florence Shawl, was designed by Emily Platzer.

Designed for her grandmother, Florence, this generous shawl measures 84” long by 22” deep. On size 10.5 needles, it knits up in no time.

The elongated triangle shape is large enough to drape over your shoulders, or with a coat it can be worn wrapped like a scarf for extra warmth. The Florence Shawl uses one skein each of two colors of Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney. Our sample is shown in colors Nettles and Fava Bean.

We hope you enjoy these new patterns! Follow the links above to instantly download a pdf copy or stop by the store to check these out in print. If you're going to TNNA, be sure to visit us in booth 655 with Elemental Affects yarn see these and samples of all our patterns in person.

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.

Just in time for Shetland Wool Week, Jamieson + Smith is Here!

It's Shetland Wool Week on the Shetland Islands and, as you may know, we are pretty big fans of Shetland wool. After our travels to Shetland this summer, we knew we wanted to carry this wonderfully classic yarn. Shetland Wool Week seemed like the perfect time to welcome Jamieson + Smith 2-ply Jumper Weight wool to Fancy Tiger Crafts!

J + S's Jumper Weight yarn is the traditional yarn used for Fair Isle, or stranded colorwork knitting. This is the yarn you see worked up into so many colorwork sweaters, mittens, hats and scarves across the UK. It comes in an abundance of beautiful heathered hues--muted to bright, dark to light--because knitting colorwork requires such a full palette of shades to work from. The balls are affordable and small (only 25 grams), so knitters can buy just what they need of each color.

J + S's yarns are all made from 100% Shetland wool--specifically Shetland breed sheep that are raised on the Shetland Isles. The breed is known for the range of colorful fleeces. There are 9 natural, undyed colors in J + S's Shetland Supreme 2-ply line of yarn, which work perfectly together with the dyed 2-ply Jumper Weight. Don't worry, we ordered them all!

While in Shetland, Jaime and I picked up some handmade knitted goodies from local designer, Wilma Malcolmson. We love seeing how a professional Fair Isle designer put together her color palettes--here is a peek at her beautiful combos.

Stay tuned to see what projects we've been working on with this yarn!

Scotland Journey Part 5: Shetland Museums

Shetland is known for its knitting traditions of fair isle and lace. This tiny island has developed some of today's most popular knitting styles and techniques. The best places to find examples of the history of these knitting traditions are at two of  Lerwick's great museums - the Shetland Museum and the Textile Museum. Of course we went to both!

Gunnister Man from the Peat Bogs of Shetland

The Shetland Museum details the history of the island since its formation which is fascinating. For textile lovers, there is a lot to take in. We loved this replica of the Gunnister man. He was a shepherd found in a peat bog in Shetland in the 1950's and was wonderfully preserved. He died in the late 1600s or early 1700s and was found wearing a woollen shirt, a suit of long coat and short wide breeches, and an outer jacket. He had two caps, a pair of gloves and knitted stockings as well as a purse knitted with two colors--the earliest found example of stranded or fair isle knitting, dating this technique to the early 18th century.

A prize-winning example of fair isle knitting!

This example of a fair isle vest was a prize winner at a local competition in the 1930's. We love the bright anchors and designs - it is so modern and would be so perfect to wear today!

Left - colorwork charts, right - 1930's yarn color card

Examples of 1930's Shetland wool yarn color cards show the importance of color selection and a wide palette for a long time on Shetland!

A knitting belt on left and whale bone double point needles on right

We love seeing examples of turn-of-the-century knitting tools! Above is a leather knitting belt and double pointed needles made from whale bone. These needles would be used two or three at a time, fitting one end of a needle into the holes on the knitting belt for stability and speedy knitting.

Textile Museum in Lerwick

The Textile Museum in Lerwick had on display even more fine examples of stranded and lace knitting. Shetland lace knitting required more concentration than colorwork and would have been an activity for winter months when women were not working outside so much. This plaque details the amazing feat of women's work on the croft: the most talented Shetland spinners could spin 9,000 yards of lace per 1 oz?! Knitting fair isle on your knitting belt while walking with a kishie of peat back to your croft house?! Unbelievable!

The finest Shetland wool gossamer lace yarn

A fine example of Shetland lace knitting

Shetland lace knitting was often a way for farming women to make money as the fine lace work would be sold directly to merchants who came to the island. Queen Victoria popularized Shetland lace knitting in the 1800's and it became a high-fashion item. Shetlander's developed the "wedding ring lace shawl" - a lace shawl, knit so fine that the entire shawl could be passed through a wedding ring. These shawls were usually 6' square and would be sold for £100 - £2,000.

Blocking boards for mittens

Examples of fair isle knitting in the Textile Museum

A color wheel of natural colors of Shetland wool - in rolag form!

A loom for making woolen fabrics

Ysolda picked up a modern new pink knitting belt and some long double point needles. Lunch at the museum was the perfect chance to try it out...

Ysolda practices knitting on a new Knitting Belt

Next up: We travel West for more woolly treasures on the Isle of Skye!

Quandary Peak Mittens by Sunneshine + Heritage Wool Weekend

The newest Fancy Tiger knitting pattern, Quandary Peak Mittens, is here!

Sunne, one of our amazing knitting instructors, designed these pretty stranded colorwork mittens. They aren't just pretty, they are tough. These nordic style mittens are made with our hearty Heirloom Romney yarn. Romney is a longwool whose lustrous locks make for hard-wearing mittens that will last through the most snow shoveling-est, sledding-est of winters.


Come by Fancy Tiger Crafts to purchase the pattern, or it is available as a PDF download on Ravelry.

We are excited to introduce this pattern during our Heritage Wool Weekend!

 
This Friday and Saturday, October 12th & 13th, at Fancy Tiger Crafts we will be hosting Jeane deCoster of Elemental Affects and Peg and Woody of Pinon Woods Ranch.

Pinon Woods Ranch Pop-Up Shop + Meet the Sheep
Friday and Saturday   10am-4pm

Come by to cuddle heritage Shetland sheep and shop the Pinon Woods Ranch pop-up shop, filled with handknit and handspun goodies made of local Shetland wool and alpaca.

Free Lecture: Heritage Wools in the US
Friday   7pm

Join us and welcome Jeane deCoster, of Elemental Affects, for a lecture on raising and milling heritage breed wool in the US. Jeane mills and dyes her own line of yarn from US herds of Shetland and Romney, and makes our Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom yarn.

Spinning Heritage Wools Class with Jeane deCoster
Saturday   10am-1pm $45

Jeane will cover qualities of various breeds of wools and how to spin them to showcase their unique properties. Jeane will also cover best use for your new heritage handspuns.

Double Fisted Knitting Class with Jeane deCoster
Saturday   3-6pm $40

Regardless of which hand you use to carry yarn when you knit, you'll learn how to use both hands in this class. Learn the basics of handling multiple colors, creating steeks, managing yarn tension, reading color charts and steeking.

Please call us at 303-733-3855 to reserve your space in one of Jeane's classes. We hope you can join us this weekend for some old-time woolly fun!

Craft Trade!

We've all been pretty excited about craft trades around here lately. One of our knitting instructors, Sunne, is an amazing sock knitter and color-work knitter. I've knit a few socks on occasion but embarrassingly have not actually made it through a pair of socks. While Sunne is the most prolific knitter we know, she does not sew. Hence, craft trade! Where everyone is satisfied with a magical handcraft item they wouldn't make for themselves.

I'm super excited about my craft trade with Sunne--the beautiful Fair Isle socks she made for me are my first-ever-very-own handknit socks! I chose two colors of soft Malabrigo Sock yarn and she knit them up using the Wallflower pattern by Stephanie Van Der Linden published on Twist Collective.


For Sunne I made a Fancy Pack in a beautiful Nani Iro fabric that she picked out. The Fancy Pack is a sewing pattern I developed when I felt the need for a cute bag to carry things along with me and be totally hands free. Sunne was really excited about her new Fancy Pack. She loves to walk her dog, Roscoe, around the neighborhood and what a perfect little bag for it. She invented a sweet new way to wear the pack--over one shoulder like a sash. Cute!


Hooray for craft trades! Thanks for my super-sweet socks, Sunne! If you'd like to learn to knit socks Sunne will be teaching a socks class this fall for us as well as a lace knitting class.