Nordic Travel Companions' Knit-Along with Sleep Season Goods

--amber

Our friend Megan makes stunning yarn.

Megan is the dyer and color magician behind Sleep Season Goods, one of our favorite local yarn dyeing companies. As we planned our trip to Estonia, some of our crafty Denver friends joined in on our international adventure. Megan, Alsn, and Jess traveled the whole trip with us, sharing the journey through the mossy lava fields of Iceland, the modern coffeehouses of Helsinki and the medieval streets of Estonia. Megan surprised our group with a special, five-of-a-kind, single edition colorway to knit with on our Nordic journey.

We all chose a few different patterns to knit with our single skein. Megan knit the slouchy Sockhead Hat, a simple hat with a ribbed brim that folds up and finishes with a stockinette stitch slouch. Perfect for a travel project!

Alsn took on the challenge of a Booknits lace shawl, the Mustardseed. She's pretty amazing and whipped this delicate shawl up by the time our trip was done. Impressive!

I have been wanting to make a Norby hat for some time and thought this was the perfect yarn choice for it. It was a fun stitch pattern, and simple enough to easily pick up for a bit in between learning all the other crafts at camp.

Jaime and Jess both liked Megan's choice, and they both knit-along with her, making the Sockhead Hat. Jess shortened her ribbing section so her brim is only one layer, and both versions turned out super cute!

We all love the deep teal grey color of our special yarn, and what a magical hand knit souvenir of our trip together!

Thanks Megan! We ♥ your yarn and your stinkin' cute face!

Yoked: Our Second Annual Sweater Knit-A-Long!

It's that time of year again, when we all just want to stay inside, cozy up to Fancy Tiger's warm fire and knit ourselves a new sweater. Well you're in luck! Our second Annual Sweater Knit-a-Long is here. Hannah Fettig's new book Knitbot Yoked contains a collection of four round yoke sweater patterns worked from the top down. These patterns are a great introduction to Fair Isle knitting. Hannah Fettig provides extremely knowledgeable tips and techniques especially if this is your first time trying Fair Isle knitting. The yarn recommended for these sweaters is Quince and Co. Owl. We stock all colors of Owl so make sure to get in your special orders (see details below) to make certain we have your future sweater in stock!

Here is how the KAL works:

• Pick your colors and purchase your yarn, book, and needles from us by January 7th and receive 15% off.
• Fancy Tiger will be taking special orders for Owl from Quince and Co. Place your order by December 16th to make sure we have your colors in stock and reserved for you in time for our cast on!
• Cast on! We will be casting on for our sweaters on January 7th at Craft Night for any local folks who can join.
• Knit! We'll be knitting our sweaters together every Tuesday night for the duration of the KAL.
• Finish! We hope to finish our sweaters by March 11th. Bring your sweater to craft night on the 11th (even if its not done) for a photoshoot and a high five!
• If you don't live in Denver you can still join in the fun. Use the hashtag #fancykal on all your photos so we can follow along with your progress virtually. You can order your yarn from us and receive your discount with a quick email of your order, phone number + mailing address to info@fancytigercrafts.com. 

Of Course here at Fancy Tiger we have already started dreaming up our colors!

Kayes Cardigan   |    Barred,  Cinnamon, Acacia

 Basic Round-Yoke Unisex Pullover     |     Huckleberry

Birdie Fair Isle Cardigan  (with additional colorwork options in foxes or bunnies)    |     Hemlock, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Tawny (for a cute fox version!)

Willard Fair Isle Pullover     |     Cerulean & Chamomile

We are so excited to kick off 2014 with a new Fancy Tiger Crafts Knit- a-long! We can't wait to see what you will make!

Come One, Come All, Check Out Our Aranami-Along!

We are all snuggled up over here at Fancy Tiger Crafts with our new Aranami shawls! Thanks to our amazing customers who picked this pattern for our most recent KAL. Bonus: we finished just in the nick of time for snowy Denver city! 

The Aranami Shawl pattern by Olgajazzy calls for 5 colors which aid to the beautiful ombré effect many of these shawls have. We couldn't wait to get our hands on some Brooklyn Tweed Loft for this project. Some of the ladies opted to use a variety of different yarns, just look at those colors!  It is such a perfect pattern for a project on the go and for using up small amounts of fingering weight yarn. Each motif is worked one at a time and is quite easy to remember.

Here are the folks who made this KAL such a success! 

Alsn

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: I liked how easy it was to memorize the pattern so I could knit with friends and have complex & deep conversations. 

Yarn: Elemental Affects Shetland Fingering

Colors: Mediterranean Night, Ciel, Light Denim, Mioget + White

Amber

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: I loved the spectrum of colors that everyone chose for their shawls & I liked the addicting motif knitting.
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft

Colors: Wool Socks, Homemade Jam, Thistle, Plume, Pumpernickel

Betsy

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: I really enjoyed the construction of this shawl; it was like watching a puzzle take shape. When I realized the Cinnamon didn't marry well with the other colors I decided to bracket it with fawn. I absolutely love the final product!
Yarn: Elemental Affects Shetland Fingering

Colors: Cinnamon, Forest Moss, Fawn, Lichen, Ochre

Caitlin

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: I enjoyed the repetition & therapeutic nature of the pattern. "Just one more repeat!"
Yarn: Elemental Affects Shetland Fingering

Colors: Pumpkin Spice, Red Bark, Deep Garnet, Old Gold, Burnt Cinnamon

Emily

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: The camaraderie of working on the project together really inspired me to knit fast and steady.
Yarn: All my own hand spun from Spinzilla 

Colors: Dire Wolf, Earth Wolf, Grey Wolf, Rabbit Wolf, Sun Wolf

Jaime

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: I loved knitting this! It was so addicting and I love everyone's color combos... #neutralsforever
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft

Colors: Pumpernickel, Truffle Hunt, Storm Cloud, Wood Smoke, Fossil

Katy

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: How quick it was + MODULARNESS. Also my matching project bag!
Yarn: Cascade Sport 

Colors: Shrimp, Anis, Blue Hawaii, Como Blue, White

Kiyomi

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: It was so easy to knit & I finished it!! =)

Yarn: Cascade Sport 

Colors: Charcoal Grey, Ginseng, Sage, Light Grey, White

Pink

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: This shawl made the Zauberball color changes look awesome!
Yarn: Lace Zauberball

Colors: 1874 Rusty

Rachel

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: I liked making the individual waves because it made me seem like a faster knitter than I actually am.
Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Jumper Weight

Colors: Fuschia, Berry Heather, Raspberry, Lavender Heather, Rose Heather

Sara

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL: Knitting this was addictive and satisfying. The finished project is so soft!
Yarns: Lotus Mimi & Jade Sapphire

Colors: (Lotus) Purple, Light Grey, Beige (Jade Sapphire) Cream & Dark Gray 

Sophia

Favorite thing about the Aranami KAL:  Hooray! Perfect for stash busting!

Yarn: Cascade Baby Alpaca Lace

Colors: Mocha, Turtle, Ecru, Indigo, Chianti Heather

So much happy fun time! Knit-a-longs are the best! 

Thanks to all of you, we have another successful Knit-a-long completed!

If you missed this one don't fret--check back on Monday for the reveal of our Second Annual Sweater KAL, starting in January!

New Fancy Knit Along! Join us!

It is that time of year when our hands ache to feel wool yarn running through them and our necks beg to be warm...a Fancy Tiger Crafts Knit-a-long is in order!! Our customers chose the next Fancy KAL for us and we are happy to join in the fun. This is a pattern that Amber and I have been wanting to knit for quite a while: Aranami Shawl by Olga Buraya-Kefelian (Olgajazzy!) This beautiful scalloped shawl uses 5 colors for a fantastic ombré effect. The recommended yarn for this shawl is Brooklyn Tweed Loft which will be a joy to knit with. We stock all 32 colors of Loft so any and all of your ombré dreams can come true.

Here is how the KAL works:

• Pick our your colors and purchase your yarn, pattern, and needles from us by November 5th and receive 15% off.
• Cast on! We will be casting on for our shawls on November 5th at Craft Night for any local folks who can join.
• Knit! We'll be knitting our shawls together every Tuesday night in November.
• Finish! We hope to finish our shawls by December 3rd. Bring your shawl that night (even if its not done) for a photoshoot and raise a glass with us in congratulatory address! 
• If you don't live in Denver you can still join in the fun. Use the hashtag #fancykal on all your photos so we can follow along with your progress virtually. You can order your yarn from us and receive your discount with a quick email of your order + mailing address to info@fancytigercrafts.com.

Amber and I have already picked out our colors and can't wait to start! Of course, I chose to use 5 of the 12 natural colors in the Brooklyn Tweed palette.

Fossil, Woodsmoke, Stormcloud, Truffle Hunt, and Pumpernickel

Amber went for shades of green for her shawl and it's going to be beautiful!

Pumpernickel, Artifact, Tent, Sap, and Foothills

We can't wait to see what you pick! We hope you can join us for the Knit-A-Long adventure!

Laurelhurst Sock Knit Along was Socktastic!

-jaime

We recently finished our Laurelhurst Sock Knit Along! The Laurelhurst is a pattern by Star Athena and it is awesome. It includes lace and stripes so it was exciting and interesting to knit. We had 8 participants finish their socks. I have a confession. I have never knit socks before. This was my first pair. I love them. I may not be a sock addict, but I know this isn't going to be my only pair of socks. Here are all the socks you can expect to see hittin' the streets of Denver!

Alsn: Cascade Heritage Sock in Como Blue and Grey

Amber: Sweet Georgia BFL Sock in Grape Jelly and Espresso

Caitlin: Madelinetosh Sock in Kale and Antler

Jaime: Madelinetosh Sock in Grapefruit and Silver Fox

Pam: Cascade Heritage Sock in Mustard and Italian Plum

Pink: Malabrigo Lace in Carrot and Amoroso

Shannon: Cascade Heritage Sock in Como Blue and Raspberry

Sunne: Madelinetosh Sock in Edison Bulb and Antler

Nice work everyone! We love to see everyone's finished socks and awesome color combinations!

Laurelhurst Sock KAL!

We just finished our last Knit-Along for Lopi sweaters and it was a great success. We are pleased to announce our next KAL - the Laurelhurst socks by Star Athena.

 
I have never knit a pair of socks before. I fell in love with this pattern and am ready to take on the sock challenge! For my socks, I choose Madelinetosh Sock in Grapefruit and Silver Fox. These fun and bright colors are going to look great with some oxfords this spring.

Amber's pick is Madelinetosh Sock in Olivia and Kale.

Here's how it works:

• Pick out and purchase your yarns at Fancy Tiger Crafts by April 9th to receive your 15% discount. (discount good on 2 skeins of any sock yarn)
• We will cast on our socks at Craft Night on April 2nd
• Out-of-towners can follow along and post pics on our Ravelry Forum
• Come knit with us every Tuesday night from 6 - 9pm
• Finish our socks and have a photoshoot on May 7th at 6pm

We can't wait to see what you choose!

We ♥ Lopi! Iðunn Knit-Along is a Wooltastic Success!

Lopis are taking over the streets of Denver! Next time you go out you might be confused about whether you are in Reykjavik or the Rocky Mountains, thanks to the smashing success of our Lopi-alongers. 

Just a few of the new Lopis in town

We knit the Iðunn Cardigan by Ragga Eiríksdóttir, a two color yoked, steeked cardigan and a free pattern download from from Knitty. It was the perfect intro to colorwork, and a great intro to steeking as well!

We've found that Lopi wool is as perfect for Denver weather as it is for Iceland. The lofty yarn insulates as well as breathes, keeping you warm without stifling. The dual coated wool sheds water--snowmelt just beads up on the surface. Lopi, you are pretty cool. We thought some of our KAL'ers would eschew Lopi in favor of a softer yarn, but everyone was super hardcore and made true Icedlandic sweaters!

Now, meet some of the knitters who fell head over heels for this wooly Icelandic sweater!

Allison

Colors: Black Sheep Heather + Ash Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...picking colors and seeing what everyone else picked.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...how warm it is and the fun ribbon on the inside.

Alsn

Colors: Stone Blue Heather + Ash Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...the help from the community of awesome knitters
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...it's finished!

Amber

Colors: Golden Heather + Bottle Green Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...seeing everyone's progress together. Also, it was fun to see how the color combinations each person chose knit up.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...wearing it almost every day! I love it so much! Oh, also steeking for the first time was exciting!

Anna

Colors: Hazel Heather + Glacier Blue Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...starting it late, so I could be inspired by all the lovely sweaters that were being finished.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...the color combination is ridiculous!

Betsy

Colors: Barley + Hazel Heather + Lapis Blue
My favorite thing about the KAL was...Loved watching the different color combos develop, and how that alone can change the "flavor"
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...I'm just so damned proud I made a sweater and it fits great!

Caitlin + Mathew

Caitlin Colors: Ash Heather + Pink Heather
Mathew Colors: Hazel Heather +  Stone Blue Heather + Celery Green Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...Brainstorming with fellow KAL-ers and seeing how AWESOME everyone's turned out
Caitlin: My favorite thing about my new sweater is...It is made for ME by ME!! Just the right length everywhere!! I want more!!
Mathew: My favorite thing about my new sweater is...That my fantastic, super-sexy, radical wife made it for me!

Candice

Colors: Sun Yellow + Straw
My favorite thing about the KAL was...working on the pattern.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...It's done!...and warm!

Caroline

Colors: Celery Green Heather + Straw
My favorite thing about the KAL was...this was my first KAL - it was fun feeling like I was connected with Craft Night even when I wasn't able to make it to town due to the weather.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...I love how fast and easily it has knit up!

Chase

Colors: Garnet Heather + Light Red Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...Being part of a super fun group of people - making cool stuff.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...there is an established club I can now join.

Jaime

Colors: Bottle Green Heather + Light Grey Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...hanging out with everyone at Craft Night and knitting the same thing. I love comparing notes and asking/answering questions!
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...lopi + cardigan = ♥

Jess

Colors: Acorn Heather + Bottle Green Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...even though I was living in California, I could still be part of the Fancy Tiger funtimes - transcontinental KALs are the best!
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...I love the colorwork - it knit up so fast. This was my first sweater with colorwork, I LOVE how it turned out. I guess spending a million years to pick out your colors really pays off!

Mary

Colors: Ash Heather + Lapis Blue Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...new technique, original design, working on the same project with others and meeting other knitters
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...comfortable, warm but lightweight, new techniques for me actually worked! and the colors.

Megan

Colors: Rust Heather + Pink Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...having support and help from all the other Lopi knitters.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...that the wool is from Iceland and it is super warm

Pam M.

Colors: Rust Heather + White
My favorite thing about the KAL was...meeting other knitters and comparing progress each week
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...it's the perfect cool weather cover-up and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to

Pam

Colors: Grey Heather + Rust Heather in Unspun Plötulopi
My favorite thing about the KAL was...it was so inspiring to see such a variety of color choices and sizes - they all look amazing!
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...not done yet, but I can't wait to steek it

Pink

Colors: Dark Wine + Berry Heather + Rose Heather + Ash Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...simple pattern, fancy looking results
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...matches my hair!

Sunne

Colors: Black Sheep Heather + Glacial Blue Heather
My favorite thing about the KAL was...cutting the front of my sweater.
My favorite thing about my new sweater is...it inspired me to knit more things that I cut.
Sunne is the Lopi-est! She also knit (from left to right) Craftsy Top-Down Icelandic Sweater in Golden Heather + Bottle Green Heather + Black Sheep Heather, Freyja in Steel + Donahue, and Aftur in Black Sheep Heather + Garnet Heather + Ash Heather + Grey Heather.


One of the most fun things about making this sweater was choosing the ribbon to finish off the steeked front. Here is a peak inside some of our Iðunns...

Thanks so much everyone! This KAL was a blast! Stay tuned for our next KAL--we will be announcing it next week! :)