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!

TNNA Report: February 2013

Amber and I just got back from warm Long Beach for TNNA, The National Needlearts Association trade show. This is where we go to see new products, get inspired by new designs, and touch base with our favorite companies and designers.

As you already know if you're a blog reader, we debuted Heirloom our 100% American Romney yarn. We had a cute little display set up in the Elemental Affects booth. It went great and we heard some positive and exciting feedback. Look for Heirloom soon in fine LYS across the US.

Jeane deCoster, Jaime and Amber with Heirloom!

We loved Moving Mud artisan glass works. We picked up (and brought home with us!) these beautiful handmade glass darning needles. Come by soon, they won't last long!

Glass Darning Needles from Moving Mud

Malabrigo has a gorgeous new yarn coming out late Spring - Mecha. Mecha is a superwash, bulky weight single ply and, as always, the colors are stunning. We can't wait to get this in stock! We will let you know as soon as we get it in...

Mecha by Malabrigo

We were thrilled to pick up not one, but two new lines from the Fibre Company. Tundra and Acadia will be joining Terra and Road to China Light here at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Stay tuned for more on these lux yarns when they arrive this Spring. We are always inspired by the Fibre Co. aesthetic--they and their booth were too cute in their fancy shoes and cabled Flor tiles!

Fibre Co. Tundra color cards and Maura's hot shoes on knit FLOR tiles

Local company Schact was there with an adorable new pin loom - the Zoom Loom! This simple and affordable little loom is perfect for anyone wanting to dabble in weaving as well as a great way to introduce kids to the wonderful world of weaving. These cuties will be here in April.

Jaime and Jess make magic with Zoom Looms

A new trend that we are on-board with is mini-skeins! Some yarn companies are now offering their yarn in smaller put-ups for colorwork, small projects and general craft uses. We loved the design of Knitted Wits mini-skeins, called Gumballs, Gobstoppers and Jawbreakers! We ordered a bright palette of Gobstoppers - little hand-dyed skeins of worsted weight wool--perfect for colorwork and stripes.

Gobstoppers and a kids sweater made from them!

We did it. We finially ordered the unique Silken Straw yarn from Alchemy Yarns. We love how unusual this 100% silk yarn is and can't wait to see what you do with it. More to come when this gets here next month. Alchemy's booth featured this life-sized felted owl...I'm pretty inspired to make one of my own!

Silken Straw by Alchemy Yarns and the coolest felted owl of all time.

We can't wait to see what you'll make with all the inspiring new yarns, products, and patterns we have coming!

New Yarn! Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca Lace is here!

Hooray for new Baby Silkpaca Lace from Malabrigo! We are excited to be carrying this pretty hand-dyed lace yarn, with it's silky sheen and soft, fuzzy warmth of baby alpaca.

Baby Silkpaca is super affordable and will make a stunning heirloom shawl!

Better Know A Crafter: Bob Morgan

Bob is one of the crafty regulars at ManMade. He made this haori style jacket for a friend, using a variety of Malabrigo Silky Merino colors. It was a perfect choice! He even adorned it with one of our "This Took Forever" tags.

 Bob Morgan

Tell us about yourself. What makes you want to craft?
I am a gardener and a teacher. Crafts are a creative use of time. I am a knitter.

What kinds of things do you enjoy knitting?
Over the last 35 years of knitting I've knitted sweaters, vests, coats, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves and recently--lace. Most things I give away.

How did you learn to knit?
I learned to knit from my mother, but I learned to enjoy knitting from Sidna Farley. She was great--knowledgeable and funny.

What is your favorite animal?
My dog.

Thanks Bob! Happy knitting!

Malabrigo Finito is Here!

Finito is Malabrigo's newest yarn, made from the highest grade wool available in Uruguay--wool that is only available once a year in limited quantity. If you've ever experienced Malabrigo's other merino yarns you know that their yarns are made with the absolute softest wool around. Somehow Finito is even magically softer!

This beautiful yarn is a plied fingering weight that is kettle dyed in beautiful rich hues that seem to glow from within. Once this year's batch of wool is gone we'll have to wait for next year's shearing for the folks at Malabrigo to make this special yarn again.

Hurry in, these pretties won't last long!

New Malabrigo Rios Superwash!

Malabrigo Rios is here!


This gorgeous new yarn from Malabrigo, purveyor of super-soft merino wool, is a washable worsted weight yarn. It's available in many-a-magical-kettle-dyed color.


Your favorite knitter or crocheter might squeal with glee if one of these end up in their stocking....

New! Malabrigo Rasta Super Bulky Yarn!

We've got the newest Malabrigo yarn in! Rasta is a super bulky, kettle-dyed merino yarn.


Malabrigo always dyes the prettiest, most colorful, glowing yarns and this chunky yarn is no exception. We imagine cuddly scarves, berets and cardigans, but we can't wait to see what other crafty things creative folks come up with for this soft and squishy yarn.

Zach's Daybreak & Fancy Tiger Knit-Along

Hey guys! I just finished my DayBreak and I love it! When the pattern by Stephen West came in I fell smitten instantly and when the Zauberball from Schoppel Wolle came in I fell even harder for a color of variegated naturals, browns, creams and grays. So, sold on the color, I did a little research and Babel-fished the word Zauberball. The word means "charm ball" in German and what else could I do but run a little magic into the daybreak with this in mind. I used Malabrigo sock yarn for the stripes and chose "Light of Love" because I usually look pretty good in pinks and reds. I am casting a little spell that when I wear it the handsome-man-of-my-dreams will fall smitten, first for my daybreak and second for me! HA!
To top it off Amber and I ran down to our favorite ice cream shop for the photo shoot; Sweet Action, and I got a scoop of Hibiscus, my favorite flavor and an extremely potent aphrodisiac! Between the ice cream, the magic and the week it took me to make it, this knitter is bound to get a little sweet action of his own this spring.

I did things a little bit differently than the way the pattern called for because I wanted it to have purl ridges on every other stripe of color just to make it a little bit more textural. So on the last purl row of the stripe patterning I did a knit row instead. This pattern is super simple and fun and I hope that you guys give it a whirl. All that you need to know is knitting, purling, M1R, M1L, and slipping stitched.

We're so in love with this pattern we've decided to have Fancy Tiger's first ever knit-along! A knit-along is where we all make the same pattern, but of course, because of different colors and yarn choices, everyone's will be unique. Here's the scoop: you purchase your yarn and pattern here at Fancy Tiger Crafts (you can also buy the pattern directly from the designer Stephen West on Ravelry) and make your daybreak. You have until 5/1/2010 to bring in your finished daybreak for a photo and we will give you a $10 gift certificate! If you need help knitting your daybreak, you can always stop by craft night and myself or one of the ladies can help you out. We can hardly wait to see your Daybreaks!

Better Know A Crafter: Emily VanGilder

Emily visited Fancy Tiger Crafts wearing the most adorable hooded scarf knit from soft Malabrigo worsted. We couldn't take our eyes off of it! We imagine frolicking through the forest while picking wild herbs and berries wearing this! Jaime is already planning on knitting one of her very own.

Emily VanGilder

Tell us about yourself...What makes you want to be crafty?

I am a medical student--I graduate in May. I'm going into obstetrics and gynecology. I craft as a creative outlet. Knitting is my art.

How did you make your scarf?
This is the Peaks Island Hood pattern by Ysolda Teague (available in Whimsical Little Knits 2). I added 4" of seed stitch to make it longer. I used Malabrigo yarn in Polar Morn--2.2 balls, straight needles in size 10.5, and three buttons.


How did you learn to knot?
My grandma taught me to knit many years ago. I picked it up again when my fiance worked at a restaurant that shared a building with a yarn shop.

What is your favorite animal?
Otter!

Thanks Emily! Happy knitting!

Emily's Entrelac Hat

Entrelac is so superfun. The technique is based on picking up stitches from the side of one square and then knitting a new square. Have you heard the expression, "let me finish this row" or "just one more round"? You will be saying the same thing, "just one more square". These little squares are so addictive, they definitely kept me up at night. So fun!



I learned entrelac using the instructions found at KnittyOtter's blog (pdf link) and then made the Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole found in Scarf Style by Pam Allen. But that got me thinking... wouldn't entrelac in the round be fun? What about a super-cute entrelac tam? Inspired by KnitterNutter's Entrelac Cap, I decided to try the tubular cast on... with black yarn and poor lighting. May I again suggest: when learning a new technique, use light colored yarn! There was quite a bit of cussing and frogging, but the tubular cast on is so very beautiful, and makes a piece that much more professional.


I used the Malabrigo Silky Merino in two colors and my hat is so soft and satin-y! You can see me sporting this hat at Fancy Tiger Crafts and maybe teaching an enterlac class this spring?!

Better Know A Crafter: Angela Fortunato-Renstrom

Angela came to her very first Fancy Tiger Craft Night a few weeks ago and was working on a knitting project in Malabrigo Lace. It is so pretty and delicate knitted up in simple stockinette stitch! Angela is using my personal favorite color of Malabrigo, Frank Ochre, a dazzling acidic yellow. She came in a few days ago proudly wearing her newly finished Whisper cardigan. It's absolutely lovely!

Angela Fortunato-Renstrom

1) What makes you want to craft?

I moved to Denver with my husband from Boise, Idaho in September. I work in insurance so it's nice to have a knitting as a creative outlet after hours.

2) Tell us about your project.
I knitted my cardigan from Malabrigo Lace using the Whisper cardigan pattern from Interweave Knits.


3) How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself how to knit when I was a freshman in college.

4) What is your favorite animal?
Kittens!

Thanks Angela! Happy knitting!

New! Malabrigo Twist and Malabrigo Silky Merino!

Two new Malabrigo yarns have arrived!


Malabrigo Twist is a slightly chunky yarn--soft and luscious merino like our dear friend Malabrigo Worsted, but hard wearing with a high twist and many plies to keep pilling at bay. Great for sweaters!


Malabrigo Silky Merino is so soft and so lustrous! A DK weight yarn that is 50% silk, 50% soft merino, it comes in all our favorite hand-dyed colors. Could it be even softer than the original Malbrigo?

Better Know A Crafter: Mary Ann Palmer

Mary Ann just finished an amazing crocheted jacket out of super soft Malabrigo. What a cozy project for snowy days. So pretty and autumnal!

Mary Ann Palmer

1) What crafts do you do?

I like to sew and crochet. I love yarns--the color and feel of them.

2) Tell us about your project.
I made a sweater recently using Malabrigo Chunky yarn with Zach's help. The pattern is from Better Homes and Gardens.

3) How did you learn to crochet?
I took a few lessons several years ago at a community school. The instructor got sick and we were unable to to finish the class, so I am also self taught.

4) What is your favorite animal?
Dogs.

Thanks Mary Ann! Happy crocheting!

Malabrigo Overload!!!

We just unpacked five ginormous boxes of lo-lo-lovely Malabrigo. We now have 62 colors of Malabrigo worsted. Hot dang. We also have 27 colors of Chunky and 23 colors of Malabrigo Lace. Check out the lusciousness.





...And sock knitters, new colors of the Malabrigo Sock yarn will be in soon. They are on their way from Uruguay! Hooray!

Better Know A Crafter: Molly Christopher

Molly Christopher

1) Tell us about the project you've made. What pattern and materials did you use?
Ishbel by Ysolda, large shawl size. I used one skein of Malabrigo Lace, colorway Emerald Blue.

2) Tell us something about the person who taught you to do what you do.
I learned a lot of lace techniques form Cindy Fite, a wonderfully patient teacher with a wealth of knitting knowledge!

3) What is your favorite animal?
Magpie.

Thanks Molly!

Malabrigo Sock and Lace Yarn Now at Fancy Tiger

We are so excited--excited enough for triple exclamation marks!!! We just received our Malabrigo order and now carry Malabrigo Lace and Sock yarns. Check out the loveliness. If the world were made of Malabrigo what a soft, soft world it would be!


The colors are amazing, as always. Also in--tons of Malabrigo's worsted and chunky. Perfect for Holiday scarf gift knitting!