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.

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!

Free Pattern! Tina's Sweet Adeline Crochet Shawl

Some of you may know Tina as one of our most prolific sewists at Fancy Tiger, but she's pretty adept with a hook as well!

As soon as we opened the box of our new Freia yarns, Tina took a skein home and immediately whipped up her own pattern for a lacy crochet shawl, worked up in Ombre Sport.

We love this simple little shawl, and how the crisp lace pattern works with the slow, ombre gradation of the Freia yarn.

Tina's Sweet Adeline shawl is simple enough for a beginning crocheter, and works up quick as can be. Download the free pattern by clicking on the image below!

Better Know A Fancy Tigress: Miranda Harp

Miranda is one of the crafty folks of Fancy Tiger, and when she is not here helping folks find the perfect craft supply, we are sure she must be crafting. Miranda is super prolific--you might know her from her million handmade dresses, or her recently published Army of Caterpillars knitting pattern. She just finished this pretty Marin shawl, a pattern by Ysolda Teague. We love it!

Miranda Harp

Tell us about your craft-tastic self.

I'm Miranda, assistant manager and professional tigress here at Fancy Tiger Crafts. My first craft was embroidery, then cross stitch, but these days I mostly sew clothes and knit. I also needle felt, spin and weave on occasion. I've just always been into making things. My mother is a master quilter who has always shown me what it is to be inspired and to turn those ideas into tangible objects. Recently, I've been focusing on designing knitting patterns, mostly for toys. My goal to help people create things that add more delight to the world.  

Tell us about knitting your shawl. 

This scarf is from the Marin pattern by Ysolda Teague. The yarn is Madelinetosh Merino Light in the Nostalgia colorway. Just one hank of this gorgeous tonal yarn made the entire thing. I really love Ysolda's designs, because she has a great understanding of what knitted fabric can do. The reversible ribbed cables flow in and out of the garter stitch sections in a fascinating organic way. Plus, that makes the finished project really easy to wear without fussing over it all the time.  

How did you pick up knitting?

I learned to knit from a book (who knows which one), although my mom showed me how to cast on and do the knit stitch. One summer in college, my shifts at my work study library job were spent guarding a door that no one ever passed through. I bought some yarn and needles and never looked back.  

What is your favorite animal?

Although I will always love the octopus most, insects are my favorite group of creatures. I just saw a lady praying mantis in my garden looking for a handsome gentleman mantis to love and then devour.  

Thanks Miranda! Happy knitting!

Better Know A Fancy Tigress: Katy Osterwald

Katy is one crafty lady and one of the tigers of Fancy Tiger. She is our resident expert cross-stitcher as well as one fantastic knitter. She recently whipped up Brooklyn Tweed's Bolt shawl, designed by Veera Välimäki. We love its stripedy goodness!

Katy Osterwald

Tell us about your craft-tastic self.

I'm one of the fabulous Fancy Tigresses! I went to art school for fine art photography, and somehow stumbled my way into craft world post-graduation which I really love and want to be involved in forever. I've always been creative in one way or another, but crafting suits my tactile building side, and also lets me be a bit of a perfectionist. I've been knitting for ages, and cross stitching for longer, and since working at Fancy I've been getting into sewing and quilting, and have started my own Etsy business selling project bags for knitters (ModularModular). Soon I will be doing ALL THE CRAFTY THINGS!

Tell us about knitting your shawl. 
I just finished knitting this shawl and couldn't be happier with it! The pattern is Bolt by Veera Valimaki, and can be found in Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People Vol. 5. I used MadelineTosh Sock in Onyx and Nassau Blue, which is one of my favorite yarns ever. I did modify the pattern a bit, I really wanted to showcase the vibrant blue so I did my short row wedges a bit differently to make bolder stripes, and switched the colors around as I felt like it instead of following the main color and contrast color guidelines in the pattern. I've knitted many things over the years, but shawls are my favorite. I usually have at least 6 shawls on the needles at once!

How did you pick up knitting?

I learned to knit from my younger sister. She is an incredible professional costumer for movie and tv shows now, but when we were small and just learning things, she taught herself how to knit so she could make one thing for a costume. I was 15 or 16 at the time, and thought it looked fun, so I asked her to teach me. Fast-forward a dozen years, and I knit all the time and she hasn't touched knitting needles since. I repay her by making her lovely knit items for birthdays and holidays all the time.

What is your favorite animal?

Oh gosh, so hard to pick just one, I'm a bit of a science nerd and get really fascinated with weird animals at times. I think my current favorite is the Potoo, they're a bird from South America related to nightjars and frogmouths and have really funny and expressive huge yellow eyes. Besides unusual animals, I like ferrets, parakeets and dogs.

Thanks Katy! Happy knitting and stitching and all the crafty things!

Earth and Skies the Limit!

Allison's Earth + Sky

I was obsessed with using Tosh Light in Maple Leaf, Onyx and Smokestack together in a project but wasn't quite sure what to do. I found the perfect solution in the Earth and Sky shawl. I started knitting it in the medium size about a month before Stephen West came to visit the shop but I made sure to have it finished and blocked for his arrival. It was a really fun shawl to knit and, of course, Madelinetosh is always a pleasure to work with. It is now one of my favorite shawls to wear.

Amber's Earth + Sky

When Stephen visited the shop I fell in love with many of his samples, but the one I wanted to steal away for my very own was his Earth and Sky shawl in luscious Road to China Light. I decided I must make it.

For my shawl I couldn't resist using the same exact yarn in the same exact colors as Stephen's version: Smoky Quartz, Aquamarine and Grey Pearl. I mean, it's such a hot combo! I made the size large and it's the coziest thing I've ever wrapped myself up in!

Next time Stephen visits we can be shawl twinsies!

Craft Up A Trend: Colorblock Style

Colorblock style is hot to the max!

We've been seeing this trend everywhere and it is inspiring us to get crafty in big, bold blocks of color, from quilts to shawls to clothing and totes!

1) Colorblock Jewelry at Fancy Tiger Clothing  2) Crochet Slippers by WhiteNoiseMaker  3) Knitted Collar by theknitkid  4) Neon Clutch by byMART  5) DIY Leggings Tutorial by Cal Patch  6) Color Block Magnets by CuppaColor  7) Mustard Colorblock Pillow by JillianReneDecor

Jaime just finished the Rockefeller Shawl mystery knit-along from Stephen West and we love her colorblocking choice of Anzula Squishy's Cantaloupe and Au Natural--pretty dang stunning!

Stephen West's Spectra and Chevry

The designer of Rockefeller, Stephen, is the master of hot colorblock knitting--we also love his shawl patterns Spectra, Chevry and Earth & Sky! Be sure to stop by the shop on September 22nd from 7 - 9pm to meet the man himself!

Allison is currently making Earth & Sky in Madelinetosh Light colors Maple Leaf, Smokestack and Onyx. It's looking super hot!

For quilting inspiration, the new book, We Love Color, will inspire you to play with colorblock style. 16 quilt designs using Kona cotton solids will have you thinking bold solids and large blocks! We are especially digging this Sweet As Pi baby quilt pattern.

Sewists, the new Kona Modern Quilts fabrics by Cynthia Frenette are prints with vibrant modern blocks of color. Use this faux patchwork to make a crafty colorblock garment or bag, or even stitch up the quickest quilt of all time!

Maenad KAL Madness!

The Maenad knit-along was a smashing success! We started this KAL after our meet-and-greet with Irish knitwear designer Carol Feller. We fell in love with this shawl - it is beautiful knit with 2 colors of fingering-weight yarn and it is long enough to wrap around several times for added warmth. Eight fancy folks participated, making a total of nine shawls! Everyone agreed the shawl knit up surprisingly fast - the body is knit first and then the lace border is added after. Here are the results of our Maenad craze:

Some of the Maenad KAL superstars

I made my Maenad shawl with Anzula's Sebastian yarn, one of our most recent yarn additions to the shop. Working with this pretty seasilk/merino fingering weight yarn, I enjoyed each and every stitch of making my shawl. Upon seeing Sebastian at Anzula's trunk show, I immediately fell in love with the soft grey-brown Clay and paired it with Chipmunk for my Maenad.

Jaime knit her shawl using the mysterious colorways of Madelintosh Light Cosmos and Lowlands. Between the cosmos and the lowlands, her shawl encompasses all of the universe, and her new Maenad shawl transports her to magical fairy forests whenever she puts it on. (She made me write that.)

Angelique was pretty enamored with Carol Feller's sample Maenad, and used the same Noro sock yarn paired with Anzula Sebastian in Charcoal for the edging.

Betsy blew our minds by knitting not one, but two Maenads! Her first is in Madelinetosh Light, colorways Badlands and Twig--two yummy browns!

Betsy's second Maenad was knit in Scrumptious Lace. This Maenad uses just one color: Natural. It is so classy, delicate and lacy!

Sunne, our talented-to-the-max knitting instructor, whipped out her Maenad in no time, using Noro sock and Isager Spinni.

Adorable Samantha's Maenad is knit with a hand-dyed sock yarn she picked up at Estes Park Wool Market and Malabrigo Sock in Black for the lace edging. 

Pink used Noro sock in a self-striping magenta colorway that matches her signature pink hair! She trimmed it with a bright orange Malabrigo lace.


Thanks to all the amazing knitters who participated in our Maenad KAL!