Better Know A Crafter: Chase Gray

Chase is an extraordinary knitter and is also one of our dearest friends. She has been inspiring us for years with epic projects. When we first met her she was knitting a pair of thigh-high black stockings with eyelet detailing and she is currently working on an intricately cabled afghan! We love her lacy kid mohair shawl and are honored to feature this sweet lady on our blog.

Chase Gray

Tell us about yourself and what makes you craft.

I am a nurse and I am dedicated to transforming healthcare in America. I spend my craft time mostly knitting and wet felting. For me there is serenity in creation.

Tell us about this beautiful lace shawl.
This is the Haruni knit lace shawl by Emily Ross. For those of you that are not familiar with Quenya (Tolkien’s elven language) Haruni means grandmother. A good friend had made this shawl and I was blown away with its intricate beauty and delicacy…but once I read about how Ms. Ross had come up with the name I was sold. The shawl was put together with Wagtail Mohair in Dark Olive. This was my first lace project and my recovery from lace will be few years as it induced tears and tear outs regularly.

When did you learn to knit? 

When I was preparing to go into the Peace Corps everything I read said I needed a hobby so I taught myself how to knit. I ended up in Central Asia for those two years and they do amazing felt work throughout the region. I was inspired to begin doing my own once I had returned home.

What is your favorite animal?
The one that shares its horns or antlers and hide with me.

Thanks Chase! Happy knitting and felting!

Crafty Gift Guide: For the Crafty Knitter!

Welcome to the Fancy Tiger Crafts Holiday Gift Guide! It's time to get a little something special for the crafty folks in your life, so all week we will feature some of our favorite things--some of the coveted craft supplies in the store that we dream about every day.

Today is all about the knitters!


Fancy Tiger Project Bags are great for the knitter on the go. Made from some of the cute fabrics that we carry on the sewing side of the store, they are ready to keep a work in progress tidy and portable. Clip it to a belt loop and a very coordinated knitter can even work on their project while on their morning walk. Just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street.

Fancy Tiger Wool Wash is made in small batches right here in Denver by our favorite herbalist, Tonja Reichley of Moondance Botanicals. Our wool wash is made with all natural ingredients and essential oils and is gentle enough for the most delicate handknits. Fancy Blend is sweet and floral, with essential oils of lavender, sweet orange and tea tree. Tiger Blend is spicy and citrusy, with essential oils of coriander, ylang ylang, amyris and lemon.

Letterpress gift tags with sheep and yarn are an adorable addition to your gift!

The Addi Clicks interchangeable needle set is perhaps the knitter's most wanted item in the store. Smooth and reliable joins, flexible cords and the classic sleek Addi Turbo needles make this the hottest interchangeable set around.


Made exclusively for Fancy Tiger Crafts, these hand forged copper penannulars are made from reclaimed copper wire. It makes a simple and beautiful pin for a hand knit shawl. The penannular, also known as a cloak pin or kilt pin, is one of history's oldest fastening devices!

Wagtail Mohair is one of our most special yarns. The mohair comes from a single herd of angora goats on a family-run farm in Queensland, Australia. The mohair is sheared, washed, dyed, and spun into the most lustrous yarn we've ever seen by Kevin, Betty and Gaylene.

Check back soon for more gift ideas!

Do you like Angora Goats? We do!

We think these cuties are the cutest things we've ever seen. They produce some of the softest, most lustrous and silky fiber around. We just received a shipment of 100% kid mohair yarn from Wagtail Yarns, a small farm in Queensland, Australia. They raise, shear, spin and dye all their mohair - from little curly guys like this. Do you know why they call their farm "Wagtail"? Have you ever seen an angora goat that is happy to see you? They wag their tail like a happy puppy. Omg, we want to live on their farm!



You might want to come by and see this stuff in person. It's irresistible! We also have some fantastic one skein patterns for it.