Stephen West and Steven Be are coming to Fancy Tiger!

Stephen West and Steven Be are embarking on a 12 stop tour in July and we are thrilled to be their Colorado home for 2 days. This magical team of knitting and design inspiration will bring an amazing breath of fun, injecting a new element of fashion, energy and creativity to you and your knitting! Both Steph(v)ens will be teaching 2 classes and hosting a trunkshow with yarns and patterns only available live at the event!

Dotted Rays Shawl - Photography & Makeup by Alexandra Feo

July 8th from 6pm-9pm join the Steph(v)ens as they take you through StevenBe's Knit It In a Minute class! This class has no rules and will teach you how to bring the latest fashion trends for this fall right to your needles! There are still a few spaces available, call today to reserve your spot!

Large Striped version of Welty - Photography & Makeup by Alexandra Feo

July 9th from 6pm-9pm Westknits Workshop shows you simple techniques to encourage your creativity in the outcome of your shawl. Unfortunately, this class is already sold out.

Exclusive tour pattern:Welty! Free to students taking classes! - Photography & Makeup by Alexandra Feo

Wednesday July 9th come join us for their fabulous trunk show! From 12PM-1:30PM exclusive tour yarns and patterns will be available for purchase as well as super sweet tour t-shirts! The Stev(ph)ens will have over 40 samples on display to check out in person. Come meet the boys and check out their new designs!

Welted Slouch Hat - Photography & Makeup by Alexandra Feo

See you there!!

Piper from Quince&Co is here!

Quince&Co has done it again! Staying true to Quince&Co's mission to make yarns from American fibers in American mills they have found an angora goat farm to source their fiber from out of Texas.

Piper is their newest yarn which is almost lace weight bringing you this beautiful palette of 50% texas super kid mohair and 50% texas superfine merino. This mohair is soft and subtle giving you a dreamy halo. 

Quince&Co made a special trip to check out their goats! Read all about it on their blog. We are such suckers for adorable angora goats! 

Come see for yourself the lovely finish on this yarn. Yay for Piper! 

Summer is for Linen: Jaime's new Kestrel Tank

I was pretty excited when Quince and Co. announced Kestrel, their newest yarn line. Kestrel is a 100% fine Italian linen made up in a ribbon construction. The best part? It is an aran weight linen with a gauge of 14 - 16 stitches to 4 inches. In plain speak, that means it knits up real fast. This little tank took me a mere 4 days to whip up! Welcome to summer knitting, friends.

Pattern: Togue Pond by Pam Allen
Yarn: Kestrel, 6 skeins in Urchin
Size Made: 33"
Alterations: I picked up a fewer number of stitches on both the neck and arms due to my large 1x1 ribbing gauge.

I love this tank. It was a simple knit, worked bottom up in the round. Short row shaping on the bottom adds a subtle hi-lo hem. The arm shaping adds a bit of interest to the otherwise plain body. The arms and neck are picked up and ribbing added to finish them. In short, this pattern had just enough going on to keep my interest, but it was still simple enough to be the perfect beach knitting project.

The ribbon construction of the Kestrel yarn makes for a cushy fabric on size 10 needles. The weight of the linen drapes beautifully for a simple tank like this. The nice people over at Quince have several other patterns for this unique summer yarn. We can't wait to see what you make.

Dandelion: Another Killer Yarn by Madelinetosh!

We are delighted to pick up Madelinetosh's new yarn line, Dandelion. We can always count on Madelinetosh for their beautifully hand dyed yarns.

 Dandelion is a single ply blend of 90% superwash merino wool and 10% fine linen offering 325 yards per skein. With similar characteristics to Tosh light, this yarn brings you a uniquely soft linen addition!

Look at the lovely linen finish!

We couldn't be more excited to bring to you this charming fingering weight yarn.  It has arrived just in time as Dandelion is the perfect yarn for light-weight summer time sweaters. Time to get crackin'!

Be on the look out for more Tosh coming soon!

Fancy Tiger's Week of Wonder!

Oh boy, do we have a very special week planned for you. You might consider bringing a tent and camping out in front of the shop this week so you can join us for all of them. We are not exaggerating when we say that. Three MAJOR fun events are happening in the next few days at Fancy Tiger and we can't wait to see you there. All of these events are free and open to the public.

Thread Theory Meet n' Greet and Trunk Show

Tuesday, April 22nd, 7 - 9pm

Thread Theory are the duo of Matthew and Morgan Meredith from British Columbia, Canada and they design classic men's sewing patterns. Matthew and Morgan are on a US tour this month and we are thrilled to be a part of their tour! Thread Theory will be bringing sewn samples of their designs to view and patterns will be available for purchase. Come meet the makers, hang out and have some fun!

April Rhodes Meet n' Greet and Trunk Show
Thursday, April 24th, 6 - 8pm

We ♥ April Rhodes and are so excited she will be coming to Denver! Ms. Rhodes' designs include the very popular Staple Dress, Date Night Dress, and Riding Peplum! We love them all. April will be bringing sewn samples of her patterns and we will have plenty of her patterns available for purchase. Stop by to meet this sweet, dynamic, young pattern designer in person at Fancy Tiger Crafts.

Anzula Trunk Show

Friday, April 25th, 3 - 6pm 

Sabrina and the ladies of Anzula will be stopping by Fancy Tiger Crafts to sell you their yarn! They will have their full line of luscious yarns which feature unique blends of fibers like camel, silk, cashmere, linen and merino, all hand-dyed in small batches by their expert team in Fresno, CA. One-off skeins, knit samples, and hundreds of unique yarns mean you won't want to miss this event!
Imbibe some yarn this Friday happy hour. :)

We will see you this week to soak up all the inspiration from these crafty folks from around the world!

Hand Dyed Sock Yarn by Hedgehog Fibres!

The beautiful hand dyed sock yarn by Hedgehog Fibres has arrived! Hedgehog Fibres is an independent artisan fibre dyeing studio located in Cork, Ireland. This smooth blend of 90% merino and 10% nylon creates a charming lustrous finish to your piece, whether it be as simple as stockinette or something more complex like lace.

These wonderful skeins are all unique to themselves since they are randomly dyed to prevent striping or pooling, leaving you with this perfectly variegated yarn! 

The careful attention to color for each skein brings a truly unique look to each color-way and every skein. If you are hooked like we are, head over to their blog for inspiration and free patterns to try with your new skein! 

Happy knitting!

Osprey: Aran Alert!

We have been on the hunt to bring you another true aran weight yarn and Osprey by Quince & Co couldn't be a more perfect fit! Osprey is a luscious 3 ply aran weight yarn spun from fluffy wool fleece. Its relaxed twist makes for beautiful stitch definition especially with textured pieces, like cables.   

If you are looking for inspiration on what to knit with Osprey, Knitbot Essentials is full of charming patterns. There is talk of the Trail Jacket being made soon here at Fancy Tiger! 

We currently stock 16 colors in the shop, come by and give them a squeeze yourself! 

The Wharfie Cap Pattern: A Free Spin to Knit Pattern for Handspinners!

A new classic cap is here, designed by Amber! The beginner friendly handspun Wharfie Cap pattern will have you spinning your very own chunky 2-ply yarn to make a warm, woolly cap. (Even if you don't spin your own yarn yet, there is a commercial yarn variation for a knitting-only version!)

This handspun "barberpole" yarn is easy for beginner spinners, who shouldn't be too concerned with a little bit of variation in their yarn thickness. A touch of thick and thin to your handspun will add to the character of this easy-to-knit marled hat.

The unisex Wharfie Cap is a classic that looks great on everyone. Fold up the brim to keep those ears warm while working or playing outdoors on cold windy days, or wear it pulled down for a little more neck protection. This no-nonsense cap is all about function, but not to worry--when you wear it you’ll be lookin’ darn good.

The pattern gives simple instructions for spinning your yarn. Your hat will be one of a kind, and the real fun is in choosing the two colors to ply together for your marled yarn. Neon pink and natural brown? Hot. Charcoal and mint? Very cool.

Download the free Wharfie Cap pattern here. We hope you share your handspun versions with us! We'd love to see them in person or on our Facebook or Ravelry.

Happy spinning!

Meet the Designer: Laura Nelkin!

We are so excited to kick off our new series of  "Meet the Designer" with the wonderful Laura Nelkin. Laura is a creative at heart with an extreme love for knitting. She started knitting in 2004 and was completely smitten with it. She is well known for knitting with beads and finds beautiful ways to incorporate them into her designs. Fancy Tiger Crafts is pleased to be hosting Laura for her Jewelry Knitting class on February 6th. There is still space available so be sure to check it out. In the meantime we'd like you to meet Laura!

1) How did you get started in the knitting industry? What is your background?

Well, I went to Cornell University for Apparel Design and focused on weaving, dyeing and apparel while I was there. A few years after graduating my daughter’s friends’ mom taught me how to knit at a play date, and that was the start of my knitting obsession!

I was lucky enough to have a well-established hand-dye company, Schaefer Yarn, close to my house and worked there for almost 5 years as their design director. I learned a TON about the industry and then it was time for me to strike out independently.

Since then I’ve been busy with e-books, published patterns, Mystery Knit Alongs, Clubs, and a book with Potter Craft (due out Sept 2014). There is definitely no time to be bored around here! I’ve recently turned back to sewing as my “non” work creative outlet… so fun to be back at the machine and making clothes for myself again!

2) You have a wide range of designs from jewelry to garments - do you have a favorite type of project to design? What are you most excited about right now?

I’m pretty much obsessed with cowls right now… I’ve designed a few of them over the last few years, but this winter I’ve been wearing one almost every day! Way less fussy than a scarf, and super fun to knit! Oh, and I’m completely smitten with adding beads to my knitting.

3) What influences you creatively? What is your creative process for coming up with new ideas? What inspires you?

Creativity begets creativity for me… often times while I am working on one thing and it’s into the rote phase (i.e. it’s all figured out I just have to finish knitting it) I find myself deeply in thought considering the next thing I want to create. (It’s almost like a disease….) Sometimes I just have these niggling feelings that I don’t act on, sometimes I have an exact vision of what I MUST make, and sometimes I see something in the wild that sparks a design. What I wait for is the idea to resurface more than once… then I know it is more likely to be successful! Little known fact: if I ever find myself at a loss I just take a shower, normally I have a solution by the time the water turns cold….

I also get a huge amount of creative juice from my students, which is why I love teaching so much! I had no idea that sharing my love of knitting and the techniques I adore would spark such a tremendous connection… it is seriously one of my favorite things to do, and I can’t wait to teach at Fancy Tiger Crafts too!

 

4) What is your favorite mythological animal?
Well, this isn’t totally an animal, but I am going to go with the Hindu Goddess Parvati… just look at all those arms! (see my answer to #5 below)

5) If you could have any super power, what would it be?

To magically grow more arms… so I can make ALL.THE.THINGS! I really do need more arms to keep up with my ideas!

Thanks Laura! We can't wait to knit jewelry with you!

Tina's Handspun Magic Cowl!

Hey guys, It's me Tina, and my new handspun cowl! 

My new cowl is made of yarn I spun during Spinzilla (cough cough winners). I used a hand dyed merino roving made by our friend Meg of Sleep Season Goods. Meg teaches classes and sells her amazing hand dyed yarn and roving at FTC. This colorway is called Sleeping Beauty.

I can't believe it took me so long to cast on with my magical Sleep Season handspun, because it was so fun to knit with! When I finally did cast on, it went so fast. I was overly enthusiastic with each pop of new color. The cowl is a pattern I made up, and only took 400 yards of a sport weight single spun from my 4 ounce Sleep Season braid. The cowl was knit in the round, casting on 250 stitches on size US 10, 40" circulars. Using a larger needle really lets the yarn bloom and drape, showing off all the amazing colors.

I knit this while watching Dexter and it was done in no time which is a good thing, because the last two seasons were really dragging on. When I was almost out of yarn, I skipped to the last episode and started on my garter stitch edging and bound off. The perfect project to show off a beautiful handspun!

Thanks for checking out my new cowl! I love it so.

Neon-Candy-Party-Time Yarn, Yeah!!

We haven't been able to stop thinking about this neon rainbow explosion since we first laid eyes on it. Manos del Uruguay's Alegria sock yarn comes in the most insane colors of all time and that just makes our day.

We see this yarn knit up in colorwork projects mixed with a neutral or black to set off it's magical hues. Like candy for your eyeballs, it is!

Alegria is a durable sock yarn made with soft superwash merino strengthened with a bit of polyamide. Your neon rainbow candy party handknits will be oh, so nice and soft!

Rockwell... talk about Marled Magic!

Jill Draper has done it again! We just received a shipment of her new yarn Rockwell. Rockwell is a DK weight marled wool consisting of 100% Cormo-Merino Crossbred Moorit wool making it so spongy and dreamy to work with! Made with domestic wool from the Northeast, this yarn contains 3 different shades of natural wool plied together then over dyed. There are seven beautifully hand dyed colors and one natural color to choose from. This yarn is minimally processed and retains some of the natural lanolin for extra-farmy goodness.

We have already been busy whipping up a new pair of mitts with the un-dyed color, Naturemade! This pattern is Rathtrevor by Jane Richmond from her Island book. Rathtrevor uses 225 yds so one skein is all you need!

Check back tomorrow for some more handmade delights with Rockwell! What will you make??

A.S.A.P. from Madelinetosh!

We are starting to feel the craft crunch that comes with handmade holiday preparations...and Madelinetosh is here to save the day! With their new A.S.A.P. yarn, quick knitted and crocheted gifts are going to be a breeze!

This hand-dyed chunkster comes in the beautiful palette that Madelinetosh is known for. It's perfect for chunky hats and cowls that will knit up in mere moments. The super-bulky yarn is made from the softest superwash merino, and knits at a gauge of about 2 sts per inch. You'll have all your holiday knitting done in no time!

Thanks, Madelinetosh, for saving Christmas this year!

Geilsk Tweed Yarn is here from Denmark!

It's adorably nubby--it's Danish Geilsk Tweed! This single-ply sport weight yarn is milled in magical colors that we can't resist.

We see classic shawls and cardigans--and with this palette of hues that are made for each other, colorwork would be perfect from these woolly balls of goodness.

We can't wait to see what you make!