Just in time for Shetland Wool Week, Jamieson + Smith is Here!

It's Shetland Wool Week on the Shetland Islands and, as you may know, we are pretty big fans of Shetland wool. After our travels to Shetland this summer, we knew we wanted to carry this wonderfully classic yarn. Shetland Wool Week seemed like the perfect time to welcome Jamieson + Smith 2-ply Jumper Weight wool to Fancy Tiger Crafts!

J + S's Jumper Weight yarn is the traditional yarn used for Fair Isle, or stranded colorwork knitting. This is the yarn you see worked up into so many colorwork sweaters, mittens, hats and scarves across the UK. It comes in an abundance of beautiful heathered hues--muted to bright, dark to light--because knitting colorwork requires such a full palette of shades to work from. The balls are affordable and small (only 25 grams), so knitters can buy just what they need of each color.

J + S's yarns are all made from 100% Shetland wool--specifically Shetland breed sheep that are raised on the Shetland Isles. The breed is known for the range of colorful fleeces. There are 9 natural, undyed colors in J + S's Shetland Supreme 2-ply line of yarn, which work perfectly together with the dyed 2-ply Jumper Weight. Don't worry, we ordered them all!

While in Shetland, Jaime and I picked up some handmade knitted goodies from local designer, Wilma Malcolmson. We love seeing how a professional Fair Isle designer put together her color palettes--here is a peek at her beautiful combos.

Stay tuned to see what projects we've been working on with this yarn!

Lola Sew-a-long!

Amber and I just took a trip to Cozy Town in our new Lola dresses! Lola is a pattern from Kristiann of Victory patterns! This pattern is written for comfy fleece or french terry jersey - so perfect for the cool weather that's moving in. Winter is coming, you guys, and we're ready.

Lola seemed intimidating at first - it was more pieces than I've ever put together in a stretchy fabric and my first time working with a thicker fleece. It came together surprising quick and easy. I'm always reminded of how forgiving and wonderful working with jersey is. Easing sleeves and matching seams is a cinch when your fabric has some stretch to it!

This pattern is made to be sewn on a serger so it is extra quick - seams come together at the same time that they are finished! We only used our sewing machines a couple of times to hem the top of the pockets and add the triangle detail at the top. Speaking of pockets....dresses with large pockets are the best!

I choose to use our Hemp/Organic Cotton Fleece in a pale pale green color. The fabric is super soft on the inside and so warm and cozy! I had to finagle the pattern a bit for fit as I fell into two different sizes for my bust and hips (a common occurrence). The results worked out great and the stretch of the fabric means extra room. We don't carry the ribbing fabric that Kristiann calls for to finished the cuffs, neck and hem, so Amber and I just used the fleece in the same manner and it worked out great.

Amber choose to use a geometric print fleece fabric that is limited edition so act quick if you want to be a twinsie with her! The grey on black print looks bold and will perfect for a cold winter's day. Snow will arrive tomorrow here in Colorado so it's time to sew some cozy garments!

ModularModular Project Bags Are Here!

Crafty lady and Fancy Tigress, Katy, has been sewing up project bags like nobody's business. We love Katy's modern, geometric and neon-loving style and her bright project bags will keep your knitting, crochet or handsewing projects tidy as can be, safe from kittens and curious babies.

All of us at the shop use ModularModular bags, and we are so excited to carry them in the shop. If you have as many UFOs as me, you might need to pick up a few of them next time you are in. They are guaranteed to keep you and your project cheery until you bind off.

Heirloom Chevron Throw - a new free pattern!

We love Jocelyn Tunney's knitting designs. If you aren't familiar with her, she is the woman behind O-Wool yarns. At The National Needle Arts Association show this past summer, we fell in love with her newest collections of graphic blankets for Manos del Urguay. The colors and designs were irresistible! After the show she approached us about designing a throw pattern in our Heirloom Romney yarn and of course we said yes! Welcome Heirloom Chevron Throw!

Jocelyn was the perfect person to design a throw for our special yarn - she has a modern design sense that speaks to Fancy Tiger's style and she has a love and appreciation for the rustic and sustainable qualities of the yarn. She wanted to do something special for Heirloom and we think she succeeded. Heirloom Chevron Throw uses 6 colors and a series of increasing and decreasing to create a luxurious, color-blocked chevron blanket.

We spent a lot of time developing our fantastic color palette for Heirloom--22 fresh colors that play together so well. This throw allows you to pick the perfect color combo to go with your decor. The bold design of the throw will be an amazing piece in your bedroom or living room. Use the throw to add a pop of color while showing off your crafty skills!

You won't be able to resist cuddling in this thing. Heirloom Chevron Throw is knit in cushy garter stitch so it is reversible and oh-so-squishy! This throw is large at 52" x 74" so 2 people can easily cuddle together under it. It also knits up relatively quick with no purling and on size 10 needles.

When you spend time and money to make an heirloom piece such as this you want to know that your throw will last. Our Heirloom Romney is the perfect yarn for just such a project - the sustainable wool yarn comes from longwool Romney sheep. This wool will hold up to wear over time with little to no piling. If a throw this size doesn't fit into your budget for time or money, the pattern would be easy to cut in half to make a smaller lap sized blanket.

The pattern is graciously available for free download here. Heirloom Chevron Throw kits in this colorway (Summer) as well as three others will be available at the shop and in our Etsy store for your holiday gift giving. We hope you love this blanket as much as we do and can't wait to see your own color combinations. Happy Knitting!

Jaime's Lush Sweater

If you're a regular blog reader, you probably know that Amber and I recently went on a wool-filled trip to Scotland. On the Isle of Skye, we visited Shilasdair yarns where I picked up three skeins of their Luxury dk yarn. This beautiful yarn was naturally dyed with Meadowsweet - a pasture-loving plant that grows everywhere on the island. On our way out of Scotland, we stopped at a local yarn shop in Edinburgh and I picked up a copy of the newly-released book, "Handmade in the UK" by Tin Can Knits. This pattern for the Lush cardigan is one of the many amazing patterns in the book and I knew it would be the perfect project for my special Skye yarn.

Trying to re-create the lush landscape of Skye in Denver Co.

Knitting a project from yarn acquired on a trip is a great way to honor and remember your travels. My new Lush cardigan will remind me of the lush rolling hills of Skye and the great adventures we had there. The color that was dyed from Meadowsweet is the best shade of yellow and is going to be a great addition to my fall wardrobe. The yarn is a blend of wool, angora, camel and silk, so it is super soft, but tight plies mean it should wear well over time.

The Lush cardigan was a quick knit for me. The lace yoke is knit first and then the top and bottom of the cardigan are knit with picked up stitches on the top and bottom band of the yoke. This unusual construction made the cardigan seem to come together super fast. The cardigan features optional waist shaping which I included on my size 33" cardigan. The back of the cardigan is lovely with the leaf lace pattern coming together perfectly in the center back.

I finished my cardigan with metal shield buttons - fitting for a Scottish cardigan. The button band is worked last and you can choose your own button placement and determine the best number of buttons for you. I love my new cardigan - you'll be seeing this one a lot this fall!

We have the Tin Can Knits "Handmade in the UK" book in stock as well as individual patterns for Lush. Unfortunately, you'll have to travel to the Isle of Skye to pick up some Shilasdair yarns. If you can't make the trip, we have plenty of amazing yarns that would be perfect for this cardigan. Anzula Oasis would be the closest in make up as it is a plied camel/silk blend. Madelinetosh Dk and Fibre Co. Acadia would also make lovely Lush cardigans!

Jill Draper's Mohonk and Nimbus Yarns are Here!

We have a bit of a craft crush on Jill Draper. We fell in love with Jill Draper's hand-dyed yarns when we saw our friend, Stephen, knitting a shawl with Nimbus, a lace weight angora silk. Jill's colors are stunning and unusual, and the base yarns she uses are unique. Jill Draper makes her home in upstate New York and mostly dyes on US grown and milled wools.

Nimbus Angora Silk Laceweight

Mohonk is Jill's 2 ply sport weight Cormo wool made from US Cormo wool. It is springy and soft, perfect for sweaters. The colors are almost solid, but with a beautiful gentle color variegation from being dyed in the skein. The wool is minimally processed--you'll find a bit of hay here and there due to the absence of harsh chemicals during the cleansing process at the mill. This also leaves a bit of moisture rich lanolin in the yarn, the better to knit with!

We love these spacial yarns from Jill Draper and hope you do to!

Quince & Co. at Fancy Tiger Crafts

We are thrilled to announce Quince & Co. is now available at Fancy Tiger Crafts! Quince & Co. yarns are sourced and spun in the US out of "territory wool" - a blend of Merino, Rambouillet, and Columbia sheep mostly from Montana and Wyoming. Combine these awesome aspects with spectacular colors, branding and adorable pattern support and you get Quince & Co. yarns! We were delighted to be chosen as one of only 12 LYS (local yarn shops) in the country to carry these special yarns. Also, the price tag is very friendly :)

Chickadee

Chickadee is a 100% wool, plied yarn in sport weight. Chickdee is 181 yards per 50 gram skein and knits at 6 - 6.5 stitches to inch on size US 3 - 5 needles.

Lark

Lark is a basic 100% plied wool yarn in worsted weight with excellent stitch definition. Lark has 134 yards per 50 gram skein and knits at 4 - 4.5 stitches to inch on size US 6 - 8 needles. The perfect sweater yarn!

Puffin

Puffin is a single ply 100% wool yarn in bulky weight. Puffin has 112 yards per 100 gram skein and knits at 2.5 - 3 stitches to inch on size US 10.5 - 13 needles. Perfect for quick and cozy hats, scarves, and cowls!

Owl

Owl is a classic blend of 50% US alpaca with 50% US wool. The natural color is made by blending colored wool and alpaca for a heathered grey yarn that is then over-dyed. This is a light worsted yarn with 120 yards per 50 gram skein. 

Sparrow

Sparrow is the only non-US yarn in the Quince line. It is a luscious 100% organic linen from Belgium. Sparrow is fingering weight yarn and you can find plenty of patterns in the Knitbot Linen book.

Tern

Tern is another fingering weight yarn and is a blend of 75% wool and 25% silk. Tern has 221 yards per 50 gram skein and has a beautiful sheen and drape due to the silk. This would be perfect for shawls and scarves!

We have several pattern books featuring Quince & Co. yarns from super-awesome designers like Knitbot and Gudrun Johnston. Quince also has plenty of patterns available online here. We hope you love these yarns as much as we do!