YarnCraft

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Looking to create a project in COLOR? Get tips and tricks from Zontee and Michelle on picking the right palette for your decor, your gift recipient, or your own skin tone and hair color!

Tools and resources discussed include:

• Design-Seeds.com
• Color Schemer
• How to Determine Your “Season” Color Palette
• The Very Easy Guide to Fair Isle Patterns by Lynne Watterson
• Color Knitting the Easy Way and Mastering Color Knitting by Melissa Leapman
• Wild Color by Jenny Dean
• The Alchemy of Knitting by Gina Wilde

We also talk about some of our listeners’ favorite books from the previous episode. Click here to see the show notes and comments from that episode!

Congratulations to the winners of our book giveaway–Angie, SBFH, and Charlene are each getting one of the books from our friends at SMPCraft! Check your email for more information about how to get your prizes. Tune in next episode for another chance to win!

Then on Stash This: Ideas for Your Crafting Life, we talk about loom knitting resources. Click here for a blog post from the Lion Brand Notebook with many of the resources we discuss. Check your local library and/or bookstore for books by Denise Layman, Isela Phelps, Kathy Norris, Anne Bipes, and Pat and Kim Novak.

Read more…

In our last episode, we talked about some of our favorite pattern books–and many of you have shared your favorite pattern book recommendations (keep sharing through April 10 for a chance to win one of 3 books from SMPCraft!).

Want to learn more about the designers behind some of our recommended books? Check out some interviews from previous episodes:

• Robyn Chachula – In episode 103‘s Stash This interview, crochet designer Robyn Chachula joins Liz & Zontee to talk about using stitch dictionaries and about the development of her own stitch dictionary, Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia.
• Sally Melville – Revisit episode 91 for a fascinating interview with this expert teacher and designer, who shares advice on picking projects for others and for yourself.
• Dora Ohrenstein – New York-based crochet designer Dora Ohrenstein talks to us in episode 100 about the important lessons she’s learned about crochet over the years. She also gives us a look inside the process behind her book, Creating Crochet Fabric.
• Ann Budd – Veteran designer Ann Budd joins us to talk about her passion for sock-knitting on episode 96, but be sure to check out her many other pattern books which we’ve recommended in other episodes.
• Bruce Weinstein – This designer (and food writer) joins us in both episode 76 and episode 131 to talk about making sweaters, the design process, and his favorite design elements.

Click on the highlighted episode numbers above to go to the individual pages and listen. Join us next Tuesday for a new episode of YarnCraft!

Want more YarnCraft? Whether you’re going on spring break (and looking for road-trip/airplane listening) or just running errands about town, be sure to check out these awesome spring-focused episodes from our archives for more seasonal ideas for the entire family:

• 114 :: Tips on Picking Warm Weather Yarns, PLUS 5 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas – Not sure which fibers will do better in the warmer weather? Discover some of our favorites in this useful episode.
• 66 :: Let’s Craft Outside! Projects Perfect for Warm Weather – Switch gears and shift to lighter, airier patterns with recommendations from this episode. Plus we share interviews with the Ravelry gang from Stitches South 2010.
• 63 :: Must-Have Spring Projects for Men, Women, Children, and Even Pets! – We share great ideas for knitting and crocheting garments, accessories, and more for the entire family. We also share some fantastic recommendations for books to round out your yarncrafting library.

Stay tuned for a new episode of YarnCraft, released next Tuesday! 

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle in your crafting! Turn old jars into cute vases with a little yarn OR make reusable scrubbers for the kitchen. Learn about all the different ways you can get eco-friendly as YarnCraft looks ahead to Earth Day!

Patterns discussed include:

• Crochet Cream Circle Washcloth
• Knit Rocky Point Washcloth
• Crochet Cool Graphic Dishcloths
• Knit Bright Stripes Dishcloths
• Crochet Trivet (pictured)
• Knit or Crochet Plastic Bag Keeper
• Crochet Rub-a-Dub Scrubbies
• Crochet Apple Slice Tawashi Scrubber
• Knit & crochet market bags

Yarns discussed include:

• Nature’s Choice Organic® Cotton
• Recycled Cotton
• Zpagetti
• LB Collection® Organic Wool
• LLB Collection® Pure Wool
• Martha Stewart Crafts™ Roving Wool
• Martha Stewart Crafts™ Merino

On Stash This: Ideas for Your Crafting Life, Zontee and Michelle talk about some of their favorite pattern books. They also interview other Lion Brand staffers to see what pattern books they can’t live without. Books discussed include:

• Blueprint Crochet by Robyn Chachula
• Simply Crochet by Robyn Chachula
• The Knitting Treasury series by Barbara Walker
• Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmerman
• Custom Crocheted Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein
• Boyfriend Sweaters by Bruce Weinstein

Love winning stuff? Be sure to listen for a special announcement after the Stash This! Find out how you can win one of three books from our friends at SMPCraft. Must be 18 or older to enter, and must enter by April 10, 11:59 PM Eastern time. The winners will be announced on our next episode. 

Read more…

Get in the mood for spring yarncrafting with these 3 episodes of YarnCraft from the archives! Discover pattern ideas, spring cleaning tips, and more.

• 113 :: 5 Spring Cleaning Tips (Plus Project Ideas) for Knitters & Crocheters – A neat space will help you be more productive as you knit & crochet. Get tips on throwing a stash-swapping party, organizing your needles & hooks, etc.
• 110 :: 10 Spring-Friendly Projects, Plus 3 Fiber Artist Interviews – Check out some of our favorite projects from shawls to bags, as well as tips on reversing shaping and more.
• 61 :: Spring Ahead with 10 Patterns for Layering – Tops, shawls, shrugs, and cardigans are just what the doctor ordered for a refresh of your wardrobe! Get going on patterns for children and adults with this episode.

For even more spring-friendly ideas, come back next Tuesday for a new episode of YarnCraft!