Category Archives: Inspiration

Falling in love with thread crochet

To understand the doily, you must make the doily.I really get this now. As a kid and even into adulthood, my brother and I would use 'doily' as a way to denote that something was old fashioned or fuddy-duddy. (e.g: "geez, dad, why don't you put those vinyl records with your doilies?") But then along came Curio, and everything changed. Since beginning my crochet quest earlier this year, I've really come to love the intricate patterns in fine gauge crochet items like doilies and trims. Not that I didn't find them beautiful before, but being able to really see the work in them was a new experience. With Curio gleaming like a new day on my desk, I couldn't help it. I looked for some free vintage doily patterns, and started wading through my first attempt.

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Palette Galore!

I think that by now, we're all pretty familiar with the gorgeous shot of the Palette family that's been in the catalog and on web since September of last year. I know it particularly well because Kerin and I are the ones who sat down and sorted each ball into the lovely color order that you see here and I'm the one who sat down AGAIN and resorted it after the photography department was done with it in order to label each ball correctly in catalog. I can't tell you how long this took, only that I'm getting pretty good at spotting the differences between Thicket and Briar Heather!

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My 3 favorite projects for the Great Outdoors

Now that summer is nearly here, my car will be perpetually filled with camping gear, fishing rods, and of course my hat and sunglasses. But the other thing that I must not venture without is my knitting! While I do love a good difficult cardigan, though, it's really not the best thing to bring with me on adventures. I have found that there are three types of projects that pack small, travel well, and provide the relaxation and instant gratification that I like in a project. 1. Socks! Socks and other small fingering weight accessories like fingerless mitts are great traveling companions. The small stitches mean that there is still a fair bit of time involved to make them - great for car rides or waiting for the fish to wake up. When worked on circular needles, you don't have to worry about accidentally dropping a needle under the plane seat or down that cliff!

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New Brava colors!

Brava!  What better name could this luscious yarn be called but Brava! It's a standing ovation in the acrylic yarn world. Now we have added 8 new colors to the Brava Worsted Weight yarn line!  I personally love the pastels!

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Podcast Episode 216: Building Up a Spontaneity Stash

Having an organized stash where your yarns all have planned projects assigned can be both a blessing and a curse: you feel good because there is a definite plan for all that yarn, but it can dampen those moments when inspiration strikes and you just have to cast on right away! Kelley’s solution? A spontaneity stash! Yes, this means that Kelley’s yarn stash is now divided into sub-categories but it makes for fun knitting when you come across that must-make project. Hear all about how Kelley plans out her spontaneity stash and what yarns make the cut. Next, Kelley talks about what is on her needles and her plans for summer knitting. Always craving a good sweater, Kelley finally embraces summer and gives in to lighter weight projects. And to make all of this summer planning a bit easier, Kelley shares her list of favorite audiobook recommendations. And for those of you who are looking to add a new book or two (or three!) to your summer reading list, Kelley has compiled a list of her favorites for you to peruse. 3 easy ways to listen...

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A Crochet Rainbow

Over the past oh, three or four years - I've tried learning to crochet at least a handful of times. During these past (and failed) attempts, I think I let my familiarity with knitting get the best of me. I can knit with lots of distractions, I can usually fix mistakes I make, I can fairly easily read my stitches - yet ultimately, I now realize these small things were holding me back. Instead of seeing crochet as a new learning adventure, I often became frustrated that I felt as if I was just stitching away without knowing what I was doing. Then on my last attempt something clicked - vague memories of my initial knitting attempts came into view: projects gone awry, struggles with gauge, dropped stitches, the list goes on. And so now after having readjusted my learning process (and having reasonable expectations), I can (very!) happily report back that I am officially hooked on crochet. Pun intended. Which is why I now deserve to get myself a rainbow fiesta of crochet hooks, plus 40% off isn't too bad either! Amour Crochet Hook Set

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Double Twist Cowl – Twice the Fun

I work for a yarn company, but I can't stand most wool. While it would be a stretch to dub me a Barbie (my preferred outfit is sweatpants and I don't even own a brush), I am known around the office for my fastidious skin. Even the thought of wool makes it itch. Thankfully, we carry a wool yarn that is kind enough even for my royal skin, and it was recently kitted into a stunning cowl. My co worker Jenny penned a clever little haiku in honor of the grand event: Double crochet cowl, you are even soft enough for Princess Heidi And here is the kit (not on me .. I gave up modeling a long time ago):

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Unlimited color possibilities!

I am a huge fan of color.  I love to mix and match and get some lovely and unique color combinations.  My favorite is to dye Bare Roving and Yarn using the Jacquard Acid Dyes - there are so many colors to choose from! There are also many methods to dyeing. I used the crock pot method for this blog.

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Bit of a baby gift mix-up

Remember my plans for knitting the Treefort Jacket for a friend? Well, it turns out that the baby she thought was a girl is actually going to be a boy. Rachael and I have decided to blame her husband since it is his co-worker who is having the baby and he has not been good about communicating vital information. Including the baby shower invitation that Rachel saw sitting in his car when they headed for the beach the MORNING OF THE SHOWER! It had been in the car for quite awhile.

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