Random House new release: HatHeads

After teaching himself to knit, author Trond Anfinnsen found that pull-on hats—aka beanies or skullies—were the perfect-size project. As his pile of hats grew, so did his knitting skills, and soon he began personalizing the hats for family, friends, and friends of friends. Each person received a unique hat designed to suit his or her coloring, personality, and style—all for free. Trond eventually teamed with photographer Klaus Skrudland to document what had become an interactive art project, taking portraits of each recipient in his or her hat. Together, the two created, gave away, and photographed more than 200 hats.

HatHeads shares 50 of these hats, all the same beanie shape but with a wide range of designs, offering something for everyone. Each hat is modeled by its recipient, with a full pattern and a funny, affectionate description of how that person inspired the design. Readers then learn how to pick up where Trond left off and create unique, personalized hats for their own friends and loved ones.

Designed in a fresh, graphic style, HatHeads is as unique as its hats, a heartwarming celebration of people, knitting, and the joys of giving.

Kanzashi in Bloom: 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give

Last month, Random House released this beautiful new book.
Kanzashi tsumami is the Japanese art of folding delicate squares of silk into three-dimensional flower petals. In the United States, the online craft culture has sprouted a renewed interest in making Kanzashi with American crafters devising simplified ways to create these gorgeous fabric flowers and incorporating more user-friendly materials like cotton and synthetic fabrics along with the traditional silks.

Kanzashi in Bloom takes the American interpretation of Kanzashi a step further, presenting modern, more easily executed flower designs as elements in a variety of fun, fashionable, hip craft projects. Kanzashi in Bloom offers advice on materials, three petal-folding styles, and techniques for assembling a Kanzashi flower. You’ll also find instructions for 20 projects to wear and give as gifts, including:

• Tiny blossom earrings
• Flowers-in-your-hair clips
• The happiest belt buckle ever
• Elegant floral gift topper

New Red Heart Artesano

New Red Heart Artesano is a versatile yarn with interesting texture and color effects. It has a soft hand and excellent wash performance.

Download color range (pdf).

Knitting In the Sun: 32 Projects for Warm Weather

Knitting in the Sun, is a new pattern collection from Kristi Porter. Published by Wiley, this paperback collection boasts 32 patterns, many of which are knit in Berroco yarns.

Kristi is a California based designer who has compiled a selection of sweaters that won't make you swelter in summer heat. Porter pairs warm weather yarns with sensible stitch patterns to create highly wearable garments.

You'll find patterns to keep your needles clicking whether you're lounging by the pool or taking a break at the beach:

• 5 sleeveless tops
• 4 short-sleeved tops
• 4 lightweight long-sleeved tops
• 6 summer-weight cardigans
• 2 skirts, a sleep set, and a wearable bathing suit
• 9 accessories ranging from a beach hat to a cotton wrap to a beach chair

LB Collection Pure Wool

Meet the newest addition to Lion Brand's LB Collection of affordable luxury fibers. Pure Wool is an undyed wool roving yarn in natural cream. Made in America, from fiber from American-raised sheep, this yarn is perfect for experimenting with felting and hand-dyeing.

This is the seventh line of affordable luxury fibers from Lion Brand.

New YarnCraft episode - Easy Ways to Sell Your Knit & Crochet Goods Locally

On this week’s episode of YarnCraft, Liz and Zontee talk about easy ways to get started selling your knit and crocheted items. They talk about what types of items to sell and where to sell your creations. This episode focuses on small, simple, local ways to get started.

Audio download

Show Notes
00:12 Intro
01:17 What’s on Liz & Zontee’s hooks & needles
02:43 Selling your crafted items
14:22 Interview with Tamie Snow at Bazaar Bizaare
17:46 Interview with Cindy Liu at Bazaar Bizaare
19:04 Thanks

Bamboo Baby and Bunnies

Patons® presents a new pattern book for babies: Patons® Bamboo Baby and Bunnies. It features twelve new patterns to knit up in the also new Patons® Bamboo Baby.

With everyday classics and creative takes on your favorite baby items, there are knits for everyone to love.

From adorably stylish Mary Jane-style booties, to cables, to fair isle, the options keep coming.

Bamboo baby yarn from Patons®

Patons® Bamboo Baby is another great bamboo blend from Patons®. Soft to the touch with just the slightest sheen, a true worsted weight yarn, great for both quick knit baby garments and blankets.

With subtle fun hues that are contemporary and adorable, you'll be dressing the most stylish babies on the block. Solids that stand alone or look great together in fair isle, and inventive new ombres you don't want to miss. Like all of our baby yarns, Patons® Bamboo Baby is easy to wash and maintain.

The fastest growing plant on earth, bamboo requires no pesticides or fertilizers and is earth-friendly.

Lion Brand on Facebook

Lion Brand is now on Facebook. Become a fan to get access to special offers, be able to share your photos and connect with other fans. Join hundreds of other yarn-lovers and yarncraft fans.

4th of July crafts

For those who celebrate the 4th of July, Martha Stewart created some amazing projects.

New Dual Duty XP® Thread

Coats has a new sewing thread: Dual Duty XP®, the “X-tra” performance thread, that combines advanced technology from Coats with nearly 200 years of thread-making experience.

New and unique manufacturing processes are applied to Dual Duty XP’s polyester-wrapped, core-spun construction creating a thread that provides enhanced seam appearance and makes sewing trouble free. Dual Duty XP is smooth and strong—it sews perfectly on all machines from vintage to today’s most advanced.

YarnCraft - Summer Crafting with Kids 02

This is the second episode of YarnCraft special series, Summer Crafting with Kids, coming on alternate Tuesdays.

This episode YarnCraft - Summer Crafting with Kids focuses on fun projects perfect for trading, sharing, and making together.

Liz & Zontee give ideas about how to use crafts to encourage kids to inspire each other, work together, and create great things to give to each other.

Audio download

Show notes:
0:11 Intro
01:23 Yarncrafting activities for groups of kids
12:00 Drawing winner
13:06 Thanks to our guests

New Amy Butler Sewing Patterns

Amy Butler has two new spring patterns:

Field Bag & Tote: perfect as an everyday tote around town and big enough to use for a weekend getaway.

Mini Dress, Tunic & Tops: several options for a fresh spring look! The mini is all about versatility... it comes in girl's sizes x-small to large and women's sizes x-small to xxx-large, so it's great for a mother-daughter project. And there are four great options: dress, tunic and two shirt lengths.

Kate’s Café Exhibition

Kate Jenkins will be having her first solo London show at The Rebecca Hossack Gallery renowned for its showing of contemporary arts.

Kate will be taking over the whole gallery and turning it into Kate’s Café featuring a series of beautifully crocheted artworks based on the nations favourite foods.
The collection, which includes meticulously re-created fish and chips, fried breakfasts on crocheted plates and crocheted condiments such as tomato ketchup all framed as original art pieces.

Kate Jenkins launched her fashion label Cardigan in 2003 to fulfil her philosophy that anything can be created from yarn as long as it is made with love, having previously worked for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Missoni and Donna Karan.

Design for a Living World Exhibition

Ten leading designers have been commissioned to develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials in order to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design in an exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. One of the featured designers is Christien Meindertsma.

Christien Meindertsma makes her own felted wool yarn and knits it together with custom-made oversize needles.

Here are some pictures of her amazing work:

Learn more about Christien Meindertsma at her website.

Learn more about this exhibition at www.nature.org.

International Year of Natural Fibers

Did you know that 2009 is the International Year of Natural Fibers?

As part of the celebration of the International Year of Natural Fibres, Keep the Fleece in partnership with Heifer International is helping to organize teams around the world to knit sections of the World's Longest Scarf that will all be joined together at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival Oct. 17-18, 2009.

The goal is to raise $250,000.00 that Heifer Intenational will use to donate fleece-bearing animals of all kinds to needy families all around the world. Heifer not only donates the animals, but provides the necessary training so that the families can nurture and grow their herds and become self-sufficient.

The Snuggie™ mania

According to USA Today, The Snuggie, an oversized fleece blanket with sleeves, available in 3 colors, is a big hit in America.

The numbers prove that: over 4 million sold, around 250 groups on Facebook, 5,999 members in the fan club and over 300 parody videos on YouTube.

There are Snuggie-love sites on the Internet, such as SnuggieSightings.com, where fans can post photos, videos and news. It has become a cult!

Red Heart has adopted this trend and created a new version, called the Snuggle Up Throw.

More Cloth

More Cloth is a useful tool for quilters who are looking for fabric on Etsy. You just have to click on the color you'd like to view some fabrics for sale on that color range.

Three Irish Girls

Three Irish Girls sell beautiful colourful handpainted yarn & fiber and learn to dye kits.

They have just presented their spring lookbook.

YarnCraft - Projects for Your Modern Baby

Yarn Craft published today the second shorter-format podcast for the summer, designed to be the perfect length for yarncrafters on the go.

On this new episode of YarnCraft, Liz & Zontee take a look at the world of babies and ways to inject some fun and whimsy into your baby-yarncrafting.

Find out what colors will stimulate your child and the best easy-care yarns for on-the-go parents.

Audio download

Show Notes:
00:11 Intro
01:23 What’s on Liz & Zontee’s hooks & needles
03:13 Fashionable baby patterns
13:46 Interviews from Maker Faire
19:50 Thanks to our guests

Eco-cotton blend new colors

Red Heart has added 13 new colors to its Eco-Ways™ and four new colors to its Eco-Cotton Blend™ yarn collections.

Eco-Ways™ is made from 30% recycled polyester which comes completely from recycled plastics. This versatile yarn makes beautiful projects while giving consumers a yarn they can feel good about using.The new colors include Cotton, Misty Violet, Bark, Rose Dust, Fern, Cinnabar, Yam, Sand, Chamois, Cornflower, Asparagus, Dark Indigo and Peacock. View all the beautiful colors here.
Eco-Cotton is a fabulous soft yarn and is eco-friendly. Fabric remnants from T-shirt manufacture are recycled and blended with acrylic for additional softness and loft, then spun into a soft 4-medium weight yarn that's perfect to knit or crochet into comfy sweaters, soft throws, and other home décor items. View all colors here.
See the complete color range here.

Mother Bear Project

The Mother Bear Project is dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of a hand-knit or crocheted bear.

The simple gift of a hand-knit bear with a tag signed by the knitter has touched children with the message that they are unconditionally loved.

Learn more about Mother Bear Project, the children in need and how you can help this effort.

Knitting Out Loud new audiobooks

Knitting Out Loud was founded by Kathy Goldner, an avid knitter. Ms. Goldner was taught to knit by her German grandmother, a World War II refugee and a psychoanalyst who knit while listening to her patients.

Recently returning to knitting, Kathy plunged into the delightful literature of knitting and realized that the agonizing conflict between reading about knitting and knitting could be solved by producing audiobooks of the best knitting titles available. And so Knitting Out Loud was born.

Three new audiobooks are coming this sring:

Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines
—read by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne
PDF sample pages here
Listen to a podcast interview with Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne by Knit Picks.

Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales
—read by Greta Cunningham with Meg Swansen

Knitting for Peace
—read by Betty Christiansen
(To help women survivors of war, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this audiobook will be donated to www.womenforwomen.org.)

Berroco new pattern collection

Berroco Design Studio unveiled the new collection of patterns and yarns for Fall/Winter 2009:

• Booklet #288 Blackstone Tweed™: comfortable garments with unique details.
• Booklet #287: funky chunky fast knitting accessories and sweaters.
• Booklet #289: charming and alluring feminine knits.
• Booklet #290 Vintage™ Wool Arts and Crafts: fun, wearable knits that start with youth sizes and go all the way to womens.
• Booklet #291 Berroco Comfort® Book for Girls: back-to-school basics for girls.

YarnCraft - Summer Crafting with Kids 01

This is the first episode of Yarn Craft special series: Summer Crafting with Kids.

On this episode of YarnCraft - Summer Crafting with Kids, Liz & Zontee go over all the essentials for a great crafting space for your kids. Also, find out at least 10 different ways your kids can have fun with yarn.

Get a sneak peak of what this series has in store and find out how you can win a yarncrafting package for crafting with your kids!

Audio download

Show Notes
00:10 Intro
01:32 Creating the perfect craft corner
10:22 Kid-friendly yarncrafts
17:56 What’s in store this summer
19:01 Thanks to our guests

Flag Day

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

Lion Brand website has knitting and crochet patterns with american flag motifs.

Would you like to celebrate the day with some of these projects?

Knit installation

Through mid-June, the Montague Street Business Improvement District (MSBIB) is hosting '69 Meters,' an art installation by artist Magda Sayeg and 50 volunteer knitters.

Colorful knitted sleeves are installed on all of Montague Street's parking-meter poles! Check out the pictures of all 69 Meters on Flickr.

More about it in this artcile from The New York Times or MSBIB press release [PDF]

Cinderberry Stiches

If you're looking for beautiful stitch patterns to use on your quilting projects Cinderberry Stiches is the right place to find them.

You can use one of the free available stitch patterns Springberries or Blue Wrens Nest, or you can purchased them online.

Father's Day gifts

Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in the United States and on various other days in many places around the world.

So, because that day is coming Martha Stewart presented some nice gifts suggestions for Father's Day that you can do yourself.

You can find out more cool projects on Kaboose.

Make Stylish Reusable Shopping Bags

Many people are turning away from disposable paper-or-plastic shopping bags and carrying their own reusable bags made from canvas or recycled materials when they go to the grocery store.

The reasons for doing so are clear. They want to avoid using a plastic shopping bag because of environmental reasons. And it has become a trend: an eco-chic trend!

Make your own eco-friendly shopping bag: in TipNup you can find some links to free sewing, knitting and crochet projects for reusable handmade bags.

Martha Stewart also has great handmade tote bags sewing patterns!

Amy Butler's new sewing project books

amy butler's little stitches for little ones
20 keepsake sewing projects for baby and mom

A new lavishly illustrated sewing projects book, with charming and contemporary projects for the nursery, baby wear, soft toys, and many more surprises!

The projects are designed for babies 0-12 months and their mothers, featuring beautiful photos of the finished designs by Colin McGuire.amy butler's midwest modern
a fresh design spirit for the modern lifestyle

It's 224 pages of lavish photography showcasing midwest modern fabric and design but also personal spaces, collections, gardens, and ideas that inspire them.

amy butler's sew-it kit
15 simple and stylish sewing projects for the home.

A great giftable kit with 5 new sewing projects to accompany the IN STITCHES book. The kit includes fabric and notions to make one of the projects and 15 beautiful project cards with easy-to-follow instructions, all packaged in a unique box format.More info.

Giveaway: Name that Fabric

The Scarlet Fig teamed up with Paper N Stitch for a fabric giveaway called «Name That Fabric».

Laurie Wisbrun (The Scarlet Fig), has some brand new fabric designs and would love your ideas on what to name these two new fabrics: one and two.

The winner can choose any two fat quarters from Scarlet Fig’s etsy shop. Laurie will choose the winner on 6/18 based on which name fits the best for Scarlet Fig.

The giveaway will run from Monday 6/8 to Tues 6/17.

More details here and here.

Patons new yarn: Angora Bamboo

It's not often you see a yarn as lovely and luxurious as new Patons Angora Bamboo, an exciting blend of bamboo, wool, and angora.

This all-natural yarn is incredibly soft to the touch. The bamboo content gives it an outstanding sheen and drape, while the angora content adds a subtle aura of softness.

The stitch definition when worked up makes Patons Angora Bamboo great for both cables and textured patterns. A true worsted weight, it knits up quickly without being too bulky - perfect for garments.

Patons Angora Bamboo also comes in a vibrant palette of colors that combine beautifully for fair isle designs or as stand alone striking solids.

Scarlet Fig new fabrics

Laurie Wisbrun, from Scarlet Fig, just announced that her new fabrics are now available for sale.

She created two collections:

Animal Sherbet
"Elephants, giraffes, rhinos and dots in a delicious sherbet colored palette. Also has a coordinating stripe. I just love the playful nature of these designs. Even though they have animals in them, they feel very grown up to me. But darn how cute would a wee little skirt in Elephants be?" (Laurie Wisbrun)Birdies on Couches
"Birdies and chesterfield sofas, dots in a lovely aqua and lush yellow palette. I started working in this palette for the eye pillows and fell in love with it. The aqua dots is sooooo pretty. I can't wait to start sewing with it. Also part of this collection is a pattern that is my modern interpretation of Bird on a Wire. If only I could figure out how to get it made into wallpaper. It comes in yellow and white/aqua." (Laurie Wisbrun)

Elephants, giraffes, rhinos, birds, dots and stripes make a colourful and ethnic choice for your quilting projects.

Rosários 4 new yarns

Rosários 4 has a new yarns for baby and children projects.

Natural Baby
100% Cotton

Merino Land
100% Merino Wool