Archives for May 2015

Behind the Scenes: Baby Pink – Shelly Baby Set

May 31, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Behind the Scenes: Baby Pink – Shelly Baby Set

The Baby Pink Shelly Baby Set eeked out a win in the Twin Face Off design challenge using Bernat Softee Baby yarn in May 2015. I, Dana, thought I would share a bit about how the design came to be.

The blanket was the first project I created. I was inspired by swatches I found in the Crochet Stitch Dictionary by Sarah Hazell. From there I created a sweater, hat and booties that incoporporated the elements from the center panel and edging of the blanket.

As you can see in the photo above, I used a brown ribbon as an accent in the set. I adore the contrast in color. Ultimately I swapped the brown for a pink because I couldn’t find a button that coordianted without being overpowering. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the daisies…but I think they are a bit bright for the set.

That being said, I absolutely adore how the daisies look with the booties. If the challenge had just been baby booties, I definitely would have kept them. Perhaps I should have looked a little harder for a ribbon to go with the buttons…maybe a white or yellow.

This is the first time I’ve created a baby sweater, so it was the last thing I designed…and I was nervous about it. Deborah went through a baby sweater craze recently and honestly, I was a little intimidated to make one. She shared her basic pattern with me and I was able to modify it to create a cute little sweater that I’m happy with.

This particular challenge was really fun for me. I don’t often make girly items and I found that it was a blast! Deborah was thrilled to make a “boy” set because she’s got two little ones at home. So she was very interested in creating projects that she would actually use.

Our mom saw a sneak peek of the pink baby blanket before the challenge went live and she loved it! She wanted to make a blanket for her great grand son and asked for the pattern. So, she was the first pattern tester for the baby blanket. The blanket turned out great and looks adorable in baby blue. Good job, Mom!

Pink Shelly Baby Pattern Set on Etsy.

Baby Blue Pattern Set on Etsy.

Review: Softee Baby by Bernat

May 27, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Review: Softee Baby by Bernat

We used Softee Baby in our Twins Face Off Baby Set crochet design challange this month. Here are our thoughts about the yarn.

We love it! Not only is Softee Baby soft, as the name implies, it also has great drape. It is delightful to work with and makes beautiful finished pieces.

Yarn Features:

According to Yarnspirations website: “Bernat Softee Baby is a soft, premium acrylic yarn with a delightful range of shades. 100% acrylic”

Light Weight: 140g / 5 oz, 331 meters / 362 yards

Bernat Softee Baby Pros:

Soft to crochet
Soft finished projects
Beautiful drape
Glides smoothly over hook
Nice variety of pastel baby colors

Bernat Softee Baby Cons:

Colors limited to pastel baby colors

This yarn is perfect for a variety of projects including baby blankets, hats, sweaters and booties. We only wish it came in more colors!

Here are some patterns that use Softee Baby by Bernat:

Baby Pink – Shelly Baby Set on Etsy
Baby Blue – Hdc Faux Stockinette Baby Set on Etsy
Patterns from Yarnspirations

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: bernat, review, softee baby

Winners in the Twins Face Off Baby Set Challenge

May 26, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Winners in the Twins Face Off Baby Set Challenge using Bernat Softee Baby

Congrats to Dana Bincer for winning the Baby Set Challenge with the Baby Pink – Shelly Baby Set. It was a close race. The pink set received 56% of the votes. Dana has pulled ahead – winning 2 contests to Deborah’s 1.

We received lots of great feedback. People said they liked elements out of each set and that it was difficult to choose which set they liked better! It was fun to have such a close contest.

Winners in the Giveaway

A big round of applause for the two winners in the Bernat Softee Baby yarn giveaway.

First Place: Vickie W. R.
Vickie wins 4 skeins of Bernat Softee Baby yarn (in color 0f choice) and the patterns for both baby sets.

Second Place: Elsa L.
Elsa wins both patterns for the baby sets.

A big thank you to everyone for participating in the Twins Face Off Design Challenge. It means a lot to us that you voted and entered the giveaway.

The patterns for both baby sets are available in the shop. Learn more about each pattern:

Baby Pink – Shelly Baby Set on Etsy
Baby Blue – HDC Faux Stockinette Baby Set on Etsy

Filed Under: Challenges & Contests, Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: baby set, design challenge, Twins Face Off, winners

Vote on Baby Challenge and Giveaway

May 19, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Vote on the Baby Design Challenge and
Enter the Bernat Softee Baby Yarn Giveaway

It’s up to you to choose, which baby set you like better. After you vote below, enter the giveaway for your chance to win the yarn used in this month’s challenge as well as the patterns for both baby sets.

Giveaway ends May 25, 2015 at midnight.

Left: Baby Pink Shelly Baby Set Right: Baby Blue HDC Faux Stockinette Baby Set

Below are more photos of the baby sets. You can see more photos in the shop: Baby Pink Shelly Baby Set and Baby Blue HDC Faux Stockinette Baby Set.

It’s time for your vote – it’s annonymous…so vote with confidence!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pink Baby Shelly Baby Pattern Set on Etsy.

Baby Blue Pattern Set on Etsy.

Filed Under: Accessories, Afghan, Baby, Challenges & Contests, Hat, Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: baby, baby blanket, booties, design challenge, hat, newborn, sweater

Twins Face Off – Bernat Softee Baby Sneak Peek

May 12, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Twins Face Off – Bernat Softee Baby Sneak Peek

Last week we announced that we are raiding our stash for the Bernat Softee Baby yarn Twins Face Off design challenge.

Here’s a peek at what we’re working on:

Baby projects! That’s the category we chose for the yarn. We’ll be wrapping up the patterns this week.

Next week we’ll share photos and ask you to vote for your favorite design. We’ll also be giving away prizes. 1 place: 4 skeins of yarn (pale blue or soft red, color of winners choice) and the patterns; 2nd place: two patterns.

See you next week!

Filed Under: Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: sneak peek, Twins Face Off

Behind the Scenes: Chutes and Lattice

May 8, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Behind the Scenes:
Chutes and Lattice Scarf

Inspiration comes from lots of different places. In the case of the Chutes and Lattice Scarf, it was a combination of having a beautiful yarn on hand at a time when I was browsing through a stitch dictionary.

First: The Yarn

I attended the Estes Park Wool Festival a few years ago with my friend Jean (from Desert Rose Designs). There were lots of beautiful yarns at the show, and I was overwhelmed by it all (what did I know…I crocheted with acrylic most of the time). Jean had a lot of great things to say about the yarn we saw in the booth of Brooks Farm. So I decided to buy a skein. I selected Acero because I loved the rich color, the soft fiber (wool/silk/viscose blend) and that one skein had 420 yards. Of course, I had no idea what I was going to do with it!

Second: The Stitch Dictionary

About a year after attending the wool festival, I found myself browsing through Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet. I was inspired by a lot of the designs in there, particularly those in the “Lace Patterns” section.

So, out came the Acero yarn. I began crocheting a few swatches and soon realized that my projects didn’t always look like the pictures in the book. I learned a valuable lesson: the material the yarn is made of will impact the look, drape and feel of the finished project! I was bound to stumble upon this widely known truth sometime. I’m glad it was when I had a beautiful yarn and a great book to refer to.

Third: The Scarf

To me, the “Chain Lace” on page 149 of Donna Kooler’s book looked like flowers or chutes. Although I loved it, I didn’t want that pattern to make up the entire scarf. So I added some lattice; open ladder like chain work which I sprinkled throughout and added to the ends. And since the chutes are directional, I created the scarf in two panels.

I loved it. My sister and mom did, too. My mom has even hinted that she’d love it if I’d accidently leave it at her house when I come visit. Since she’s a crocheter herself, I think I’ll just leave her the pattern!

Fourth: Publication

I was so happy with the scarf, I decided to submit it to Love of Crochet magazine and they accepted it! They requested a lighter color yarn, so I recrocheted it in Knit Picks Gloss in Guava (color discontinued). Renamed “Coral Blooms”, my scarf appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of the magazine.

Fifth: Self Publishing

The magazine had exclusive rights to the design for several months, meaning I couldn’t sell it on my website (or blog or share photos of the design I loved so much).

Now I can…thus my Behind the Scene’s article. One of the fun things about self publishing is the ability to show more photos. Earlier this week I posted the pattern in the shop and shared lots of styling options on the blog, which were modeled by my friend Lorien (from Lady Lorien Designs).

This is a really fun lacy design. If you make one for yourself, please share photos on Ravelry! We’d love it.

Available on Etsy: Here

Filed Under: Accessories, Behind the Scenes, Scarves, Cowls & Shrugs Tagged With: behind the scenes, chutes and lattice, scarf

Review: The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop

May 6, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Review: “The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop”
by Dora Ohrenstein

“A beautiful, stunning and informative resource.” You can quote me, Dana, on that!

I read a review of “The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop” on Crochetville and wondered if this book was all it was touted to be. And, yeah. It’s good. Really good.

If ever I thought about writing down all that I know and tricks I think every crocheter needs to know, this is the book I would have envisioned writing. But it wouldn’t have been half as good. Dora Ohrenstein nailed it with this book.

Have you ever wondered why some people’s crochet projects looks sloppy while other people’s work looks great? The difference can be a matter of technique, of knowing and putting into practice some basic skills. This book will transform your crochet.

The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop Pros

Step-by-step instructions & photos of basic techniques for beginners
Advice (and photos) for advanced crocheters
In depth discussion (and charts) on how to write and modify patterns
Photos with amazing clarity
75 swatch patterns (photos and charts) that illustrate various techniques
Charts with two colors to help distinguish odd and even rows.
256 pages with nice thick glossy paper that’s durable and provides crisp clear images
Great writing style – it feels like you’re having a converstaion with an instructor that’s professional yet approachable.

My three favorite sections are:

Pages 53-55 Alternatives to Standard Turning Chains
I hate how wimpy the turning chain looks as a stitch (so I often don’t count it as a st). Dora gives several great alternatives (with step-by-step photos which are very much appreciated).
Pages 194-195 Tapestry Crochet
I’ve done a little bit of tapestry crochet, but haven’t fallen in love with it. Her tip on crocheting backwards (and again, love the step-by-step photos!) makes me want to give it another try.
Pages 136-139 Internal Shaping
I liked all of Chapter 7 “Advanced Shaping” but loved the highlighted chart that addressed building a pattern internally on page 137.

The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop Cons

Instructions on designing 3D items seemed light. There are patterns for a hat and bag, but the book didn’t address things like amigurumi.
My tablet had trouble with the electronic version (which I checked out from the library). It skipped from chapter to chapter instead of page to page. In the end I’m thankful that my tablet had problems because the printed version is stunningly beautiful.
Not really a con, but something I found odd was the placement of the section on Pattern Reading. It seems like it would have been better placed at the front of the book rather than the back, since there were patterns sprinkled throughout the book.

The only thing I thought missing was a technique called an invisible join (which I’ve pinned on pinterest). Page 102 does give 4 ways to start and end a round.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop. Not because I think I know it all, cause I don’t. I guess I thought it would be a long winded detailed discussion on every miniscule crochet technique ever known to man. Instead, the chapters were concise yet thorough and were beautifully illustrated with fun patterns and beautiful photos. This is definitely one to keep on the shelf as a reference along side your stitch dictionaries.

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: dora ohrenstein, review, the crocheter's skill-building workshop

Twins Face Off – Stashbuster with Bernat Softee Baby

May 5, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Twins Face Off – Stashbuster Crochet Design Challenge
with Bernat Softee Baby

It’s a new month and time for a new Twins Face Off crochet design challenge. We’ve each won one challenge so we’re both feeling the pressure this month!

For the May design challenge we’re raiding our stash.

We using Bernat Softee Baby in a Soft Red and Pale Blue.

We’ll each use 4 skeins of a single color for this challange. The yarn is 100% acrylic, 140 g / 5 oz / 331 m / 362 yards. It’s a soft light weight (3) yarn with a beautiful sheen.

Giveaway and Challenge

Next week we’ll announce what category of item we’re crocheting and share sneak peek photos.

In two weeks we’ll share photos of the completed items and ask you to vote for your favorite. We’ll also be giving away prizes!

1st place wins 4 skeins in the color of winner’s choice and the two patterns.
2nd place wins the two patterns.

In three weeks we’ll announce the winners of the yarn and patterns as well as the twin who designed the most popular design.

Filed Under: Challenges & Contests, Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: bernat, design challenge, Giveaway, softee baby, Twins Face Off

Behind the Scenes: Bohemian Handbag

May 1, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Behind the Scenes: Bohemian Handbag

The Bohemian Handbag won by a very healthy margin in the Lion Brand sponsored Twins Face Off purse design challenge in April. I, Dana, am thrilled that so many people liked it.

I have a confession to make, this simple handbag was not one of those projects that come to fruition in one sitting. In fact, I talked about it with the ladies in my crochet group, looked at projects online, and visualized a myriad of designs before settling on this basic construction.

There were several types of bags I considered for the challenge.

1st I was contemplating a backpack, something cutesy that a child might wear. I was even calculating how to incorporate a small padded pocket to store a computer tablet.
2nd I decided on a stitch sampler bag with lots of different pieces sewn together almost like a free form project. I even worked up a small swatch with the star stitch (which looked beautiful, by the way)
3rd I began working on a round bag with the spiral that would be on the front and back panel. I envisioned a long shoulder strap and a gusset with a zipper.
Finally, after carefully frogging the previous designs, I settled on a spiral based bag with two skeins of yarn that would chase each other around the bag. I decided to let the color be the main feature of the bag and double crocheted in the round. Once the main shape of the bag was finalized, items like the handle and flower closure quickly took shape.

This entire project makes me chuckle becaues I rarely use a purse. Those rare instances where I do use a purse, it’s generally so small that it only fits my phone, wallet and car keys. That being said, this challenge was quite fun. I enjoyed both the project category and the vibrant Landscapes yarn.

Pattern available on Etsy: Here.

Filed Under: Accessories, Bags, Behind the Scenes, Yarnitect Tagged With: behind the scenes, bohemian handbag