Archives for July 2015

Pork Chop Pig Crochet Pattern

July 30, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Hunting for Bacon?

Whether you need more bacon in your life or want to go on a boar hunt, this crochet pattern is PETA approved!

This pig can be accessorized with a sweater and a medal. He can be Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web, or a trophy piece for the hunters out there. We even made it in red for the Razorback fans!

I made several of the mounted pig heads for my students after we read Animal Farm. They loved them!

Be sure to download the free accessories pattern for the fun variations.

Pork Chop Pattern on Etsy.

Pork Chop accessories pack (sweater, medal, Razorback) available on our free downloads page.

Filed Under: Animals, Crochet, Father's Day, Great as Gifts, Home, Home Decor, Patterns for Sale, Pets, Toys, Yarnovator Tagged With: boar, charlotte's web, crochet, pig, pork chop, razorback, trophy

Review: Shangri La from Bijou Basin Ranch

July 29, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Review: Shangri La Lace Weight Yak/Silk Yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch

We used Shangri La lace weight yak/silk yarn by Bijou Basin Ranch in our Twins Face Off crochet design competition to make Lacy Scarves. Here are our thoughts about the yarn:

We love it! Honestly, we were a little nervous about crocheting with this yarn. Not because of the material (which is fabulous), but because we have never worked with lace weight before (unless you consider crochet thread to be lace weight).

Yarn Features:

According to the Bijou Basin Ranch website: “A blend of two of the world’s softest and strongest fibers, our Shangri-La is the knitter’s [or crocheter’s] version of the earthly paradise for which it is named!” [our adeptation to their quote].

Lace Weight: 400 yards / 2 ozs.
50% Tibetan Yak / 50% Mulberry Silk: Hand Wash, Dry Flat

Shangri-La Pros:

Ubber Soft (softest, most luxurious yarn we’ve ever used)
Silky so it glides across your hook easily
Smooth, so it feels gentle on your fingers
Blocks great so it’s perfect for showcasing stitches
Not itchy, so it’s comfortable to wear
If crocheting a solid fabric, this would be nice and warm
If crocheting a lacy fabric, this is light and airy
Comes in fun jewel tone colors

Shangri-La Cons:
We love this yarn so much, we don’t want to write any cons!

The two strands can separate a bit and get caught on the hook
Frogging should be done slowly or the fibers will knot up a bit
There is a faint odor to the yarn, but it’s very mild

Bijou Basin Ranch had the right idea when they named this yarn. It really is a dream and a half to work with. Shangri La is so nice that you may find yourself saddened when your project comes to an end. No worries, just get yourself another skein and start on another great project!

Patterns Using Shangri La

Check out these beautiful patterns that use Shangri La yarn.

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: bijou basin ranch, review, shangri la

Winners in Lacy Scarf Twins Face Off

July 28, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Winnners in the Twins Face Off with Shangri La Yak/Silk Yarn

Congrats to Dana Bincer for winning the Shangri La yarn Twins Face Off design challenge sponsored by Bijou Basin Ranch. The Beaded Broomstick Lace Scarf squeaked a win with 53% of the vote!

We heard from many people that this was the most difficult challenge yet in that they liked both designs and found it very difficult to choose a favorite. We love that!

Winners in the Giveaway

A big round of applause for the two winners in the Shangri La lace weight yarn giveaway.

First Place: Stephanie S.
Stephanie wins 1 skeins of Shangri La yarn and the patterns for both lacy scarves.

Second Place: Joyce C.
Joyce wins both patterns for the lacy scarves.

A special thank you to Bijou Basin Ranch for sponsoring this months challenge. Stop by your local independently owned yarn shop to puchrase this fabulous yarn, or visit their website.

And 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.

On Display and a 2nd Chance to Win

Both lacy scarves are on display at Ewe and Me: A Yarn Boutique in Colorado Springs for the next month. Feel free to touch and feel how soft these are and pick up a skein or two of Shangri La while you’re there.

The patterns for the lacy scarves are available here in our shop or free with purchase at Ewe and Me the month of August 2015.

Lacy Scarves Pattern on Etsy.

There is a second chance to vote and enter the giveaway at Ewe and Me. So stop by and enter!

Tomorrow we’ll post a review of Shangri La. Be sure to check out what we liked and didn’t like about the yarn.

Filed Under: Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: Twins Face Off, winners

Vote on Lacy Scarves & Bijou Basin Ranch Giveaway

July 21, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Vote on the Lacy Summer Scarf Crochet Design Challenge and
Enter to win the Shangri La Lace Yak/Silk Yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch

It’s up to you to choose, which crocheted lacy summer scarf you like better. After you vote below, enter the giveaway for your chance to win 1 skein of Shangri La lace weight yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch as well as the patterns for both scarves.

Giveaway ends July 27, 2015 at midnight.

Left: Floral Scarf Right: Broomstick Lace Sarf

Each scarf uses only 1 skein of Shangri La lace weight yak/silk yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch. Learn more and see additional photos for the Lacy Summer Scarves in the shop.

The vote is annonymous, so vote with confidence.

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US & Canada Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2nd Chance to Vote and Win

If you’re in the Colorado Springs area, stop by Ewe and Me, A Yarn Boutique for a 2nd chance to vote and win!

Lacy Scarves Pattern available on Etsy

Filed Under: Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: scarves, Twins Face Off, yak

Twins Face Off – Shangri La Sneak Peek

July 14, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Sneak Peek at Twins Face Off with Shangri La from Bijou Basin Ranch

Last week we announced that Bijou Basin Ranch is sponsoring this month’s Twins Face Off and that Ewe and Me will be diplaying the finished projects in their shop (located on Garden of the Gods Rd in Colorado Springs).

Here’s a sneak peek at what we’re working on with Shangri La lace weight yak/silk yarn.

Summer Scarf is the category for this month’s challenge. Shangri La is perfect because it’s thin, soft, has great drape and displays stitches really well. Did we mention how soft this is? It may be Dana’s new favorite yarn!

Next week we’ll share photos of the finished projects and ask you to vote for the design you like better. We’ll also be giving away prizes.

1 place: 1 skein of Shangri La yarn and both crochet patterns;
2nd place: both crochet patterns.

For cleaning and blocking knit and crochet projects, Bijou Basin Ranch makes a fabulous fiber wash called Allure. We’ll be using it on these scarves. We love the Woodland Mist scent. It’s soft, subtle and not perfumey. It’s so nice, we’d love to wash all our clothes in it!

Allure comes in three varieties: Fragerance Free, Woodland Mist and Prairie Breeze. It’s biodegradable, color safe, tough on stains, and septic/gray water safe. There are no dyes, enzymes, or phosphates, no optical brighteners, no formaldehyde and no gluten. LOVE it!

See you here next week when we open the challenge and giveaway.

Lacy Scarves Pattern available on Etsy.

Filed Under: Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: allure, bijou basin ranch, scarf, shangri la, silk, Twins Face Off, yak

Teaching at Taos Wool Festival 2015

July 10, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

We’re Teaching at the Taos Wool Festival 2015

We will be teaching 1 workshop and 2 make-and-take classes at the Taos Wool Festival the first weekend in October. Come join us! There are a lot of fun classes on crochet, knitting, felting, tatting, punch needle and more!

Check out the Workshops at the Taos Wool Festival.

What: Taos Wool Festival
When: October 2-4, 2015
Where: Kit Carson Park in Taos, New Mexico
Cost: Free to attend Festival (Classes and Workshops have a fee)

The 32nd annual festival includes: Wool market, Critter Corner, Demonstrations, Contests, Dog Sweater Show, Silent Auction and more. Check out all the fun activities planned for the Taos Wool Festival.

Take a Worshop and Make-and-Take Class with Us!

Surprisingly Simple Houndstooth Print Bag

Friday, 8:30am-12:30pm, Tent 1, Kit Carson Park, $70, no materials fee, limit 30 students

Learn to crochet this cute bag, accented at top and bottom with the Crocodile Stitch and adorned with a rose. Perfectly sized for storing your tablet. Student to provide: two skeins of worsted weight yarn approx 170 yds ea, appropriate size crochet hook

Skills: Intermediate crocheter, must know how to ch, sl st, sc, hdc, dc, trc, crochet in rows & in the round, inc, dec, crochet in both, front & back loops

Owl Cup Cozy

Saturday, 9:00am-11:00am, Tent 1, Kit Carson Park, $35, no materials fee, limit 30 students

Woo loves coffee?! (or tea or coco?) Crochet your own cup cozy that will keep an eye on your drink. We’ll take a basic cozy and dress it up with large eyes, a petite beak and 3D wings made using the Crocodile Stitch.

Students to provide: 50 yds ea worsted weight yarn in 2 coordinating colors, 2 yds black yarn, 20 yds white yarn, 5 yds yellow (colors of choice may be substituted), appropriate size crochet hook

Skills: Intermediate crocheter, must know how to ch, sl st, sc, hdc, dc, trc, crochet in rows & in the round, inc, dec, crochet in both, front & back loops.

Broomstick Lace Scarf

Saturday, 11:30am-1:30pm, Tent 1, Kit Carson Park, $35, no materials fee, limit 30 students

We’ll take you through combining traditional broomstick lace with “drop stitch”, or single stranded broomstick lace to create this light and airy scarf. Your friends will think you knit it.

Students to provide: 200 yds of Wool/Silk Blend or the like (light weight yarn with good drape), crochet hooks F, G, or H – just one, using a size slightly larger than yarn calls for, knitting needle – (1) #50 / 25 mm and (1) #17 / 12.75mm

Skills: Intermediate crocheter, must know how to ch, sl st, sc, crochet in rows, crochet in both and back loops, have at least tried Broomstick Lace (video link-please practice before class)

Filed Under: Classes & Workshops Tagged With: class, taos wool festival, workshop

Twins Face Off: Shangri La by Bijou Basin Ranch

July 7, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Twins Face Off Crochet Design Challenge and Giveaway with Shangri La by Bijou Basin Ranch

Bijou Basin Ranch is sponsoring this month’s challenge with their ubber soft and oh so fabulous Shangri La Lace yarn. We’re partnering once again with Ewe and Me to display our finished projects (when we get them done in a couple of weeks).

Next week we will announce what cateogry of item we will crochet using Shangri La lace weight yarn (400 yrds / 2 oz. hank). We’ll also share sneak peeks at what we’re working on. The week following that we will ask you to vote on the two designs and open up the giveaway!

1st place to wins 1 skein of Shangri La and the 2 patterns;
2nd place to win the two patterns.

A big thank you to Bijou Basin Ranch for sponsoring this Twins Face Off! We are trilled to be using this fabulous yarn in our challenge. Neither of us have used lace weight yarn, so it should be really fun.

When I mentioned this challange to some friends, they asked what a Yak was. So I snagged the photo above from Bijou Basin Ranch’s website. Shangri La, the yarn we are using in the challenge is 50% Yak Down and 50% Mulberry Silk. It’s heavenly!

Filed Under: Twins Face Off Design Challenge Tagged With: bijou basin ranch, shangri la, Twins Face Off, yak

Review: Yashi by Universal Yarn

July 5, 2015 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Review: Yashi (raffia yarn) by Universal Yarn

We used Yashi (raffia yarn) by Universal Yarn in our Twins Face Off design challenge sponsored by Ewe and Me: A Yarn Boutique. Here are our thoughts about the yarn.

It is unique! We haven’t worked with anything like this. We love products that are new and different. This is definitely one to try.

Yarn Features:

According to the Universal website: “Yashi is a soft, papery raffia yarn especially well-suited for crafts and accessories.”

Worsted Weight: 99 yards/40 grams
100% Raffia: Hand wash, Dry Flat

Yashi Pros:

Fun Colors
Can be unwrapped to make a wide ribbon like yarn
Surprisingly Durable – Didn’t tear even after frogging several times
Color Fast – doesn’t bleed in cold or hot water (we tried)
Strong (even if swatch is soaked in water)
Long Run Out – Most raffia is made of short strands. Love that this is 99 continuous yards!
Soft when compared to other raffia

Yashi Cons:

Stiff – Can see kinks in stitches
Frogged yarn will be thinner/crunched
No flux, difficult to create good stitch definition with stitches of various heights
Coarse when compared to traditional yarns.

Yashi raffia yarn is fun for a variety of projects. It’s awesome for crafting and creates a unique look for crochet. Here are some patterns using Yashi:

Crochet with Raffia (from Twins Face Off)
Ravelry Patterns
Universal Yarn Patterns (click the patterns tab)

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: review, yashi