It’s Friday, and it’s Shark Week, and it’s Chicago Yarn Crawl week! There’s still a month left of summer, too! Life is good, and the weather is too (here in Midwestern America), so I’ve got nothing to complain about. I’ve got a bundle of knitting and crochet to work on this weekend, including all of the fine inspiration below to keep my brain yarn-occupied. :) TGIF!
Chicago Yarn Crawl!
It’s the Chicago Yarn Crawl this week, dudes! This year, I only had a chance to Crawl for one day, hitting up 5 of the many stores participating. But I made sure to snap a few pics of their yarn and supplies to make you all jealous of the amazing yarn stores we’ve got here in Chicagoland. ;) The Yarn Crawl is divided into regions, and I focused on Region 1, the yarn shops within Chicago’s city limits.
Yarn Swatch Wall Art
Since I apparently can’t get yarn off my brain at any given time, today’s DIY wall art idea is inspired by the yarn swatches you’d knit to test the gauge of your yarn before casting on a new project. This would make a great gift for any knitting lover in your life – it’s back to school time, does your kid’s teacher have a yarn addiction? Or maybe their librarian… ;)
Picks of the Week
In addition to some super cute knitting and crochet projects, the yarn-obsessed corners of the internet gave us some interesting, stash-busting ideas this week! Such fun ideas! I want to try them all.
Better Living Through Handymanlyness
In this year’s Reader Survey, a chunk of you awesome respondents said you want to see some more personal content, one reader wanted to see some upcycling ideas, and another suggested a series about creative space inspiration. So I’ll hit a few birds with one stone today by sharing one of the most creative spaces I could think of that’s personal for me – my dad’s basement workshop.
How to Make a Pom Pom
Pom poms are super fun. And DIY ones, where you can see the threads of yarn, are extra cute. You can do things like make them look like smiley faces or pieces of fruit if you know what you’re doing – you don’t even have to be a knitter or crocheter to become a master pom pom maker.
Picks of the Week
This was a week of big and small knitting & crochet ideas, all over the internet apparently (or at least the parts of the internet I frequent). This blog was obviously no exception with my mini Harry Potter sweaters, but I love it when a lot of knitting and crochet bloggers are on a similar wavelength at the same time. It’s really inspiring to see the different creative ways two different designers approach a similar concept. Or at least I think so. :)
Mini Harry Potter Sweater Pattern
Try your hand at the most famous knitting in all of the Harry Potter universe, the Weasley Christmas sweater.
Reader Survey Results (& Giveaway Winners!)
Thank you so so much to everyone who completed the Reader Survey this year! It’s clear that I’ve got a bunch of knitters and crocheters on my hands these days, and you guys want patterns, tips, knit alongs and crochet ideas. Don’t worry, non-needlers, I will still be doing other DIYs! I do need some time, after all, to develop new patterns and knit or crochet them up.
