Marly Bird's Blog, page 183

Bird Seed Cowl

The Bird Seed Cowl is a QUICK KNIT! 

This FREE PATTERN is one I designed exclusively for Red Heart and I totally LOVE it!

I designed this cowl while I was attending a book signing for Diana Gabaldon. When I went to the event I knew I had some time to kill and figured I would start on a new project. So, I grabbed some Red Heart Boutique Treasures yarn and a pair of size 9 needles and away I went. At first I thought about doing a simple ribbed piece because I find that knitting ribbing is really soothing.

Well, apparently I was distracted while I was casting on because I cast on a stitch too short of my multiple of 4 needed. But I didn’t realize that until I had knit a couple rows. At that point I figured oh well, just keep going…so I did. As the fabric started to take shape I really LOVED the look of the stitch pattern I was getting!

It looked like I was doing a k1, p1 ribbing separated by seed stitch columns. And it was so SQUISHY! As it became more and more, I noticed the color changes in the cowl and fell in love with those too! I found myself knitting faster so I could see how the next color change would look! Needless to say, I finished this cowl rather quickly because I couldn’t wait to see the end product.

WARNING: this stitch pattern and this yarn are addictive! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Now, as I was working on the cowl I had a few things I did to help me make sure I maintained the stitch pattern. Yes, it is only a two row repeat BUT if you are going to travel with your knitting like I do then these tips will help you along the way

Kristin Omdahl has really BIG new projects to share

Kristin Omdahl has really BIG new projects to share on the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird today so LET’S GET IT STARTED!

Kristin has been studying skin care products for herself and friends for many years. Recently, she began to offer it to the public, GLOW Body Products, through study and trial, pursuing all-natural, aroma therapy, and anti-aging of the highest qualities. Her natural face cream is an proprietary blend of essential oils that has become beloved by so many, and users are demanding that she never stop creating it! The line includes bath salts (her teenaged athlete loves), sugar scrubs, balms, bar soaps, cleansers and toners.

Getting a little personal, Kristin, as a public figure, realizes as a victim and survivor of domestic violence, says ‘If you can find a way to help other people, you can find a purpose for your pain and suffering.‘ She’s been trying to find a way to help and give back to victims not as strong or without the resources she’s had. While not everyone is a knitter or crocheter, they do need body care products. She found that a percentage of her sales can be donated to make a difference. Thus, Project Kristin Cares was begun, so that those who find themselves finally out of the dangerous situations can receive quality products rather than the cheapest and not necessarily the most beneficial.

We can follow Kristin Omdahl at her website, www.KristinOmdahl.com, where she has a blog, and links to shop her products, she has a Ravelry Designer page, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and a YouTube channel. Here also are the links to earlier visits to the Yarn Thing podcast: just in March with her new book, Continuous Crochet, in Feb. 2015 as a podcast sponsor,  July 2014 with Bamboo So Fine, 2013 more new projects, Introducing Wrapture in 2012, May 2012, Feb 2012, March 2011, Dec 2010, March 2009. Not sure if you can tell, we love Kristin on the Yarn Thing podcast!

NOTE: UNTIL MONDAY May 16th, there is a special for Marly fans, Buy 1 skein of yarn, get the 2nd Free with code MARLYBOGO (just remember to put two skeins in the shopping cart before applying the code.) This is a great opportunity to try Kristin’s wonderful, silky, drapey bamboo yarn, especially if you never have before or if you have and want to do that again!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/05/12/kristin-omdahl-has-really-big-new-projects-to-share or with your favorite podcast catcher, like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Jen Lucas is working overtime

Jen Lucas is working overtime, but took some time out of her busy schedule to visit the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird. Jen has visited before, and says she’s been a listener since the beginning, and we can’t be more proud of her everytime we visit. 

Jen says she and some friends decided they needed to learn to knit after college, possibly inspired by the ‘Golden Girls’, even though the Sophia character was a crocheter. At the time many things were happening and helping people be inspired, like various knitting blogs, the tv show ‘Knitty Gritty’ with host Vickie Howell. Also, Stephanie Japel did a ‘design-your-own-shawl’ course. So she was able to continue her education easily online while she wore a lab coat by day, testing water.

Now her full-time job is writing books, teaching at knitting guilds… she feels it’s the best job ever, it feels so cool.Jen’s first book, Sock Yarn Shawls, (Here is the link in Ravelry to view the patterns) is full of triangle shawls which she says was what she was into at the time, and finds that people still are. It was followed by Sock Yarn Shawls II (Ravelry link) and Sock Yarn Accessories (Ravelry Link).

COZY STASH-BUSTING KNITS is divided into various weights of yarns, DK, Worsted and Bulky Weights, the heavier yarns that her earlier books were not focused. The cover design shawl, Damsel, for instance, was created for DK weight yarns in an all-over lace pattern. Also, she’s been using a lot of Madeline Tosh and many of the patterns are featured in that brand including Damsel. Others brands are used, but that seems to be a current favorite she says. The book also includes other shawls, mittens, hats, headbands and scarves.

When she began writing books, Jen says she knitted all of the pieces photographed in the books, but the books have gradually grown and in this book of 22 designs, each design shows who the sample knitters were that helped her out. How exciting for them to see their work acknowledged!

Jen also notes she writes the patterns for one size, and includes notes for larger if you wish to make it a little bigger than she designs for. Just remember to get a bit of extra yarn!

Jen Lucas can be followed through her website, www.jenlucasdesigns.com, which links to her blog too, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Designer page in Ravelry, and Etsy shop.

If you missed getting to hear this live, the episode is still available as an archive where it aired originally: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/05/10/jen-lucas-is-working-overtime or with your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

21 Crocheted Tanks and Tunics by Sandi Rosner

21 Crocheted Tanks and Tunics by Sandi Rosner was not Deja Vu, we asked her to come back to the Yarn Thing podcast when we knew she had a new book coming soon!

Sandi Rosner is the Executive Creative Director at Premier Yarns which includes the Downton Abbey line that we spoke of recently, but also the Deborah Norville and Isaac Mizrahi collections, as well as some private labels available at your local craftstores. She began crafting as a crocheter, then learned knitting later from yarn labels, magazines, books… Knitting took over her life, she even owned a yarn store for a while, then she went freelance designer, teacher, writer (I think she missed tech editor) and then moved from California to North Carolina to work with Premier Yarns.

Many know Sandi may think of her as a knitter. She says she spent a lot of years wrapped in knitting, but working with Candi Jensen (who we may know of through Knit & Crochet Now) has been leaning more toward crocheted. Plus the yarn industry, as Sandi is well aware, realizes that the majority of yarn purchased is intended to be a crochet project. Even though many think of crocheters as the granny squares and kitchen hot pads.

Pam Koenig (at the time an editor at Stackpole books) approached Sandi to create a book of crocheted tank tops, this was about four months before she began at Premier. Sandi is very organized, even though the full-time job suddenly seemed to intensify the deadlines. She began the book by creating a list of ideas, that included the detailed designs and silhouette, also attending a TNNA and approaching yarn companies for their suggestions as to what they would recommend for the various ideas. Then, Sandi began to work on every piece, none if it was farmed out to a sample crocheter, her crochet designs are basically done ‘On The Hook’, and making good solid notes.

21 Crocheted Tanks + Tunics includes fairly simple designs, straight-forward stitchwork, to create garments people would want to create and wear. The sizes range 32″ to 52″ finished garment for the simpler designs, on the more complicated ones, between 36″ to 46″. Yarns chosen were intended for summer or warmer climates, so she looked for washables in linen, cotton, bamboo, silks are not generally machine washable, but a luxury fiber can be so worth it. Colors that photographed well, brights and favorites, in blues and greens that Sandi enjoys in the summer. She also enjoys the sculptural feeling of crochet, verses the ‘autopilot’ of knitting for her, and she finds she can feel her way along in the crochet. A small change can yield big differences in the fabric. The patterns can be viewed in Ravelry.

Sandi finds these days she’s crocheting about 50% of the time, the rest knitting, which has become a big change to before she came on board with Premier. At this moment, she’s working on a pattern for a flyer to be available with yarn in stores. Sometimes inspiration comes with the yarn samples that appear in the offices, like the Plum Blossom Shawl in Willow Yarns.

Follow what’s new with Sandi Rosner by following her Designer page in Ravelry. Here also is the link to listen to the last time she was on, in January of this year. If you didn’t get to hear this live, you can listen to the archived episode at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/05/05/21-crocheted-tanks-tunics-by-sandi-rosner or in your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio. You can also watch the behind-the-scenes video on the Facebook Page!

Anne Berk’s Continuing Adventures in Annetarsia

Anne Berk‘s Continuing Adventures in Annetarsia was what today’s Yarn Thing with Marly Bird was all about. Its not been two years yet since Anne was here sharing her new book Annetarsia, and today we get to catch up with all that has happened since.

Anne Berk with Steven Be, at Stitches West 2016, where he personally picked colors for her Shawlvest for her.

In her day job, Anne is an optometrist and shares an office with her husband, Bill, another optometrist. Bill’s hobby is photography, which is interesting as their hobbies together are detail oriented as well as their occupations. Bill actually came up with the term ANNETARSIA as it’s Anne’s uncomplicated method of intarsia. Anne considers herself a teacher with a desire to find a way to solve problems for knitters. Encouraging knitters to try something that only looks daunting, or creating techniques for modern knitters, such as knitting intarsia in the round, has been the challenge she studied and pursued to pass on to others. ‘It’s really not hard’, she says, ‘You just have to try it in a different way.’ Most of what she does is recreate other people’s designs in Annetarsia, such as recently, in her blog you can see she recreated Steven Be’s Shawlvest. Which means, to us, that it’s a technique that translates to other projects.

Recently, Annetarisa Knits, which is not brand-new has had new things happened to it and with it. For instance, it is now available with the Knit Companion app, if you purchase the e-book. The publisher of the hardcover books went out of business and sent her all that they had left of what they’d printed, now she is enjoying mailing copies out personally so she can sign them and wonder how much fun the receiver will have with creating new knitting projects. The photography in the book was done by Bill and the editing by their son, so it was a family project.

As a teacher, Anne gets to travel to share new techniques with us. Such as with Stitches (her next adventure will be to Stitches Texas in September) and to Vermont with Donna Druchunas for a wonderful retreat happening at the Trapp Family Lodge (which is full already, but there is a waitlist). She’s also been invited to share her love of knitting with us in Craftsy Classes. The first was Next Steps in Intarsia and then Simply Stunning Colorwork and in fact will be filming a new class in the next few days! So that will be something we will be watching for. Anne recently was a featured instructor at Yarnover, the Minnesota Knitter’s Guild, where she was one of two full day courses and her class was full! The keynote speaker there was Meg Swansen, and Anne said she was sought out by Meg to share her excitement for Annetarsia Knits. 

Anne finds that we tend to make things feel so much harder that it really is. For instance, we may feel the fiber content is important for doing intarsia, when really even something we may feel is complicated can be done with a any kind of yarn. Anne really feels that if she can help someone feel empowered, those feelings that a technique is hard just fall away.

To spend time with Anne, in Marly’s experience, is a learning opportunity. Marly spoke of the first time they shared a room at a Stitches Event, which for Marly was very soon after learning to knit, Marly watched her intarsia technique and came away with the knowledge that she could do it herself, as a newer knitter! Recently, they shared a room at Stitches South, and Marly brought with her an afghan sample for her mitred-squares course. Anne got out her favorite yarn needles and worked in all those ends (if you saw this during Marly’s Facebook LIVE, you know there was A LOT) in an hour!

Anne Berk can be followed at her website, annetarsia.com, and in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, She also has a designer page and group in Ravelry. You can purchase Annetarsia Knits from her directly, through her website.

If you did not hear the earlier episode, here is the link to that from July 2014, and if you missed today’s episode, it is still available as an archive, too, where it aired originally: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/05/03/anne-berks-continuing-adventures-in-annetarsia or in your favorite podcast catcher, like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Kristin Nicholas Returns

Kristin Nicholas Returns LIVE and in COLOR to the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird.

Kristin says she learned to sew as a kid, through 4H with the clothing and textiles, and learned to knit because she wanted something to do while on the bus or train in college. She attended Grad School at Colorado State University (same as Marly!) with a masters degree, from there went to New York City and made her way to her dream job with Classic Elite Yarns. When she and her husband with their daughter found a farm in Western Massachusetts, she began writing books and doing freelance design.

They have sheep on their farm (her mom joked when they got married that most people get a ring when they get married, Kristin got Four Sheep!) and in fact, recently, Houzz.com recently made a video of Kristin and her farm house, especially about how much color she has filled it with. They are wrapping up the spring sheering of the sheep on her farm at the moment.

Marly spoke about Kristin’s photography, and especially one image of a lamb in a sweater. Kristin shared how long it took her to get the sweater right to fit a day-old lamb, and then the right background. But one perfect portrait became a greeting card in the UK! Even her artwork is attractive and is an undiscovered talent revealed on a trip with friends who were fine art oil painters. So because of that encouragement, she offers retreats at her house (classes will be posted TOMORROW!) with fabric painting, and lampshade painting, or knitting and embroidery. Kristin really feels color is the common theme in everything she does whether it’s cooking, gardening, pottery, embroidery…. She says she didn’t really get how natural it came to her until she worked at Classic Elite yarns, which became known for color, and created a yarn line with her name on it!

She’s recently created classes with Creativebug (a Yarn Thing podcast sponsor) A short Color class, Knit a Fair Isle Class, a class about Steeking and an Embroidered Knit Pillow.  She’s been the Knitting Expert on Knit & Crochet Now since the beginning, and has seen the progress the show has made over the seasons. Working with Deborah Norville, she says, was really comfortable because we all share a love of yarn. She appreciates how hard working Deborah is, having been on three planes to get to the tapings.

Traveling has gotten harder because of the farm and the knitting events just don’t coincide. Her daughter has one more year of high school, so these online class and her books are how she reaches out to us. Her newest book is Crafting A Colorful Home: A Room-by-Room, Guide to Personalizing Your Space with Color came out in January and was so successful for the publishers that she is working on another book.

You can follow Kristin Nicholas at her website, www.KristinNicholas.com, also she blogs at Getting Stitched on the Farm, The Knit & Crochet Now show which airs on PBS check local listings, Ravelry Designer page, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. Kristin visited the Yarn Thing podcast back in 2009, so this visit today was a great opportunity to get caught up!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/04/28/kristin-nicholas-returns or with your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

The Beginners Guide to Writing Patterns with Kate Atherley

The Beginners Guide to Writing Patterns with Kate Atherley was the featured book on today’s Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird.

Kate Atherley

Kate was mentioned on the podcast recently, because she is a tech editor with Knitty.com, as we heard with Amy Singer. She’s put together a wonderful new book based on her experience as a teacher, designer and that tech editor work.

We love that Kate says that she doesn’t really want a designer to be great a pattern writing, because she wants to allow them to focus on the creative elements. She originally wrote this book and self published it so that she could help those that she was working with to have a few guidelines. However, she discovered there is a broader audience that she could have imagined and worked with Interweave to make sure it was available to more who needed and wanted to learn where to begin. 

In The Beginner’s Guide to Pattern Writing: Learn to Write Patterns that Others Can Knit Kate says she wants to help the pattern writer to be serious and professional, to help the knitter be successful. The book is divided into chapters, Pattern Structure & Elements, Actual Knitting Instructions, Charts, Grading, Formatting & Layout, the Process, Selling Online, On Copyright and include in the appendix examples of Basic Pattern Template, Abbreviations, Standard Terms & Glossary, Resources & Bibliography. All of these elements have to be thought out by a pattern writer and Kate cheerfully gives helpful advice on things to consider when making decisions.

Part of this conversation between Marly and Kate is self-publishing, with tech editing or test knitting, and how to get your patterns out there. Part of Marly’s concern is just not appearing stupid to a publisher (and thus inciting further work together), but also to save time later when the pattern becomes available for your own again.

Although, we are all human and knitters can be pretty forgiving, being as professional as possible will go a long way for a designer.

Kate Atherley can be followed through her website, www.kateatherley.com, and her work through Knitty.com, especially her posts for Knitty, her designer page in Ravelry and Twitter.

It hasn’t been a year since Kate Atherley was on last, she’s THAT busy helping us be better knitters, last time was with her new book Custom Socks, just last September.

If you missed getting to hear this visit LIVE, you can still hear it as an archived episode where it aired originally: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/04/26/the-beginners-guide-to-writing-patterns-with-kate-atherley or with your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Special Episode: Robyn Chachula

SPECIAL Episode: Robyn Chachula joined Marly at a unique time for the Yarn Thing podcast which just makes our Monday Awesome!

Robyn says she’s always been crafty. As a structural engineer professionally, specializing in historic restorations, she says she learned to knit and moved on. And until fourteen years ago, even though her mother crocheted, she hadn’t found her IT craft, but when she did, it snowballed.

Once she felt she had it figured out, she began submitting patterns to magazines, and recalls working with Kim Werker as an editor, then books, and tv shows… It’s a good thing too, because in 2009, as we saw with the economy, half of those in her field of engineering were laid off. As she and her husband BOTH were in that field they felt it was not a smart idea and that Robyn’s pursuing a career in crochet at that time could be a good thing. Plus they started having kids, so lots of life changes, which now means she is a Stay-At-Home Mom as well as crocheting full time

Her newest book, Vintage Modern Crochet, (link to view the designs in Ravelry) combines her love of history (remember she loved the historic restorations?) and crochet. Robyn has collected patterns that really demonstrated unusual ways crochet could be. Some of that designs are a little more complicated, but all stretch what we know particular techniques can do. For instance, Robyn’s own designs in the book include jewelry! For instance the Temperance Jewelry, which features an Irish Crochet look that can be created in any modern color pallet to complete an outfit. Moon Eldridge contributed a beautiful shift, Cyrine Striped Dress, Robyn says the stripes incorporated in the fabric prevent it from stretching and being too sheer. Susan KB Anderson’s Aine Fascinator would be perfect for a special occasion like prom or a wedding. Tunisian crochet makes a great classic pullover, in Fleur Swing Top by Megan Granholm. Robyn’s own Field Cardigan features filet crochet in a raglan style. The pattern featured on the cover, from Anastasia Popova The Zoe Cardigan is a modern take on the pineapple crochet cardigan that Anastasia’s own grandmother made. The Priya Cowl by Robyn is from a class she teaches about entrelac, featuring four tunisian lace crochet.  Finish that cowl with vintage buttons and you’re ready to go retro!

We can hear a few of the previous visits with Robyn Chachula, from April 2009, from December 2010 or from October 2011. You can follow Robyn at her website: www.crochetbyfaye.com and her Ravelry designer page. Don’t forget she is the Crochet Expert on Knit & Crochet Now, that Deborah Norville is hosting!

If you missed getting to hear this live, it’s still available as an archive where it aired originally: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/04/25/special-episode-robyn-chachula-returns or in your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Marly Bird Garter Stitch Shawl Knit-along Section 4

The Marly Bird Garter Stitch Shawl Knit-along  Section 4 is sponsored by Red Heart.

This is the very first KAL I’ve hosted that is based on my own pattern and includes a full set of HD videos of me demonstrating how to do each step of the shawl! Click HERE for Section 1, Click HERE for Section 2, Click HERE for Section 3; you will find the full instructions for SECTION 4 below. 

Once the KAL is complete the full pattern will be available at MarlyBird.com.

Queue it up and Like the Pattern on Ravelry

THE PROJECT

A SHAWL! Something that is rather simple, uncomplicated and gauge isn’t something that is super important. The project for this KAL is a rather easy shawl but it packs a lot of punch. There are many learning opportunities for me to teach you while you make this garter stitch shawl.

THE DATE

The official start date is March. 30, 2016 – April. 27, 2016. There will be one video released each week along with the pattern instructions for that section. You will find a full schedule at the end of this post with links as they are available.

THE COMMUNITY

There is a dedicated Facebook group for this KAL that is monitored by me and several of the WONDERFUL sampler knitters who tested this pattern for me. We are all there to help you with this project. Please join us!

THE PATTERN

Below you will find the instructions for SECTION 4 of the Marly Bird Garter Stitch Shawl.

THE MATERIALS NEEDED  ETA 4-3-16: please note the yarn amount required for Color C has been changed to 2 balls. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST FOR KAL 

THE MEASUREMENT

THE GAUGE: 17 sts = 4″ (10 cm); 36 rows = 4″ (10 cm) in Garter st. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge.

SPECIAL STITCHES

Cable Cast-on: Insert right hand needle between first 2 sts on left hand needle, k1 from this position, leave the first sts on left hand needle and slip new st onto left hand needle. Rep from * for desired number of sts.

Knitted Cast On: *Insertright hand needle knitwise into first st of left hand needle, wrap the yarn around the needle and pull through as to make a knit st, leave the first st on left hand needle and slip st just made to left hand needle (1 st CO); rep from * to required number of sts.

Let’s Begin
NOTES

The applied i-cord bind off is a nice stretchy bind off that will give your shawl that little extra something. It has a really nice finished look to it. I HIGHLY recommend watching the video for this technique as I show you in two different colors so you can see very clearly what you are doing.

Reminder: you should have a total of 355 sts on your needles after Seed Stitch Section…

APPLIED I-CORD

Using the cable cast-on (shown in the video) or the knitted cast-on, cast on 4 stitches. Place those 4 stitches on the left hand needle with the other shawl stitches.

Row 1 (RS): K3 (of the cast-on stitches), k2tog (1 stitch from the newly cast-on stitches and one stitch from the shawl). Slip the 4 stitches from the right hand needle back to the left hand needle (slip them through the back leg so you don’t change the orientation of the stitch).

Repeat row 1 to the end of the row.

 

FASTEN OFF

Once all the stitches on the shawl have been worked into the applied i-cord you will have 4 stitches remaining on the needle. You need to finish these stitches.

Option 1: In the video I show you an SSK, K2tog, Pass the ssk over the k2tog, fasten off.

Option 2: K2tog, K2tog, Pass the first stitch over the last stitch, fasten off.

Option 4: K4tog, fasten off.

 

WEAVE IN YOUR ENDS

If you don’t know how to weave in your ends and want to see how I do it so that they don’t come undone be sure to watch the video!

Video

 

 

You’re DONE!

Once you finish your section be sure to post pictures to the facebook group as there will be a prize given away from RedHeart.com to one lucky person (who is randomly chosen) that has finished his or her homework during the week of April 20, 2016 – April 26, 2016 @ 11:59pm. Goodluck!

OH, One last thing! 

Be sure to use the hashtag #MarlysShawlKAL when you post about it on social media

so we can find what you are saying

Meet Twinkie Chan

Meet Twinkie Chan was the point of today’s episode of the Yarn Thing Podcast with Marly Bird. And if you said ‘pretty please with sprikles on top’ that’s exactly what you got.

Twinkie learned to crochet as a child about ten years old, her best friend’s grandmother taught them the basic stitches, and much of the rest of her skills came from practicing the free patterns on the ball bands, researching books, pictures. She loves to give handmade gifts, so she had lots of practice. She moved to San Francisco, which is not viewed as a cold climate but she felt chilled and wanted scarves she couldn’t find. Once she accumulated enough, she put the extras online in her etsy shop.

Her mom also taught her to knit so she knows the basics but it’s clear design by crochet has her heart. Designing, pattern writing, was never a goal. She wrote notes so she would have something to go back to, writing in her own secret code. Eventually, a friend got her thinking about it so she began learning about how to write patterns for others (not in her secret code), photographing things, to license or protect her work….

Twinkie says she finds inspiration everywhere. She feels that we all are inspired by lots of fun things but not very often are they put into execution. Not everything is a winner and some things need to spend time put aside, until magic happens. Plus social media, things liked or pinned can blossom unexpectedly. Some of her pieces show up on tv or other places and total strangers will let her know her work shows up for others to see in interesting places. Years ago on Uncommon Threads… on the Cartoon Network as Things That are Cool…. Recently, her bacon & eggs scarf was worn my Kimmy on Netflix’s Fuller House (the reboot of Full House).

Creativebug (a Yarn Thing Podcast Sponsor) contacted her for a series they were doing of animals, which she felt was a neat opportunity for her (two are up, a sloth and a unicorn, and two more to come out) even though it wasn’t really her genre. She will also be doing some fruits and veggies. Another thing that Twinkie is known for was the Stress Lemons for the Craft Yarn Council. They found her because her blog had been featured through Michaels. She says initially she wanted to do something cute like Donut Holes, but the idea of ‘turning lemons into lemonade’ seemed to be more appropriate.

Her new book Crocheted Abode A La Mode, features designs that are fun and nostalgic, perhaps at first attractive to children but for adults who like fun things too! Things like a donut footstool, a garland of animal cookies, an armrest that resembles red licorice ropes (especially if you use glittery yarn)…. some pieces are completely comical, like the Tablet cover that resembles a tv dinner or a Taco Pencil case.

Twinkie Chan can be followed at her website: www.TwinkieChan.com, her designer profile in Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and a YouTube channel.

If you missed getting to hear this live this morning, you can hear the episode  where it aired live as an archived episode: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/04/19/meet-twinkie-chan or in your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio. (PLEASE feel free to like the episode in those aps and post comments!)