Marly Bird's Blog, page 186

Byars Baby Blanket

The Byars Baby Blanket is named for my good friend Michele Byars. This is a free pattern is fun and uses join-as-you-go crochet to complete the blanket made with wonderful medallion motifs.

There is a video to help you with this project available here:

 Byars Baby Blanket


Size
54″ / 137 cm from corner to corner

Materials
Yarn:  Red Heart, “With Love” (100% acrylic, 370 yds / 338m, 198g / 7 oz):
Tan #1308 (A) – 2 skeins
Chocolate #1321 (B) – 1 skein
Mallard #1623 (C) – 1 skein
Or colors of your choice

Hook: Size I-9 (5.5 mm) hook or size required for gauge

Notions: Removable stitch markers, yarn needle

Gauge: 1 Motif = 6″ / 15 cm from corner to corner

Notes
The body of the blanket is made up of 61 Motifs: 30 Motifs using color B for Rnds 1-3, and 31 Motifs using color C for Rnds 1-3. Always use color A for Rnd 4. Join these Motifs as you go following the written instructions, charts, and /or the companion video. Arrange them as shown in the assembly diagram, or in the order of your choice.

Abbreviations
beg –begin(ning)
ch –chain
dc –double crochet
rep –repeat
rnd –round
RS –right side
sc –single crochet
sk –skip
sl st –slip stitch
sp –space
st –stitch
WS –wrong side

Pattern
First Motif
With first color (either B or C), ch 6, join with a sl st in first ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 1, 12 sc in ring, join with a sl st in first sc – 12 sc.

Rnd 2: Ch 7 (counts as 1 dc and 4 ch) and mark the 3rd of these ch, sk 1
sc, [dc in next sc, ch 4, sk 1 sc] 4 times, dc in next sc, ch 1, sk 1 sc, join with
dc in marked st, remove marker.

Rnd 3: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and 2 ch) and mark the 3rd of
these ch, (2 dc, hdc, sc) in first sp, (sc, hdc, 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc, h
dc, sc) in each of next 5 ch-4 sps, (sc, hdc, dc) in same sp as beg sts, join with




sl st marked ch, remove marker – 6 petals.

Fasten off first color.

Rnd 4: Join A with sl st in any ch-2 sp, ch 4 (counts as t
r), 4 tr in same ch-2 sp, 9 tr in each of next 5 ch-2 sps, 4 tr in same ch-2 sp as beg sts, join with sl
st in marked ch, remove marker.

Fasten off.

Remaining 60 Motifs 
Work same as first Motif through Rnd 3, and fasten off first color.

Rnd 4 (joining rnd): Join A with sl st in any ch-2 sp, ch 4 (counts as tr), 4 tr in same ch-2 sp, * 3 tr in next ch-2 sp, work partial tr in same sp, stopping when there are 2 loops on hook, insert hook corresponding tr on already existing Motif, yo and draw through all loops on hook, join next 2 tr in the same manner, 3 tr in same sp; rep from * for each joined petal, 9 tr in each remaining ch-2 sp, 4 tr in same ch-2 sp as beg sts,
join with sl st in marked ch, remove marker.

Fasten off.

Edging
With RS facing, join C with sl st in any st along edge.
Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 1, sc in each st around edge, join with sl st in first sc.
Fasten off.

Finishing
Weave in all loose ends.

Assembly diagram

 

Charts

From A Hundred Ravens Yarns, Kate Bachus

From A Hundred Ravens Yarns, Kate Bachus visited the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird this morning.

Kate Bachus, photo by Rachel Henry

Kate Bachus says she has done everything, but working in game design and getting to know the only other woman, who was a knitter, said “Are you on Ravelry?” At that point, she knew how to knit. She got a dye kit from Knit Picks, and would take her skeins to knit night where they disappeared. Seeing them evaporate, gave her the inspiration to begin dying as a business and thus A Hundred Ravens was born.

Kate admits she likes knitting with her yarns but often with other wonderful yarns, seeing what she loves and … not so much. For projects, she likes smaller projects for her ‘short attention span’, like mitts and cowls. Currently, she’s working on a sweater with determined effort.

From her experience, she has plenty of helpful advice for dye business owners. ‘Keep your day job, to start’ she says. Also, ‘being a people person’, ‘know your product ~ love your product’. Citing the example of Lindsey Martin at Erin Lane Bags, Kate says ‘Everyone loves dealing with Lindsey because she is a people person. There are lots of bags out there but there’s only one Lindsey.’ She says it’s taken five years to get where they are, that it’s successful because it’s a natural growth. Finding what people like has been a boon to business, featuring ‘Fan Collections’ beginning with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ which included colorways inspired by Rivendell and Helms Deep. Fandom really plays with our favorite things. A post on their Facebook page says: ‘What’s a Fandom club? Well, all the participants vote on your favorite fandoms — things like Star Wars, Princess Bride, Supernatural, Dr. Who, Jane Austen (yes, we consider Jane Austen a fandom) — and the top six choices become the fandoms for the club! For the next six months, you’ll get an exclusive skein of fandom related yarn, stitch markers, and some fantastic swag. You’ll receive at least two patterns specifically for the yarn.’ She mentioned a key for 221B went with the Sherlock Holmes, stitch markers with Star Wars logo in another, the Weeping Angels in the Dr Who collections. This is not a US exclusive either, because, even though a bit more, International customers can participate, too.

The Hecate Mini Set

A Hundred Ravens doesn’t create gradient yarns but minis in gradient sets, which gives a knitter more creativity when putting their project together. The colors are created according a recipe, unless she creates a ‘Wild Child’ which is where she throws caution to the wind and puts together unique, ‘one-off’ product, which means your finished project will never be like someone else’s.

Watch for the new Season’s color, everyone is excited about Kaleidoscope as defined as a group of butterflies. Rachel Henry, the in-house designer, is creating designs featuring this collections. On hearing that Marly’s is teaching her Curvy Knits class at Stitches West, Kate asked that everyone stop by the booth, they are creating a sweater’s worth of yarn in an 8-ply DK weight (completely washable and frogable!) that are dyed to match only each other and with a discount to grab and go.

Follow A Hundred Ravens at their website: AHundredRavens.com or at their Facebook page, Ravelry Group, and in Twitter, Tumbler, or Pinterest. Kate said today that they will be at all the Stitches events this year. At Stitches West they will be in booths 714 and 813, and we will all be looking for them!

If you missed hearing this live, it is still available as an archived episode: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/02/11/from-a-hundred-ravens-yarns-kate-bachus or in your favorite podcast catcher, like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Child’s Trendy Fur Vest

The Child’s Trendy Fur Vest is a Free Pattern available on RedHeart.com

This pattern is a popular pattern that any trendy little girl will love!

 

If you make the Child’s Trendy Fur Vest, I suggest you also make the Fur Slipper Boots too!

 

 

Knit Designer Natalie Servant

Knit Designer Natalie Servant was today’s guest on the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird. Natalie says she is (in her own words) ‘a lifelong crafter. I’ve been knitting for decades and am an avid spinner. I work as a software tester and think that many of my work skills are also helpful to me as a designer. I’ve been actively designing knitting patterns for the last seven years. My patterns range from simple to complex and reflect my exploration of varied inspirations including color, techniques, and texture. A great deal of my patterns draw from my love of Art Nouveau and Art Deco era designs, objects, and architecture.’

Natalie says when she was involved in Brownies/Girl Guides, as a left-handed knitter, she really tested the patience of the ladies who were hoping to teach her. Even though she finished her scarf, she dropped it until high school, as an exchange student. She says she found some pastel colored yarn, used pencils with the ends taped off because she didn’t have needles, and knit to keep busy. Dropped it again until University, when she admired a sweater in the window and thought since she couldn’t afford it, she could knit it herself. She found books and worked on swatches until they looked like the book. Natalie didn’t make the sweater she saw in the window, but she did create an intarsia sweater for her (now) husband.

Natalie is a mom of two, worked for 20 years as an engineer/software  (which she tried to retire from) currently is doing this as a contractor. In 2007, while Stephanie Pearl McPhee (aka Yarn Harlot) was promoting ‘Knitting Olympics’ Natalie challenged herself to create a floral pillow. This was followed by inspiration from Knitty… She finds the more she challenges herself, the more she becomes inspired. For instance, a little quiet time at the car dealership became The Chrysler Crown Shawl which is a lovely, subtly designed rectangle of lace, followed by the Eiffel Tower Shawl that pays tribute to the angles and curls of that Internationally known landmark.

Natalie finds inspiration in buildings as she travels, which could be from the floors, the moldings, the shapes architecturally, and from books she reads. For instance, the beloved ‘Anne of Green Gables’ series inspired Marilla’s Shawl, which was included in What Else Would Madame DeFarge Knit. So, traveling to see buildings in Canada that she’d read about, and going to see the buildings in person, even the little details . The Lyle Owl Pillow, was inspired by a bit of detail near a window of a (used to be bank) now pub that was designed by John MacIntosh Lyle, who often incorporated native Canadian animals and plants. The floors she’s has found are the inspiration in the double side intarsia cowl, Marble Floor. Both of these are part of the collection Natalie has self-published, Canadian Art Deco Knits which includes intensely graphic pieces that include intarsia or lace, in shawls, scarves, hats, mitts and the lovely Lyle pillow we mentioned.

You can follow Natalie Servant at her website, http://natalieservant.ca/blog, in Ravelry, and in Facebook.

If you missed getting to hear this live, it also archived where it aired LIVE http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/02/09/knit-designer-natalie-servant or with your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Donna’s Denver Football Hat

Easy & Free Knit Hat Pattern: Donna’s Denver Football Hat.

Queue it up and Like it on Ravelry Here

Many of you already know the story behind the Donna’s Denver Football Hat because you follow me on social media. But to catch the rest of you up, last week, when I was visiting the Red Heart home office I was surrounded by Panther fans; one of which is the amazing Donna of the popular Donna’s Dozens.

So, the Panthers fan and the Broncos fan (me) made a friendly bet about the outcome of the Big Game yesterday

The bet was this: If the Carolina Panthers won, I would wear a Panther’s hat in a video. If the Denver Broncos won, Donna would wear a Bronco’s hat around the office for a day.

Well, I’m not one to gloat but …..

GO BRONCOS!

So, without further adieu, Donna, here is your hat

Heart Throb Baby Blanket Part 3

Heart Throb Blanket by Marly Bird
The story behind the Heart Throb Baby Blanket Part 3

Don’t forget to Like this Pattern on Ravelry

The response on this free crochet blanket pattern has been incredible. It is one of the most popular patterns available on the Red Heart Website that was released this month. I am so happy that you like it!

Did you see Part 1 or Part 2 of the story?

(*this post contains affiliate links)

Part 3

I have the image, I’ve made the image into a graph, now I have to select the colors and send to my contractor. The amazingly talented Jenni Castaneda.

Contract Crocheter

I work very closely with my contractors and rely on them a LOT! They are vital to my business and are what makes my business work. I tell them, YOU are my eyes on a project! YOU are the one who will find out first if something just doesn’t look right or if maybe doing something a little different would be better. I trust their opinion and all too often, I think they are in some sort of a mind meld with me as they can totally read my mind

Heart Throb Baby Blanket Part 1

Heart Throb Blanket by Marly Bird
The story behind the Heart Throb Baby Blanket Part 1

Don’t forget to Like this Pattern on Ravelry

The response on this free crochet blanket pattern has been incredible. It is one of the most popular patterns available on the Red Heart Website that was released this month. I am so happy that you like it!

When I saw the finished project (crocheted by my #1 Minion contractor, Jenni Castaneda) I was in awe. It was even prettier than I imagined it would be.

Part 1

Given that I often will ask other designers about their designs in an interview on the podcast, I figured I would jump on here and give you a little back story about the Heart Throb Baby Blanket. The story only I can give you

To be honest, I have only designed one C2C (corner to corner) blanket and it was a LONG time ago. The Diagonal Stripes Throw was a piece I designed using simple double crochet stitches…not the more popular and well known cross-hatch stitch or box stitch.

The whole C2C buzz really didn’t interest me too much…until one of the most AWESOME C2C blanket projects come across my Facebook feed in Aug. 2015. Repeat Crafter Me (who I’ve admired for a LONG TIME) started to post about this beautiful crochet santa pixel square.

Santa Pixel Square by Repeat Crafter Me

In the same post she mentioned that she was making a total of 9 Christmas themed pixel squares for a blanket. I was so intrigued by the simplicity of the stitch coupled with the complexity of the chart that made these wonderful squares.

Final Crochet Christmas Character Afghan by Repeat Crafter Me

Over the next month as she made squares I watched, just like many of you. And at the end of September, when she posted her final blanket, I was like–

OMG, I have to make something like this!!!!

And that was when the planning began….

The story continues…just a click away

 

Heart Throb Baby Blanket Part 2

Heart Throb Blanket by Marly Bird
The story behind the Heart Throb Baby Blanket Part 2

Don’t forget to Like this Pattern on Ravelry

The response on this free crochet blanket pattern has been incredible. It is one of the most popular patterns available on the Red Heart Website that was released this month. I am so happy that you like it!

Did you see Part 1 of the story?

Part 2

So here I am, absolutely in LOVE with the idea of taking an image, pixelating it, and making it into a crocheted blanket. All because of this beautiful blanket made by Repeat Crafter Me

And that was when the planning began….

(*this post contains affiliate links)

Pinterest

Knowing that I often bite off more than I can chew, I consciously chose to do only one image and make it big enough to be a blanket rather than several squares with a variety of images. Once I knew that and that I wanted to make it around a holiday theme, I went to Pinterest to search for Valentine related images.

You can see in my pinterest board dedicated to this task that I pinned many different designs and some are even cross-stitch patterns. I was looking for images that didn’t have so much detail that I would need a HUGE number of pixels to make it legible. And I was looking for images that I could purchase…since I was going to use it for a design.

Once I had some good ideas from Pinterest, I went to one of my favorite sites to purchase images, Deposit Images.

Image Selection

[image error]Searching on Deposit Images can be an all day affair. Not because it is a hard site but because there are so many beautiful images available and you want to choose the right one for the job! Here are some of the ones I tried to choose from:

 

I found the one I thought was perfect and purchased the vector file. At first, I bought the one with the standard license to see if the image would even be a good fit for my needs. When I knew it was good, then I purchased the extended license to make sure that my image, although pixelated and a small part of the big image, was being used legally for commercial use.

A Standard License is the default type of license. It substantially covers all options of usage (i.e. advertising, web sites, printed materials, catalogues, booklets, packing, professional documents, presentations, movies, video staff, etc.) provided they are not intended for resale.

An Extended License allows commercial use of files in materials for sale or commercial distribution (post-cards, posters, t-shirts, website templates, printed materials, sale of goods created with use of the image, etc.).

Image to Graph/Pixels

Now that I had my image I wanted to use, I had to get it put into pixels. Mikey, of the Crochet Crowd, told me about a free site that could graph an image for me called Stitchboard.com. I used it but I had a hard time getting the stitches to look right. I needed to use a program that would allow me to tweak the image. Yes, there is a lot of tweaking that goes on to make sure the lines look right, the heart looks right, and making sure the actual image looks like it is supposed to look like!

Here is my first attempt at the graph with the free site:

I love that it includes the color key and the stitch and row numbers but, you can see where the lines don’t look right and the colors are a bit muddled. It just didn’t fit the bill for my needs. So, I used a program that I have been a fan of for years called Stitch Painter 3. 

I took the image purchased and had it put into a graph using Stitch Painter and I was then able to tweak the lines and colors just like I wanted. Here was my final image (without the watermark)…the one that my contract crocheter and #1 Minion, Jenni Castaneda, used to make the actual blanket.

There is more to the story…just a click away!

 

The Return of Susan B Anderson

The Return of Susan B Anderson to the Yarn Thing Podcast with Marly Bird …. er, TODAY was with Tammy as last minute substitute while Marly travels. Susan can roll with LIVE podcast so professionally, she makes for a SEAMLESS episode, don’t you think? (Intentional Pun!)

Susan began knitting in college, from a book. Her family was crafty so a little curiosity carried her a VERY Long Way. She looked for those patterns at the back of magazines to knit while she pursued a career was as a teacher. Susan is a mother of four so after a time she put teaching aside. Her knitting continued to fill her free time she created pieces to be auctioned, designing hats for the little heads around her and working in her friends yarn shop. When the shop closed, she opened a favorite book ‘Knitting in America‘ by Melanie Falick, and wrote the publisher and wishing to write a book which became ‘Itty Bitty Hats‘ in 2006. She’s just written her SIXTH book, more to come on that in a moment…

From 2014 event with Loopy Ewe, (L to R) Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Ann Budd, Susan and Marly.

Having been a teacher it seems natural that she would continue sharing her love of knitting by teaching. She has had many wonderful opportunities such as recently at VKLive in NYC, upcoming events include Yarnover (celebrating their 30th anniversary this April) and DFW Fiber Fest. The internet brings her closer to us no matter where we are also, she has Craftsy Classes, Wee Ones: Seamless Knit Toys and The (Not So) Itty Bitty Giraffe. (She let a little secret out that she will be filming a new Craftsy Class soon so we’ve asked her to come back and share it with us when she’s ready!) PLUS she has a YouTube Channel and a wonderful Podcast, here’s the link to the most recent episode of the Susan B Anderson Podcast.

Her wonderful new book was just released the middle of January, Kid’s Knitting Workshop (Link to view patterns in Ravelry). The patterns range from bracelets to hats, scarves and pillows all design for FUN. This is a wonderful book that kids may want to pick up and knit from for themselves or a new knitter may wish to pick up to knit for a young recipient.

Susan B Anderson is easy to find and follow online, her website is SusanBAnderson.blogspot.com she also has an active Ravelry Group , Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram pages, too!

You can hear previous visits of Susan to the Yarn Thing podcast WITH MARLY in March 2010 and April 2011. (Before the show when we were getting set up, Susan remembered me from Fiber Hooligans, here’s the link to listen to hear that 2013 visit with Benjamin Levisay.)

If you missed hearing this live, it archived where it aired originally http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/02/02/the-return-of-susan-b-anderson or in your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Denver Football Free Crochet Scarf Pattern

The Denver Broncos are going to Super Bowl 50 and I want to celebrate. To do that, I am going to make one of my most popular patterns available for FREE! That’s right, the Denver Football Free Crochet Scarf Pattern is now free right here on the Marly Bird website.

If you want an ad free pattern, that is available for purchase on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/libra...

And to make things even easier, I’ve made a video showing you how to make the scarf! It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Now, a little note about the video,you will notice that this video was filmed a while ago (based on the studio set) and at the time, I had planned on only selling the pattern. Which means, there are times in the video I mention purchasing the pattern or I don’t give exact chain amounts, etc. But don’t worry! This pattern right here, this FREE CROCHET PATTERN available right here, is the same pattern I was using in the video!

So, what are you waiting for…grab your hook and let’s show our Broncos Spirit!

Denver Football Free Crochet Scarf Pattern
Details

Skill level: Easy

Sizes: Average (TALL) sample shown in TALL

Finished Size: approx. 5’ 55” (6’ 55”) Long and 3.8” wide

Yarn: Red Heart, “With Love” (100% acrylic; 370 yds 338 m/198 g): MC Peacock, 1ball; CA White, 1 ball; CB Mango, 1 ball.

Hook: Size H/8 (5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge: 18 sts and 20 rows= 4” in Seed Stitch patt

Notions: removable stitch markers, tapestry needle.

Special Stitches

ch: (chain) Wrap the yarn around the crochet hook (yo) and draw it through the loop on the hook to form the first chain. Rep this step as many times as instructed. (The loop on the hook is never included when counting the number of chains).

dc: (double crochet) Yo, insert hook into

indicated st, yo and pull up a loop; [yo and

draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times.

sc: (single crochet) Insert crochet hook in

indicated st, yo and pull up a loop; yo

and draw through both loops on hook.

sl st: (slip stitch) Insert crochet hook in the

indicated stitch, yo and draw through both

the st and the loop on the hook.

 

ABBREVIATIONS



Approx.—approximately
Ch—see Special Terms
Cont—continue


dc—see Special Terms
ea—each
est—established


foll—following
MC—main Color
Meas—measures


Patt—pattern
PM—place marker
Prev—previous


Rep—repeat
RS—Right Side
Sc—see Special Terms


sl st—see Special Terms
st(s)—stitch(es)
tch—turning chain


WS—Wrong Side
Yo—yarn over hook

 

TECHNIQUE VIDEOS

Slip Knot and Chain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSNC5tDW6rI

Single Crochet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6dsC-IwIGg

Double Crochet:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYz3_LNJ4V8

Single Double Combination (Seed Stitch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aeGlbpmYx8

Changing Colors and Stripes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klBMm9gCqig

Notes

Numbers are given for all sizes with larger sizes in parenthesis. Follow the number that corresponds to the size you’re making.
Change colors in last st of previous row to prevent color bleeding from one row to the next.
Do not carry yarn color from one section to the next. Cut previous color after color change leaving a 6” tail.

PATTERN

Seed Stitch (Seed St) [multiple of 2 + 1]

With MC, ch 301 (355)

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch, *sc in next ch, dc in next ch. Repeat from * to last ch, turn—150 sc, 150 dc; (177 sc, 177 dc).

Row 2: Ch 1, (tch does not count as st here and throughout) *sc in first dc, dc in next sc. Repeat from * to last st, turn—150 sc, 150 dc; (177 sc, 177 dc).

Rep row 2 following the color changes listed below. After last row, finish off.

 

4 rows MC

2 rows CA

1 row CB

1 row MC

1 row CB

2 rows CA

6 rows MC

 

Finishing

Weave in all ends. Wash and Block. Wear with PRIDE!

 

Written pattern copyright Marly Bird 2015, all rights reserved. Please do not reprint or repost this pattern, but please do link to this page to share this pattern with others. To print this pattern for personal use, please use Print Friendly button at the bottom of the pattern. Thank you to Red Heart Yarns for providing the yarn for this pattern!