Marly Bird's Blog, page 198

Vicki Twigg, Author of the Twigg Stitch

Vicki Twigg, author of the Twigg Stitch book, was our guest on the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird, and kindly brought her English accent with her.

If you couldn’t tell from listening to her, Vicki Twigg is English, growing up North of London. She remembers learning to knit, crochet and sew from the tender age of 5 years old. Her first project was red and garter stitch and finding thing about it, like holes that didn’t unravel. She also says that her father was an engineer, so she tends toward the mechanics of knitting, seeing the patterns and mathematics.

Some of those early projects included intarsia and adding pictures in her knitting sounds like a comfortable medium of artwork for her, because she says she doesn’t really need to keep track of her stitch count but rather the color placement. Both she and Marly agree to the ease of charts in their work, reading along with them as you read along with your work.

Much of discovering the technique, Vicki says, came from looking at rib stitches, especially two-color ribs, and then lots of trial and experimentation with it. Increase, decreasing, decorative cast-ons and bind-offs… She said it took about three months for her to get smooth fabric, but clearly she was being inspired because the possibilities would wake her at night. The book has 9 patterns in it, so knowing that the book is 168 pages, you can safely bet that there is LOTS of technical advice for Twigg Stitch knitting!

The discussion included Lake Shore Wrap from the book which creates a beautiful woven looking fabric, and the beautiful Fan Shawl which clearly has a interesting shape to it! The first project Vicki recommended might be the Collegiate Scarf, which gives ample practice for the technique with some striping thrown in for visual fun! The book was edited by Ann Budd, who is known for her excellent editing of knitting publications

If you missed getting to hear this LIVE it is still available as an archive: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2015/04/07/vicki-twigg-author-of-the-twigg-stitch or in iTunes

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Drop Stitch Crochet Cowl

CLICK FOR FREE PATTERN: Drop Stitch Crochet Cowl

Drop Stitch Crochet Cowl by Randy Cavaliere is just one of the many wonderful free patterns over at RedHeart.com. This cowl is part of their ‘Learn a Stitch, Make a Cowl’ series and I just LOVE IT!

This is my first video in my new partnership with Red Heart and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed working on the step-outs for this video. Honestly, I’ve been wearing the sample for a couple weeks and I’ve gotten so many compliments on it!

Now, you too can make this fun and fast cowl. With the free crochet pattern and the free video tutorial taught by me, Marly Bird you will have nothing but success.

*Disclaimer: this post includes affiliate links**

DROP STITCH CROCHET COWL

Make this bulky weight cowl with crochet drop stitch rows that allow it to drape and make it comfy to wear! Drop stitches are done with the assistance of a large knitting needle. Choose from the great colors in this fashion yarn for the free pattern.

Pattern:

Here is the link for the FREE Drop Stitch Crochet Cowl pattern 

Supplies:

RED HEART® Medley™: 3 balls 940 Volcano

: 8mm [US L-11],

Susan Bates® Knitting Needle: 19mm [US 35]

Susan Bates® Split Lock Stitch Markers

Susan Bates® Steel Yarn Needle

Note: only 1 knitting needle is needed for this project. Large plastic needle or small crochet hook (to weave in ends)all the supplies you can purchase direct from RedHeart.com.

Stitches Used:

Chain Stitch

Half Double Crochet (hdc)

YouTube Video by Marly Bird:

YouTube Video Notes:

I show you how to do a drop stitch in crochet which resembles the same motion as Broomstick Lace but is slightly different.

I used a size 25mm [US 50] to better show the stitches on video. But the pattern calls for a size 19mm [US 35] needle.

 

Looking for more? I love making quick projects and even wrote a leaflet with Leisure Arts on how to do some fun things! If you too are looking for fun and quick projects go and check out the One Skein or Less book by Marly Bird.

Look at more patterns by Randy Cavaliere

Check out Marly Bird Designs

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Marly Bird + Red Heart

Marly Bird and Red Heart yarns partner up to bring you high quality YouTube videos for crochet and knitting! That’s right, America’s most recommended yarn brand is working with your favorite designer, podcaster and teacher, and THAT became the theme of today’s Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird!

So, I’ve been sitting on a super big secret for months and I can finally announce it. Better yet, I did a new video to help me

Spoiler Alert: Red Heart Yarns​ + Marly Bird​ = AMAZING Videos for crochet AND knitting!

I am really looking forward to being able to teach both crochet and knitting on my YouTube channel. This is a BIG day and I hope you all will share in my joy.

xoxoxo

Marly Bird

If you missed getting to hear today’s show, it is still stored at the originally aired location: http://tobtr.com/7421077

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Crochetville! or A Post about A Post

So, Crochetville posted an article about Marly Bird as part of their NatCroMo 2015 series (National Crochet Month).

 

Just to make sure you don’t miss out on any links they shared, we’re just going to share the link to the post:

http://crochetville.com/natcromo-2015-march-28-marly-bird/

Thank you, Amy Shelton and Crochetville!

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Dress-to-Impress Author Pam Powers

Dress-to-Impress Author, Pam Powers called into the YarnThing podcast with Marly Bird from California and we appreciate the earlier day for her. With a name like Powers, perhaps she has extra energy earlier in the day? No, that’s too punny.

Pam said she began knitting when taught as a child by her grandmother, but didn’t really delve into it until much later when looking for something to do. At that point she felt she had to learn to knit again, but she took to it quickly. It wasn’t long before she was adapting patterns, which she felt was easy for her.

Someone asked her about a shawl she was wearing, if the pattern was for sale, and all about Ravelry. Pam went and immediately wrote the shawl’s pattern and posted it for sale. It being her first pattern, she feels now that it was pretty poorly written. She took classes at Stitches West, with teachers like Edie Eckman, Barry Klien and Lily Chin who taught classes on pattern writing and designing. She also found a tech editor that she still uses and feels that in her business that made the biggest assist.

Marly asked the impossible question that we all wonder about where Pam finds her creativity. Pam’s response was that it comes to her in a natural way, (as the way Elizabeth Gilbert, author of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ explains it) inspired from things she sees around her. When she was approached at TNNA about writing a book, she hadn’t thought to put together a book proposal yet, her editor proposed a collection of scarves. Dress-to-Impress: Knitted Scarves (This is the Ravelry link so you can peek at the designs!) includes many different kinds of knitting projects from lace and cable-work, slipped stitches and colorwork, all beautifully photographed. When she began to put the collection together, she started with shapes, so this is not a collection of rectangles, but includes kerchiefs, cowls, ascots… so the pieces in your wardrobe are more like jewelry-type accents and less like utility.

The book is available through Amazon, here is the link!

If you missed getting to hear this live, it is still archived at this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2015/03/26/dress-to-impress-author-pam-powers or in iTunes.

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Jen Lucas, Author and Designer

Jen Lucas, Author and Designer, took time from her busy schedule to visit the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird.

Jen called from her home office to share with us what is new and happening with her! She shared her beginnings: she and a friend decided they wanted to learn to knit, about ten or eleven years ago. Her friend gave her a learn-to-knit booklet. She felt she was learning to do her own thing, but also took a class with Stefanie Japel, about designing. Jen began publishing patterns on Ravelry, and submitted a book to Martingale which became Sock Yarn Shawls.

One of the things she found helpful was to work with yarn companies, creating designs for their yarns, then when she started submitting to the publishers, she had some self published and then some that were published elsewhere to show them. Understandably, you have to search out these opportunities, because, as she cautions ‘if you’re waiting for them to approach you to publish your patterns, you’ll be waiting a very long time.’

Her recent publication Sock Yarn Shawls II included shawls of different shapes and sizes. Sierra was inspired by a pattern she found in a Japanese stitch dictionary, she loved the peaks and valleys. Earth and Sky was created with yarn she had on hand from Fiesta Yarns that she had kept separate. Inspiration came when she put them together. Demeter was her first pi shawl design after Jen took a class with Myra Woods. This half-pi’s lace patterns went together well for her. Daylily is a full pi shawl, incorporating a wavy lace of feather-and-fan style patterns.

It was just recently that Jen was able to go full time with her design work, after this second Sock Yarn Shawls book. She has books in the works (she says Sock Yarn Shawls needs to be a trilogy, like ‘Hunger Games’!) so watching her website, Facebook page, and of course Ravelry has wonderful list of her designs.  One thing you’ll see is that she has been self-publishing a series (four have come out and two more to come in April) of Gradient Shawls. Jen did a really inventive thing by offering the e-book at a lower price and with each pattern as they were added, the price for the e-book went up, making it a deal to get in on that offer at the beginning.

Here is the link to Jen’s previous visit to the Yarn Thing Podcast: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2013/12/03/jen-lucas

If you missed hearing this LIVE, you can still listen to the archived episode: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2015/03/24/jen-lucas-author-and-designer or in iTunes

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Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable Skeins Giveaway

Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable Skeins Giveaway

Enter to win Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable Skeins! Prize includes 3 skeins each of Dragonfly, Winery, and Springtime yarn. The deadline to enter is March 24, 2015 at 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern time.

We’ll send an email to the winner, so please check to make sure your email address is entered correctly. You’ll get an extra entry for promoting the contest via social media. See the two options below (Twitter, Google+) to receive extra entries.

You can enter once daily, so return often to improve your chances of winning.

Special thanks to Marly Bird from MarlyBird.com for sponsoring today’s National Craft Month promotion!

NOTE:  YOU MUST ENTER TO WIN AT THE RED HEART WEBSITE… This one and This one, both are entry locations.

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Underground Crafter Marie Segares

Underground Crafter, Marie Segares joined Yarn Thing with Marly Bird on today’s program. It was two great/designers having a meeting of the minds!

Marie learned from her grandmother to crochet and knit when Marie was 9 years old. Grandmother went to a needle arts trade school! Marie was really interested in crochet… In 2002, she received a book and learned to read patterns and became fired up, making things for family, meeting crafting people locally. She took the Craft Yarn Council’s Craft Instructors program in 2007 without really any intention of teaching. Because her grandmother died right after she took that course, she again felt inspired to move on along that path. Marie did give a try at participating at craft fairs, but found that using the patterns that she had created to teach others to crochet, and with the help of a mentor through the CGOA, Mary Nolfi, began submitting designs to magazines, self-publishing. All of the lead to her blog, which she started in 2011. She also got involved in different online communities and eventually the work she did outside of crafting and crochet became overwhelming. She left that in 2013. She feels she divides her time between yarn and teaching.

Underground Crafter was a way for Marie to share with others what she found, allowed her to keep herself involved with a variety of things going on all over the world. She loves the feed back she gets, which doesn’t come from magazine submissions.

The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show podcast is a brand-new way for Marie to share this info in audio format, and can also be found in iTunes. Marie and Marly know people in the yarn industry who do a VARIETY of things to make a living. This really different from person to person, so no two ways are going to match up. Marie’s podcast focuses on the different things that must be considered by someone pursuing a career in the craft industry.

This episode of the Yarn Thing podcast gave callers an opportunity to ask questions of BOTH ladies. One topic was: should a designer offer FREE patterns verses PAID-for patterns? Both ladies offered their experiences and the choices they have made, and what they found. (THIS was really informative, but you’ll have to hear it for yourself.)

Another question was about family and friends asking for patterns you have for sale or finished products for FREE. Marie’s suggestion was to tag gifts with how many hours it took to create, or barter something in exchange.

The next inquiry was about blogging or podcasting and keeping motivated to continue on with fresh content. Marie said because she’s concerned about quality, if she’s not feeling up to it, she won’t post, such as earlier this month when she was sick. Marly says, 10:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays is where she is most enthused about learning about her guests and learning new things from them. She realizes her weaknesses and recruits help where she needs it. (You’ve heard her gush about her contract knitters and her social media assistant…)

A wonderful question was whether paid or free patterns how can we support our favorite designers? Stepping out of your comfort zone and SHARING what you love. either by pattern reviews on our own blogs, or verbally sharing the link to a pattern we’ve used and loved. A designer may be thought rude or even banned from selling their patterns outside of their own social pages, but if YOU are sharing what you love and why, who doesn’t love or admire that?

Marie Segares is also offering a 20% discount to all Marly’s listeners, of Marie’s Ravelry Shop: MARLY2015

If you missed hearing this episode live it is still available in the archive where it aired originally:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2015/03/19/underground-crafter-marie-segares or in iTunes.

 

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Red Heart Named Most Recommended Yarn Brand

I’ve learned over the last 20 years crocheting that many of us began working with a basic hook or needles and a skein of Red Heart Yarn. Their commitment to provide wonderful yarn and pattern support to both the crochet and knitting community makes it no surprise that they were given the Women’s Choice Award for America’s Most Recommended Yarn Brand.

 Red Heart Named Most Recommended Yarn Brand

 

Red Heart Yarn recognized with the Women’s Choice Award® as

America’s Most Recommended Yarn Brand

Charlotte, North Carolina – March 12, 2015 – As the leading advocate for female consumers, WomenCertified Inc. is delighted to honor the Red Heart Yarn brand with the 2015 Women’s Choice Award® seal.  This award designation is based on a national survey of thousands of women across America who were asked to select the brands they would most highly recommend to family and friends.

 “The Women’s Choice Award program works to raise awareness among consumers about which brands are most recommended by women and to honor those brands,” said Delia Passi, CEO and Founder. “By carrying the Women’s Choice Award seal, brands like Red Heart Yarn signify their commitment to empower women to make smart buying choices.”

According to a 2012 Fleishman Hillard Study, today’s U.S. female consumer values the opinion of others and over half of all women consider one of their roles to be that of  a broadcaster, responsible for helping others make smart choices. It is not surprising that major brands, like Red Heart Yarn, now focus on delivering a customer experience women will love. The Women’s Choice Award has set the standard for helping women make smarter choices by identifying the brands most recommended and trusted by women, along with those that deliver a recommendation-worthy customer experience.

Ms. Passi says it’s important to note that the award doesn’t just signify that Red Heart Yarn has women’s favor – it signifies that women are willing to recommend it to others. “When a woman is willing to recommend a brand or service to others, it means that business has earned her loyalty. Those are the businesses we wish to recognize for their efforts and commitment to the No. 1 consumer – women,” she says.

“Receiving the Women’s Choice Award is testimony to Red Heart’s commitment to delighting knitters and crocheters with great yarns and pattern inspirations, all crafted with love” said Alyson Bell, Vice President of Marketing.  “When consumers choose our products and recommend Red Heart over other brands, it is the highest accolade we could be given.”

“We are pleased to salute Red Heart Yarn for their focus on excellence, a commitment that is recognized by women consumers nationwide,” Passi says.

ABOUT RED HEART

Red Heart is proud to be America’s favorite yarn and one of the most trusted brands in yarn. For over 75 years, more people have chosen to make their heirlooms using Red Heart than any other yarn. Red Heart yarns stand for quality, largest color selection, fashion and above all else, crafted with love. Whatever your creativity calls for, you’ll find it in the Red Heart family. Explore our free patterns and vast yarn selection for every level of knitter or crocheter – they have a little bit of love woven into every strand.

www.redheart.com

ABOUT WOMEN’S CHOICE AWARD®

The Women’s Choice Award sets the standard for helping women make smarter purchasing choices. The company and its awards identify the brands, products and services that are most recommended and trusted by women. Additionally, they recognize those that deliver a recommendation-worthy customer experience.

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Catherine Petitti of Red Barn Yarn

Catherine Petitti of Red Barn Yarn was the guest on the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird, and we were completely enticed by her descriptions of her products!

Catherine to knit continental from a girlfriend in a high school. She began with intarsia and then a fisherman knit sweater. She had been sewing since age twelve. She had a retail store as an adult, which became difficult when she had three children at home under age 5. She later recognized the beauty of hand-painted yarns a few years ago. She began Red Barn Yarn with about 25 colors which has grown to 25 bases and 100 colors. 

The Ombre yarns, for instance, this can be a single skein purchase but tw0 to three beautiful color, making a realistic purchase and sale for a Local Yarn Store of premium yarn.

Catherine has developed a relationship with Love of Knitting magazine, this month they are featuring her Creekside yarn, which was part of a contest. She has had several designs featured in their publication, beginning in 2010, the Autumn Inspirations. She also advertises in that magazine, as she wants to work them as they want to work with her, so you’ll want to watch for that while thumbing through every issue.

Tanis Grey is someone that Catherine has been working with on a series of one-skein scarves. There have been patterns created by Tanis Red Barn yarn, which can be seen at both websites. There was mention of MINK yarn in here, so you’ll want to stay tuned! Red Barn Yarns can be found at the website, also on Facebook, Twitter and of course, Ravelry (also a group).

If you missed getting to hear this live, it is still available in the archive where it aired: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2015/03/17/catherine-petitti-of-red-barn-yarn or in iTunes. Catherine was on just over a year ago, here is the link in iTunes for that too!

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