For the past few days, I've been doing demos and soaking up crafty awesomeness at the Craft & Hobby Association Winter 2012 Conference and Trade Show in Anaheim. Per usual, there have been tons of amazing events on the show floor. But, on Monday, Lion Brand Yarn rocked my fiber-loving socks off with their Lion Brand Winter 2012 CHA Fashion Show. There, the models walked an honest-to-god catwalk and sported a combination of Lion Brand Yarn patterns and creations from emerging designers, like this gorgeous dress from Elissa Eriksson.

Here are are a few more of my favorite designs from the show:

Sweater by emerging designer Gareth Brown.

Dress by emerging designer Lucy Faulke.

Gown by emerging designer Paula Cheng.

Dress by emerging designer Heather Orr.

There you have it, folks. I'm submitting this as definitive proof that yarn can be high fashion!

My dear friend, Fonda Yoshimoto, crocheted this adorable cat. It is her very first crocheted animal! I'm calling him Bandit Cat, because as you can see, he has a little mask around his button eyes. She got the pattern from The Green Dragonfly. (The ceramic vase he's sitting on is one of Fonda's creations, as well.)

Fonda is an artist who does quite a bit of sculpture, and she sometimes incorporates fiber art into her work. Here is a porcelain and fabric doll called Tonbo, which is Japanese for "dragonfly."

And this is Link, a large-scale knitted piece for an open studio she had last summer.

By Lauren O'Farrell
All images copyright Lauren O'Farrell

Mushy love stuff ahoy! It's nearly Valentine's Day - the time of the year when you bellow, "I HEART YOU!" with something handmade. Fancy stitching something squishy to profess your undying amour? Then it's about time you met the Smitten Softspot, a handmade heart that only has eyes for its owner. Awwwwww.

This kooky little knit was originally created for Knit the City's "Hubbub of Hearts" yarnstorm in February 2011. Knit the City is London's most infamous sneaky stitching collective, and there are persistent rumors that I may be Deadly Knitshade, founder of the graffiti group and author of the Knit the City book.

While I couldn't possibly confirm or deny this, I can share this pattern from one of KTC's most daring feats: a string of handmade hearts that were hung from the bow of the statue in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, one of London's busiest tourist areas. The bow was roughly 26 feet above the ground and the yarnstorm (that's what us UK knitters call a graffiti knitting installation) took place in broad daylight with a couple of hundred passers-by milling about.

Of course, you don't need to hang your Smitten Softspot from great heights. You can give him away, leave him somewhere for a random stranger to feel the love, or just keep him to yourself. I won't tell.

Warning: Cannot be used as an alternative to human heart in transplant or sacrifice situations. It's just not gory enough.

Materials

15g DK acrylic yarn in red
15g DK acrylic yarn in white
US size 6 (4.5mm) knitting needles
Tapestry needle
2 black safety eyes or black yarn to embroider eyes
Stuffing
Fig leaf, wings, and cupid bow and arrow to wear when you deliver heart to slightly scared recipient (optional)

Download the Smitten Softspot Knitted Heart Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Directions on downloading PDFs.

Size/Gauge
Hold-in-your-hand size or approximately 7" wide

Abbreviations
K = knit
P = purl
M1 = make one (make a new stitch between two stitches)
K2tog = knit two stitches together
Sts = stitches

Pattern

The Smitten Softspot is made with two sides, which you sew together and stuff. You begin each side by making the two heart lobes at the top, then joining both parts to make the main part of the heart.

Step 1: Knit the heart lobes.

Cast on 4 sts with red yarn.
Row 1 and every odd-numbered row to Row 23: Knit across.
Row 2: P, m1, p2, m1, p (6 sts).
Row 4: P, m1, knit to last 2 sts, m1, p (8 sts).
Row 6 and every even-numbered row to Row 16: Repeat row 4 until you have 20 sts. Cut the yarn with a 5" tail and leave the stitches on your needle.

Make the second lobe by repeating Rows 1-16 until you have two lobes on the same needle.

Step 2: Knit the main part of heart.

Row 17: Knit across both lobes to join them (40 sts).
Change to white yarn (just start your next row with the new color).
Row 18: Purl across.
Row 19: Knit across.
Row 20: Purl across.
Row 21: Knit across.
Row 22: Purl across.
Row 23: K2tog twice, knit to last 4 sts, k2tog twice (36 sts).
Row 24 and every even-numbered row: Purl across.
Row 25 and every odd-numbered row to Row 35: Repeat row 23 until you have 14 sts. Change yarn to red.
Row 36 and every even-numbered row: Purl across.
Row 37: K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (12 sts).
Row 39: K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (10 sts).
Row 41: K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (8 sts).

Thread your yarn through the remaining stitches with a tapestry needle. Pull the yarn tight and knot it.

Repeat all of the above to make the back of the heart.

Step 3: Finish up.

Place the two sides of the heart together with the knit sides facing each other. Sew approximately 3/4 of the heart edges together, leaving a quarter of the heart open. Then turn the heart right-side out.

Place the safety eyes (if you're using them) on the heart and snap on the backs. If you're just sewing on eyes, you can wait until the end. Stuff the heart and then sew up the last edges to close it.

Your Smitten Softspot lives! Swoon! He's awfully dreamy...

Caring for your Softspot: Don't take your Softspot to a party and then spend all night talking to other knitted creatures. He's the jealous type. Make sure to give him a reassuring squidge daily. Feed your Softspot cheesy love songs of the 80s. They'll help keep that "just smitten" glow. If you're feeling cruel, add some catnip to your Softspot stuffing, find a fiesty cat, and watch the madness. Meanie.

About the Author:

Lauren O'Farrell is the author of Stitch London, published by F+W Media. She runs the UK's largest stitching community - also called Stitch London, is the editor of Crafty Crafty, and is rumored to be sneaky yarnstorming graffiti knitter Deadly Knitshade and author of Knit the City: a Whodunnknit Set in London, published by Summersdale. She is the founder of London's Knit the City collective. You can follow her and her kooky little knits at Whodunnknit or on Twitter @deadlyknitshade.

Related Link:

Project Excerpt: Stitch London by Lauren O'Farrell

I’ve gone to TNNA’s winter show most years since 1998 and I’ve watched knitting and needlepoint rise and fall. At the height of the knitting fad, it seemed as if needlepoint was almost an afterthought. Right now, I would say they are about even in number of vendors.

This is especially true when you consider the yarn manufacturers who also make needlepoint yarns (these are growing — more tomorrow on this) and other companies selling into both markets who were on the knitting side of the show.

Looking at knitting vs. needlepoint I saw some interesting contrasts that are good for us as stitchers. Needlepoint shops came to buy as well as to look. Although there is always lots of interest in the newest canvases and threads, often you’d see shopowners going through a both and ordering many canvases from the existing line. For us, this means that we aren’t constantly looking for what’s new, but for what’s right. That continues to support our designers to try new things and to keep designing. If anything older than a year is “vintage” and therefore not wanted, there is just too much pressure on the designers and some will stop designing because their stuff is too “old-fashioned.”

When you bring out a new product there is always a risk: Will people like it? Both the designer and the shopowner take this risk because as stitchers we might not like it and won’t buy it. But if both these people have reliable designs people like and continue to buy, the shopowners buy them and the designers have sales without risk and can continue to work.

This is a sign of a healthy industry.

In terms of the designs I saw there are three trends that you’ll see in your shops. All are great because they show that the market for needlepoint is widening. We’ll all get to the point where we can’t have any more pillows (or ornaments or stockings or whatever), but by innovating the use and subject matter for needlepoint, designers increase the things we’ll buy and try.

Professional and collegiate sports was the big new trend. There were belts, key fobs, ornaments, mini socks, brick covers and lots more in a bewildering array of designs from actual logos to clever pieces featuring folks playing the game. Not every team for every sport is there, but you can probably find something for just about any sports fan. This signals a nice change in the market towards pieces that have more masculine appeal.

While Halloween and Christmas remain huge for needlepoint, I saw lots more Thanksgiving and harvest-themed designs. Melissa Shirley has led the way on this. These designs are fun because with them less holiday-specific, they can be used throughout the fall.

The needlepoint handbag trend continues to be huge and at the show I saw, along with lots of extensions to purse lines that have been around for awhile, new shapes and new combinations of leather or straw purses with needlepoint.

Tomorrow I’ll look at new threads (there’s plenty), Friday and Saturday at new canvases and kits, and Sunday at changes in distributors. On MOnday I’ll talk about knitting items for needlepoint. I’ll finish up on Tuesday (I hope) with whatever’s left

No related posts.

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Trends in Needlepoint

Ok, Mitten crafters. It's almost time for the sixth annual Knit Michigan, a fundraiser to support Michigan cancer charities. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, fiber-arts lovers can participate in workshops, all-day knitting and crocheting, and shop at local stores on hand for the festivities. To learn more, visit Knit Michigan's web site.

This free pattern for fingerless gloves at Tracey Knits is part of a learn-to-knit video series, so it is simple enough even for the novice knitter. Tracey says she chose this pattern for a beginning project because the glove is quick to make, and because you have to make another, reinforcing everything that was just learned. But beginner or not, this is a great winter project for anyone who wants to warm up their hands and craft at the same time.

I love this morse code knit cowl from Karen of Yarn Over. Not only is it stylish, but it utilizes morse code to convey a funny message.

...I was learning the code and charting out a message -- using a single purl stitch for a dot and 3 in a row for a dash. ("Dots" and "dashes" really being short and long signals.) And every space is a knit stitch: 1 between the dots/dashes of a single letter; 3 between letters; 7 between words. Then I figured if I'm doing something as dorky as knitting Morse Code, I might as well go all the way and make it punny, right? So this cowl says I wool always love you.

Fantastic! You can get the chart for this cowl over on Karen's blog. What other punny messages could you come up with for a knit morse code scarf?

Related:
Morse Code Scarf
Morse Code Knit Hat

My son likes to mimic my husband in just about any way he can. I can't think of a more dapper way for them to match styles than with these sweet father-and-son knit ties from Laura on The Purl Bee. Get the full pattern over on the Purl Bee blog.

Hudson's Bay point blankets are beautiful and iconic examples of simple design. I adore the solid primary color stripes of the original blankets, so this Hudson's Bay-inspired crib blanket tutorial and knitting pattern from The Purl Bee really caught my eye. If, like me, you're more of a crocheter than a knitter, I think the simple lines would also look great in single crochet!

Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer create knitted tapestries with hidden images in them that only become visible from the correct angle, like this image of the Mona Lisa.

In 2009 we suddenly took an interest in illusion knitting. It was very different from the mathematical work that can be found on the main part of the Woolly Thoughts site. As we searched the Internet we became more and more confused by the different descriptions and decided there had to be a better way so we looked at the technique with a mathematical, logical approach. Since then we have gone on to develop our own method of charting and, by doing so, we can now create far more complex designs than anything we had seen before.

[via susannacarolina]

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• Math Afghans
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