Knit Crush Fiber Arts

Discover Local Yarn Suppliers on LocalHarvest.org, learn more at Sakeenah.com 5

Yarn

Find Local Yarn Suppliers on LocalHarvest

If you’re looking to expand your horizons beyond the big box craft stores, I’d like to introduce you to LocalHarvest, a website where you can find and support local farmers. You can search for CSAs, farms, farmers’ markets, local events, and also shop online from farms all over the US. I first discovered LocalHarvest when I wanted to find some luffa seeds, which I easily found in the shop section. Here are my luffas happily growing this past summer. LocalHarvest says on their about page: Our directory lists over 30,000 family farms and farmers markets, along with restaurants and grocery...

Crochet Cable Hat - link to free crochet pattern in post from Sakeenah.com 9

Crochet / Crochet Patterns / WIP and FOs

Featured Free Crochet Pattern: Cable Hat by Sarah Arnold

If you are looking for a nice free crochet pattern for a cable hat, check out Sarah Arnold’s Cable Hat pattern (now a free Ravelry download). The pattern calls for front post double and treble crochet (fpdc and fptr) as well as back post double crochet (bpdc). Here is the first cable hat I made for hubby with this pattern. I used Patons Superwash DK in grey. He says it came out super warm and still hasn’t started wearing it yet. He said he’s reserving it for true winter weather. Sarah states in the instructions that it is not a beginner’s...

The Handknitter's Yarn Guide - Book Review of this Essential Resource for Knitters and Crocheters 5

Book Reviews / Reviews

Book Review: The Handknitter’s Yarn Guide

I have been wanting to learn about different types of fiber for a while, but kept finding myself gravitating back to acrylic, acrylic blends or cotton blends. These are the types of fiber I am most comfortable with using just out of habit. I have a good idea now how these fibers behave and that is really helpful when planning a project. But when I wanted to start exploring other yarn, it was a little confusing.  How do you find the yarn that has it all,  if such a wonderful thing exists? Maybe you want an economical yarn that’s washable...

Want to use up scrap yarn? Make a scrapghan for your kids' dolls. Make a mtaching blanket when you crochet a blanket for a child. Read more on Sakeenah.com 14

WIP and FOs

Stashbusting Idea: Crochet a Scrapghan for Dolls

In a stashbusting mood and need some ideas to use up all that scrap yarn? There are tons of ways to use up that extra yarn, but I’d like to share with you a quick and fun project that my youngest son really appreciated: Make a scrap blanket for your kid’s stuffed toys. This works up fast and is nice therapeutic mindless crochet. You can even use a doll scrapghan as an excuse to try out a new stitch or technique. After hoarding collecting all my yarn scraps over time, I came across this great idea on Fresh Stitches to...

Green your laundry: Make your own wool dryer balls with this tutorial. Dryer balls reduce drying time, saving evergy and money. They are also a great natural fabric softener, perfect for sensitive skin! 14

Craft Projects / Yarn

Green Laundry Tip: Make Your Own Wool Dryer Balls

Have you heard of wool dryer balls yet? They are a safe and healthier alternative to fabric softener with an added benefit: they absorb moisture, reducing the drying time of your clothes, saving time and money! What’s best is they are easy to make yourself on the cheap. Do wool dryer balls really work? Yup, they sure do! For years I avoided store-bought fabric softener because my sensitive nose and skin couldn’t handle it. I was also worried about the toxic chemicals in fabric softener coating our clothing and getting into the water system. I used white vinegar in the...

Get to know knitwear desginer Rahymah UmmNoura in this interview. Read on Sakeenah.com #knit #knitting 14

Interviews / Knitting Designers / Knitting Patterns

Interview with Knitwear Designer Rahymah UmmNoura

  It’s a pleasure to present an interview with knitwear designer Rahymah UmmNoura of Rahymah Handworks. Rahymah’s designs are stunning and I really admire them, mashaallah. Rahymah’s most recent design, La Pasionaria, is an elegant beaded cardigan that is a beauty to behold. I’ll let the picture speak for itself. Grab a cup of tea and let’s get to know Rahymah. How did you first learn to knit? When I was a small child, my grandmother taught me the basics (after I got on her nerves begging her to do so). I felt like I was struggling a lot with...

Over 50 Websites to Get Free & Original Knitting Patterns! 13

Knitting / Knitting Patterns

Over 50 Websites to Get Free Knitting Patterns

Listed in alphabetical order, here is a list of over 50 sites that offer free knitting patterns. All links are to sites that offer original knitting patterns, not copied collections from other places. Whether you are looking for free knitting patterns for beginners, instructions on how to knit or free patterns for knitting stitches, you can find it here! Please share my link if you would like to share the post. Are you a visual learner? Check out the Complete Beginner’s Guide to Knitting DVD. A Amazon – No Kindle needed! You can get Free Knitting Patterns instantly on Amazon....

How to Make a Felted Wool Rug. Explore felting crochet with this beginner's project 14

Crochet Techniques / WIP and FOs

How to Make a Crochet Felted Wool Rug

You gotta love when the addiction factor of crocheting goes up a notch. This is what’s happening to me with experimenting with felting. First you get to get in the meditative zone of making something and then you get to change it all up, shrink it, stretch it, and it’s something different. Love! After tackling a practice felted crochet swatch, it was time to try something bigger but still easy enough for a beginner’s felting project. My original goal was to make a bath mat, but I soon learned that a felted crochet of knit piece will keep felting if...

Crafting Digital Magazines only $1.99 through end of September! - Crochet, Knitting, Beading, Quilting, etc 3

Crochet Techniques

$1.99 Digital Magazines at Interweave!

Shop the $1.99 Digital Magazine Sale at Interweave $1.99 Digital Magazine Sale ends on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Some exclusions apply. Prices are as marked. Attention Crafters! Whether you are looking for a project to complete during the commercial breaks or for the whole game, we’ve got you covered. Our digital magazines are full of projects and now’s the perfect time to explore. Discover hundreds of digital issues available for $1.99 now through the end of September! This post contains affiliate links.     Thanks for stopping by! Let’s connect: Subscribe to be notified of new posts,...

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WIP and FOs

Mudroom Storage Hanging Baskets

With colder weather on its way, it means it’s time to start making scarfs, hats and gloves, yippee! I don’t really look froward to the snow, but I love to crochet all the things that go with it.  With 3 boys in the house I soon realized I was going to need somewhere to keep all their winter gear tidy. The boys will run in to change into dry mittens real quick and fling everything around looking for the ones they wanted. Our mudroom was quickly getting taken over, so enter these hanging storage baskets. It was a fun and...