Wednesday, May 23, 2012

What to Knit (or Crochet) for Dad

Hey everyone! Last post was all about Mother's Day, today's will be for the dads! Father's Day is June 17th, which gives you plenty of time to whip up a quick gift for your dad, husband, grandpa, father-in-law, whoever! I've collected a couple of ideas for things you could make, and all are free patterns I found on Ravelry. Let's get started!

First up we have socks! These lovely socks are a free pattern from Knitty.com called the "Java Socks". These are knit with Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock, which we have in the store, but you could use any sock yarn you like!

A Kindle Cozy, for the dad who likes to read! This looks like a fun pattern to knit, and you could make it in your dad's two favorite colors, or maybe school colors??

Here's a quick one if you are running out of time to crochet: an iPhone cover! I like this pattern, it looks nice and manly!

Check out this cool Shifter Knob cover! I know my brother would love one of these for his truck, and you could change up the design to add anything you like, but personally, I like the skulls!

A beer bottle cozy! This is smart, because you don't need a coaster!

And of course, there's always the old go-to for Father's Day gifts, a tie! I like this pattern, choose a self striping sock yarn and let it do the work for you!

Well, I hope I gave you some ideas on what to make for your dad this year! My dad usually gets a hat, but maybe I'll change it up this year and go with one of these ideas!
-Kaity

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Celebrate Mom!

Hi Knitters! As I'm sure all of you know, Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 13th! If you mom is a knitter, or even an aspiring knitter, we can help you pick the perfect gift for her! Here area couple of ideas for a nice knitterly gift at a couple of different price ranges. Hopefully this helps you in your quest for the perfect gift!

1. Books!



Moms love books! Pick a super pretty book like "Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting" ($24.95) to grace her coffee table, "Mother-Daughter Knits" ($29.95) or "My Grandmother's Knitting" ($22.50) for that family vibe, or "The Principles of Knitting" ($45) for hard-core knitting mamas!

2. Needle Sets!

If you mom is just venturing into the land of knitting, or if she has been knitting since you where tiny, needle sets make great gifts, and you know she'll get lots of use out of them. My favorites are from Knitter's Pride. I like this set of straight needles ($73), and also their pretty Deluxe Interchangable Set ($82.50)!

3. Knit-Out Box ($31)

These pretty and nifty little gifts hold your ball of yarn to keep it from rolling all over the place, and keeps it safe and sound in a pretty little fabric box.

4. Yarn, of course!


Every knitter wants more yarn (whether they "need" it or not is another story...) My favorite new ones around here are Findley from Juniper Moon Farm ($25), which is a 50/50 merino wool and silk blend, 798 yards per skein! Another nice new yarn is Malabrigo Finito ($15.25), which is 100% Superfine Merino wool, 200 yards per skein, and it's super soft!!

5. Chic-a Bags

I love Chic-a bags, they are made out of oil cloth so they are nice ans sturdy, and so cute! They make a couple different bag styles, but they repeat the fabrics so you could get a whole set in matching prints. I like their Blossom Bags ($28), Quick-Draw Bags ($18.50), and their Clear-Front zippered pouches ($13).

6. Shawl Pins

We have a nice selection of shawl pins that would pair well with a hand-knit shawl (hint hint...)

7. Gift Card!

The old go-to! If you mom is itching to get started knitting, she could use her gift card to buy herself a Beginning Knitting Class or anything else her heart desires!

I hope this helped, and I'll see you soon! Happy Mother's Day!
<3: Kaity