Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Eweniversity Class Spotlight - Hearts! Hearts! Hearts!

Hi guys! We are days away from our Eweniversity so today is going to be my last post in this Eweniversity Class Spotlight Series, and today let's take a look at these adorable crocheted Hearts!


"1-2pm Hearts! Hearts! Hearts! with Elisa. Skill Level: Sheep
Flowers are out, hearts are in! We'll make a variety of crocheted hearts, ranging from a simple swirl to a multi-color masterpiece. Use them as decorations on hats, scarves, jackets; to patch the hole in those favorite jeans; as coasters, trivets or hotpads. Glue them to paperclips for fast, fun bookmarks. For the tiny amount of yarn and time they take, hearts make a big impact."

Our crochet instructor Elisa has already given us some great examples of things you can use these cute crocheted hearts for, and I bet they are SO FUN to make! You could make them all one color or multiple colors, use smaller yarn and hook and make little baby hearts, or big yarn and hook for giant hearts! I'm betting that the students in this class are going to have a blast!

If you are interested in registering for this or any of our Eweniversity Classes, give us a call! We hope to see you on Saturday!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Eweniversity Class Spotlight - Duplicate Stitch

Hi everyone! We are getting closer and closer to our Eweniversity and we are super excited around here! Today I'm going to talk about another great class on our schedule that's not full yet, and give you some examples on what you can use what you learn in that class for in your knitting life! Today we are going to talk about Duplicate Stitch.


5pm-6pm Room 2: Duplicate Stitch with Kaity. Skill Level: Sheep
"Duplicate stitch is a fun way to add a little something to a finished project. You can stitch any design onto knitted fabric, and in this class we'll practice with a little heart!"

Duplicate stitch is used to re-create the look of a knitted-in color design after-the-fact. You can knit a plain and simple hat, scarf, sweater, anything, then go back in after it's finished and add a little fun and color by stitching it on using Duplicate Stitch. It's a form of embroidery that you can use specifically on knitted items, and it's fun and easy to do! Here are some super cute pattern ideas that you can use your new found Duplicate Stitch skills on!

Dogosaurus Rex by Patons:
I made this dog sweater a couple of years ago for my mom's dog and duplicate stitched the little spots on it. My mom loved it and her doggie does too!

Warm Winter Mitts by Anna and Heidi Pickles:
These cute mittens are a simple stockinette stitch pattern, and the cute colorwork around the cuff is added afterward with Duplicate stitch. Make them to match your favorite winter coat!

Tulip Slouch by Allyson Dykhuizen:
Get LOTS of practice Duplicate stitching with this cute slouchy hat! The tulips are stitches on afterward, and I think this hat is TOO cute! I may need to make one for myself...

If you are interested in taking this fun Duplicate Stitch class, give us a call and register soon! We are going to have so much fun at our Eweniversity, we hope to see you there! :)

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Eweniversity Class Spotlight - Judy's Magic Cast On

I hope you all are enjoying my series here on these great Eweniversity classes we have to offer, to check out posts from previous days, click below!
Day 1: Easy Circular Cast On
Day 2: Color Blocks
Day 3: Plarn o Rama


Today we are going to talk about Judy's Magic Cast On, which really seems to be magic!



3-4pm Judy's Magic Cast On with Karin. Skill Level: Sheep
"This is one of most versatile provisional cast ons, and my favorite for those times when I need to keep live stitches ready.  Besides working toe-up socks, you can use JMCO to work a hemmed edge, or for a top-down beanie, and many other applications."

If you need a cast on that results in live stitches on each side rather than just on the one, this is a great one to learn. It is also perfect as a provisional cast on. It's easy to use and easy to knit from. Most pattern you'll see that use it are toe-up socks, because it gives a neat and tidy invisible cast on at the beginning of the toe, but I wanted to show you some other projects besides socks that utilize it!

Cabled iPad Sleeve by haramis Designs:
Here the magic cast on is used along the bottom of the case to give a seamless look, and to eliminate the need to sew it up at the end.



Flat Pack by A. Karen Alfke:
This cute backpack pattern is from a book called "Beyond Toes" by Judy Becker; the inventor of Judy's Magic Cast On! Beyond Toes is all about projects that use this cast on in things other than socks, and we have this book in stock here in the shop, so if you take the class and want to try out this cast on with other things, there are a lot of great projects in it. Here's another from "Beyond Toes":

Leaves A Fall'n by Chris Church:

If you are interested in any of the classes I've been mentioning here, or any of the other great classes on our schedule, give us a call and register soon!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Eweniversity Class Spotlight - Plarn-o-Rama!

Hi everyone! Welcome to day 3 of my Eweniversity Class Spotlight series. Each day is a new post highlighting a class in our Eweniversity that isn't sold out yet, and I give examples of how you can use what you learn in that class in your knitting and crocheting life! For previous posts, click here or here.

Today I am going to be talking about PLARN! You may be wondering "what the heck is plarn?" Good question! Plarn stands for plastic yarn, or yarn made out of recycled plastic.


2-3pm Plarn-o-Rama: Knitting with Recycled Plastic with Brecia. Skill Level: Lamb
"Discover the tricks to working with "Plarn" ( plastic yarn) and recycle your plastic bags into fun carry-alls for the beach or  shopping. Learn how to cut a plastic bag into continuous knitting material and then save the planet one bag at a time!"

With all the hype these days with using recycled and reusable grocery bags, wouldn't it be fun to make some of your own? Put all those plastic bags you have under your sink to good use, and keep them out of landfills! Here are some projects you can make with your Plarn!

Crocheted Grocery Bag Purse by Michelle Molis:


Plarn Pot Cover

I hope this helped you think outside of the box (or bag!) and see all those plastic bags you have around in a new light! If you are interested in taking this class, please give us a call and register soon!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Eweniversity Class Spotlight - Color Blocks

Hi everyone! Welcome to the second day of our Eweniversity Class Spotlight series! In the next few days I am going to be highlighting some of the classes in our Eweniversity that have not yet sold out and showing you some examples of how you can use them in your knitting life. If you missed yesterday's post, go ahead and click here.

Today we are going to play with some color!

10am-11am Color Blocks

"Intarsia is a knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. As with the woodworking technique of the same name, fields of different colours and materials appear to be inlaid in one another, but are in fact all separate pieces, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle."

If you have always wanted to add some color to your knitting, here's a chance to learn this great and fun technique! Intarsia can be used to knit "pictures"  or shapes into your knitting, incorporating more than one color. Here's some examples!

Emmanuelle Pullover by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark:

Knitted Panda Hat by Qiwen Heng:

The Weasley Sweater by Alison Hansel:

I hope this helped inspire you to try some Intarsia if you have never used it before, and if you want to register for this class, give us a call and let us know!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Eweniversity Class Spotlight - Easy Circular Cast On

Hi everyone! Our Eweniversity is just around the corner, and some classes are selling out! If you haven't already had a look at what Eweniversity has to offer, click here to find all the info about it!

In the next few days I'm going to be highlighting some classes that have not yet sold out and giving you examples of how you can use what you use in them in your knitting life! Today we are going to be talking about knitting top-down!

9am-10am Easy Circular Cast On


"Here's an easy, neat circular cast-on for top down hats, center-out shawls, or blankets. Starting circular knitting in a small circumference can be tricky but this cast on will help you sort it all out."


Lots of cool hats start from the top by casting on just a few stitches, and often times those first couple of rounds can be a hassle when you are working on double-pointed needles, but Terry's method of starting from the top takes the hassle out of it and makes it easy! Here's a couple of cute hat patterns that you can use this Easy Circular Cast-on with:

Foliage by Emilee Mooney:

Rose Red by Ysolda Teague:

 Thorpe by Kristin Kapur:

Check back in tomorrow when I'll be talking about another great class!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Anacapa Fine Yarns Eweniversity 2014!

If you follow us on Facebook (which you should!) or if you are registered for our Newsletter (which you should be!) then you have probably already heard about how we opened up registration yesterday for this year's Eweniversity!

The Anacapa Fine Yarns Eweniversity is an all day event on Saturday, April 26th. Eweniversity is like our version of a Knitting and Crocheting University (EWE-niversity... get it?) Anyway... We will be offering 34 different hour long classes all day long, and will be teaching fun techniques in Knitting and Crochet, as well as mini project classes, and lots more!

This is our 3rd year doing this event, and each year it gets bigger and better! If you want to see pictures from last year's Eweniversity, Click Here.

Here is our Schedule for this year:


You can find descriptions, prices, and more info on our website. Click Here.

We hope you decide to join us this year, we will have lots of fun! Be sure to pick your classes and register soon, we are filling up fast!