Top 5 Online Yarn Stores

Like most of you knitters out there, I have a favorite local yarn store (or two, or three, or a dozen) that I buy my yarn from. But what do you do when you just can't find what you're looking for at any of the local shops? If you're anything like me, you turn to the great big wonder that is the internet.

There are some fantastic places to buy yarn online, and there are some advantages to buying this way. For one, you can look at several different stores for the yarn you're looking for without driving all around town. For another, you can find some really good prices online - like really good. How does 1.50 a skein sound?

The only real downside to buying yarn online, other than not supporting your LYS, is not being able to feel before you buy. For me, the feel of yarn is something that makes me want to buy it in the first place, which makes buying yarn sight unseen (or touch unseen) can be a bit of a gamble. But if you don't mind the risk, or already know what you want to buy, here are a few of my favorite places to shop for yarn online.

5. Yarn Market/Royal Yarns 

These sites offer pretty much the same things - good overall selection at decent prices. And if you sign-up for their e-mail lists, every once in a while you'll get a free shipping or a $5 off coupon.

4. ColourMart

For all you lace knitters, this is the place to go. ColourMart is a British company that specializes in selling remainder luxury yarns - remainder yarn being the yarn left on the cone after a piece is knit or woven. Anyways, this is the place to go if you want lace weight yarn in bulk for  a really good price - anywhere from $15 to $40 (including shipping) for about 1500 yards of cashmeir, silk, marino or some combination.

3. Ravelry.com

More just a place to find wonderful patterns and chat with your fellow yarn enthusiasts, Ravelry.com can also be a great place to buy yarn, especially discontinued yarn. Under the "Yarn" Tab at the top, either search for a specific brand or type of yarn you want or go browsing. Click on a specific yarn, and then either choose the "buying options" tab or the "stashes" tab to find out which other Ravelry members have your yarn and who is willing to sell or trade it.

2. Knit Picks
   

To be honest, Knit Picks is really only a great place to buy yarn if you like KnitPicks brand yarn, which I do. They have yarns of all fiber types and colors at really good princes - 440 yards of baby alpaca lace for under $6? Yes and please.

1. Webs 

For the life of me, I will never understand why this site is called WEBS instead of Yarn.com - but whatever. All I know is that these guys have nearly every yarn under the sun. And their closeout section is one of the best places around to find some amazing deals on yarn.

So - have you ever bought yarn online? If yes, where's your favorite place and if not, would you ever consider giving it a chance?

Casting off,

Megan

Top 5 Weirdest Thanksgiving Patterns

Ah, Thanksgiving. That special time of the year when Americans remind themselves of all the things they're thankful for, and stuff themselves full of Turkey, Dressing (Stuffing), Mashed Potatoes and Pumpkin Pie - which makes it different from other Thursday spent overeating pizza, fried chicken and french fires.

In any case, in honor of this beloved national holiday, I give you five of the weirdest and oddest Thanksgiving knitting patterns I could find. As always, I am not trying to discredit the hard work and creativity of these knitters, just poke a bit of good natured fun.

Please note that all the patterns I've linked above are the property of their owners, and you should be nice and follow their rules for reproducing their stuff. Enjoy!

• Turkey Ball

While I think I've well established my thoughts and general bewilderment toward amigurumi, even I can admit that some (stress some) knitted decorations are cute and whatnot around the holidays. It's just the shape of this one that gets to me - gives a whole new meaning to the "Butterball Turkey".

• Baby Turkey Hat 

Everyone can pretty much agree that babies look cute in darn near anything. But someone who knits a roasted turkey for a baby hat is just waiting until the kid is old enough to understand "blackmail material."

• Baby Corn Bunting 

The same goes for this pattern. I mean, why an ear of corn and just a nice plain green bunting. I don't think I've ever seen a cute ear of corn in my life - tasty, delicious and slathered with butter, yes - but not adorable.

• Pilgrim Bonnet 

My issue with this pattern - and the next - is not so much the pattern or its oddness, but is really about the way in which the knitter choose to photograph their work of art. While the placing of your knitted hat/scarf/sweater/whatever on a statue may be a clever and neat idea, always be sure to make sure the statue you choose doesn't look like the Angel of Death.

• Broccoli and Carrots 

I don't think there are words to describe the first picture of these knitted vegetables. In fact, I'm going to suggest that you go click on the link to the pattern and form your own opinion without my input. Go ahead, I'll wait.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Yeah - that was my reaction too.

What are the weirdest Thanksgiving patterns you've ever run across or knit yourself?

Casting off,

Megan

Also - don't forget! Use the coupon code BLKFRI15 now until 11/28 to get 15% off any item in my store: scarfaceknits.etsy.com

Top 5 Oddest Food Patterns

Like most Americans, my mind is often turned toward food this time of year. Well, if I'm being honest, my mind is usually thinking about food at any time of the year, but even more so as the holidays approach. So, while next Wednesday's Top 5 post will focus on weird Thanksgiving patterns, this week's will look at some of the oddest patterns revolving around food. Now, weird and odd should not been taken as a negative comment - these are great patterns that are knit wonderfully well - I just scratch my head over them. Also, most of these are Anigurumi patterns, which I have commented on before, and will do so again many times in the future. (I just don't understand them!)

So, without further ado - I present 5 of some of the Oddest Food  Patterns I could find:

5. Egg Cozy Sweater 

Tea and coffee cozies I might be able to understand - but an egg cozy? Are we trying to make it cute so we won't want to eat it, or prevent the poor thing from catching a cold?

 

4. Milk and Cookies

This seems like something that an evil grandmother would make - "Hey kids! Want some milk and cookies? (Insert evil laugh)"

3. Dumplings (Jiaozi)

Now, I love dumplings as much as anything, but I can see no reason for knitting these - even as cat toys as this pattern suggests. What happened to mice for cats?

2. Tofu

This pattern is actually pretty cute and does serve a purpose as a pincushion. I myself have a knitted tea cup for a pincushion. But I still shake my head just because it's tofu - which I  think is odd in any form.

1. Knitted SPAM in a Can

Yes, you read that right. This is knitted SPAM in a Can. Does anything else really need to be said?

Please note that all the patterns I've linked above are the property of their owners, and you should be nice and follow their rules for reproducing their stuff.

What's the weirdest food pattern you've ever stumbled across?

Casting Off,

Megan

Top Five Knitting Magazines

In this technology-driven and digital age, it's often easy to overlook the printed word as outdated and cumbersome. Now, I'll admitted I'm attached to my iPod, smartphone, and Kindle app as much as the next girl, but I still love the feel of paper beneath my fingertips and the sound a page makes as its turned. While the internet is a vast resource and a wealth of information, I  find an immeasurable amount of joy in knitting books and magazines. I'll be discussing my favorite knitting books in future posts ('cause there are way too many to list in just one post), but for now, I'd like to showcase my favorite knitting magazines.




5. The Knitter's Magazine
www.knittinguniverse.com


To tell you the truth, I haven’t ever subscribed to this particular magazine. Instead I buy the odd random copy when I see a particular pattern that appeals to me. That being said, this magazine is great for the more adventurous and eclectic advance-beginning/intermediate knitters out there. However, the majority of the patterns are just a too tad abstract for my tastes. I also find the magazine's website a little annoying and not very conducive to the tech-savvy knitter. Still, if you like your knitting patterns non-traditional and don't give two hoots about a magazine's website, I encourage you to try this one out.


4. Knit Simple
 www.knitsimplemag.com


This was the first knitting magazine I ever subscribed to, and as such it will always hold a special place in my heart. This is a great publication for beginning knitters, filled with several (usually around 20) easy and simple patterns. However, if you're a more advanced knitter, or are looking for articles and discussions on knitting trends or techniques, this probably won't be the magazine for you. Nevertheless, this is a great place to start!


3. Creative Knitting
www.creativeknittingmagazine.com


You know all that stuff I said at the beginning of this post about finding joy in the printed knitting magazine? Well, ignore it completely for Creative Knitting. While the magazine itself is filled with good resources, articles and patterns, its website is where the real magic happens. The website for this magazine contains all the back issues, accessible for a small yearly fee without subscribing to the magazine, through which you can either search for just the right pattern, or read each issue individually. Best of all, you can choose to either subscribe to the printed magazine or the digital edition (which you can read on your iPad or other tablet), and get full access to the online archives.


2. Vogue Knitting
www.vogueknitting.com


This magazine has some of the best patterns in any knitting magazine that I've seen - and some of the worst. Granted, the worst and odd ones are far outweighed by the really good ones - as long as you ignore the weird hair and knida creepy direct stares of the models. But, as good as the patterns are (which is again, really good), the articles are even better. Particularly the "What's New in Knitting Section," which features the latest gadgets, techniques and trends out there in the knit-verse. And, if you still are hesitant on the whole "paper" and "print" thing, Vogue has a great app for the iPad on which you can read the newest issue. The only drawback to this magazine is the overwhelming number of ads - but this can be overlooked in favor of the fantastic patterns and articles.


1. Interweave Knits
www.interweaveknits.com


With a television show, publishing house, blog, daily newsletter and a magazine under their belts, Interweave Knits just might be the powerhouse of the knitting industry. And for a good reason - these guys publish fantastic stuff! Not only to they publish great books, but their magazines are truly fantastic for knitters at every level. The patterns range nicely from the traditional to the modern while still being contemporary and interesting. The articles are also fantastic, discussing everything from new ways to cast-off to making a better buttonhole. Plus, they put out several extra publications for different seasons which are also fantastic. If you only subscribe to one knitting magazine, make sure this is the one!


What's your favorite knitting magazine?


Casting off,


Megan

Top Five Weird Halloween Patterns

In honor of this week's holiday (so I'm a bit behind - sue me) I've decided to post some of the oddest - and kinda creepy - Halloween knitting patterns I could find. Now, this is not to say these patterns are well made nor that those who made these items aren't incredibly talented - only that I think these are weird things to create a pattern for and then knit. This list isn't really in any order, just placed at my whim. Enjoy!

• Candy Corn Amigurumi

First up are these two patterns are for amigurumi candy corn. Now aside from the fact that I've never really found or seen the appeal in amigurumi, these seem especially odd to me - and somewhat cruel. I mean, larger than life candy you can't eat? Heartless!!

http://kimwillknitforbeer.blogspot.com/2011/10/candy-corn-pattern.html

http://craftyalien.blogspot.com/2011/10/candy-corn-pattern-knit.html

• Creepy Knitted Pumpkin

It may be somewhat hypocritical of me, but I can see the value of knitting pumpkins. For me, I always thought the whole carving pumpkins thing was kinda gross - with very little satisfaction at the end. While my Dad could always carve masterpieces worthy of magazine covers, my pumpkins always looked like a two-year-old with a hacksaw carved it - and that's being generous. So, while I see the value of knitting carved pumpkins, this one creeps me out - and not in the good Halloween way. I'm not sure if it’s the legs and arms or the googly eyes, but I'm not a fan

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/russet-the-pumpkin

• Pumpkin Toilet Paper Cozy

I'm not sure if this counts as Halloween or Autumn, but I'm the writer here, so I'm saying it's Halloween. And to me, Toilet Paper Cozies are a lot like Amigurumi - I fail to see the point. Just put your toilet paper under the sink like everyone else! Putting a pumpkin, or whatever else, does not suddenly make TP cute - just creepy.

 

http://superknitter.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-toilet-paper-cozy.html

• Knitted Baby Costumes

Alright, I'll admit these things are cute, just like most things for babies.  But it seems like a lot of work for one night's worth of gratification that the kid won't even appreciate - especially when you pull out the pictures to show the first (and last) date they bring home. There are many (MANY) of these costumes out there, but these are two of the most time consuming I found. I mean really - just knit the kid a pair of cat ears and be done with it.

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/cupcake-cutie

http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/brook_pun/brooklyn.html

• Knitted Pet Costumes

While knitted baby costumes are cute, these things are just sad. Knitting a sweater for your pets is one thing, but a whole Halloween costume? Does anything else scream "crazy cat lady" more?

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/60475.html?noImages=0&r=1

Now that you've heard my take, tell me - what do you think are the weirdest/oddest Halloween patterns?

Casting off -

Megan