Things to do with Liberty Wool Print!

I've always loved Liberty Wool...what's not to love? Squishy, soft, machine-washable, and the perfect gauge, it suits me completely. As soon as the first Liberty collection came out in fall of 2010, I cast on for the Elizabeth sweater ("the Magic Sweater" as we called it around the office), but made it in a solid color. As a knitter that tends to shy away from bright colors, Liberty Wool Print took a little longer to embrace, but the compulsion hit me hard.

As soon as this week's free pattern was completed, Meg and I both cast on the Splash of Color cowl, one in each new colorway (12 new colors are being released this spring as part of our retailer subscription program). Meg's is in Berry Brambles, mine is in Golden Pagoda. The colors are bright, but what a great way to add an accent color to your outfit.

If you love cowls, this pattern from Kelly J. Knits, the Key to Warmth Cowl, knit here in Liberty Wool Solids and Prints, is brilliant.

We also dressed up our office with Liberty Wool Print. Machine-knit, the installation is 60' total length in 20 colors of Liberty Wool Print...overall 8900 yards and 8 pounds of wool with 73 color changes!

Putting the Liberty "knitdown" on foam core for our office decoration.

Finished! All 60 feet of it!

Downtown Knits in North Carolina has another beautiful display idea using the Molly scarf, one of our best selling patterns. Owner Michele Riggs knit one ball of each color into a scarf, and as new colors are released, she just adds a little more to it.

Betsy, the owner of Classic Elite Yarns, knit up a Log Cabin blanket (with the help of the Mason Dixon ladies) in multiple solid and print colorways of Liberty Wool.

Hub Mills Store here in N. Billerica knit up a chair cushion in each color to soften up the chairs for Knit Night. You also catch a glimpse of the Aldred scarf over the chair, an independent design that uses Liberty Print's color variegation very cleverly.

How do you use your Liberty Print?

TNNA Recap and Spring Sneak Peek

The National Needlearts Association hosted its semi-annual spring trade show this weekend in Phoenix. TNNA trade shows are the perfect place to see old industry friends and meet new ones, show off your newest collection of garments and yarns, meet retailers and designers, and, most importantly, to sell some yarn!

Meg Myers

Meg Myers, our resident web administrator and graphic designer, headed out to Phoenix with Betsy, Heather and Susan for her first trade show experience. Here is her TNNA recap in pictures.

Hello Phoenix!

The famous "Yarn Wall", one skein of every CEY brand yarn.

New Spring Accessories!

Liberty Wool Print colors, awesome display idea!

Two new kits to support Stitch Red, a campaign to fight heart disease

MinnowKnits designs in CottonTail

MillaMia, a new line of patterns and washable Merino for kids.

MillaMia offers contemporary takes on traditional techniques

Their photography is guaranteed to make you smile.

Excited for spring knitting? 

New yarns for spring 2012

A garment from our first dedicated Silky Alpaca Lace booklet, Summer Breeze, #9178

VKLive New York!

I suppose I'm a little biased, with New York being my hometown and all, but how fabulous is Vogue Knitting Live NYC? We were lucky to be included, and snapped some quick iPhone pictures while we were there.

With two events already under their belts, VK had plenty of practice for this one...and it showed! There were art installations, unique vendors, an amazing class line-up and expert panels. Our very own Betsy Perry was on the "When Knitting Becomes a Career" panel, and was heard saying something we're used to hearing around the office here in Billerica--"On a bad day, I can say 'Well, at least I got to play with yarn today'"

Unique display/storage containers for crafty stuff

White wedding indeed...an art piece made of yarn!

Knitting and Yoga Adventures!

I asked CEY Creative Director Susan Mills to share some words about Knitting and Yoga Adventures here on the blog. Read on to hear about her experience!

The Monhegan gang in 2010

I've gone on the week long trip to Monhegan for 6 years. In 2011, Lisa added a long weekend in Vermont and I went and taught the Ariosa Reversible Cabled Cowls, this week's free Web Letter pattern.  Knitting classes are usually project-based and I try to come up with something new each time (for returning attendees) and structure the classes for all skill levels. 

Lisa Evans, founder of Knitting and Yoga Adventures

The yoga is suitable for all levels – The yoga teacher, Melora, is fantastic and caters to everyone’s level with special emphasis on  shoulders and neck – possible problem areas for knitters. And you can’t forget the massages. Mary Alice gives a wonderful massage – some people go for 2 or 3 massages. The camaraderie on these trips is incredible – women of all ages who all share a passion for knitting. And hiking and yoga. Schedules are very relaxed but there is a ton of stuff to do. 

Monhegan Island, from our Shoreline booklet shoot, 2010

Designer Spotlight: Sweaterbabe!

"As knitters, we can and should knit things that don’t just mimic the styles we could easily find at stores. . . it’s all the fine details, careful knitting, yarn choice, and interesting project elements that make each knitting project worthwhile."

Sweaterbabe is a pretty hard name to forget, and once you see her work, you'll have even more reason to remember it. Katherine Lee has been designing for about 10 years and knitting for over 30. Her designs are flattering and contemporary, and feature special little details that add a touch of femininity. Her fans couldn't agree more; Ravelry shows almost 4,000 projects knit in her designs! Katherine was kind enough to answer some questions, hope her answers leave you feeling inspired!

How long have you been designing? 

I’ve officially been a knitwear designer for about 10 years. Throughout my 30+ years of knitting, I’ve always improvised and altered patterns to suit my needs though, and the designing process has since proven to be my strength in this business.  Now, I really consider it my job to design interesting knitting projects that feature unexpected and interesting details that can define a project as hand-crafted and make the time my customers’ spend knitting them really fun and rewarding!

How did you get started?