Charitable Creations

The holidays are around the corner and that means the giving season is here! For many of us, the holidays are a time for giving back. We can donate our time to something like serving Thanksgiving meals at a local shelter or donate items like toys and clothes for the less fortunate. We can also give back when it comes to our knitting and crocheting skills!

There are many local organizations that may be looking for handmade donations such as hats, scarves and blankets. Give them a call to see what items they can use.
Check your local:
-women's shelters
-homeless shelters
-nursing homes
-hospitals
-animal shelters
-churches

Consider the yarn you use and where it is going. For example- is it nice and soft for newborns? Is it machine washable? This adult size knitted hat pattern "The Vermonter" is quick and easy-perfect for making a few for donations.

The Vermonter hat pattern. 

You can also contact national organizations that are dedicated to donating handmade items including Project Linus, Comfort for Critters, and Warm Up America.

Sometimes my dog keeps warm with my crocheted hand-me-downs. You can donate your (new) handmade items to shelter pets in need. 

If you are on Facebook, check out Knit and Crochet for a Cause- a virtual community focused on making items for a cause.  Ravelry also has a list of charitable groups you can join.

Remember, you can donate your time too. You can share your love of the fiber arts by teaching your skills to locals of all ages. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving!

Even if you don't have time to make items for charity, you can still be charitable just by stopping in Yarns By Design. We are a donation site from now through December 9th for Toys for Tots. Every toy you drop off earns you 5 raffle tickets to win this gift basket worth over $300 full of yarns and patterns!

Do you know of an organization that is looking for handmade items? Please share your comments below.


Warmly,

Sarah with Yarns By Design
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Steel Valley Yarn Crawl 2017 Round Up

The 2017 Steel Valley Yarn Crawl has come to an end and we are all catching our breath! Yarns By Design was open during seven of the 10 days of the crawl and were fortunate enough to have quite the turnout. This year we estimated well over 200 passports stamped at our boutique. We had familiar faces stop by and many first-time visitors as well. Some of our crawlers even came from out of state just for the event. 

We noticed lots of crawlers stopping in to check out our Hedgehog Fibres and our newest brand of Brooklyn Tweed. We can't wait see what everyone has to say about trying those yarns for the first time-be sure to let us know. Don't forget to bring in your finished projects when you stop in, we enjoy seeing our yarns come alive! A special shout out to Tin Can Knits for donating the free knit pattern "Undertone Cowl" and YBD's Sarah LaVoie for designing the free crochet pattern with purchase of the featured Hedgehog Fibres yarn. Both patterns are great for transitioning to Fall weather, so get started now.

2017 Yarn Crawl Knit pattern "Undertone Cowl" by Tin Can Knits and made by Sandy

Undertone Cowl made with this fun shade of  Hedgehog Fibres DK in "Bounce" 

2017 Yarn Crawl crochet pattern "Morning Smoothie" by Sarah LaVoie

 

Morning Smoothie cowl made with this dynamic shade of Hedgehog Fibres DK  in "Birthday Cake" 

 Winners of our raffle were selected. Congratulations to our winners:
Bag #1: Faye Gardany
Bag #2: Chelsea Kelly
Bag #3: Noralynn Spiri

Congrats to Chelsea Kelly, crocheter and winner of YBD raffle bag #2 and newest fan of Hedgehog Fibres!

We hope you love your prizes as much as we do!

Have any recommendations for things you'd like to see at our shop or about the crawl in general? We would love to hear your feedback. Stop in the boutique, drop us a message or just comment below. We are trying to improve the crawl experience every year.

Some views of our 2017 crawlers in action. 

Yarns by Design would like to thank all of the crawlers that stopped by this year and we hope to see everyone again soon. Looking forward to what the 2018 crawl brings!

Warmly,

Sarah with YBD
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Get ready for the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl!

It's that time of year again! Clear your calendar and clear some space for a fresh yarn stash- the yarn crawl is here.

The 4th annual Steel Valley Yarn Crawl runs from July 28th through August 6th. It gives yarn lovers the opportunity to win fantastic prizes at 11 shops in the Pittsburgh area over 10 days.
The passports and bags are now available at Yarns By Design and at each of the participating shops. For $12 you will receive a fabulous bag and eleven raffle tickets. The bag is bigger and better this year, with plenty of room for your yarn crawl purchases and later for toting your projects or even to bring to the beach this summer.

Come and get your 2017 SVYC bag today!

If you'd like to plan ahead, here is a 2017 map of the participating shops. Check out the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl website for all of the details on the event.

In addition to exciting prizes, we will have a free knit and crochet pattern featuring Hedgehog Fibres. It's the perfect opportunity to give this beautiful brand a try if you haven't already. Stop in today to pick up your bag and passport!

Our Hedgehog Fibres are yarn crawl ready. 

Warmly,

Sarah at Yarns By Design

sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

The countdown to World Wide Knit in Public Day

If you are a knitter, you probably already pack your yarn and needles with you wherever you go. Whether you are waiting for your child's practice to be over or you are sitting patiently at the doctor's office, you can't wait to fill that down time with squeezing in a few more stitches. If this sounds anything like you, join in on the World Wide Knit in Public fun in just 5 short days.

Join in on June 10th, 2017. 

What is World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIPD)? It is a community of knitters that started in 2005 and is held on the second Saturday of each June. The founder Danielle Landes wanted a way for knitters to get together and…well, knit. Each year, participation grows and this year is sure to be the biggest one yet. So far, 47 countries have signed up! From Turkey, to Guinea, to Slovenia to just down the street from you-knitters will be out and about with yarn in tow.

Knitters often find themselves knitting alone. It can get a little secluded. This special day will give fiber artists the opportunity to get out and show off their skills, meet new people, share tips, trade their yarn and maybe even teach some non-knitters how to get started.

Sandy with YBD knitting in public at the Pirates game. 

Check out the WWKIPD website and Facebook page for more details. You can also host your own local event. Click here for the Pennsylvania events to find your nearest host.  For the crocheters out there, don't feel left out. You'll find most of these events are NOT exclusive to knitters. I, as a crocheter will be keeping an eye out for a knitter in public and perhaps use the opportunity to start learning.  Don't forget to thank the volunteers, the entire day is volunteer run!

Need a stylish way to tote your yarn around for the big day? Stop by the Yarns By Design boutique and check out our fun selection of project bags.

Knit in public in style. 

Be sure to share your World Wide Knit in Public Day experience with us. Comment below, we'd love to hear from you.


Warmly,

Sarah with Yarns By Design
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Sheep and Fiber Fest

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the 14th Annual Sheep and Fiber Fest in Waynesburg, PA. It is a wonderful (and free) two day event that highlights the sheep and fiber industry. The long list of activities included several sheep shearing demonstrations, they looked like completely different sheep after their haircut! The breed pavilion gave visitors the chance to see, touch and learn about the sheep. Other activities were dog shepherding demos, lamb cooking demos and sampling, hand spun skein exhibits, makers space, live music, and fiber arts vendor and crafts sale.

A good looking pair of Kerry Hill sheep.

What's a Fiber Fest without alpacas? 

For those of you with a competitive spirit there were events like the fleece to shawl competition and the fiber arts competition. The fleece to shawl competition consists of teams of fibers artists who spin and weave with the raw fleece material and finish with a completed shawl…all timed of course! The fiber arts competition allows youth and adults to enter their handmade knitted, crocheted, woven and felted items that are judged for the chance at awards and prizes. All items had to be at least 50% natural animal fibers and made within the past one year. I tried my hand at this competition and entered my crocheted "radish brooch", which won honorable mention. Yay!

Soft and squishy fleece and roving from Roving Acres Farm. 

My radish brooch gets honorable mention. 

Checking out the fiber arts vendor and crafts sale was especially fun. Vendors had beautiful hand spun yarns, handcrafted tabletop looms, handmade jewelry, and hand painted ceramic pieces to name a few. Talk about talented artisans and crafters! My favorite pick was Sweitzer's Fiber Mill from Seven Valleys, PA who had lovely displays of their own yarn (including yarn made from milk protein, corn and soybean). I treated myself to some pretty yarns hand dyed in shades of pink and purple by the owner's 7 year old daughter, Lilly. It even came with an autograph from Lilly herself.

Lilly's Ranbow Yarns from Sweitzer's FIber Mill

This fun fest inspired me to learn  more about sheep breeds and the process of how their fleece turns into beautiful yarn for me to use. Now, I'm searching for more local fiber arts festivals!

Sheep shearing demonstration. 

Do you have any fiber arts festival recommendations for me? What about your fiber arts competition stories and tips? I'd love to hear from you, comment below.


Warmly,

Sarah with Yarns By Design
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com