Category Archives: Knitalongs

Logalong highlights, timeline and prize news

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Logalong highlights, timeline and prize news

There are already more than 200 posts on the #fringeandfriendslogalong feed and I’m giddy with all the variety and eager for what’s still to come! Speaking of what’s still to come, here’s are those details I promised you—

Upcoming blog posts will include varying perspectives on how to handle your ends as well as guidance for crocheters, and I don’t think it will be very long before we start having panelist FOs to talk about! (And hopefully my little mitts pattern even sooner.) But let me know if there’s anything else in particular you’d like us to address as a panel.

TIMELINE

I don’t usually set an end date on knitalongs (blog content will come to a close around the end of Feb, but you’re always welcome to keep going) and I’m especially reluctant to do so with the Logalong since the range of projects underway is so broad. I mean, some of those blankets could take awhile! (Unless you’re Ann, a knitter possessed.) So there’s no firm end date, but we do need to set a date as far as …

PRIZES

I always say I’m conflicted about prizes because your finished object is your prize! — not to mention all the fun and learning and camaraderie along the way — but then I go and make up a whole bunch of extra prizes like I did with Summer of Basics because, let’s face it, prizes are fun. So I’m declaring the following prizes which will be drawn from all posts on the #fringeandfriendslogalong feed on February 28th and announced the following Friday here on the blog. Your project does not have to be complete at that time; I’ll simply be choosing from all contributions made to the feed between now and then.

One winner for each category will receive a $100 gift certificate* to Fringe Supply Co.:
• Best Laid Plans — for the most inspired or creative concept
• House Proud — for best photos/documentation
• Square and True — for best traditional use of log cabin
• Thinking Outside the Block — for best non-traditional use of log cabin
• Like Cabin (aka Mock Cabin) — for best adaptation/variation on modular knitting

Plus: I’ll do a random drawing of 5 posts from within the feed and those posters will each win a Field Bag in the color of their choice.*

As Jeff Probst would say, “Worth playing for?”

Bonus: Ann and Kay are giving away a Ninepatch Blanket Kit — details on how to enter that drawing are on MDK today.

EARLY HIGHLIGHTS

The photos above are a few of the many standouts from this week’s posts on the hashtag. I didn’t intend them to be color-coordinated, but the feed has a definite palette to it so far! Click through to each one to read and see more—

TOP: @sari_n_’s amazing improvisation

MIDDLE LEFT: @phoebe.lle’s fascinating sock-fixing plan (note to Phoebe: can I have this?)

MIDDLE RIGHT: @dottidee’s persistence

BOTTOM: @knit_frog_repeat’s lovely little schematics

And of course, there’s so much more goodness to be found on the full feed, so I encourage you to check it out even if you’re not playing along.

Happy weekend, everyone!

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*Note that your posts must be visible in the feed to be eligible, so post them using a public Instagram account and the hashtag #fringeandfriendslogalong. Contest is open to participants worldwide but all winners will be responsible for their own shipping fees.

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PREVIOUSLY in Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the panel!

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Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!

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Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!

Happy new year! And happy Log Cabin Make-along kickoff/cast-on day! I’m so thrilled to finally introduce the rest of the panel and get this party started. You already know log cabin eminences grises Ann and Kay from Mason-Dixon Knitting (authors of the portable and adorable Log Cabin Field Guide) are in the mix. Rounding out the panel are two more of my favorite characters from yarnlandia, Veronika Jobe of YOTH Yarns and — a crocheter! for the first time ever! — none other than Cal Patch. You can see exactly what we all have planned below, and I am already crazy about how different they all are.

Even though I announced this one way further in advance than in the past, I still don’t quite have all the ducks in a row — the outstanding matter being prizes. I’m leaving it a cliffhanger for the moment but will fill you in on the plan (and timing) for that at the end of the week. However, I will be featuring standout plans and WIPs here on the blog in some fashion, as always, so make sure you share yours on Instagram by using the hashtag #fringeandfriendslogalong in your caption when you post. (If you have a private IG account, you might want to make a separate public one for this, if you want everyone to be able to see your posts!) And note that you can also now literally follow hashtags on IG, so (if that works as advertised) you’ll never miss a single contribution.

If you’re still looking for ideas, see Ideas and Considerations and Imagine if this were Log Cabin-ized, including all of the suggestions in the comments on those posts. And you can find all of the blog posts related to the Make-along right here, any time you need it, also linked in the right rail of the blog over there. 👉🏼

Also, knitter/programmer Kelsey Leftwich has created a Log Cabin Generator, which is fun to play with — let her know what you think. And at the end of today’s post on MDK is a whole big roundup of all of their past log cabin-related posts — a total trove.

Ready? Here we go! —

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KAREN TEMPLER of this here blog (Instagram: @karentempler)

Master plan: My actual master plan is a grandiose and colorful idea about using the ninepatch method (detailed in the Field Guide) to create a nested-crosses motif (inspired by my favorite pillow) splayed out on a big cocoon cardigan or something like that, but I’m not ready to commit! Ever since I tossed off that little quip about how you could knit two washcloths and seam them into fingerless mitts, I’ve been consumed with ideas about how to refine that idea. So that’s what I’m doing, with the intention that I’ll publish the pattern in the near term (for those of you sitting on the fence or looking for something small but thrilling to do), after which I may decide to dive into the bigger idea.

Yarn:  What’s pictured here is random bits of stash yarns (undyed Snoqualmie, heathery grey Hole & Sons and tweedy black Shelter) but I don’t know for sure! I’m torn between really really wanting to do this from stash and really really wanting to pull off a very specific look, which is …

Palette: … inspired by this Ace&Jig textile I’m obsessed with called Mural, pictured above, which got me thinking about how to distribute the color changes a bit differently than what you usually see in Log Cabin. Mural is ivory, soft grey and black, with ivory running throughout so the whole thing is hazy and muted and absolutely gorgeous. I really want to figure out how to emulate that here, and not have it quite so stark as my swatch. Which brings me back to the dilemma between what’s in my stash and what might better achieve this little goal. We’ll see what I wind up doing.

Concerns/trepidations: Well, I’ve never knitted any log cabin before, which is why I’m telling myself to take a bite before shoving a whole pie in my mouth. But halfway into my swatch, I was already entirely addicted. So I guess my concern is how I’m going to get myself to do anything but this in the coming weeks!

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Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!

VERONIKA JOBE of YOTH Yarns (Instagram: @yarnonthehouse)

Master plan: I would share a drawing, but I am eternally bad at pen and paper. You might think how is this lady a creative! Thank goodness I’m making a rectangle. A good ol’ fashioned scarf and wrap. Simple, classic shape … can’t go wrong and easy to explain.

Yarn: I am using a limited run small-batch yarn created for YOTH by Abundant Earth Fiber. The yarn was dyed in the wool by us and then spun into the most luscious heathered and marled goodness along with squishy and beautiful natural cream. It’s not available yet, but my hope by participating in this log-along is that I will have a lovely pattern and yarn to release when I’m done. Perfect timing.

Palette: Mine is definitely predetermined by the yarn we collaborated on with Abundant Earth Fiber: monotone moody blues and cream for the scarf size, and earthy golden mustards and cream for the wrap size. My inspiration behind this project is my love of buffalo plaid, a board checkered plaid pattern, and I wanted to recreate the look of this woven pattern using a gradient of marls and solids.

Concerns/trepidations: I’m pushing the boundaries a bit with calling this project a Log Cabin, but I hope that this helps folks see the different styles and endless options when a couple traditional styles are tweaked and morphed together. I guess you could say my log cabin project is about as simple as you can get — a bunch of squares connected to make a rectangle. I’ve read a bit on Log Cabin history, studied up on the wonderful Mason Dixon’s Log Cabin Field Guide, and I’m finding that the true essence of Log Cabin is the building of repeated blocks that come together as a whole and create a dynamic bigger picture when looked at from afar. Fingers crossed my scarf and wrap can live up to that.

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Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!

CAL PATCH of Cal Patch (Instagram: @hodgepodgefarm)

Master plan: I’m making a … hmmm I’m not sure what to call it exactly! A cowl/neckpiece/mini poncho/bandana cowl. In my head I’m calling it the “log cabindana” but I haven’t said that out loud yet. It’s a neck scarf that dips down front AND back, because I’m always chilly in the chest/neck area.

Yarn: I’m using scraps, in the spirit of real log cabin quilting. Plus I’m a scrappy girl.

Palette: I’ve pulled together a pile of scraps with a palette of muted colors and neutrals, reminiscent of a woolen quilt.

Concerns/trepidations: Um, no. But now I’m concerned that I should have concerns …

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Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!

ANN SHAYNE of Mason-Dixon Knitting (Instagram: @annshayne)

Master plan: A blanket. I haven’t made a blanket in a while, and log cabin blankets are the most sublime kind of blankets to make. It will be one of a kind, drawing from ideas featured in not one, not two, but three of our MDK Field Guides.

Idea 1. The basic design will riff on one of my favorite blanket patterns ever, Kay’s Ninepatch Blanket from Field Guide No. 4: Log Cabin. I’ve loved this idea—a blanket with a wonky color rhythm, with squares of varied sizes—ever since Kay showed me the quilt that inspired it.

Idea 2. I’m obsessed with the knit-purl textures that are central to Field Guide No. 5: Sequences. Cecelia Campochiaro figured how how to make complex fabrics that can be created easily, once you get the hang of her clever techniques. I want to make the squares using sequences that I pull out of my head.

Idea 3. And then! I want to make this blanket without using mitered squares—not because I don’t adore this technique, but because sequence knitting in miters would be a tricky thing to pull off.

Eliminating miters opens up the construction possibilities. The blanket no longer needs to be made in squares with nine patches. It can be made in long strips of squares. Long strips are a sequence knitter’s best friend. If I work the blanket in long strips, the blanket starts to become easier to assemble. A long strip of squares knitted in a variety of sequences, with a variety of colors? That is my idea of fun. And yes, Karen points out that long strips are a feature of the Station Wagon Blanket in Field Guide No. 1: Stripes.

Can these three ideas meet in one blanket? Can log cabin and sequence knitting and long strips exist in the same project? I won’t rest until the answer is known.

Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!Yarn: Tweed. A rustic, worsted-weight, flecky, nuppy tweed. Tahki Donegal Tweed. This worsted-weight yarn was launched in 1968. It’s one of the great, classic tweeds, made right there in County Donegal, Ireland. By presumably Irish people who have tweed running in their tweedy veins. I have made blankets, sweaters, random squares, all sorts of projects involving tweed yarns. Tahki’s tweed is great for a blanket, because it’s sturdy stuff. None of this floofy fakey tweed business. It is made from 100% new wool, period. It’s not merino and it doesn’t want to be, goddang it. I want a blanket that will hold up like a Yeats poem.

We’ve just added Tahki Donegal Tweed to the MDK Shop — one of the happiest days yet in my new life as a yarnmonger. I’ve been carrying around the dozen shades we’re stocking like they’re guinea pigs of woolly hope.

Palette: I’m starting with a universe of neutrals plus greens. The improvisational nature of log cabin makes me think I may go off the specific grid of colors laid out in the Ninepatch Blanket schematic. I reserve the right to crack open my Deep Stash Tweed for supplemental colors if necessary. Overall, I find that when I start a log cabin blanket with a pile of yarn that looks great together, it’s hard to go wrong.

Concerns/trepidations: A blanket is a lot of knitting. But I have done this at least five times before, so I know I’m strong for it. A lot of people don’t understand how addicting log cabin knitting is. And sequence knitting has a just-one-more-row fascination to it. I want to cross the finish line on this knitalong with two yards of Donegal Tweed left, a worn-out size 8 needle, and me gasping from the fragrant, 100% new wool.

I have a lot of questions to answer. Will the various sequences hold up visually and read as squares? Will the colors fall in an amiable way? Will I ever fix dinner again, or will I vanish in the delicious Bermuda Triangle of log cabin sequence knitting? Stay tuned.

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Log Cabin Make-along: Meet the Panel!

KAY GARDINER of Mason-Dixon Knitting (Instagram: @kaygardiner)

Master plan: I’ve made a ton of log cabin blankets, so I’m tempted to go in that (always happy) direction, but the idea of a garment that uses log cabin structure has been in my mind for a long time. Debbie New’s book Unexpected Knitting has a log cabin pullover, and at least one runway collection in the past 10 years has included a sweater featuring a log cabin block front and center. (I know this because people email me all log cabin imagery.) I was intrigued by the idea, but not attracted to these sweaters. I want something a bit more subtle, where the log cabin graphic doesn’t shout. The drawing in your sketchbook of a simple, sleeveless top that essentially is two squares sewn together, with arm and neck openings, inspired me. I decided to start with an existing pattern, Dianna Walla’s Vasa, which I’ve knitted before. Instead of knitting the two rectangles straight up from the bottom, I’m constructing them using log cabin, starting with a center strip and building the fabric around that strip. I’m going to just keep knitting, adding strips until I get to the dimensions of a boxy pullover that fits me well.

Yarn: I’m using Jade Sapphire’s Sylph, a lightweight blend of linen and cashmere, mainly because I’ve wanted to knit everything in this yarn since discovering it a year ago, but also because I think the shimmy and drape of Sylph will counteract the blockiness of log cabin.

Palette: I’m going with a single color, Eddy, which is a kind of greenish-greyish-beigeish. (I’m already second-guessing this decision. Will I miss the color play of log cabin? Wouldn’t it be more fun to use two tonal shades, or a gradient?)

Concerns/trepidations: My main concern is: Can this be done successfully? I don’t want this sweater to be gimmicky or contrived. I want the log cabin construction to function as surface design, and for the sweater to otherwise be a flattering, wearable top. I’m using the “courthouse steps” arrangement of the log cabin strips to make a less blocky block, and even as a small swatch, the fabric has a nice loose swing to it, so I’m hopeful!

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Ok, everybody — see you over at #fringeandfriendslogalong! And of course we’ll have more to share both here and there in the coming weeks, including prize news/details back here on Friday—

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PREVIOUSLY in Log Cabin Make-along: Imagine if this were Log Cabinized

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Imagine if this were Log Cabin-ized

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Imagine if this were Log Cabin

In dreaming and scheming about your project for the Log Cabin Make-along, there are a couple of ways to think about it: choosing from existing log cabin patterns (some of which are noted in Ideas and Considerations), or applying log cabin to other sorts of things. Whether you use the original Log Cabin block or any of the variations taught in MDK’s Log Cabin Field Guide (ninepatch, etc), what it leads to is squares. Those squares can be knitted at any scale and joined into bigger squares or rectangles or T shapes, so the most obvious and straightforward thing is simply to make a square or a rectangle. That might mean a washcloth, a blanket or a scarf, but it certainly doesn’t have to. A small square can be a kerchief while a big airy square can be a shawl (folded into a triangle or otherwise). Add a button to a rectangle and it becomes a little wrap. But there are also loads of garments that are as simple as squares/rectangles sewn together in various ways — the most rudimentary being two squares sewn together with gaps left for head and armholes — and there’s no reason the fabric couldn’t be log cabin. Think how great any of these would be if you knitted them to the pattern’s dimensions but in log cabin patchwork fabric rather than plain stockinette:

TOP: Inversion by Jared Flood is one of countless two-way cardigan patterns in the Ravelry database, pretty much all of which are composed of joined rectangles and/or simply a big T shape with strategic seams. In the case of Inversion, it’s just two rectangles. See also Purl Soho’s Prewrapped Wrap (free pattern) for a T version, or the magnificent Veronika cardigan

BOTTOM LEFT: Easy Folded Poncho from Churchmouse is a creative reinvention of the rectangle and a perfect blank canvas for some patchwork

BOTTOM RIGHT: My First Summer Tunic from Berroco (free pattern) — referenced with mods described in this Knit the Look post — takes the “two squares equal a box top” idea and adds drop-shoulder sleeves.

NOT PICTURED: World’s Most Basic Fingerless Mitts pattern by Me right here right now: Knit/crochet a 7″–7.5″ square in the log cabin style of your choice (aka a washcloth! there are six options right in the book). Fold in half and seam into a tube, leaving a 1.5″ gap (the thumbhole) 2″ from the top edge. Repeat for second mitt. (In other words, imagine these are a log cabin square seamed to fit as pictured.)

Of course, if you’re willing and able to think it through, there’s no reason you couldn’t go so far as to work simple armhole and/or neck shaping into your log cabin block, for something as rudimentary as a Sloper (minimal armhole and neck shaping) or Loopy Mango’s cropped pullover (no armhole shaping, minimal neck shaping on the front) — or as fancy as you’re capable of plotting out!

Really, the sky’s the limit. What are some of your favorite patterns or projects made up of squares or rectangles? And do you know what you’re making yet?

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PREVIOUSLY in Log Cabin Make-along: Ideas and considerations

Log Cabin: Ideas and considerations

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Log Cabin: Ideas and considerations

The thing about this whole upcoming Log Cabin Make-along is it’s kind of a lot to think about! Am I right? If you’re anything like me, you might be combatting too-many-ideas-itis — debating yarns, color, pattern, what it will turn into. Of course, you can totally 100% keep it simple and knit something beautiful from one of the many great log cabin-inspired patterns in the world. But even then, there are most of these considerations, all of which are fun to ponder—

1. YARN / GAUGE
What yarn you use and how tightly you knit it will determine the character of the finished fabric — this is no less true for log cabin than any other form of knitting. Traditionally, log cabin patterns call for good ol’ garter stitch knitted at a gauge that’s the norm for the weight of the yarn. If you’re working with bulky yarn, that would mean a dense, gooshy fabric, whereas fingering-weight yarn would net a light and drapey fabric. But there’s no reason you can’t play around with gauge! For instance, the Sommerfeld Shawl (included in the Log Cabin Field Guide) calls for lace-weight mohair knitted at a very loose gauge, which takes a traditionally squishy fabric and makes it gossamer instead.

2. COLOR
If your goal is to knit from stash and scraps, you may wind up with a charming crazy-quilt sort of color scheme. Or if you have a palette you naturally tend toward, your leftovers may be inherently cohesive! On the other hand, you may be planning to bust open some fresh skeins for this and exercise complete control over the palette. Will it be bold and graphic, soft and subtle, monochrome, shades of sheep, black and white? Will it involve speckles or stripes? The possibilities are literally endless, and which way you decide to go may depend a lot on the other considerations here. For instance, are you making something to go with your couch or your wardrobe?

3. PATTERN
This whole form of knitting derives from quilting, and quilters are mind-blowing individuals. The myriad ways that simple blocks of color can be lined up with each other to form larger motifs and patterns is its own special rabbithole. With log cabin knitting, there are actually a few different basic blocks to start with — from original log cabin to courthouse steps, ninepatch, etc. Many of these are detailed in the Log Cabin Field Guide, but I recommend googling quilting patterns for inspiration about ways to use color and combine blocks. For example, check out this blog post and scroll down to Log Cabin Variations. The assorted motifs under the Chevron Blocks subhead alone have got my mind racing.

4. SCALE
In addition to gauge, think about how large or small your strips and blocks might be — again, how subtle or graphic. For example, look at the diminutive mitered squares of Marianne Isager’s sweater, Winter, versus the oversized blocks of Mason-Dixon’s Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket or Purl Soho’s Half Log Cabin Ombré Blanket. Scale alone can have an enormous effect on the look of your project. (And look what happens when you break up large blocks with stripes, as Terhi did!)

5. SHAPE
And then there’s the question of what it is you’re making! Is it a blanket or wrap, or will you turn your squares/rectangles into something 3-dimensional? Whether that’s a hat, a cowl or a sweater.

I’m working on a post about just that — patterns composed of squares or rectangles that could be filled with log cabin patterning. So look for that soon! And I’ve also started a Pinterest board for Log Cabin ideas, which I’ll continue to add to — although the latest changes to Pinterest mean my notes on the pins are mostly buried. (Why are they so hellbent on making it unusable?!)

Meanwhile, what are you thoughts and ideas so far — do you already know what you’re making? Will it be carefully planned or made up on the fly? Remember, cast on is January 1st! Share your plans below or on Instagram with hashtag #fringeandfriendslogalong.

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PREVIOUSLY in Log Cabin Make-along: Striped cabin

Top photo © Terhi Montonen, used with permission; pinboard here

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Fringe and Friends new-year knitalong: Preview and plans!

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Fringe and Friends new-year knitalong: Preview and plans!

Ok, announcement time! If you had a theory about the next Fringe and Friends Knitalong based on my former teasing, you may still be right … eventually. But for this next one, I’ve decided it’s high time to do something I’ve been talking about forever, plus this time I want to base it on a technique rather than a specific pattern (or even a garment type). How many times have I said I want to knit a big stash-busting blanket? Except there’s the minor drawback that I don’t actually want to knit a whole blanket. However, I am endlessly intrigued by Log Cabin construction. So this time around, I’m inviting you to join me for a little log-cabin free-for-all! Keep reading: This is even more exciting than it might sound!

WHAT IS LOG CABIN?

In a nutshell, log cabin is a method of knitting — based on traditional log cabin quilts — where you knit modularly, picking up stitches along one edge of a square and continuing to knit, then proceeding to build off the other edges, so the work expands organically rather than being seamed together, and without any intarsia. (Although there are cases where you might knit large blocks of log cabin and then seam those together.) It’s patchwork for knitters.

THE PLAN

My friends Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner over at Mason-Dixon Knitting — two of the smartest and most entertaining knitters I know — have very strong feelings about log cabin, so I’m teaming up with them for this one, and the starting point will be their fourth Field Guide book, Log Cabin, which contains an overview of how log cabin construction works, with assorted variations and three patterns, from which boundless things could be made. You are welcome to follow any of those,  or any other log cabin patterns, such as, say, the Albers Cowl or the Mitered Crosses Blanket or the Log Cabin Shawl. But what I love about using log cabin as the basis of this is that YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING you might dream up. In addition to the myriad ways there are to knit log-cabin style, just think of all the things there are in the world that you can construct from squares or rectangles — washcloths, pillow fronts, blankets, wraps, sure. But also cowls, box tops, shrugs, ponchos, ruanas. You could inset a panel in something, or knit a yoke and sleeves and join it to two big log-cabin blocks for the body. Truly, there is no end of ideas, and I can’t wait to see what you all might think up!

On top of that, whatever you make could be monochrome, ombré, tonal or rainbow-colored, in garter or textures. (More about that later.) And in addition to being rife with possibilities, this is a totally beginner-friendly idea, and makes room for those who want to make garments as well as those who do not. You could even be a quilter or crocheter or weaver and still play along! It is 100% up to you! And of course, you’re not required to work from stash, but that is one of the great benefits of this sort of knitting/crafting.

Between now and kickoff, we will be peppering you with ideas and food for thought, but the best starting point is the pocket-sized Log Cabin Field Guide, with its tutorials, and two posts on the Mason-Dixon blog: Start Small and Things Get Interesting.

THE SCHEDULE

We’re all headed into the thick of holiday bustle and holiday knitting, and we want to do this during selfish-knitting season, which means you have from now until the end of the year to conceptualize, swatch, paw through your stash for yarn and color palette ideas, and formulate a plan. And we’ll cast on January 1st.

That’s also when I’ll announce the rest of the panel, but you’ve probably already guessed Ann and Kay are on it!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

To knit along (or crochet- or quilt-along) simply use the hashtag on Instagram or wherever you post: #fringeandfriendslogalong. You’re welcome and encouraged to share your planning between now and then, but try to refrain from casting on until the official start date if you want to be eligible for prizes and all of that.

PRIZES?

Sure, probably! We’ll have details at kickoff time. ;)

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I think this is the most excited I’ve ever been about a FAFKAL, and I’ve been mighty excited about them all. Like I can’t stop thinking up ideas, and have had to forbid myself from opening up my stash bins and starting to gather yarns until I’ve crossed off certain other more urgent matters from my to-do list. But you will see me scheming here soon. How about you — are the wheels already turning in your mind?

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And the winners are …

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Summer of Basics winners

I’m not the least bit sad that summer is over and September is here, but I am sad that Summer of Basics is coming to a close! I’ve been so blown away and inspired by what everyone was making, and just by how many people jumped in and really challenged themselves, that I fully expect to suffer withdrawal as it begins to die down. (And I definitely have post-project depression now that my fisherman sweater is done.) Most of all, I’m hugely thankful to everyone who took me up on the challenge. I wanted to push myself this summer, and I might very well not have completed either my first button-up or my first pants if not for having such good company in which to tackle them.

But now it’s time for prizes! You know how I feel about this: The real prize is the garments you made and the experience you gained and the fun you had on the #summerofbasics feed. (Even real-life friendship. Geez, tearjerker right here!) But we do have some great giveaways to announce, just to gild the lily. For my part, I was smart enough to make Fringe’s contribution a random drawing — I am so glad I don’t have to actually judge, because you guys have made it way too hard! The three remaining prizes will be announced on the respective prize donors’ blogs this week as follows:

Wednesday: Best Modification/Alteration to be announced on the Kelbourne Woolens blog
Thursday: Best Combination of Garments to be announced on the Grainline Studio blog
Friday: Best First Garment (knitted or sewn) to be announced on the Fancy Tiger Crafts blog

So make sure you check in at each location to see who won, as well as what the fine ladies of Kelbourne-Grainline-Fancy made!

And for today, the winner of the random drawing for the $100 Fringe Supply Co. gift certificate is <drumroll> @stephaniebastek! This skirt Stephanie made with her mom’s guidance and her grandmother’s thread was one of my favorite stories along the way, so I smiled wide when I opened my eyes and saw what my finger had landed on. Go read it. Stephanie followed this (her first sewn garment) with two lovely dresses. (This skirt is Colette’s Zinnia pattern.)

. . .

Despite everything I just said, I’ve decided to add some fun bonus prizes just because there’s so much amazing stuff in the feed, I wanted to be able to call attention to a few more people. So the following participants are each getting a Fringe Field Bag in the color of their choice:

• The “Someone Distract Her While I Steal Her Stuff” Award goes to: Actually, nope, I can’t pick. There are too many contenders!

• The “That is TOO MUCH” Medal goes to: @callmedwj for her matching pup-and-me sweaters

• The “I Love Her Attitude” Prize goes to: @whitneyknits, go read that caption

• The “Upcycling Genius” Grant goes to: @radiolazyy for this absolutely stunning jacket made from three old pairs of black jeans, wider shot of all three drop-dead gorgeous garments here. (Honorable mention to @tanneicasey for her hand-stitched, handmade espadrilles fashioned from her kid’s old jeans)

• The “Why Didn’t I Think of That” Certificate goes to: @beththais — I would never have thought to get that chic little sleeveless top out of the Reeta Shirtdress. So good!

• The “Workplace Chic” Commendation goes to: @mariecarter, and I can’t believe those are her firsts!

• and the coveted “Damn, She Makes Pregnancy Look Good!” Badge goes to: @claireallenplatt

If I’ve just mentioned your name, please email me at <contact@fringesupplyco.com> to collect your prize!

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A lot of people have asked if I’ll be hosting this challenge again next year, and I think that’s a pretty safe bet. Seriously, thank you so much for making it such a blast! Thanks so much to Grainline Studio, Fancy Tiger Crafts and Kelbourne Woolens for the amazing prizes! And if you missed the full three months of wonder, at least check out the #sob17finisher feed. I promise you’ll feel inspired.

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PREVIOUSLY in Summer of Basics:

Here and there

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Lykke "Driftwood" DPNs and crochet hooks

This has been quite a week. In addition to the events in the news and the impending eclipse, I’m sure a lot of you are in the thick of back-to-school and all of that. With everything happening — especially surrounding the fundraiser — I didn’t manage to pull together an Elsewhere for today, but there are a couple of things I want to make sure nobody missed:

– Most important: my thank-you note and what happened next with regard to the fundraiser. I still feel completely bowled over (in the best way) and so inspired by what transpired on Wednesday. You’re amazing, amazing people.

– Also super important: Monday’s further details on how to submit for Summer of Basics prizes. (13 days left!) The finishes are rolling in and they’re so good! See #summerofbasics

– And in long-awaited shop news: We now have Lykke “Driftwood” double-pointed needle sets and crochet hook sets available! Omg so gorgeous.

Have a fantastic weekend—

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PREVIOUSLY: Elsewhere

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