Category Archives: Shop

Summer essentials

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Summer essentials

I’ve been sitting on these for a little while, and it may be because I secretly wish I could hoard them all for myself and have a lifetime supply — they are literally the most perfect summer canvas tote I’ve ever found. But while I’m keeping one of each size for myself — the jumbo version has replaced my bolga basket as the keeper of my WIPs and tools — the rest are now in the webshop and ready to come live with you.

I also have a new quarterly journal for you to tuck into your new bag and pore over langorously on the porch or at the beach. It’s called Trouvé and it’s a magazine about the lives of creative people — think of it as being to makers what Kinfolk is to gatherings. This is the first issue of Trouvé, and I’m very happy to have it in the mix!

Summer essentials

Happy Friday, everybody! I’m planning to knit some cables this weekend — how about you?

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Knit and let knit!

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Knit and Let Knit tote, new from Fringe Supply Co.

So I’m off to Indianapolis for the trade show this weekend, then taking a side trip to Nashville for a few days next week. I’m seeing Anna in Indy and we’re planning to finally photograph our finished Tag Team Sweater Project sweaters. And I expect to still be blogging. (Will do my level best while on the road.) But I am leaving you with something I find extremely exciting and hope you will too, which is this NEW TOTE BAG! At long last. This one’s been in my head for ages, based on requests I’ve gotten since changing the blog tagline a year or more ago, so as usual I’m thrilled to finally have it in my hands and eager to get it into yours! Anie will be here while I’m gone, filling orders just as fast as she can — and if you get your order in right away, there’s even still time to get one for Mother’s Day! For all the details on the tote, check it out at Fringe Supply Co.

Have a happy weekend! I’m taking more than enough knitting to keep me busy until I rendezvous with Bob’s yarn. How about you?

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Mother’s Day (or any day!) gift guide

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Whether you have a mother who knits or are a mother who knits, obviously I think the best gifts are all at Fringe Supply Co. Here are some sweet ideas for putting together a few nice things:

Mother's Day (or any day!) gift ideas

1. Blue chambray Bento Bag ($16-24) // Handmade leather stitch marker pouch ($28) // Japanese snips ($16) // Bone double-pointed needles ($30) and repair hook ($4-6)

Mother's Day (or any day!) gift ideas

2. Knitters Graph Paper Journal ($12) // Oblong linen tool pouch ($20) // Rosewood double-pointed needles ($16-18) // Half-brass scissors ($10)

Mother's Day (or any day!) gift ideas

3. Slate ticking Bento Bag ($16-24) // Row counter ($8.50) // Bonsai-style scissors ($8) // Wooden gauge ruler ($8)

Mother's Day (or any day!) gift ideas

And a gift any mom will love — no knitting required!

4. Natural linen Bento Bag ($16-24) // Linen pocket pouch ($16) // Large scissors ($14)

Of course, there’s also lots more to choose from, over at Fringe Supply Co.

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Happy weekend, everyone!

103 ways to tie a knot

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103 ways to tie a knot

Hey, good news: That macramé book I’ve been telling you about? It’s here! Well, part of my order is, anyway — not as many copies as I had intended, but enough for the most eager among you to get your hands on it.

As I mention on the shop page, this is an American version of a Japanese book, which you may have inferred from the characteristically plainspoken title, Macramé Pattern Book. It’s 100% in English, but it still has all the aesthetic flavor of a Japanese craft book, with influences ranging from Navajo to Nordic. The knot patterns run from very simple braids to quite elaborate decorative motifs, and projects include everything from friendship bracelets and tassels, to straps and handles, to bags and baskets. But it’s written as a complete how-to guide, starting with tools, how to sit, how to tie basic knots, etc, and then taking you up through the more elaborate stuff. In short: It’s awesome.

I’m honestly not sure how many of you are eager about macramé, but I guess we’ll find out! It could be that these copies are plenty to go around, or they could be gone in an hour. But as far as I know, there are more coming.

AND DON’T FORGET! I love sticking edibles into shipments, and am having great fun this week sending out free cookies. This madness lasts through Sunday: orders of $30 and above (before shipping) will arrive on your doorstep with a ginger cookie enclosed, my treat.

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Happy Friday, everyone! Having FINISHED my Trillium (pics soon), I’m free to do whatever I want this weekend, and there will be some macramé going on over here. What will you be up to?

Jen Hewett bags: too pretty to last

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Jen Hewett drawstring bags: too pretty to last!

You guys, I have something really sweet and special for you in the webshop today: a very limited number of muslin drawstring bags from artist Jen Hewett. They’re lovely and useful and hand-printed and there are only 32 of them in the world and you should rush right over there and get one, but when you get back, I’ll tell you why this is especially special to me. Go ahead …

<whistling>

… so Jen was one of several creative women I was following a couple of years ago when I was pondering throwing caution (aka my job) to the wind and starting Fringe. I found her by way of a very popular pin about her post-it note to-do system and wound up an avid reader of her blog, where she wrote a lot about dividing her time between her corporate HR consulting gig and her creative business. It was all very inspiring and helpful to me, so I owe her a debt of gratitude for unknowingly providing that.

Meanwhile, I’ve been following her on Instagram for a long time, where she’s currently doing a little project called #52weeksofprintmaking. Each week she carves a block just for the sake of flexing her creative muscle (and Instagramming it) and prints it onto something and then Instagrams the finished piece. It might be a pillow or a wall-hanging or just about anything, but it’s just for her. Last week she posted these yarn ball-like blocks and it didn’t really register with me until she showed them printed onto a muslin bag. Even though I know it wasn’t intended to be a product, I immediately asked if I could please have some for Fringe Supply Co. and she obliged, lovingly printing 32 bags, front and back — all by hand — and stamping the inside with her logo. You can see them in the making on her Instagram feed. It makes me really happy to have them in the shop, but I don’t expect them to last long, given how few of them there are.

And if they happen to be gone before you read this, hold out hope that Jen and I will collaborate on more Fringe goods — I know I am.

OH, AND! the gorgeous Rosewood DPNs have been restocked, so all sizes are available again.

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Happy Friday, everyone! Thanks for reading —

You’re gonna want these needles

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You're gonna want these needles

There are those among you who are forever trying to talk me out of using DPNs, being fans of the Magic Loop method and all. But you’ll have to pry my DPNs out of my cold, dead fingers because they’re among the most beautiful and pleasing things in my world. I have quite a variety of them at this point, including some of the incomparably swoony bone DPNs from the shop (which I’ll be accumulating over time). But my newest love, which I’m excited to add to my personal collection and to the virtual shelves, are these Indian rosewood DPNs that made their debut last night. The rosewood is just so, so beautiful, and in many ways superior to bamboo. Most notably: the pointier tips. You will seriously love them and want to collect them, but hop on over to Fringe Supply Co. and figure out which size you want first!

p.s. For the Bento collectors, the smalls are now freshly restocked as well.
p.p.s. There are still a few sale items to be had.

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Please have a wonderful weekend, and tell me what you’re working on! I’m hoping for a rainy day away from my desk. After having been buried in tax-season spreadsheets all week, I’d love nothing more than to camp out on the couch with my Trillium.
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This is not a pretty picture

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Sampling the Channel Cardigan

It’s grainy, it’s a little blurry, it had to be converted to black and white because the carpet and walls are just too horrifying for me to inflict on you, but I wanted to show you this picture anyway. It’s me at VKLive last Sunday, wearing the sample of Jared Flood’s Channel Cardigan. Talk about feeding an obsession — is it awesome or what?! I liked it before — thought it looked like a ton of fun to knit — but now that I’ve had it on, I can’t stop thinking about it. There is no question I’m knitting it (and probably before or concurrent with poor old Slade). The only question is what yarn. I want it to be something with outstanding stitch definition, obviously, but not quite as hot as the BT Shelter. I’d like to be able to wear it for most of the year, so I need some kind of wool-cotton blend or something. Not pure cotton, preferably a tweed or heather. If you have suggestions, I’m all ears!

Also, FYI, I got to spend a couple of hours knitting with the illustrious and adorable Ann Shayne (of Mason-Dixon Knitting) this week, and she posted a tiny video of me knitting Portuguese style. I don’t know how helpful it is, but for everyone who was left curious after my inadequate description of the process …

New at Fringe Supply Co: Bookhou!

In other news, there are some thrilling new things in the webshop today, which some of you will have seen at Stitches West and/or VKLive. Carrying Bookhou goods has been a goal for me since the launch of Fringe Supply Co. Maker Arounna Khounnoraj is sort of an idol of mine — I’m stunned at the amount of talent and taste and hard work in this one person. And her sewn goods are not only beautiful but imminently useful and attainably priced. So I’m thrilled to finally have her storage box and assorted pouches in store.

Also, by popular demand, the “high-fiber diet” design is now available as a letterpress print! The perfect companion to the Yarn Pyramid. I hope you love all of it!

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Happy Friday, everyone. Please do tell me what you’re working on this weekend!