Yarnbombs

New Buttmunches Yarnbomb: Monster Benches at the Ferry Building

By 13 Comments
New Buttmunches Yarnbomb: Monster Benches at the Ferry Building
When my sister, Jill, and I aren’t working on publishing new knitting and crochet patterns or a commissioned installation, we do what we love most: yarnbombing. If you haven’t checked out our new zine called Fuse that’s all about what yarnbombing it is and why/how people do it, get with the program here!
Ever since our big Squid Tree yarnbomb in San Mateo, we’ve wanted to design a new character-based yarnbomb in a great spot. We got the perfect chance when CCTV-America asked to film us installing a yarnbomb for their new show about creativity called Full Frame: introducing our newest monster bench yarnbomb we’re calling Buttmunches!

(more…)

Yarnbombs

Banana Tree Yarnbomb

By 9 Comments
Banana Tree Yarnbomb

One of these days Jill and I will learn to do small-scale.

But not this day! A Bay Area volunteer group commissioned us to yarnbomb their community health and fitness festival at a San Mateo elementary school, so we had to pull out the big guns for the kids. The festival had a bumping DJ, an obstacle course, healthy snacks, free blood pressure and cholesterol testing, tile painting for a school mural, and a free photo booth. It was so rad!

We helped celebrate healthy eating with a sneaky monkey in a wildly botanically incorrect banana tree. (more…)

Projects

Vogue Knitting Live Seattle Recap

By 9 Comments
Vogue Knitting Live Seattle Recap

If you’ve never been to a Vogue Knitting Live show yet, put it on your bucket list! VK Live is full of fun classes from fixing moth holes to designing toys, and a marketplace of colors and textures to die for–plus real live bunnies! For last week’s west coast Seattle show, Jill and I partnered with Lion Brand Yarn for an epic new installation: an Octopuss knitting and crochet class. (more…)

News

Hanasaurusrex under the sea

By 2 Comments
Hanasaurusrex under the sea

You’ve probably repinned Hanasaurusrex‘s famous meter monsters on Pinterest and thought, “now THAT’S a yarnbomb! Can I get a pattern for that?” You’re right! And sadly, no, but that’s why you should stand up right now and spin around so fast that you get dizzy, then toss your head back and let your imagination careen around until it confesses what YOU want to say on the streets with your yarnbombs. Try it!

Hannah’s famous for her ability to design anything cool and cute in knit or crochet. Here’s a round-up of some of my favorite projects of hers: (more…)

Projects

Winter Olympics Knit & Crochet Window Display

By 9 Comments
Winter Olympics Knit & Crochet Window Display

Jill and I recently started designing fiber-inspired window displays for our local yarn shop, Nine Rubies, in downtown San Mateo, California. Here is our previous knitted window display, with pom-pom Christmas tree and knit wrapping paper. Saloni, the shop owner, challenged us to a 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics window display to enliven the remainder of what little winter we get in California. As always, the challenge is to design an entirely knit window display–or at least entirely knit, crochet, and fiber-filled. Since you guys loved seeing our process in the Squid Tree post, I’ll show you a little here too. We love how it turned out! (more…)

Projects

Holiday food fun: Knit pie & a gingerbread village

By 3 Comments
Holiday food fun: Knit pie & a gingerbread village

Thanksgiving knit apple pie & crochet pumpkin pie

Last year I made mini mince pies for my grandfather, Pa, for the last time and topped a pumpkin pie with prancing moose from our trip to the Okanagan. In retrospect, I think I needed to go all out in order not to let Pa’s last mince pie stand out like a sore thumb in time. Since I had just gone all epic on his ass a month before, in my 80 hour Day of the Dead filet crochet memorial pieces, going all out might just be how I deal with emotions. Ya think? This year a nice engrossing challenge was in order. And then that dough just called to be spun into yarn. (more…)

Projects

We Knit a Window Display for our Local Yarn Shop

By 11 Comments
We Knit a Window Display for our Local Yarn Shop

I wanted to share one of the things Jill and I worked on lately. We have an EPIC project going up next week, but in the mean time I’ve managed to squeeze in another fun job.

Downtown San Mateo’s local yarn shop, Nine Rubies, is wonderfully supportive of local crafters and yarnbombing, so it’s no surprise they recruited us to spruce up the huge front window for the holidays.

If you’re in the Bay Area, Nine Rubies just might convince you to get out of the house on Black Friday: they’re offering 40% off everything! Check out the details on their Facebook page here. (more…)

New Patterns

New Crochet Pattern: Monster Slippers

By 14 Comments
New Crochet Pattern: Monster Slippers

Our first yarn bombs were imaginative mailbox feet that transformed the big blue boxes into elves, ducks, frogs, and monsters. They soon became our most popular work, with everyone requesting slipper versions of their own to wear at home. Indeed, why should mailboxes have all the fun? Now you can yarn bomb your feet with this new Monster Slippers crochet pattern, available for instant download where ever you like to buy patterns: Ravelry, Etsy, or Craftsy. (more…)

Projects

Meet the Pattern: Knit Teddy Bear Plushie

By 8 Comments
Meet the Pattern: Knit Teddy Bear Plushie

I’m excited for this second installment of my new blog post series, “Meet the Pattern.” This series reveals the stories behind knitting and crochet patterns. Each story will differ a little, but the goal is to:

  1. introduce you to a new pattern
  2. show you what’s involved in making it
  3. hear some of the designer’s thoughts
  4. follow my finished object on its first adventures.

Now, let’s meet another pattern! (more…)

New Patterns

New crochet pattern: Choir of Angels Christmas Ornaments

By 3 Comments
New crochet pattern: Choir of Angels Christmas Ornaments

Every December after the fresh-cut tree is up I set aside an evening to gather around and unpack our family ornaments. We take turns hanging them one at a time, sharing again the familiar story behind each one. A trio of brilliantly painted wooden angels always delights. Like a little chorus of seraphim in heaven, they sing out their song, “holy, holy, holy!” I wanted to share my family’s tradition with you by designing a simple crochet angel ornament pattern with just enough charming detail to earn a place on your family’s tree for years to come. (more…)