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New Patterns, Tutorials, Yarnbombs

MFYBAL Week 4


Quick links: MFYBAL overview, weeks 1, 23, 4, 5, 6.

Welcome to Week 4 of the Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Along!

This week we crochet the Leg section of the pattern. It’s pretty quick work, so we’ll spend some of this post sharing your stories from the past three weeks. Next week we’ll add optional claws or toenails.

Remember, it’s never too late to join inGo at your own pace, fast or slow. All the resources will remain on the web! Each week is listed at the top and bottom of each post for quick reference.

Our forum is full of amazing crocheters!

Wow, we’re amazed at what a phenomenally experienced group of yarn bombers and crocheters are hanging out in the MFYBAL forum! We wanted to point this out because the forum is poised to be an excellent resource. If you have a favorite yarn bomb, there’s a good chance the person who made it is in the forum. So go wild and ask all those questions you’ve always wondered about. What are your fears about the upcoming installation? Do you have any tips for people who are doing their first yarn bomb? Nothing is off topic!

Here’s some past work by the talented members of our forum.

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern

Installations are happening!

As we are starting to see monster feet in the wild, we wanted to give some shout outs to the interesting locations and stories you shared in the forums and on social media so far. Remember you are not behind! The purpose of our sharing these is not to stress you out or make you feel behind. Rather, it’s to provide you with some interesting tips and stories to mull over as we approach the final week’s installation. Go at your own pace and keep sharing your stories!

Pyganies found the world’s funniest bench for a pair of Monster Feet on her school campus. Someone was sitting on it waiting for the bus, but she wasn’t deterred. We are giving Pyganies a virtual Ounce of Preparation badge (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ for putting a separate needle and thread on each foot so she could install as fast as possible!

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern
Pyganies came prepared for a flash installation on the worlds best bench for feet.

A Green Toe badge (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ goes out to rckh2o in rural Nebraska for getting her feet wet with yarn bombing. Because her small town lacks anonymity, she’s starting her journey toward becoming the crazy yarn bomb lady with monster feet in her own back yard garden. We think this is a great idea! Like we’ve said, Lorna over here is secretly a selfish yarn bomber and loves to put pieces near home.

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern
rckh2o seems to be continuing a tradition of stashing monsters around the house…

If you’re still on the fence about where to put your monster feet, take a tip from Naomi. “I’m nervous about stepping out of my comfort zone… and attempt FEET aarrgh. But I know the local kids will LOVE them.” What did Naomi do with her nerves and monster feet? She secretly installed her first pair outside a friend’s office as a surprise! One is Silver and the Other’s Gold badge (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ for Naomi. Now she says she’s hooked and is already hooking up some jumbo feet by holding the yarn double and using a jumbo hook. Can’t wait to see how they come out!

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern
Naomi dealt with her nerves by planting the feet near a friend’s place as a surprise.

We love this “screech” of the record needle Lorri did upon seeing a sad bench in need of some love. “These monster feet were originally going to grace a USPS mailbox but the… bus stop looked so sad, that it got covered first. A regular rider waiting for his ride proclaimed them ‘Dope!'” Toes on Fleek badge (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ for the custom tag! It looks like this was a difficult spot to sew in and we also are dying to know if the feet stretched to fit or did you adjust them for the bench?

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern
Lorri went rogue and repurposed feet she made for a mailbox after seeing this sad-looking bench.

Alex has a warning for us all: double check your bag and checklist before heading out to yarn bomb. On his way home from work he planned to install his first pair of feet, only to realize one was missing. Gah! He had to wait all night to see if he left it at work or dropped it and lost it forever. Fortunately it was hiding under a table at work, yay! Gonna hand Alex’s this chocolatey Butterfingers badge (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ.

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern
Alex’s three-toed variation in East Harlem.

Ok, last fun story. Jen has yarn bombed lots, but told us it’s with growing trepidation since several of her pieces have gone missing. For MFYBAL she asked the library if she could do the bike rack. Great idea! The more work you put into something, the more you risk by installing it guerrilla style. Getting permission not only can help your nerves but provide some reassurance it won’t go missing. In our experience, yarn bombing overwhelmingly leads to more positive things. And it did! “Amazing news. Library loves the idea. So much so they want to do a program around it!! I’m so excited. Thanks for the support guys.” Jen is saving the library for a bigger project since the risk is reduced. Smart Cookie badge (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ right there. We can’t wait to see where she puts her monster feet.

Hop on over to the MFYBAL forum and let us know how it’s going for you.

Week 3 recap

Before we get crocheting, we wanted to give a shout out to all the people who shared their week 3 progress. You guys are killing us with how much fun you’re having over on Instagram with these #mfybal posts and stories. Keep them coming, and remember to follow each other too!

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern

Week 4: the Leg Section

OK let’s get down to business with this week’s crocheting.

If you’ve always made crochet stitches in the top of the row below, you’re about to go crazy and try something new! Crocheting is so sculptural and permissive. You can put the next stitch anywhere you want, really. So let’s do it! Check out the video tutorial above or follow along here with the photos.

Notice how your flaps from last week are splayed out to the sides to wrap around the pole. Now we need to build height with rows parallel to the ground. We’re just going to pretend our work so far is one big rectangle and keep going. Yep, we can totally do this: crochet lets you do whatever you want!

How many stitches are in this new row? It depends on how big around your pole is and how big your stitches are, so the pattern can’t say. Typically you’d make a swatch to determine your stitches per inch. But that’s a waste of time because we have two swatches right here in our flaps! If you get lost with swatching, the pattern has distilled it to the essentials for you. Just plug in the numbers and you get the number of stitches in the leg rows.

Number of stitches in leg row = (circumference of the pole / width of the flap row) x 12. We got 20.

Notice in the photo below that one row is worked across the top of entire piece. To evenly space the stitches, it helps to mentally divide your work into quarters. Put one quarter of the stitches in half of one flap, and so on.

Knits for Life Monster Feet Yarn Bomb Crochet Pattern

What if my pole isn’t straight?

Beth had this question in the forum because she’s doing a tapered chair leg. Since this is a small project and we don’t need to worry about wasting yarn, just make the flaps and leg to the largest circumference. When you install you can overlap the narrow areas to get a tailored fit.

So, keep crocheting until you reach your measured height and this project is almost done!

Next week we’ll be back for the toenails and claws. We look forward to seeing what you’re up to this week!

xxxo,

Lorna & Jill

@KnitsForLife

Quick links: MFYBAL overview, weeks 1, 23, 4, 5, 6.

Projects

Repurposed Old Navy Yarnbomb


If yarnbombing is a waste of time and materials, then why don’t aerosol artists get flack for not touching up house paint jobs instead of painting street walls? Because art. True, yarnbombing is more temporary and removable. But even Scotch Guarded yarnbombs don’t seem clean after a good wash and dry. Unless they’ve been indoors. And that’s just where our Old Navy truck yarnbomb was all through the holiday season. So when the Old Navy team asked us to repurpose the yarnbomb into memorabilia for the office, we put every usable scrap to work. (more…)

News

Photo tour of our new fiber art studio


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Earlier this summer my sister, Jill, and I moved into a new art studio space at the Claremont Art Studios in San Mateo, California. I’ve been meaning to share Jill’s great photos of our space for a while now, so here we go. If you still want more, we love studio visits! We have an open house every first friday of the month. Contact me to schedule a visit.

This is where the magic happens. (more…)

Projects

We Knit a Window Display for our Local Yarn Shop


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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: Choir of Angels Christmas Ornaments


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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…)

New Products

What’s hot: chair socks


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What’s selling: custom table socks

Do you peek at Etsy shops’ sales more often than their stock? Guilty! Who wants to see the leftovers? Not me!

My custom table socks in recycled yarn are hot! This time, before they flew out the door and in the mail, I snapped some photos. Why has the furniture sock trend popped up on Etsy and Pinterest? Scroll past the pics, where I tell you.

Custom Table Socks Recycled Yarn by Knits for Life
4-Pack of custom eco table socks by Knits for Life, $25.
    4-Pack of Custom Table Socks, in 100% New Recycled Yarn, by Knits for Life, $25.
Crocheted with European 100% new recycled yarn, by Berroco Yarns.
    4-Pack of Custom Table Socks, in 100% New Recycled Yarn, by Knits for Life, $25.
Ready to go with a coupon-loaded Moo card in a recycled, hand-stamped envelope.
Eco Friendly Crochet Decor by Knits for Life square
Retro tube sock table socks rock my world, and my fiber art studio.
Eco Friendly Home Decor by Knits for Life
Eco yarns are widely available now. Use them!

Why are they popular?

  • Closed-bottom socks protect bare floors. DD ordered a long, skinny pair for when she slides her new Table-Mate tray and laptop over to the couch. Now she wants socks in every color!
  • Yarn bombing isn’t just an outdoor phenomenon. Outdoor yarn bombs get shabby, but indoor bombs on clocks, chairs, and vases stay awesome. Plus you get to enjoy them all the time. My yarn bombed chairs feature in the upcoming issue of Graffiti Beach magazine.
  • Retro + surprising + eco = hot! From crochet to tube socks, what’s old is hot again. But please, let’s forgo granny squares and macrame. Reinvent played out trends, add some ethics, and you win.

Pin what’s selling

Remember, Pinterest rivals Facebook and Twitter in sites that get you traffic.

So, keep an eye to what’s selling when you pin. What’s selling = what people search for on Pinterest = your pins come up in searches. Embroidered Vans that epitomize needlepoint? Pin it! Personalized hand made needle felted necklaces for $19? Pin it! Custom table socks in recycled yarn? Pin it!

Don’t forget the description box. Search can give you a hand, but only if you hold out yours. Fill the description box with the terms that are selling.

Pin what’s selling, get followers, increase visibility of all your other pins. Got it? Good!

Now pin your favorite table sock image above and tell me what you’ve been selling lately in a comment. You can also follow my Pinterest board of furniture socks.

xxxo

Lorna at Knits for Life

New Products, News

Yarn Bombed Furniture at STUDIO Gallery in SF


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I am pleased to show you two more yarn bombed chairs in yellow and brown to go with the white one I made a few weeks ago. Made from reclaimed IKEA furniture and covered in crocheted recycled yarn, they exude my eco-friendly hand made style. All three are on display at STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco until May 27th with the San Francisco Etsy Street Team gallery show.

Yours truly,

Lorna at Knits for Life