Stacey | FreshStitches

A Yarn Lover’s Guide to Washington, DC

by Stacey on May 16, 2013

Today’s guest tutorial is written by Jennifer Crowley, the designer/teacher/blogger at www.tinkingturtle.com. Jennifer Crowley is a knit and crochet designer who teaches up and down the east coast. You can check out her designs on Ravelry. Recent and upcoming publications include Sockupied, Knitpicks and Classic Elite Yarns. When not knitting or crochet, she can be […]

What else can you do with a unicorn pattern?

by Stacey on May 14, 2013

When I published Flavia the Unicorn, I thought I was being quite clever in suggesting you could use the same pattern to make both a unicorn and a horse! And then you guys got your creative juices flowing… But my ideas are nothing compared to what happened when you guys got your hands on the […]

The dolls are here!

by Stacey on May 13, 2013

I’m so excited… I’ve been waiting for this day for a while! FreshStitches Dolls are here! I’ve been wanting to design a line of dolls for a while… I knew they needed to be cute and adorable, but also easy to crochet. I was letting the ideas simmer in my head until I came up […]

Suggestions for skin color yarns!

by Stacey on May 12, 2013

It can be hard to find a nice skin-tone yarn. So, I’ve compiled a few suggestions for you! Keep in mind that it’s going to be hard to find a yarn that’s exactly like a skin tone… remember you’re crocheting a toy, not painting an exact likeness! Keep your mind open, and you’ll find a […]

Blanket Stitch Tutorial

by Stacey on May 11, 2013

What’s the blanket stitch? Some fancy new crochet stitch? Nope! It’s an embroidery stitch! Why… I know you’re wondering… is there a tutorial for an embroidery stitch on a crocheting/knitting blog? Well, it turns out that the blanket stitch is really easy to do and is a great stitch to use for attaching felt appliques […]

Crafts in Vietnam

by Stacey on May 9, 2013

I saw oodles of great crafting on my trip to Vietnam! I’m going to give you an overview of some of the most popular crafts, as well as some resources and tips (whether you’re looking to purchase finished crafts or materials to do your own crafting!) In general, Vietnam is a very poor country where […]

A little reminder about gauge…

by Stacey on May 7, 2013

Most of the time, I crochet stuffed animals. You don’t really need to do a gauge swatch for them, because it doesn’t really matter if the animal is 1/2″ smaller or larger than you expect. But then… I do other projects. And I forget that guage is important. Check out these two squares I just […]

New to crocheting? Try an animal!

by Stacey on May 4, 2013

I honest-to-goodness think the easiest way to learn to crochet is to make an animal. But of course, I design crochet animal patterns… so maybe you don’t want to take my word for it! I reached out to my readers and asked for folks whose first crochet project was a stuffed animal! Responses came pouring […]

How to overdye yarn!

by Stacey on April 30, 2013

Admit it. You have a skein of yarn in your stash that isn’t your favorite color. You might not even be sure how it got there… What’s a girl to do? Overdye it! How to Overdye I’m a huge fan of Kool-Aid Dyeing yarn, but when you’re trying to cover up an existing color… Kool-Aid […]

My knitting goals… what will I do this year?

by Stacey on April 28, 2013

Aww… today’s the last day of Knitting and Crochet Blog Week! Doesn’t that make you sniffle a little bit? Alas, it’s time to think about where I want to be in my knitting life… this time next year! Goal: overcome start-anxiety Many knitters I know have start-it-is: their favorite part is casting on for a […]