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Crafty Shakeups as Wool & the Gang, Creativebug Sold

April 25, 2017 by Sarah White

Wool & the Gang, Creativebug sold.There have been a couple of crafty news items in the past few days that I thought were worth noting for those of you who care about the crafty industry (which, if you buy yarn or knitting books or take online classes, you should care about).

Back on April 11, Jo-Ann Stores announced its acquisition of Creativebug, the online craft and DIY education site.

If you don’t know Creativebug, you should. It was founded in 2012 and now has more than 1,000 classes in all sorts of genres, from knitting and crochet to sewing and quilting, food and kids’ crafts. Some classes are all about techniques, while others walk you through a full project.

And Jo-Ann you probably already know as the nation’s largest craft retailer, with 850-plus stores in almost every state. Jo-Ann and Creativebug had already partnered on projects in the past, and Creativebug says the deal will open them to new audiences.

More specifically knitting related is the announcement that BlueGem, which owns the iconic British department store Liberty and had previously purchased French thread maker DMC, is now buying trendy knitting kit company Wool & the Gang. The company sells knitting and crochet kits, yarn and supplies.

It will be interesting to see what these changes mean for these businesses. We’ll no doubt see advertisements for Creativebug classes in Jo-Ann stores (and maybe kits of supplies to go with those classes), and the Wool & the Gang kits will probably be sold in Liberty. It’s always great to see wider audiences for crafting, so I think these announcements are good news. What do you think?

Next Pattern:

  • Golden Peak Media Acquires CreativeBug
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Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

Add Some Texture to Your Summer Knitting

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