Crafty Shakeups as 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:

During the summer (which is what it is where I am writing from) I like to share patterns for things that you can knit and use even when it’s warm out. And sometimes they are things you can use when it’s cold, too, like this collection of coffee cup cozies. Because hot coffee is a must almost any time of year.

This simple pattern form Darling Jadore is a great one for beginners and could be a good first knitting in the round project. It uses worsted weight yarn and includes video tutorials if you need extra help.

If you want a perfectly plain cozy that you can jazz up with your own designs, check out the Base Doodle Cup Cozy from Jamie Lomax. This free pattern on Ravelry comes in two sizes (short and long) and is meant to be used with her doodle charts to make it your own. You could also keep it plain, add stripes or design your own motifs to stitch on it.

Most coffee cozy patterns that I see are just sleeves meant to go over travel mugs, but what if your mug has a handle? This pattern from Stacey’s Knit Wits has an I-cord loop and button so you can use it on a mug with a handle or a travel cup. It uses DK weight yarn.

Coffee cozies are a fun way to play with stitch patterns and learn new techniques. If you’ve never knit cables before, this cozy from Purple Wool Co. would be a great first cable project, as it features simple braided cables all the way around. It uses worsted weight yarn and is worked in the round.

Try double knitting to make an extra-insulating coffee cozy with this pattern from Tracy Leming. It includes little color changes so you can get the concept of how double knitting works on a small scale. It also can include a little pocket for a tea bag if you want. This one uses worsted weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Or try stranded knitting with the Love in the Air cozy from Danielle Thuen. It features hearts of different sizes and is worked in sock yarn. You’ll need to make sure those floats are nice and loose so it will stretch to hug your cup. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

They’re also a fun way to add a bit of flair to an otherwise plain cup. KnitnKaboodle Designs has this lovely leaf-shaped cozy pattern, which you could use for hot or cold beverages by changing up the fiber you choose (that’s pretty much always true). It is made in pieces that are stitched together and can be worked in a single color or choose different colors for each leaf.

Next Pattern:

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