Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Knit a Giant Shawl to Keep You Cozy

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After sharing summer shawl knitting patterns the other day, I decided to go in completely the opposite direction for this one.

The Tigris Shawl by Olga Fahim is a big old shawl. It’s a triangle that measures 82 inches (or 210 cm) in wingspan and is 35 inches/85 cm deep at the center of the triangle.

It’s worked in stockinette stitch with a garter stitch edging, so it’s great meditative knitting you don’t have to pay that much attention to if you don’t want to.

The shawl has three color sections, including a solid section of each of the main colors and stripes that switch positions at the center of the shawl.

It’s a really striking look and not all that hard to do. This is actually a great way to practice how to knit intarsia because there’s only one color change in each row.

I love the combination of a sandy color and black on the sample, but of course you can use any two colors you want, whether they be high contrast or more coordinating. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn and here uses a camel yarn, which is a lovely luxury that’s sure to keep you warm all winter long.

And in case you’re wondering at the name, the Tigris of course is a river, and the designer says the fabric of the shawl is flowly like a river. Also using the name Tigirs is a little bit of a play on tiger for the striped section of the shawl.

If you’re in a part of the world where it’s cold now, this would be a great project to work on and snuggle under as you go. For those of us in warmer climes, it’s a great way to get ready for cooler weather ahead.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Olga Fahim]

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Golden Peak Media Acquires CreativeBug

Throughout the saga of the closing of Joann, I’ve been wondering what would happen to CreativeBug, the subscription-based online craft learning platform that Joann acquired in 2017. 

Golden Peak Media has announced its acquisition of the company in a media release. 

Golden Peak is “one of the largest media and education companies serving art and craft enthusiasts in the United States,” according the release, and includes in its portfolio brands like Interweave, Sew Daily, and nine print magazines including Love of Quilting and Interweave Knits. They have daily newsletters, magazines, digital patterns, on-demand classes and host live events.

David Saabye, CEO of Golden Peak, calls the purchase a “very natural fit” supporting crafters in their lifelong learning journeys. 

CreativeBug general manager Liana Allday will stay on and the company will retain its headquarters in Berkeley, Calif. 

Abby Glassenberg of the Craft Industry Alliance collected reactions from some CreativeBug instructors and others with a history at the company, and heard lots of optimism about the news. Ursula Morgan, who was CEO of CreativeBug when the company was acquired by Joann, said Golden Peak is a “perfect home” for CreativeBug as they’re getting an owner that “deeply understands the craft consumer.” 

I, too, am relieved to see that this platform will be able to continue. I’ve been a subscriber for years and I love that it has solid instruction in a wide range of crafts (including knitting, of course!) and is always adding new content to keep the platform interesting. It’s also a great service that CreativeBug is available to many for free through their local libraries, so be sure to check on that where you live if you don’t already subscribe. 

This feels like the last piece of the puzzle in the story of Joann that’s going on all year, along with the announcement that Michaels had purchased Joann’s intellectual property so its private label brands can live on, but of course I’ll keep watching to see if there’s more to come.