Medal Madness with Jimmy Bean’s Wool and Lorna’s Laces

Everybody’s a little giddy about the Olympics this year, and the folks at Lorna’s Laces and Jimmy Beans Wool have teamed up with a special yarn at a special price that will have us all shouting “USA! USA!”

Lorna’s Laces has made up a special London 2012 colorway that’s available in Shepherd Sock, Shepherd Worsted and Honor yarns. It’s a lovely colorway that includes all the colors of the Olympic rings.

Purchase the yarn now and it will ship after the Olympics. The price that is listed (ranging from $19.67 for the worsted to $23.67 for the others) is not actually the price you will pay because the price goes down every time the United States wins a medal.

For each gold, the price goes down 5 cents, while it drops 3 cents for a silver and a penny for a bronze. As I write this we’ve got three golds, five silvers and four bronzes, which would knock 38 cents off the price if I can do my math right. No one will actually be charged for the yarn until the Games are done, but it is a limited addition colorway so if you want to get it on your needles, order now while there’s still some available.

This is such a fun idea! Have you been watching the Games? Sadly I’ve only seen a snippet of the parade of nations so far; I guess that’s what happens when you’re trying to limit your toddler’s TV intake! I do hope to catch some today, with needles in hand!

[Photo by Lorna’s Laces/Jimmy Beans Wool.]

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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