Phat Fiber Boxes on Sale This Sunday!

Do you know about Phat Fiber? This is one of the coolest ideas for knitting-related business ever. What it is is a sampler box that includes all sorts of cool yarn, fiber and other yarncraft-related goodies.

You get things like little skeins of yarn, samples of fiber to spin, stitch markers, patterns and all sorts of goodies related to whatever the theme is that month (for July, it’s Seaside Cottage). The idea is that you get to sample all these independently produced yarns and fibers and then you can decide to buy more from those people whose products you really like.

I got the lovely Jenn to send me a sample of the sampler box a few months ago and wrote about it for About. (She was also kind enough to do an interview with me about Phat Fiber.) I’m enchanted by the goodies I got and wish I had time to play with them all. Maybe someday, when my book is at the publisher’s and I can knit for fun again!

Anyway, the boxes go on sale once a month and supplies are very limited, so you really have to be on it if you want to get your mitts on one. This month they’re going on sale on Sunday, July 15, with some available at 11 a.m. and some at 6 p.m. Central US time. Even if you can’t get your hands on a box, check out the videos on the blog (that’s the first link above) to see all the eye candy for yourself.

Have you ever scored a Phat Fiber box? Spill it!

[Photo is a peek at the sample I received. Yum!]

Next Pattern:

I feel like felting is a knitting genre that deserves a resurgence. My first knitting book (which came out in 2008, eek!) was all about felting, but I don’t feel like there are a lot of felting knitting projects out there these days. I really like the technique as an easy way to make a thicker, more durable knit fabric, and it’s actually perfect for knitting bags.

The ZZ Bag from yamagara recently caught my eye and got me thinking about felted bags, and maybe remaking one of the bags that was in that book. This one has a fun zigzag pattern and is worked in worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

A lot of the other knit and felted bag patterns I could find were older, but that doesn’t make them bad patterns. I’ve always loved the booga bag from Black Sheep Bags (the pattern is on their website but the photo is broken so you can also check it out on Ravelry). This is a fun one because you can use all your leftovers or a self-striping yarn (the original was made with Noro) to give it a colorful look that’s super easy to knit.

An envelope purse is another easy shape to knit, and this version from Lavender Hill Knits on Etsy comes in different sizes for younger girls and teens or adults. The small version is worked with one strand of worsted weight yarn, while the larger uses two held together.

The Japanese knot bag is a classic, and a felted version is a lot of fun. You can find this pattern from Cindy Pilon on Ravelry and knit one for yourself using bulky yarn. I also love her bag The Curve, which is also on Ravelry and has a fun rounded shape and contrasting handles.

And there’s also the amazing stained glass bag from Knitting Dream, which also uses a Noro yarn, but you could use wool scraps on the different fans to give it a unique look. There are two size options to choose from and it’s not as tricky as it looks.

Next Pattern:

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