Winter is Coming — Have You Started Knitting an Afghan Yet?

I recently started a project, which will be done really soon if I just keep working on it, using three strands of yarn held together to knit a blanket. It’s going to be huge and super warm and use a lot of yarn (probably about 15 balls that have been in my stash for years), so I’m really excited about it. There’s nothing like a big knit blanket to cozy under when the days are cold.

If you haven’t started an afghan for the winter yet, let me direct your attention to this free ebook from Knitting Daily full of 7 Free Afghan Knitting Patterns. You do have to be a member of Knitting Daily to download it, which involves subscribing to a free daily enewsletter, but I’d say it’s worth it for more great ideas for keeping warm.

There are lots of great skills represented here, too, including mitered squares, entrelac, cables, mosaic knitting, lace and textured stitches.

Another great pattern that crossed my screen recently was the Striped Garter Throw from Plymouth Yarn (via Noble Knits). This is a super easy and fast project that even a new knitter can complete with ease. And it has tassels!

Are you knitting a blanket or afghan for winter? I’d love to know what you’re working on!

Next Pattern:

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.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?