Yarnit Creator Competes on FUNDERDOME

I had never even heard of the Steve Harvey show FUNDERDOME until I saw that Kate from Yarnit was going to be on it.

It’s an entrepreneur competition show where two different ideas are pitted against each other for funding. The studio audience votes on the best idea, but at some point in each round one of the entrepreneurs is given the opportunity to cash out so they get some money whereas if they go to the end and don’t win the vote they would get no funding.

The Yarnit was pitted against the Dreamcade Replay, a console gaming device to play retro video games. That business won the big prize (though the vote was really close) and the Yarnit cashed out at $25,000, which is still pretty great.

If you don’t know about the Yarnit, it’s a plastic ball (yeah, there were lots of ball jokes on the show) that sits on a base that you put your yarn inside while you’re knitting. The yarn feeds out of a hole at the top and stays clean and protected from animals and children while you work. They’re lightweight, durable, have a clip-on strap for on-the-go knitting, and the ball itself fits in many standard car cup holders.

They come in lots of different colors and styles for personalization and you can even store stitch markers and other little tools in the base. So cool! (And if you happen to want to get your hands on one, they’re running a special for a limited time on the clear Yarnit; use the code Funderdome.)

Congratulations, Kate, and I can’t wait to see the new product in action!

[Photo: ABC]

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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