Honeyberry

MATERIALS

• One ball of Loops & Threads Chunky Braid Yarn (Michael's brand; Yarn has been discontinued, use a comparable bulky yarn)
• 10 yards of bulky art yarn (I used a yarn with "twists" spun into it to make fringe - you could also use "tailspun" style art yarn with long locks for your fringe).
• Size 19 needles (I am a loose knitter, so this size worked for me, but if you find it too tight, you can use size 35 needles)
• Large Crochet Hook

PATTERN

Cast on 8 stitches with your bulky yarn.

Knit the entire bulky yarn skein using the Raspberry Stitch in the video below. 

Bind off and weave in the ends of bulky yarn.

Using a crochet hook, crochet the art yarn as a chain along the end of the scarf, up one side of the scarf, and along the other end to create the fringe. You can also choose to only fringe the ends, like a traditional scarf, or to fringe all the way around the scarf. But I only added fringe to 3 sides (leaving 1 long side fringe-free)

Block with Unicorn Fibre Rinse.  Gently pat dry, reshape and dry flat. 

This video shows you how to work the Raspberry Stitch, also known as the Trinity Stitch. Pattern instructions: Rows 1 and 3: Purl all stitches Row 2: K1 *(K1, P1, K1) into next stitch, P3tog* K1 Row 4: K1 *P3tog, (K1, P1, K1) into next stitch* K1 Repeat these four rows for the pattern.

Twinkle Garland

One of my favorite things about winter is decorating my home with tiny lights. I love the cozy ambiance they create. But I'm not a fan of all the wires. So I thought - why not crochet over the wire of my twinkle lights? And here's the result - I love it!

For this project I used 20 yards of bulky art yarn and an appropriate crochet hook. Your yardage will vary based on the length of lights you're crocheting over. I recommend battery operated LED lights because they don't get hot and can be displayed away from an outlet.

You could crochet over the wires of your Christmas tree lights and make a homespun inspired garland. Or crochet over lights and wrap it around a grapevine wreath for your front door. The possibilities are endless.  

MATERIALS

• Battery Operated LED Lights
• Handspun Yarn 
• Crochet Hook

INSTRUCTIONS

To cover the wire I found it helpful to do a yarn over on my hook, put it under the wire, pull up a loop over the wire (creating three loops) and pull the third loop thru the two other loops. Then with one loop on my hook, I'd yarn over (2nd loop) and put my hook under the wire, bring up a loop (3rd loop) and bring the 3rd loop thru the 2nd and 1st loops (leaving just one loop) and continue.

If you do lots and lots of crochet on your wire you end up with a thick ruffle effect. Enjoy!

Featherplucker

This is a great 20-30 minute scarf for featuring handspun art yarn. Add as many different yarns as you like in all different colors. For this yarn I used a bulky handspun yarn spun from local natural wool locks, a thinner yarn plied with chicken feathers, and a commercial yarn by Loops & Threads called Woolette in the color Gold (Yarn is discontinued; use a bulky/super bulky with texture for a similar look). Below is a video if you've never arm knit before to teach you how to make this scarf stitch by stitch. 

MATERIALS

• 30 Yards of Bulky Handspun Art Yarn (Yarn A)
• 30 Yards of Handspun Feathered Art Yarn (Yarn B)
• 30 Yards of Commercial Boucle' Yarn (Yarn C)

PATTERN

Cast on between 7 - 12 stitches (I cast on 9)

Arm knit until you run out of Yarn A & B (waste not!)

Bind off with Yarn C

Cut Yarn C leaving a 18 inch long tail.

Seam the edges together with the tail of Yarn C, but only seam up halfway, leaving half of the rectangle to hang open for extra drape and shaping. 

Wear & Enjoy!

Bias Bulky Blanket

This is a easy blanket pattern you can complete in an afternoon. This pattern can be customized to any square size. Since you are knitting it from corner to corner (on the bias), it will always turn out square regardless of the size. I've attempted to knit several bulky art yarn blankets from top to bottom, and always end up with an awkward rectangle because I cast on too many or too few stitches and then run out of yarn. Knitting from corner to corner works best for me.  Knitting on the bias works great, and it adds a design element too!

MATERIALS

• 200-250 yards of Commercial Bulky Yarn
• 200-250 yards of Bulky Handspun Art Yarn
• Size 35 Circular Needles, 32-40 inches long (blanket will be knit flat)
• 80 yards of Yarn for Corner Tassels (optional)

NOTES

The pattern is below, but to create the striped / textured effect on your blanket simply rotate through your stash of handspun & commercial yarns while you knit, creating stripes of colors and textures. Knit big stripes or little stripes. Whatever looks beautiful to you. I did not include my exact stripe pattern (how many rows with yarn A, how many rows with yarn B) because my yardage of each skein will be different than yours. 

PATTERN

• Cast on two stitches
• K1, YO, K1 (now there will be 3 stitches on your needle)
• Row 3: K1, YO, Knit to End (now there will be 4 stitches on your needle
• Row 4+: Knit 1, Yarn Over, Knit to End until your blanket is as wide as the widest point of the square that you desire (my widest point was 5 feet because I wanted a throw-style blanket)
• Across the widest row of your blanket (before beginning decreases to complete the square) Knit 1 row of Simple Elongated Stitch 

Now start decreasing to make a square.

• K1, K2TOG, K to end
• Repeat the above until there are 5 stitches on your needles
• Knit 2, Drop stitch, Knit Two (this center dropped stitch will create the loose dropped stitch row from corner to corner of your blanket). Gently unravel the stitch. 
• K1, K2TOG, K to end
• When you have two stitches on your needle, bind off.

Create Tassels for the corners of your blanket by following the video tutorial below and attach to each corner of your blanket. My tassels are 8 inches long and I used about 20 yards of chunky weight handspun yarn for them. 

Instructions & Photography by Ashley Martineau

Steampunk

This scarf is great for displaying your most textured handspun art yarns. I used commercial yarn to break up the texture. It is knit length-wise.

MATERIALS

• Size 35 circular needles, 32 inches long (we will be knitting flat)
• 50 yards of textured handspun art yarn
• 50 yards of bulky commercial yarn (I used Wool & the Gang 'Crazy Sexy Wool')

For this scarf I knit my "chained" and "laced" handspun techniques from my SINGLE series masterclass. Here is what the yarns looked like before they were knit:

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PATTERN

Cast on 60 stitches on the size 35 circular needles with commercial bulky yarn

Knit flat in garter stitch, alternating rows of commercial yarn and handspun art yarn based on what you are working with in your stash. 

Continue knitting until the scarf is 6-8 inches wide

Bind off using a stretchy / loose bind off

Block with Unicorn Fibre Rinse.  Gently pat dry, reshape and dry flat. 

How to Block Art Yarn Patterns

How To Wet Block with UNICORN Fibre Rinse or Beyond Soft

• Add 3 drops of Unicorn Rinse / Soft to a bowl of warm water.
• Soak your item in the bowl until saturated.
• Gently remove item from the bowl and press with a towel to remove excess water.
• Lay Flat or Pin on a Blocking Board to dry.
• Allow to dry completely.
• Unpin from Blocking Board.

How to Spritz-Block with UNICORN Beyond Soft

• Add 3 drops of Unicorn Rinse / Soft into a small spray bottle and fill with warm water.
• Lay out garment on a blocking board and pin into place.
• Spritz Rinse-Water over Entire Garment until Damp.
• Allow to Dry Completely.
• Unpin from Blocking Board.

How to Wash Art Yarn Embellished Knits & Crochet

• Fill your sink or a large bowl with lukewarm water
• Put in 3 drops of Unicorn Fibre Wash or Beyond Wash
• Swirl the soap around in the water
• Place the knit / crochet item in the large bowl and let it soak for 10 minutes
• For softening, add two drops of Fibre Rinse or Beyond Soft to this wash
• Rinse thoroughly with warm water
• Gently squeeze or press out water by rolling in a towel
• Lay flat to dry

How to Set Handspun Art Yarn

SUPPLIES

• Bowl of Warm Water
• UNICORN Fibre Rinse or Beyond Soft
• Handspun Yarn, Skeined and tied in 4 places

INSTRUCTIONS

• After your yarn is spun, wind it off the bobbin using a niddy-noddy.
• Tie the yarn in 4 sections around the skein so it does not get tangled during the setting process.
• Fill up a bowl with warm water and add 2 drops of Fibre Rinse (scented) or Beyond Soft (unscented) to the water.
• Swish the rinse in the water.
• Place the yarn gently in the water and let it soak for 5 minutes.
• Gently remove the yarn from the water and hang in the shower or outside to dry.
• To speed up drying time, use a salad spinner or spin-dryer to remove excess water from the yarn before drying.