Blog

November 17, 2021
The Art of the Finished Project
Written by Mary Ann Gebhardt for Knitter's Pride    Knitters know the excitement of walking into a yarn store, drawn in by the textures and colors. Then, you see a display of knitting needles, cases, crochet hooks, knitting magazines, and finished knitted samples. These displays are great at enticing us to start a new knitting project, but how can we stay motivated to finish the projects that we start? Let's explore the art of the finished project.  
October 19, 2021
Happy Place With Ashley Parker
Ashley Parker is the designer and blogger behind The Loopy Lamb crochet blog and strives to inspire others with her clear, modern and fun crochet patterns and online tutorials.  Ashley is a Canadian mom of two who loves coffee, owls, and all things yarn. Ashley loves to design a variety of projects from home décor to accessories, amigurumi toys and more. Follow Ashley’s crochet adventures on Instagram (@theloopylamb) and find her free crochet patterns at https://www....
October 05, 2021
Happy Place With Stacy Wiener
Stacy Wiener is the founder of S.A.C.K., Supporting A Community with Kindness, a nonprofit that inspires volunteers to crochet and/or knit, collect and donate bars of soap and soap sacks to their local food pantries, homeless shelters, relief efforts, mission trips, social service agencies and veterans clinics. Stacey discovered through volunteering at food pantries that there was a lack of essential toiletries available. One key reason is that people cannot use government subsidies,...
September 28, 2021
Happy Place With Tian Connaughton
Tian Connaughton is a sought-after designer, and a technical editor, course creator, business strategist, and coach. She has published 2 books, Unlock Your Inner Design: How to Start Designing and Pattern Launch Plan: Sell More Patterns Consistently Without Being Sleazy. Tian is passionate about empowering knitters, crocheters, and designers through courses, coaching, and accountability. She’s the creator behind the wildly popular courses Pattern Grading Made Easy and Get...
September 07, 2021
Apply to be featured in our Happy Place...
Do you enjoy our Happy Place series and ever thought you'd be the perfect candidate to show off your own Happy Place? Do you remember our Wing It series on Instagram? Well, now's your chance to take over the CYC Instagram! We're looking for makers who want to share their Happy Place or wing a project on the fly!  Keep reading for information on how to create and submit content for your Happy Place or Wing It and see the application link to apply to be considered. In the...
July 27, 2021
Happy Place With Tommy Schafer
Tommy Schafer is a fiber artist who dabbles in knitting, dyeing, sewing, spinning, and cooking. They grew up encouraged to participate in process-based hobbies and throughout their life, they've been blessed to be surrounded by family and strangers who have helped them cultivate their interests. They pursued a quantitative biology degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, followed by graduate school in Chicago, IL for public health and epidemiology and...
June 22, 2021
Happy Place With Monica Garcia
Monica Garcia is a macrame artist and is the founder of Monica's Porch, based out of Austin, Texas. She first started selling her peices in 2019 to raise money for a trip to Hawaii. While she was in paradise, she kept getting messages for orders and found herself more engaged with dreaming about this potential new business than with her trip. She enjoyed the rest of her vacation and returned home refreshed and with a new perspective on what she wanted to do;...
June 01, 2021
Happy Place With Krissy Mahendran
Krissy Mahendran is a fiber artist who specializes in macrame. Near the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, she discovered her love for macrame and all of the amazing things that can be made with knots and yarn. Since then, she's been crafting macrame decor and accessories through both comissions and original pieces as the maker behind A Knot Story. She sells her work but also hosts workshops for those wanting to learn the skill of macrame and find joy in creating their own orignial...
April 20, 2021
Happy Place With Anna Hall
Anna Hall is a fiber artist specializing in crochet Amigurumi, hats, scarves, and more. Anna is inspired by her tiny curio cabinet, which is the centerpiece of her art and what she uses to display her Amigurumi creatures. Anna is also a crochet pattern tester and recently started writing her own patterns, which can be found on her website.   
April 13, 2021
Happy Place With Margaret Stauffacher
Margaret Stauffacher is the knitter and designer behind Whimsy North. She was born and raised in Minnesota and now lives in Wisconsin with her husband and children. She learned to knit when she was six years old from her mom and since then, she has been on a mission to create knitting patterns that are fashion-forward and something you want to wear or display in your home. You'll find free knitting patterns on her blog and helpful knitting videos on her YouTube channel!...
March 30, 2021
Happy Place With Cassie Arnold
Cassie Arnold is a fiber artist who received her BFA in Visual Art Studies from the University of North Texas. She has spent the last decade teaching in both private and public secondary schools and has showcased her work in numerous Fine Art Shows and exhibitions around the United States and Europe. Her current body of work explores the unspoken and taboo topics connected to life as a woman. Whether it be inspired by miscarriage, breastfeeding or the transformative female form,...
March 23, 2021
Happy Place With Birdie Alaniz
Birdie Alaniz, aka @bobcatandbirdie, is a fiber artist who specializes in the art of latch hook, specifically creating latch hook patterns and kits. She sells BYOY (bring your own yarn) latch hook kits on Etsy that allow you to customize your own latch hook design using the colors of your choice and the yarn in your stash. Along with latch hook, she also dabbles in embroidery and digital art and we think her designs are a fun, colorful mix of 90's nostalgia and RGV (Rio Grande...