Napa Valley Knitting Retreat with Sivia Harding
31 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
|
Sivia Harding learned how to knit in 2000 and has been
Offhand Designs New Spring 2012 Vintage Knitting Bags
16 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Click on image to go to Knitting Ranch Website
The new Spring 2012 Offhand Designs Vintage Knitting/Crochet Handbags are in production and scheduled to be released late January. Knitting Ranch is taking orders and they are going fast! Several have said, “This is the best Offhand Designs’ have ever offered”! Twelve irresistable sumptuous new textiles.
Offhand Designs prides itself in creating handbags, totes, knitting bags, and needle clutches in limited edition exquisite vintage velvets, brocades, and chenilles. The Spring 2012 line-up will surely not disappoint. There are nine new color-ways smashingly made into Scotties, Zhivago Weekenders, and yes, the Audrey and Zelda Grande are back! There is a style and fabric for everyone. Maybe two or three!
Vogue Knitting had to say about Offhand Designs, “Sumptuous textiles and hand-craftmanship are the hallmarks of Offhand Designs line of knitting bags. External pockets hold essential items. Roomy interiors let yarn glide smoothly”. ”Featuring decadent, vintage-y velvets and decadent piping, they are an elegant cocoon for your knitting.”
They are durable with numerous interior pockets of varying sizes, snap shut frame closure, and a tight magnetic snap closure. These bags will shoulder all your needs including that knit/crochet project you just can’t leave at home.
You are done making all your Christmas gifts, now get a gift for yourself. Merry Christmas today; Happy Valentines tomorrow. What a sweet present to look forward to! Get to the Knitting Ranch before they are all gone.
Click on image to go to Knitting Ranch Website
~~~Knitting Ranch’s take on the New Spring 2012 Offhand Designs~~~
“These are some of the most amazing fabrics I have seen Larisa use in her designs yet. There isn’t a fabric that I don’t like”!
~Adelaide~ Purple, gold, and green velvet. Rich and regal. Available in Audrey, Zhivago, Scottie, Zelda Grande, Nina, Switch, & Circular clutches.
~Charlotte~ Black and White geometric print possibly chenille, with grey velvet accents. Snaz up any outfit. Available in Audrey, Zhivago, Scottie & Zelda Grande, Nina, Switch, and Circular clutches.
~Isabelle~ Burgundy on creme, vintage velvet with brown velvet accents. Another regal accoutrement. Available in Audrey, Zhivago, Scottie, & Zelda Grande, Nina, Switch, and Circular clutches.
~Eleanor~ Blue Velvet Stripe with Blue velvet accents. A smashing fabric that appears shiny and rich. Available in Audrey, Zhivago, Scottie, & Zelda Grande, Nina, Switch, and Circular clutches.
~Catherine~ Burgundy, creme, and olive brocade tapestry fabric, with brown velvet accents. Elegant and stunning. Available in Audrey, Zhivago, Scottie, Zelda Grande, Switch and Circular clutches.
~Marie~ Deep pink with Orange flowers. Brocade with grey velvet accents. Sure to be a hit this spring. Just in time to help you get over the winter blues. Available in Audrey, Scottie, & Zelda Grande, Switch, and Circular clutches.
~Joan~ Red and tan velvet with brown velvet accents. This print is fun and vivacious. It will go with anything. Available in Audrey, Scottie, & Zelda Grande.
~Margaret~ Creme with peach vintage velvet. Brown velvet accents. I think this fabric is fabulous and very Vintage-y. Available in Audrey & Scottie.
~Eugenie~ Gold, olive on creme vintage velvet. Brown velvet accents. This fabric is regal, rich, & definite to turn heads. Available in Audrey and Scottie.
~Mallika~ Browns, olive, and black vintage tapestry with some raised velvet. Brown velvet accents. 2012 Line available in Audrey. Also a few left at the ranch in Gatsby, Nina, circular and switch clutches.
~Isha~ Orange, pink, and green velvet stripes on a brighter pink background. Orange velvet accents. This bag is so much fun and brightens up any wintery day. Will surely keep those winter blues away, and would be the perfect accent to any spring outfit. Available currently in the Scottie, Zhivago, Gatsby, Nina, Switch & Circular clutches at the Ranch. Is available in the Spring 2012 lineup in Audrey.
~Zarine~ Pink with orange fabric, throw in a little gold threading. Another bag to keep those winter blues away and will accent your outfits throughout spring and summer. Available now in Scottie, Gatsby, Zhivago, Nina, Switch & Circular clutches. Available in the Spring 2012 lineup in Audrey.
The Knitting Ranch’s take on the Offhand Designs Spring 2012 lineup is based on photos provided by Offhands Designs.
Orders of current stock if ordered by Tuesday, December 20, 2011 will arrive in time for Christmas.
Spring 2012 Lineup is anticipated to be ready to ship the end of January.
To order and or see any of the Offhand Designs click on the photos above.
Offhand Designs
12 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Offhand Designs Knitting Bags are in stock and ready to ship for Christmas. We have all the designs in stock and they are just as lovely as ever! And to make everyone’s list for this Christmas, the Knitting Ranch has a coupon for 25% off. Just enter coupon code “offhand design” when you check out at the Knitting Ranch website. http://www.knittingranch.com
The Scottie, Zhivago, and the Gatsby were luxuriously made in four different fabrics. The Malika, Isha, Reva, and Zarine. They are all beautifully lined and Offhand Designs made a few changes to the design, making them more functional and easier to stand up and open when you are knitting out of them. The frames come together and close with a fabric magnetic snap closure.
It is Knitting Ranch’s hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season!
Lana Grossa Issue 40
23 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Presented by the Knitting Ranch. All patterns and yarn will be sold at Stitches Midwest in Chicago!
Puppies at the Knitting Ranch
27 Jul 2011 4 Comments
On July 25, 2011, Ella, a Maltese-Bichon, is the proud mama of two adorable puppies. sammy,
the Shitzu-Poodle from down the lane, is the proud father. It was a day fraught with stress for Grandma Suzi, owner of the Knitting Ranch.
The day began and continued with Ella finding a need to go outside every 2 minutes to tinkle and find a place to nest. This in my mind is a bad idea since we have two cats that are quite the mousers and they enjoy feasting on any small rodents they can find. As Ella is only six pounds, I am certain these puppies are going to be the size of a mouse! So, the morning goes on with Ella in and out, and me in and out.
By 10 o’clock, I have decided to call the vet. I forgot to mention that Sammy, aka dad, is 15 to
20 pounds! So, I am convinced that little Ella going to have difficulties having these puppies. A call is placed to our wonderful local vet, Lee Smith of Parachute. An appointment is available for 1:15 pm. Not soon enough for me! We are still in and out, chasing Ella out in the field where she is positive will be the perfect spot to hide her puppies. “It works for the fawns, so why not my puppies? Duh, Grandma! What are you thinking”?
Around noon, I managed to finish packing and taping the last box of yarn and several bags to be shipped, so off to town we go; Ella and knitting in tow. I’m knitting the Clara pattern by Karin Vestergaaard Mathiesen, out of Blue Sky Alpaca Royal for my new niece. Perfect time to get in a little knitting while waiting for the vet.
We do an x-ray, Lee concludes the puppies are not too big, but probably won’t have them until tomorrow or the next day! ”Would you like to go home and come back at 4 o’clock and we will do another x-ray and decide to let her have them or we can do a c-section”. So back home we go. More waiting!
My husband, the rancher, thinks I’m completely nuts. ”She’s a dog for crying out loud”, he says! I retort, “She may be a dog, but she is my baby”!
Around 3 o’clock contractions are coming every 3 seconds. I kid you not! We are laying on the floor , me massaging poor Ella’s back, trying to soothe her, (or me), during this entire process! Needless to say, we are definitely going back to the vet. With contractions that close, something should be happening and it is not!
Another call to the vet. ”Yes, yes! Bring her right down. If the contractions are that close, we need to check her and make sure she is making progress”. Heaven help my daughter is she is ever pregnant! My husband is certain I am going to move in with her for the entire nine months!!!
By the time we arrive, a head is peeping through. And by the time we get in the room, puppy number one is born. She is a beautiful little apricot girl! Ella did it all by herself! Fifteen minutes later, pictures out of the way and sent in several text messages, we are off. Back to the Knitting Ranch. Not much knitting getting done today. Maybe I can get the seed stitch done on my baby dress done before puppy number 2 arrives. They say it can take four hours in between pups!
Not my little Ella. She has the second puppy on the 10 minute ride home! Another little girl. This one white and twice as big! She needed a little help with this one. No worries, I just pulled off the side of the road.
Mom and babies are doing fine. She’s a terrific mom! The babies are nestled beneath her nursing away. Quite protective too! Maggie, our 12 year old Lab wanted to investigate, and Ella growled, “Get away”! And promptly bit Maggie on the nose!
Ahh! Another day at the Knitting Ranch. It is always an adventure!
Guest Post: Having a Doll of a Time
25 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Hello, all! It’s Bri again, you’re friendly social media consultant/crocheting guest blogger. And today I’m here to talk about my greatest triumph of my crocheting life: figuring out how to make dolls.
My friend Adrienne, who I mentioned in my last post as the girl who taught me to crochet in the first place, can make these beautiful crocheted dolls, most often designed to look like popular Disney characters. Unfortunately, by the time I was a competent enough crocheter to attempt them myself, we were several states away in college, and so I had to fend for myself, because one can only make so many scarves and hats.
The first thing I needed to figure out was how to make a closed pattern- as in, unlike a hat, there isn’t a big hole. That meant I had to puzzle out how to, essentially, reverse the current pattern I was using for circular hats. While you’re giggling at my not-reading-instructions struggle, keep in mind that I only know how to do two crocheting stitches- single and double. The two simplest, most basic stitches.
Eventually, by skipping every other stitch when adding a row, I figured out how to at least mimic closing a spherical pattern, and in my triumph created this cute little snowman.
Pretty impressive, eh? I basically used my knowledge of making hats and just did it on a smaller scale, dropping stitches to close the different sections of this little guy. I used cotton balls to fill him up. But that was pretty easy- most people will excuse a lumpy snowman. Not so much with dolls.
Making dolls wasn’t too much harder, although I had to be more careful with how many stitches I was dropping or picking back up, especially when I made it to the skirts. I’ve yet to come up with a pattern of added stitches that I’m happy with to create a real-looking dress (that isn’t just straight down, like this doll’s I made to look like the Doctor Who character Amy Pond in her wedding dress.)
For the arms on these dolls, I’m essentially using the same hat pattern as on the head and body, but with a smaller crochet hook and less stitches per row. Instead of chaining five times before looping back through to make the pattern circular, I chain three times, and only have three to four single or double stitches per row.
This second Amy Pond doll I made to replicate her outfit in two episodes last season (I know, I’m kind 
of obsessed) is the only one so far that I made legs for, and as you can probably tell, they look a little strange. That’s my biggest problem with my dolls- connecting appendages like arms and legs in a way that doesn’t look too sloppy. If anyone has any suggestions, by all means, please let me know.
Hair is pretty easy, especially if the yarn I’m using for it is thick, like this great crimped yellow. The thickness and texture of that particular yarn hides the skin-colored gaps between strands much easier than the burnt-orange I used for my Amy’s. For them, I just had to use more.
"great crimped yellow"
So to summarize: using only double and single stitches and my knowledge of making hats (by adding and dropping specific numbers of stitches on specifi c rows), I managed to create fairly- decent looking dolls. I’ve still got a ways to go if I want to market them like Adrienne has, but for having 16 years less experience than her, I think I’ve done pretty well.
Bri blogs and makes videos regularly on her website, and tweets way too much. She is now a sophomore at Pacific University in Oregon.
Reader question: What was your most successful “experimental” project?
Guest Post: Crocheting, Debating, and Clear Thinking
17 Jul 2011 1 Comment
Hello, all! My name is Bri, and officially I’m the social media consultant here at the Knitting Ranch, which basically means I help out with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and this blog! Now, I’m not much of a knitter (although my grandma did try to teach me once when I was ten), but I’m an avid crocheter, and almost every Christmas gift I handed out last holiday, my first holiday away from home, was some crochet project.
I learned how to crochet from a friend of mine on the debate team during my senior year of high school. I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with high school debate tournaments, but for those of you who aren’t, this is basically what happens: get up absurdly early on a Saturday morning, put on a suit (or the girl equivalent of a suit), drive to a nearby high school, wait, compete in an event for about 45 minutes, wait, wait, compete in another event for 45 minutes, wait, wait, compete once more for 45 minutes or so, wait, wait, wait (etc), attend awards ceremony, go home. As you can see, “waiting” is the primary event of debate tournaments, and with all the nervous energy and business-casual-clad teenagers, it was hard to get something productive like homework done in between competing.
And then there was Adrienne, the nicest girl you’ve ever met, one of the sharpest debaters ever seen in Western Colorado, and crocheting enthusiast. I’m telling you, this girl was crazy good at her craft. She could make anything you asked for, from hats and scarves to dolls of popular Disney characters and tea cozies. Along with her bag of debate gear, she also always brought a tote bag of yarn and crochet hooks, and after a while, the rest of us starting getting curious. Over the course of two years, she converted every single member of our debate team into crocheters of various proficiencies, including myself.
What I loved about crocheting, aside from the community it built at debate tournaments, was that it kept my hands busy while leaving my mind free to wander. I’ve never been able to think clearer than when I’m working on a crocheting project, and for a hormonal, high-stress teenage girl, that was truly a gift. Crocheting made me new friends, but above all, it gave me an escape from my “real” life for a few hours a day, which I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Not even the alleviation of my quickly mounting college debt.
Bri blogs and makes videos regularly on her website, and tweets way too much. She goes to Pacific University in Oregon.
Reader question: Aside from being a fun hobby, what has knitting/crocheting done for you personally?
Offhand Designs Scottie in Katya
31 May 2011 1 Comment
Earlier I had a customer inquiring about the Scottie in Katya. She was wavering because she is not really a pink person. She also was curious as to the pattern of the flowers on the bag. I had received two Katyas last week and hadn’t really even looked at them. So I went to the box to see what the pattern was like and to my surprise, Larisa had changed the detachable shoulder strap. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered it was no longer bright pink!! The strap is a sagey, brown, (not a word, I’m sure). It blends beautifully with the leaves on the bag. I also am not really a pink person. At least not bright pink, so I was delighted when I saw the change. I think that we are all going to be surprised by the little changes we will see as Offhand Designs is winding down their production.
The pattern is the exact same on both sides of the bag. Isn’t she a gem?
My apologies for the not so great second picture!!
PS. The Sale will continue through
tomorrow due to my not being able to read a calendar.
Thanks, to all who visited the Ranch today and made the Memorial Day Sale such a great success!
Offhand Design Bags
27 May 2011 4 Comments
Offhand Design Bags latest fabrics have arrived! They are simply exquisite. Larisa has definitely out done herself AGAIN! Every bag I looked at was to die for and I am not sure I wish to sell them, but maybe should keep them for myself!!!!
Scottie Aqua Bloom $
210
Giant blue and yellow flowers!
The shades vary and are just
Gorgeous!
I only have 1 left. She is going to make someone very happy!
Scottie Carla $210
Rust and Peach, Goldenrod, Brown and Green,
describes the colors of the flowers of this exquisite bag. The panels are bronze, brown stripe. The bottom is Chim Chim Cheree! She has an attached handle and an additional detachable shoulder strap. This will be a terrific bag for 3 lucky some ones.
Scottie Gretyl $210
The Rust flowers and Sage leaves in 
raised velvet are scrumptuous! She
also comes with a detachable
shoulder strap along with the
attached handle. This will make a
wonderful fall bag!
Scottie Jolene $210 
This bag is going to make a scrumpdellyishus summer bag!!!The floral print is like the Suzannah, but more of it. The sides, trim and bottom are Chim Chim Chere. She also comes with adetachable shoulder strap and attachedhandle in bronze, brown stripe
Scottie Flower Power $210
As my husband said in my previous
post, “This bag screams fun”! Pictures do not do her justice. I have tried to take more photos in the sun that show it off a little better. It really is a delightful bag! One of the
already bold owners said “It is the perfet
fall bag”. I think it will be perfect for any
season!
Zhivago Annie $250
Larisa changed her side panels and handle
to a grey fabric instead of the velvet. It adds an additional touch of class to this already classy fabric. I love the change! The liningis Azul Concerto from the Daisy. Smashing!!
Zhivago Supercalifragalistic $250
Zhivago Supercalifragalist
Scottie Supercalifragalistic $210
Expialidocious! If you say it loud enough,
it will sound quite atrocious!!
This bag both in the Zhivago and the
Scottie is my favorite! I love this bags
classicness. The fabric is timeless, just like
Mary Poppins. And both the Zhivago
and
the Scottie make the most marvelous
carpet bags!!
I’m sure all these bags will fly out the door quickly! For more pictures and views check out
www.flickr.com/photos/knittingranch
And stay tuned for Yarn Bowls at The Knitting Ranch
And Yarn by : “A Verb for Keeping Warm”
As Always the Knitting Ranch is “Where Suns Set and DREAMS are Knit
