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Shannon Okey shares Knitgrrl’s BIG Project

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Shannon Okey shares Knitgrrl’s BIG Project on the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird. This is the first episode of 2017, Marly’s TENTH year podcasting, so it’s only fitting that Shannon join us as she’s a special friend.

Shannon went full-time in the Yarn Industry in 2004. She began with a knitting blog, and was discovered, so to speak. Kathy Cano-Murillo (known as the Crafty Chica) let Shannon know her publisher was looking for someone to write knitting books for teenagers. She wrote two books Knitgrrl and Knitgrrl 2 (links to the books in Ravelry so you can check out the patterns), and later began her own publishing company, Cooperative Press, in 2010. [Read more…]

Planned Pooling Crochet Finishing Starting Chains

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Planned Pooling Crochet Finishing Starting Chains with Marly Bird

I don’t think that I have had enough of the planned pooling crochet trend yet, how about you? I have already shown you how to start your planned pooling project in my Best Crochet Planned Pooling Post and in my 10 Secretes to Crochet Planned Pooling. In this post I want to address what to do with the left over starting chains that you might have, let’s talk about Planed Pooling Crochet Finishing Starting Chains.
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When you start your planned pooling project I recommend, in my Best Crochet Planned Pooling Video Post, that you should start your project with a longer starting chain than you think you need. This will allow you adjust where the stitches should be in the first row. The question becomes, “What do I do with those remaining chains when I finish?”. This may seem like a complicated question but really it is quite an easy problem to address. I will answer that question for you in the video below. [Read more…]

Marly Bird Yearly Review 2016

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Marly Bird Yearly Review 2016-Thank you for an amazing 2016As 2016 draws to a close I thought that it would be fun to look back on all of the amazing things that have happened this year. Come with me as we catch up on everything that happened with a Marly Bird Yearly Review 2016. *post contains affiliate links*

Thank You:

First, I would like to give a sincere thank you to all of you that have followed me for a long time and for those that have just started to be apart of my community. I enjoy interacting with each of you, learning from you and being able to teach you new tricks along the way. You allow me to do what I love every day and I am so grateful for that. I look forward to what 2017 will hold and I hope that you will join me in the journey. [Read more…]

Free Crochet Cowl Pattern-Black and White and Red All Over Cowl

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Free Pattern Friday with Marly BirdThis week’s Free Pattern Friday is the Free Crochet Cowl Pattern-Black and White and Red All Over Cowl. This pattern uses the shallow post stitch to create it’s texture and pinstripe look. This is a great project to learn a new stitch.

For many of us it is the time of the year when we need to get out our cold weather accessories. It is always a treat to be able to have something new to add to our collection. This cowl is made with three colors of Red Heart With Love. Red Heart With Love is such a soft yarn that you will love wearing this cowl every time it is cold out. With 64 colors to choose from you can customize this cowl to fit your needs.

The shallow post stitch used in this free crochet cowl pattern is very similar to the front and back post stitch that you may already know. The only difference is the placement of the stitch. I have put together a blog post and YouTube tutorial to show you exactly how to do the stitch.
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Black and White and Red all Over Cowl by Marly BirdAdd to favorites and Queue the Free Crochet Cowl Pattern-Black and White and Red All Over Cowl pattern on Ravelry

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Shallow Post Stitch Crochet Tutorial

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Shallow Post Stitch Tutorial with Marly BirdIf you have been following me on Facebook you would have seen the new messy bun hat that I just published. The Chunky Monkey Bulky hat uses a special stitch called the shallow post stitch. Since it is different than a front or back post stitch I put together a shallow post stitch crochet tutorial.

**this post may contain affiliate links**
Front/Back Post Stitch vs. Shallow Post Stitch?

If you already know how to do the front and back post stitch the concept is the same for the shallow post stitch. If you don’t know how to do the front and back post stitch I already have tutorials for them on my YouTube channel.

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How to Foundation Single Crochet

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Marly Bird teaches how to crochet foundation single crochetMany times I hear that the starting chain of a project is slightly tighter than the rest of the gauge, making the project more narrow at the start. I will hear that the starting edge is not as stretchy as it should be for a project. One of the ways to avoid these issues is to use a foundation single crochet. Let me show you how to foundation single crochet in one of the new Red Heart Yarn’s FREE patterns.

Another bonus of using the the foundation single crochet start is that you will have a beautiful V stitch edge. This is a very useful way to start when you want to crochet into the bottom of your work and for getting a stretch starting edge.

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