Start your Halloween stitching now

Tis the season! It may be summer outside here in the United States, but now is the time to get ready for Halloween—at least with your stitching projects. Pick up Hands On Design's new Scary Apothecary series for small, quick, fun-to-stitch-and-display projects. The designs have that clever Halloween sense of humor and a subtle sparkle thanks to Kreinik threads.

Designer Cathy Habermann just released the next three designs in the series: 

• Cackle Lozenges "Shriek well"
• Coffin Paint "After-lifetime warranty"
• Cauldron Cleaner "With enhanced spell check" 

There will be nine designs in the entire series; you can stitch one, two, four, more, less or all. Another thing we love about this series: easy finishing. Cathy has supplied instructions for how she finished them, and you can do it at home. Don't use that as an excuse to wait until October to start stitching these designs though—get the patterns, threads and fabric now. Work on one a month and you'll be on your way to having your custom Halloween decorations ready. The designs make great gift-swaps too. 

The series uses nine Kreinik colors in Very Fine #4 Braid: 011HL, 242HL, 5510, 5815, 5013, 5535, 5720, 5545, 027. Print this list and use it to shop at your favorite needlework source, or online at www.kreinik.com. 

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New cross stitch series from Hands On Design is spooky, sparkly and silly fun

She has cross stitch fans all over the world, an entertaining and fun FlossTube channel, and a positive, encouraging, glowing life attitude: Meet Cathy Habermann of Hands On Design. Next month she's introducing a new design series featuring Kreinik threads that is just to die for!

Cathy has been creating cross stitch patterns since the 1990s, but since launching Hands On Designs, she has become one of the most popular designers around the globe. Her unique style is fun, fresh, clean, a mix of modern and traditional (check out the Chalkboard series), and just plain creative. As a long-time stitcher, she knows we all want patterns that are quick to stitch and finish but also creatively satisfying. Her Year Of Celebrations patterns, for instance, offer a sweet stitched sentiment that you can rotate monthly.

The newest series from Hands On Design company is the Scary Apothecary series, featuring Kreinik metallic threads. Classy and elegant, they have a humorous twist. They're spooky, sparkly and silly—just what we all need right now. "Scary Apothecary was inspired by spooky apothecary labels," Cathy says, "but with a Hands On Design twist of a vintage color palette, a touch of Kreinik sparkle, and some wicked Halloween humor." Cathy is introducing the first three designs in this series at the Nashville Needlework Market in March 2019, a wholesale trade show. Ask your favorite needlework store to pick up copies for you: "Bat Balm," "Bitter Brew," and "Broom Stick Fuel."

For more information on Cathy's designs, visit her website. She is also on Facebook and Instagram.

All photos courtesy of Hands On Design

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How to stitch a night sky

It's almost time for Halloween; are you busy stitching Halloween projects? October 31 has become the second most popular stitching holiday after Christmas, meaning there are designs galore out there to help you decorate in style. The best part is that it gives you a good reason to use fibers with special effects. Yes, this is the Glow-In-The-Dark Holiday. Have fun with it.

Do your Halloween project have a night sky?

Here's an idea for customizing some of the night scenes in cross stitch, embroidery or needlepoint designs: add Kreinik glow-in-the-dark thread to add spooky yet fun effects Watch the video above as we demonstrate on a fabulous Pepperberry Designs needlepoint canvas.

Glow-in-the-dark threads are fun all year, but they're must-haves for Halloween stitching. Make eyes glow (cat eyes, bats, jack o'lanterns, etc), use it to write subliminal messages in areas, outline spider webs, and more. Kreinik off-white color 052F Grapefruit in particular blends perfectly into moons, stars, clouds, and ghosts. Look for Kreinik colors that have an "F" in the color number, which represents fluorescent or glow-in-the-dark colors. 

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How to stitch a Halloween design

We're going to keep it simple in this blog post. There's only one thing you need to do to make any Halloween project—crafts, cross stitch, needlepoint, embroidery, quilt, knitting, crochet, weaving—the best it can be:

Use glow-in-the dark thread

It really is that simple. That's the secret to making a memorable, unique, fun and fabulous design that everyone will love. Watch the video above as we share some ideas for using glow-in-the-dark thread (and even some metallics for added effects), featuring this Pepperberry Designs needlepoint canvas. You can use these ideas anywhere, whether you're cross stitching, needlepointing, anything.

Stitching for events like Christmas, winter decor, wedding gifts, Mother's Day mementos, and such call for classic elements, but Halloween...Halloween is the holiday for letting your hair down, kicking up your heels, popping some punch and having a blast with your needlework materials and designs.

Specialty threads are all about special effects. Use metallics to add shimmer and "movement." Use glow-in-the-dark threads to add light and hidden messages/elements. Use real metal threads to add shine and dimension. You get the idea...have fun!

For more information

• Kreinik glow-in-the-dark colors are numbers 051F, 052F, 053F, 054F, 055F
• You can get these glow-in-the-dark colors in all Kreinik sizes: Blending Filament, #4/8/12/16/32 Braids, 1/16" Ribbon and 1/8" Ribbon. Use these stitches to stitch anything on any medium
• Pepperberry Designs: http://www.pepperberry-designs.com/
• More about glow-in-the-dark thread: https://www.mrxstitch.com/glow-in-the-dark-thread/

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Knit the most elegant Halloween design

Your "what to wear this Halloween" quandary is solved with two new knitting patterns from Kreinik and LMB Designs. The unique designs are pretty (with a twist) and versatile: lacy for daywear, edgy for nighttime, and fun for party time (they glow in the dark).

The Black Widow Spider Choker is designed by Lisa M. Barnes (LMBDesigns on Ravelry). She used Kreinik's realistic fuzzy Micro Ice Chenille yarn for the creepy-cool spider, and carry-along Blending Filament for the glow-in-the-dark background. Fun and quick to make, the downloadable pattern is just $6 here: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Black-Widow-Choker.html 

Complete the look with the matching Widow's Spider Web Wristlets, available as a separate downloadable pattern here: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Widow-s-Web-Wristlets.html. Both can be worn beyond Halloween, too: the choker will be a conversation piece at your next ComicCon, Spiderman viewing party, or knit-out. The wristlets will keep your wrists warm in a cold office, plus serve as an elegant accessory to wear at a formal event. The background yarn (Kraemer Yarns Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair) is a lovely neutral gray, so it will coordinate with any outfit.

The spider is created with duplicate stitch, a useful tool to have in your knitting repertoire due to the embellishment possibilities. If you've never tried duplicate stitch, this project is a perfect first-timer.

Love the designs but don't knit? Simply buy the supplies and pattern, and ask a knitting friend to make one for you (they'll probably want a set for themselves too). Both projects are easy weekend or weeknight projects that can be finished quickly.

Buy the patterns here:

You can buy the Kreinik threads on the Kreinik website or through your favorite shop.

• Black Widow Choker: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Black-Widow-Choker.html

• Widow's Web Wristlets: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Widow-s-Web-Wristlets.html

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