Meet the Brains Behind Blanket Club: Lena Skvagerson

Q&A with Lena: A Glimpse into the Blanket Club Experience

A: I'm beyond excited to guide you through each monthly kit with detailed tutorial videos. We'll dive

into the pattern, and explore the stitches used, and I'll share tips and tricks along the way. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a knitting novice, I aim to make these tutorials accessible and enjoyable for everyone. From casting on to binding off, I'll be there every step of the way.

Q: Are there specific techniques or stitches you're particularly thrilled to teach?

A: Absolutely! I'll be showcasing every single stitch and technique used in the blanket projects. What gets me really excited are the new and interesting textures. Each month, we'll uncover stitches that not only elevate your skills but also add a touch of uniqueness to your finished masterpiece.

As for the Accessories in the club, get ready for a range of fun and on-trend pieces covering everything from heavy textures to colorwork and lace techniques.

Q: What excites you the most about the upcoming Blanket Club?

A: Being the new bean at Jimmy Beans, I'm thrilled about the opportunity to connect with long-time stitching friends and make new ones. The prospect of exploring vibrant yarns and colors, coupled with an active Facebook group for support and sharing, promises a fantastic experience for everyone.

Q: What can members look forward to?

A: We've got a few sneak peeks of the Accessory clubs! 

But you can expect happy mail monthly, beautiful yarns, tutorial videos, and a vibrant Facebook community. Each finished project will be a badge of honor, showcasing your newfound skills.

Lena's Tips for Success:

• Check your gauge before diving into each new texture.
• For newcomers, warm up with sample blocks in scrap yarn.
• Experiment with different hook or needle sizes to achieve the perfect tension.
• Enjoy the process and feel free to personalize your project with favorite stitches.

Get ready for a year filled with creativity, camaraderie, and the joy of crafting alongside Lena Skvagerson. The 2024 Blanket Club promises to be a journey like no other, and Lena is here to guide you every stitch of the way! 

We love it so much that we've collaborated with our favorite designers to bring you a collection of 17 crochet pieces, all patterns are available for FREE.

We're so proud of the team we've assembled to bring this collection to life! Meet our designers below and dive into their captivating creations as we (finally!) unveil this eagerly awaited collection.

Meet Aurora Borealis by Maria Isabel

This crochet project was a joy to design. A piece to wear when starting a new day as soon
as the crack of dawn, when everything is quiet. Surrounded by the cold breeze and the freshness in the air with warm gleams of light. The beautiful quality of Malabrigo Dos Tierras with its amazing colors was the exact match for it. With its soft blend of merino wool and baby alpaca makes a cozy and super stylish garment.

That is how this hooded cowl has a mix of classic with liveliness, by integrating granny squares with textured stitches. A wonderful first opportunity to work with Jimmy Beans, which is exciting not only for the amazing yarn catalog they have but also for the chance to collaborate with an experienced and talented group of people within the yarn industry.

Meet the Chickadee Cowl by Jonah Larson & Lena Skvagerson

Jonah first met Lena on the set of Knit &

Crochet Now when he was just a little guy. He met some great people that day who became lifelong friends. He had a special connection to Lena (and so did I). She was so warm, approachable, and kind. She made Jonah feel welcomed and at ease on the TV set.

When Lena changed positions and moved to Jimmy Beans she thought of Jonah and his crochet experience. She was thoughtful of his time at school and his other activities so asked him to make a smaller project for her new crochet collection she was debuting.

She sent him a photo of what she was looking for and Jonah took it from there. He loves making granny squares but took it to another level by crocheting more exquisite pieces. He added a unique way to join the squares and a beautiful border. The yarn color Lena gave him was a perfect blue that suited him well.  

Jonah likes to model his own pieces even if he doesn’t actually design them for himself so photographing him was fun.

He talked with Lena on the phone so they could write the details of the pattern together and go over the design. His favorite part of the project was talking with Lena again and using granny squares to make a piece that is delicate and sophisticated.

He loved reading the comments on social media and was so pleased to hear that so many people plan to make it. He hopes they share photos of their version.

Meet the Caledonian Cardigan by Linda Dean

The Caledonia Cardigan was inspired by my teenage daughter. She has been raiding my closet for my old clothes that have a bit of a classic look and putting a modern twist on them. I felt this was a perfect challenge for myself, to take a classic style sweater and update it with some simpler lines, and great buttons.

I also really like to make sure that the approach to the pattern is as simple as possible, so it is worked top down, allowing you to try it on as you go. I love to have the project finished as fast as possible, so to ensure that there is no sewing the sleeves are worked directly onto the sweater.

The color is just a really classic feel, old gold is great for either fall or spring and looks great with a wide tonal range of skin types. This color just spoke to me that it would ensure the design would be timeless.

Working with JBW is like a dream come true! Everyone is so welcoming and encouraging. One of the best things is that they are completely genuine, what you see is what you get. They are not putting on any image or persona, they really are who you think they are, and because of that it helps you find the best part of yourself, and your designs. They are good people.

Meet the Aberdeen Scrappy Sweater and Pinegrove Poncho by Lee Sartori

The inspiration behind the Aberdeen Scrappy Sweater was 'a wearable work of crochet art'! I wanted to combine a beautiful collection of colours with some fantastic crochet textures and techniques. I was so excited to work on this project with Jimmy Beans Wool and be a part of the first crochet collection!

I wanted the Pinegrove Poncho to be a classic wearable that could be a standard piece in a fall clothing collection! The Yarn Citizen wool really makes this piece sing, the natural colour is perfect for fall.

Meet the Brown Sugar Cocoon by Tamara Kelly

The Brown Sugar Cocoon was inspired by the cool breezes and warm colors of Lake Tahoe. This shrug is perfect for beginners and experienced crocheters alike, with a relaxing stitch pattern you'll want to cuddle up with all winter! Cascade Ecological Wool is the perfect yarn for this project, with big skeins to minimize ends and a soft finish everyone will love. Designing this piece for Jimmy Beans Wool was a real pleasure, and I hope it brings a smile to all who make it.

Meet the Gem Square Beanie by Nina Holubcova

Excited to be a part of Jimmy Beans' first exclusively crochet pattern collection, contributing with Gem Square beanie.

Designed in collaboration with the amazing team at Jimmy Beans, we picked the vibrant Urth Uneek Worsted, in a rich jewel tone colorway.

Drawing inspiration from beloved granny squares, then reimagining their shape, size and color placement to create a fresh take on the timeless crochet classic.

I especially loved experimenting with various eclectic, yet matchy textured motifs that complement the self-striping yarn. The combination of these motifs and ever-changing colors makes the project fly by since you want to keep crocheting just to see the next color or pattern.

It’s also very important to me to make
the process as streamlined as possible, which is why the motifs are joined together with a simple slip stitch seam as you go, minimising the loose ends and finishing touches.

Can’t wait to see the amazing crochet community to bring the whole collection to life!

Meet the Square's End Scarf by Melissa Leapman

Inspired by the autumn season, the Squares End scarf uses nostalgic square motifs combined with a simple textured pattern.

Tassels add a boho vibe to keep you warm while still trendy during cool weather.

I’m thrilled to be a part of this new crochet collection for Jimmy Beans Wool! I love Lena Skvagerson’s work and was excited to learn that we are both from the same town in Sweden. It was great to get to work on a project together!

Lena’s vision for this collection was inspiring; after hearing her ideas, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my piece.

My goal was to make a cozy oversized sweater that would be as easy to make as it would be to wear. Trailblaze is made with Berroco Vintage Chunky – a classic washable workhorse yarn available in so many colors. One of my favorite colors (Sage 6199) was a perfect fit for the cohesive and really lovely color scheme of this whole crochet collection. It was an obvious choice for this sweater!

The boxy fit and hi/lo hems make it easy to throw on over any outfit, whether staying cozy at home or dressing up to go out. I can see myself just living in this all winter. I spent some time working on this sample while visiting family in Sweden over the summer, which makes this sweater even more special to me!

In an exclusive interview with our very own Creative Director and In-House Designer, Lena, we'll explore her inspiration and the path that led to this stunning collection. 

Join us as we chat more about Lena's own design, the Chestnut Beanie, and the collection as a whole. 

Love crochet?? We do, too! 

This collection is made up of a range of our most popular and affordable yarns from brands like Berroco, Cascade, Scheepjes, Urth, and of course, Yarn Citizen. 

So, grab a hook (if you don't have one, we can help you with that), pick one of our patterns, and get started! 

We're so proud of the team we've assembled to bring this collection to life! Meet our designers below and dive into their captivating creations as we (finally!) unveil this eagerly awaited collection! With an incredible starting price of $10 per skein, we believe in making quality yarn accessible to all makers. 

Meet On the Left Path Sweater and Windowcross Beret by Amy Gunderson

"I was thrilled at the opportunity to work with Yarn Citizen for a number of reasons! First, I love Laura and Jimmy Beans, and am always happy to work with the team. They're a great bunch of people! Also, as a designer, I really value working with folks who just generally let me do my thing and don't micromanage the creative process. Being allowed to imagine projects in this lovely new yarn and let them be what they're going to be is so great. I feel like it lets me be the best version of my creative self without being weighed down with expectations. 

Second, I'm passionate about sustainability and reuse! When I first started knitting around 2008, I began mostly by unraveling thrift store sweaters and reknitting them into new things. Using yarn made partly from what would otherwise be waste sent to landfills feels very close to this and takes me back to my roots. I hate throwing away perfectly good and usable materials. And you'd never know this yarn was made from waste! It's drapey and lovely and amazing. 

Meet Luberon Toque by Seth Richardson

"The color of the yarn was big part of the inspiration for the Luberon Toque design. When I first started collaborating with Yarn Citizen on this pattern, I knew that it would incorporate something earthy and organic to reflect Yarn Citizen’s focus on sustainability, but once we selected the Lavender colorway, it became clear that the lavender plant itself would inspire the shape of the motif.

The pattern is named after the Luberon Valley in France’s Provence region, an area that is famous for its lavender. Of course, the plant is well known for its signature scent, flowers, and color, but the Luberon Toque puts a little more focus specifically on the green section of the plant where the shrubby part ends and the stems for the flowers begin. The motif uses intersecting lines to create a sense of order out of natural disarray, and the stems gently spiral to the top of the crown. Yes, it’s lavender-inspired, but that doesn’t mean you have to be limited with your color choices; it would look great in any hue!" - Seth Richardson

Meet Lost Horse by Kacey Herlihy

"Named for a hiking trail in Joshua Tree National Park, Lost Horse is a lightweight, airy, asymmetrical triangle shawl featuring a simple, soothing lace pattern knit with very special wool yarn. Easier to knit than it looks, this pattern is great for knitting on the go, on the road, or while exploring your favorite national park. Ideal for transitioning seasons, this classic, wearable design looks great in the city or in the mountains! I was drawn to this collaboration because I care about sustainability and accessibility, and respect the mission of Yarn Citizen to make high-quality, affordable yarn. This pattern only requires one skein of Unity, keeping cost down, and shows off the soft color beautifully." -Kacey Herlihy

Gansey Bay Cowl By Lena Skvagerson

I have always been inspired by the timeless beauty of traditional Gansey knitting patterns, and I wanted this crochet design to bring a touch of rustic elegance to modern fashion. The inspiration for the Gansey Bay Crochet Cowl came from a love of heritage craftsmanship and a desire to create a cute wearable piece that exudes warmth and comfort. I envisioned wearers strolling along the shores of Gansey Bay, feeling a sense of connectedness to the past through their handmade accessories.

Meet Olosa Shawl by Knot Bad Britt 

The Yarn Citizen Yarn is a stunning blend of wool and alpaca, which when combined, creates a gorgeous halo effect and subtle heathering that adds depth to the fabric. For my sample, I opted for the cool tones of the collection, which are not only calming but also lightly heathered, thereby giving the fabric an added dimension. The shawl is christened after the Yoruba spirit of the lagoon, Olosa, creating a perfect blend of culture and beauty. 

I was attracted to Yarn Citizen’s focus on intentional making, which led me to choose Tunisian crochet for my design. The methodical movement of the Tunisian knit stitch, paired with the return pass, creates a meditative project that flies off the hook. -Brittany Garber

Mankind Beanie by Lena Skvagerson

“Designing the Mankind Beanie, I was inspired by the ever-evolving world of fashion and a passion for cozy accessories. The idea was to create a beanie to wear whether you're strolling through city streets or hiking in the great outdoors. A beanie not only to keep your head warm during chilly days but also to elevate any outfit with a touch of sophistication. The ribbed texture adds a trendy twist, making it a must-have accessory for fashion-forward individuals who adore handmade charm. When it came to choosing the color, the deep hue of navy blue emerged as the obvious choice. I feel it brings an air of elegance and timelessness to the design. Navy blue complements various skin tones and outfit choices, ensuring the beanie becomes a beloved staple in any wardrobe. Designing this beanie with a Yarn Citizen's sustainable yarn was an absolute delight! It's not just any yarn, these yarns are planet-friendly superheroes! They're made with love and care for Mother Earth, using gentle dyeing methods that leave a tiny carbon footprint. Crafting with them feels like giving the Earth a warm, fuzzy hug!” -Lena Skvagerson

Peruvian Knit Shawl by Lena Skvagerson

"The inspiration for my Peruvian Shawl comes from the captivating landscapes of Peru and 

my love for all things cozy. I wanted the patterns to be reminiscent of ancient Incan art. My choice of using graphite, natural, and driftwood colors was an ode to the raw beauty of nature. Graphite represents the dark, mysterious mountain peaks, while Natural symbolizes the warm embrace of Peruvian textiles. Driftwood captures the essence of the sandy shores, where land and sea intertwine in perfect harmony. Together, these colors create a harmonious blend that celebrates the diverse landscapes of Peru. Using a yarn from Yarn Citizen was a natural choice for the Peruvian Knit Shawl. Yarn Citizen's commitment to sustainability resonated deeply with the project's ethos. The yarn's premium quality and luxurious feel were the perfect match for bringing my shawl to life.” -Lena Skvagerson