A non-jewelry project
Posted by Administrator on May 8, 2008
My son has been wanting to take naps in my lap lately, so I decided to start a small knitting project that I could work on while he sleeps. I found a cute scarf pattern with ruffled edges in One-Skein Wonders
I made the scarf pretty much as the pattern described, but substituted Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton yarn for the one in the example, and measured the length by trying it on periodically until it was a length I liked (rather than trying to make it exactly the length recommended).
I had about half a skein left once I was finished, so I crocheted some flowers and sewed them on to the scarf. I think it turned out to be a really pretty scarf! It was nice before I added the flowers too, which made me think making the flowers into little brooches by attaching them to safety pins or other pin backs would make it easy to dress up scarves whenever I want to. They might also be a cute addition to my etsy store….
A new craft-related blog
Posted by Administrator on Feb 13, 2007
My friend Derek, who is a woodturner, just started a blog that showcases craft related videos every day. It’s a fun concept, and he’s already found a few interesting videos.
I watched the knitting video on his blog earlier today, and learned that I’m a continental knitter - I had no idea! I learned to knit a few years ago, hoping that it would translate easily to wire, so that I could knit silver jewelry. I had trouble getting the tension to work in metal, and ended up crocheting with silver instead - but since then I’ve knit quite a few scarves and other easy projects with yarn. All this time, apparently I’ve been knitting the opposite of the way most Americans knit, and I didn’t even know.
Vickie Howell’s Book Tour
Posted by Administrator on Feb 2, 2007
Vickie Howell, host of the DIY Network show Knitty Gritty, and a member of the Austin Craft Mafia, came to Berkeley yesterday on her book tour for a new knitting book she wrote. I thought it would be really fun to check it out, even though it’s not a jewelry event, because I’m a member of the Pleasanton Craft Mafia - a spin-off of the Austin group.
Vickie is talented, fun, and very sucessful at what she does - it was really fun to meet her and see some of her work in person. I like to knit - I find it relaxing, and something that keeps my hands busy when I’m watching TV - but I’ve never tried anything nearly as detailed as the things she makes. Her book, Knitty Gritty Knits, has a lot of cute projects in it. I think most 20-30-somethings who knit would like a lot of the projects in the book. There were things in it that I would wear, or that I’d like to have for my home, and honestly, that isn’t usually the case when I look at knitting books!
The event, which was held at Stash in Berkeley, also included a “yarn tasting” where people got samples of Vickie’s new line of yarn. So…I now have very small balls of three really nice yarns to play with, and I think I’m going to work up some knitted or crocheted jewelry with them. The yarns are all made from natural fibers, and they are sport weight, which is pretty thin, so I think they will be perfect for making jewelry.
Here’s a link to the Vickie’s book on Amazon; it’s also available at yarn stores, I’m sure.
Knitty Gritty Knits (DIY): 25 Fun & Fabulous Projects (DIY Network)
She has a couple other knitting books, one for kid stuff & one for teens:
New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Kids Really Want
Not Another Teen Knitting Book
