Archive for 2009

Hi there,

It's very quiet in the office today as we wind down for Christmas vacation. Looking back, it's been a very crafty year, so I thought I'd post some crafty highlights below. I will be back in this space on January 4th with the results of Giveaway #34; in the meantime, I wish you all the best for a very happy holiday!

January got off to a slow start as I took a break from Christmas crafting...but contemplated making a turtle quilt. (It's a neat one – a variation on the Drunkard's Path block.)

In February I got down to work, making a baby quilt for a friend. I love these little tiny fabric scraps.

March arrived, and with it a Snap Coin Purse Class at the workroom.

In April I cast on a pair of Viper Pilots socks. Sadly, I finished the DVDs before I finished knitting. Maybe I'll get back to them now that my Christmas knitting is finished!

May brought sunshine, sandal weather and the first of many Denyse Schmidt Single Girl quilt blocks.

Thinking ahead in June, I cast on for a baby sweater for my friend's baby to wear in the fall. I need to work on not getting ladders when stitching in the round.

What's July without a new shirt to wear as a beach cover-up? I had fun experimenting with pattern modifications...although with all the rainy weather we had, I didn't get to the beach.

August brought crafting of a different sort as I worked on bringing my current obsession – terrariums – to life.

September brought log cabin love. I was ready to snuggle into fall early this year!

In October the weather cooled down significantly and out came the knitting. Above, my February Lady sweater, and what will eventually be a matching pair of socks...

In November I covered my work table in kraft paper and got to work on something entirely different. Keep an eye out for the March issue for the full reveal!

December rolled around and with it, a million reasons to add glitter. Christmas knitting kicked into high gear, but when I wasn't knitting I was cutting, pasting, gluing and glittering. Hooray for the sparkle season!

I can't wait to see what 2010 brings. Enjoy your holidays and I'll see you here in the New Year!

(ps. Want to play along? I'd love to see what you were up to in 2009. Just leave a link in the comments!)

Hi all,

I'm enjoying reading your comments about the items on your crafty Christmas wish lists! I thought I'd pop in and share my two cents. (Of course, this is a fantasy list. But hey, it never hurts to wish, right?)

• A subscription to the 500 Pencils program by Social Designer. Twenty-five colours a month for twenty months – the best kind of mail!

• A subscription to Stitch magazine. I love it, but it's hard to find in stores up here.

• A Fiddlehead Mitten Kit from Tanis Fiber Arts. The only problem? Choosing a colourway.

Photo from www.tanisfiberarts.com/kits

• A Cricket Loom (or similar-sized rigid-heddle loom). Because total domination of fibre arts is part of everyone's Christmas wish list, isn't it?

• One of the Charley Harper needlepoint canvases from Purl Soho. I like "Bluebird."

• A copy of Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. I saw some of the Gee's Bend quilts at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia some time ago and I know this book would be a treasure.

• And finally, a gift certificate for a class at The Workroom. I love learning from books, but there's something to be said for having a teacher by your side!

Have a good night, friends!

Hi again,

I don't know about  you, but as Christmas draws ever nearer I find myself fantasizing about the projects that I intend to start on Boxing Day, once the flurry of Christmas decoration- and gift-crafting has subsided. One book that I've been paging through in search of inspiration is the new Melanie Falick/STC Craft book Reversible Knitting by Lynne Barr.

The book is packed with ideas – stitch patterns and projects that look equally appealing from front and back, inside-in and inside-out, upside-up and upside-down. If you're like me and keep your Christmas knitting a bit on the vanilla side (theoretically, if it's plainer it's easier to knit), this might be just the antidote you're looking for!

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me what crafty item you've got on your Christmas list. Is it a tool? A book? A fancy new pair of scissors or a package of glitter? Would you like to learn something new? Have you chosen something perfect from Etsy?

Due to Christmas vacation, this contest will run for two weeks, so you've got a while to think about it. Leave your comment by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 3, and I will post a winner on Monday, January 4. Remember, one comment per person only, please.

Hi there,

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I feel like I got a lot more movie watching than knitting done, but I think I did make a dent in my list (not to mention my fingertips!). I must admit that I'm looking forward to Boxing Day, when I am planning to put the knitting needles away for a little while and (may wonders never cease) dust off my sewing machine.

Which brings me to this week's giveaway – that copy of Pretty Little Patchwork.

As usual, I really enjoyed reading your comments as they came in – so many good suggestions! In the end I went with a selection of Hugh Grant movies – About a Boy, Love Actually and Notting Hill... then four episodes of Gilmore Girls (I forgot how good that show was!). But I'll be taking the list home with me for a bit of vacation viewing, too. I left the decision making to the random integer generator again...

And congratulations go to comment #80.

Congratulations, Karen! I'll be in touch shortly.

And of course, this week's contest will be coming up in a moment. Stay tuned...

Hi there,

Just ignore my thumb...I like each tiny house better than the last.

I made another tiny paper house last night. I'm starting to wonder if we couldn't fix the world just by enforcing an hour a day of cutting and pasting, colouring and glitterizing. It does wonders for my mood.

(OK, I'd make the glitter part optional. I can think of a couple guys here in the office who would balk at that part of the idea!)

In other random crafting news, check out this Spock Monkey!! (I know you love your sock monkeys...) This would be the perfect gift for that Trekkie on your list.

Alright, I've got some work to do before it's actually the weekend, so I'm outta here. Have a great couple days and I'll see you on Monday for giveaway day!

Hi friends,

Shh, don't tell anyone, but when I'm taking my mid-morning tea break I often click over to the New York Times online to peruse their pages. I found a few interesting articles this morning and as I linked from one to the next I was reminded of this paper chain I made last weekend.

If you're a serious crafter, you might have entertained thoughts of turning some of that handiwork into hard cash by opening a store on Etsy. In "That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work," the Times explores the fantasy of quitting one's day job to make a living selling crafts, and talks to people for whom it's working – and some for whom it's not. (You might also be interested in Etsy's "Quit Your Day Job"  series on their blog, The Storque.)

After reading that article, I found this, "Altered by a Sewing Machine," in which the author describes learning to use her brand-new sewing machine. We've all been there, I think, and you might get a laugh from her journey, even if you're like me and can only dream about owning a machine that fancy and high-functioning!

Thinking about simple sewing projects that don't require much patience reminded me of this beautiful Origami Wrap Sweater pattern, available as a free download from Martha at UNJournal. It's a stunner, and with only three seams to sew,  you could whip one up as a last-minute gift on Christmas Eve.

That's all for today, folks. Have a good one.

Hi friends,

I missed you! My computer was acting up so no blogging for me yesterday. But here we are.

I was out and about on Saturday and one of my stops was The Paper Place. I love that store – it's full of paper, craft supplies, notebooks, calendars, ribbon, gifts...the list goes on. I picked up a handful of  sequined felt balls (see above), then quickly added a loop of thread to each one so I could hang it on a tree. They're holding up a lot better than the chocolate balls I originally decorated with! (Ahem. I had to eat them. They were melting.)

There are some great ideas out there for crafting felt ornaments, and some of them are quite stylish. They'd look great on a tree or in a window, or maybe hung from a mantle? They're also great projects to do with children (felt is inexpensive, and unbreakable), so why not tuck these ideas under your hat just in case you come upon a free afternoon next week when the kids are on Christmas holidays?

• Vintage-inspired felt ornaments from My Fantastic Toys
• Window ball (I can't think of a better name but !! it's cute!!) from Zakka Life
• Felt perfect bow brooch (yes, yes, but imagine two fastened back-to-back and hung on the tree. Pretty.) from Twig and Thistle
• This felt ogee tutorial from Betz White reminds me of crafts I did as a schoolkid. I see a few of these in my future!

Have fun, and keep those movie suggestions coming!

Hi friends,

This week's giveaway is for the sewists in the crowd.

I think a little patchwork goes a long way to making everyone's life better, so I'm sure you'll enjoy this copy of Pretty Little Patchwork! From notecards to pincushions to aprons and evening bags, there are all sorts of projects for all sorts of occasions in this little book. And it'd be perfect for paging through when you're in need of a little last-minute gift-making inspiration.

To enter for your chance to win, leave a suggestion for movies I should watch during the late-night knitting marathon I've got coming up as I try to get my Christmas gifts finished. You can enter up until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 20; I'll post a winner here on Monday, December 21.

Hi there,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend! Mine was great, but, alas, too short. (I'm judging everything in knitting time, of course.) I quite enjoyed the City of Craft show – so many neat things to see! If not for my budget, I could have spent hundreds of dollars, but I managed to restrain myself. I did have fun at the Sweetie Pie Press booth, choosing a handful of cute 1" pins that I'll add to people's Christmas presents.

Speaking of presents, here's the winner of Giveaway #32, that awesome basket of yarn and patterns from Patons.

And the winner is...

Congratulations, Pris! I'll be in touch shortly.

And of course, Giveaway #33 is just around the corner. I'll be back this afternoon with this week's contest.

Hi friends,

Just a few links for your reading pleasure today.

• I love this felt ball wreath. So colourful – and you could leave it up all winter!
• This calendar from Purl Soho is giving me a bad case of the I-wants.
• The YarnHarlot's recent post about weaving awakened a long-dormant obsession of mine. How many crafts can one person do?
• Speaking of obsessions, it's been a while since we talked terrariums. These (faux) terrarium ornaments from Design Sponge are pretty great.
• And here's what I hope to get up to this weekend: City of Craft. Should be fun!

Have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday!