Archive for January, 2010

Hello again,

This week I'm excited to be giving away another craft book from Interweave – this time, it's a bit outside of the ordinary. I know that a lot of you out there aren't just knitters, quilters or sewists, and I'm hoping that this book might tickle your fancy.

Totally Twisted: Innovative Wirework & Art Glass Jewelry by Kerry Bogert is another brand-new book from Interweave Press, and it possesses the same good looks, clear writing and lovely photos that I've come to expect from their publications. The book opens with an explanation of basic materials, tools, and techniques, and then moves into projects including bracelets, necklaces and earrings. I haven't done any jewelry-making, but I'm confident that I could tackle the projects in this book after reading the how-tos in the opening chapters.

If you're a fan of wire work, beautiful beads, and/or fun and funky jewelry, I think you'd get a kick out of this book. (This book just arrived on my desk on Friday, so I don't have any photos of the insides, but I'll see if I can get some together sometime this week. I'll keep you posted.)

For your chance to win a copy of Totally Twisted: Innovative Wirework & Art Glass Jewelry leave a comment on this post. This week, in keeping with the theme, why not tell me about your favourite piece of jewelry?

Comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 24; I'll post a winner here the following Monday. Have a great week!

Hi friends,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Although I took advantage of the mild weather to take a break from mitten-knitting, my weekend did have some crafty highlights, including watching Fantastic Mr. Fox, buying this quilt pattern and seeing my February Lady Sweater progress to the point where it's actually starting to look like a sweater. (Phew! I was getting worried...)

Last week's double giveaway meant that my inbox was chockablock full of comments all week, and I enjoyed reading them all. Thanks for so many good book, movie, website and general cheer-up recommendations! They'll keep me busy for a while, for sure.

This week's lucky winner will receive a copy of Sew Liberated by sewing pattern–designer and blogger Meg McElwee (from Interweave Press). And that lucky winner is....

...Number 62...

W Ball! Congratulations, I'll be in touch shortly with prize details.

I always wish I had a prize for each of you. It's not much, but today, at least, I brought you flowers. Hope they put a bit of spring in your step!

(See you soon with details of Giveaway #37.)

Hi there,

Just a quick note to announce the winners of this week's surprise giveaway. Thanks to all of you for entering – and for sharing so many great ideas! (Believe me, this is craft-related...)

I printed out your comments, cut them apart, folded them up, and asked three helpful CL editors to each pick one out of a toque (it seemed fitting). The winners (and their comments), in the order they were chosen, are...

1. Connie:

Photo from cbc.ca.

2. Deb White:

Vicki Keith, from frontenacthisweek.ca.

3. Marge:

Photo from pawprince.ca.

Congratulations, you three! I'll be in touch shortly. To everyone else, thanks so much for entering and for sharing your ideas. I appreciate it! See you back here on Monday.

Hi friends,

I love it when you leave links to your blogs in the comment section. I don't have a lot of time to comment back, but I try to take the time for a quick visit whenever I can. Today I thought I'd do a little round up of blogging Make+Do readers. I'm keeping the write-ups short so that you can spend less time reading (here) and more time surfing (there)!

• Snippety Gibbet – papercutting, knitting and kid's crafts.
• Kindred Crafters – reunited university friends craft together across the country
• Whistlepea – knitter, quilter, home ec teacher (and one of Make+Do's first readers!)
• Quilting Barbie – quilting (love that double-wedding ring!)
• Piecing it Together/Making More with Less - sisters blogging about their creative pursuits
• Tiny Warbler Designs – beautiful handmade soft animals, from Vancouver
• Erin Compton Design –quilter and crafter in Northern California
• Poppy Prints – quilting from Canada's West Coast
• Mon Ami – another West Coast crafter!
• Lost in the Attic – sewing, scrapbooking, tons of inspiration
• Chubby Hobby – tutorials, recipes, sewing in trees!
• Ting Tong and Things – living the crafty life in Toronto
• A Year of Handmade – making and giving handmade gifts for a year
• Hands and Home – quilting and sewing, and recipes to boot
• Karenika – scrapbooking, crafts, inspiration and photos
• In a Peanut Shell – knitting, sewing and daily life...from the Northwest Territories
• T. Tally – it's in German!
• Emily's Latest – crafts, reviews and giveaways, contests
• My Creative Ramblings – art journaling, textile arts, and life
• Balkan Style – two friends, creating and blogging
• Miss Print – more Toronto craftiness of the sewing and quilting persuasion
• Frenchy Addict – secondhand store scores and craftiness

I'm sorry if I've left anyone out...leave a comment and I'll add you to the next roundup! Have a great weekend, and have fun getting to know one another.

Hi friends,

I'm sure many of you read the Yarn Harlot blog, and so know about Knitters Without Borders and their support of Médecins Sans Frontìeres. But in light of the disaster in Haiti, and the good work that MSF does, I'd like to point you to Stephanie's post from yesterday, and to encourage you to give. As every crafter, knitter, sewist and needleworker knows...every little stitch, every little bit, counts.

Thanks. Have a good day.

Hi friends,

One of the things that I love about this blog is knowing that you're out there, full of ideas and enthusiasm and willing to share! Today I'm looking for a little bit of inspiration and I'm hoping you might be able to help me out.

I'm working on a new project (one I hope I'll eventually get to share with you) and I'm wondering: what do you think of when you think of Canada? Or, what symbolizes Canada to you?

Is it...maple leaves?

...hockey sticks?

Photo from northamericantapes.com

...wildlife?

Image from alaska.edu/loonwatch

...wide open spaces?

Photo from http://rodandsandra.com

...wide ocean spaces?

...or maybe it's a quality, such as friendliness...or perhaps the ability to withstand cold weather?

I've got three $10 gift cards for Tim Hortons (of course!) to give away. For your chance to win, leave a comment on this post telling me what you think of when you think about Canada (or your favourite province) – the more specific, the better.

The deadline is 11:59 a.m., Friday, January 15th; on Friday afternoon, I'll choose three winners. Not a bad way to end the week, right?

Hi there,

Turns out it wasn't that difficult to resolve my yarn issues: 10 minutes in the store and I walked out with a bag full of Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted (75% wool, 25% alpaca) in Natural and Carmine. It's soft, it's warm, and it's (actually) worsted weight, which means that by Saturday afternoon I had half a mitten finished!

The pattern is part of the Min Ulla Scarf, Hat & Mittens Set by Elinor of Exercise Before Knitting. I'm hoping to have an "It's Finished!" photo for you by this time next week.

(Let's just not talk about that sweater....)

PS - Just a note: if you're interested in seeing a preview of this week's giveaway, a copy of Sew Liberated, click on the title to be taken to the publisher's page, then scroll down until you see the Scribd preview, which lets you take a peek inside the book. And next time I'll try to remember to take some interior photos for the giveaway post! Thanks for the good idea, Mimi!

Hi again,

When I opened that box from Interweave Press back before Christmas not only did I discover a copy of I Love Patchwork but also a copy of the brand-new book Sew Liberated by sewing pattern–designer and blogger Meg McElwee.

I'll be honest: this book was my first introduction to Meg's blog. I'm not sure how I missed it before but I'm glad that I've found it. Sew Liberated (the blog) is upbeat and chatty and full of great ideas (oh, and super-cute baby photos!); Sew Liberated (the book) provides 20 sewing patterns with a focus on embellishment techniques such as appliqué, reverse appliqué, and embroidery. There are projects for yourself, your kids, and your home; some of my favourites included the handmade clock face (featuring embroidery, appliqué and mini yo-yos) and the fabric baby book (such a good gift idea!).

The things that really stand out about this book (for me, at least) are the patterns – they're full-size, included in an envelope in the back of the book, and there are good size diagrams showing how to lay them out on your fabric – and the how-tos. Appliqué is fun but can be tricky to wrap your head around, and this book provides a comprehensive introduction to several different methods, complete with photos. Excellent.

For your chance to win a copy of Sew Liberated, leave a comment on this post. I'm out of ideas today, so just say hello, ask a question, point me toward your blog (or your favourite blog), recommend a book or movie to help me stave off the January blues...whatever you feel like!

Comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 17; I'll post a winner here the following Monday. Have a great week!

Hi there,

I hope you had a great weekend. It was C-O-L-D here on Saturday, so I took the opportunity to snuggle up with my knitting and a movie. On Sunday I spent the better part of the afternoon working on crafts for an upcoming issue. I can't wait to share them with you, but wait I must.

Speaking of waiting, I'm sure you're wondering who's the lucky winner of the copy of I Love Patchwork, the book of zakka projects by Rashida Coleman-Hale.

(Drumroll, please...)

And the winner is...

Margie! Congratulations. I  hope that this helps you with your resolution. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part.

I'd like to take a moment to welcome two new readers who arrived via I Heart Linen: Krista and Bonnie. I always enjoy checking out new blogs and I'm hoping to do a reader roundup later this week, so if you're a blogger, don't forget to leave your URL when  you're commenting!

Back in a mo with this week's giveaway...

Or, Normal people who need new mittens just go to a store buy new mitts (and I'm starting to understand why)

Hi friends,

Last  night I had a yarn fail.

It all started earlier this week, right around the time I decided that I was committed to finishing my FLS so that I could wear it on February 1st. It was -18C with the windchill that day, and on my walk home from the subway station I realized that my much-loved-but-threadbare mittens were underperforming. In that five-minute walk it became obvious that if I wanted to keep my fingers in good working order to finish that sweater, I needed a new pair of mitts, ASAP.

And so began my 2010 mitten quest. (Like this one, but perhaps a just a tad less ambitious.) I Google-searched and toured Ravelry, and there were so many great options – a veritable embarassment of mittens! I laughed at these pirate mittens, reminisced about these Newfie mittens, seriously considered these Fiddlehead Mittens (and these Podster Mittens), but (finally) decided on these, the mitts from the Min Ulla set by Elinor of Exercise Before Knitting. I love the look (matching hat, mitts and scarf? what a concept!), it's been a while since I did any stranded colour work, the mittens are lined for extra warmth, and oh, by the way....Berocco Ultra Alpaca (soft!).

On my way home from work the next night, I popped by my closest local yarn store. It's a chain store that sometimes surprises me with good stock...but no luck. Well, no ultra alpaca–style luck, that is...though they were having a sale on Cascade 220, so I brought home a couple skeins of that sheepy-smelling standby, just in case. (And this, kids, is where stashes come from.)

Last night, feeling particularly ambitious for a Thursday night, I headed to a yarn store a little further afield. It's a big one with a crazy amount of stock, but all their Berocco had been relegated to the basement, and there was only one skein of the Ultra Alpaca...and what a nasty, unflattering shade of brown it was, too! Back upstairs I headed...

It wasn't until I got home that I realized my mistake. Upstairs, with the "help" of a salesperson and hurried along by my own ever-increasing desire to get home and eat some dinner, I bought a whole bunch of no-good yarn. (Actually, it's quite nice yarn, just no good for my purposes.) My gauge swatch came out all lacy, not nice and firm (and windproof) like I was expecting. Of course, perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise: the original wool is a 50% alpaca, 50% merino blend with 215 yards per 100g skein, whereas the substitute I brought home is 100% alpaca, and packs 196 yards into each 50 g skein. The same (almost) yardage, but half the weight? Hmm. That yardage/weight differential rang some warning bells, as did the difference in gauge (the pattern calls for 24 sts and 26 rounds = 4" in st st on 4mm needles; the substitute specifies 23 sts and 30 rows = 4" in st st on 3.5 mm needles). The real clanger should have been when the sales lady said, "Ah, a few stitches here or there won't matter!" 

But I didn't heed those warning bells. Distracted by hunger, I plowed ahead  – right up to the cash register.

Sigh.

If I had it to do all over again (which I do! tomorrow! when I go to exchange the skinny yarn for something that works!) I'd a) print the pattern and take it with me; and b) read (and re-read) this handy guide to substituting yarn from Knitty.com. And maybe I'll pack a sandwich, a note pad, pen and calculator, and a pair of earplugs, too...just in case.

In the meantime, guess what's waiting for me at home?

Have a good weekend, everyone. See you here on Monday to announce the winners of Giveaway #35.