Archive for February, 2010

Hi friends,

Well. I think I committed the Internet-equivalent of putting away the snow shovels away too early on Monday, when I declared that spring was on its way. I don't know what it's like where you are today, but I have a feeling that the blame for this:

...rests squarely on my over-optimistic shoulders.

Sigh.

But last night, as the wind buffeted the windows and I sat curled up on the couch, knitting the purple monster, it occurred to me that this weather is the perfect excuse to start (or finish) making an afghan. I think that every home should have one. This morning over breakfast I went looking for some afghan ideas, and here's some of what I found.

• Brooklyn Tweed's lacy baby blanket. It seems much more do-able when you think of it as a giant swatch rather than a big ol' blanket.
• This colourful crocheted hex blanket from Novamade is awesome. (Click through and scroll down to download the free pattern.)
• A lacy, knitted ripple blanket from Pickles.
• The bright-and-cheery Babette Blanket from Interweave is a modern classic, I think.
• Alicia's Sunshine Day crocheted afghan is also baby-sized, but what I love about these is that it would be super-easy to increase the finished size – just make more granny squares.
• Joelle's Giant Granny square afghan would be a great opportunity to experiment with colour.

I hope you stay warm and dry, and your fingers stay busy, this weekend. Drink a hot chocolate for me, and I'll see you on Monday with the winner of this week's contest.

Hi friends,

I'm heading into a day of meetings, so I just thought I'd pop in to share this video tutorial with you. Watch as a DIY dad creates a crinkle book for his young son. It's actually pretty entertaining (got to love someone with a toddler using a hot iron on the floor! yikes!**) – and the giggling baby at the end is worth the wait.

Thanks to Tara for sending me this link. What's inspiring you (or making you laugh) these days? Please, share your winter-blues-busting links and ideas in the comments!

*Don't worry: by the lighting I'd guess the baby was long in bed by the time any ironing happened.

Hi friends,

I recently received an email from Canadian needlepoint artist Anna Bourque Champion.  Since February is Embroidery Month, I though it would be a good time to direct you over to her website to have a look at her needlepoint art.

By Anna Bourque Champion, image from her website.

I'm quite taken with the interplay of colours here. I'll definitely be taking a walk up to the North York Central Library between March 1 and March 31 to see them in person. If you're in the area, why not go have a gander?

Have a great night!

Hi friends,

I had big plans to post another blogger roundup today, but a giant to-do list just snuck up and bonked me on the head, so I'm going to have to hold off on that until later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll leave you with these awe-inspiring miniature cut-paper scenes and a picture of my *other* work in progress...

...back soon!

Hi friends,

This week I've got a real treat for knitters and yarn enthusiasts. When I returned to work last week after my long weekend, it was to find a big box on my desk – a big box filled with pattern booklets and yarn from Patons.

The pattern booklets are the standout feature of this week's prize: you'll find all seven of Patons' "Next Steps" series of booklets, which take you from knitting basics, in Next Steps One, all the way to the intricacies of knitting mittens and gloves, in the brand-new book, Next Steps Seven. As much as we'd like to believe otherwise, there are still several weeks of mitten weather ahead of us. Wouldn't a fancy new pair of mitts make all the difference?

And so that you can get started right away, this basket is also chock-full of wool: you'll find four balls of Patons Classic Wool and four balls of Patons Kroy, in colours that will take you from late winter to spring and beyond.

Colours not as shown.

This is a great prize for a knitter of any level. For your chance to win, leave a comment on this post telling me what you look for as a sign of spring. Comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 28; I'll announce a winner here on Monday, March 1. Good luck!

Hello there,

Happy Monday! Hope you had a good weekend. Can you believe we're already into the last week of February? It was sunny and warm yesterday, and I noticed the faintest pink haze on the peach trees as I travelled out of Niagara yesterday afternoon. Spring is coming!

But there's a giveaway or two (or six) to take care of in the meantime. Judging by the comments on last week's giveaway post, I'm not the only person who needs a bit of extra inspiration when it comes to making greeting cards. (I'm glad it's not just me!) Here's this week's lucky winner.

Congratulations to commenter #24...

...Judy Williams! Judy, I don't know that this will help with your needlepoint, but I'm sure you'll have fun with it. I'll be in touch shortly.

Stay tuned for Giveaway #42, coming up shortly.

Hi friends,

I really need to see a glimpse of the light at the end of the purple sweater tunnel, so I've been looking for quilting inspiration online recently. I like to alternate between projects – when I finish a big knitting project, I switch to quilting, and vice versa – it's one of the ways I keep myself motivated. Knowing there's a fun new project around the corner spurs me on, and there are times (like now!) when it's about the only thing that keeps a half-finished project from ending up scrumbled into a shopping bag and shoved into the deepest darkest corner of my closet. <Ahem.>

I've also taken to bribing myself with flowers.

Anyway, here are a few things, quilty and non, that have been inspiring me to knit faster! this week.

• Whether  you're a quilter or not, I can guarantee you'll be wowed by Jennifer's pictures of quilts from the 2010 Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival. (Check out Jennifer's blog, Moving Hands, too.)
• The Workroom has a new class calendar out, and as usual I'm sorely tempted. This Buzz Saw Quilt looks pretty neat.
• This picture has me thinking about terrariums again. All but one of mine suffered dry and desert-y demises, but maybe it's time for me to try again.
• Have  you tried paper-cutting yet? I think this silhouette of a boy riding a dinosaur is pretty rad. (From the Scherenschnitte blog.)
• This is an awesome baby quilt.
• Here's a tutorial showing how to personalize a tshirt with bleach. It looks so much better when it happens on purpose.

OK, any more ideas and that sweater's in danger of hitting the closet floor. Have a great weekend. I'll see you here Monday with a prize pack from Patons!

Hi friends,

It's been a while since I posted a craft report...and given that I just had a four-day weekend, I've actually got a bit of crafting accomplished recently. Here's a peek.

(more...)

Hello again!

It feels strange doing Monday-blogging things on a Wednesday, I must admit. I'll post this giveaway today, and then tomorrow we'll get back into the swing of things with a couple of project posts. I'd like to do another blogger round-up soon, too, so if you weren't in the last one, this would be a good time to leave a comment pointing me toward your blog!

This week's giveaway is for the paper crafters out there. Joy of Card Making: Collector's Edition (from Paper Crafts Magazine) is a veritable bible of card-making ideas. I love paper craft but sometimes when I sit down in front of a stack of paper and doodads, I draw a blank. That would never be a problem again with this book! There's a card in here for every occasion...and probably a few occasions I've never thought of.

For your chance to win, comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 21st. This week I'd love to know if there's a craft you love that every once in a while gives you brain freeze (like me and card-making!). I'll post a winner here on Monday, February 22nd.

Hi all,

Wow, thanks for all your comments on Giveaway #40! It was great to hear from so many of you. Let's get straight down to business.

I've done things a little differently and given the random number generator the week off. (Although it's great at crunching numbers, it's no good at all at taking into account people's preferred prizes!) I printed out the comments, cut them apart, and placed them in a basket. Then I went down the list of prizes and drew names for each one. If I pulled a name that wanted that prize, that person was the winner. If I pulled a name that didn't want that prize, the name went back into the basket. Not as scientific as usual, but this way I figured you'd get a shot at what you wanted, instead of wishing and hoping for one thing and actually winning the exact opposite.

So here we go.

First the PrintMaster Platinum 2.0 printing software from Broderbund.

And the winners are: #98, Lori; and #133, Gilbert.

Second, the Collage: Vintage Notecard Kit by Maryjo Koch.

And the winner is: #129, Marlo.

Third, the selection of needle-felting tools from Clover, plus a bag of assorted wool roving.

And the winner is: #22, Lowena.

Fourth, the copy of Quilting in No Time by Emma Hardy.

And the winner is: #10, Sarah.

Fifth, a copy of Kaffe Knits Again by Kaffe Fassett.

And the winner is: #82, Marsha Lemon.

Sixth, a selection of craft punches from Fiskars.

And the winner is: #29, Arbel.

Finally, The Complete Book of Polymer Clay by Lisa Pavelka. (I received a second copy in the mail late last week, so I'm going to choose two winners for this one.)

And the winners are: #87, Evelyn; and #105, Marge.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks again to each of you for entering, and to so many of you for subscribing! I read and appreciated each and every entry.

Check in later today for details on Giveaway #41.