Websites to check out

While sitting here all covered up in upteen blankets and clothes I've been trying to catch up on some web goodness. I've found a couple things I want to pass on....

Yarndex Yarn Directory is a website where you can look up yarns and see patterns that go with them, reviews and also substitutions. It looks like a great help. I need to do a bit more scouting around but found out about it through Cast On.

The other cool site is the Knitting Scholar. This has reviews of knitting books and should be a really good source for those of us (yes me!!!) that should go on a bit of a book and yarn diet......I found out about this through Franklin Habit's blog Panopticon. I can't wait until next week. I'm going to go to the store I Knit in London and meet him!!! He has a new book out called "It Itches" which feature his cartoons. I love his work...and well....he is from Chicago...so is a bit of home.

Oh I'm so stressed about the election. I hope that everything turns out ok....nail biting stuff.....

Merry Christmas to us!

Rich and I decided (well I decided) that we should pick up a nice art piece for Christmas. We did the same thing for our anniversary. I think this could become an important part of our gift giving. We picked out this earthenware piece for my favorite art gallery in Much Wenlock. It is by Janet Creed. She had also made some other birds and a pig, but we really liked this. I love Rooks, we see them a lot on our favorite beach. The work is really striking and all of them make you smile when you look at them. That is what I'm looking for in art at the moment...for it to make me smile or go WOW!

I've promised myself to write more on here. I have so many great ideas of things I'm wanting to do and I'm working on and I just don't take the few minutes to blog. Which is a shame, because the whole reason I wanted to blog was to discuss what I'm doing and know that people reading it might actually get what I'm on about!

So I expect to be doing a bit more posting!

Oh, and my Mom and Dad bought me some really great books off of my wishlist.
I have the Loop-d-Loop crochet book and I liked it so much that I thought I would have this one too. I'm starting to get certain designers that I really like. That has made things I bit easier. Though most of these patterns are for inspiration.

I had bought the Twisted Sisters sock book and thought I'd have a go at the sweater one. I can't wait to have a go....though I've got several projects a head of this.

Finally getting down to some Embroidery

I've had this book for a while...I've probably posted about it...though I can't remember. I've been inspired by many of the patterns. I have to admit it, I'm getting really excited about free-style stitching. I'm trying to not use a pattern that is copied on to the material. I want to see if my stitching is better then my drawing. So far it isn't too bad.


This is my interpretation of the cover.....





(wool felt - cotton 6 strand)



and this is a poor scan of my edging.




(Cotton Velvet hand dyed, wool thread, cotton 6 strand, cotton one strand)

I have to admit something to you all. I'm knitting, but it isn't my first passion. I've become obsessed with fiber in all of its guises. I also like to blog about Indie craft/arts people that I come across. I will be doing more and more of that. I love buying stuff from other crafters and I love spreading the message about them. Like many of you, I've been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging.... work and life gets in the way. But I pledge to do better. I've got lots of pictures of stuff that I want to post about...lots of stuff I need to take pictures of.....so I will try and work out how I can post more often and hopefully get others excited about what I see out there too!

I can't even believe that I've not posted about Knitting and Stitching at the NEC, Origins - London craft fair, or the Knitting and Stitching at Alexandra Palace....not to mention Wingham wools at the Guild this weekend...where I swore I wasn't going to spend much...and ended up with a huge bag full of lovely fleece to spin...and other things......

Thanks to my Secret pal

I received these from my secret pal the other day. They are really wonderful. The only thing I'm not crazy about the one-skein book is that the have the colored pictures in the middle and the patterns in the rest of the book. I always prefer to have the pictures with the pattern. But there is some scope for inspiration there, and that is what I wanted. The spinning book is one that I've wanted for awhile. It shows you how to spin without needing a spindle, but just a wire with a hook on the end. I thought that was cool, and how to ply.

Wide Open is great. I've been trying to do more art journaling. This is a kit more then a book. There are cards to use as prompts and a journal in it that is already colored. At first I wasn't sure if I could write on the beautifully colored pages, but when I did I understood why people do that. It really makes the writing come to life, no matter what you are writing about.

Anyone in the UK going to Brighton for the Knit In? Some of us from my Stitch 'n Bitch are going. Looks like it should be fun!

More books and magazines.....

This book is sooooo cool. I was drooling over it last time we went to Borders, but decided to not buy it at that moment....but of course a £10.00 off ticket was eating a hole in my wallet and I just had to get it. So off I went after work and picked it up. I have trouble with color. Not sure why. I suppose I just haven't thought about it, other then knowing what colors I like and what colors look good on people.

Anyway, this book is great. Gives lots of combinations for such categories as "Fresh" and "Alluring", so it should be good to help me with some of the projects I'm doing out of a few books for my journals.


This book was so good I couldn't pass it up. It has all kinds of logos in it. But it has such wonderful bright colors I was just so struck by it, I had to buy it! It even has an interactive companion CD with it. I'll have to see what that is like when I have more time....









I was looking through this mag, and was so stuck by all the lovely colors. As you can see this is an American mag (gotta love it).
















I was flipping through the pages and came across this page...I thought...HEY I know those dogs....and sure enough the house they are featuring is one of the bloggers I follow. I remembered then that she talked about being featured, but at the time thought "oh well...another magazine I can't get here....woe is me"....but I was WRONG. She is Alicia Paulson and her blog is so wonderful and full of great ideas...just like her house!











This is an Australian magazine I hadn't seen before. So I got it to have a go. It has some traditional crafts, but there is enough of a twist to it. I thought that I could use it to give me some ideas of embroidery that I could tweak.

Book reviews....

Yes, more books....but this time I didn't buy them! I was smart and got them from a library. I should promote libraries more...seeing as I'm almost a Librarian and have worked in them most of my adult life. I wanted to check out these two book before I thought about purchasing them. I'm glad I did. They are great and were worth having a good look at...but they don't include anything different then the things I've seen on the net or have in books I already own. The "House Proud" book by Danielle Proud is great and if you are in to reusing furniture and household goods, then this book has some great ideas. The thing is I've been in to this for such a long time, that I've seen most of the techniques before. I must be getting really old! Cath Kidston book is really good too, but again...nothing really new.

Yeah for Borders!

I know it is sad to be so excited about a big name bookstore. But I can now get my American magazines and drink Starbuck's, so I can't help being a bit excited!

So what did I buy? I got Mary Englibert's Home Companion magazine, which I've never seen before. It is really good. I was very surprised. I know of Mary and have seen her many books and art work. Her magazine isn't as country looking as I thought it might be. There is a lot of nice bright colors and art decorating. I really like it, and will buy more.

I have to admit to buying two books. I've not seen these before, and it is nice to actually sit with my hot chocolate having a good look through the books. I promised myself that I wouldn't buy too many books this year, but I have to admit that two books that have gone on my wishlist are the new Tracy Ullman and Mel Clark's "Knit 2 Together", which had 3 patterns I wanted to go home and start...and Erica Knight's new book "Essential Crochet", which has her characteristic home furnishings.

So what did I buy? The first book was one I had on my wishlist (I just figured out) "Fabric Leftovers" by D'Arcy-Jean Milne. This books is excellent. It has two things I have to try, the first is Lazy Crazy Patchwork. You just sew pieces in strips and do lots of cool embroidery. Then you use those pieces as fabric to make pillows etc. She also show you how to take cord and use the sewing machine to embroider over it. The effect is awesome and I can see it being used for so many different projects.

The second is a book I hadn't seen before, "New from Old" by Jayne Emerson. I've seen many of this type and after looking at the books thought they were good for insperation, but they really weren't in my style. This one is so different. She has split the book into: dying, embellishing, and actually reusing the item to make something different. She makes me wish I had a leather skirt to make into a bag, and her use of fabric flowers to embellish is really inspiring!

We will have to see how I get on with these. I've promised myself that I would make sure I actually use the books I buy....so this is a bit of a challenge! Must make valentines cards first though!