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Archives: October 2006

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October 31, 2006

Knitzilla! - Knitting for a cause

Knitzilla! is an all-ages, all-genders group of yarn addicts who believe in supporting their worldwide community, often through craft. Knitzilla!'s have supported hurricane Katrina survivors, Asian tsunami survivors and others around the world who could use a little warmth in their lives. The first picture above is a child's sweater created by an LA knitter named Ans (her own design) with cotton yarn donated by Edna Hart , and some mind-boggling seaming by Katherine. Knitzilla auctioned the sweater on E-bay and the money supported www.tsunamivolunteer.net, which is working with tsunami survivors in Khao Lak, Thailand. Currently Knitzilla! is knitting and crocheting Rad Bad Beanies for urban teens in outdoor mentoring programs through Big City Mountaineers as can be seen in the second photo. The two brown hats (in upper right hand corner) donated by Carol from Hawaii and the remaining four are knitted by Whitney from LA with yarn donated by The Knitter's Studio. Each year they salute these community givers by raffling donated items to those who have given back. If you believe in supporting your worldwide neighborhood through knit and crochet fiber art, join Knitzilla! online. Or if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area, come out and meet the group at a Silverlake knit night! Link.

Sublime Stitching Gothic Grandeur

Don't miss the 50% off Gothic Grandeur embroidery patterns by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching. (That means it's only $1.50) Sale ends tonight at midnight! Link.

Refashioned wedding dress

Stacia at Wardrobe Refashion '06 took her wedding dress and refashioned it into a dress that she can wear again. She also used some of the leftover sheer fabric to make lavender sachets! Simply beautiful work! Link.

Amigurumi Dudes

Kim Werker from Crochet Me magazine has a cool pattern on how to make your own amigurumi dudes as shown here. There's even a flickr group where you can add a snapshot of your finished friend. Link.

Sewing zippers

twelve22 shows you how to sew the perfect zipper on a pouch! Sometimes these things can be tricky and the photos here are fantastic. [ via ] Link.

Blender pen

We had no idea one little pen could do so much. Thanks to Photojojo, we're introduced to the $4 wonder, the Blender pen which can transfer photo works onto fabric, paper, tile, wood, copper, linoleum and more. Don't miss all the examples of the pen in action. Link.

HOW TO - Make your own self striping yarn

Eunny Jang used Knitty's Kool-Aid dyeing guide to make her own self striping yarn shown above. It's really cool to see her yarn all hung up to dry! Link.

Katamari Damacy Halloween

Just so awesome! Presenting the Katamari King and Queen of all Cosmos costumes entered into our MAKE & CRAFT Halloween Contest. [ via ] Link.

Related:
Keep the entries coming for the MAKE & CRAFT Halloween Contest! - Link.

October 30, 2006

HOW TO - Make cascading earrings

Linques Design Speaks has a tutorial up on making some great cascading earrings. This easy technique can be used on a multitude of beads to create some great looking earrings. Link.

HOW TO - Make your own buttons for a bracelet

Creative Kismet has a tutorial on how to make your own buttons with polymer clay to create your own button bracelet. Link.

CRAFT L.A. Launch Party Recap

By Carla Sinclair

The CRAFT launch party was a high-energy success. The space at Machine Project was packed with crafters who experimented with our Gocco machine, won door prizes, ate pizza and "CRAFT"-topped cupcakes (thanks to Cathy of California), and some who even brought their own crafts - like felted skulls, mini quilts, and lamps made from vintage soda bottles - to share with us. A special thanks to Jenny Ryan of Felt Club who organized the event and kept the party a-rollin'.

Flickr Photos by Mark Frauenfelder - Link.
Flickr Photos by Jenny Ryan- Link.
Susan Beal's West Coast Crafty Write up - Link.

Where's Craftie?

This week, our dear mascot Craftie is in Ypsilanti, MI visiting crafter Melissa Dettloff and trying to screen print some stickers over at VGKids. Link.

Related:
Frapper map: Check back on the Frapper map to see where Craftie goes next! - Link.

Cast-On Knitting Podcast

Tonia says, "Cast-On: A podcast for knitters is one year old. Brenda is back for her fourth season of the popular podcast. The theme for this series is open culture. In this weeks epidode Brenda is encourages knitters to contribute their knowledge to wikipedia. There is also a halloween poem from the fabulous Franklin Habit of http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com." Link.

Halloween eggs

Jason Brackins (leff) says, "My girlfriend (rakka) suggested that we make halloween eggs (holiday mashups are a big deal at our house). We made these eggs with acrylic paint, paper, sharpies and in the case of the mummy egg, medical bandages." Link.

Haunted House pincushion

Bella Dia's Cassi Griffith made this cute little Haunted House for a custom order. Check out all the photos. All the details are really fun! Link.

HOW TO - Make marzipan roses for cakes

Here's an Instructables tutorial from the CRAFT group by hobbyman.se on how to make those fancy cool-looking marzipan roses for cakes. Link.

October 29, 2006

The week in MAKE

Here's some of what's been going over on the MAKE blog. Don't forget, there's stuill time to enter the MAKE & CRAFT Halloween Contest so get those entries in!

Tribute to America Halloween Costumes: one family keeps the fun costume themes going year after year - Link.
Old fashioned Victorian Halloween Costumes: A link to Miss Mary's Victorian Halloween site - Link.
The Great Pumpkin mod: Russ' awesome pumpkin PC case - Link.
Magnifying finger attachment: perfect for threading needles - Link.
Weekend Projects: Bre Pettis shows you how to make a spud gun - Link. (Also see the 3D PDF - Link.)

October 28, 2006

Arctic Lace by Donna Druchunas

Arctic Lace - Knitting Projects and Stories Inspired by Alaska's Native Knitters by Donna Druchunas

Book Site - Link.

The new book, "Arctic Lace" by Donna Druchunas is an inspiring history + knitting book documenting the lives of Alaska's Native Knitters. I never knew about the the rich history of knitting that Alaskan women had, until I read this book. As a reader, you are immediately introduced into the world of the Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-operative in Anchorage, Alaska where kntting traditions and the fibers of the musk ox inspire their lace work. The patterns created by Donna in this book are amazing and were inspired by the the detailed handiwork of the women knitters she met while researching this book in Alaska. Donna's writing style pulls you in and you realize you can't put this book down. No other craft book I've read can touch your heart so deeply as the stories that are in "Arctic Lace".

I got a chance to talk to Donna on her book blog tour to learn more about her experience writing this book and more on her knitting.

Nat: Please tell me a bit about your background.

Donna: I learned to knit from my grandmother when I was four or five years old. Actually, I have no memory of not knowing how to knit and crochet, but I don't remember making any actual projects when I was a child. The only thing I recall knitting is a yellow honeycomb cable swatch. I'm sure I must have practiced knitting quite a bit before I learned cables!

I didn't knit at all in my teens and twenties. After my grandmother died, when I was about 35, a local yarn shop had a going out of business sale and I bought a half-price kit for a mohair cardigan. My mother had to remind me how to cast on, but once I got the stitches on the needles, my hands remembered the rest. I haven't stopped knitting since.

I quit high school in 1980, my senior year, because I was a stupid teenager and my parents were having too many problems of their own to get me to stay in school. I did end up getting a diploma and I started college several times in my twenties and thirties. Each time I got bored and quit again. I have always read a lot on many subjects, however, and I read voraciously about topics that interest me. That's one reason I write: it gives me a good excuse for buying and reading 100 books on a single topic. "It's for research," I can tell my husband, when he gives me that funny look after opening a package and discovering yet another book about my current obsession.

Nat: Please tell me about your new book "Arctic Lace" and the inspiration behind writing this amazing book.

Donna: Arctic lace is the story of the Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-operative in Anchorage, Alaska. Oomingmak is a crafts co-op owned and operated by around 200 Yup'ik and Inupiat Eskimo women who knit lace using qiviut (kiv'-ee-yoot), the soft undercoat of the musk ox. Most of the knitters in the co-op live in rural villages around the state, and a few live in Anchorage or other cities. I read an article about these amazing women in an issue of Piecework magazine several years ago and I couldn't stop thinking about them. I started buying books about Alaska and searching for information about musk oxen on the internet. I became totally consumed with a desire to discover every detail about the co-op and learning about every aspect of its history. The stories that I discovered in my research form the heart of my book.

Arctic Lace also includes original knitting designs that I created, lessons for new lace knitters, over a dozen projects, and a chapter on designing and charting your own lace patterns.

Nat: Your knitting book is unlike any kind of craft book I've read. It's like reading a documentary. How did it feel to go to Alaska and meet the members of the Oomingmak Co-op and the various small villages to hear their stories in person?

Donna: I felt that I had to tell the story of the women in the co-op to honor them for their unique contributions to the knitting universe. I don't think the book would have been complete if I only including the knitting lessons and patterns. I had read quite a bit about the co-op knitters and about the Yup'ik and Inupiat cultures and history before my trip, but there's nothing like visiting a place in person to truly understand what it is like.

I only got to visit one larger Eskimo village, Unalakleet (yoon'-uh-luh-kleet). Most of the smaller villages have no place for visitors to stay, unless you want to sleep on the school floor. At the time of my visit, Unalakleet had a lodge. The Native Alaskan cultures permeate the air all over Alaska, however. The large cities and small villages are both places where Native Alaskans and newer immigrants live and work together. Because the Europeans went to Alaska so much later than they did the lower 48, the Native cultures survived and are thriving in many places around the state to this day. That's not to say that there was no trouble when explorers and missionaries went to Alaska. But the Eskimo villages were so remote and hard to get to, that the Native people were not forced to leave their homes the way the Native Americans in the lower 48 were moved onto reservations. Although missionaries prohibited some Native traditions, such as dancing and ceremonial celebrations, these traditions are experiencing a revival today. We are so fortunate that people who remember these beautiful dances and ceremonies are still alive.

It's a completely different history and a completely different atmosphere in Alaska than in the lower 48. I don't think it's possible to truly understand it without visiting. I plan to go back as often as I can to learn more and to enjoy the people and the environment.

Nat: The patterns you've created for the book match the detailed way the Oomingmak knitters create their special pieces. Which ones are your favorite?

Donna: My favorite designs from the Oomingmak Co-op are the Harpoon Pattern because it was the very first design created by the co-op, and the Wolverine Mask design from Unalakleet, because I was able to visit that village. I bought a scarf knitted by Fran Degnan, one of the knitters I met on my trip. The qivut is soft and luxurious, but the scarf is even more special to me because of the memories it brings back when I wear it.

Of my own designs, the Skeleton Scarf and Nachaq (hood) design is my favorite. This is the first pattern I designed, and it was inspired by a painted wooden spoon that I saw in a book on Eskimo art in the public library. When I went to Fairbanks to visit the Museum of the North, I stumbled upon this very spoon in their archives. The author of the book had recently donated her entire collection to the museum.

Nat: Sometimes when knitting lace or intricate patterns it's easy to lose your place. Do you have any tips or special techniques for keeping yourself on track as you knit?

Donna: I use a few different techniques to keep my place in my knitting. If I am working on a project where I have trouble remembering which is the right side (front) of my work, I put a safety pin in the knitting on the right side. That way, whenever I see the safety pin, I know I am on the next pattern row. (In Arctic Lace, all of the wrong side rows are plain, making this an easy type of lace for new knitters to learn.)

I use sticky notes to keep my place on charts. I try to find a note that is large enough to cover most of the chart. I put it on the chart above the row I am working on. That way the part of the chart I can see matches what I have already knitted. And the top line that is visible tells me what to knit next. I hide the part that comes later, because I don't have to worry about it yet.

With both of these techniques combined, I find that I don't have to use a row counter.

Nat: What other projects are next for you this fall and winter?

Donna: Right now I am finishing up a book called Kitty Knits that will be published by Lark Books next fall. It is a collection of patterns for and about cats including cat beds, cat toys, sweaters and accessories with cat designs, and home dec items picturing cats. That's due on November 15th, and I hope to get some time to relax and enjoy the holidays after that deadline is past. Every year in November and December, I also try to take some time to rejuvenate and to decide what creative projects I want to focus on in the coming year.

October 27, 2006

HOW TO - Relief printing

The amazing craft blog Tsk Tsk shows the work of Tiel Seivl. Tiel here gives us an in depth tutorial on how to create a relief print on a block. From the site, "Lino or wood block printing falls under the catergory of relief. Basically anything carved away from below the surface of the block won't print." The tutorial is fantastic and Tiel's work is doubly inspiring. Link.

CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Bobble Hat by Fable Handmade Goods

Today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is the Bobble Hat from Fable Handmade Goods. The crafty brains behind the amazing crochet patterns is Jennifer Fletcher. We wanted to introduce CRAFT readers to Jen's cool business so in addition to our regular CRAFT Podcast Pattern, we also have a short interview with Jennifer to find out more about the inspiration behind the Bobble hat and why she loves crafting.

Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.

Nat: What's your background in crafting?

Jennifer: I've been crafting since I can remember. Like a lot of women in the '70's, my mom dabbled in crochet, embroidery and sewing so I was surrounded by handmade things all the time. Sewing was my first love and I would make dolls, doll clothes and even clothes for myself -- very odd things that I would actually wear! I got into jewelry-making (beading) in junior high and learned to crochet in college. Being creative is a such an integral part of my existence and I don't feel like myself if I can't make something!

Why did you start Fable Handmade Goods?

Jennifer: I started Fable in the fall of 2005. For a long time I wanted to do my own thing, and not punch the clock for the rest of my life. I've always been very independent and crafty, and starting my own business seemed like a logical decision. I had been having a lot of fun with crochet, and because it was hard to find patterns that I liked, I decided to design my own.

Nat: Tell me about the Bobble hat - What was your inspiration for creating it? What kinds of outfits would you wear it with?

Jennifer: The very first Bobble Hat I made was for myself a few years ago. I wanted a hat that looked like an acorn cap so I incorporated a lot of bobbles and a little "stem" at the top. I even crocheted a little acorn and oak leaf to use as decoration, as opposed to a flower. I really like the design, so I made a few revisions, and came up with the Bobble Hat pattern I offer on my site today.

The great thing about the Bobble Hat is that it's a basic shape, without being ordinary. With a pretty ribbon or flower, it's very romantic and can be worn with a complimentary capelet, wrap cardigan or vintage-style dress. I like to wear my Bobble Hat with jeans! The pattern is quick to make up so you could have more than one to go with various outfits.

Nat: What other pattern do you recommend to compliment the Bobble hat?

Jennifer: Probably my Sweet Magnolia Scarflette pattern ($5.25). I designed it while I was living in the South. Magnolias remind me of old oaks trees with Spanish moss, mint juleps, sweltering afternoons and Southern Belles - very romantic!

Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.

October 2006 Home | Next >

Craft:

Knitzilla! - Knitting for a cause

Sublime Stitching Gothic Grandeur

Refashioned wedding dress

Amigurumi Dudes

Sewing zippers

Blender pen

HOW TO - Make your own self striping yarn

Katamari Damacy Halloween

HOW TO - Make cascading earrings

HOW TO - Make your own buttons for a bracelet

CRAFT L.A. Launch Party Recap

Where's Craftie?

Cast-On Knitting Podcast

Halloween eggs

Haunted House pincushion

HOW TO - Make marzipan roses for cakes

The week in MAKE

Arctic Lace by Donna Druchunas

HOW TO - Relief printing

CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Bobble Hat by Fable Handmade Goods

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