Tag Archives: Asides

Sheep!

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Sometimes, people have wonderful things–and then do good things with them.

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Susan Gibbs of Juniper Moon Farm and her husband Michael have created these wonderful sheep. They’re basic cutouts in sheep-shapes, which is pretty straight-forward, but then … you get to have fun with them. Wrapping them in yarn leftovers, for example, or turning them into wreaths or magnets or … the creativity is boundless! (Seriously–check out her blog to see.) There’s even a sweater pattern so you can knit them their own sweaters.

But, even better, when you buy them, a portion of the proceeds are being donated to Heifer International.

That’s right–there are hundreds of little flocks out there, and they’re not only adorable and fun, but they’re good for charity, too.

What could be better this time of year? The only possible problem, here, is that you could get so involved playing with your new flock, that you fall behind in your holiday preparations … but, really, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

You can buy them from the farm’s Etsy shop or through Facebook.

Comfort Afghans E-book

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Did you know the Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans by Norah Gaughan, Margery Winter, and the Berroco Design Team is now available as an ebook?

I reviewed the original paper edition here, and still consider this one of the nicest collection of afghans I’ve seen in a while.

While we’re at it the Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Babies and Toddlers book is also available as an e-book now.

Paralleloghan Pattern

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Because a girl’s got to toot her own horn once in a while, I’m proud to take this moment to tell you that my latest afghan pattern is up for sale over at Ravelry.

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The afghan is knitted out of Juniper Moon Farm Herriot because that amazingly soft yarn was just crying out to be a blanket. I didn’t want to do something ordinary with it, though, so I played and sketched and experimented and swatched and ended up with this — a slightly crazy collection of blocks that are parallelograms instead of rectangles, chevrons that don’t quite want to be angled chevrons, but that don’t want to lie in right angles and straight lines, either. There are diagonal accent lines to add definition, but instead of using one color for the entire afghan, the accents themselves change from dark to light as they work across the afghan. In other words, there’s a lot going on, but that’s good, because it means putting this together is never boring. I’m incredibly proud of it!

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More Than Just Patterns

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I saw this post about why knitting books are really about more than just the patterns over at Donna Druchunas’s blog and wanted to share. I pretty much agree with everything she said, and couldn’t have put it better myself.

Here’s a taste to whet your appetite.

What makes a knitting book great? It reaches beyond the genre of crafts, just like great food books reach beyond the genre of cooking. Over the past decade or so, the food genre has gone nuclear with “foodie” books in the genres of memoir, travel, and history making the beset seller lists and winning awards. And, at least for the ones I’ve read, the accolades have been well deserved. The writing is thought provoking, with beautiful prose and inspiring stories. And they’re being read by everyone, not just chefs or homemakers.
I believe the same thing can happen with books about needlework, and specifically about knitting.

Now, go read the whole thing! And don’t skip the recommendations…

Cyber Monday Ebooks

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Open Road Media is having a sale on ALL of their e-books today for Cyber Monday.

Christmas in July

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Open Road Media is having a special summer sale on ebooks until July 22nd. So here’s your chance to get a head-start on your cold-weather knitting with some summer-priced inspiration!

These include some really wonderful books, like Melanie Falick’s Weekend Knitting and her fabulous Handknit Holidays. Veronik Avery’s Knitting Classic Style and her Knitting 24/7, and more knitting books.

The 150 titles include lots of different categories, too. (And, yes, it’s entirely possible I bought a few Erma Bombeck books for the next time I need a good laugh.) Go check them out!

Hurt Book Sale

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Today begins the Interweave Press Hurt Book Sale. If you haven’t already, you should go check it out–great prices on some really great books!

Know Your Rights

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Just in time for World Intellectual Property Day (well, okay, that was yesterday, but close enough) …

Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Knitters

Available free from Interweave Press.

To quote the Press Release:

“Most people think of pirated movies or music when they hear about copyright violations,” says Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits magazine. “But we answer questions about copyright for crafters, artists, designers, and authors every day—copyright and other intellectual property issues are a big deal in the DIY marketplace, where the “I can do that!” spirit and respect for original, independent design and authorship need to coexist peacefully.”

Questions around copyright can range from simple queries, like ‘Can I make a copy of a pattern?’ (Answer: For your own use, yes; to give to a friend, no) to more complex issues, like ‘How can I be inspired by other artists without infringing on their intellectual property rights?’ (Answer: By executing your vision independently, and asking permission where necessary).

“Ultimately, copyright is about protecting the creative process, ensuring that the creator of a work can benefit from that work,” adds Jang. “Our goal at Interweave is to educate our consumers about what copyright is, and why it matters—and to give authors, artists, and designers everywhere the tools they need to protect their own rights so they can continue to create new works and share them with the public.”

Congratulations Ravelry

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Congratulations to Jess and Casey and the entire Ravelry team.

2,000,000 members!

That’s just … wow!

Congratulations on one of the best, most inclusive community websites I have EVER seen. You guys rock.

It’s the Principle of the Thing

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Yes, my copy of Hiatt’s new “Principles of Knitting” came. And yes, I’m definitely going to be reviewing it. How exciting is this? This updated version has only been in the works for ten or so years, right? And meantime the original has been like the holy grail. The book is massive, though. Luckily for your patience (and mine), I will NOT be waiting until I’ve read through the entire thing before writing a review. Fast reader though I am, that could be months. It looks amazing. Can’t wait. The only problem? It’s HUGE, so carrying it around is not going to be an option. If it weren’t $11 more, I would have bought the Kindle version instead (grin).