FABULOUS NEWS FOR CORALINE FANS!

Well, my knitties, the day has finally arrived! Jenn Jarvis of nipperknits.com has adapted the Coraline sweater pattern into children's sizes 6, 8, 10, AND adult sizes XS, to XL. The pattern is available on the productions website,Coraline.com. HOORAY!

If you missed Althea Crome's interview, (creator of the miniature knitwear used in Coraline) on Knit1fortheroad, here's the link.
ALTHEA CROME, BUGKNITS & CORALINE!!!

Happy Days!

Marg

BUNNY BONANZA and BABY CHICK MADNESS!

LionBrandYarn.com's crocheted Little Lamb pattern.


It's getting close to "bunny time" - are you ready? Here are a few links for both knit and crochet Easter patterns that will have you smiling and using that yarn stash up quickly.

http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/2008/05/teenie-tinies.html

http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/patterns.html

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=38931

http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?language=&store=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&cost=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&search=1&craft=Knit&searchText=easter&submit.x=31&submit.y=13

http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?language=&store=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&search=1&searchText=crochet+easter&submit.x=42&submit.y=8

We spent our weekend taking the dogs on what they rated 5 bone hikes filled with potent woodsey smells, water and plenty of muddy puddles for Max to splash through. Molly tippy pawed, as usual. Sometimes you just have to let dogs be dogs and knitters be knitters.

I hope that your friends and family enjoy a knitter being a knitter and that you have a 5 bone rated week yourself!

Knit-Share-Go!

Marg

KEEP YOUR KNITTING CLOSE

It seems that we are surrounded by fear. Fear of loosing our jobs, growing old, family struggles, and personal dilemmas. We are bombarded daily, with not only our own fears, but the media, and the people around us. This is definitely the time to keep your knitting close. Through creativity, you can change your focus to more positive, healing thoughts. You will be astounded by the subtle changes that will occur in your life when you focus on being creative. I encourage you to find ways to reach out to others when you can. In fact, it will become easier for you to reach out through the creative process.

I was inspired by a recent story on TV about a group of artists in the Detroit area buying abandoned homes in neighborhoods on the brink of disaster and fixing them up to use as artists spaces and homes. This was a real chance to breathe new life into a community that had lost hope and was struggling. Creativity and problem solving can really help us during difficult times. I hope you are being creative and overcoming any fear that you have in your life. You are not alone.

Fear is only an illusion. It is the illusion that creates the feeling of separateness-the false sense of isolation that exists only in your imagination.
- Jeraldine Saunders

If you have found creative ways to overcome your fears, please share them.

Marg (looking forward to a little knitting therapy)

Daisies, Sunflowers and Tweets Today

Are you a big ole Twitter fan? Find your fingers texting updates at a maddening pace? Well, here's a twitterly item that you might want to make for yourself or fellow tweeters.

Check out this project - Glass Tile Pendant from CraftBits.





Also, from Craftbits...knitted Daisy Cushion or Sunflower to brighten your day.

Thank you CraftBits!...and thank you for giving up prime knitting, crocheting or crafting time to visit this blog ;)

Marg getting her craft on early today.

FIBER FESTIVAL FUN

An event postcard from Briar Rose Fibers arrived today for two events that they will be attending. They are celebrating 5 years of business so do stop by and say hello to them if you are able to attend :) Bring a handmade hat (any fiber pattern) to their booth, and they will donate the hat to charity and give you 5% off your purchase. How wonderful is that?

The Fiber Event
Greencastle IL
April 10 & 11th, 2009

and

Great Lakes Fiber Show
May 23 & 24, 2009
Wooster, OH

Are you having a knitty event in your area that you would like to tell us about? Please post a comment.

Hope your yarn is knot free and on sale!

Marg

Nanotechnology + Cotton Yarn = Smart Yarn

This morning I came across this article and thought you might be intrigued by this SmatYarn approach to health. Knitters have always known the healing nature of yarn ;)


Science and cotton yarn merge in this interesting article from the Record at the University of Michigan.

"This “smart yarn” that conducts electricity and could be woven into soft fabrics that detect blood and monitor health, per engineers at University of Michigan."



I hope you're experiencing a little healing yarn activities today.

KNIT-SHARE-GO!

Marg

GET INSPIRED RIGHT NOW!

NEWS, BOOKS AND AN INTERVIEW OF NOTE TODAY JUST FOR YOU!


Vegetable Dyes: A Book of Recipes and Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet Paperback and Kindle!
I love this book! The idea of using the vegetable dyes is wonderful and I think you will be inspired to branch out in a new direction with your knitting/dying know how. Experiment this spring and summer with these recipes and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how fabulously talented you are.


Knitter's Handy Book Of Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and Gauges
BY Ann Budd
I can't say enough about this book. It's a great help when you're try to make projects for specific styles or sizes. It really takes the worry out of making the correct size. I use Ann's -The Knitter's Handy Guide To Yarn Requirements also, and I can tell you it's a life saver.

ARTICLE By James Thomas Jr. Man to world: Knitting's not just for ladies anymore

NEWS on KNIT 1 FOR THE ROAD - it's now available on Kindle for an awesome $4.79. You can also purchase it as a paperback on Amazon.com or enjoy super savings on margknittinaround (my Etsy shop ;) and snatch a signed copy + a free pattern with purchase. Yay!

Well, that's a wrap for today. I hope you're enjoying a little knitting or crocheting therapy today and sharing it with others. The world needs you!

Marg turning her face to the golden sun and blue sky today.

CRAFTY AFTERNOON DELIGHT

Issue 8 - Release date:11th March 2009, first full color and professionally printed issue.

Good news today from Justine at MixTape. An article I wrote for their publication called Crafting from the Heart will be included in Issue 9 which is due out the first week of May 09. This will be their second full color and professionally printed issue. Hooray! (and I thought the black and white issues were wonderful) This is such a fun and unique craft magazine. You can keep up with all the doin's on their blog and follow along.





Haven't seen an issue yet? I encourage you to check it out, you won't be disappointed. There is something for everyone and the issues are jam packed with uber cool (or obercool, if you like) eco-friendly projects, articles, and reviews. Reasonably priced and ships all over the world so now their definitely is no excuse to put off crafty afternoon delight.





Knit, crochet and get your crafty groove on!





Marg - getting ready for a crafty spring!

NEW COLORS FOR SPRING ARE HERE!

LionBrandYarn has seven new colors of Nature's Choice Organic Cotton. I like this yarn because it's very soft and wonderful for spring patterns. Nature's Choice is grown and made without the use of pesticides, and herbicides and is an eco-friendly favorite item. Another great feature is that it's dyed with low impact dyes. This product is also certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard by the Institute of Marketology, yet another fabulous plus!

So give it a try and enjoy the yummy new colors!

Dusty Blue
Khaki
Spice
Espresso

Mustard
Dusty Sage
Olive

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Marg

KNOTS, KINDLE, AND KNITTING THERAPY

I have a few updates for you today.

Good news on the Knitting Therapy Experiment. The scarf length is now over 5 inches and the project has inspired many comments, questions, and conversation thanks to Dr Huwee and his persistance in raising awareness of the theraputic aspect of knitting.

The link for Knots-of-Love.org's Christine Shively on TBN is now available on their website. The caps are all beautiful and the interview is inspiring. I hope you will watch the segment to see what a wonderful impact these caps have. Chrisitine is holding an adroable yellow cap with a flower and the host is holding one that I made, and no, I didn't bribe, whine or beg for it to be picked, it was just the cap close to her. Although, if that had been an option, I might have considered it ;) Our projects take on a life of their own, and if they want to be on television, who are we to keep them from doing it?

Knit 1 for the Road is in the process of being reformatted and placed on Kindle. Kindle 2 is more friendly to books with images and I will post when it becomes available. Stay tuned!

Marg

CRAFTY BABY SQUARE

The Knitty Gritty Group on Ravelry.com has raised their needles and hooks to make a baby blanket for Vickie Howell via cyberspace style. Here' my 6x6 square made with Craft from the Vickie Howell Collection (3 strands knit together). Colorful, washable, and soft. Congratulations Dave and Vickie!

MEN GETTING GLOBALLY KNITTY!

Here's an interesting article for you from the New Zealand Herald regarding men, teaching, knitting and being totally awesome! This one's for the boys/men!

Enjoy while I finish working on my taxes.

Marg

AGAIN WITH THE FREE SPRING PATTERNS!

More spring patterns that have caught my eye.

One knit or crochet ;), one to crochet and one to recycle from a t-shirt...And free - check'um!

Vogue Knitting Summer 09 Knit or Crochet Rose Choker

Hannah's Crocheted Cotton Chenille Spring Ruffle Scarf

Spring Scarf from old t-shirts

Dream it, make it and LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

Marg (feeling a cool breeze and lots of sunshine today)

PICK UP YOUR NEEDLES, KICK UP YOUR HEELS!

If you've been following along, you know that I've been working on a couple of crochet projects. One is the Irish Lace Scarf pattern from LionBrandYarn and the other is a blanket for the Blanketed with Love Campaign (our Knit/Crochet Along Charity Item- visit Jan 21 Blog for details)

Here's the Irish Lace Scarf pattern with the first rose/leaf added. Not sure if I will make and place all of them on the scarf like the pattern suggests. I'm winging it, as usual. Will post when complete and blocked.

The blanket for Blanketed with Love Campaign is currently being blocked and drying and hopefully in the mail by the end of the week.

Kick your feet up and knit a bit! Consider crochet and play! Crank up the creativity this week so I can hear. I love the sound of crafty giggles of glee.

Marg - enjoying the extra daylight hours

SPRING SCARVES ARE CALLING!

Vintage Day at the Beach Scarf from ModCloth

AprilShower from Fashion, Scarves and Shawls

SPRING IS CALLING! Are you ready?

Time for all those colorful scarves to come out of the closet, drawer or cubby hole and brighten up your world.

I thought you might enjoy these videos from ModCloth which offer scarf tying 411 for you. They offer great ideas to spruce up your wardrobe and they work for your knitted or crocheted scarves as well.

Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crc7o-eY05Q&feature=related

Ok, back too your day, hope this inspires you.

Marg (integrating more color into her knittilicious Monday)

New Amigurumi News

Need a quick crochet project for the weekend? LionBrand Yarn has six new Amigurumi pattterns -and they're all FREE! I thought that might make you smile.

How about quick one skein projects to consider? Budget friendly items like neck scarves, crochet bangle bracelets, hats, caps, baby items, legwarmers, wrist bands, headbands, bath and kitchen items are all great items to consider and you will find these to knit or crochet at LionBrandYarn as well.

You better get going!

Marg

DB DOWNLOADS

Looking for the Fall/Winter 2008 premiere issue of Debbie Bliss Magazine? You may have noticed it sold out quickly, but DB fans, don't despair, you have a chance to check out all the patterns online now at VogueKnitting.com and purchase them as individual downloads.

I hope the sun is out in your knitty neighborhood today, and your knitting or crochet is enjoying the fresh almost spring air!

Marg

IT'S ECONOMY TIME!

One way to get around this economy and keep on knittin' on is to create more one skein projects and gifts. I've always been a huge fan of mixing it up and alternating between labor intensive projects and short, fun one skein knit or crochet projects. Spice up your knittng and crochet, save some money, check out all the free one skein patterns out there and live it up a little!

Check out all the sales, discounts and free shipping opportunities out there on the net and also at your local yarn or craft store. Subscribe to online coupons or at your local yarn stores. Scour the thrift shops (I really like Goodwill for this activity) yard sales, estate sales. You can also have a yarn swap in your community or with your friends on Ravelry.

Ravelry has many wonderful one skein projects available to you. Use the Pattern tab at the top of your project page to search by name, designer, yarn, etc.

Here are a few links I like to use that will help you get started in your search.

Lion Brand Free Knitting Patterns

Crochet One Skein Projects

Knitting Pattern Central

Back to your regularly scheduled creative activities!

Marg (enjoying a sunny day-yay!)

Knitch Magazine – online knitting & crochet fashions for yarn lovers.

Knitch Magazine – online knitting & crochet fashions for yarn lovers.


Reading Knitch online -thought you might like the link! :)
Have a yarnie evening!

Marg

THINK, READ AND BREATHE...

Recently I've been learning more about the history and social aspect of knitting...don't yawn yet, stay with me...there's no pop quiz in your future...just hours of inspiration folks, because this is reading for pleasure for both knitter and history buffs. There are several books to choose from and some also include a multitude of fibers and various aspects of knitting and it's development into the recent explosion of popularity in both the art and craft worlds. That's another discussion all together for many people, but I have no problem with knitting as an artform. The thing is, knitting and crochet are embedded in our history, embrace it and knit/crochet on!

Here's my starter list for your library collection. (Some of these books are now available on Kindle, and in audio form) These are books that I have in my own library for reference. There are more so look around and pick the one right for you. You can search "knitting history" , " knitting in america", or any other historical aspect to see what's out there and have your own starter list.

Knitting America: A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art

Susan M. Strawn (Author), Melanie Falick (Foreword)

No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting

byAnne Macdonald (Author)

America Knits

Melanie Falick (Author)Comprehensive survey of knitting in America with interviews, color photos, contemporary knitters, spinners, sheep breeders)

Do shop around for the best book buys. Consider used books that are from a reliable vendor with good ratings and accurate descriptions of the book.

Think one skein patterns to help you save and get the most out of your yarn coming tomorrow to this blog.

Think, Read, and Breathe In Knitting/Crochet today.

Marg (knitting through seriously cold weather today)

March on in to Monday with your crafty self.

Leave it to CraftStylish to give you fresh ideas, patterns, and get your creative mojo going. It's March. It's Monday. Let's get going.


Here's an article by Mary Ray called Do You Need a Little Extra Creative Support? on Craftstylish (Sewing/Quilting)that you might find interesting.

Another from the recycle, reuse dept. from Jennifer Stern (fashion), The 2009 Prom Dress Recycle that will definitely get you motivated on a Monday to check your closet for items to donate.

A pet favorite! Knit a Mutt Mitt: Dog Washing Made Easy by Tina Hilton (knitting) and Craft for Cats: Two Yarn-Scrap Toys for Your Feline Friends , also contributed by Tina Hilton.



You can also add your own gallery of projects - just create an account. How cool is that?

These are just a few projects to ponder. There are plenty more on the site, so do add it to your favs and get crazy crafty. Reuse, recycle and get ready for spring.

See you on CraftStylish!



Marg (margknittinaround on CraftStylish)