Do you know your type?

I've been away for a few days, but wanted to share with you this (not about knitting) blog that I posted on CreatingTheHive with you.  I hope you will be inspired.  I'll be back to my regular knitting blogs soon.  

Stay tuned, look for inspiration, joy and great knitting yarns!

Hivers, do you know your type?

Margaret (taking a few days off to walk a shady path in the woods)

©Margaret Nock, Knit1fortheroad.comTM 2008-2011 The photograph in this document is the property of knit1fortheroad.com and for non-commercial (personal) use only. Unauthorized reproduction, sale in whole or in part, or distribution is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Knit patterns for every season...inspiration, resources, and interviews can all be found on the corner of

Inspiration Avenue

and Knitavia Blvd. 

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.

You can also find a great price here:  AuthorHouseBookstore 

Creative easy listening for the weekend...

Need a fun way to customize your knit, crochet or other needlework gift?  Check out Customize Your Project with Birthstone Colored Yarns by Zontee at LionBrand.  She's come up with a quick and easy round up of the colors associated with each birthmonth.  You can catch more ideas by downloading Yarncraft to your Ipod, computer, etc and bring it along with you this weekend. 

Creativity doesn't have to stop at the front door, bring it along with you wherever you roam.

Margaret (watching my creativity roll with the heatwave---soo cool)

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! 
quotegarden.com

Your crafty invitation for the fun and free new community is here!  Join us on Creating The Hive.

 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 [Blu-ray]

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.
Knit all year round. Patterns, inspiration, interviews, resources and more!

Interview with Three Bags Full. Because One Bag is Never Enough!

Blue Owls Sweater Bag with Owl Bead

Today, I'm thrilled to share a delightful interview with Michele, the owner of the Three Bags Full. Becasue One Bag is Never Enough!  Do I hear a resounding squeal of yippee in cyberspace?  We all love bags and knitting accessories here. Michele has such love and enthusiasm for the creative life, I know you're going to share and enjoy her insight and passion.  Click your needles together for Three Bags Full...

Q. Michele, I love the name of your Etsy shop, Three Bags Full. How did you come up with such an interesting name?

A. Well, about four years ago I discovered felted bags. I’m the kind of person that sees something and thinks – “I could make that!” The next thing I know, I’m not only making it but selling it, or teaching it. Have you ever read the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”? It’s like that. I started felting bags by knitting them and then shrinking and felting them in my washing machine. I then sold them in galleries in the area where I live in Maine. I needed a name, and the nursery rhyme “Yessir, yessir, three bags full!” kept running in my head. Since the bags were made of wool, it seemed like a natural. Later, when I started making fabric bags and selling them on Etsy, the name still seemed to work. I added the tagline “Because One Bag is Never Enough” since I am such a ‘bag lady’. I have a very loyal customer base, and this philosophy applies to other people, too.

Q. What a wonderful beginning to your creative journey on Etsy, Michele. Visitors to your shop will notice immediately the vibrant colors and really appreciate that you’ve included such a range of designs, colors and uses for your bags. When did you first realize how important color would become in your life?

A. One of my passions is pastel painting, and I’ve always loved working with bright color. I don’t have as much time to paint these days, so I channel my creativity into sourcing beautiful fabrics. Yarn is another passion, of course. Some of my customers like to match their knitting project to their bag. Looking for fabric online is one of my favorite things to do.

Q. Your interests are so creative and varied. Many readers would be interested in how you find time to keep up with them all and still create new items and maintain your Etsy shop?

A. Haha, my family would tell you that I am crazy! I do have a lot of interests. I used to bake cakes professionally. and still do that every once in a while. I love to grow my own vegetables, and I do try to fit in some knitting every day to maintain sanity. Singing and painting are harder to fit in, but I do my best. I’m a single mom to a very active 13 year old (the namesake of my Mia bags), and she keeps me on my toes. I work full time during the day as the PR Director for WoodenBoat magazine, writing advertising copy and promoting our annual WoodenBoat Show. Sewing happens at night and on weekends (and sometimes early in the morning and on my lunch hour since my office is only 2 miles from my house). I guess the answer is that I don’t sleep very much and I drink more coffee than I used to. And now I have a couple of wonderful women helping me with some aspects of the sewing, so I can focus more on fabric selection and design and marketing. Still, I do make most of the bags.

Q. It’s inspiring for us to learn how you fit the different creative activities into your daily life…and coffee. What is the one aspect you enjoy most, and would like to share with us, about living a creative life.


A. I am so lucky to live in an area of the world which abounds in natural beauty, so there is inspiration all around me. Summer in Maine is the quintessential season, but the other seasons have their individual perks too. The sky, the ocean, the light on the tops of the spruce trees at sunset, the sound of birds, the smell of the ocean – it’s all quite intoxicating. I am also surrounded by an extremely creative community, where many of my neighbors are glass blowers, potters, weavers, painters, musicians. There are many people to learn from and be inspired by.

Q. I agree! Maine is a wonderful place, and kind to the sensibilities of artistic endeavors. Are there any tips, events, or dreams for a creative business that you would like to include…or perhaps a yummy recipe?

A. What has made my business grow is my involvement in the community of knitters around the world, through blogs and Ravelry. I’ve met many talented knitters online through my bags and through sharing knitting projects. It’s just grown from there. The knitting community is very well connected online and through fiber festivals, and I just love being a part of that. Perhaps, if I end up doing Three Bags Full full-time I would expand to more exhibiting. Right now I’m busy keeping my website stocked, and supplying a couple of online yarn stores with bags: The Loopy Ewe, Fibre Space and Dirty Water Dyeworks, plus a local gallery. I’m not really able to travel, but I hope that will change as I grow.

Thank you, Michele, for taking the time and having the courage to share your thoughts, your creative life, and enthusiasm for knitting, color and fabric with us today. Your message of paying attention to the creative spark in all areas of your busy life is a great inspiration and example for all of us.

Please visit Michele's Etsy shop and look for her creations in the stores mentioned in the interview.  You will also find Michele as dance2yarn and MicheleinMaine on Ravelry.com


All photographs in this document have been provided by and are the property of Three Bags Full. Unauthorized reproduction, sale in whole or in part, or distribution of photos and content of this interview are prohibited. All rights reserved.

Harry Potter Finale and Incredible Finds...

While, I was checking my circle on Etsy today, I discovered some Harry Potter items that caught my eye.  Gather round for some magical HP goodness on Etsy.com.

So loving A Cup of Sparkles Treasury today!  or how about Happy Potter Day?

Looking for Harry Potter items to knit?  Freshisle Fibers has an array of free pattern links for you.

Hope you're waving your wand, clicking your needles or waving your hooks for the finale.

Have an enchanted weekend.

Margaret (enjoying the Phoenix Rising mythology today along with the inspired pattern, Phoenix Rising Bag pattern on Ravelry.com)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Celebrate With Crafty Toes (Hive Creative Challenge)

Happy 1st Birthday, Creating the Hive. Here are some crafty socks, fresh from my crochet hook for my celebrating toes. The yarn:OnLine SuperSocke 100 in Circle.

I'm taking a few minutes to kick back to celebrate the occasion and embrace the Creating The Hive experiences over the past year.

I've watched myself, and others, take the first small steps to share, inspire and maintain friendships on CreatingTheHive. I've seen many of the members build their confidence, grow their business, enjoy tutorials and discover new ways to live a creative life to the fullest.

I've marveled at the diversity of crafters, artists and hobbiests. It's kind of like these socks, so many stripes making up one big crafty project.

Happy Birthday to all the Hivers!


Margaret (hoping to enjoy some 0 calorie cyber cake)




Snag your invitation to Creating The Hive here. Show your stripes and let the crafty fun begin.


©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

Do you sew, knit or crochet?

Slippers are knit and made with Red Heart Super Saver Yarn  in Royal and Turqua

Here's what I've been working on this week for The Pink Slipper Project.  I'll be making a few more this weekend to donate next week.  Just felt like sharing a bit, today.

Join in the fun and help others heal by making slippers for The Pink Slipper Project.  There are a variety of  knit, crochet and sewing patterns to choose from.  You can also go to CreatingTheHive and follow along there. Snag their banner from the website (also on my r/h sidebar if you're reading this on blogger) and spread the word.

Allow the healing to begin, for yourself and others.

Margaret (getting a nudge from the universe to remember and acknowledge the big picture- so hard)

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.

-Pericles

For more inspiration, please visit THE WELLNESS MANUAL

You might also enjoy:

The Gift of Change: Spiritual Guidance for Living Your Best Life

You're invited to enjoy arts, crafts and community on CreatingTheHive.  What are you waiting for?

Happy Bags

I feel a much needed bag day coming on.  This morning, I rec'd a catalog from Knit Picks with some summertime fun.  My fav pick just has to be the Chic-a Bags.  Take a look!

On Etsy...

Three Bags Full

zoesbagboutique

fromnancy Creating Things


We need for the sun to come out today, to reflect on our feelings, and the world to make sense around us again.

Knit, create and live in grace.

Margaret (Max is sharing a happy face with you to get you rolling)

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.

Karl Barth

wisdomquotes.com

and

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

wisdomquotes.com

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.

Happy Birthday Creating The Hive!  Join in the celebration here.

Swirl and swing, explore and imagine...

Happy belated 4th of July to all in the U.S.  We were lucky enough to have a nice fireworks celebration here to top off the holiday weekend.  Today, I'm getting back into the blogging groove and wanted to start with a swirl of creative goodness that I encountered over the weekend.  Let me assure you that knitting and crocheting was also going on behind the scenes.  Consider a swirl or two in your next needlework project.  They can be open, closed or intersecting swirls, tight and knotted, or loose and liquid...this is uniquely your exploration adventure.

Photos taken at Ambler Arboretum at Temple University 

 

Margaret (amazed by the swirls found in fireworks)

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

"I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.”

James A. Michener

thinkexist.com