After the storm...3BeeutifulThings

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

We recently had a gust of wintry wind blow through the area.  These trees stood tall against the wind.

Enjoy this poem by  by Karen I. Shragg...

Think Like a Tree.

Margaret (learning to think like a tree)

Visit Creating The Hive, 3 Beeutiful Things Group and enjoy gentle inspiration.  Start inspiring others here.
Trees: A Visual Guide

Light and lofty with Aloft...

Aloft Mohair Yarn at KnitPicks.com

There's a new mohair yarn in town... check out Aloft in the most gorgeous colors at KnitPicks.  While you're there, be sure and see the patterns for this scrumptious yarn...

River Stole by  Susanna IC  and Helen's Grace Shawl by Joyce Fassbender , two talented designers who are part of the Independent Designer Patterns section.


Download each of these patterns for only $1.99 and let the knitting fun begin.  Yay, we love, we love!

Margaret (as if you needed more encouragement to knit and be merry)

Did you ever want to know...

Did you ever want to know who to thank for our knitting existence?  Check out this amusing article.
LifeFiles: Knitting And Beer by Chris Cope

Relax, laugh a little, and knit voraciously...
 
Margaret (also considering chocolate high on the "to do" list of life)
 
Add Creating The Hive to your "to do" crafty place to be in the universe.  Land here.  Seatbelt and goggles optional.
 
Interesting interviews, jam packed with knitting patterns, and inspiration all year round...release the joyful knitter inside and take the Joyful Knitter Oath, today.
 
Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.on Amazon.

Also available at Barnes & Noble. Best Prices are at AuthorHouse/Bookstore, and signed copy available in my shop, MargKnittinARound on Etsy.

Discover Classic....

...ClassicEliteYarns, that is.  Check out their new Spring 2011 pattern books.  You can also purchase and download a variety of patterns at Patternfish.  Be sure to check out their handy Search By box on the righthand side of the page and the use the find it on Ravelry button included with the pattern descriptions. 

Today, I'm finishing up some projects and de-stashing my way through the day. There's just something about approaching the next season that makes me want to regroup and get it together.  I'll also be working on my shop, website, and blog throughout the spring and summer...small steps, small steps.

I encourage you to join me. Clear out those cobwebs and make room for Spring 2011!  Throw out those ideas, items, and aggravations cluttering up your life with bad vibes.  Enter transition girl/guy!  TADA...

Margaret (now where did I put my Transition Girl cape?)

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

Enjoy hours of knitting all year round...

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin. on Amazon

Also available at Barnes & Noble. Best Prices are at AuthorHouse/Bookstore, and signed copy available in my shop, MargKnittinARound on Etsy.

Looking for crafty delight in your life?  Go here to try CreatingTheHive for your daily crafty fix.

Chunky feel, lush color...

©Margaret Nock, Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.

Author House Publishing, 2011. All rights reserved.

Exciting news! I've added a new section called Special Order Item to my Etsy shop, margknittinaround.  You may remember this handy and snuggy neckwarmer as my Craft It Forward item on Facebook last year and from my latest book, Knit Knitavian Style.  It was so popular, I decided to make it available as a hand knit item in the shop.  There's still cool weather ahead for most of the country so why not opt for the perfect item for those chilly days. This little gem is warm and soft next to your skin. The chunky feel and lush color of the yarn puts you in the mood for cold weather activites like drinking hot chocolate, my preferred indoor sport.  Get the scoop here.

Margaret (enjoys icey days filled with knit projects, hot chocolate and an occasional snowball fight)

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.

Create, inspire and share your crafty goods on Creating The Hive, the new place to bee!  Buzz on over.

 

Events can bring knitters together...

Stitches South 2011 is coming to Atlanta, April 14th - 17th!  If you're in the area, nearby, or don't mind a roadtrip, do try to go to this exciting event.  New items and demos are just the beginning of stitchy delights.  Over the years, I've met so many friendly knitters, spinners, authors, and vendors at the Stitches Event Market and that's what makes these Stitches events even more special.  Classes by well known and experienced teachers in the industry are also available and an exciting opportunity.  Learn to knit  with Debbie Radtke....it's free, but you will need to register.  There are also more Stitches Events in the West, MidWest, and East so please visit the Stitches Events Page of KnittingUniverse for the full scoop. 

That's it for the Sunday stitch report...
Margaret (I luv that knitting can be a reason for an event!)

Craft and inspiration collide to create Creating The Hive.  Join in the fun here.

Enjoy hours of knitting, interviews, and adventure all year round...


 
Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin. 
Now available on Amazon, Barnes&Nobles, AuthorHouse/Bookstore. Signed copy available on Margknittinaround on Etsy.

Colorful knit or crochet fun and a prize opportunity...

Kaleidoscope from Tahki Stacy Charles

New for Spring 2011...
Tahki Stacy Charles...here come Kaleidoscope, City Tweed, and Urban Renewal patternbooks and the scrumptious yarn to make your new Spring 2011 collection. 

Colorplay Scarf Challenge

There's even a fun knit or crochet Colorplay Scarf challenge to enter, with a chance to win a prize valued at $250! Use your own pattern or one of the free patterns from Interweave/KnittingDaily and designed by Kristin Omdahl. Interweave will make a donation for every entry posted to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. That's right...colorful knitting fun, a great cause, and a prize opportunity.  It doesn't get much better than that.

"Leap into a life of knitting, and let the magic begin."
 Margaret Nock
©Margaret Nock, Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.
Author House Publishing, 2011. All rights reserved.



Margaret ( leap high, knit well and don't forget to feel the magic)

Creating The Hive, the crafty magical place to be.  Leap here!



A Treasury of Magical Knitting
A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin. (Amazon)
Barnes & Noble
AuthorHouse/Bookstore
Signed copy available at margknittinaround on Etsy.

Not your ordinary Stitches In Time Exhibit...

This past weekend, Dave and I went to Oella, Md to the Benjamin Benneker Museum Historical Park  to see the Stitches in Time Exhibit.  It started off to be a stitchy trip, but we discovered a lovely park, events, and listened to a program honoring the ancestors of the past. Knowledgeable and interesting historians were there, children performed skits, read poetry, and participated in the ongoing conversation of where our nation has changed, grown, and ways to help our children learn history and move us forward into the future.  I know, heady and heavy, right?  But that's where knitting and stitches of all kinds can lead us in our daily discovery of who we are.

Some of the topics covered that we had some knowledge of, but not a lot of detail where:

The courageous Buffalo Soldiers

Poet Frances E. W. Harper, Bury Me in a Free Land

and how a Harriet Tubman statue may be coming to the National Statuary Hall. Heroic women are sadly overlooked and few are included as statues or paintings in the hall.  Please contact Representative  Susan C. Lee , Montgomery County, MD, if you would like to support this proposal.  A list of more delegates can be found at the bottom of her page.

There was also yummy cake, pizza, and celebration at the end.  It's amazing what can happen when you step out of your home and explore your town, state and nation...you might be surprised.  Thanks to all of the museum members, children and visitors who participated.

(A note about the website for the museum and park - it's a new one and a work in progress.  More info is coming soon to the site)

Treasure your stitches.
Margaret (amazed by the power of the stitch)

February is National African American History Month.

Creating The Hive is making crafty history every day.  Be a part of it! Create crafty history here.




Signs and Symbols: African Images in African American Quilts (2nd Edition)

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


Quiltmaking in America: Beyond the Myths (Hobbies - needlework & quilting)


Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary African American Quilts