Celebrate with hooks and needles!

The 4th of July is almost here(U.S.)and it's time to pull out the hooks and needles for some summer fun over the long holiday weekend.

Crochet

Crochet

Knit

Knit

All of these patterns are free at Bernat.com

Happy 4th of July!
Margaret 

Visit my shop, MargKnittinAround on Etsy for knit patterns and signed copies of my books. Digital items are an instant download with purchase.

Visit me on AmazonBooks and Kindle 


 

I'll take a bag with that art, please...

It's apparent, by now, to all of you who read my blog, that I've been obsessed with bags, art, crafts, reusing and recycling since my art school days and the obsession is growing. I thought you might like to share in my love of art and really cool bags today. I came across The Limited Art Edition from Freitag. Their bags are recycled exhibition banners from the finest contemporary art museums.

The Messenger Bags are also worth a peek.

Be sure and go by their Concept page to read a brief explanation of what and how their products are made - you will be empressed by this Swiss company. They make their bags from sturdy and used truck tarpaulins, car seat belts, airbags, and bicycle inner tubes.

Quality, art, and recycling all in one bag!

Hope you've enjoyed this brief look in to my version of bag heaven.

Marg (car parts have a whole new meaning for me now)

HOGANFE IS IN DA HOUSE, YA'LL

Grab your coffee, triple mochas, and green tea mugs, and settle in for another in a series of Summer Etsy Shop Interviews. Today's featured shop is Hoganfe, a wonderful place to find bags, wonderful bags! You all know I'm obsessed with bags for knitting and shopping and if they're eco-friendly then I'm definitely on it! Hold on to your hooks and needles - here comes Mary Hogan of Hoganfe.

Q. Mary, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview.

A. Hello Margaret -What a honor to be interviewed by such a renown author, business woman, knitter, crocheter, & crafter!

Q. Ok, now I'm just blushing... thank you...on with the interview.

You have such a customer friendly shop, offering custom orders, gift certificates and a layaway payment option for ready- to- ship bags and Twitter updates. Your feedback from customers raves about the quality and service. How did you come by your savvy craft and business skills?

A. So glad you thought my shop is customer friendly this is so important to me! My business skills come from years of individual & corporate sales experience as well as knowing what I love when I visit a boutique. If I could offer tea & cookies when you stop by I would LOL!

Q. Great idea -cyber cookies could be an option - 0 calorie!

Mary, visitors to your shop can't help noticing that there is such wonderful variety in your designs and they really resonate with people. Your theme of reuse, recycle and creating reversible bags is very inspiring. Where do you get the most inspiration for your designs?

A. Ideas pop into my head, my daughter inspires me with ideas & of course the fabric inspires ! I am a fabricholic!

Q. Love that! Do you have any dreams, aspirations, products or events you would like to share with us?

A. This past month I have been working towards expanding my market and offering a wider range of bags and materials. My most recent addition; CottonCandyBags, were just introduced two weeks ago & they are a hit on Etsy and elsewhere-this is so encouraging! In the near future I will be adding a giveaway or two at my blog Hoganfe on Wordpress bringing attention to the newest additions coming soon at hoganfe.
So add Hoganfe to your twitter follows for my newest arrivals and

visit Hoganfe on Flckr.

Mary, you are definitely on a roll with your creations and your business. We all look forward to seeing more of your work and creativity on Etsy and elsewhere. Thanks for sharing your inspiring story with us.

LESS BOOGIE, MORE AWARENESS!

It's another day and we're still here on planet Earth- time to boogie down and celebrate. Ok, maybe a little less boogie and a little more enviro-awareness, especially if you are one of the original boogie wonders... Whatever your views on global warming, cooling and everything in between, I think we all can agree that trying to be better inhabitants of Earth is something we should work on consciously every day no matter our age or experience.

Some of my favorite items on my green list is to always carry my own take out containers to restaurants, for coffee refills and use my own shopping bags. Simple acts that are easy to do, raises awareness and inspires others around you who may not have thought to do them. Here's some links that I find helpful to remind me to keep green.

istaygreen Helps you find lodgings, reviews, and groups that are green.

gogreenstaygreen Articles on the latest ways people and businesses are finding to go and stay green.

greenknitter get the skinny on being a green knitter on this site.

And because I love all bags - whether dollar store, handmade, knit, crochet or sewn- I have to include Envirosax.com. to the list. They are durable, roomy, fun, and will definitely inspire you to use them daily. There are two new editions to the collection. Planet Green and Animal Planet. There's also a kids and a green grocer series. You will find various prices - and 25% off some of the single bags.

For most of us, going green is like committing to weightloss, once we decide to do it - the results are amazing. Even if we wander off the path, we know that we must jump back on and keep going forward. Just like knitting or crochet...

What a great caretaker you are, knitty earthling.

Marg -excavating ancient terminology and enjoying the colors of Earth today.

HAVE STASH - WILL TRAVEL...

Clothes - check

Sunscreen - check

Yarn Stash...?

Going on a little trip and don't want to part with your stash of lovely yarn? Here's a solution for you. The Travel Space Bag allows you to carry your stash with you and keep it safe in an airtight and waterproof bag. The other great thing about these bags is you can squeeze out the air without a vacuum - which I have always found irritating and cumbersome. You just roll the bag by hand and the air leaves the bag. There are also two sizes for you to choose from - Carry On or Suitcase size.

Sounds like you're ready for that road trip now!

Time to stash and go...

Marg

KNIT 1 FOR THE ROAD IS NOW ON CAFE PRESS!
Remember, I promised you in the intro of my book that you would look FABULOUS while working on your Knit 1 for the Road patterns!

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THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERY ONE AND EVERY BUDGET - EVEN PETS! ENJOY REASONABLE PRICING, MANY APPAREL CHOICES AND SIZES AS WELL AS FUN ITEMS FOR YOUR KNITTING PROJECTS!

HERE'S A SNEAK PEEK LIST OF SOME OF THE ITEMS AVAILABLE!

SHOP CATEGORIES
APPAREL, OUTERWEAR, BABY, HOUSEWARE, HATS & BAGS, STICKERS, BUTTONS, MAGNETS, PETS, POSTERS, PRINTS & MORE!

Happy Shopping!
Marg