Crafters, knitters, and crocheters gather round...

50-80% Off at Hurt Book Sale at Interweave...

Crafters, knitters, and crocheters gather round.  Here's a chance to snag those best selling books that you've been wanting or perhaps missed at incredible prices.  Stock up for gifts and future inspiration.  Some books are overstocked and others may have a minor ding.  No biggie, and a great price makes a crafter grin one of those pudding grins in no time.

I just love good news and a good bargain.

Morris Arboretum of University of Pennsylvania -taken by Dave June 2011

Margaret (working on a stitchy situation over here)


Looking for more crafty goodness?  Here's your invitation to CreatingTheHive, the crafty place to bee!

CAP-tivating Tuesday

The caps pictured are chemo caps made for Knots of Love that are going out this week.  Three are made with LionBrand Cotton Ease and two are made with Caron Simply Soft.  All are improvised crochet patterns.

I find that gratitude knitting and crochet not only helps put a smile on someone's face, it also relaxes me.

Hope to see you on the de-stress express soon.

Margaret (feeling stitchy)

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

“There are thousands of causes for stress, and one antidote to stress is self-expression. That's what happens to me every day. My thoughts get off my chest, down my sleeves and onto my pad.” Garson Kanin
http://thinkexist.com/


The Cancer Survivor's Guide: Foods That Help You Fight Back

The Cancer Survivor's Guide: The Essential Handbook to Life after Cancer

 



Fraggliscious Knitting

Some Mondays just have to begin with something amazing, silly, or just plain fun.  Here's a cute video of the Doozers trying a new pastime called knitting.  Granted, they should probably have started with an easier project to eliminate their frustration.  Perhaps you've shared their exclamations from time to time and wondered if you'd ever get the hang of a paticular stitch or pattern. 

Last weekend a young girl noticed me knitting in the car while I was waiting for a friend.  She came right up to the window and wanted to know what I was making.  Next, the girl turned to her mother and said "I want to do that!"  It turns out she had watched something on television and had seen girls her age knitting and was determined to try it.  

Enjoy the day, laugh a little and take your knitting outdoors for some fresh air during lunch or afternoon break.

Margaret (needing more caffeine, please)

20% off Cotton Ease Yarn at LionBrand plus cute free summer patterns.


More knitting fun, inspiration,and interviews here...

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.

More cafty fun and an invitation for you here...

Creating The Hive

a little gift filled with knitting wonder...

Need a quick and easy knit pattern for a rose to create an embellishment for your home, knitting or jewelry?Try this free pattern from Mags Kandis' book Gifted.  I just love this book.  It's filled with knitting wonders.

Gifted: Lovely Little Things to Knit and Crochet

Thanks to Kathleen at KnittingDaily for sharing the joy of knitting this fun pattern and a cool discount price for the book.

This week I hope to catch up with you and share more knitting goodness, projects, and more.

Ease into Monday with a few stitches Sunday.
Margaret (too much travel, too little stitching)

Knitting Knitavian Style never felt so good...


Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin. now available on Amazon, AuthorHouseBookstore, Barnes&Noble, Margknittinaround on Etsy.

You're invited to share crafty times at CreatingTheHive.

Daddy'o Roundup of Delightful Gift Ideas

Father's Day is just around the corner (June 19,2011) It's a great time to honor the fathers and father figures in our families and lives with loving stitches.  Some of these projects I've made and others have caught my eye.  I hope one of them will inspire you.

Crochet goodies for Dad include:

Golf Club Covers

Father's Day Crochet Socks

 Father's Day Drink Cozies

Subway Scarf

Knit goodies for Dad:

Father's Day Socks

Wired Dad Remote Caddy

Father's Day Golf Club Cover

Snookies (e Reader cover with 2 versions)  I knit both versions for the Facebook KAL last year and they were fun to make.

Etsy.com Father's Day Search

Not feeling the need to knit, crochet or craft right now?  No problem.  Etsyians (Etsy.com) are standing by to help you out with lovely gifts for Dad. 


  “Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes.”
Gloria Naylor, African-American novelist and educator, 1950.
thinkexist.com

Margaret (finding new ways to grab a few stitches during a hectic work week)

Join me on Creating The Hive.

Books to inspire you this summer...

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin. on Amazon.
 Also available online AuthorHouseBookstore, Barnes&Noble, and margknittinaround on Etsy.com


The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe


Waking Up in the Land of Glitter: A Crafty Chica Novel


Vickie Howell's Pop Goes Crochet!: 36 Projects Inspired by Icons of Popular Culture

©MargaretNock, 2011. All rights reserved.

Crochet Delight...

crochettoday.com

Over the weekend I picked up a copy of Crochet today! It's seldom that I love evey single pattern in an issue of anything, but I adore the summer patterns in this one.  Everything you need for summer is crocheted and presented in an array of gorgeous colors. Crochet jewelry, wraps, bags, hats, kid projects, lace art and tips are just a few goodies included. When you visit the website, remember to visit the blog for the latest scoop. 

I hope you'll check out the latest issue and love the patterns as much as I do.

Happy Monday!  Don't let the madness keep you from your hooks and needles.

Margaret (feeling a crochet-a-thon coming on)

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all“ ~Dale Carnegie

selfhelpdaily.com



Enjoy year round knitting, interviews, resources and inspiration for your knitty side...
Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.

Are you enjoying knit and crochet friendships?

Projects, projects, projects are crashing into daily duties, stresses and a serious migraine this week.  I've missed my usual blogging days and apologize for the inconvenience of an almost daily knit fix from my corner of the world.  Maybe it's the universe telling me to slow down and enjoy my stitches more.

One of the things I love most about meeting many of you in knitting/craft communities and at events is the good news you send to me, learning about new products or charities that you're working on and funny stories that happen in your knitty and crafty lives. 

Silver Cotton Slippers from Knit outta the Box

New from my friend Laurie Gonyea...
Here's a new product from Laurie Gonyea at Knit outta the Box called Silver Cotton Slippers made with "100% natural Turkish cotton spun with 5% pure silver. The healing properties of silver have been claimed for centuries, not to mention it is also an anti-bacterial."  I was excited to snag a kit when they became available.  The Turkish cotton and silver is super smooth and easy to knit with and I had so much fun with the easy double knit pattern.  Another feature of the kit is that it has everything you need for the project. Yay!  I'm thinking a wonderful gift for a loved one or a treat for yourself.
Laurie has recently updated her website - take a look!

Kathleen Greco of JellyYarns has some exciting projects coming up.  Kathleen is quite the artist and one of the most talented people exploring and creating sculptural crochet pieces.  You may remember her Interview(Part I)(Part 2) and Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef.  Here's her link on Ravelry that shows her latest creation, Jelly Yarn Freeform Coral Reef Cone.  This pieces wascreated for The Institute for Figuring Hyperbolic Reefs, Rubbish, Reason Exhibition, Art Center’s Williamson Gallery, June 7 - August 21, 2011.I love that Kathleen is an intuitive artist who follows her intuition and combines her skills to create such unique pieces.  She also has an exuberance for crochet and the creative process. Kathleen is on Ravelry.com as bluesmoothie and the JellyYarns Group and Annie's Gifts for Chemo.



Enjoy your friends, share the creative energy and watch your world change right before your eyes.  Pretty cool, huh?  It's a lot like that pay it forward thingy that's all the rage.  I'll leave you today with two thoughts on friendship that I like.

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”  Brandi Snyder

And...

“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.”
unknown.
thinkexist.com/


Margaret (working on being a better human to my friends and kicking back in my new slippers)

Knitting Art: 150 Innovative Works from 18 Contemporary Artists

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting

Year round knitting projects and adventures await ...

Knit Knitavian Style: Allow your knitting adventures to begin.