Craft In America, Tonight

REMINDER: Craft In America airs tonight on PBS. Check you local listings for times. This documentary is accompanied by a 7 city traveling exhibition, a book, and online presence.

Three great tutorials from Lula Louise

Beth of Lula Louise has three great tutorials on her website.

First there is a super cute easy pleated skirt tutorial.









Next she tells us how to recycle a sweater.

Finally, she shows us how to cover o-rings with a crochet method.

Etsy & Instructables: Sew Useful Contest

Etsy and Instructables are pairing up for a competition, Sew Useful to celebrate their two great communities. Entrants use their skills to create practical projects that make life easier, then share their how-to's. It sounds like a lot of fun and there are some great prizes. I look forward to seeing what the community comes up with.

Entries are due June 15th by 11:59pm Eastern time.

Finding the right knitting needles

Speaking of knitting needles, I just came across a post about finding the perfect tool over at Knitbuddies. She reviews 13 brands of knitting needles. I find user reviews to be incredibly helpful.

Bamboo Knitting Needles & Crochet hooks in Little Tokyo

Last night I went for a walk in Little Tokyo in downtown LA after dinner to get some fabulous frozen yogurt at Ce Fiore. Along the way I came across a new dollar store in the same spot as the one that just closed down (walkway between 1st & 2nd St). This one has a better selection of merchandise due a larger range of prices.

On the end of one of the aisles there was a small notions section where I discovered bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks for only $1.49! These needles seem to be the same quality as the ChiaoGoo needles I already own. The needle size is color embossed into the side using Japanese measurements. You can read more about size conversions here.

Interweave Felt magazine

Interweave Knits is coming out with a special edition magazine all about felt called Interweave Felt! It is due to hit the newsstand on July 17th. Yeah!

Water Bottle Carrier tutorial

I came across this incredibly cute water bottle carrier tutorial today over at Pink Chalk Studio. It was created as a part of a Whiplash challenge put on by whip up. These were for sale all over Thailand a couple of years ago. I purchased a bunch, but the strap was so narrow it cut into my shoulder. I love the fact that this on is insulated.

Felt Cup Cozie

Well, my knit cup cozie project was basicly a failure. In a last ditch effort, I created this one out of a commercial wool blend felt. I cut the fabric with pinking shears and attached the layers together by needle felting in the center purple dot.

Needle felted eyeball tutorial

Whip up featured a great needle felted eyeball tutorial by Lady Linoleum over at Monster Crochet. I am so glad more artists are creating non-traditional designs with this medium.

Sesame Street Pinball Number Count

Ever since I was a child I have been a big fan of Sesame Street. I particularly like this 70's animated number count. I am so glad to have found it on YouTube. I was reminded of it when I saw a post on how to make the clock pictured in the animation over at the Instructables website.
http://www.instructables.com/id/ETB9MT4F11S8QQZ/

Knit Cup Cozies

I have been thinking of small ways to conserve here and there lately. Being that Mother’s Day is on the way, I thought it would be nice to knit up a cute cozy for my second Mom who likes to get coffee on the go. This way she could stop taking those cardboard sleeves.

I was planning on making my own pattern, but did a little research first and came across a few nice free patterns:

pretty: The Cabled Coffee Cozy
funny: Greek Takeout Cup Cozy
pretty:Mug Cozy
cute: Java a Go Go

Also, Whiplash is having a cozy competition right now. I think there is still time to enter.

Craft on TV

I am very excited about a new, 3 part craft documentary that is coming soon to your local PBS station.

WHAT:
Craft in America, A journey to the origins, artists, and techniques of American Crafts.

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
8, 9, & 10pm

This documentary is accompanied by a 7 city traveling exhibition, a book, and online presence.

My First Sweater, pt. 3

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present my first knit sweater, the Sunrise Circle Jacket. It took a while and it included two trips to my favorite local knitting guru, Patty Kim. I would like to thank all my knitting mentors, including the lovely Laurel at The San Gabriel Bead Company, my aunt over at threads, and Christine & Fay Lyn at Unraveled. I could not have done it without you.

Sunrise Circle Jacket by Kate Gilbert
Spring 2006 Interweave Knits
5 Balls, Cascade 220 tweed, color 610
Size 37
I decreased the length of the sleeves by 1.5"

Free Pattern: 1 Hour Cardi-Wrap

Besewstylish has a free pdf you can download to make this cute cardi-wrap. It was designed by Anna Mazur who is the contributing editor for Sew Stylish and Threads. I just may have to make one of these.

Spring Fling Boutique this weekend

This Friday and Saturday is the Spring Fling Boutique, featuring the artists and employees of The San Gabriel Bead Company.

Come by and purchase a Mother's Day gift or something special for yourself.

This sale will include handmade sterling silver jewelry, fused glass, beadwork, bath products, mosaics and much more.

Artists Include:
Mariah Bonner
Ansley Davies
Andi Hammer
Susan Kelso
Jennifer Morris
Alice Neal
Shirley Whong

When: Friday May 4, 12-9pm & Saturday May 5, 10-6pm

Where: The San Gabriel Bead Company
325 E. Live Oak Arcadia, CA 91006
626.447.7753