There is a new book out about working with felt titled Feltique. I am excited to announce that I have contributed three tutorials to this book. I have not had a chance to see the final product yet, but judging by all the amazing artists that contributed to it, I know it will be fantastic.
I rushed out to see the Coraline movie on opening day. It was fantastic. I saw the 3D version and the glasses took some getting used to, but they worked very well. The artwork was superb and the music and story were just right. I highly recommend this move.
There are a few fun crafty links for Coraline over at the CRAFT blog including a knitting pattern for the Coraline sweater and a button poster.
Be sure to check out the map on the Coraline website. It is interactive and shows you a bunch of neat stuff.
I have been working on creating a mad hatter tea party diorama with my dolls and needed a top hat, so I made one. I am posting a pattern and instructions so you can make one too. This pattern is for personal use only. Model: Mattel Top Model Head with Volks Neo EB Body Outfit: Mattel Necktie & hat: me Teapot: Rement
Materials Scissors Heavy card stock Pencil White glue Tape Acrylic paint Paint brush Ribbon
Directions 1. Cut out all three pattern pieces and trace them onto card stock. Trace and cut out two hat brims. Test out the opening hole inside the hat brim to make sure it will fit your doll’s head. I made this hat for a doll with a ponytail, so the opening for the head is a bit large. 2. Fold the pointed pieces to 90-degree angles. The pointed pieces are used to attach the parts of the hat together. 3. Curl up the wall piece of the hat and stuff it into the hole of one brim piece. Glue the ends of this piece together and tape it closed from the inside. Glue the points at the base of the hat wall to the underside of the brim. Glue this brim down to the other brim you cut out so the points will be sandwiched and hidden between two pieces of card stock. 4. Place the top on the hat, concealing the points inside the cylinder of the wall with glue. 5. Let the glue on the hat dry. Apply several coats of acrylic paint, allowing it to dry, then embellish with a ribbon hatband.
The girls had a get together today to catch up and have a drink at home. They had to take a group photo to show off their new sweater tanks. The perfect item for any fall wardrobe.
This new knitting pattern, sweater tank, fits most medium and small busted 1:6 scale dolls including Barbie, Obitusu, Volks, and J-Doll. I used Cotton Classic yarn by Tahki Stacy Charles. It is an inexpensive yarn that comes in a rainbow of beautiful colors.
The other week, I was at the bookstore picking up the latest Vogue Knitting magazine and came across Haute Doll. I could not put it down and ended up purchasing it. Inside there were all these beautiful photos of "Barbie like" dolls set-up in lush dioramas with amazing outfits.
As a kid, I had always coveted Barbie. I had the Skipper doll, The Sunshine Family, and other non-Barbie 1:6 scale dolls, but not an actual Barbie. To make amends for this, I purchased a Barbie about 6 months ago. She was cool, and I made the knit mermaid tail for her, but it was frustrating that her posing abilities were so limited. My need for 1:6 scale dolls was satiated, or so I thought.
In the pages of Haute Doll, I discovered ball jointed dolls (bjd's) and became obsessed with researching all I could find online. My first purchase was a Tonner doll, but I soon discovered the diy Asian bjd's such as Volks and Obitsu. Many of the Asian bjd's allow you totally customize them by choosing wigs, painting their faces, and changing their hands or feet. I also pre-ordered a J-Doll and discovered the wonders of Re-ment 1:6 scale miniatures.
I had not realized that I liked dolls so much. I guess Barbie was my gateway doll. Luckily the mermaid tail fits my new 1:6 scale bjd's. More doll knitting patterns will be on the way.
I have a Volks doll up for sale over at e-bay this week that comes with acrylic eyes. I over bought.
I adore fingerless gloves because they keep your hands warm and still let you do things. The design for this Squared Up pattern was inspired by the open floor plans of loft living and the clean geometric lines of mid-century modern furniture.
This pattern calls for 3 colors of Sock by Shibui Knits. It is a really soft superwash merino wool in semi-solid colors. The pattern for Squared Up is available in my etsy store and includes sizing instructions for small, medium, and large sized gloves.
I am so excited. I finally finished my Katamari Ball Hat that I started a year ago. I think I was afraid to make ear flaps for some strange reason so I put it down.
The other night I felt the desire to pick it up again, and it was done in just a few hours. I really like how it turned out and I love the colors, although they remind me of frog eyeballs a little.
I used an i-cord knitting machine for the "chin straps" and then sewed them to the corners of the ear flaps. You can read more details about what I used here.
Here are the directions for how I made the bumps. The pattern is based on directions by Easily Amused and The Knitting Fiend.
Directions for Bumps Using top down method mentioned by the Knitting Fiend With waste yarn, CO 6 sts, knit Transfer sts to 3 DPNS Round 1 knit Round 2 KF&B, 12 sts Round 3 KF&B, K1, 18 sts Round 4 KF&B, K2, 24 sts Round 5 KF&B, K3, 30 sts
Change Color
Round 6, knit Round 7 KF&B, K4 Round 8 - 10 Knit
Change Color
Round 11 – 18 knit
Repeat 7 more times for a total of 8 bumps.
Bind off all sts, leaving a long yarn tail to be used to sew bump to hat later. Trim away the CO waste yarn and close up the top of the bump and weave in the ends.
Slice off one side of a Styrofoam ball, cover it in thin batting, insert into a stocking to keep the batting on the ball, and insert it into the knitted bump. The sliced off side should face out so that the bump will lay flat against the hat. I used Styrofoam balls inside the knit bumps so that they would retain their shape over time.
The Senri International School website that has over 35 templates for boxes available for free that you can print out on your own card stock. There are some really great designs available that are perfect for little gifts. I really like this one for a pyramid.
Twist Collective is a new online knitting magazine created by Kate Gilbert and her knit designer friends. I am excited about this new format and the patterns available are lovely. The main difference with this magazine and other online knitting magazines is that the patterns are for sale.
It is a sad fact that knitwear designers get paid much less for their design work today than what they were paid in the 1980's. Although I enjoy a free pattern, I am more than happy to pay the small fee of $7 for a knitting pattern. This way individual designers make money for their talent and also retain the rights to their work. There is nothing like good pay to inspire great work. I hope this project takes off and sets a new standard for the fair treatment of artists.
There is a nice interview about Twist Collective with Kate Gilbert on episode 90 of the Ready Set Knit podcast.
There was a great discussion about the fair treatment of knitwear designers over at Cast On podcast, but I can't seem to find which episode it was on. Lily Chin also touches on this topic during her interview on episode 67 of Craft Sanity.
This summer it has been hot, so I have been doing much more reading rather than crafting. About a month ago I was bitten by the Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer. They were so much fun to read. I also started listening to a great podcast about the series, Imprint.
As with many other books, this series has inspired a number of knitters. Two that stand out are this great pair of Eclipse socks by Shiny Knits that were inspired by the Eclipse book cover, and this pair of Twilight socks by Chicken Betty that were inspired by the Twilight book cover. I may have to start knitting socks!
Today is the last day to enter CraftStylish's Tote Bag Challenge. I just completed mine tote bag. I am calling it the Eco-Chic Floral Tote. I entered the eco-chic category. You can read and see more details about it here.
CraftStylish is hosting a tote bag challenge, Tote-ally Crafty Bag Challenge, where the Grand Prize Packages consist of an official CraftStylish tote bag filled with crafty items worth over $250. The categories are Play Ball, All That Glitters, Eco-Chic, and The Omni-Crafter Special. The deadline to enter is 11:59pm ET on July 31st. Yea!
This weekend, July 24th - 27th, Cirque Berzerk presents Beneath, a full length theatrical circus experience.
I had the great fortune to attend this evenings amazing performance which was loosely based upon the story of Orpheus. There were beautiful male and female aerial acrobats, a contortionist, clowning, a cabaret performance, and fire stunts all set before a live original score. If you get the chance, I highly recommend it. It is taking place under the big top located within walking distance of the LA Metro Gold line, China Town stop.
Angry Chicken has a great how-to up for this adorable Merbaby. I have been wanting to create a mermaid doll for a while now, but have not gotten to it yet. I love this idea and think it would make the perfect gift for one of the little girls in my life.
I have made a few small indoor water fountains in the past, but I found them to be a bit irritating rather than soothing. They splashed too much and the sound of it water made me think I had left the water on outside. So, I decided that this is an item better left outside.
I just came across this nice DIYBubbling Water Urn over at Gardener's World. It looks really easy and fairly inexpensive to make.
I have been furiously creating for over 15 years. I love learning while making stuff & things, so I am constantly experimenting and trying something new.
I have been working on creating a mad hatter tea party diorama with my dolls and needed a top hat, so I made one. I am posting a pattern and instructions so you can make one too. This pattern is for personal use only.
The girls had a get together today to catch up and have a drink at home. They had to take a group photo to show off their new sweater tanks. The perfect item for any fall wardrobe.
I am so excited. I finally finished my Katamari Ball Hat that I started a year ago. I think I was afraid to make ear flaps for some strange reason so I put it down.
Twist Collective is a new online knitting magazine created by Kate Gilbert and her knit designer friends. I am excited about this new format and the patterns available are lovely. The main difference with this magazine and other online knitting magazines is that the patterns are for sale.
I have made a few small indoor water fountains in the past, but I found them to be a bit irritating rather than soothing. They splashed too much and the sound of it water made me think I had left the water on outside. So, I decided that this is an item better left outside.
I just stumbled upon Knotions, a new online magazine with free knitting patterns. Yea!
