Ep. 47 Winter Knits and loads more!

Ep. 47 of the PackyknitsDesign Podcast "Winter knits and loads more" is up on YouTube!

In this podcast you will see my finished knitting and crochet as well as items I am currently working on.  Also, I show a recent beaded bracelet, as well as a preview of my newest painting.

Show notes:

Bath Pouf by Lauren Brown

Lucille the Pocket Bug by lemknitcrochet

Crochet Duck by Frankie Brown

Hot Grape Leg Warmers by Heidi Butterfield

Plain and Simple Hat by Yarns Untangled

Cooped Up by Pam Sluter

Book mentioned:

The Caregiver’s Guide to the Universe by Renee Pirie

Winners to the Slipper KAL and the Ready Set Go KAL, CAL, LAL are mentioned in the podcast.

Where can I get them?

Are you looking for top quality books to learn about your favorite crafts.  Here is a fabulous site that I would suggest.  Click on the link below and off you go into a world that can only make you smile.

cooperativepress

Mastering Peyote Stitch - review

Mastering Peyote Stitch, 15 inspiring projects, by Melinda Barta

• Amazon: amzn.to/XCJJwD
• Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/Vir2Rx
• Interweave: bit.ly/W1UCqK

One of my goals last year was to delve into all the different forms of art that I’ve had on my “someday” list.  In the world of beading, I had several goals.  As you know, beading has several different stitches that you can try, such as herringbone, and of course peyote.  I was able to make several herringbone projects, rings especially and a spectacular necklace.  Now, here’s my chance for peyote.

What I love about the book?  Each section is able to teach a different stitch within the world of peyote.  Then within that section, a whole lot more.  I can’t tell you how lovely this book is.  Makes my mouth water.  Just look under flat peyote for instance.  There’s a whole chapter on it and within it you will learn odd count, even count, two-needle peyote stitch, and diagonal peyote stitch.  Phew!  It’s a mouthful.  If you try to learn on the internet, you’ll have to go to four or more different tutorials to learn each one, that only for flat peyote!  But how will you know what type of stitch to look up without knowing what stitches exist?  It’s one of those, you have to know your subject in order to ask a question about it.  Mastering Peyote Stitch tells you what exists in the world of peyote, and shows you how to do it. Then…yes, there is more.  Did you forget about the 15 projects?  Projects for all the techniques you just learned.  The tubular peyote really caught my eye.  However, I am in love with the Marcella Cuff.  I’d buy the book just to learn how to do the cuff.  And it doesn’t matter what colors they chose, I can change it and make it my own.  No matter how many times I make that cuff, I can have a new and different one each time I make it, just by changing the color combinations.  In essence…15 projects becomes hundreds of possibilities.

What did I do with the book?  I tried the circular peyote.  I used it to create a kind of bezel for a flat sea-shell.  With a piece of fabric on the back, I beaded around the sea-shell, then glued a pin on the back to make a little brooch.  Lovely!!!  I gave it to my niece.  It had her favorite colored beads, shades of purple, and the sea-shell was a lovely memory of her vacation.

Sadly, this isn’t the type of book you can read in an afternoon.  Pick part of it.  Read it and then try one of the projects.  Another day, try something else.  Better yet, invite your friends over for a beading party.  This is better than a reference book.  It could become your family’s next heirloom to pass down to other generations.  While your doing that…I’m going back to make that cuff.

"Exploring Resin Jewelry" - Review

Exploring Resin Jewelry, simple techniques for 25 projects, by Heidi Boyd

Amazon:  amzn.to/V4cN31
Barnes & Noble:  bit.lyZhl2WH 

Normally, I’m prone to knitting.  But now and again, I do like to try other crafts.  You need a little palate cleanser if you will.  It clears your head and makes everything fresh again.  So, I was flipping through this book on creating your own resin jewelry.  I’ve always loved going to the store and seeing the glossy smooth jewelry that sometimes had little items encased in them.  How did they get that flower or photograph in there?  Sometimes your just walking through life and it never occurs to you, that you can make it yourself.  This book gives you one of those ah-ha moments.

When you read through the pages, you will find out just how simple, yes it’s in the title, it can be to make resin jewelry.  Once you learn how, your projects are endless.  Heidi Boyd even gives you 25 projects to start you off.

She starts off by saying, “Resin is that irresistible drop of clear plastic that beautifully magnifies a tiny treasure or image.  You’ve seen it in hundreds of commercially made jewelry pieces or in stunning one-of-a-kind creations featured on Etsy, in craft shows, or in galleries.”  This book, like other technique books starts off by showing you what materials you will need and then launches into just how to do it.  I’ve tried it myself and it really is easy.  It starts off  with a two part resin that you mix together.  There are many on the market, but the one I bought was “Glaze Coat.”  You mix equal parts of each according to manufacturers directions.  Do it slowly so you won’t create extra air bubbles.  Then the most important tip:  proper ventilation.  Unless you want to be zig-zagging all over the road for the next couple days, HEED THIS ADVICE.  Then I covered my projects with an upside down box (to keep out dust) and kept it in the garage for a couple days.  Heidi goes beyond these tips.  Don’t think you got away Scott-free and now you don’t need the book.  Her other tips are worth it.  From coloring the resin, bezels, drilling, to finishing techniques, this book seems to cover the gamete.

Are you a bit of a pack-rat like me?  “Oh I have to save this, I’m sure I can use it in a craft project someday.”  Next thing you know you have drawers and boxes full of these useless items.  For instance, when my VCR broke this winter.  I was devastated!  Even took it apart hoping I could fix my beloved friend.  But what did find inside?  The circuit board.  So cute with all those tiny parts.  I kept thinking I should save this.  Maybe I could make jewelry out of it.  Earrings I was thinking.  Sigh!  I gave in and threw it out.  Now I’m kicking myself.  Guess what’s in this book?  The Short Circuit Pendant!  Circuit boards encased in resin, surrounded by a silver frame and hanging from a simple black cord.  It looks fabulous.  Like something I would find in a store…and purchase.  I find this is one of those projects that can use up all those useless items I tend to collect for “one day.”  So, for this book, I say…try it.  You’ll like it.

"Colorwork Creations" - Review

Did you forget?  It's still winter!  It's never too late or even too early to start knitting winter wear.  Whether for family and friends, or putting them in your charity bin to pass on, it's always time to knit some hats, mittens, or gloves.  Many in the knitting community are also starting on next winters supplies of presents.  Why not?!?  They are small projects that you can finish quickly and you might as well start right now, and be prepared.    But what book will help?

F&W Media Digital Marketing, sent me a copy of Colorwork Creations to share with you.  It's by Susan Anderson-Freed and published by Krause Publications.  What do I like about it?  Many times knitting books have so many topics, hats, gloves, sweaters, scarves, socks, mittens, shawls, etc, and within those categories, not as many choices as one would like.  This book is broken down into only three items of wear; hats, mittens, and gloves.  Within those topics, are so many choices.

The book starts off with a recap of how to achieve Fair Isle Knitting (color work).  Actually, this was one of my knitting goals this year, to become more at ease with color work.  My problem with Fair Isle has always been getting tangled up, but this book even gives tips on how to untangle and how to carry over your yarn.  It sounds scary, but the tips do work (I tried them, so I can attest).    Since most of the patterns are written in chart form, there is also an explanation of how to read them.  I was a little fearful, okay a lot, when I read my first chart.  However, as long as your keeping track of what row your on, charts are even easier to read than a written pattern.  You can see the pattern evolve as you move along.

Now that I'm living in Florida, it's rare to need winter wear.  We do get a couple of weeks, and then there is the opportunity to head north.  So, for those special moments, (can you tell I miss winter?), I have a couple of patterns picked out.  For me!  I love the Nuthatch Ski Hat.  It reminds me of home, with the little birds, trees and snowflakes.  But I'm also loving the color choices.  True, I could pick other colors, but I love the different blues with a natural white backdrop.  There is even a version that comes with ear flaps, and a pattern for matching gloves.  But honestly, I would knit the Chickadee Gloves.  We had Chickadees when I lived in New England.  I still remember ma opening the kitchen door that led to the backyard and little chickadees would attempt to venture into the house.  Only one was that brave, and as a little girl, I wanted to keep the sweet tiny bird as my pet.  To me they looked as though they wore black velvet hats.  The Chickadee Gloves would be a great reminder for me of such a happy time.

If your resolution this year is to try Fair Isle, I highly suggest you try Colorwork Creations.  The techniques of knotwork, Sanquar patterns and Fair Isle will have you becoming an expert in no time.  Why don't you head on over to Amazon: http://amzn.to/V4bzoK or Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/RCtLVJ.

Book Review of "Shades of Winter"

I’ve spent most of my life living in New England and I miss it desperately.  Now I live in the land of sunshine and oranges, and I still think of snowy winters, such as the storm Nemo that just passed through last week.  I longed to be there.  It’s not just the storms that I love.  It’s  true, I loved sitting by the window watching for the first snowflake to fall.  Is that it, I would wonder?  Is that the flake that starts the storm they just announced?  How many times in my life, I watched for that the first flake.  But it wasn’t just the snow that I loved.  I wanted to dress for it.  The gloves, hats, beautiful sweaters, they all made the season feel like an event.  I felt cradled in warm, comfort, and beauty.

I have to thank my friends at F&W Media who gifted me this book for the review.  This book reminds me of winters in New England, but in an elegant, youthful way.  Still, I think anyone would love wearing the Shades of Winter clothing in this book.  I like the way it’s broken down, too.  Yes, it’s true that you could knit the clothing in any color that you chose, and I do tend to lean towards the lime greens of the world.  But I feel, like if I changed it, I would not have been doing the patterns justice.  They are stunning, and I do mean stunning!  Pick a shade of natural wool, gray, or beige.  Or just pick any item of clothing for winter, and you  will find yourself in this book.  No, it doesn’t matter what level of knitting you can do.  Are you advanced?  Then you might like a shawl that is written in a five part chart form.  I admit, I am going to try this one.  But what if you’re a beginner and you feel daunted by the chart?  Do you still want to knit a shawl?  This book has one for you.  On the last page, it has a garter stitch shawl.  I don’t think, it could have been written any easier.  Guess what?  It is another pattern that I will do.  It does not matter what your skill set is.  You will find something, I admit, several things that you will want to cast on immediately.

Buy this book for yourself.  Then, when your done, buy a copy for your friends, for your mother, for the teenager next door that just learned how to knit.  It does make a fabulous gift, but it also makes a wonderful addition to your own library.  Several ways to purchase the book are the links as follows:

Barnes and Nobels:   http://bit.ly/VGnusw,
Amazon:   http://amzn.to/V4dVnj
Interweave:  http://bit.ly/ZhJlVt.

I love New York with every stitch I make!!!

Are you looking for a fun gift knitting book?  Sure you could give this one as a present, but if I were you, I’d keep one copy for myself.  The book is Stitch New York, 20 kooky ways to knit the city and more, and it’s by Lauren O’Farrell.

I think many of us knitters, stick to the serious side of knitting.  Oh we knit the socks, sweaters, hats, and scarves, but how about something that’s fun?  Personally, I don’t tend to think of knitting toys, but the projects here are easy.  Not to mention, they are all icons of one of the greatest cities in the U.S., New York.  I had the pleasure of growing up just one state away, so it was easy for me to hop on Metro North and swing on down there for the day.  There is nothing like the mass amount of people going through Grand Central with the rush of hot air and the smell of diesel in the air.  The city bustles and really doesn’t sleep.  You can go around all day on the subway riding from one fabulous destination to another, but I think it’s all good.  You can plop me down on Mott’s Street in China Town for a bit of Dim Sum,  or walk me down to SOHO to my favorite art supply shop, where the floor boards creaked so loud that it made you wonder just how old is this building?  I have memories all over New York, as I’m sure many of you do too.

That’s why this book is so great.  We can now recreate our memories of America’s play land by knitting up the classics.  Usually I take the subway when I go, but the last time I went I had the chance to ride in a classic yellow taxi cab with my dad.  It was such a great memory for me.  Guess what?  There is a pattern for it in the book.  Also, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building, which I thought would make a cute pillow.  Even one of my favorite actors is in the book, Woody Allen.

Do you live in New York and you want to share your feelings of home to others?  Or are you like me, and you no longer live up north, and it pulls on your heart strings whenever the seasons change?  Either way knitters, with this book we can bring New York closer to us with every stitch we take.

Bead Embroidery Stitch Sample, Book review

Bead embroidery stitch samples, Crk Design / Yasuko Endo

It is hard not to enjoy any book that comes from Interweave Press, and this book is no exception.  What I would suggest when you get it, is that you run it down to Staples and have it spiral bound.  Because, it will become a reference manual for you.

I have mentioned how I enjoy working with beads and when I was a child, I learned some embroidery.  This book is a combination of the two.  Embroidery with beads.  No, this isn’t a pattern book, but stitch samples.  As you know I’m a knitter, and any knitter knows the value of having a variety of stitches in their repertoire.  Which is why we flock to the stores in search of these educational masterpieces.  Soon this book will be among the masses that we clamor for.

What do I like about it?  The obvious.  They are stitch samples.  Something little, where you can just pick up some embroidery thread and try a couple.  It’s not difficult.  It’s not time consuming.  It’s not even expensive.  When you open the book, the left side has the final product.  (That’s just to suck you in, or at least it did for me)  And on the right, your shown, so clearly how to accomplish each stitch.  The photography is fantastic.  Normally, I would just go to You Tube and watch a video, but I don’t feel that I need to.  It’s so clear what to do and how to do it.  Besides, videos only show you a few stitches, this book has 130.  If you find you need more of a tutorial, never fear, look to the back of the book for a whole section on embroidery with beads.

What I didn’t like?  Not a lot of patterns.  But there are some.  However, I do believe that, when you get this book, you will overlook this, because just seeing the stitches will sprout all sorts of possibilities in your mind.

I have to acknowledge that books that come from Interweave Press are such a great value.  I don’t mean the price, but I’m referring to the amount of information they give you.  They aren’t skimpy, oh I’ll teach you something here, but then you need to buy three more books just to figure out the rest.  No, they cover their bases.  They can teach, on a level that I admire and this book is a fine example of that.

French Girl Knits, accessories; book review

French Girl Knits, accessories, modern designs for a beautiful life, by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes, a 2012 book from Interweave Press.


This is a sequel if you will to Kristeen’s first book French Girl Knits, which I am now dying to read especially if it was written similar to this one.  This book is so eloquently written.  It almost makes you want to brush up on your high school French.  But never fear, you won’t need to.  While the phrases are peppered throughout this book, you will be drawn in by her designs as well as her passion for the French lifestyle.

It starts off with her commentary on French life and takes you through what she calls “a typical French day”, breaking it down morning, afternoon, and night.  I was hooked, and not expecting this.  I saw the title and thought, wonderful, here is a book about knit-ware and it is catered to my love of accessories.  But honestly, it is so much more.  Every pattern comes with a story.  You almost don’t buy the book for the patterns.  It becomes a good read.  I was going to just peruse the book and pick out patterns I love, but I found myself sinking into my comfy chair and reading it like a novel.  I cannot imagine the amount of time and love Kristeen spent on making this book.  Obviously it was worth it.  I can’t put it down.  Yes, I do want to make the Boheme Baret for my mother, the Plume Anklet socks for myself, and the Gitane Lacy shrug that would knit up so easily and look so elegant on my best friend.   But it’s the way she talks about her love of knitting and French culture that has me hooked.  I can get to the patterns later, and I will.

Basically, the book is broken down into three parts.  Hats and Toques, Mittens and Socks (this being my favorite), and finally Shawls and Wraps.  There are sixteen patterns which really look like they belong on the cover of French Vogue.  The pattern are just hard enough to keep my attention, but easy enough so that I won’t give up and throw them in the UFO bin.

This book has me wanting to put a Brie en Croute in the oven and pop a cork of bubbly, but right now I’m going to delve into those delicious patterns.

Getting started with seed beads, book review

In the mail today came this book from Interweave called Getting Started with seed beads and it's by Dustin Wedekind.   It’s right up my alley which made me jump right into it.  Let me just tell you, the photography in this book is phenomenal.  The pictures of all the projects that you can, and I will do, made me want to put down the vacuum, shut off the T.V. and start beading.  Not to mention the illustrations are so clear.  I’ve looked at other illustrations over the years, and I think I spent more time trying to decipher them, then actual time spent on the project itself.  This book, however, you can see exactly what the author is referring to and where he is going.

It’s not a huge book.  There is nothing daunting about it.  I honestly think it is just the right size.  Only eleven chapters in it, but still you feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth, and you do.  I love the way the book starts off by taking a trip to the store.  It shows you what you will find, how to distinguish one bead from the next, and what your going to need to work your way through this book.  It even gives you tips, oh the tips, easy little tip boxes gingerly placed throughout the book.  Not only does Getting started with seed beads  teach you  how to accomplish numerous beading stitches, it gives you projects for each.   Personally, I’ve picked out several  from the easiest being the Ladder Rings to the Radiant Barrette.  I think any beginner would benefit from this book and have no difficulty finishing any of the projects.  The author practically takes you by the hand.  But the great thing about this book, even if you are advanced, it acts as a refresher for what you know, like a kind of reference manual, and gives you several new projects to enjoy.  I know I’m going to spend many evenings working on projects from this book.  My only hope is there is a sequel coming out in the near future.