Hilda Portela calls herself planeta hilda. I have been in love with Hilda’s horses for a very long time, I have coveted her hats and gasped at her handpainted bags (but I will save those for another time, today its all about the horses). She makes these from a combination of fabrics sources from anywhere and everywhere. She handstitches the details and adds variety of fringing - each one is unique. I think what I love most about these is the fabrics and textures she uses, she manages to combine and clash them in a way that is truly luscious.

Her shop in partnership with Ana Ventura and Rosa Pomar.

Luisa Cevese, Milan-based designer, fixes fabric remnants in resin and creates these beautifully delicate bags and shades, she has now begun transforming damaged textiles into more rarified art objects, mats, and rugs. (link via treehugger)

check out her website
her products available at moma
article at dexigner

Knitting is for blokes too. Of course men knit, men have always knitted, in fact men knitted more than women - Just read the history of knitting and you will see that the origins of knitting are sailors making fishing nets, spread by sailors and merchants to different ports, it then became a male only trade around 1500 men knitting socks, and in many non western countries men knit as a matter of course. (info from menknit.net)

So why the big deal about whether of not men (in western society at least) knit? I don’t know either, but maybe it doesn’t have enough machismo factor, or maybe the picture of grandma knitting is too ingrained in our collective recent conscience - not to mention our general society is (for the most part) judgemental and predjudiced. No wonder that men who knit are fiercely protective of their desire to knit in the company of other men. A news story that hit the headlines recently featured a ‘boyz night’ in New York, where a popular yarn store hosts a mens knitting night “Believe me, we love women,” said store manager Josh Bennett. “But it’s like when guys get together to watch a football game, they have all that in common so there’s that sense of excitement. After a long week, you can come and work on your project have a couple of beers and hang out.” (routers)
Another article posted on influx, a university journalism website, is subtitled “Disregarding machismo, some men challenge convention with balls of wool” this article focuses on three mens knitting journey and luckily “some young men are defying the gender roles assigned to knitting and crocheting, one stitch at a time.” Also a great article at knitty titled “knit like a man, written by david who also has his own knitting blog - interesting article about beginning to knit for men, why do it, and the fact that it is a great women attractor, not to mention “creative, meditative, relatively inexpensive, portable, practical, easy to learn and difficult to master.”

This button is from yarnboy “are you a boy who knits? Do you know a boy who knits? Do you just like the idea of boys knitting? Then this button is for you.”

The online community have opened their arms to knitting men, and men who previously knitted alone at home now discuss their pastime on open forums, on their blog, in knitting circles and have public male knitting groups. Isn’t it wonderful. ‘man enough to knit strong enough to purl’ is the opening statement on the men knit website, a welcoming website with community participation.

Lots of male knitting blogs out there here are a few that I have found -
The panopticon -
queer joe’s knitting blog -
jon’s knitting blog -
sean’s soapbox
knitdad -
menwhoknit blog -
yarnboy -
knit like a man -
hizknits -
adam knits (a lot) -

menknit magazine second edition is out now

Are you a knitting man with a blog not listed? - leave a comment
Also if you have a friend, husband, brother, father or son who loves to knit - pass article on to them.

A recent comment on my daily craft blog led me to Folkology, a Hungarian cross-stitch site. I was stunned by the beauty of these designs and it led me to do a bit of cross-stitch research. I first came across cross-stitch, like many others I am sure, at school where we huddled over samplers writing our name or the alphabet and didn’t get further than that.

“Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. “ from wikipedia

further reading:
history
wikipedia
stitch guide

interesting patterns:
cross stitch your favourite actor
cross stitch an art deco window design
do some subversive cross stitch
hungarian cross stitch patterns

cross stitch books for beginners
The Cross Stitcher’s Bible
Jo Verso’s Complete Cross Stitch Course

don’t feel like doing your own cross stitch? - shan james cross stitch printed fabric

I sure hate being mad at my crafts and stuffing makes me crazy. Like all the lumps, bumps, and the finding the “perfect” filler. I was looking for help and found Create for Less has some really good tips, ideas and very handy tools for sale like this little fellow shown here:

which is a stuffing fork and the answers to my prayers. At least I think so. Take a gander at all the other tips they have as well as craft business advice. Really very informative. If you are in the mood to shop, not just read, it’s pretty dangerous on the pocket book, you have been warned. And it looks like shipping within the US only, but not totally sure on this.

‘Stillness’ in Kent, built 1934, architect Gilbert Booth. Yours for £1,295,000*

I was delighted to read that the V&A is organising the first major exhibition devoted to Modernism. Entitled Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939, it will open on 6 April 2006 .

I used to detest the stark, cubic white houses I saw dotted around England and associated them with a spartan, unrealistic, over-hygienic philosophy of design and living. All that white exterior paint and masses of windows with thin, metal frames seemed to be the classic cleaning nightmare.

But these days I’ve become intrigued by the thinking behind the movement which put such strangely un-English houses in unlikely locations. I’ve come to admire the bravery and ruthlessness required to build, maintain and even live in one of these white boxes. I’m now also bowled over by the public buildings created by these ground-breaking architects and designers, such as the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea.

There’s still an element of repulsion in this attraction. I dislike the thought-control which lurks round the edges of 1930s Modernism, and the fact that it was created by, and for, a small coterie of well-off intellectuals whith some very strange ideas. Nevertheless, I’d jump at the chance to live in one of the finer Modernist houses to see if it really would change my way of life. Or whether I’d crack under the pressure of window-cleaning.

As with any major design movement, the Modernists held firm views about what was on show on the inside as well. There was a brief flourish of Modernist textile design with some wonderful fabrics and rugs in particular by designers such as Eileen Gray and George F Ainscow plus iconic furniture by Alvar Aalto. But what struck me when reading in last Sunday’s Observer about the exhibition was the view that ‘objects should at least be made to look like machines, or made by machines, even if they were actually the product of laborious handcraft’.

Now this is a complex inversion of the William Morris/Arts & Crafts thinking. My first reaction was horror. Why on earth would anyone want to hide the fact that something is handmade? The whole crafting & blogging community appears surely to be devoted to a celebration of the obviously handmade. And then I thought about the perfectionists amongst us. The hand-embroiderers whose amazing skills make their work look as if it’s been done by a machine. The quilters who cannot bear to have any faulty joins or crappy corners. The knitters whose intarsia work doesn’t fall apart to reveal gaping holes and twisted yarns. Don’t their creations deserve as much praise as the deliberately (or accidentally) naive pieces made by crafters with a different understanding of the meaning of handmade?

So I’ll go to the exhibition with an open mind, try to work out what’s machine-made and what’s hand-made and be grateful that we can make so many choices. Because it’s the being told how you must do things that’s wrong with any quasi-fascist design movement, not the fact that a handmade piece may look as if it’s been done by machine. That’s a personal decision and, as such, should be treated with respect.

*if you want to daydream about buying a house like this, take a look at themodernhouse.co.uk

Mimi Kirchner is a doll maker, her dolls have the most exquisite features and beautifully made clothing. Whimsical and poetic. this doll is Ione, Mimi says of her “I am happy with her. Especially…
-her hair
-to have made something new out of a very damaged, moth-eaten coat
-making a doll without a happy face
-and her hat” oh yes her coat is gorgeous, her hair tells such stories, and her expression is so sad and thoughtful.

Her woollen dolls, are not so much realistic or have such fine detail, but what they do have is personality and humour, they include these gorgeous fat fairys, big men and grey haired grannies.

knitting blogs web ring reaches 900 members - Boogaj administers the ring and is doing a wonderful job.

In the feb issue of magknits is out - knitted sushi looks fun.

Calling knitter to join the ‘sew, I knit‘ sew along. ‘This sew-along is gearing toward knitters who want to add some sewn items into their crafty wardrobes. During the year, we’ll choose different items to sew: bags, tops, quilts. The goal is to support each other through the sewing process and to develop our sewing skills.’

rowan magazine no. 39 is out - and promises to be lovely, delicate flowing sleeves and sexy necklines, and some exciting gypsy style outfits.

Interweave knits spring issue will be on stands feb 21.

One of my favorite new (new to me, that is) blogs is Paper Forest, which features amazing paper projects from all over the web. Fold your own paper animals, sushi, robots, calenders…. you could probably furnish your whole house in paper creations using the amazing things in Paper Forest’s archives! Also, look at this, paper Game of Life, even with little cars and people! So cool, but I don’t think I’d have the patience to do all that tiny folding.

Craft. Kids. Art. Graphic. How do you get children excited about crafting, and to produce good quality interesting items? Sparrow Kids has the answer. A UK based company, they sell - mainly through art gallery shops - craft kits for children which include an exciting and graphic selection of products such as clothes, bags, masks and cushions. All are designed for children to learn the art of the handmade, under parental supervision. And hopefully they’ll get inspired to take it further and develop their own passion for crafting.

Above is the hat most commonly known as “the Jerk hat.”

It was a hat that a made for a boy a few years ago who turned out to be a jerk.

As I sat with the finished product, that I made from a pattern, a part of me wanted to rip it to shreds or set it on fire or something else destructive and dramatic.

Instead, I took out a yarn needle and some red yarn and embroidered “JERK” boldly on the hat.

Then I took pictures of myself in the jerk hat, all while being somewhat pissy with the boy who the hat was originally for. I ended up doubling over in laughter at myself in this stupid hat that I had made for someone in the name of newness and hope who ended up turning out to be an idiot.

After I was done with my little pity party, I picked out the embroidery and gave it to a friend who was moving to a city known for its chilly climate. This recipient was happy to get a handmade gift, especially one that kept her ears warm despite the cold! In all its ridiculousness, those few minutes of embroidering and picture-taking reminded me that while there may always be jerks out there, I would always have my yarn and my needles and things to create and a host of people in my life and/or community who would be thankful to receive gifts born of newness and hope.

That day taught me two important things:
1. Don’t be afraid to go outside the pattern, after all, it’s your creation, a pattern is just a guideline! (It’s amazing how we all too often get stuck in a rut of knitting someone else’s creations while frequently discounting our own!)

2. Creation is more therapeutic than destruction, and can be used to work through all your moods, not just happiness and joy.

Judy Geagley started making bears to earn extra money while staying at home with her three children. She custom makes teddies out of beloved old textiles as well as making unique pieces for sale.

These teds are handmade from recycled quilts, blankets and woollen clothing. Available at eco artware. (link via treehugger)

Boycott the bully - So fast so easy uses aggressive legal tactics to bully small, social knitting chapters nationwide over the use of the term “Stitch and Bitch” or any variant of those three words. Go visit the the free to stitch free to bitch website to find out more. (thanks scout’s knitted swag for the link.)

Be on knitty gritty - your opportunity to knit on TV - “Knitty Gritty is looking for fun and charismatic knitters to appear on the show. If you have a special technique or edgy design that you would like to share with the knitting world, then you just might be the perfect candidate for our show.” (thanks posie gets cozy for the link)

And blu - the most adorable knitted baby pants, the pic is from yarntherapy and you can find the pattern over at knitty.

Anyone else follow any livejournal craft communities? I used to read the crochet one on and off, looking for the occasional good pattern and interesting work. The sociology of it was what really kept me coming back, though. LJ is known for drama, and the crochet community was just chock full of it. Besides the standard copyright battles, much of the drama revolved around different views of the purposes of online communities. The conflicts generally arose between the people who think of posting their projects online as one big Mom’s Fridge (praise me! love me!) and those who put more value on criticism and skill. This split was kind of on a low simmer after the formation of 2 splinter groups, polite_crochet and crochet_snark (which in turn spawned crochet snark snark). Everything blew up again though about a month ago in a protracted flame war involving (and I am not kidding) chocheted tampon dolls and dildo cozies, a sort of solidarity movement to protest the resulting new “obscenity” rules, what may or may not have been child pornography, and even the police being called. Finally, the moderator took her ball and went home (although the archives have recently reappeared). This led to a period of turmoil where the thousands of members of the community all had to find new crochet communities. The fragmentation of the community has been fascinating. In the immediate aftermath, probably a dozen new communities were started, and several ailing ones were promoted. Of those, maybe half a dozen haven’t been getting many posts lately so I would consider them dormant. I still can’t tell who will ultimately “win” and be the new general crochet community, but here’s a list (probably incomplete) of the contenders:

• crochetcrochet
• crochets
• a_twistedstitch
• crotcheters
• friendlycrochet
• basic_crochet

crochet tampons by ohh-rissa

I originally wanted to talk about the knitting olympics being organised by yarn harlot, but then when I checked in over there I noticed the picture of knitting with some lovely old scissors. Reading on I was intrigued by her discussing steeking and I had to look it up for myself.

Basically steeking is cutting in armholes after you have knitted in the round. Knitty.com has a good tutorial on it written by wendy who also has a comprehensive knitting blog.

update:
misocrafty let me know about ‘see eunny knit’s‘ comprehensive steeking tutorials. (and misocrafty has an interesting turkish cast on tutorial)

Oh and back to the knitting olympics, crazy stuff, the rules:
Concept: You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics (Feb 10)- and finish before the Olympic flame goes out (Feb 26). That’s 16 days.
Lots of teams being formed: can’t keep track of them all - please leave a comment if you are or have formed a team and especially if your team has a group blog.

If I need a motivational pick me up, when my artistic self is flagging, I head over to read wish jar journal and am never dissapointed. She gets straight to the soul of the matter, intensely honest and heartfelt.

In a recent post she wrote about what handmade means to her. I quote “The quilt…it lays folded on the couch behind me, my most valued possession. It is sewn with squares that were once my Nana’s dresses. My favourite a blue grid pattern with small sailboats floating over top, it was the dress she wore around the house (sewn by her of course). Some of the squares are torn now from daily use. Everytime I fold it up I think of her, and I wonder if she could have known this as she was sewing it. It is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received, I feel like there are parts of her sewn into the fibres and they soothe me everytime I wrap it around my shoulders. There is a life to the objects made by hand, that a mand made object could not possibly reproduce.”

The hobby princess wrote a draft craft manifesto a while ago, her whole manifesto is worth reading but for today I am going to look at point no. 2 “The things that people have made themselves have magic powers. They have hidden meanings that other people can’t see.” This statement really resonates with me right now. Why do I spend money on fabric to make my husband a pair of groovy comfy pants, when I could get something from a cheap department store and spend the same money? of course you can get lots of different groovy fabric and adjust the pattern so you end up with exactly what you want, but what is the hidden meaning - where is the magic?

• love goes into making the pants
• it makes me really happy to see my loved ones wearing something I have made, I feel proud when we go out
• I get great satisfaction out of making the items, seeing it come together, seeing my vision (or theirs) form itself into something physical
• and when they love it and it looks good on them I am motivated
• when they love to wear it, I feel loved.

This illustration is from Keri’s sweater story.
“all of my clothes have magical qualities,
special powers sewn into the linings.
these clothes are even harder to come by.
Today is a two sweater day.
I pull on my
most powerful sweater of all, the off white one that was crocheted by my mom.”

I lived in bonny Scotland.

So I could be close to this textile/mosaic artist and see some of her lovely work in the flesh.
Ain’t it pretty ! - I love the idea of combining ceramics and textiles, and her use of colour is scrumptious. Looks like she holds regular workshops, but only in the northern parts of the British Isles. Shall we all try to arrange a holiday there one year ??

Like many of you out there, I am a thrift store junkie. They know me by name at my favorite thrift store, which happens to be conveniently located just around the corner from my apartment. I go there at least once a week scavenging for some of my weaknesses: orange and yellow plastic spatulas and serving spoons from the 70’s (69 cents), otherwise expensive European shoes for my 6-year-old niece ($2.99 a pair), and small lambs wool or Flokati rugs ($6.99).

Nothing makes me happier, though, than a fabric find or two at the thrift store. Maybe that’s because it’s not always so easy to find fabric’s ”some thrift stores don’t even carry it. Or maybe it’s because I just love fabric, and finding a panel of something vintage for less than $5 or as cheap as 49 cents makes my heart flutter with joy.

I have a pretty big fabric stash, and friends and fellow bloggers regularly ask me:’Where do you get all that cool fabric?’ Sure, I visit and purchase from the usual online fabric shops and local fabric boutiques. I even peruse Ebay from time to time and hit a garage sale once every 6 months. But about 1/3 of my fabric comes from thrift stores. Here are a few tips for successful fabric thrifting:

Take your time and look through everything, whether it’s folded or hanging. I like to go thrifting when I am not in a hurry. That way I can carefully wade through the piles or hangers of fabric. Sometimes the best pieces are hidden between some ugly stuff!

Don’t pass up a piece of fabric just because part of it is stained or faded. If there is a piece of fabric that you really like, but part of it is no good, think about how you might use the parts of it that are in good shape. When you get home, just cut off the faded or stained portion and use the rest to create something wonderful!

Don’t keep your fabric hunting reserved for the fabric section. I look regularly in sheets and pillowcases, tablecloths, fabric napkins, placemats and aprons. It’s a good idea to check out scarves (especially if you like to work in silks) and vintage clothing. Vintage pillowcases and table linens make great pillows and bags and can be beautiful, interesting additions to any quilt.

Go often. If you have the time and some decent thrift stores in your area, you’ll find the best stuff if you are persistent. Larger thrift stores get new fabric and linens daily. Visiting regularly will increase your chances of finding some really cool stuff.

Before buying, ask yourself: “Will I really use this?” When I began thrifting for fabric a couple of years ago, I used to buy anything that looked vintage, just because it looked vintage. While you might find some cool stuff out there, always ask yourself before you purchase: Do I like this fabric? Will I use it? Does it inspire me? While thrifting for fabric is a relatively cheap activity, it can add up. So to avoid piles of random fabric you will never use, be thoughtful and discerning about purchases and don’t buy just to buy.

Today, this day of newness, I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you to look where you’re going and not be afraid to crane your neck like a child to see what’s up there or what’s down below.

I want you to notice the tiny cracks in the pavement and the bird calls in the trees and the curve in the sidewalk and then take what you’ve noticed and bring it back to your craft.

All too often, we forget to truly see what’s around us and miss the wondrous tiny details of our everyday lives.

Before you barrage me with questions as to what the heck the title of this post is supposed to mean, allow me to enlighten you dear Crafty Afficionados. Craftique Publique shall be defined heretofore as the act of crafting outside the confines of one’s home/studio by (i) creating in a space surrounded by other like-minded and skilled Crafty Professionals and/or (ii) taking this notion one step further by pooling the skills of several like-minded and skilled Crafty Professionals working toward a common purpose or a group project thereby giving birth to what shall heretofore be known as a Craftique Collaboratique!

In English? I encourage all of you to go out into the world with your thread, needles, hooks, yarn, thimbles, scissors and creative conceptions and make some cool stuff around other people who also have thread, needles, hooks, yarn, thimbles, scissors and creative conceptions. Additionally I challenge you to take this public act of crafting further by engaging in a collaborative effort with your so armed crafty consorts.

Don’t have a bunch of crafty friends hanging around your house waiting to show you their latest amigurumi? In pursuit of other individuals livin’ and makin’ the Life Craftique? I gotcha covered.

For the all purpose crafter in you, try attending your local Church of Craft meeting. All sorts of Crafty Afficionados pursuing myriad creative pursuits!

Could you be a Needlework Addict (”NA”) in need of friends who are able to share stories of late night fixes, um err, I mean order histories from your favorite online yarn brothel? Maybe you just long to tap needles or join hooks with other NA’s in stitching solidarity? Try your local SNB (formerly Stitch ‘N’ Bitch) group.

If you are lucky enough to find yourself smack dab in the center of your own personal crafty people party, then how about gathering the bunch together for a collaborative crafty extravaganza (think exquisite corpse)? I was able to persuade a few of my creative cronies to join me in a monthly craft-together, which has since blossomed into a full-fledged collaborative art group that works toward a common art goal. We create projects in round robin fashion, show the work in galleries and the best outcome of all, we have grown closer through our shared creative experience. One of our shared creations below:

Want to see more? Even more detail here. And here’s the book that inspired our little creative collaboration. Another good text about collaborative journals from the same publisher.

Interesting online collaborative project here.

Can’t get out of the house to share your crafty pursuits or still a bit weary of the notion Craftique Publique? Try visiting a few of the online communities available to those of us with a penchant for scissors! The mother of all crafty forums, Craftster, covers pretty much every craft-oriented thing you can think of. Much in the same vein, Supernaturale’s forum, Glitter, is also a fun stop on the world wide crafty web. As is Get Crafty and All Crafts.

Want a more specific online forum to dish the crafty dirt?
Got hook? Go visit Crochetville!
Got a schtick for two sticks? Try the Knitting Guild Association Message Board or KnittyBoard. And let us not forget about the guys with two sticks. Yes, they’ve united and they have a forum too! Check out the Men Who Knit Forum.
Not appealing to your crafty senses? Well, search the craft groups available on Yahoo or Flickr. If you cannot find your homies there then start up your own!

I’d love to keep this list a dynamic one, so if you’d like me to add your Craftique Publique Venue, send me an email or just leave it in the comments section and I will add it right away!