Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects by Betz White published by North Light Books (December 10, 2007)

This has got to be one of the most exciting craft books I have seen a long time. This has really got me excited to create. There are so many fabulous projects in here – complete with excellent bold fun photography and lots of clear how-to instruction photos as well.

I knew Betz was clever and original and very cool – and this book just proves it. The, by now, famous woolly cupcakes that she demonstrated on Martha Stewart grace the cover. But otherwise most of the other projects are completely new – lots of original designs, some simple, some more complex, but none of them difficult.

Betz explains the technical aspect of felting woolen sweaters at the beginning and she is obviously passionate about it and has done a lot of experimenting. This book is fun!

I absolutely love the ‘rustic throw’ a bold blanket made up of squares of different colours with some leaf designs stitched on here and there. There are other blankets too for baby, and plenty of cushion designs as well. But apart from these sort of standard designs (Betz is hardly standard – the crazy ‘breakfast in bed pillow is testament to that – but you know what I mean), there are some more interesting uses to put to your woolly scraps. There are sweet little ornaments, gorgeous kids clothes – vest and dress and poncho, as well as a doggie jacket and kitty mat, some super fun things too like hand puppets (these are really cool), variations on the journal/book cover, and a very cute craft apron (the cute part in the little owl face pocket). I love what she does with accessories too – bags and scarfs and hats. There is too much good stuff in here.

Sweet embroidery patterns for days of the week tea towels. Link.

Kelli’s off travelling and spreading goodwill again. Gotta couple of tees you’d like to donate? Details via the link.Link.

A lovely idea for a friendship bracelet – you could make a bunch of these to give to your friends or your kids friends – they would be great inside a party bag – or if you made a few plain ones, little kids could decorate them (party activity) or fantastic for older kids to make and give to their friends.

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A sweet little interview with our fearless leader Kathreen in the latest issue of Artful Blogging. It has a nice photo spread with some artists whose work has been featured on Whipup and links to their blogs and portfolios.

The Best of Vogue Knitting Magazine: 25 Years of Articles, Techniques, and Expert Advice, by Vogue Knitting Magazine, published by Sixth&Spring Books (May 1, 2007), a compendium of the best of 25 years of articles, tips and ideas from Vogue Knitting magazine.

A must have resource for knitters of all ages and eras – full of worthwhile and useful articles, as relevant today as any time within the last 25 years perfect for those who like reading about knitting as much as doing it. With articles by the elite of knitting such as Elizabeth Zimmerman, Nicky Epstein and Debbie Bliss – the articles range widely from politics, history, copyright, style, technical discussions and instructions, design principals and inspiration and lots lots more.

The introduction is a fascinating look back over knitting fashion history – with covers spanning the the last 25 years. Then follows Knitting History and a fascinating collection of essays. Fiber and basic techniques, working with charts and schematics, Casting On and Binding Off (many of the different techniques are described here). The section on Expert Finishing Tricks and Techniques includes many interesting essays from some great knitters, including Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen. The Design Process is explored from the point of view of a tvariety of experts. More technical articles on Sizing and Shaping, knitting in the round and Caring for Knitwear. The last sections deal with specifically men who design, eg. Kaffe Fassett. And Designing woman – with profiles of some key knitting designers.

This is a must have for your knitting collection.

the softie awards are open for voting – the finalists have been chosen – go and vote for your faves. Not all of my faves made it to the top 5 – so go to the flickr pool if you want to check them all out.

Awesome mermaid costume for your dolly’s! I reckon you could adapt this for a little mergirl or merboy.
Link.

Sweet little idea. Link via Decor8.

Very sweet. Link, Design*Sponge.