In this age of recycling and reusing a nice little idea. Link, via Craft:

Vogue knitting on the go series, are handy little books with projects perfect for … well … when you are on the go. Here are two books in the series - see all the books available in the series here.

Vogue Knitting on the Go: Felted Crochet (Vogue Knitting on the Go!) by Trisha Malcolm published by Sixth&Spring Books (October 1, 2007)

The compact nature of this book (and the others in this series) means they travel well in a hand bag, add the bits of wool and a crochet hook it and it is perfect for a passenger in a car or traveling by bus or train.

The patterns too are perfect for travel - crochet patterns for small objects or as in a rug made up of small parts. I made two Ponchos similar but not the same as the rug on the cover while travelling for my two granddaughters just crocheting the squares as I admired the scenery. Travelling long distances at my age ones fingers can get mighty twitchy with nothing to do and though the scenery can be quite beautiful it can get a bit boring after a few hours of too much of the same.

As you may have gathered by the title - the projects are all meant to be felted (fulled) after crocheting, this aspect is best left to when you at home. The book is very clear on what fibres will or won’t felt with very good clear and illustrated instructions on both the crocheting and felting (it has a list of abbreviations and translates UK terms to US). The book is suitable for both beginners and experienced. I used to belong to a felters group and I have learnt more felting tricks in this book than I knew before. In following these patterns a person would be proud to say “I made this”.

Vogue Knitting on the Go: Cables: Mittens, Hats & Scarves (Vogue Knitting on the Go!) by by Trisha Malcolm published by Sixth&Spring Books (April 1, 2008)

As soon as I saw the mittens on the cover I thought I would like to make those. (To digress … at the moment I am spinning a black fleece, but those mittens perfect for the white fleece I have just finished spinning and dyeing). The picture is most enticing.

The illustrated cable instructions are actual close up photos of different sections which illustrate the actual process and could not be clearer. I have avoided cable knitting for years, but I have been re-learning cables as I mend one of my mothers cardigans that she knit over 40 years ago.

The book has baby bonnets, beanies, scarves and mittens - something for all the family from babies up. A handy book for patterns of the smaller essential items one would make for family gifts or the person who needs to always have a knitting project on the go. Those beanie patterns will come in handy for some of my outstanding projects. Yes a very handy book!

About the reviewer: Janette spends her retirement gardening and crafting. She always has a project or two on the go, currently she has requests from her grandchildren for crochet hats and knitted armwarmers, she is also knitting a sweater for her daughter and has to fit in baby clothes for her newest grandchild. As well as all that she is spinning up some marino fleece and experimenting with dyeing it.

I simply love the fabric covered kitchen cupboards at Tres Chic Veronique. And she shows us how she did it!

Ha! Quite ingenious really. Link.

zebra knits posted a link at the whats knitting forum - she made a beautiful cabled throw

Whipup now has a Twitter account, you can follow all posts using Twhirl or any other desktop client (ie Instant Messenger etc). Do a search for whipup at twitter to find us.

The Craft and Quilt Fair (with a bit of beading thrown in for good luck) continues in Perth today and finishes this Sunday, having already been to Newcastle, Gold Coast and Townsville. It then continues across the rest of the nation and over to our neighbours in New Zealand:

Go to the website to see a list of exhibitors for each state.

For you West Aussies, I’m going this afternoon :) You locals get on down and support the fair, in my opinion the best that comes to Perth and it’s only once a year! Looking forward to seeing the ladies from Amitie again.

vintage ric rac is making selvedge scarves. Tell us what you are making at this forum thread and see what others are making too.

Amy’s been at it again. A couple of new patterns, a laptop cover and a bag. She’s also offering a free pattern to sew a business card keeper. Link, click on NEW for a popup of new items.

There’s also an awesome interview with Amy over at craft::boom that also mentions her new book coming out later this year “Little Stitches for Little Ones”. Link.

check out the paper lamp at ihanna thanks mereteveian for the link. send in your links for ephemeral crafts via this forum thread.

The Crafter’s Guide to Glue: Techniques & Projects by Pattie Donham, published by Sterling Publishing Co. 2007

As Pattie says in the preface to this book, “If you can’t glue it, I won’t do it!”. I believe her. Before reading this book, I hadn’t really given glue much thought. I have used lots of different kinds of glue to help with other sorts of projects, but never thought of glue as a medium or tool of or by itself.

This book has over a hundred pages of glue related projects. Starting with the traditional best friend of glue i.e. paper, the book also has projects involving outdoor living, glass, jewellery and gems, fabric and fashion, home décor, decoupage, projects especially designed for children, and a chapter completely devoted to using a glue gun. Most of the projects are very busy looking, and might not be everyone’s taste. If I were quickly flicking through this book, I would probably put it back on the shelf, thinking that I wouldn’t do many of the projects. But on closer inspection, the beauty of this book for me is examining the techniques that Patty uses to create her projects. There is so much to learn about glueing! I would never have known what sort of glue was suitable for attaching a ceramic plate to the top of a copper pipe to make a bird feeder (two-part epoxy) or if a product existed that would permanently bond paper napkins to fabric – would you believe that there is a glue called “Paper Napkin Appliqué Glue”?

All the projects in this book are set out so that they are very easy to follow. There are clear photographs of all projects, a straightforward list of supplies needed, and step by step instructions. There are also templates and patterns where needed.

The absolute best part of this book is the first chapter, “Crafter’s Guide to Glue”. This section is a very detailed guide to so many types of glue, and includes a description of the glue, its characteristics and uses. There are also photographs of many types and brands of each glue, making identifying and shopping for the right glue so easy. I would happily buy this book just for this section. And if that wasn’t enough to get me all excited, there is also a section with recipes for making all sorts of sticky things, like grout (with glue as an ingredient, of course!), glues, pastes and slimes.

I now look at glue in a very different way! (like I need another crafting addiction…)

About the reviewer: Kate is a busy mother of three (soon to be four) and has far too many craft projects on the go at any one time. These could include, but are not limited to, crochet, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate also has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.

ah the ever changing face of the inspiration board - as you remove or hide something to make way for some new treasure that you love… Some inspiration boards are simple and sparse, some crazily cluttered with colours and textures and others beautifully artistically arranged - but they all do the same job of inspiring and reminding us of beauty and interesting unique goodness…

if this in not enough - check out the inspiration boards flickr group - where all these images came from

Perfect as part of our ephemeral month. Abigail Doan is currently showing work at the online gallery Poplar ArtCraft
Craft as Eco-Agency, a new online exhibition in gallery1 at Poplar ArtCraft. New York artist Abigail Doan creates “…tactile maps, floating topographies, and in situ souvenirs that highlight the delicate nature of our environs via geomorphic agency and environmental tinkering.”

more: Abigail Doan : land views

Shibori Knitted Felt: 20 Plus Designs to Knit, Bead, and Felt by Alison Crowther-Smith published by Interweave Press (April 1, 2008)

This is a beautiful book, Interweave always do such a great job in presenting their books. Beautiful photography and simple styling that show off the classic designs in their full glory.

The shibori aspect comes in by using the same techniques used in traditional shibori dyeing, tying, folding and scrunching and then applying these techniques when fulling a knitted item to create unusual and interesting effects.

The projects in the book are all suitable for intermediate knitters with some also suited to beginners. Projects include a bobble cushion, a pleated scarf, an artist ‘islands scarf’ which can be made as a shibori felted sampler suitable to experiment with different techniques. There are also some lovely bags, placemats and brooches too. Lots here to experiment with.

Guerrilla gardening is a form of nonviolent direct action. The gardens are planted on an abandoned piece of land which they do not own to grow crops or plants. Guerrilla gardeners wish to reclaim land from neglect or misuse and assign a new purpose to it.

important: Always try to use native seeds! Not native species can be invasive and harmful to the surrounding eco-system. (from the Toronto guerrilla gardening group)

more: inhabitat article on guerrilla gardening : join the guerrilla gardening pool : check out guerillagardening.org for events and tips : read primal seeds :: and you grow girls adventures in street gardening : Brussels farmer : green guerrillas educate - advocate and organise for community gardens :

email whipup(at)gmail.com for ideas, articles and links in ephemeral creativity

MindBites.com is a new instructional video community, self-publishing platform and marketplace where people can teach what they know and learn what they need to know. They have a contest beginning 15 May - called Spread the Craft - with $1500 in prizes. Spread the craft has a 6 week submission period, ending 23 June. Videos will be open for voting until 7 July and winners announced the next day. The link for the Spread the Craft will not be live until 15 May.

One of our contributors Susan Schwake who runs artstream studios in Rochester is participating in a public art project - art speak - overnight art- her illustrations are being taken from the 8×10 inch realm and blown up into public art pieces - her work: dialog was one of five works chosen for a summer long public art installation. She says of this work: Dialog is a large scale window banner featuring birds and vegetation. It was conceived to enliven the parking garage’s facade by adding a bit of whimsy and delight to a utilitarian public space, creating an enjoyable pause in the task of finding a parking spot. The piece asks the viewer to pause for a moment and consider the idea of nature larger than life size, thus fostering a momentary daydream.

Don’t miss this months guest lecturer at the Textile Study Group of New York - Cyrilla Mozenter who works with handmade paper and wool felt, creating 2-D and 3-D objects. Its on Wednesday, May 21st at 7 pm at Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist 40 E. 35th St. betw. Park and Madison, New York City (thanks Marci)

Be a Part of The Pillowcase Challenge Book! The common pillowcase is experiencing a creative transformation - being repurposed into everything from fashionable clothing and accessories to chic home décor items. Lark Books are publishing a book tentatively called The Pillowcase Challenge, and they would like submissions from readers. Share your favorite memory of a pillowcase past: perhaps it’s the one you couldn’t part with as a child, a cherished heirloom piece created by a loved one, a delightful patterned number that you simply had to have. If Lark select your written reminiscence for inclusion in the book, you’ll receive credit in the book and a free copy of the book. Send your pillowcase passion in 200 words or less by June 7.

For pillowcase collectors: here’s your chance to shine a spotlight on your fabulous stash and share it with the world. Send Lark a snapshot or two of your prettiest, most beloved pillowcases: floral, striped, polka-dotted, embroidered, whatever. They will then select the best of the pillowcase bunch to be shipped to us, photographed and then featured in the book. Send your stash shots to Lark by May 21. Yes, that soon. To enter visit the Lark Books web site, and click on the Submissions page. (image show in via Bella dia)

Great little tutorial for a sexy fabric basket. Link.

via whizzme clothkits are a kit that includes fabric that has the pattern screenprinted directly onto the pattern - you don’t have to fuss with paper patterns, as all the bits come with it - including zippers buttons etc. [read more four good corners who attended the launch] clothkits link (and yes they do adults skirts, kids dresses and skirts and dolls too)

Neta from Dolls stories has been running kids sewing workshops. I love what the kids have made here.

The class practiced the blanket stitch, while creating a doll of their own design using discarded clothes and socks.

The gals at the Purl Bee know their stuff. Here’s an awesome post about thimbles. Yep, thimbles!