Lovely apple obsession from Nicole continues – get her templates and tutorial for making this adorable handsewn felt apple picture.
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August 2009
This is the almost the last stop on the fabulous blog tour ofCrochet Adorned: Reinvent Your Wardrobe with Crocheted Accents, Embellishments, and Trims
First up congratulations Linda on a gorgeous and original crochet book. There are some truly innovative designs and super cute uses for crochet in this book – I am loving it!
Crochet Adorned ticks all points on my crochet must have list. Charts, instructions, detailed how-to and cool projects.
With super cute edging on clothing (perfect to give new life to loved outfits), brooches and earrings and even lovely edging on shoes – how adorable is that! I love the edged coat in the picture below and there is a lovely apron (with a pattern on how to sew it as well) with a crochet butterfly just to make you feel like a domestic goddess! As well as adorning your clothing and self with crochet you can also adorn your home with crochet cuteness – crochet bowls, table runners and pillows.
Just on my first flick through I was struck by how perfect Linda’s colour choices and style are throughout. Like most craft books there is always going to be something where you say ‘what the’ and this book is no exception – however with 99% fabulousness I am willing to forgive that 1%.
I particularly love the stitch dictionary at the back – showing swatches with charts, stitch key and detailed instructions. The stitch dictionary goes through different trims (there are 25) useful for not only trimming clothing and linens but also for making ribbon and fringing and jewelry. Next there are a variety of motifs, such as flowers and granny squares, hexagons and triangles. Then the stitch patterns – starting with single crochet, and moving on through double, treble and faux rib stitch and onto textured stitches – love the bobble stitch, and waffle stitch and puff stitch. Then on to mesh and netting stitches, and lace stitches – love the shells and scallops, strawberry stitch and daisy lace. The last of the stitch dictionary is on colour work – ripple stitch, cross stitch over single crochet, catherine wheel and more.
This book is a wonderful crochet resource for newbies and more advanced crocheters. It has to be one of the best crochet books I have seen in a long time – with fabulous instructions and projects that I will actually make.
Chance to win
Now after saying all that I have a book to give away – so leave a comment here telling us your favourite way to use crochet to adorn yourself, your clothing or your home. [open for 48 hours] Now closed – winner will be contacted this week.
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Now trying saying that fast! Nifty little tutorial for sewing a little pouch for your pooches collar to store those little poop bags. Link to tutorial, via craft gossip.
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I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw these boots by Emma Greenwood on meetmeatmikes – super cool – handmade boots and hand embroidered to boot!
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super lovely knitted pin cushion pattern and chart from slip slip knit - [thanks ina for the tip]
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Start Spinning: The Video is a companion to Maggie Casey’s book Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn
Reviewed by: Kate is a busy mother of four with many craft projects on the go, including, but not limited to, crochet, knitting, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.
Start Spinning: The Video features Maggie Casey herself, teaching beginner spinner (Eunny Jang of Interweave Knits fame), how to handle fibre, and to start to spin singles and plied yarns.
When I first read the book, I thought that Maggie Casey was probably a pretty good teacher, due to her ability to explain and instruct in text. But in person she is even better. At all times, Maggie’s soft, reassuring voice makes me feel as if everything is fine, it is all ok. When I first watched this DVD, I set my wheel up in front of the tv, and followed Maggie’s lesson on spinning woolen style (I was brought up in a worsted style family of spinners). In the past I had tried to figure out the knack of woolen style spinning using books (including Maggie Casey’s Start Spinning), but since I am a visual learner with a short attention span and a need for pretty quick gratification, I had had not much success and lots of frustration. Watching Maggie patiently explain and demonstrate this style of spinning, I found my mojo! It was a happy moment indeed.
While there are an increasing collection of spinning demonstrations available online, it is wonderful to have this resource as a DVD, that I can put on to my TV in the lounge room (can’t do that with YouTube!), with the remote beside me, and replay the bits that I need over and over and over.
The first disc of Start Spinning: The Video has chapters on fibres to start with, about your wheel, getting started, making yarn, more about wheels, plying and finishing. The second disc has chapters on looking at wool, basic carding, long draw, spinning worsted, commercial top, over the fold, and exploring other fibres.
Most of the views of Maggie and Eunny on this dvd are from the front which is fine if you like the look of Schacht wheels. (Schacht were the sponsor of this DVD and their wheels are the only ones shown). There are some views of Maggie’s and Eunny’s hands from the side and from the top, and for my money these are the best bits of the DVD. I really wish there were far more shots of what is actually going on in their hands, it would have really improved the quality of the instructions. I also wish that there were some titles and caption within the chapters. It is more of a sit-and-watch-the-whole-thing-through DVD than a dip-in-and-find-what-you-need DVD. For these reasons, the book and DVD are a great set, the DVD shows so many things that are hard to grasp from text alone, and the book fills in the gaps, for example spindle spinning, and has an index so is easy to refer to quickly.
The book and DVD together make an excellent resource for a beginning spinner.
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Reese dixon made a rustle bag for her baby to play with and enjoy the noise it makes – here is how.
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