Anyone who thinks that birds in their little nests agree has never had chickens. How bad could these little featherballs be? Pretty bad, if last week was any indication. Nothing lasts forever, and inevitably comes the day when the flock has been thinned out by predators, illness, and old age; and it’s time for the …
Covid-19 HopeRussia Fundraiser
I’ll be brief here, as it isn’t Wednesday; but this is urgent enough to share immediately. All my self-published patterns are 15% off on Ravelry until 7:00 PM EST on Saturday, May 9; all proceeds will be donated to HopeRussia and designated for their Covid-19 relief fund. No coupon code is needed for this sale—just …
Favorite Finds: Botanical
We’ve had weeks of drippy, rainy greyness here (including a flooded driveway); and even though, as you can see from the above image, yours truly has sneaked out for a few moments of nature photography, spring can’t come too soon as far as I’m concerned. In that vein, I thought it was high time to …
Designer Tip #2: Don’t Be a Diva
While as an opera student, I can’t help but resent the associations of the word diva a little, the simple fact is that opera singers, knitting/crochet designers, human beings, and like characters tend to live up to it pretty well. And chihuahuas. (If you’re viewing this in an email, click ‘view in browser’ and you’ll …
Book Review: WeCrochet Magazine, Issue 1
It’s been less than three months since the soft launch of WeCrochet, the much-anticipated sister company of KnitPicks, and the new brand is already creating its own image and its own niche in the market. While many features of WeCrochet and KnitPicks are shared (yarns, hooks, web format, etc.), WeCrochet has spun out several unique …
Favorite Finds—Animals
At some point I turned around and realized that it’s been almost two months since the first installment of Favorite Finds; however, I’ve diligently cast my eye around the wide world of patterns since then and have come up with both arms full of knit and crochet treats! This post will focus mainly on stuffed …
Designer Tip #1: Put Together A Professional Proposal
Did you know that Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride & Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions? While far less catchy than the title that eventually supplanted it, it will serve us well as a useful illustration. I bring it up for two reasons. First, as a working title First Impressions is actually an accurate representation …
Pattern Release—Mr. Bultitude
Novelties are not my strong suit; neither is being on trend, and certainly not being cool. But never say never, right? When Knit Picks released their super-bulky faux fur yarn, Fable Fur, I nearly had a laughing fit. Who would ever make something with that? A lot of people, apparently…including me. I tried to ignore …
Pattern Release—Wicket Gate Cowl
I once heard someone say that a cliche—like necessity is the mother of invention—is a truth that has been repeated so often that we forget it’s true. And it IS true; necessity was the mother of Wicket Gate. As a singer, my chest and throat are high-priority defense items, which is why I spend so …
November-December Forecast
For it was the beginning of what the papers call the Holiday Rush. London and its young, like Xenophon’s Ten Thousand, were heading for the sea. — P. G. Wodehouse, Hot Water It’s that time again—all my local stores are festooned in tinsel, string lights, and plastic Christmas trees, some more obviously fake than others …