Brand New Blog, Brand New Day!

If you're wondering why things have come to a standstill here lately, it's because I've moved! Please visit my brand-spankin' new blog: http://www.splendidsticks.com/.

If you're looking for Pattern help on igottknits patterns, please visit: http://www.igottknits.com/.

For the Love of the Swatch

Back in February, in the Creative Knitting eLetter, I wrote about the importance of finding your gauge swatch. When it comes to designing, swatching is something that I revel in because I find it utterly fascinating that everything you need is contained within a 4 x 4 square. For many knitters however, they just don't see the fascination because they want to get busy knitting! That said, it's even more imperative to find gauge-- most especially with garments because who wants an armhole made to fit a gorilla? To better explain this, I like to use this analogy- without the creation of your gauge swatch, it's like taking a trip covering new territory without a map, or gas in your car.

Like I said, I love the swatching process, but the problem for many is that it's tedious and then you're left with leftover squares of fabric in boxes or baggies. So let's solve the problem, and put those swatches to good use! The options are endless for the kinds of creations you can make from simple squares. Here are a few examples: change purses, blankets and lap throws, totes, coasters, hand towels, rugs.

As you can see below, I've put my swatches to good use by making a variety of change purses, embellished with high-end buttons.

Another resourceful method for utilizing swatches is to felt them to use for embellishment, as you can see in this example of a felted purse. After felting the squares, I cut out a variety of shapes, and then sewed them in place. 

And finally, if you're feeling slightly ambitious, you can connect several swatches by sewing or decoratively joining them with crochet stitches in contrasting yarn colors. The example below is a lap blanket in progress.

Color-coordinating the swatches for my lap blanket.

Squares joined using single crochet stitches.



Right side of work showing decorative stitching in single crochet.



 Perhaps as time goes by, this may turn into a full size afghan, who knows!

The exciting part is that after you've spent the time making your useful gauge swatches, using them in  new and spontaneous ways can help you shift gears from the technical aspects of finding your gauge, to being able to utilize them in a new and artistic ways.



Creative Knitting Magazine- July Photo Shoot Outakes

As promised, here are some fun, not-so-serious behind-the-scenes shots taken during the making of the July issue of  Creative Knitting magazine.  When it comes to working on the magazine, the photo shoot is the most dynamic part of the process because it’s during this time that the magazine comes to life. I’m constantly inspired when I observe our photographers setting up the shots so carefully, making sure that the composition and lighting are just right. Matt Bowen, freelance photographer started working on Creative Knitting magazine a few months ago, and his eye for design and composition is impeccable. In the shot below, you may wonder why Matt is on floor. In his quirky way, he may tell you he’s multi-tasking by trying to fit in a little nap between shots, but in reality, he’s a true artist at work. The cool thing about the shot above is that Matt found a way to give the illusion that the glass behind the model appears like sheets of blue water, without a sign of an outside streetlight or a car in sight!

Matt Bowen, striving to get the best shot.



Amy, working wonders with hair and makeup


The day usually starts pretty early, considering that in a typical day we can successfully shoot about fifteen to twenty projects, so this means we’ve got to hustle to keep things moving. The day begins with our talented makeup artist, Amy Ish, who works wonders with hair and makeup. Then, our talented photo stylists, who I fondly refer to as “The Tammies,” Tammy Liechty and Tammy Steiner, handle the logistics of the day. They are the queens of multi-tasking, and they pull each shoot off without a hitch. Then of course we have our gifted photographers, Matt Owen, and add on “B” and you’ve got Matt Bowen. If it weren’t for these two guys, we wouldn’t have as much fun as we do, and I’d miss all the silly jokes and constant laughing that keeps us all motivated throughout the day.

Matt Owen photographs the beautiful Misti

Work it baby, work it!

The elegant Jessica poses so gracefully.



A girl's gotta take a break sometimes!





Yep, Still Kicking

Just this morning, I received a delightful email alert from one of my favorite online mags, Knitchmagazine.com, and to my surprise the email contained a link to my exciting interview, which you can check out here. Thanks Knitch! I also realized that with the very first sentence is a link to this blog. Woo hoo. Pretty cool. But it was also a wake up call to get busy tapping that keyboard.

Yes, I'm guilty as charged for not posting over the last several weeks, but with a darn good reason.  January was a very busy month, and I'm still recouping from all of my travels. Promise, no traveling for awhile. As you already know, I headed to Long Beach to attend TNNA, back in the beginning of January. You can still read my eLetter about my exciting finds here. Then a short two weeks later, I headed to my beloved Big Apple for Vogue Knitting Live. It was a whirlwind weekend, but I connected with old friends, and made some new ones too.

Let me bring you up to speed since I last wrote. I'm now embarking on pulling together my debut issue as editor of Creative Knitting magazine. It's a really exciting time because I'm in the midst of working on the biggest part of the issue. So many exciting things go into this process, and it's tedious and time consuming work. What sparked my desire to sit down and write today was a much-needed break from proofreading and copy writing! Next week, I'll be heading out for the July photo shoot, which we'll be doing on-location. You'll be impressed by the breathtaking shots soon to come your way. I'll keep you posted, and maybe slip in a little "hint" about what you'll be seeing in a few months!

Until next time......

Look What I Found at TNNA!

I just returned from an exciting time in Long Beach, Calif., this past weekend attending The National NeedleArts show.  It's a wonderful opportunity to connect with designers, yarn companies and other industry professionals all in one place. There's something so magical about being under one roof with a bunch of people that all share the same passion!

Long Beach marks the first time in several years that Creative Knitting magazine had booth presence. The goal was to increase brand awareness for both Creative Knitting and Crochet!, both published by DRG Publications, and to bring attention to our popular knit and crochet pattern books.

Me with Carol Alexander, editor or Crochet! and Crochet World meeting attendees

I'm constantly amazed by the new products featured at TNNA. This time around, I couldn't get enough of all the new finds that will be coming our way in the months ahead. Here's some eye-candy for your viewing pleasure!

New from Lantern Moon:

Here are some exciting new confections from Be Sweet. Bambino Taffy is a fun cotton and bamboo self-striping yarn. All you need is one skein for the Sweetie Pie hat pattern included on the label.

 Also from Be Sweet: Bubble Ball yarn, made with merino baby weight yarn, strung with 25 felted balls per skein. Perfect for embellishing scarves, accessories or garments.

There's always something to see at DellaQ. This season, you'll find a generous offering of needle cases in a variety of sizes, including the Que Cotton limited edition case pictured below.

And then there was an inspiring collection of knitting bags and notion keepers at Namaste. This spring, Namaste is partnering with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, by donating 10% of each light pink product sold.

Let's not forget the people who make these shows so inspiring! It's not often that we get to see little ones on the show floor. Here's Owen, who really stole the show with his felted fedora. He was mesmerized by looking into the camera, as babies often are. But finally, I got a side shot of his memorable little hat. 

Last but not least, my eye caught this super-funky felted ring. I just couldn't resist asking for a shot of this striking little creation!