OMG! Heart

Why has Ravelry never gotten its own post on my website!? It’s been an institution online for the Knitting and Crochet community since its inception. And something that is such a given sometimes people forget to mention it! I’d been knitting for years but only found out about it around 2010. I guess I was knitting in my own bubble without many friends who shared my hobby and oblivious to such a thriving community. So perhaps a post like this may help other ninja bubble knitters (and crocheters!).

Great Community
There’s lots of groups and networks for whatever your knitting or crocheting heart desires. Ask questions in the forum, look for pattern help, plug in and make some new friends, share your expertise, or simply post your completed projects for the whole community to see. Trolling the groups is also a great way to get a birds eye view into the knitting and crochet subculture.

Great Tools
There are lots of great tools too like a project tracker, stash manager, needles and hooks manager, you can favorite your favorite projects, place them in a queue, keep track of works in progress, and check out what others have to say about the pattern you’re working on. And the tools don’t suck. All the yarns actually link to the manufacturer, colorway, etc. You can even include when you bought it and the price. They’ve really thought of everything.

For crafters who also sell their handmades online, it’s a great way to maximize your exposure. Kind of like Facebook but for Knitting or Crochet only!

What I Like Best
The really advanced pattern finder. You can search for very specific things from hats for kids in worsted weight yarn only to all free patterns for skirts to only projects using Size I9 hooks or US SIze 5 Needles. It’s really handy. For crafters looking for just the right pattern or some inspiration it’s really one of the best pattern finders out there. Simply because it’s crowd sourced!

You can also find lots of helpful pattern insight. For example, if someone or some people have already worked on your pattern and posted it up, you can find it there, check out their comments and errata to see if they’ve stumbled across the same problems you have! There are so many projects and patterns, especially free ones found online, that it’s probably been done by someone on Ravelry! Yup, it’s that great.

The only cons are you must be logged in to see anything. So someone cannot simply link to a page, me on Ravelry, and just see some content. Which I find really restrictive. They should make some pages public or at least partially public like on Facebook! It would at least give people a taste of what they might be signing up for before they sign up. Other than that I hope they never change how well it works or how many great features they offer!

It’s Free!
Ravelry now has 3 million users! So it’s popular and definitely a powerful resource. 3 million knitters and crocheters from all over the world is in itself a cool concept. It’s really a knitter or crocheter’s dream online buddy. For those who are especially organized, it’s got everything you need to satisfy your obsession. Really. If you’re not already on there, check it out. It’s free to join, and you’ll find there’s something on there to suit every fiber need from dabblers to die hards!

Here’s a random list of handmade marketplaces online I’ve been compiling for awhile. Perhaps they will provide artisans some options and/or give shoppers more places to shop!

• Open To All (Worldwide)
  Etsy http://www.etsy.com/
  Artfire http://www.artfire.com/

  Open To All (United States)
  Dawanda http://dawanda.com/
  iCraft http://icraftgifts.com/
  Zibbet http://www.zibbet.com/
  Supermarket http://supermarkethq.com/

  Bonanza (1000 Markets) http://www.bonanza.com/
  Uncommon Goods http://www.uncommongoods.com/
  Goodsmiths (Craft.ly) https://www.goodsmiths.com/
  Lily Shop http://www.lilyshop.com/
  Silk Fair http://www.silkfair.com/

  Luulla http://www.luulla.com/
  Made It Myself http://www.madeitmyself.com/
  Shop Handmade http://www.shophandmade.com/
  Not Mass Produced http://www.notmassproduced.com/
  Trunkt http://www.trunkt.com/
  Indie Public http://www.indiepublic.com/
  Craft Juice http://www.craftjuice.com/
  Ravelry (Patterns Only) https://www.ravelry.com/

  Shopping Carts/Markets
  Big Cartel http://directory.bigcartel.com/#handmade

• Open To All (Outside US)
  Misi UK http://www.misi.co.uk/
  Folksy UK http://www.folksy.com/
  Coriandr UK http://www.coriandr.com/

  Blue Caravan Australia http://www.bluecaravan.net/
  Made It Australia http://www.madeit.com.au/
  Indie Australia http://www.indie.com.au/
  Artis & Grove Australia http://www.artisandgrove.com/
  Felt New Zealand http://felt.co.nz/
  Toggle New Zealand http://www.toggle.co.nz/

  Signerat Sweden http://www.breslo.ro/
  Sashe Slovakia http://www.sashe.sk/
  Fler Czechoslovakia http://www.fler.cz/

  Curated/Invite Only
  Brika http://www.brika.com/
  Ammiki http://www.ammiki.com/
  Paper N Stitch http://papernstitch.com/
  Poppy Talk http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/
  Boticca http://boticca.com/
  Firefly Handmade http://fireflyhandmade.com/
  Poketo http://poketo.com/

  Handmade Markets to Buy Only
  Ten Thousand Villages http://tenthousandvillages.com/
  ReForm School http://www.reformschoolrules.com/

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Materials:
2 Balls Lion Brand Yarn Lion Wool, Color 187 Goldenrod, 158 yards, $5.99
Stitch Marker
Tapestry Needle

Needles:
US Size 5 [3.75mm] Addi Turbo Circular Knitting Needles, 16inch
US Size 5 [3.75mm] Double Pointed Knitting Needles (dpns)
Cable Needle

Measurements:
23″ circumference
8″ inches high

Gauge:
4.5 Stitches per Inch
5 Rows per Inch

Skill Level: Intermediate

Pattern:
Body:
Cast On 162 stitches.
Round 1: Color A [K1, bring yarn forward, slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn back]. Repeat from [...] until end of round.
Round 2: Color B [slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn forward, P1, bring yarn back]. Repeat from [...] until end of round.
Round 3 – 80: Repeat Rounds 1-2 for 39 more times. Or until hat measure 6.5 inches tall. Make sure to end on Round 2.

Begin Decrease Rounds:
Decrease Round 1: Color A: *[K1, bring yarn forward, slip 1, bring yarn back] 7 times, slip next stitch (color A) purlwise, place next stitch (color B) on cable needle and hold at back, place first stitch back on left needle and knit it together with next stitch (both stitches should be color A), bring yarn to front, place color B stitch back from cable needle onto left needle, slip both color B stitches purlwise, bring yarn back*. Repeat from * to * until end of round.
Decrease Round 2: Color B: *[slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn forward, P1, bring yarn back] 7 times, slip next stitch purlwise (should be the stitch you decreased above), bring yarn forward, P2tog (both stitches should be color B), bring yarn back*. Repeat from * to * until end of round. (144 stitches)
Decrease Round 3: Repeat Round 1 (of original pattern).
Decrease Round 4: Repeat Round 2 (of original pattern).
Decrease Round 5: Repeat Decrease Round 1 but substitute “7 times” for “6 times”.
Decrease Round 6: Repeat Decrease Round 2 but substitute “7 times” for “6 times”. (126 stitches)
Decrease Round 7-8: Repeat Round 1-2 (of original pattern).
Decrease Round 9-10: Repeat Decrease Round 1-2 but substitute “7 times” for “5 times”. (108 stitches)
Decrease Round 11-12: Repeat Round 1-2 (of original pattern).
Decrease Round 13-14: Repeat Decrease Round 1-2 but substitute “7 times” for “4 times”. (90 stitches)
Decrease Round 15-16: Repeat Round 1-2 (of original pattern).
Decrease Round 17-18: Repeat Decrease Round 1-2 but substitute “7 times” for “3 times”. (72 stitches)
Decrease Round 19-20: Repeat Round 1-2 (of original pattern).
Decrease Round 21-22: Repeat Decrease Round 1-2 but substitute “7 times” for “2 times”. (54 stitches)
Decrease Round 23-24: Repeat Decrease Round 1-2 but substitute “7 times” for “1 times”. (36 stitches)
Decrease Round 25-26: K2tog/P2tog around (slipping stitches only to rearrange them). (18 stitches)

Finish:
Cut yarn ends leaving 8″ tail. Thread each yarn end onto tapestry needle and through like-colored stitches. Cinch yarn end to close the top of each side of the hat. Weave ends in on each side by following the path of the stitches (like duplicate stitch) so they are not visible.

Make oversized pompom. Approx. 3 inches wide. Make sure to leave ample tail for attaching. Attach pompom.

Weave in ends.

How to Make a Perfect Pompom
I wanted a good fat puffy GIANT POMPOM! I also wanted to make make sure it was about 2.5 to 3 inches wide. But i didnt want to spend money or buy extra junk like a pompom maker, so I came up with an easy way to make a pompom template.

All you need is some scrap cardboard, scissors, a mug and a quarter or an old CD to use as stencils.

Make 2 rings (like a donut shape), cut a slit through the rings making the donut shape into a C-shape. Widen the slit by trimming some more off the ends so it’s easy to pass the yarn through.

Take yarn, wrap around the C-shape as if you’re trying to make a yarn covered “C”. No need for needles or pre-cutting yarn. Just slip yarn through the slit to wrap. This way there’s no wasted yarn, the working end of the yarn is coming straight from the ball and you’ll never run out.

To make sure the pompom comes out the size needed: e.g. If you need a 3 inch pompom, the rings have to be about 1.5 inches thick (plus a little extra for trimming).

When full enough, snip edges, pull yarn tail through, cinch, and tie. Fluff and trim making sure to not trim off yarn tail. You’ll need that to attach the pompom.

Here are some other great references with detailed photos on how to make a pompom:
www.inklingsandyarns.com
www.prudentbaby.com
www.classiceliteyarns.com
www.ehow.com

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Hello Kollabora.com! You new crafty website you… Hmm, what to say about this new online community slash craft site that’s kind of like a when Craftsy met PS I Made This and I Spy DIY love triangle?

1.) Somebody over there is my long lost craft twin.
2.) Fiberistas unite!
3.) Seriously though, did you make this site for me?
A.) Kraft Krush!

I first heard about it through a lovely welcome note I got in my inbox! On first glance, I liked the layout and design, visual yet minimal Pinterest-style moodboardy. M.I.A. as interpreted by Saved By The Bell font. But further exploration revealed it’s chock full of great projects and handy features for the savvy crafter.

I raided their pattern library for some great projects. Here’s just a few of my picks, take a peek, you get the idea. :) Join the Kollabora community too and share your knit love. Heck Yeah!

❤ Patterns range from Free to Pricey! Quick to Fair Isle.

❤ It’s not just for Knitting and Crochet, but also features Sewing and Jewelry! The Quad-fecta.

❤ Fun Fact: Kollabora features many knits/designs from people and places I love!! Many already featured on my site. Sister from another misterrr! I also met a bunch of the Kollabora team at this year’s Maker Faire where they had a really fun booth full of Berninas and Novelty Yarn.

❤ Bonus: Kollabora makes shopping for your project materials easy! Just click on a project you like, check the items you need, {pattern, yarn, needles}, GO! And voila, all the materials you need for that one project without having to click all over the internet (lazy fingers) for them! x.x $$$ Q.Q

Patterns In This Post:
Florence and the Machine Sweater
Novita’s Snood Dogg
Fair Isle Capelet
Greta Capelet
Halloween Origami
(more…)

Snow Pea by We Knit You A Merry Christmas

I saw these on Daily Mail and had to repost. They’re awesome knit patterns for the holidays. They make great fun little knit gifts. And books make great gifts for knitters too. Patterns contain both knit and crochet items.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

We Knit You A Merry Christmas By Debbie Harrold, $7.95
Mollie Makes Christmas By Mollie Makes, £5.79

Via http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2234120/
Mollie Makes Photo from Mathilde

Check out these awesome dog and cat knits by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne. Great to make as gifts for dog lovers. Great books to give as gifts for knitting lovers. Fabulous and affordable. AWESOME!

Knit Your Own Cat By Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne, $10.17
Knit Your Own Dog By Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne, $10.17
Knit Your Own Dog: The Second Litter By Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne, $9.56

Via http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2234120/

Above photo album can also be viewed at my Imgur Gallery.

Hello, Maker Week NYC 2012!
The 3rd Annual Maker Faire just blew through town. It also happened to mark the 1st Annual “Maker Week” here in NYC! As declared by Mayor Bloomberg, September 24-30 is officially Maker Week and is an entire week dedicated to DIY science and crafts! Yay yay yay!

Thanks to Kollabora.com, I got the chance to go to Maker Faire this year to check what new fangled gadgets and crafts were on the menu.

We saw a cool Cupcake Man Car which was a guy driving around in a cupcake shaped car he built. Saw some butterfly bikes, the Katy Perry Unicorn complete with flaming unicorn horn, ate some gyros and shish kebab on a stick, and checked out some craft booths and stalls.

It poured buckets of tornado rain when we got there but we holed up at the Kollabora booth to wait it out. We ended up meeting some of the lovely Kollabora Team and Finger Crocheting some necklaces!

Last year at The Faire there were so many knitting, sewing, and textile booths and demos like Free Motion Quilting, Fabric Dying, Singer Co. etc. More of the fun attractions/events/booths like Craftzine machine knitting cosby sweaters, the solar sewing guy who powered his sewing machine with his bicycle, steampunky bike contraptions, super mario radio-controlled car races, and oddball independent artists were not there this year either.

This year they had less than half the textiles and crafts featured as last year. It was mainly overrun with arduino and 3D printing booths. Also, much larger name companies like ASUS were there with a Speed Build Competition and 3D graphics video games complete with special glasses. Crif Dogs was there!

And… it was about 3 times more crowded! It was jam packed and food lines were atrocious. Blecch the Rat! It felt a lot less organized in general. Perhaps it was because I went at the tail end (2pm ish) of the last day (Sunday) and missed an entirely different schedule on Saturday? On top of Maker Faire not expecting such a huge turnout? Oh well.

Top Right: Micro Amigurumi Garden Gnomes by Mochimochi Land. Each are sold in kits with everything you need to create your own.

Right: Boombox Bag and Cassette Tape Pouch in Needlepoint by Jenny Henry. Each are sold in handy Needlepoint Kits.

Bottom Right: Toasty Time Hoodies w. Mitten Pockets. Yup, they’re knitted!

Notable Crafties @ The Faire
Mochimochiland.com, Mochimochi Land – Micro Amigurumi Knitting Kits
Mondaysprojects.tumblr.com, Mondays Project – Handmade Pottery
Billywolfnyc.com, Billy Wolf – Fine K-9 Coatery
Romanhills.com, Roman Hills Yarn by Lisa Roman
Loopoftheloom.com, Loop of the Loom Saori Weaving
Kollabora.com, Kollabora – Online DIY Community for Makers
Intheseam.com, In The Seam – Dog and Cat Pillows
Jennyhenrydesigns.com, Jenny Henry Designs – Needlepoint Kits
Lifewithtigers.com, Life with Tigers – Handmade Toys and Gifts
100actsofsewing.com, 100 Acts of Sewing by Sonya Philipp
Ambushbog.com, Ultra Lite Spindles – Yarn spun with cat hair! Eep!
Sprysprout.com, Spry Sprout – Geeky Kid Clothing w. comic-printed fabrics
Toastytime.com, Toasty Time – Hoodies w. Mitten Shaped Pockets
Dearsweetdarlings.etsy.com, Dear Sweet Darlings Handmade Rabbits

What is Kollabora?
Kollabora is a new online crafting community that’s just joined the “block” party! =^..^= It’s a cross between PS I Made This, I Spy DIY, and Craftsy. It has a fresher focus IMHO featuring projects that pair classic crafts like Knitting or Sewing with edgier materials and fabrics and modern takes on those same classics with projects like Big Stitch Knitting! Where Craftsy has a more Martha Stewart feel, Kollabora might appeal more to urban hipster or fashion industry creatives. Find out all about them in my post.

Above: Lindsey, on the far right, is wearing the Bushwick Cape, a featured project on their site. It’s a classic Simplicity Sewing Pattern you can sew yourself! It’s simply matched up with a more contemporary fabric (red/black flannel check) to give it a fresher look. If you got to check out their booth, it was filled with yarn and Berninas, and mobbed by tween girls!

Read more about Maker Faire and my trip last year here:
http://www.omgheart.com/2011/09/16/maker-faire-nyc-2011/
http://www.omgheart.com/2011/09/21/omg-heart-goes-to-maker-faire/

Cupcake Guy Car @ Maker Faire

Knit Picks In Touch Gloves Pattern w. Touch Fingertips

Literally, it’s a thread that conducts electricity! So iPhone 5 dropped today (if you pre-ordered and hit the option to pickup in-store that is…) and “Apple Fans are Jubilant”. Big Whoop! $800 for a phone is really incredible especially considering advanced technology these days (should be readily available and definitely affordable) and it’s never $300 better than its predecessor so… But it does make this post somewhat more fitting.

Don’t you hate it when it’s freezing cold outside and you have to text a friend or answer your smartphone but can’t because your gloves are on? I do! But not enough to have to wear one of those types of “digital-ized gloves” you see in a lot in sporting goods stores. But now I have another option, I CAN MAKE MY OWN PAIR!

I just discovered this thread while browsing through a Knit Picks flyer on the train the other day. The photos above are from Knit Picks and if you look closely at the Pointer Finger and Thumb you can see a little added embellishment on the fingertips. Those little embellishments are stitched on using Conductive Thread! The Conductive Thread allows the wearer to operate touch devices like iPhones, iPads, Galaxy Tabs, your new Galaxy S3, (my Android HTC Inspire) etc.

How Does It Work?
This Conductive Thread is a 2-ply thread made of steel fibers and can conduct electricity and complete circuits just like a wire. It comes in a little bobbin containing about 4-10 meters of this special thread. Simply sew it on to the fingertip of your next hand-knit gloves and voila! Instant “E-Tip” gloves. I don’t know just how effective this Conductive Thread is in practice but it could be worth a try for my next glove project.

Firefly Baby Booties w. LED Lights!

E-Textiles and Conductive Clothing
There’s been a lot of “digital” clothing and accessories for awhile like jackets that are wired to charge up your mobile phone when placed in a pocket or plugged into a panel and of course sport gloves by the likes of North Face or Marmot with conductive pads on the fingertips that allow you to operate your GPS tracker while scaling the iciest peak on Mount Everest. So this little bobbin of conductive thread is especially nifty because now it means we can add this to any one of our own homemade projects! GO DIY TECH!

Electronic textiles (e-textiles) are fabrics that have electronics and interconnections woven into them, with physical flexibility and size that cannot be achieved with existing electronic manufacturing techniques. Components and interconnections are intrinsic to the fabric and thus are less visible and not susceptible to becoming tangled together or snagged by the surroundings. An e-textile can be worn in everyday situations where currently available wearable computers would hinder the user. E-textiles can also more easily adapt to changes in the computational and sensing requirements of an application, a useful feature for power management and context awareness.
–E-Textile Research Lab, Virginia Tech

Makezine has a nice little blog post about it here. Googling “e-textiles” or “conductive thread” will also generate a wealth of info on anything from conductive fabric to wearable computers to programming arduinos (which is what threads like these are especially useful for).

Where To Buy
Conductive thread comes in bobbins or spools and can come in varying diameters, lengths, and resistances. Knit Picks sells this thread in bobbins of about 4-5 meters each for $4.99 each. Spark Fun sells this Conductive Thread in various lengths and diameters for more advanced projects. Prices range from $2.95 for 30ft to 175 yards for $39.95. They have a wide range of 2-ply, 4-ply, thick, thin, extra-thick, and even thread with different connectivity resistances. So check out their page for the best option to suit your needs.

And ZOMG! My personal fave – knitted shorts and pants?! WIN!

Check out these 80s-inspired geometrics a la Saved By The Bell. But better! The designs have an 8-bit slant IMHO that can appeal to anyone from the Brooklyn hipster to the 80′s throwback lover to the video game nards. Either way it’s a fresh take on knitwear that has a younger edgier vibe yet still classic enough to have a wide appeal. Move over Dwayne Wayne (sunglasses) and Lisa Bonet circa Cosby Show and A Different World! Go Knitwear Today!

I first saw these in an L Mag I picked up while trolling Prospect Heights… We just finished watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi (corny music but cool film about sushi as a craft). So, guess what? Sushi time! We went to eat at Taro, then Sky Ice (homemade ice cream slash thai home cooking eatery…), then sampled a few spoonfuls of gelato at Caramello where we learned that gelato is less fattening than traditional ice cream. No egg and less air makes a rich, dense, smooth confection with less calories! The sorbet (Limetta!!) was seriously decadent too with zero dairy yet all the rich and creamy mouth feel! Passed by the Barclays Center all blacked out, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets… Then while walking back to the train, we spied this flyer on ye olde stereotypical stoop and snapped one up to read on the train ride.

Annie Larson is a knitwear designer based in Bushwick, Brooklyn by way of Minneapolis, MN and originally from Seoul, Korea and Wisconsin. From reading her bio it looks like she’s a machine knitter who “bought a 1980s sweater-creating contraption in January of 2009″ (a Brother KH-965i to be exact) and never looked back. A former clothing designer for Target, Annie quit her job to pursue knitwear and what is now ALL Knitwear, her clothing line.

You can shop online for her designs at ALL for Everyone. Or at Madewell here on Broadway. Tops are around $260.

Via
http://www.allforeveryone.com/
http://ofakind.com/designers/7–all-knitwear
http://www.thelmagazine.com/

Love that Batman is knitting!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! It’s the last official weekend of summer. Le sigh. But hopefully these new comics I discovered will keep you in good spirits. CHECK IT OUT!!!

Worsted for Wear, a comic strip created by Rachael and Josh Anderson, does not always feature Batman in his knitting stance! But it does have a lot of knitting anecdotes I can relate to. It’s a nice geeky little slant too with nods to nerdy pop culture from comics, movies, guy knitters, work etc.

I’m not so into Batman personally but love that they’re both featured together. And, of course, love that there’s a comic strip dedicated to knitting and crochet anecdotes.

P.S. I saw Dark Knight Rises and thought it was a really fun action movie, so I gave it an A+ for Action! However, my BF, who is a Batman fanaticus maximus, hated it… Too much side story that deviated too far from original story lines, not enough Batman, and no new cool gadgets for the wow-factor… The Batman purist in him was downright insulted! Ah well. Onward to more knitting comics…

Been there!

Oh, Crochet is not THAT bad!

Yay! “Famous guys” knitting!

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Rachael and Josh will have a new knitting, crochet, or yarn anecdote for you to enjoy! According to her bio, Rachael is “an avid knitter and life-long Batman fan!” who also happens to love to draw and make comics! AWESOME SAUCE!

If interested in more knitting-related comics, check out their website. All their comic strips are posted there. You can Buy a Print through their site too.

Via Worsted for Wear by Rachael and Josh Anderson