If you follow this blog, you’ll know that I love baking. Not to toot my own horn, but I was feeling pretty confident about my bread-making abilities. It came out of the oven irresistibly yummy, and I got lots of compliments. But I knew there was something I was missing. My bread didn’t slice very […]
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Is your project icky before you even finish? Grab a project bag!
I’ll admit it. I’m one of the worst offenders. I like bringing a little knitting/crochet project with me so I can do a little stitching in my spare moments. So, I toss it into my purse with my keys, lip gloss and wallet. Then… before I’m even finished knitting, my project looks like it’s already […]
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The Secret to Building a Successful Business
I get lots of folks asking me for advice on how to build a successful business. I get asked, “How do you have so many customers?” or “How do you get fans who are so amazing?” (side note: it’s true. My fans and customers are fabulous people!) I’ll tell you: you need amazing customer service […]
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Book Review: Woodland Knits
I adore Stephanie Dosen’s (aka Tiny Owl Knits) designs. She designs whimsical and fun knitting patterns… so I was really excited to see her book, Woodland Knits. The book contains 21 adorable patterns, 10 of which are new designs for the book. The remaining 11 designs are well-loved favorites, like the deer with antlers hat, […]
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An honest talk about charity, donating and the Philippines
I was going to show you how I made my monster skirt today… but I’ve postponed it a little because there’s a topic weighing heavily on me that I want to talk about. By most reports, the typhoon that struck the Philippines is the worst tropical storm to make landfall. The death toll is over […]
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Photos from Stitches East!
What an awesome weekend! I had such a fabulous time at Stitches East this weekend! I had the chance to hang out with friends… Fellow teachers Melissa Leapman and Daniel Yuhas (who are both so amazing! … and even more fabulous and fun teacher friends! And of course… I did a little work… book signing […]
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Can we talk about the holidays?
I don’t like to complain, but last year, something happened that really hurt my feelings. Last year for Christmas, I sewed what is possibly the cutest puppet I’d ever seen in my life: (The pattern is this one by Abby Glassenberg!) Okay, I exaggerate. Maybe not the cutest ever… but in the top 10, right? […]
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Do you knit two at a time?
Have you ever knit two at a time? I originally learned to knit two socks at a time using Antje Gillingham’s book Knitting Circles around Socks: Knit Two at a Time on Circular Needles… but now I use the technique for all kinds of things! What does it mean to knit two at a time? […]
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Where do you insert your hook for ‘2nd ch from hook’?
When you crochet amigurumi, most instructions begin, “Ch 2. Sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook”. Where is the 2nd chain? Getting this instruction right is particularly important if you’re using the sloppy slip knot technique for starting, since crocheting your 6 stitches in the wrong chain will prevent your hole from closing. I like […]
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Crochet Mike the Monster from Monsters University!
I love monsters. And I love crocheting monsters. So, when I found out that Disney was looking for bloggers to write tutorials for crafts based on Monsters University, I nearly fell out of my chair. My love for monsters must have poured through the computer screen… because here I am, sharing my super-awesome crochet tutorial […]
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