Every once in a while, we are lucky enough to witness a small revolution going on in the world. And I think I just saw one land on my desk. The Traditional Yarn-World Divide If you were to ask me, “What do you think of when you hear ‘Leisure Arts’?”… I would say, “Books about: […]
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What does that number on the yarn label mean?
Have you been looking at a yarn label/website and seen a mysterious number inside of a cartoon ball of yarn? Like this one: What does that number mean? That number (which ranges from 0 to 6) is an indication of the thickness of the yarn. In our example above, the ‘4’ would indicate that the […]
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Bitten by the Color Affection bug…
If you’ve been online or wandered into a yarn shop recently, you probably know all about Color Affection by Veera Valimaki. image courtesy of Veera Valimaki I absolutely adore Veera’s patterns: I’ve knit 3 Stripe Study Shawls, Different Lines and 2 Still Light tunics. (Does that make me a groupie?) But, I’ve been slow to […]
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Is Custom Work right for Your Business?
If you have a craft business (whether it’s making crafted items or designing patterns), it won’t be long before you get requests for custom orders. And deciding whether to take custom orders on is a big decision! They’re time consuming and can take you far off your intended path. They’re also fabulous chances for creative […]
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Are you committing a gauge sin?
Ordinarily, I’m the sort of teacher who will say, ‘Do whatever you’d like, as long as it’s working’. I don’t care if you throw or knit continental, I don’t care if you crochet while holding your hook like a knife or a pencil. I even don’t really care if you pick up stitches with your […]
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Meet Craftwich: maker of delicious hand-carved crochet hooks!
I love wood. Real wood. And I’m a sucker for super-smooth, sanded wood… I’ve been known to stand in my kitchen, just holding (well, fondling, really) my handmade wooden spoons. (That’s not weird… is it?) Anyway… a few months ago, I heard a rumor on the crochet grapevine: there was a chick up in the […]
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How to calculate yarn length from weight
We’ve all been there. We’ve got a big pile of yarn (inherited from a family member, the result of frogging a project, or maybe even a thrift store find)… and we have no idea how much yardage there is! Since most patterns specify the number of yards you’ll need, determining the yardage of your yarn […]
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A Yarn Lover’s tour of NYC (with pickle detour!)
Like me, my friend, Ellen, is a yarn-lover. And an all-around crafty-chick. So, when it came time for Ellen to visit New York City for the very first time, I knew I needed to include some fabulous yarn stops on our tour. I admit it: this isn’t a guide that hits every yarn store in […]
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Want to make socks w/o knitting? A Review of the Sock Loom!
Almost every crafty person I know has, at some time or another, thought of making their own socks. I was intrigued when I saw the Authentic Sock Loom Knitting Board, which allows you to make socks without knitting! I had to give it a try! About the Loom The kit contains an adjustable knitting loom […]
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How to give your amigurumi a great-looking neck!
What’s the feature that every amigurumi covets? Is it long shapely legs? A bikini-ready body? Of course not! It’s a nicely defined neck! Fortunately, creating a shapely neck is easy! How to create a shapely neck Sometimes, amigurumi come down with ‘Thick Neck Syndrome’… it’s not their fault, and it’s up to you (their maker) […]
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