CRAFT:

CRAFT: 02 - Creative Copies

Hi Crafters! The next issue of CRAFT is about to hit the newsstands on Jan 23rd! We are so excited about this issue that we can't seem to contain ourselves! Vol 02 is themed "Creative Copies," which just goes to show you sometimes things aren't exactly like what they appear to be -- they are better! Learn to make felted fruit, build a circuit board mini cabinet, crochet a retro purse, learn the art of Hawaiian quilting, make a tea light lantern, needlepoint some bohemian sandals, 101 on linocuts, and a whole lot more. Check out what else is in Vol 02 in our updated magazine section. Link.

If you are a lucky subscriber, you should be getting this issue in the mail any day now. Subscribe now to CRAFT and also get free access to the Digital Edition of CRAFT and save 42% off the cover price. ($34.95 for a 1 year subscription in the U.S. or $49.95 for international subscribers.) Link.

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Knitty - Knit Headband Pattern

The Knitty Calorimetry pattern by Kathryn Schoendorf is a great knit headband to make for those of us with long hair. It keeps your hair all in place while keeping your head warm in winter. Link.

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Knit Capelet Pattern

Julsey723 on craftster.org has a cute knit capelet pattern she wrote. It looks like a fun quick project. Link.

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Crochet Slippers

Ram Wools has a free pattern for crochet slippers that look like little booties. Link.

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Cable Knit Bag Tutorial

Princess Philo on LJ has posted up a tutorial for some of the most beautiful cable knit bags I've ever seen. Link.

Related:

• Joann.com: Clover Plastic D-Shaped Handles - Link.
• Joann.com: Rectangular Purse Handles - Link.

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Vertical Stripe Crochet Blanket Pattern

Bella Dia has a crochet blanket pattern that is perfect for using up all your leftover yarns. The blanket shown here uses 27 different colors and looks great! Link.

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Review: Winter Knits Kit

Chronicle Books' Winter Knits Kit by Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs is the perfect antidote to the cold weather outside. (Allison is the owner of one of my favorite yarn stores in San Francisco, Imagiknit.) The kit features 25 cozy knitting projects and also comes with a cool array of extras: size 8 circular needles, 2 stitch markers, lifting ribbon, yarn needle, yarn, as well as a booklet on the basics of knitting. Each pattern is printed on mid-sized pattern cards which makes it extra easy to tote around in your knitting bag. The projects are fantastic because there are a variety of things you can make for yourself, your home, or as a gift for friends -- such as the Ruffle Scarf, Cozy Lap Robe, Throw Pillow, or Dog Blanket. And I love that most of the projects you could probably finish in a few days, such as the Mug Cozy which I'm dying to try out. The photography by France Ruffenach is stellar and makes it extra hard to decide which pattern you want to start first. Featured on the companion book site are 3 free patterns from the kit: Mug Cozy, Feather and Fan Hat, and the Cozy Lap Robe. This is also a perfect gift to give to your knitting friends! Link.

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TNNA Recap

The TNNA (The National Needlearts) Winter Trade Show is an industry trade show for vendors, yarn companies, books and magazine publishers, needlearts designers, and more, showcasing new things for the upcoming year. Katie Dougherty, Heather Harmon, and I ventured down to San Diego to work the CRAFT booth, and while there, we meet an array of inspirational crafters and amazing new products, which you'll see on the blog and in future issues of CRAFT. We had a lot of cool people come by our booth like Jennifer Stafford of Domiknitrix and Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching.

No photos were allowed on the trade show floor but Rachel John of Extreme Knitting wanted me to take pictures of her session to spread the word and inspire other knitters to dare to be different in their knitting. UK knitter Rachel John inspired me completely and brought her British sense of humor to the show, telling attendees that we no longer need to knit the same old usual "jumpers and socks" to survive and rather wanted us to challenge our own creativity. Knit with more yarn and to not be afraid to use color. Rachel should know this. Growing up with her artist mom, she learned the importance of color, and with her sculptor dad, she learned how to make things. Rachel challenged herself to knit 1000 strands of carpet yarn to make a mattress. "Cast on 4," she'd say with a laugh as the movie of her making the mattress played on the laptop below the stage. Six hours later and with her hands swelled up double their size, Rachel completed her goal of knitting a mattress. Rachel creates her own line of large knitting needles, which are made in her sculptor father's woodworking studio. In the demo at the show, she used 40 strands of yarn at one time, grouping about 5-6 balls in The Bag Smith containers grouped by color. When the strands are pulled together they create Rachel's inspired seascape blanket. Rachel John was truly inspirational, so look for a CRAFT blog interview with her soon.

Sunday night was a fun hang-out night with the knitting and crochet gals -- Shannon Okey, Amy O'Neil Houck, Kristy Porter, Cecily Keim, and Robyn Chachula and Brett Bara (pictured right), as well as fellow local Bay Area ladies Christina Loff and Nancy Deane from Chronicle Books.

Crochet queens Cecily Keim and Kim Werker came by our booth again on Monday, Jan. 15th when things were a lot calmer. It seemed a lot of people who were East Coasters ended up leaving Monday morning, leaving us more time at the trade show to really hang out and talk. Cecily taught us how to crochet and gave us a copy of her book, which she co-wrote with Kim, Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting. I loved the tips on how to hold the hook and yarn as well as the differences in different brands of crochet hooks.

See the rest of the photos from TNNA here on my Flickr page - Link.
See all photos tagged TNNA on Flickr - Link.

Here are more recaps from the other crafters who attended (I will be adding more as they come in):

• SFist - Christina Loff recaps her picks at TNNA - Link.
• Knitty Blog - Amy Singer and her book No Sheep for You were at the show - Link.
• Crochet by Faye - Robyn Chachula's wrapup of TNNA- Link.
• knitgrrl - Shannon Okey's recap and photos- Link.

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