CRAFT:

CRAFT: 03 - Japan Style hits the Newsstands on April 24th

Konichiwa Crafters! Are you ready yet for CRAFT: 03, the Japanese Style issue? We are so excited to bring you this issue that shares our love of Japanese crafts and style. Hitting the newsstands on April 24th, in this issue you'll learn how to stitch the cute cover kitties featured in Aranzi Aronzo's The Cute Book. Diana Eng shows you how to make a punk Harajuku-style T-shirt, Suzi Pakhchyan makes blushing finger puppets, and Susan Beal shows you how to make your own sweet smelling bath scrub. Other DIY projects include Sumi paper marbling, hypertufa planters, gorgeous dorodango mud balls, knitted kimonos, and way more than we can list here, get ready to have no shortage of exciting crafting projects.

CRAFT: 03 will be on newsstands April 24!

• Find out more about what's in CRAFT: 03 - Link.
• Subscribe now to CRAFT - Link.

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Announcing CRAFT Magazine's Stitch N' Pitch Contest!

Batter Up Crafters! We want to celebrate all things needlearts and baseball this spring and summer -- what better way to do this than with a contest? CRAFT magazine's Stitch N' Pitch Contest teams up CRAFT with TNNA's Stitch N' Pitch baseball games this summer, scheduled around the country at 23 major league baseball games starting in May. Your work must be of an original design in the needlearts areas of knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, needlepoint, or embroidery and must center on the theme of baseball. You can interpret any aspect of baseball you'd like. Be creative here! Each needleart is a specific category you can enter, along with our extra category of Baseball Team Theme Design, where we encourage you to show your love for your favorite participating baseball team in the Stitch N' Pitch lineup! Winners will receive a large "goody bag" filled with CRAFT prizes and needlearts goods from the top crafting brands. They will also have their winning item on display at future Stitch N' Pitch games and have their project how-to's posted up here on craftzine.com.

We encourage crafters of all levels to join in on the fun! Each needlearts category will have winners in the Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Levels. The contest entries are open from April 4 though May 31, 2007.

In the next few days, I'll be posting up inspirational links on the CRAFT blog to help you get started. For now, check out the inspirational links I posted up last year on the MAKE blog. - Link.

Read all the contest rules and find out how to enter CRAFT Magazine's Stitch N' Pitch Contest here. - Link.

Related Links:

• Buy tickets to a Stitch N' Pitch game happening near you! - Link.
• Stitch N' Pitch Photos from 2006 - Link.
• Stitch N' Pitch Photos from 2006 SF Giants - Link.
• MAKE - Wrap up of last year's Stitch N' Pitch SF Giants Game - Link.

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MAKE: IT for Crafters Kits!

Hi Crafters! We are very excited to bring your our first batch of MAKE: IT for Crafters Kits in our store! Our first three kits are fun knitting and felting kits created by Pick Up Sticks Felted Knit Design. They are the perfect quick project solution as well as great on-the-go projects.

With our first kit, you can knit this pretty Bloom Bracelet pictured above in just a couple of hours, then follow the clear instructions for finishing and felting. Kit includes yarn, pattern, closure, and step-by-step, photo-illustrated beginners' felting instructions. A perfect project for beginning knitters and first-time felters. Level: Beginner. Only $14. Link.

And look, more sushi crafts! The kit contains three 'ala carte' pattern options, with enough yarn to knit one wallet, so you can chose between bold graphics or subtle stripes. It's the perfect size for carrying your essentials (phone, keys, cards), and the irresistible packaging makes for a fantastic gift! Finished Size: Approximately 5" high x 7.5" wide Level: Advanced Beginner. Only $18. Link.

These tempting wallets give you a chance to knit the basic shape in a snap, then spend as much or as little time embellishing as you want. Their 'mini-clutch' size makes storing your essentials sleek and unfussy. The Coin Purse Cubed kit includes three colors of yarn and three finishing options for an exponential amount of flexibility and fun! Enough yarn to make either three unlined wallets; or 1 lined wallet and 1 unlined wallet. Finished Size: Approximately 5" wide x 4" high. Level: Beginner. Only $21. Link.

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