Wander the Web 54

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Things are rapidly disappearing into boxes as The Bearded One and I prep to move home base to our new home. My spinning wheel is packed and ready to go but I still need to decide what knitting is going to stay in arm’s reach. See you on the other side when I have internet again. 

Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

Sheep to Sweater - I’ve wasted way too much time playing this game. It’s awesome. 

Frozen Almond Chai

Weaving on a metal rack - Fun idea!

How to Tie-Die Tissue Paper - Looks like an easy project but creates an amazing result. I wonder how this would work with fabric.

Urban Farming Classroom by Colorado Building Workshop

Simple Yarn Garland - A cute idea fro what to do with all those little leftover bits of yarn. 

What A Soldier Carries - Bristith military kit from the Battle of Hastings to Helmand.

Wander the Web 52

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Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

I’ve been sneaking in bits of spinning and knitting into my day to help keep my sane. The last few days have been the most I’ve spun since Tour de Fleece. It’s nice to see the bobbin slowly fill up and do something with my hands besides from clicking buttons.

How to turn a file folder into a book. Why have I not made this yet?

How hiring a handyman is like buying a crochet (or knitting) pattern.

And a little deeper, thoughts on (knitting) pattern pricing from Ysolda Teague

NASA developed origami style solar panels.

The Shape of Ideas by Grant Snider

Nina Lindgren’s Sprawling Cardboard Cities

Wish I’d been able to read this article when I first unboxed my spinning wheel

On Comparison 

Wander the Web 50

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Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

A couple of days ago, I found a box sitting outside my steps. Inside were lots of Happy Birthday! goodies and a comfy pair of hand knit socks. I’ve wanted to knit Hermione’s Everyday Socks for years and Cece beat me to it. Thanks, Cece! They’re awesome socks.

A great primer on different wools and fibers aimed at spinning the perfect sock yarn. 

Make something small every day.

“Great people do things before they’re ready.”

Lucy Sparrow hand stitched 4,000 items -beer, magazines, candy bars, what have you - to stock a corner store.

DIY Natural Dyes Chart - focused on fabric but would probably work for yarn too

Wander the Web 49

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Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

"Caught up” is not the finish line. 

Such adorable little boxes

Urban Giants - An amazing look into the Western Union and AT&T Long Lines buildings

Check out Cities at Night to get an astronauts eye view of cities across the world.

Coconut pudding? Yes, please

I am so knitting Inkling the Squid

Wander the Web 23

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This weekend I’m spinning a 3-ply yarn just because I finally have enough bobbins to do so. Can’t wait to ply it all together and try out my brand new bulky flyer. The lucky fiber is Falkland from Gwen Erin Fibers with the completely appropriate name of Goldfinch. 

Also, I’m making cookies; Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, to be exact. Shaping up to be a nice few days. 

Knitter’s Graph Paper Journal 

Toon Bombing - Googly eyes can bring any inanimate object bring to life. Mustaches help too. 

Optimist by Hottea - Minimalist yarn bombing at it’s finest. 

How To Make Twisted Fringe 

Office Supplies as Knitting Supplies

Selçuk Yılmaz’s Hammered Metal Lion

Wander the Web 7: Link Love Edition

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Joining up once again with Crafty Pod and Link Love to share goodness from around the web. This week’s theme centers on favorite tutorials from favorite blogs. It’s been nice sorting through the blogs I read everyday and remembering why I like them so much. So, great tutorials, in no particular order:

Making Neon Rope Baskets from The Work Is Getting To Me - If you’re lacking in storage like I am or just looking for some awesome baskets, this tutorials uses rope and neon mason line for customizable baskets. Videos and photos show how to make them in any size or shape.

Make Your Own House Stamp from A Beautiful Mess -  A short and simple tutorial to carve your own stamps. Makes me want to go on a stamp carving binge all over again. 

Cardboard Box Looms: DIY weaving at it’s finest! from Craft Leftovers - Full, detailed instructions on how to make a simple loom from a cardboard box, craft knife, and packing tape. Includes setup instructions and how to start weaving. 

Simple Tips for Self Portraits from Elise Blaha - I feel a little bit silly taking self-portraits because they rarely turn out the way I envision. These tips have helped me capture better selfies and help feel a little less self-conscious. 

Hanging Mason Jar Storage from Insubordiknit - Show off buttons, yarn, and trinkets in hanging mason jars. 

Wander the Web 5: Link Love Edition

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In this week’s special edition of Wandering the Web, the focus is on sharing five favorite topics along with Crafty Pod and Link Love. It’s more than just knitting and spinning around here.

Knitting: I enjoy making things and knitting fits the bill well since it’s useful, portable, uses wonderful materials, and is easy to fix. Also important is that knitting can be as simple or complex as I want it to be. Too tired for anything complicated? Knit some stockinette in the round. Want something complex. Bring on the Fair Isle. 

  • How to Evenly Pick Up Stitches from Juniper Moon Farms - This tutorial has some great tips for those rare occurrences when you need to even pick up a few hundred stitches.

Spinning Yarn: I probably would never had started spinning my own yarn if I hadn’t started knitting. Seeing all the other amazing hand spun yarn people made was enough to make me want to try making and knitting with my own.

  • Checking Spinning Consistency from KnittyBlog - The usual method for checking consistently is letting a short length of the singles ply back on itself to check that the amount of twist is same. This method, illustrated by Jillian, wraps the singles around a piece of card stock.

Architecture and Design: I am fascinated by what people make and design to improve the world and daily life. I’m drawn to how changes in space and environment can create something profound or disastrous for the people who live in those places.

  • Dezeen.com - News, project showcases, and product design from around the world. 

Dairy Free Dessert: Not being able to eat dairy makes it hard to eat out and finding sweet treats that don’t involve milk is even harder. So, I’m always on the lookout for tasty recipes that fill that void.

  • Chai Popsicles from La Spelonca Vegetariana - A blend of coconut milk, chai tea, and spices, these popsicles sound quite tasty and don’t need a blender to mix everything together. 

Bookbinding: I’m a sucker for nice paper and beautiful books. Making books just helps me appreciate them a little bit more and replenish my collection of sketchbooks. 

  • Basic Stab Stitch Bookbinding from Tuts+Hub - A tutorial for a simple binding method that covers all the details for making a quick book. No need to worry about glue or presses. 

Wander the Web 4: Link Love Edition

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Trying something a little different and joining up with CraftyPod for Link Love for the remainder of August. Instead of random goodness from across the web, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite tutorials. No crafty goodness or Pinterest board of mine is off limits. This week, I’m sharing five of my favorite tutorials from across the web. 

Transparent Bookmarks from Two Bee - A cute, little tutorial for making transparent bookmarks with a sheet of overhead. The tutorial is in Portuguese but the photos are self-explanatory.

Invisibly Seam Stockinette from Anonyknits - An oldie but a goodie from 2006. Invisibly seam two knit edges together without fooling around with any pesky, live stitches. Tapestry needle and yarn to the rescue.

Delicious Salt Scrub Recipe from Deliciously Organized - Salt scrubs are amazing for your skin and so easy to make. This recipe only calls for a handful of ingredients.

8-Bit Popup Cards from Minieco - How to cut your own pop-up cards. A great minimal design using Space Invaders and skulls but you can use the tutorial to cut any design you please. All you need is colorful paper, a craft knife, metal ruler, and a cutting matt.

Home Made Gift Boxes from Creative in Chicago - I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve used this tutorial for simple, origami gift boxes folded from scrapbook paper. Customize the box to match your gift or any holiday you can find the paper for.

To join in on the fun, check out CraftyPod for all the details.

 

Merry Christmas

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I got the idea for these fun little cards from a tutorial on Crafty Leftovers.com and couldn’t resist making making a special few to give away for Christmas. Once I got all the cutting done, the weaving went fairly quickly. It was a lot of fun to create different patterns and I like the back just as much as the front. These cards veer off from the tutorial just a bit which only goes to show how much variation can be achieved.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, enjoy the season and have fun with the rest of 2009.

Distractions

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Lately, I've been perusing two very fun websites: Crafty Leftovers and Leethal. Both sites are creative, inspiring, and not just about knitting. They make me want to drop all of my current projects and start something new RIGHT NOW.

Crafty Leftovers, which is the web adjunct to the Crafty Leftovers Zine, covers a variety of crafts and tutorials utilizing those pesky scraps from other projects. The Earth & Sky Mini Sock Ornament has already proven to be a major distraction. If only some of my sock leftovers matched. Guess I'll just have to use worsted weight yarn. On the non-knitting front, these little matchstick notebooks have already taken up a bit of my time.

Leethal, which also has some focus on repurposing scraps, has a very different aesthetic than Crafty Leftovers and is no less awesome. The patterns, projects, and tutorials are so inspiring that I want to try the lot of them. After all how can I resist such things as the Before and After Photo, Recycled Sweater Wool Jewelry, Gradient Mitts, and the cute Zippered Coin Pouch. These projects do more than demand me to make them. They throw my mind on a tangent and I can't help but think about how to change and adapt them.

Unfortunately, my creative spirit has to go on the back burner.  There's still Christmas knitting to be done and this yarn won't knit itself. Oh, have I also mentioned the packing?