yarn of the YEAR

i came across this yarn while looking at this month's knitty patterns (knitty is one of THE best sites out there if you're a knitter. if you've not checked it out, you should do so IMMEDIATELY). it was for a pattern called sea tangles. i HAVE to get some of that yarn. it's habu textiles silk stainless steel. yes, it's REALLY stainless steel AND silk. ANDDDDDDDDDDDD it's LACEWEIGHT

from the habu textiles site:

...Originally used as an industrial yarn to create oil filters, now they are available as weavers', knitters' and artists' yarn! The core is stainless steel and silk is wrapped around the core. Because of the stainless steel, there is a memory in the yarn. You can create something. Twist it around! It will stay in that shape unless you straighten it out. .........

sea tangles image: Pattern & images © 2008 Kie Zuraw. Contact Kie. , Sherry Skipper, Bryan Zuraw, and Kie Zuraw

yarn images: from the habu web site

how to make a little bound notebooks

playing cards from crafty pod

how cute!

did you think i forgot?

to post an amigurumi this week? nope, i didn't.

a lil' jellyfish from ana paula's amigurumi patterns & random cuteness

(check out her OTHER patterns. i especially like the bear with the honey jar) and she has an etsy store: anapaulaoli

a MUST have

therefore a MUST do!

a knitted market bag pattern from john, laura and louise wilson

you know i have ALWAYS wanted a market bag and believe it or not, i never had one. now is my chance (well after all the other stuff i'm in the process of knitting. i'm working on a hat for a deployed solider and some headbands for my friend matt who is a chef. he wants to wear them in the HOT kitchen)

(via whip up)

now this i LOVE

what a great yet simple idea. from cathie filian how to make crafting with buttons!!!. oh and you get to use grout too

now c'mon - who doesn't have a TON o' buttons? i sure do

wicked cute!!!

from deviant art a tutorial on how to make mushrooms from paper cups

(via makezine)

make your own

hummingbird feeder!!!
you don't have to use that cheap plastic crap you know.


cool, no?

a tutorial from elemental stitches

how to transfer a design

pretty

and i DO actually love glutinous rice (flour) and bean paste (honestly i do)

from instructables a recipe for Ichigo Daifuku - Japanese Sweet bean and Strawberry ball

love love love THIS!

a knit themed greeting card craft tutorial from hot tea apparel

(thanks to craftzine)

i almost forgot about batik!

thanks to cathie filian (and of course steve p) it all came back to me!

THE most comfortable shoes

i have ever owned

gt jane's by simple shoes

they're made with ecofriendly stuff - and these are VEGAN to boot (so to speak)

believe it or not, the cheapest price i found for them are at amazon

two of my all time favorite foods

combined in one dish. from fatfree vegan kitchen polenta and tofu skillet dinner

we had a rag rug yesterday

and today we're going to find out how to make a floor loom (not as hard as you'd think).

from crafty daisies via craftzine

rag knitting

a tutorial from coco knits

(via whip up)

(unfortunately the pattern for the beautiful rug is NOT on the site)

as far as i'm concerned

one can NEVER have too many sock monkeys

(from craftbits via craftzine)

i HATE not having pockets

in my clothing. just in case, here's a lil' somethin' somethin' i made out of
daria by noro. it's a cotton and rayon blend and it's rather like cord (thin)

no particular knitting pattern. just garter stitch and i did a purl row where i wanted the flap to fold. then i tapered the flap by decreasing on each row. made a few buttonholes and an i-cord strap and voila!

from resurrection fern

how to make this cute little fabric snail

how cute is this?

a tutorial to make a puppy pouch by chu11

from instructables

no flour, no sugar, no fat, no gluten

but LOTS of goodness!

from fatfree vegan kitchen

blueberry oat bars

i happen to be one of THE

biggest wizard of oz fans out there. JUST LOOK AT THESE BABY BOOTIES

from frog in knots the RUBY (baby slipper socks)

shout out to craftzine

look at these teeny bunnies! (and bear!)

pattern at little cotton rabbits

(shout out to whip up)

wool..............................ORGANS

from sarah illenberger

her other works ain't bad either. check them out

(shout out to craftzine)

i have been making a lot of jewelry

of late. half are drilled and the other half are wire wrapped. this how to wire wrap a pendant video will come in REAL HANDY!



(shout out to crafting in a green world)

my pictures are of amy and her new birthday necklace. made out of a cast resin bead i did with a few other little (and nice i may add) glass beads strung on beading silk with a few strands of heavier silk
(note my sunflower in the background. still a while before she blooms!)

it's knitting tattoo day

from flint knits

beautiful RAY GUNS

made out of hand blown glass from joe blow glassworks

(shout out to dark roasted blend)

natural plant based dyes

from crafting in a green world. oh, NON TOXIC as well

i can smell it now

freshly baked pan d'epi. of course it's 3 am and it's got to be 80 something degrees out with NO breeze and wicked HIGH HUMIDITY. NOT ideal conditions for baking bread. BUT fall will be here before you know it
(p.s. i don't think the artisan recipe is at the link above. just how to shape it. however, if you just do a search on artisan bread recipe, you'll find a bunch. there's even one from the nyt)

(shout out to craftzine)

a new necklace i made

out of one of the resin beads i cast. i used craft wire to wrap it. i threaded a few beads on the ends of the wire and bent the wire around the beads a bit. i then formed two loops on either end of the wire. i used some beading silk to slip through the loops. i tied a bead on each end of the silk. the silk can be tied and put in a bow (back of your neck) with the beaded ends brought forward

my kind o' lamp

from cathie filian's blog

a bohemian lamp from cathie and steve's show Creative Juice.

because one of my MANY nicknames is

ladybug
we have a how to build a

beetlebot! (v2)

from yarn ball boogie

(which is a great site i must say) here's a wicked cool knitting related tat

you gotta love it!

here be some coooooooooooooollllllllll

street art
Video: Artist Joshua Allen Harris Turns Garbage Bags Into World's Greatest Balloon Animals

Call us boring and simple-minded, but before we saw the work of street artist Joshua Allen Harris we never once considered the artistic possibilities of subway exhaust. Using only tape and garbage bags, Harris creates giant inflatable animals that become animated when fastened to a sidewalk grate. In the video above, watch him do a bear, a giraffe, and one that looks not unlike the Cloverfield monster. .......

*shout out to boing boing

here kitty kitty

mountain weaver fiber arts studio has so graciously posted a pattern for

maneki neko crochet kitty
i know just who i am going to make one for!
(shout out to craftzine)

i like this because it's PINK

from by Sunbanks at instructables the smashed mutant octopus book shelf

i can't believe i came across this!

skeleton leaves from esprit cabane

i've always loved these. never knew how to do it. looks easy - although it does take time

i think i'll put some in resin and perhaps frame a few too

(shout out to make magazine)