My new community site for textile folks

Waving to everyone in very excited manner this morning! For l those with very sharp eyes. Last night a little bit of text appeared in my side bar which reads “Visit stitchin fingers a new community site for stitchers.” Well for anyone who noticed great work!

I have finally got around to doing something I have meant to do for ages and that is create a stitchin/textile community site over on Ning.

For a long time I felt that the community needs a hub that can act a depot to spread news of events etc. Ning is a social software site that helps people build communities. I think may provide the service the textile folks need. Ning looks to be good place to make announcements, share news and photos hang out online etc.

I have called the network Stitchin Fingers So far I have put a forum on there, and since Ning has an RSS feed so you can subscribe and new activity will appear in your reader. It is an ideal place to act as a hub for all sorts of news and activities that the whole community can make use of. So all are welcome to use it and be as active as you choose on the site.

It is free and looks like members can have up to 100 photos. Members can load their own photos, create albums, share them etc. This feature alone would have made it ideal for any of the challenges I have run. It means people who don’t have to have a blog can join in on activities and for those that do have blogs they tell us about them there! But its more than simply that. As I say its a community site - or I see it as that and I will keeping pure self promotion at bay . People can use it to spread the word about textile related events but I don’t see it as an avenue for business to peddle their wares.

Last night I spent far too long trying to decide on a theme and I will organise some sort of image in the banner. I don’t want to spend an age designing something only to find not one is interested. Basically I will polish it the more people join and use it.

Since its free you have nothing to lose head over to Stitchin Fingers, sign up, join and leave a hello message and we can see what develops from there. Bloggers and those on lists please help spread the word because it will not work if people don’t know about it. This is a community site so lets hope it builds!

I have described it as “The group is open to all who are interested in textiles both contemporary and historical. Since many textile practices cross or inform each other all areas are welcome “
Actually I will reshape the description when figure out how to describe the group as I am sure it will shape itself!

If you are not sure what a Ning site is take a look at the fiberarts mixed media group as you can see it is for anyone who is interested in contemporary fiber arts and its a good example of what a group site can look like

This is what prompted me to finally get this network site going as Tricia of Lets Create contacted me as she is establishing a group for people who are interested in challenges. Go and check out her blog here This is the sort of news that is ideal to spread on the Stitchin Fingers site.

On another note I thought I would bring this link to Designer Bookbinders to the top as kimsarahtillyer left a comment point me to it. Designer Bookbinders was founded over fifty years ago and is a society devoted to the craft of fine bookbinding. There is some delicious eye candy in their gallery so do go and gobble some up (after you have checked out Stitchin Fingers that is)

 

Yarn busters

Over on TipNut.com there is a great list of Yarn stash busters but I have been using my yarn by crocheting a lap rug.

First I have one of these ball winders which I found at a garage sale a couple of years ago. It was the best $3 I spent. It is very useful when ever you want to recycle wool from a jumper you may have unpulled.

I often recycle hand knitted garments. If I spot a good wool hand knit at a thrift shop I buy it and unpick it for the wool. These ball winders are great to wind the wool for you.

I got all my scrap wool together and made up new balls mixing yarns together so that they are the same weight. This means that they will crochet or knit up evenly as your gauge is not constantly changing because the yarn is of different thickness. It’s also fun as you can turn a boring yarn into something that is interesting very quickly.

Then I started this lap rug as a destash project. Progress has been good as the combination of a long week end and the fact that the weather is turning cold here now and it is nice to sit under while I make it. As you can see it’s half done!

As usual click on the photos for larger images.

 

Vintage needlework magazines

I love curling up with a magazine and I have pointed to the On-Line Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Topics hosted by the university of Arizona as a wonderful resource for anyone interested in textiles. Many of these copyright free online books are not only of historical interest but are also a fantastic design source.

Today I want to highlight a few recent additions to the site as recently 8 issues of the the Home Needlework Magazine form 1914 and 1915 have been published on the site. These magazines have a dated charm that delights us one hand and yet many of the designs in them are very modern and can be easily adapted to a contemporary piece.

For instance look at these two designs I found in the Home Needlework Magazine March 1915.

For readers who are interested in historical or vintage knitting, crochet, tatting and lace patterns you will discover plenty between the covers of this magazine.

They are well worth downloading these PDF files and browsing during a quiet moment.

 

Some answers to readers questions and new tutorials

I was asked by a reader to do a round up of resources on creating fabric books particularly binding them. Unfortunately there is not a lot published online I thought I would throw the question out to readers. Leave a comment if you know of any resources about making fabric books particilarly binding techniques? The few resources and links I have leads to Emmy of Cramzy has been using fabric book pages format for the TAST challenge.

Fabric Art Journals is a blog about journals created from textiles and textile techniques. It was established for an group interested in creating art journals of fabric. I am not sure if this group is still active but it is worth exploring the archives as there are loads of links and inspiration on this blog. Anyone interested in contemporary textile techniques would find resources of interest. The group was established by Arlee of Albedo Design

The other question that landed in my inbox today is about embroidery on hand knits. Interweave press has a PDF on their site which covers embroidery on knits .

This You tube video shows how to embroider using a crochet hook so it is actually a contemporary adaption of Tambour chain stitch which is then double whipped to create a whipped chain stitch.

During the past week I have stumbled across a couple of tutorials too. For those who are stash busting and decluttering and have a stash of mens ties which need to be used, Carol of Carol Sews has posted a tutorial on using mens ties in a crazy quilted cushion.

Deireth of Tundra Threads has published a tutorial on how to make a Delta Braid

On another topic altogether but for anyone who is interested in the history of visual journals the Codex Atlanticus, is the largest collection of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, and it has been infested with mould. According to Italian authorities the mould, ranging from black to red in colour is going o be expensive to remove. What can I say except - bummer…

Just a friendly reminder My online class Sumptuous Surfaces will run again in January commencing January 24th. The last time this class was run some fantastic work was produced. You can see students work on the flickr group that was set up for students of the class. Even if you are not considering the class it is worth taking a look as there is some great stuff there. The class commences January 24th. There is further information about the class on this page and you can book this class here at joggles.com

I do not re-hash what is already online on my site. So if for instance you are participated in Take it Further challenge it is not the same material. A challenge is very different from a structured course as such. Please don’t confuse the two. In my courses there is always a strong design component that is applied to stitching. The class lessons explain both the principals of design and “how to” of design and are structured so that you move from stage to stage in coherent manner. The lessons include illustrations and step by step instructions about the process and you can read some of my students comments on the Classes offered page.

Well its the weekend here and I am off to do my Saturday morning jobs as I back to the routine of work on Monday …

 

Recent Tutorials

As promised here is another tutorial round up of instructional articles I have noticed this week.

Needlework Tips and Techniques has started a series of articles on how to do Hardanger embroidery. Lesson 1 is here which was followed quickly by Lesson 2

AuntiesBeads.com hosts free online instructional beading videos in their Karla Kam section.

U Handblog has another tutorial on how to make a bag (This looks great for Christmas gifts)

A tutorial on how to make a handy craft carry all bag was published by Marie of Les Passions de Marie. Its a very useful looking bag do check it out. [Thanks goes to Dominique of Une Toile pour Deux for the link]

Linn Skinner reminded me that she has her Little Lessons In Needlework online.

I have pointed to Mary Corbet’s Needle N ‘ Thread site before as Mary has produced man video tutorials on how to do particular stitches. There are now so many video tutorials I had assumed people were aware of them but just in case you are not so investigate her video library of stitches you won’t be disappointed. This week Mary also posted a free Jacobean motif for those who are interested in crewel embroidery

Jess has a video tutorial on YouTube on How to Finger Knit

Early last week I pointed to the Suziblu video tutorials on keeping a visual journal.There is another tutorial to watch and if you go to the You Tube page you can see video responses from those who are joining in. Batatakley left a comment to say that there was group blog formed over on live journal for those taking part. You might like to check it out.

Those are tutorials I noticed this week. Every week more tutorials are been made by crafters and stitchers. They are wonderful resources for the community. If you make a tutorial or publish resources that are related to the topic covered here leave a comment and let me know so I can include it the next round up.

Enjoy!

 

Knitting an art in the Bush Capital

Australia’s ‘bush capital’ , Canberra, is more than it seems or perhaps i should say seams (sorry). Many people think the city is full dull gray suited men scheming up methods of making life just that little more difficult for Australian citizens. Outsiders accuse the city of not having a soul. Nothing could be further than the truth, as for me the heart of Canberra is found in the Arts Community.

As a community we are very fortunate to have extremely progressive Art and Craft organizations dotted throughout the city. One of the best support organisations being Craft ACT. There are details about what this funding body does on the site, but as an example of support take a look at their upcoming exhibitions .

As you can imagine I immediately followed the link through to Knit1 Blog1

Knit1 Blog1 delves into the wacky world of blogging, existing in cyberspace but having its virtual roots twined into knitting enthusiast’s daily lives. Visit the gallery and see objects created by knitting blogging enthusiasts; surf your way through blogsites at the terminals at Craft ACT; and get involved in numerous activities.

Not only does the exhibition look interesting (it opens next week) but the workshops and activities associated with it do too. There are knit-ins, knitting workshops and workshops on how to keep a blog. Check out the blog associated with this show .

The exhibition is part of the Festival of Contemporary Art (FOCA) which is held in conjunction with the Canberra Contemporary Art Space and the Australian National University School of Art Gallery (If you feel like browsing some contemporary textile works check out the textiles works online. Now how can anyone see Canberra as a city full of heartless public servants and power hungry politicians with an arts community like this? As a community it is very dynamic and current.

Oh! and yes since it is winter I do have something on the knitting needles … I guess i should have taken a photo but its time to get on with the day …

 

Alice Springs Beanie Festival

I am not sure is beanie is an Australian slang term but here is the Wikipedia defintion of the term beanie. In short a beanie is a type of hat and to my mind the quirkier the better and that is what you get at the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. This year it will open on the 29th of June.

The festival is a community based event which was originally organised to sell beanies created by Aboriginal women but it has grown into an event where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists share and exhibit together. Everybody and every beanie is welcome and as I say the more creative, the more quirky the outrageous the better!

Hand made beanies have long been valued in Central Australia. They are often colourful and individual in pattern and style. Everyone, no matter who they are, needs a beanie to enjoy the outdoors during our crisp, cold winter nights.

Centralian craftspeople from remote areas and Alice Springs have taken up the challenge to raise beanie making into a distinctive regional art form. Beanies can be given distinguishing characteristics and decorated with seeds, various fibres and embellishments. There is no limit to the shapes, textures, colours and patterns that are evolving. They are ideal for the tourist market, being light and inexpensive.

Every year beanie lovers gather at Witchetty’s in the Araluen Centre, Alice Springs Cultural Precinct, to admire the latest crop of hand crafted beanies. There is an air of anticipation as the artists wonder if their creation might win one of the coveted trophies. Local entertainment and great food make the opening a great night out

Because Central Australia now has a national (indeed, international!) reputation for the production of quirky beanies. The Beanie Festival continues to strengthen its links with the local communities.

Thanks to Whip Up for the link

 

Standards and guidelines for knit and crochet products

The Craft Yarn Council of America has published guidelines so that uniform yarn, needle and hooks are labelled in a consistent manner. These standards and guidelines aim to encourage the industry to produce user friendly patterns.

The site also houses a useful list of Crochet Abbreviations, a list of Knitting Abbreviations and standard body measurements etc.

 

Knitting patterns

The weather is cold here in OZ. I found this collection of knitting patterns online. The site has all sorts of goodies but my surprise was to see these leg warmers . Please don’t tell me they are back in fashion!

 

Vintage knitting pattern Graphics at Alphastamps

Alphastamps has republished some vintage knitting patterns not so much for the pattern, but the graphics associated with them.

Often when browsing around the net and encountering these old graphics I have thought that images of this vintage could be printed on fabric and incorporated on themed projects. I have at various times scanned the graphics on cards of buttons, old needle cases and of course patterns but not done too much with the idea. I am sure the right project will come along such as a crazy quilt block or project on the theme of needlecrafts or in this case graphics such as this could be used on a bag for a knitter particularly if combined in Photoshop with other images of things like vintage knitting needles and the like. It would be great to find images of wool labels from the same era.

For anyone who is interested in collage and the book arts poke around Alphastamps further as you will find numerous resources to stir the creative juices.