• Knitting/Crochet,  Session 13

    Knitting Bobbin Set

      What is it? – Knitting and crochet.  If you look at all of the fibers, textures, sizes and colors of yarns available to accomplish either we find that the potential for creative expression is virtually unlimited.  But wait, if it’s possible to go beyond unlimited we can certainly do so simply by adding multiple colors to the same project.  Adding schmancy to fancy if you will.  Think of basic color work techniques like Faire Isle, Scandinavian, intarsia, C2C graphghans or others.  Using these methods we can manipulate various colors…

  • Knitting/Crochet,  Session 13

    Marking Pins

    https://youtu.be/FNI11PTK5hc   What is it? – Whether we’re into knitting or crochet we’re always making something, something made of individual pieces.  And that something usually means putting those component pieces together.  We all know there are several techniques for joining our knitted or crocheted pieces and that those techniques vary depending on our creative inspiration.  Do we want the seams to be invisible or not?  Perhaps we want them to be very visible and part of our decorative design as in, really standout.  Regardless there is one constant.  At some…

  • Knitting/Crochet,  Session 12

    Circular Stitch Holder

      What is it? – Knitting is a method by which we manipulate a strand of yarn to create a textile or fabric of some sort.  This is done by forming loops of yarn, our stitches, on a knitting needle.  By transferring these active stitches between two or more knitting needles we form our fabric.  By manipulating these stitches we can form shapes or dimensions within that fabric.   Cool, but at this point Hamlet probably would have said, “ay, there lies the rub.”  Yes, exactly.  This is where the problem…

  • Knitting/Crochet,  Session 12

    Yarn Guide

    What is it? – Stranded colowork is the technique.  Fair Isle knitting with its beautiful symmetrical geometric motifs in muted colors or Scandinavian knitting with its striking large asymmetrical motifs in bright contrasting colors or even your own dramatic multi-color creative invention is the result.  Each a piece of art.  Using two or more strands of yarn simultaneously allows us to create amazing designs in knitted fabric.  With a full pallet of colors, wide range of fibers and a limitless assortment of patterns available to us, the creative potential is…

  • Knitting/Crochet,  Session 12

    Pattern Chart Marker Set

      What is it? – Every now and then there is a tool that is so useful, so essential that we wonder how we ever got along without it.  But let’s consider, what is the real value of a tool?  The value in any tool is in what it accomplishes for us.  And in the case or our discussion today, that value is considerable.  It’s a challenge that we all face when working from detailed or complicated lines of instruction on charts.  Charts are graphic representations of knitting, embroidery or…

  • Knitting/Crochet,  Session 12

    Takumi Tunisian Interchangeable Crochet Hooks

      What is it? – Tunisian crochet is a very cool niche of crochet.  Actually you could also look at it as a very cool niche of knitting.  That’s because Tunisian Crochet takes its DNA from both disciplines.  Little bit from crochet, little bit from knitting.  And what’s the result?  A unique type of crochet that holds all of the loops on our crochet hook in a manner consistent with knitting but done on a special crochet hook.  This combination of crochet and knitting results in a crocheted fabric with…

  • Session 12,  Sewing/Quilting

    Wonder Fuse

       What is it? – Welcome to the wonderful world of Wonder Fuse.  What is it?  It’s appliqué.  Well, more accurately, it’s how you do appliqué.  Why do we want to do appliqué?  Unlimited creative potential.  We can take any fabric, plain or with design, and cut it in any shape to represent pieces of any scene intended by the artist and then attach them all together permanently to embellish our finished project.  What genres does it apply to?  All of them.  This art form is used extensively in quilting,…

  • Crafts,  Session 12

    Rosette Makers

    What is it? – Kudos!  Well done!  Grand Prize! First place!  Honorable mention! Special achievement!  Student of the month! Employee of the year!  It’s all recognition, plain and simple, and we all like it.  When we do something exceptional, remarkable or noteworthy, a little personal recognition makes it all the more rewarding.  And tangible evidence of that achievement makes it even more memorable and special.  The question is, how can we make “one of” type awards for any number of occasions. The short list of those occasions includes, fairs, festivals,…

  • Knitting/Crochet,  Session 11

    Hair Pin Lace Tool

        What is it? – If you’re looking for something old that is really new again in the world of crochet then hairpin lace is just the ticket.  Historically called “fork work” or more recently “hairpin crochet”, this is one of those truly unique art forms that comes and goes as each new generation of artists discover it… again.  Each of these new generations, however, contribute new and more creative technique.  Though credit for the creation of this technique is generally ascribed to Katherine of Aragon it was certainly…

  • Session 11,  Sewing/Quilting

    Roll & Press

      What is it? – These are pressing issues.  Shakespeare might even ask, “To press or not to press, that is the question.”  Well, no matter who is asking the question, the answer is the same, a resounding yes to press.  Some very important things happen when we press each seam as we sew it and they make all the difference between something that looks “finished” and something that looks much more amateurish.  Pressing as you go allows your project to acquire the intended shape more quickly and allows you…