Knitting and spinning are my hobbies. I've never thought of sewing as my hobby - it's always been my passion and now it's my profession. But I really love to spin fiber and to knit sweaters, and that's what I do to relax when I have time away from my studio and all those pesky deadlines. There's something about the feel of the fibers running through your fingers that soothes the tensions of the day away.
One of my favorite knitting-related websites is Knitty.com - which announced today that they are celebrating their 6th birthday! For those of you not familiar with editor Amy Singer's "little purls of wisdom', you're in for a real treat. Every issue is bursting with homespun wisdom (sorry, couldn't resist), technical articles and lots of patterns! There's usually a little something for everyone, and for the more adventuresome amongst us, some of them are quite avant garde. For example, this awesome grass skirt from 2003. I've been tempted to make one for the last 5 years, but I can't quite convince myself to put eyelash yarn around my hips. Oh well.
For those of you who aren't knitting inclined but still like to play with yarn - or at least have an excuse to collect it - Pfaff and Viking have come out with just the thing for you. It's a Yarn Couching Foot! This little gem is made to be used with either an embroidery hoop (as pictured) or else as a free-motion foot. It is so fun! The yarn runs through guides (they come with the foot) and down through a channel in the foot. As the machine stitches, the yarn is pulled through the channel, under the needle - couching it into place automatically. The feet come with special embroidery designs made especially for these new feet. If you don't have a Pfaff or Viking, there are some similar feet available for other brands. Besides yarn, you can also use any type of cording or similar that can be fed through the channel in the foot. A great new way to create gorgeous embellishment on your next project.
--Katrina
p.s. having a fun time at the Fair! Lots of scrumptious yarn and roving at the Artists in Action booth this year. Also, check out the Sheep to Shawl competition taking place next door to Artists in Action. Participants from local weaving guilds must prepare, spin and weave their shawls using no more than a certain number of team members in a limited amount of time. The end results - amazing! Finished shawls will be judged on the afternoon of Monday, September 15. Make sure to say hi to the folks at Quality Sewing, too!
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