The Little Black dress can be your best friend,
or,
It can be a nightmare.
In the case of  opera singer, Deborah Voigt, the LBD was a turning point in her life.
She got fired by Covent Garden for not fitting into the costume-
You guessed it…..
A Little Black Dress.
Humiliating.
She took her life in hand, and lost a phenomenal amount of weight, and by gum, she was invited back to Covent Garden, and wore the Little Black Dress.
She made a very tongue in cheek video about The Little Black Dress:
I hope that your experiences with your Little Black Dress are MUCH happier!
A couple of my …read more

The ‘Little Black Dress’ is a  design concept that is an archetypical.
I’ve been thinking about classic designs lately, and wondering-
What exactly is THE PERFECT LITTLE BLACK DRESS and can you crochet it?
The perfect little black crocheted dress absolutely must:
1.Be Comfortable – it has to fit without binding, drooping or emphasizing places that prefer to be blessed, not blushed over.
2. Be Versatile- The Perfect Little Black Dress must be a champion of  multi-tasking. It needs to be able to be worn in several different ways, and be suitable for many different occasions and events.
3. Be Layer-able- Worn over, worn under, worn …read more

Have you ever seen a great looking shirt at a second hand store or garage sale, but didn’t buy it because it had somebody’s logo on it?
Well, now you can treat yourself to that shirt and upcycle it by crocheting simple flowers to cover the unwanted logo.
The other day, I was looking at my summer clothes (finally – what a long winter!)
And, I realized that I needed a new black t-shirt.
My old ones  are beyond wearing, and are destined to become fabric strips for weaving.
They’ll also become rags and other ‘green’ options.
Later that day, we were at a garage sale, …read more

A ball winder is one of those yarn-related accessories that’s nice to have, but as in a lot of cases, not 100% necessary. I did without a ball winder for years (and still don’t have a swift), but finally broke down because I use laceweight yarns from time to time and winding hundreds of yards of thin yarn by hand can get tiresome.
Of course, if you love winding hanks of yarn into balls by hand, then by all means, skip the winder. Your local yarn shop may even offer the service when you purchase yarn there (for a small fee). …read more

You know how sometimes, there are accessories you need, but you don’t even know you need them until you see them?
That’s how I feel about these Knit Klips, available from Webs.
It can be kind of tricky to line up the edges of pieces of a sweater or blanket. You can, of course, use pins, but these knit klips are bigger, easier to grab and maneuver into those pieces that you need to neatly hold together while you join them.
They come in packs of five or 10 and are one of those inexpensive accessories that just make life easier.
Image: Webs

My daughter found a wonderful site on etsy.
The designer at SprattersandJayne knits enormous, cosy cowls.
Check out Chloë’s  posting: cowls on Her Accessories

 Yesterday, I told you about some of Pinkie Bear’s adventures at the photo shoot for my new book:
The Woven Bag….
On the last day of the shoot, we finished shooting the step-by-steps  before we went to lunch.
We were scheduled to shoot the author portrait in the afternoon, so since I looked be-draggled, weary and snuffly, we went off to Aveda to get a makeover.

Michelle Marx is a wonderful makeup artist! She has her own company, freelancing with makeup artistry.
Her contact info: Michelle

Pinkie decided that she needed a makeover, too, and, luckily, Michelle had the perfect makeup for a small bear!
I …read more

 When I was a little girl, my most treasured teddy bear was pink and white, and named, ahem, ‘Pinkie’.
The original Pinkie got lost in a move along the way, so in my early 20’s, I made a replacement Pinkie.
Pinkie has been  my travelling companion ever since.
And, when Jim and I got together, I made him Bluebear.
Bluebear fell madly in love with Pinkie, and they got married and have had oh so many adventures together.
We have photo albums of their travels.
Anyhow, Pinkie accompanied me to Cincinnati last week to help with the photo shoot for my new book, The Woven Bag.
(Bluebear …read more

 Yesterday, I posted about the photo shoot that I was at all week in Cincinnati.
It was for my  new book, The Woven Bag.
Here’s the photo studio at F & W Media where we were working:

There are the tables with 35 woven bags, looms and other equipment:

This is Christine, ace photographer and Jenni, editor extraordinaire, playing ‘Vanna’

Here’s Jenni at her lappy and Christine at her huge screen computer.
The camera is digital, and cabled across to Christine’s computer so we could see the pics up on the screen.

And, here I am, getting ready for a ‘how to’ shot.

Another shot of the tables …read more

I can  F I N A L L Y  tell you the title of the book that I’ve been working and working and working on!
I’m so excited! They have confirmed that the title is: (drumrolls, puhleeze…….)
The Woven Bag: 30+ Projects from Small Looms
I am publishing it with Krause Books, which is part of  F & W Media. And, yep, the publisher chooses the title of the book.
I am really happy with it because they’ve nailed it. yay!
I am sad though, because the release date has been moved to November of 2009 from July of 2009! boohoo!
anyhow……….
Last week, I was …read more