A few years ago, I bought several balls of Bernat Sox yarn in wild colors because I wanted to
experiment with plain, unadorned sock yarn.
Why? I had just done a trade on a handspinning list on yahoo.
My trading partner had sent me  several cones of what looked to be a very vintage blending thread: Bucilla Silk Tweed.
That’s it in the pic, sitting just above the needles.   Oooh… yummy stuff!
I have used the Bucilla Silk Tweed thread in all kinds of projects and absolutely love it.
It’s a slubby, mostly super fine strand of quite lively thread that blends beautifully with any yarn …read more

One of the important keys to creativity is to give ourselves the permission that we so desperately need to simply play.
Play? Yes!
It’s essential to be willing to break through the rules and conventions we set up for ourselves
and to be willing to try new things.
We need to be able to take artistic risks and
to suspend judgement long enough to experiment with new approaches,
new techniques, new thoughts…
or to look again at the ways we have always worked and
to see if there is a hidden treasure waiting to be re-discovered, re-invented, re-created.
So, give yourself permission to play, play and play some more, …read more

There is just nothing better than having a great pair of handmade (knitted OR crocheted) socks on your feet, and yarn, needles and inspiration for the next pair!
Knitting socks is addictive.
Don’t say I haven’t warned you.
Once you’ve worn sockies that you have knitted for yourself,  you’ll never want to go back to store bought socks again.  Hand knit socks are infinitely more comfortable than store bought ones.
And with the spectacular yarns that are available now, they are a visual treat.
Speaking of a visual treat, wait until you see the new sock designs from Patons!
Socks in the City (click on the …read more

Any month that starts with with a day of foolishness deserves to have a celebration of playfulness, doesn’t it?
I’ve been reading up on ‘play’ (click the link to read what wikipedia has to say about play)
and playfulness.
Expert after expert has talked about the importance of being playful
for our entire lives.
There was a wonderful conference about Serious Play last year.
All the experts agree:
Play is essential to our well being, in body, mind and spirit – as individuals and as communities.
Being playful can alleviate all kinds of stress.
Playfulness increases resiliency and flexibility….and, whew… do we ever need to be flexible these days!
Because …read more

Okay… now, here is an invitation that is hard to resist….
The invitation is  from Luib na Lùban, (Lùban air an Drochaid in Gaelic, pronounced, roughly, “Loooban er n drawkitch”),
which translates to: In Amongst the Stitches.
They are  a new textile art group in Skye, Scotland, that is inviting all Scots, ex-pats, Scotophiles and any other stitching folk  to take part in a wild and woolie project to cover the Skye Bridge in knitting and crochet.
On their Ravelry page, they have listed the dimensions of all the pieces that they need. (They need a lot, and don’t worry, the pieces won’t be …read more

It’s so easy to add a little touch of springtime to your sockies! So…. why have plain jane socks?
You can add a little embellishment to socks that you have knitted or crocheted,
like these ones that I just finished knitting.
Or, you can dress up purchased socks by stitching on purchased or crocheted or tatted
lace.
I tatted super simple flowers onto these socks…. it took 4 attempts to get the sock
edging right.  I found that I liked it best when I cut the self striping yarn into colorways
that made sense for the flowers.
The flowers are rings of 3 ds, p, 3 ds, p, …read more

I just posted about the  crocheted compassion cap Knots of Love kit  that Laurel Hill is kindly donating to one of the  readers of Hankering for Yarn.
And, now I am pleased to offer a second contest, courtesy of
Knots of Love and Laurel Hill.
This contest is for a compassionate knitter.
The prize is one of Laurel Hill’s
knitted compassion cap kits
How do you win?
Simple, post a comment, telling me to  whom you would donate  the compassion cap that you will knit from this kit.
The contest begins now and closes on March 17th.
It is open to citizens of Canada and the United States.
(image …read more

Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft by Nora Murphy  (published by  New World Library)

Nora Murphy weaves together the story of knitting her young son a sweater with stories about her life, as well as historical explorations of women’s connections to the making of yarn and clothing.
Reading the book is a lot like subscribing to a favorite blog and getting to know a very pleasant and intelligent person. Her style is very intimate and accessible.
Ms Murphy speaks passionately about the lives of women from ancient times right up to the present.
She talks from the …read more

Well before the Internet came along and encouraged a virtual togetherness among crafters, people routinely knitted, quilted, tatted and crocheted in groups. Your local yarn shop may have a regular day or evening when crafters get together, over food, fun and fiber.
Do you enjoy craft groups? Do you belong to one at your LYS or do you attend one in someone’s home? If so, what do you like best about getting together with like-minded people?
Image: Photos.com

Maybe you learned to knit at the knee of your mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle or friend. Unfortunately, for many of us today, learning crafts at the hands of older friends or family isn’t as commonplace as it used to be. Knitting is no longer taught in most schools — as a matter of fact, the arts are sometimes greatly curtailed due to budget restrictions.
If you’re fortunate enough to teach a child to knit, consider yourself — and that child — very lucky. I think it’s great to pass along such traditions first hand. Chances are, if you learned to knit …read more