Jane Eborall is one of the tatting world’s favorite designers and all round delightful luminaries.  I first learned of her work when I joined a delightful tatting group on Yahoo.
Jane is a very funny and charming woman who just knocks me out with her delicious and wry comments.
I am dazzled by her ability to ‘draw’ with tatting. Just look at this incredible Kangaroo:
I asked Jane some questions about her work, beginning with where she lives:
I live in a famous town in the centre of England.  To give you a clue – the most famous writer in history was born here!

1.  …read more

I belong to a neat little group of artsy bloggers and once a week we share links.
I love checking out what everyone has been doing each week. Hope you’ll check them out, too!

10 Reasons to Photograph Your Quilts
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork lists ten reasons for preserving your quilts with photographs…this can apply to other crafts, too.
Doll Festival for Girl’s Day
March 3 was Girl’s Day in Japan. It’s time for little girls to be celebrated and wished good health, and all good things. Traditionally a gorgeous display of heirloom dolls is arranged for the Doll …read more

Love vintage patterns? Think they don’t make them like they used to? If you want to peruse (and possibly make) some patterns from decades past, you must check out the antique pattern library.
Tons of old patterns have been put into PDF format for you to download — knitting, crochet, tatting, embroidery and more. I have yet to take advantage of any of these (I already have a backlog of projects I want to do!) but one day, I’m going to make time to go through this extensive list and choose at least a handful of vintage projects.
This is perfect for …read more

With more and more focus on eco-friendly products and talk about sustainability, what can conscientious crafty people do to help the planet?
One way knitters and crocheters who want to have less of a harmful impact on the environment can help is to invest in organic yarn. There was a time when organic yarn was hard to find and when you found it, it was very expensive. Nowadays, with more companies (big names like Lion Brand included) trying to get into the eco market, organic yarn is not only easier to find, the price is becoming comparable to traditionally harvested and dyed yarns. …read more

I love enabling spreading news about sales on yarn and fiber-related goods. Woodland Woodworks is currently holding a sale on bambu, select spindles, eucalan wool wash and some VHS videos now through February 1st. 
I haven’t yet been bitten by the spinning bug, but if you’ve always wanted to try, why not buy a spindle at 15% off while you can? Or some wool wash, which you can always use?
Image: Woodland Woolworks

Have you ever wanted needles that were more pointy or less pointy than the ones in your hands? Now you can buy needles in the degree of pointiness that suits you from Signature Needles.
Choose from points labeled blunt, middy or stiletto. You also have your choice in needle size, length and even needle cap. You can customize your needle to almost your exact specifications. This is almost like the Cadillac of needles, when you think about it. I’ve never used them, but I’ve used Addi needles (another Cadillac)…pretty swank.
Image: Signature Needle Arts

I received my latest Vogue Knitting last week. Lots of cold weather-friendly projects in there. Here’s a few highlights for your enjoyment…
Do you have favorite magazines? I like Vogue for inspiration, but for classic patterns that last beyond the season, I tend to favor Interweave Knits.
However, I love the articles in VK and as an inspiration source, it’s great. If you’ve already received this issue, tell me what you think!
Images: Vogue Knitting

If you design projects and following charts is a big part of a particular pattern, using graph paper is important. Now you can always go to an office supply store and get what they have…or you can print your own, created to the exact specifications you need.
ABCs of Knitting provides a free graph paper designer that allows you to input the number of stitches and rows you need. You print it out in a PDF format and voila — easy charts that make your pattern look professional and easy to follow!

I know we have a way to go before February 14, but if you want to make something for your sweetie, you have to plan ahead. Here are some links to FREE patterns, all of them with a heart motif of one kind or another:
Wee hearts
Valentine cloth
Seven of hearts socks
Hearts dishcloth
Hot pad
Chain of hearts bookmark
Lattice hearts dishcloth
Enjoy!

Attention, aspiring designers! AslanTrends has announced their first knitting challenge 2009.
I’m giving you this much notice (you have until August 10 to get your entry forms and items submitted) because you’ll need to plan; plans may change; you might need to start over, etc.
You can enter in one of two categories:

Full-size garments or afghans
Accessories-sized hats, scarves, bags, baby blankets

What can you win? Prizes include cash, yarn and a year’s subscription to Vogue Knitting magazine.
Visit the AslanTrends site for entry forms and official rules to the contest. Good luck!
Image: stock.xchng