The House That Yarn Built

OK, so I love this idea. Basically Christy from Confessions of a Misplaced Southern Belle realized that we knitters buy too much yarn, that we spend about $20 a skein on sock yarn and that if a whole bunch of knitters donated that amount to rebuilding houses in the 9th ward in New Orleans, we might actually be able to build a whole house instead of buying one skein of yarn. You donate to a program called Make It Right . (Yes, the one Brad Pitt founded.)

Now to really get you going, she's holding a raffle with a ton of yarns, a Namaste knitting bag and other goodies for people who donate. So, go to the Make it Right site, donate under the "House That Yarn Built" link and then email Christy to let her know you did. She'll enter your name into the drawing. If you're a Stash and Burn fan, let Nicole and Jenny know too - they're also raffling off a bag of goodies from Stitches West for people who donate. I've also contacted Christy about adding some of my hand-dyed yarns into the goodie pot - it is such a great cause!

Porcelain Knits

Here's an amazing Etsy shop I found on Poppytalk Handmade. Artist Alyssa Ettinger makes porcelain cups, bowls, vases, etc that look like they've been knitted. Some pieces are done in aran patterns, cable patterns, ribs, stockinette, everything. I'll just post a ton of photos because the work really speaks for itself.

If you're like me and these works of art are a little out of your price range, notice she also sells samples and seconds - basically they are just as fantastic with some very small, barely noticeable flaws.

Now I'm just holding my breath and waiting for her to make a mistake on a bowl!

Oh Martha!

Yes, Martha Stewart is the master of craft projects that I love but can't find the time to make. Often I get as far as buying all the supplies, I just never get around to actually putting them together. This one I will have to make time for because I love it!

This fluffy rug, so welcoming to bare feet, is made from hundreds of strips of denim. The frayed edges in shades of blue, gray, and white create subtle modulations in color.

Denim Fringe Rug Instructions: Cut a 30-by-54-inch piece of burlap. Tear about 200 strips from jeans (you'll need about 12 pairs); make each 1 1/4 inches wide and the length of a pant leg. Align first strip 1 inch from burlap's edge; with the zipper foot attachment on a sewing machine and a denim needle, stitch down center. Snip any remainder from the end, and use it to start the next row. Sew strips 1/8 inch apart, until 1 inch of burlap remains. Fold burlap edges under, and hand-stitch.

See her website for more info.

Maybe I'll make it when I live in a house with a mudroom. Oh how Pottery Barn and Martha Stewart's crafts make me long for a mudroom!

Knits that make me laugh

Ah yes, I think all of us knitters have made things only to see them a while later and wonder what in the world we were thinking. That pattern, that yarn. Here is a wonderful blog that is dedicated to finding those terrible projects that should be hiding in the back of someone's closet or frogged or burned. Of course the best part is the biting commentary. It is no longer an ongoing project, but they left it all up so we can go back and get a laugh.

You Knit What? http://youknitwhat.blogspot.com/