debra roby's blog

Digging the Dirt: Watering Concerns

2009-06-28T00:52:36-05:00

I read it on a friend's FB page:

Now that the plants are all in the ground - they have to be watered too! Is there no end to this project?... No we don't have automatic sprinklers - entire yard, all watered by hand.

While it's better to plan watering before a project is begun, many of us run into problems with watering our landscaping during the heat of summer. Automatic systems can break, watering by hand can be inefficient. Worse, our water district may inform us of watering restrictions which mean cutting the watering to a minimum.

Gardening is a thing of beauty and a job forever. And watering is one of those "forever" jobs.

So let's pretend it's June, it's warm-to-hot, and you need to water your yard. What must you consider and how best to get it done?

First, if you are watering your grass, it needs about 1" an water a week. You don't want to do this all at once; the soil will not absorb it all so much of your water will run off. You don't want to water every day; the top of the soil will be watered, but not the region where the roots live. You'll encourage very shallow-rooted grass which becomes vulnerable to insect, compression, summer's heat and winter's freezes. Try to water your lawn about 3 times a week.

The tricky part of this is measuring how long does it take for your watering system to deliver about 1" of water? The best way to test this is to place several vessels around the lawn, turn on your watering system and time how long it takes to fill most of the containers about 1" full. Rain gauges, or 1# coffee cans work the best for this. Something cylindrical with straight (not sloping) sides. When most of the containers are full, make note of the time it took. Divide this time by 3 to determine how long you should water each time. Your lawn will thank you for this.

With other plants- trees, shrubs, bushes, perennial plants, annual flowers and vegetables- deep water to a depth of 6" in the soil at the drip line - is perfect.

The best way to water your landscape is by an automatic system. After you've determined the best timing for each section, you can set it and forget.

It's important to check how your automatic system is working. At least a couple times a year, I wake up while my system is running to find a fountain spraying somewhere in my yard. Systems need to be regularly maintained as drippers fall or break and lines develop links.

What if you need to water by other means?

Hand water, is at best, a poor way to water your gardens. The soil gets water too quickly, which puddles on the surface yet never soaks in. As much as 75% of the water can evaporate before it becomes available to the plants to use. But what other options are there?

Drip hoses -usually made from recycled tires - can be laid underneath plants, where they slowly leak water into the soil. These can be moved from section to section -watering one part of the gardens a day- or enough sections of drip hose can be purchased to lay down and keep for the summer. Then only the main hose connection needs to be moved to a new spot every day. Plan it so you can water each part of your yard about every 2-3 days.

Here in California, our governor has declared the state in a drought and asked for water conservation. My local water district has had us conserving the last couple years which has forced me to make a choice growing more popular every year. I do not water any lawn. When we get rains -fall through spring - the grass grows as nature intended. In the summer, when it's dry and hot, my lawn goes dormant and turns brown. It may look dead, but it's not. As soon as enough rain falls on the soil, the grass will come to life again.

Additional Reading:

The Country Gardener was hoping for rain this week. She got her wish and more (click through for pictures of her flooded property).

Richard of (Ln(x))3 doesn't like gardening. And he's got a point:

This does not mean I don't want a nice-looking garden, though. It simply means I want a nice-looking garden without having to be any good at nor have any aptitude for gardening.

So, our garden could do with some more plants. If I buy plants and plant them, though, they will die. This is because plants are fussy, fragile things that will only grow in the right conditions. I don't know those conditions. Well, I do know them, because they come with instructions that say "prefers partial shade, well-drained slightly alkaline soil in a sheltered position facing south". I've said before, I don't want any of this stuff. I want "grows near where your lawn has clover in it" or "just put it next to your roses".

Nigel Slater, explaining his recipe in Cos you're worth it begins with an observation on his home-grown lettuce:

Heavy rain overnight turned my precious lettuce seedlings into what looked like a box of green mush. But the next day they were up and running again, shaking off the excess water, sending up new leaves, and they seemed all the better for a good drenching. With that sort of stamina, they should be ready for picking in a week or two.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Crafting a Life: Patriotic Crafts

2009-06-25T00:41:38-05:00

Next weekend the US will be festooned in Red, White And Blue as the nation celebrates its birthday. Parades, picnics and parties are all occasions for showing off the best in new patriotic designs. Instead of heading to the stores and purchasing something appropriately constructed, isn't it nice that we crafters can walk into our workrooms -or corners- and make our own fine Patriotic Crafts.

Dollar Store Crafts took inspiration from a Better Homes and Gardens idea to Craft Patriotic Placements.

you can starch the canvas fabric, cut out the stars, and then apply them with spray glue or tacky glue. Or, you can cut a stencil (it would be a relatively simple one) and spray paint the stars on. I guess it just depends on the look you’re going for!

You could pair the starry placements with Stencilled and Painted Star Glasses as described at Martha Stewart.com.

A perfect gift for a Memorial or Independence Day host, these patriotic tumblers are created using a process similar to eglomise -- the 18th-century French technique of painting directly on the reverse side of glass. For this project, Martha uses special, nontoxic, dishwasher- and microwave-safe paint pens, which create an effect that is rich and colorful yet translucent.

Woman's Day wrote great directions to Make a Pinwheel. These are great fun items for parades or picnics and quick to make.

Sophie Walton, writing at Associated Content, offers some Patriotic Crafts for Kids. My favorite idea are the decorated Plastic Visors:

Directions: Put red, white and blue foam stars and other patriotic foam designs on tables - using different size stars gives greater design to the visors. Give each child a plastic visor (red, blue or white) and a USA patch or foam letters. Glue the USA letters (or patch) onto the visor and then allow children to glue stars and letters to the visor in unique designs to complete the craft. Encourage the children to wear their visors to show their patriotism.

Dress up everybody's wardrobe with Leisure Arts free PDF download for Flip Flop Tops. The pattern itself has no set colors, so choose one color for everybody's flip flops, and crochet the tops using the other 2 colors. For anyone beyond a novice crocheter, a pair or two of these could be made in an evening.

The Quilting Diva offered some cute ideas for making party favors featuring Red, White and You - valentine hearts redesigned for Independence Day.

As for me? We are leashing up the dogs to participate in the Pooch Parade as part of my hometown's celebration. Each dog needs a costume, of course! So between now and then, I'll be making an Uncle Sam Hat for Jake; then trying to design some kind of fireworks head gear for Katy.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Crafting a Life: Choosing Travel Crafts Projects

2009-06-17T22:01:14-05:00

BlogHer 09 is just over 5 weeks away which means I have to start considering what to take with me on the road. Travel time is great for catching up on reading and podcasts, but it's also the very best time to work on simple portable projects. What should I pack for 5 days in Chicago? NOTE: My flights both ways have 2 - count them two!- changes of flights each direction.

Travel crafts have several unique requirements:

little reference material- an easily copied page or two from a book, or a pattern. No way you want too many extra books or reference materials with the small tray tables. Cars, trains or buses offer even less work space.
easily pack-able size. A project that fits in the pocket of carry-on is idea.
handwork only. I've heard of women bringing crank machines on airplanes -but I've never witnessed it. And I wouldn't want to share a crowded airline row with one.
easy to quickly pack up.
no small parts to lose.

The first choice and most logical project is a pair of socks. Socks are mostly repetition work, with one big interruption where you have to pay attention: the heel. These are the first socks I'm knitting from Two-at-a-Time Socks and the first time I'm using this method. Knitting socks on a "magic loop" isn't new to me, but two at a time rather doubles some of the challenges. So the heels, I fear, will be very challenging. I either must get beyond this point before I fly or accept that I may be ripping and redoing while traveling. I'm not certain this is an acceptable option.

What else is a portable fun project to work on?

Several years ago I purchased a cordoroy jacket, styled very much like the common denim jackets: seaming along the front and back, deep front and back yolks, a close-fitting waist band and cuffs. It struck me as the perfect base for embellishing with embroidery and stitchery. And it is. The joy of working on it is that I can wear it, pull thread and needle out of a pocket and work on it, then put it on again. But Chicago in July isn't a place where I can imagine needing a jacket. This would be too large a project to carry along any other way.

A simple crochet project. I've been enchanted looking at the crocheted potholders that Grumperina received in a recent exchange. It wouldn't take long to get a pattern or two together and choose to make these as small holiday presents.

A beading project like my DNA chain projects would be easy to pack, but I fear flying over the center of the country during summer storm season. One surprise patch of turbulence and my project could be all over the cabin.

There is a felted coasters project I'm working on. I haven't been fond of any of my designs so far; progress is going slowly. A few squares of felted sweaters, though, some threads and some needles and I will have plenty of time to work on this.

Sewing? Nothing portable and hand-work based. Painting? Uhm, no. Screen printing? Again.. NOT PORTABLE. The most logical projects are still embroidery, crochet or knitting socks. Maybe, given those choices I'll just start a new pair of socks when I get to the airport and know I won't get to the heels before I get home.

Do you have any recommendations on crafting projects we can take on the road?

Other Readings:

Threadbare's Meagan Ileana embroiders images of her every day life. Simple lines become toes and hands, grass and flowers, drawn out with needle and thread. What a way to capture the memories of a day or two on a special trip. ht: hellocraft

CRAFT offers a small practical project -especially you're hitting the road to head to wedding/reception. Linda Permann worte a simple tutorial for a crocheted bowtie. Requiring only one skein of yard and a crochet hook, this totally qualifies as a grab-for-on-the-road project that can be put to use when you arrive at your destination.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Digging the Dirt: Invaders, Edible Landscapes, Movies and more. A Garden Blog Round Up

2009-06-13T18:46:25-05:00

Feel lucky, Petunia? Instructables and NatureMill are holding a Get in the Garden Contest running from June 3rd, to July 20, 2009.

We want to know everything about your garden, big or small - how you choose and care for plants, build a window box, take advantage of local conditions, construct an auto-watering system, or simply make your garden beautiful. Collect your best gardening skills, advice, creations, or tips and tricks, then put them in an Instructable for our Get in the Garden Contest and win an amazing indoor composter from NatureMill.

Genie, The inadvertant gardener, had an opportunity to catch a preview of Food, INC. this past week, a movie that discusses the food industry in the US. She calls it the most important film you'll ever see.

If you eat food, go see this movie. As a matter of fact, it’s probably more accurate to say if you think you’re eating food, go see this movie. It may be one of the most important films you’ll ever see.

Based upon this recommendation, I will heading to the theater on Thursday when it plays near me. Then I suspect I will spend all of Friday cleaning out my pantry and refrigerator before I eat another thing.

Claire Splan, An Alameda Garden, pointed to an inspiring Farmer's Almanac video of Jennifer Carlson-a Seattle organic landscape designer. She took her ordinary looking 1950's style bungalow on a busy corner and turned it into an inspiring demonstration garden for using your land efficiently. Check out the brilliant composting fence at about minute three.

Andrea, Heavy Petal, also shares a real live edible landscape: Sooke Harbour House gardens:

Head gardener Byron Cook led us on a tour of the gardens, which overlook the ocean. The gardens completely surround the inn, providing a tranquil foreground to the backdrop of the Pacific. But the garden isn’t just there to admire from your private hot tub. It’s a working garden, supplying the restaurant, which focused on local food waaaay before it was hip (1979, to be precise).

Jocelyn, The Garden Corner, discussed companion planting:

Last year my garden neighbor had a beautiful garden with flowers, herbs and veggies all mixed together. It got me thinking, and this year I’m doing some research on companion planting.

As it turns out, certain vegetables will do better or worse depending on what plants are growing around it. It makes sense when you think about it. Certain plants take more of different nutrients, or even attract or repel pests.

Yvonne, Country Gardener, set out the "WANTED" posters for the varmints stealing her bulbs: chipmunks.

They look pretty cute, these chipmunks, but they are systematically clearing my garden of all of its crocus and tulip bulbs. I keep finding holes they've dug everywhere around the house.

Our house is on a hill, and our patio is terraced with large rocks. Unfortunately, it's perfect chipmunk habitat, and I guess the thing to do is plant more daffodils, which I'm told they don't touch.

Good luck with that, Yvonne!

Talking of invasions... Pam, Digging, spotted interesting visitors of another kind in her Texas back yard:

Just then I happened to be looking out through the French doors. Something the size of an opossum, with a strange humped body, ambled across the patio. My self-congratulation died on my lips, replaced by an astonished cry, “There’s an armadillo on my patio—right now! In broad daylight! I’ve gotta go!” I darted out the door, my animal-crazy daughter at my heels, my curious husband tagging along. No, there was not an armadillo in our yard. There were three! I dashed back inside for my camera, my husband muttering, “You’re going to blog about it?”

Groundskeeper Daisy, Compost Happens, shared her "gardening geekdom" as she demonstrated how she uses the water from her water barrel in her garden.

Nelumbo, The Garden Blog of a girl growin' Southern, shares some delightful "pettable" plants. One of her examples, Lamb's Ear, even sounds soft and furry...

Christa, Calendula & Concrete, shares her take-aways from a talk on plant diversity and beneficial insects. The most interesting of these points to me:

2.) Fertilized plants attract more insects. In Shrewsbury's research, insect populations (a bad kind) were twice as high on fertilized plants versus the non-fertilized. I had learned previously that when fertilized plants send out a lot of succulent new growth, they're especially attractive to pests such as aphids. The take-away: don't fertilize your plants if they don't really need it. Personally, I think compost goes a long way to keeping things healthy.

Margaret Roach, Away to Garden, reminds us all that it's time to let your spring flowering annuals -pansies, anemones, whatever- give way to the promise of summer blooms that will fill spots in your home with their bright blooms. What are you planting in your summer cutting garden?

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Crafting a Life: Fun Crafty Round Up

2009-06-10T20:21:02-05:00

I've fallen for the fun this month, discovering and falling in love with fun projects and ideas showing up in the blogsphere.

Are you getting excited for BlogHer09 in Chicago next month? Or will you be sitting elsewhere wishing you were there? You can BUILD YOUR OWN CHICAGO with a series of postcards designed and sold by the Wurlington Brothers Press. These mailable postcards show a number of the Chicago landmarks, including Sears Tower and Wrigley Field, which can be cut, folded and secured into micromodels.

A fabulous new venture to appear on my lap: Handknit Heroes: Teen Superheroes in Fabulous Handknits. This is a graphic novel with GREAT knitting! Published quarterly by Mortaine Publications (mortaine on Ravelry),

Imagine you’re a teenager, and you have some… special powers. Maybe even super powers. And one day, at a sleepover, your best friend in the whole world tells you—you’re not alone. So begins the adventure for a couple of teenagers, a single mom and yarn shop owner, and a whole bunch of hand knitted fun.
Handknit Heroes is the first graphic novel for knitters. Each issue features a great storyline with knitting superheroes, terrific artwork, and a beautiful (and easy) knitting pattern.

Currently, Hero Ana needs to keep her secret identity undercover. Readers are invited to design a mask for her; the winner will be featured in the Fall 2009 issue.

Craftster member ammasmama showed her collection of resin knitting needles. She used a fast-food chain paper straw for her mold, added glitter, sparkly yarns and gold leaf or mica powder to make them *sparkly*. Then capped them with buttons or fimo clay creations. And she shared her technique with us, too! (ht to WhipUp).

CuriousDoodles -and I- love the charm of punched tin candle protectors on a warm summer night. She shared her simple method for making beautiful ones from cleaned tin cans:

Although they are very labor intensive, they are free and they don't take too much brain power. Basically you clean out an a tin can, put water in it and freeze it. The ice keeps the can from caving in. Once the inside is frozen you hammer different sized nails into the can to make the design.

Tsoniki posted a Sewing Machine Meme at Me Being Crafty. The questions (in case you'd like to play the meme game in comments):

1. What brand and model sewing machine do you have?
2. How long have you had it?
3. How much did it cost (approximately)
4. What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, crafts, home dec.?)
5. How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
6. Do you live/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does it have a name?
7. What features does your mahcine have that work well for you?
8. Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
9. Is there a great story to share about your machine?
10. Would you recommend the machine to others?
11. What factors are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
12. Do you have a dream machine?

What do you say? Post your meme answers on your blog, them share a link for us all in the comments.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

The Stash Busting Challenge: Repurpose/ReUse Sewing Tutorials

2009-06-06T06:05:55-05:00

Another month, another step toward toward Stash Busting! So far this year, we've talk about the idea of stashbusting, found other bloggers on the journey, talked re-use and re-cycle. This month I'm looking at sewing tutorials that asks us to use those scraps of beloved fabrics we save to make quick smart projects.

Thimbly Things cut up her maternity jeans to make several bibs for her wee ones. Then chose to make more for a friend, and shared the process with us In Praise of Denin Bibs. While her construction is based on CraftyStylish's tutorial by Linda Permann: How to Make a Recycled Bib, I like the suggestion of buttons or velcro for the closure instead of having to purchase and use a snap-set.

By tracing bibs you already have, you can make a ton of bibs without ever printing a pattern. And by using denim, you don’t need interfacing or fancy showercurtain material. They’re easy to clean and don’t easily stain. And who doesn’t have spare jeans hanging around?

SMALL shared a delightful project by Lisa Tilse of The Red Thread to make a whimsical mobile from scrap fabrics and wooden hoops. Lisa has posted a more detailed version at her blog The Red Thread:

These sweet little birds are fun to make with children and are a lovely decoration for their bedroom. They'd also look pretty hanging from the trees amongst fairy lights on a summer’s night. And it's a great way to use up fabric scraps.

The project has a few different parts, so it can be done in stages if your child’s attention wanes. In our part of the world it would be a great project for rainy wintry days during the July school holidays. It's quite simple... not as complicated as it looks!

Can you imagine a better way to use those fabric scraps too small for a project but too dear to throw away?

Well maybe one:

A common use of fabric scraps is to make a string quilt - where small strips of fabric are sewn to a paper or fabric backround in a completely random way. Often at the end of each day's sewing, the scraps are added to some of the string foundations. Quiltville added more interest to this process by publishing directions for a Spiderweb string pieced quilt. The end result will look much harder than the process really is.

Kicking_K wrote cool instructions for making a Fabric Watch-Strap Cover. These covers can make your watch coordinate with your outfit - turning a watch more dressy or more casual. It also help with contact-metal allergies.

photo credits: Scrappy mobile: Lisa Tilse
Denim bibs: kristenaderrick's flickrstream
Spiderweb String Quilt: mle_val'l flickrstream
Fabric Watch Band Covers: Kicking_K

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Maker Faire, Are You a Maker?

2009-06-03T23:25:51-05:00

RT @SisterDiane: Okay, here's the plan: Maker Faire becomes some kind of permanent geek village, and we all go live there together. You in? #mf09*

I am one of the many folk who -like Sister Diane - would SO be in to moving to Maker Faire village! Yet, early this week friends asked about the one thing that left the biggest impression: that experience that was the the pen-ultimate explanation of Maker Faire. I was left speechless. How do I condense fire sculptures, craft bizarre, wardrobe refashioning in real time, technology demonstrations, R2D2, the Lost in Space robot, uniquely designed bicycles, Lego's heaven, Burning Man ethic, etc. into one clear item? I can't.

Katherine Sharpe of ReadyMade tried to explain it also in Understanding Maker Faire:

Maker Faire feels like a lot of things that are familiar: a country fair, a science fair, a basement rocketry club outing, a hippie teach-in, shop class, computer camp, Burning Man, a trade show or three. And yet, in combination, they become unfamiliar, unique.

...Maker Faire seems to me to be about fusing this age-old tradition of the amateur expert, making things, with a new generation of technology—instead of doing wild things with car engines, Makers are doing wild things with iPods and LEDs. It’s also about adopting a certain attitude towards making. The attitude feels almost ’60s-countercultural, but without the self-righteousness. Or maybe it has more to do with the late-’60s drive to self sufficiency; personal empowerment is a big theme here. In the words of Wired editor Chris Anderson at the panel on open-source hardware, “You can’t count on the consumer electronics industry to make what you want.” The ethos of the Faire is fiercely individualistic yet also about cooperation and community (as opposed to bureaucracy).There’s a feeling that bending technology to one’s own means is an act of rebellion, but of playful, minor rebellion, more on the order of a meaningful prank than organized political action.

I'm sure I missed more at this year's fair than I know. TreeHugger highlighted Ceallach dyes display in the sustainable village, where they were selling yarn dyed using solar power. HOW DID I MISS THIS??

Ceallach Dyes is a new hand dyed yarn line that uses a simple box that captures the heat from the sun to set the dyes. Many dyers will use the microwave or oven, but this company has chosen to go renewable.

The box is simply lined with aluminum foil and covered in a glass lid. The heat generated is more than enough to gently set the dyes, avoiding the use of electricity generated from non-renewable, dirty sources.

Perhaps the overwhelming crowds were the reason I missed seeing most of the sustainable village. Tracy Elaine from Passing Open Windows had no problem sharing some of her photos -though, she too, admitted that many couldn't be taken because of the crowds. She managed to capture the essence of SteamPunk, show some of the outdoor displays, and caught the wonders of Patchwerk Press doing free screen printing as part of the Scrap-a-Rama. I'll admit it, I almost took off my t-shirt to get a cool screen printed.

One of the neat items at the show was the MakeReady Journal available to attendees. The journals not only fit with the fair's theme of Re-Make America, it highlights the techniques from Jeannine Stein's new book: Re-Bound.

Others Who Attended:

Kristen from Craft Leftovers posted on the fun of Makers Day- the day that vendors set up, meet up, and visit amonst themselves before the crowds appear. During the weekend, Kristen taught mending techniques from her booth. Then she rounded up the Weekend when the Faire was over.

Sewing Demos on the CRAFT stage, we took turns teaching people to mend.

And then I came home and slept for 11 hours, haha. In many ways I feel like my stay in San Francisco is really just starting. It’s been a blast. I met so many great people at the Faire and now I’m meeting so many great people here in town.

In many ways I feel like all the many people came by, but then, on the other hand, i did give away all 200 zines plus about 400 of the Mending on the Go zine! So that right there tells me the mass of the people flowing by. So wonderful.

If I met you at the faire, it was so nice to meet you and welcome to Craft Leftovers - the blog all about making with what you have on hand!

If you're wondering if Maker Faire is really a family affair (I offer a loud, resounding YES!) CRAFT included a look at the fair from a pre-teen's perspective.

I, being a 12-year-old girl, was more than overwhelmed by the throngs of people with cup creations and tape wallets marching around to get from one hall to the others. Other than that, it was a crafter's dream. Every which way there another spectacle. Whether it was Japanese art or adorable felt toys, there was no way you could be bored. There was always some tutorial or show we could see. The first day we went, my seven-year-old brother accompanied us. To put it nicely, Milo is fascinated with LEGO. I should say obsessed. Anyways, when he reached the LEGO exhibit, he freaked. He screamed. He yelled. I mean that literally. After that piercing example of excitement, he raced to the LEGO buildings. My mom said that I could go find something to look at while he played. Next, I wandered to the Ponko table, where they displayed their innovative methods of creating laser-cut art. I made a bracelet made of plastic with a laser-cut tree design. It was so awesome.

Wish to get some of the visual impact of the weekend? Average Jane Crafter posted a collection of photos on Flickr: Maker Faire Bay Area 2009

Finally, one of the biggest mechanical wonders at the fair was Christian Risto's Hand of Man. This large mechanical hand is controlled by one human wearing a special glove. That's all I can say before I suggest you watch the video. Courtesy of MAKE:

NOT in the Bay area and wishing you could attend a Maker Faire? There have been faires held in Austin, TX., and Newcastle, UK. As MAKE gains more experience, I'd expect you might eventually find one on the east coast as well. It does not matter. If there is any way for you to attend a Maker Faire, do so! I fear our dream of a Maker Village is even further in the future.

*beginning quote from @SisterDiane's twitter stream.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Crafting a Life: Summer Craft Shows

2009-05-30T10:09:39-05:00

Last week, I talked about the type of quilt shows available this year. A different type of show you also might wish to attend is one of the many craft shows. Where quilt and stitchery shows are primarily about displaying members work, craft shows are mainly about small crafty vendors plying their wares.

ellebee {studio} calls the application process craft insanity:

in a fit of psychotic optimism, i filled out applications for four craft shows today {and another two will be going out as soon as the applications are available online}. . . .i have always wanted to have a real show “schedule” and this is the first time i’ll be doing more than two in a 3 or 4 month time frame.

I am attending one of the biggest mash-ups of craft show, technology, diy, music and art you can experience: Maker Faire, 09. (Look for my wrap up Wednesday.) I'm hoping to meet up with Crafty Pod's Diane Gillaland; The Crafty Chica and her daughter, Maya; the crew from ThreadBanger (how I wish I were there on Sunday for their Twitter Scavanger Hunt) and more!

The Indie Fixx will be attending Philadelphia's Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend. She shares the vendors she's looking forward to seeing in person. Sharing this technique, the Baltimore Etsy Street Team is also heading up to this show.

Another Baltimore crafty group -the Charm City Craft Mafia - is heading off to Silver Springs Sunday for Handmade Mart. Crafty Bastard's Tina Seamonster will be there, too.

If you're further south than the mid-Atlantic region, you might want to check out the Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta, GA.
Lorigami will be there, along Glue And Glitter. Some Art Talk screened advertising bags to take along with her.

Laura Jane of JaneWear jewelry wrote a number of hints for the person working a craft show:

Getting to the show and setting up is only half the battle. There’s so much more involved in making this show your best show.

I should first tell you that, unless absolutely unavoidable, you should never take on selling at a craft show by yourself. While shows can be exciting and profitable, they can also be physically and emotionally exhausting.

… it’s important to bring along someone to help you work the booth and deal with customers…

…realize that your booth will be unmanned for a certain amount of time. If you must walk away – even for a short time, try to get one of the neighboring booths to help you out.

…see what other vendors are offering and what they are charging. Ask them about their work…

Wondering what shows may be running in your area? CraftShocker lists the indie craft shows every week.

Crafting a Life: Tis the Season for Quilt and Craft Shows

2009-05-27T21:56:34-05:00

With weather warming and the spring/summer seasons upon us, craft, sewing and quilt guilds around the world are putting the final touches on their local shows, or are breathing a sigh of relief as their show finishes up. Adding to the local appeal of these shows are regional and national shows presented every year.

glowy quilt show

Local shows:
There is a charm to attending a local quilt guild or sewing guild show. Each group often has at least one very prolific member who enters 8-12 items; by the end of the show, it often gets easy to spot that person's work. There is often a section of first quilts. While some of these are simple designs, there is usually one over-achiever who does fabulously technical work that makes her project look more like a masterpiece than beginner piece.

Each show has an aisle or two displaying workshop projects. These allow the visitor to compare how individual color sense dramatically alters the appearance of a pattern.

Look at this photo of three Lone Star Quilts each made with the same pattern and even quilted identically. The choices of color and color placement changes the feel of each item.

Regional Shows:

Regional shows remove some of the charm from the guild shows -seldom organizing to highlight a workshop project for example. In return, the creative and technical quality of the work increases. There will be more individual works not made from someone else's pattern. There will be hand- dyed fabrics, extra embellishments and almost always something that surprises and delights the visitor. These shows may still be run by amateurs -state or regional councils representing a number of guilds for example. However, some of these are also presented by professional organizing companies such as Mancuso Brothers show management.

One of the most anticipated summer regional shows -Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show- takes place in Sisters, Or. on Saturday, July 11th.

National Shows:

Every year, quilters save sheckles and vacation time to make pilgrimages to Paducah, Kentucky in the springtime and/or Houston, Texas, in the fall. I've never made it to either of these shows, so rather than try to explain them, myself, let others discuss their experiences:

Frieda Anderson shared impressions of quilts from Paducah Quilt Show.

PattieWack Craft Blog determined she was Paducah Bound or BUST. And found the experience completely worth it.

Julie -Feeling Simply Quilty- joined a bus trip to Paducah and showed her day.

At CJ Stitching and Blooms we learn another reason to attend a large show: international friends get a chance to meet in person.

Heidi Zielinski -like other quilters- has already submitted her quilts to be juried into the Houston show this fall.

Photo credit:
Glowy Quilt Show, by skvidal's Flickrstream. Three Lone Star Quilts, from circulating's Flickrstream.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Crafting A Life: Crafts on YouTube

2009-05-20T19:38:19-05:00

The directions read: knit into the front and back of the next stitch. Say wha???

It was evening. Late enough that I didn't want to call one of my knitting friends and hope to get directions over the phone. I wouldn't be seeing any of them for almost a week. But I was into the pattern and wanted to continue working. I did the only reasonable: went to YouTube and searched for a video to help me.

Crazy Aunt Purl came to my rescue with this quick little number

Knitting Clip: Increase (Knit in F&B)

Right then and there my fondness for searching the popular video site to find craft instructions and inspiration was born. Whether I might wish to learn a provisional knitting cast on or have Ami Simms teach me her invisible Applique technique. Scrapbooking? Tatting? You can find it all!

Getting the answer to a question immediately? Priceless.

A little more exploration has provided me with many rich and wonder resources to be found on YouTube.
'
MAKE takes time at their MakerFaires to film some of the activities. Artists are also occasionally filmed, which let me learn how to make Crochet Market Bags from used Plastic Bags:

Beyond finding help with a project or inspiration for something new, there are video podcasts that regularly post.

ThreadBanger -the youth-driven DIY Fashion and Craft network- has a YouTube presence. Hosts Rob and Corinne star in a new ThreadHeads episode every Friday, and I Spy DIY episodes appear on Wednesday. If you know a teen or twenty-something DIY crafter, they most likely are familiar with ThreadBanger.

For a vlog with a British accent, CRAFTS CHANNEL describes itself as:

your online masterclass for crafting techniques. We have dozens of video demonstrations that are jam-packed with ideas and inspiration for you to try - all from the comfort of your own home! From wire work to felting, paper sculpting and polymer clay, we've got it covered.

I like that all their videos are short and to the point. A three minute video fits right in my time and (diminishing) attention span.

Do you love the idea of Soap Making? Anne-Marie Faiola has just started uploading weekly lessons in making soaps and toiletries at SoapQueen.

Knitting maven Cat Bordhi uploaded a series of videos to demonstrate some of the more challenging particular points in knitting: things such as wrapping stitches on a heel turn, knitting on circular needles or trying moebius knitting.

Do you have a favorite crafty video you recommend all the time? A favorite crafty vlogger? Or have you ever your own crafty videos to YouTube? Hit us up in the comments and share...

Major hat tip to @SisterDiane from CraftyPod for her assistance in sourcing some of these videos.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Digging the Dirt: Gardening Blog RoundUp

2009-05-17T13:22:14-05:00

While April showers may bring May flowers, this past month has brought a number of gardening articles. Let's wrap this digging-the-dirt-fest up with a round up of what's being talked about on some of the garden blogs.

Flower first:
Margaret Roach of Away To Garden remembered her species peonies shares several lilac tips.

While 28 days of rain is , Molly Day's tomatoes and peppers, other plants are doing just fine:

This morning it was raining again, of course but I couldn't resist showing you the view from my desk. Last year at Blossom's Garden Center in Muskogee they had these Clematis and we put them on a trellis we had bought there the year before.

Kasmira from Cincinnati Cape Cod shares her first rose of the season: the Terese Bugnet

She’s a truly indomitable rose. She tolerates part shade and still blooms heavily. She is undaunted by late frosts, drought, and browsing deer.

Digging's Pam Penick decided at the last moment to enter Blogger's Bloom Day:

I nearly didn’t post this Bloom Day, having a lot of work on my desk that needs doing, plus a stock tank pond that needs installing. But when I went out this morning to water some new plants and recent transplants, I noticed some new May flowers and couldn’t stop myself from getting out the camera to document them.

High Altitude Gardening's Kate grew some Crazy Daisies. Are these usual blooms only because the seeds are old?

They're supposed to bloom in solid colors of pink and purple and do so after I transplant them into the garden.
Instead they're blooming early with bizarre mutant patterns. Looks as if they're heading to a Grateful Dead concert.

I imagine this is all part of the rebellion.

Then Edibles:
Claire Splan loves all the plant two-fers where you can eat a seed or root and the leaves too:

Like Amaranth--you can eat the leaves and the grain. Beets--roast the roots and saute the greens. Or grapes--eat the fruit, roll the leaves up into dolmas, and by all means drink the wine!

Christa of Calendula and Concrete shares some of her Early Eats from the Garden:

The garden is spilling over with onions and garlic right now. I enjoy having both, not only for eating but also because the plants give a nice green heft to the garden in the early spring before the summer veggies get going. They make the garden look full, even when it's not quite so.

Fluffius Muppetus (aka Emma the groundskeeper) suggested in The Crunch Bunch those plants for a victory garden that will give you the most bang for your buck. Her suggestions: greens for salads and stir-fries, tomatoes, strawberries, and herbs.

The key points to remember are to choose things that you’re going to enjoy eating – otherwise you’re spending money rather than saving it! And don’t go too mad to start with. Try growing a few plants, or starting a small vegetable patch, and expand once you’ve got the hang of it. And don’t’ forget to start a compost heap, so that you can turn all of your kitchen and garden waste into free compost for next year’s garden.

And finally the esoteric:
Nickie from GirlGoneGardening shared her views on Wildlife, Wildness, and Wilderness:

I have begun to suspect that most people don't share the joy I have when I see something wild, especially if that bit of wild comes in the form of living creatures both warm and cold blooded. Especially if those creatures have the ability to shape their environment (like we do) and perhaps cause a disturbance in what most people see as order and "balance"(as if mother nature didn't have her own ways of finding ballence).

Georgia, Life On A Southern Farm, has been sharing video of the animals and advertures on her farm. My favorite just might be Jack Big Ears, the jackass.

At 4:00 sharp every afternoon Jack, Belle, Betsy, the calves, and all the goats arrive at the barn ready for their supper of mixed grains.

I was trying to get Jack to heehaw for the camera but all he could do is look at his empty trough wondering why his supper was delayed.

Yvonne Cunnington, Country Gardener, has made a new gardening resolution:

For what it's worth, I'm instituting a new rule: gardening gets done Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, weather permitting, and the rest of the week I get to have a non-gardening life. Do you think it will work out?

Amy Stewart of DIRT took some time to tour the USDA Poisonous Plant Facility while doing research for her new book Wicked Plants:

A couple of years ago I took a research trip to Logan, Utah to visit the USDA's Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory. From the photographs on their website, I was expecting a sort of horticultural X-Files experience: something very high-tech, state-of-the-art, but also mysterious, subversive, and possibly dangerous.
And in fact, that's exactly what I got. Guys in white lab coats, glass beakers, machines that go beep, and startling medical experiments. Although the laboratory’s primary objective is to study poisonous plants that pose a threat to herds of cattle and goats so that they can help ranchers, over the years they have seen some unbelievable projects come out of their research into poisons.

Sustainable Gardening published their May edition with all the news here.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

The Fashion Show: The Project Runway Knock-Off

2009-05-13T22:57:34-05:00

Last Thursday Bravo premiered The Fashion Show, an obvious re-engineering of their popular Project Runway which they lost to LifeTime late last year. Standing in the place of Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, this show offers fashion designer Izaak Mizrahi and former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland and senior VP or IMG Fashion Fern Mallis.

The retooling of the program created some interesting changes:

Project Runway(PR) emphasized couture fashion, The Fashion Show (TFS) is concerned with designs that have retail potential.
Like all of the "professional challenge reality shows" on Bravo since PR, TFS has a quick challenge to start the show. The winner of this challenge gets immunity.
There is no contestant's "mentor" such as the role played by Tim Gunn.
The judged challenge at each show is produced as fashion show. The audience is compromised of fashion writers and retail buyers whose comments are taken into consideration by the judges in making their final decisions.
The contestants remain present throughout the final discussions/elimination. While they are free to "leave the runway', they move to become part of the audience instead of disappearing behind a curtain.
The dismissal line: We just aren't buying your line.

The bloggers who hate the show all seem to mourn the lack of a Tim Gunn character. While I find Gunn adds the charm to PR, I also believe that had the producers chosen to add a mentor-character to the show, the critics would have found whomever filled that role lacking. There is only one Tim Gunn.

I was surprised that I missed the element of shopping at Mood. Hopefully in later programs we will see more of their fabric-decision process and get a clue how each makes their design decisions. It was a small point in PR, but it added a lot to understanding the design idea of each contestant.

Many also complained about the weak dismissal line; I agree. So many of these seemed overworked and dull with an unappealling attempt to make them relavent to the idea of the show. Where Trump's "You're Fired!" works, Mizrahi's line is a snooze.

One change which I did like: the fashion show atmosphere for the challenge each week. While the finalists will not have a show at Fashion Week, they instead have a fashion show every week with exposure to the business people with whom they will eventually be working.

The reviews:
Alessandra Stanley at Sign on San Diego: There is plenty to enjoy, but not much to applaud. At its best, fashion celebrates originality; “The Fashion Show” feeds on imitation.

Anne Bratskeri of Newsday (via justusboys): BOTTOM LINE: Overall, a meaner, harsher fashion competition, but compelling. When the judges hate something, they don't try to couch their disdain.

RachelL from SideReel:

At first, it seems like a brilliant new approach to the familiar format - audiences might be more invested if they actually see something wearable - but it's quickly apparent from the premiere episode that a good part of the appeal of "Runway" lies in the outrageous designs. Haute couture is not always accessible to Main Street America, but producing it is a very creative and entertaining process.

Televisionary's Jace:

And while it might sound in theory very similar to Project Runway, there's a lot to be said about Runway's own skin tight format, the wise and knowing presence of mentor Tim Gunn, and the troika of cutting judges Michael Kors, Heidi Klum, and Nina Garcia. In fact, watching The Fashion Show reminds you that there's more to a piece of clothing than just the cloth; it's how it's cut and shaped by the hands of a master craftsman.

PopWatch.EW.com Missy Schwartz:

Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but boy can it make for some lousy television. Case in point: tonight's premiere of Bravo's The Fashion Show, a.k.a. Since We Lost 'Project Runway' to Lifetime (Argh!) We Came Up With This New Series That Is Totally Just As Awesome as the Original -- Really! Please Watch!
I'd like to give The Fashion Show the benefit of the doubt and allow that subsequent episodes might improve. But what we saw this evening wasn't pretty: an obvious -- and obviously inferior -- Runway copycat in which 15 aspiring designers compete for a $125,000 grand prize and for the chance...not to show their collection at Fashion Week, but to sell their line "in a retail market." (If that's not conveniently vague, I don't know what is.)

Tom and Lorenzo-Fabulous and Opinionated- thought:

Anyway, our point is, we don't quite get why some people are being so vehemently negative about this show. If you like Project Runway, then why on earth wouldn't you like this show? It has literally all the exact same elements. We find it hard to believe that THAT many people watch PR ONLY for the host/judges/mentor. Like we said, we love them too, but we didn't go into last night's show expecting to see them or even see a close approximation of them. We expected to see crazy designers bitching at each other while they try to complete impossible challenges and then end it with a runway show of hungry models parading the results around for judging. Done and done. Mission accomplished.

What about you? Did you watch last week? Will you continue to watch? Did you love it or hate it?
I haven't even touched upon the contesants or the designs!

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Digging the Dirt: Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardening

2009-05-09T22:42:22-05:00

Most of my gardening time is spent working my vegetable beds. I like the promise of getting something I can use for my time. However I do have a couple beds dedicated to flowers. Here too, though, I want something for my time and trouble, so I choose my flowers to benefit the creatures around me. Especially butterflies and hummingbirds.

One secret whether you're choosing flowers for hummers or for butterflies: do not use pesticides anywhere nearby.

HUMMINGBIRDS

Ruby throated hummingbirds are the most common species we see. That said, there are 17 species that breed in North America -and many more around the world. Hummingbirds.net offers a list of worldwide species and hummingbird species by state or province.

These tiny flight avians prefer flowers with deep tubular flowers in strong colors of red, blue and yellow. Shrubs such as buddleia, azalea, lantana, manzinita, weigela and red buckeye can serve as the bones of a hummingbird garden. Or start with a vine such as morning glory or scarlet trumpet vine on a trellis or wall. Below, plant some bee balm, columbine, coral bells, penstemon, yucca or foxglove and you're well on your way to making a welcoming spot for hummers to come and visit.

Hummingbirds need an extra boost of energy at sunrise and sunset to carry them through the night. A feeder placed near the plants will be that extra source that the birds come to first and last thing. A simple sugar solution (1/4C of white sugar dissolved in 1C of boiling water and allowed to cool) is all you need to keep these little guys happy. Change the syrup ever couple of days and clean your feeders at least weekly.

BUTTERFLIES

Where hummingbirds like deep tubular flowers, butterflies prefer wide flat flowers that offer a comfortable spot to land and many shallow flowers from which to sip. However, finding the right plants for the butterflies in your area isn't as simple as planting a butterfly bush (buddleia), some daisies and asters and waiting for the butterflies to come.

Butterfies have thier own particular tastes when it comes to food plants. Additionally, they will seek out those garden or wild spaces that offer the plants where their offspring will thrive.

Common Butterflies, Thier Host Plants and Nectar Plants*

BUTTERFLY                       CATERPILLAR HOST PLANT         BUTTERFLY NECTAR SOURCE
American Painted Lady      Everlasting, Daisy, Burdock      Aster, Dogbane, Goldenrod, Mallow, Vetch
Anise Swallowtail               Queen Anne's Lace                  Buddleia, Joe Pye Weed
Black Swallowtail                Parsley, Dill, Fennel                Aster, Buddleia, Joe Pye Weed, Alfalfa
Common Sulphur                Vetch                                    Aster, Dogbane, Goldenrod
Giant Swallowtail Citrus                                    Joe Pye Weed, Buddleia
Greater Fritillary                 Violet                                   Joe Pye Weed
Hackberry Emperor    Hackberry    Sap, Rotting fruit, Dung, Carrion
Little Glassywing                Purpletop Grass    Dogbane, Zinnia
Little Yellow                      Cassia, Clover    Clover
Monarch                             Milkweed    Dogbane, Buddleia
Mourning Cloak    Willow, Elm, Poplar, Birch    Butterfly Bush, Milkweed, Shasta Daisy
Orange Sulphur                  Vetch. Alfalfa, Clover               Alfalfa, Aster, Clover, Verbena
Orange-barred Sulphur        Cassia                                   Many plants
Painted Lady                     Thistle,Daisy,Mallow/Hollyhock Aster, Zinnia
Viceroy                             Willow, Poplar, Fruit Trees        Thistle, Goldenrod, Milkweed
Zebra Swallowtail               Pawpaw                                 Dogbane, Joe Pye Weed, Buddleia

*chart information found at Butterfly WebSite

Two secrets whether you're choosing flowers for hummers or for butterflies: do not use pesticides anywhere nearby, do remember that native species will typically offer more nectar than cultivated species.

Crafting a Life: Kids Crafty Tutorials

2009-05-06T18:55:02-05:00

"There's nothing to do."
"We're bored."
"How many days until we go ...?"

These -and similar complaints - are the true signs of summer. Children left to their resources can quickly run out of ways to amuse themselves. I'd be willing to bet that with schools closing because of the H1N1 influenza, some parents and caretakers are already hearing these refrains.

With that in mind, I've searched out some simple to more complicated crafty tutorials to keep the whole family entered for an afternoon.

Quazen tackled one of the ubiquitous items of childhood: what to do with broken crayons.

Waxed Paper Stained Glass Windows
Mega Mult-Color Crayon Blocks
Wax Painting on paper.

I remember doing all of these as kids and having a blast. Wouldn't these be great solutions for either rainy summer days, or those last summer "there's nothing to do" days?

Amanda Formaro wrote a tutorial on Salt Dough Sports Magnets. These quick and simple crafts would make gifts for the Mom or Dad who is a crazy sports fan - or the parent of one.

Simple Kids Craft.com has a collection of YouTube videos demonstrating how to do simple crafts.

Do you head to the zoo with your kids every summer? Wenona Napolitano at Crafting A Green World wrote a tutorial on making cute animal creations from empty yogurt cups: Yogurt Cup Creations. While she and her family have created seasonal animals, I can see re-creating the zoo and a great memory of the trip.

Gail Bartel recognized Children's Day by writing two tutorials on Koinobori Windsocks
using both fabric and heavy paper. I had kids do something similar at a summer Bible School picnic at the beach. Watching children stand in a row at the edge of the water with their windsocks fluttering in the breeze was magical. The added benefit: the windsocks identified "our" kids from all the others at the beach that day.

When the kids are home, do they head out to ride their bikes all day? Check out these simple instructions for embellished wheel spokes, bike flag, or streamers from the DIY network to customize the look of their bikes.

Perhaps a child would like to spend some time this summer tackling a new hobby. AlphaMom offered T-Shirt Weaving (like the potholders I made as a child):

help your kids celebrate with an upcycled weaving project using old t-shirts. My six-year-old was fascinated to watch me cut up clothing (not for the first time) and we thought of many more uses for these cast-off shirts. I'm certain that you have some old t-shirts lying around the house, but if you get them at the thrift store, look for extra large shirts with no seams on the sides to make the longest strips. We used string for the base (called warp strings) because I found it easier for little hands to work with, but you could also use more t-shirt strips, creating a denser weave and a fully recycled project. And if you don't have a loom, don't go buy one -- you can use a cardboard box by following the instructions here.

Finally, it always seems that breaks from school invite those broken arms and legs. BPWagner posted an Instructables tutorial on Attaching Lego Accessories to a Cast. I'm still a little confused about these instructions, but the idea of having a light or other accessory that I could attach to a cast is too juicy to ignore. Please, if you try this one, let me know how it goes.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.

Crafting a Life: Crafting in Public

2009-04-29T10:03:49-05:00

With the weather warming up and days getting longer, we can anticipate more occasions to take our crafting outside and create in the great outdoors. Casual evenings of drinks on a patio with a simple stitching project in our lap, picnics in the park. Then there are organized public crafting events that occur each year:

STITCH N' PITCH

Stitch N' Pitch will again be held in major and minor league stadiums around North America. If you've never heard of this event before...

Stitch N' Pitch brings together two wonderful traditions — Baseball and the NeedleArts. Come to a ball game and knit, crochet, embroider, cross-stitch and needlepoint. Sit among friends, family and colleagues and cheer on your favorite Baseball Team. Beginners, intermediate and experts are all welcome.

Stitchers who love baseball, knitters who don't have a clue about baseball, stitchers who love being together in a crowd, they all come out for local Stitch and Pitch games. What I love are the projects created to wear at the baseball park. Be sure to check out the photos that accompany the following blogs.

What bloggers wrote about last year:

Life in Cleveland: Believe me when I say there were knitters everywhere. And nothing’s more fun than that!

Stitches of Heritage: For stitchers, it's a great night to grab your project and head to the stadium for a night of stitching & fellowship. And what a long night it was........ the game went into 14 (yes - fourteen) innings! I brought along a knitting project but the goodie bags were full of great cross stitch freebies too!

knitting daily:

I'm not much of a sports person (most of you have figured this out by now!). But I have gone with friends to sports events, because being with lots of people,watching men and women run around after small objects, eating junk food (I ADORE hot dogs), shouting yourself hoarse when someone makes a point(or a goal, or a home run) is really a lot of fun even if you have no clue what is really going on.

However, baseball has been a special challenge to me. To the uninitiated (thatwould be me), the game is a
bit...well...slow.The first few baseball games I went to, I was--I shall tell the truth, even if it makes the commenters explode at me--bored. The home runs were exciting, and the SMACK of the bat hitting the ball is a great sound when you're actually in the ballpark, but all that time in between...I kept thinking, "I
could be knitting. I wish I had brought my knitting." Those first few games, I would come home feeling as though hours of perfectly good knitting time had been wasted, because of course, I was too shy to bring my knitting to a sports event in a ballpark full of rabid fans.

Thank goodness those days of being too shy to bring my knitting out of the house are at an end.

Panopticon:

Knitting has taken me many places I never expected to go, but none more unexpected than a baseball field. Yup, I went to Stitch 'n' Pitch Chicago last night. I said I wouldn't and I truly believed I wouldn't. But at the last minute there was ticket, and the weather was good, and there was the prospect of An Evening with Knitters. So I went.

You remember Eleanor Roosevelt's line about how you should do something every day that scares you? The game was my Scary Thing for yesterday.

A Year of Stitches: The best thing about Stitch 'N' Pitch night is that it brings together two things I love. Baseball and yarn.

WORLD WIDE KNIT IN PUBLIC WEEKEND:

In previous years, there has been a WWKIP day held the 2nd Saturday in June. This year, to make Knit in Public easier for all to schedule, the event is being held over the entire weekend.

World Wide Knit in Public Weekend allows for:

a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting in tow) just for you and people like you. Who knows you might even bump into your neighbor! Consider this a spark, to ignite a fire; getting all of the closeted knitters out into fresh air.

WWKiP Day is unique, in that it's the largest knitter run event in the world. Each local event is put together by a volunteer or a group of volunteers. They each organize an event because they want to, not because they have to. They bring their own fresh ideas into planning where the event should be held, and what people would like to do.

What bloggers wrote about last year:

SpeedyNeedleFreeman: it was rad to have so many public knitters, i mean most of us are not ashamed, or all of us are not ashamed to be knitters, and knit in public all the time without thinking about it. it was wonderful to be part of such a public display of unashamedness. for most i don't think it is poltical, but when you get a group together (there were about 60 of us there), it becomes political. si se puede!!!

Lorrie Knits And Sews: World Wide Knit in Public Day was also my daughter's wedding day. Yes I knit, when not busy celebrating.

Furry with Ruffles:You would all be aware (if not, go out and slap yourselves soundly now please) of World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIP) on Saturday June 14th. Perth had a very satisfactory turnout due to my constant prodding I suspect as well as some great kindnesses on the part of the weather gods. Indeed it was so warm that sunburn was a serious risk for those of us who spent the large part of the day in residence.

Strings and Sealing Wax: I did manage to make it to our local WWKIP '08 event on Saturday June 14 with my Ravelry group. We did a great deal of chatting while knitting, as usual. We sat on the benches in the courtyard, shaded by the trees, listening to the splashing water and every now and then feeling a bit of the mist blown by the wind off the fountain. It was truly lovely.

Other crafters seek out opportunities to craft in public:

Whatever James: In Stitches:

Somehow the man cross stitching and the neck tattoo and wanting to relieve stress led to the conclusion that I had been in the klink. And that was emotional for me because how many people think the same thing and don't ask? I have been called many things by the uneducated and mostly unwashed masses. I've had trash thrown at me because they think a guy with an embroidery hoop can't start some shit.But as equally important are the conversations my working in public has started, the compliments and oohs and awwws I have gotten at my work, and the friends that I have made because of it.

My Love Is: My personal faves are knitting, crocheting or embroidering outside - easily transportable...... I love the feeling of calm that I get crafting outside with the sun on my face......

The City of Crochet:And last but not least, some crafting progress is being made! Lookee! I have 2 finshed dishcloths that flew off my hooks in no time at all, and the Crafting in Public shot...I pulled out my purse dishcloth and was working on that while having a beer and people watching at the Irish Pub next to the Bourse (Belgian Stock Exchange building)

Or NOT:

Crafty Goat's Notes:

It's not that I don't enjoy crafty get-togethers. I love being around other creatives, watching their process and absorbing their conversations. But I just don't create well in that situation. Maybe it's performance anxiety. Maybe it's perfectionism. For whatever reason, though, I prefer to do my creating in my own comfy little craft room, where I can really dig into a project and do it just right.

So is this just me? I'm curious what the rest of you think of crafting in public...?

I'm curious, too. How do you feel about crafting in public?

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.