True Up » Q&A: Jessica Levitt on Timber.

...i heart fabric...: Fabric Stash Purge Party coming up....

Craft Templates from The Martha Stewart Show - Giant Paper Poppy Flower Decoration.

Tree-Stump Trivet, on marthastewart.com.

True Up » Where to Buy Liberty of London Fabric. Very helpful guide, with links to more about the history of Liberty of London and what all the fuss is about.

When the Liberty of London stuff arrived at Target I went there the day of thinking it was going to be another Orla-sized rush. And it was, by the time I arrived most everything had disappeared. I really like the peacock feather print above and I bought the last two peacock pillows thinking I'd, I don't know, make a skirt. Trouble is there isn't enough fabric in the two pillows to make a skirt. So I kept them trying to decide if I wanted to find a way to use the fabric in a skirt, somehow. Panels maybe? Or maybe they will go with my theoretical future couch and whatever way we decide to decorate the tv watching living room and I could actually use them as the pillows they are meant to be? A month passed and I finally talked myself into returning them. Then on my way to buy a dish brush at the other end of the store I spotted a pile of new peacock pillows, more than enough to make a skirt. So now I remain undecided. What do you think? Commence project skirt? Or will that lead to (minor, silly) heartbreak?

I just finished reading Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini and today I'm happy to be able to ask her a few questions. Sweater Quest is the story of knitting Alice Starmore's Mary Tudor sweater pattern within one year. If you're a knitter you might understand why that sounds far easier than it actually is. If you're not a knitter you should know that it's an insanely complicated sweater for which the pattern is out of print and difficult (and expensive) to find, the yarn hasn't been made for years, and the knitting technique is intricate. It was an interesting read, I learned all about Alice Starmore and why she has the reputation she does, there are meetings with lots of the biggest knitting celebrities, trips to knitting meccas, historical facts about Mary Tudor, and musings on why we knit.

One of the things you ponder in the book is whether your sweater is really an Alice Starmore design since you didn't use the original Alice Starmore yarns. I do not knit with wool and one of the first things I learned to do was substitute yarn so this concern about authenticity was something I'd never considered before. Did you have any further feelings on the this in general or about your Mary Tudor in particular after the book was wrapped up?

For most designs, substituting yarns is no big deal. You might wind up with an object that doesn't drape or feel like the original but who cares? You've made something that pleases you. With Starmore, it makes a huge difference what yarns you use because she is a master at color. Swap out any one skein and you'll wind up with a mess -- and I know this because I tried to do just that. I saved the swatch from that misbegotten disaster and it is hideous.

I'm still not certain is my Mary Tudor is a true Starmore, frankly. I used a yarn (Spindrift) that is very, very close to the original Starmore yarns but isn't identical. I substituted one color in the blue background bands. It might be close enough to a Starmore to fool the non-connoisseurs. But I wonder how it would fare if put next to the original.

So tell us, did you hear from Alice Starmore or her people once this book came out? Did you ever consider writing to her during your project?

I haven't heard from Starmore or her official people at all. I have been vigorously taken to task by a few people on Ravelry who claim to be her bosom buddies. But, given the nature of such things, you can be almost anyone you want on the internet. So, really, who knows?

Frankly, I'd love to hear from her and wished that I could get her side of the story directly from her mouth. The publisher's lawyers were twitchy, however, and I was firmly advised to not make contact. I'm not thrilled with this, mind, but will abide by their advice, even though I wish the world were a different place.

After finding how carefully and how well Alice Starmore uses color, if you were to do another Alice Starmore sweater would you seek out the specific yarns called for? If somebody else was going to tackle a Starmore would you recommend they get the particular yarns?

If -- and it's a big if, given how many other things I want to knit -- I ever take on another Starmore sweater, I would get even more obsessive about it, which is hard to imagine, I know. I'd track down all of the original yarns, just to see if it really does make a big difference. For those who aren't quite as compulsive as I can be, I'd say to just do what you feel is right. To get the best result, you have to use wool, I think, and swatch like a mighty knitter who swatches. Other than that, just do it - because if you can manage a decent knit stitch, you can do Starmore's Fair Isle.

Do you ever get requests from people who would like to see your Mary Tudor in person? (I have to admit I would.) Are you taking it on your book tour with you?

The Mary Tudor is my constant traveling companion. She doesn't eat much but does take up a lot of room in my bag. I still get a little thrill when the audience at a reading makes appreciative noises, even though I know it's wrong to take such pride in a sweater. There are some pictures online, if you can't make it to where I am, see it here.

Is there any significance to the knitted border design on your book jacket?

Not that I know of. I've been working on getting the jacket designer to confirm that the yarn in the main picture is Lamb's Pride. The designer thinks it's hilarious that anyone would ask that sort of question about stock art. Clearly, he doesn't know knitters.

Indeed, thank you Adrienne!

Adrienne will be at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA on April 15 if you'd like to see the Mary Tudor for yourself, and you can keep up with her on her website, martinimade.

Design*Sponge » diy: test tube vase.

Fabric basket and bin tutorials | How About Orange.

Craftzine.com blog : Easy-Threading Sewing Needle.

Ruche: DIY - Wall Decor from Ruche's Lookbook. These large paper wall decorations are amazing, and luckily they show us how to make them. I think these would be great for a wedding or party. Via Design*Sponge.

Que Sera cardigan: Knitty Spring+Summer 2010. I like this one, too bad I sold all my Blue Sky cotton a while back.

DIY Tiered Cupcake Stand Tutorial | giverslog.com. Via Edible Crafts.

Draft & Sew a Custom Fit Reversible Coat. This is amazing, and she talks you through drafting your own coat. Via Craftzine.

Design*Sponge » diy project: ikea celeber decal food jars. Love this!

Jordan Ferney | Oh Happy Day!: Quilts. A quilt made from Muji map handkerchiefs, neat.

Free black and white wedding printables | How About Orange.

Earlier I made Chocolate Easter Surprise Eggs. I really enjoyed making them but realize, of course, how complicated they were. I am clearly a crazy person. Here is something similar but much easier to make. To sum up: dyed eggshells filled with candy and/or toys and sealed at the bottom with paper.

Before:

After:

You will need:

• enough time to let dyed eggs dry overnight
• one dozen eggs (or however many you'd like to make)
• boxes of both regular and neon McCormick food coloring
• assorted candies or toys small enough to fit into an egg
• mini muffin papers, or paper nut party cups, or regular paper, or big roundish stickers
• glue
• a cookie cooling rack, or skewers stuck in some styrofoam, or six sets of takeout chopsticks stuck in a vase (for drying the dyed eggs upside down)

Handy but not necessary:

• an egg topper or a Dremel

These are a re-do of surprise eggs I made ages ago. (I think that was one of the first tutorials I put on this site.) I took inspiration from both Kinder Eggs and Cascarones, eggshells filled with confetti usually cracked over the head of a friends or family. (Note: some of the images below were reused from my earlier tutorial, so they might look familiar.)

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These dyed Easter are real eggshells that have been coated on the inside with chocolate and stuffed with candy and a small surprise.

Everything I used to decorate the eggs is edible. I used jumbo sized eggs, though this wasn't necessary. I stuffed them with the smallest things I could find.

I was hoping to try to make my own version of the chocolate filled real eggshells that Martha Stewart created a few years back, but I wanted mine to be more like a Kinder Surprise egg with a toy or small item inside. I also took inspiration from hollow chocolate eggs that contain smaller chocolates and candies, as these make a pleasing rattling noise when you shake them, and I can never wait to find out what is inside.

I learned a lot through mistakes along the way (which I'll go into obnoxious detail about in a later post), but here is what did work for me.

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The other day I was passing by Wallingford Center and decided to stop in and have a look at the new home of Fabric Crush, which recently moved over from Magnolia. I was very excited to visit the shop for the first time after hearing good things about it from Robin of Red Bird Style.

The space is lovely, the tall windows let in lots of natural light and there are wide open spaces for you to wander in. Every fabric shop should have this light. The collection of fabrics, books, patterns and notions is very well currated and it's so lovely to wander around looking at nothing but excellent fabrics.

She even carries some great oilcloth and laminated fabrics. Most fabrics are quilting weight cottons and it's full of Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Michael Miller, Free Spirit, I even spotted some of the Jessica Jones (aka How About Orange) home decorating weight fabrics.

I was surprised to find out that she carries some fabric lines that have local connections. Clothworks Textiles is based in Seattle. I know I saw some of the Fleur Nouveau fabrics designed by Don Baker. They carry fabric wheels of the Robert Kaufman fabrics designed by Josephine Kimberling. And I found out that Kona Bay is a Washington company. Fabric Crush stocks some of the Japanese fabrics they import each year and offer at good prices.

Fabric Crush is lovely and if you live near Seattle I highly recommend you rush right ove to have a look. It's right next to Bad Woman Yarn and just down the hall from Trophy Cupcake, it couldn't get much better.

Poise.cc | From Old Coat to a New Bag. This is an amazing transformation, bravo.

Cool Tools: Fire Mountain Gems. "The McMaster Carr of the jewelry world."

Rose Barrettes - the purl bee. Exceptional cuteness, via How About Orange.

DIY Fabric Poms | DIY Wedding Blog | Once Wed. Via lushlee.

angry chicken: bias tape tutorial (all by machine).

PlushYou!: Debbie Stoller's new yarn. Yay Debbie!

Design Mom: valentines-for-classmates. I am swooningly in love with these! Many extra exclamation points here!

Suburban Bliss: Valentine's Treats 2009. I love how simple and colorful and absolutely cheerful these are.

How to stencil with freezer paper | How About Orange.

Craftzine.com blog : Free Coin Purse Pattern From Cotton And Cloud.

Cloudy Crochet: Brioche Stitch Explained. Thank goodness.

Where on Earth can you find BORING fabric? | Ask MetaFilter.

I have this thing about winter hats, they never quite cover my earlobes. I forget all about this until I'm out in the cold and then it's too late and I end up tugging the hat down trying to keep my poor ears warm. Even the Calorimetry, which I love, doesn't quite cover my whole ear (maybe I have freakishly large ears?).

The hat shown here is my rough draft and is riddled with mistakes. I closed the short rows on one side incorrectly, I missed when to cable and did some at every five rows, some at six and one a seven. Despite this it's still my favorite functionally warm hat. And I have enough yarn to make a more polished one. It's pictured here on a styrafoam head that is considerably smaller than my own head.

The hat shown pulled down over the forehead.

I was telling a friend, Maggi, about this and my requirements. I didn't want to have a staggered cast on (I like tubular for hats), I didn't want to have tie anything under the chin, I didn't want to go back and knit ear flaps later on (they don't seem to do anything but hang there anyhow). Then Maggi, all effortless like, suggested short rows. She is a genius. I've only just wrapped my head around how short rows work so I gave it a shot.

The hat shown pulled back a bit.

I made the short rows on this hat like you would do for a sock heel (each row was shorter than the previous), and the result was that they curl inward and hug underneath the ear, a nice unexpected outcome. I used the Chunky Cabled Beanie pattern from Stitch Cafe as a starting point. (Here found at the Internet Archive after it disappeared during a site redesign sometime in the last two days.) I added a pattern repeat, for a total of seven cable/rib sections, and placed the short row areas centered over cabled sections closer to the back of the head, if you are counting from the join at the back of the head they would be over sections 2 and 6.

The hat is shown above flat. On the left is the hat from the front, and on the right is the hat from the side (if worn one's face would be pointed to the left). I'm trying to show how I didn't center the earflaps but set them back a bit, they seem to be well placed for me.

(I'm no good at getting photographs of myself in a mirror, this is the only one that shows the hat well enough.)

There are a few short row earflap hats already out there including this very tidy one from QueerJoe's Knitting Blog, the Brioche Helmet Hat from Interweave Knits, Earflap Hat from Sunshine Knit Designs, and Cameron's Cap by Sarah Peasley (note: that link is to a PDF).

I'm not sure if it uses short rows but I like the cabled had from Rebecca shown by Action Hero in her roundup of winter hats. Another ear covering hat that comes immediately to mind is the Amelia Earhart Aviator Cap. On Ravelry I found the Mimipita Earflap Hat, which is written in Japanese but uses a universal chart, and the Cabled Earflap Hat which is sized for a baby but easily made larger using a larger gauge.

There are also plenty of cute earflap hats that have chin ties that I wouldn't mind having: Cabled Chullo, Snowboarder Hat That Rocks and 18 Seconds to Sunrise.

One last note, I still really like Japanese short rows. The best tutorials I've found are at nonaKnits and for Japanese short rows in the round Adorabubble Knits works through it nicely.

p.s. My project is here on Ravelry in case you're interested: red cabled short row earflap hat.