Shave ’em to Save ’em

I love a good challenge, even more so when it’s for a good cause. Shave ’em to Save ’em is a Livestock Conservancy initiative that’s working to make heritage breeds of sheep more viable to shepherds. There are 22 breeds of sheep on the conservancy’s priority list, four of which are listed as critical (which […]

New Year, Same Me (but with Loftier Goals)

Happy New Year! 2018 was great to me, and what I’m most proud of is I actually completed (some) resolutions I made on this day a year ago: Read 20 books This one isn’t really fiber arts related. I mean, I read fiber arts stuff all the time, but I think that was a little […]

A Holiday Hiatus

Thanksgiving is just about upon us: family is flying in from out of town, menus are being prepared, and battle plans are being made for the Black Friday sales. Of course, you don’t have to fight crowds on Friday if you’re making your holiday gifts. As I’m sure most of you are doing the same, […]

Corset Coffee Cozy

Holiday knitting is now in full swing! First on my list is an appropriately themed coffee cup cozy for my Ren Fest friend, Chrissy. I designed this corset a couple of seasons ago, so I’m super bummed that I missed making her one then, but now I have something for her for Christmas! And really, […]

Line Knitting

I didn’t post on Tuesday because I was in Disneyland! Just a short trip to spend some time with some Disney friends. The one thing you can always count on in Disney is lines, lots of long lines. Phones today are super helpful with that, but batteries can only last so long. I always make […]

Gin the Cotton

We returned from Branson to quite a lovely sight: Dad was able to harvest some of my cotton while we were away! These are just the first four bolls, there’s (hopefully) a lot more on the way. I thought it would be best to gin it (or remove the seeds) as we harvested it, for […]

Silver Dollar City Harvest Festival

Another weekend, another craft festival! The Silver Dollar City craft festival has been a staple in my family for many years. It perfectly combines my love of crafts and my love of theme parks. Although, the fiber arts representation has been a little iffy for a while. There used to be a couple of really […]

Alpaca Adoption

My friend Marci and I adopted an alpaca last weekend. This has prompted a lot of questions from my friends and colleagues: “You’re adopting an alpaca? Where will you keep it? Do you know anything about taking care of alpacas?” I sure don’t, readers. That’s why I’m just adopting her, and she can go live […]

Baldwin City Maple Leaf Festival

What better way to ween myself off of my crafty Ren Fest weekends than to surround myself in crafty goodness at a fall festival! The Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City, KS occurs in third full weekend in October. It started as a craft show in the late 1950s, to celebrate the leaves turning and […]

Look Ma, No Needles!

Since I’ve had my finger to the pulse of the yarn industry for almost fifteen years, I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go (and come again). As far as the big box craft stores go, there’s usually one big-deal novelty yarn making the rounds, and I have to admit I’ve become really interested […]