Hey folks, this is Jenny, Vickie's Web Girl. Vickie wanted me to let you know that she finally has the schedule for her Today Show appearance tomorow (Thursday, June 29th.) She will be on during the last 15 minutes of the third hour.
If you live in a city where they show all three hours consecutively, this means she will be on at around 9:45. If you live in a city like Austin where they show two hours of Today, then go to another show like Regis, then show the third hour of Today, she is on around 10:45. If in doubt, check your local listings, because I am more confused than you are.
Tune in or tape it, people!
Thanks,
Jenny
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Better Late Than Never
I'm a week and a half late on this post but hey, better late than never, right? The Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn was a ton of fun but holy moly, was it SWELTERING! Apparently, that Sunday was the hottest June 18th since 1914 or some crap. For those of you who haven't met the ladies of ACM, most of us weren't blessed with the ability to tan. Susann & Hope get a little golden but me, Jennifer, Jenny and Tina are poster children for the need for sunscreen. What I'm saying is, my people don't handle the heat well. By the end of day two, we were all heat rashed and wilted. It was not our Elizabeth Arden Red Door moment!
On the plus side, we got to hang out with all kinds of cool crafty peeps. I finally got to meet the Sperber sisters (31 Corn Lane), who were kind enough to have us over to their Brooklyn house for a pre-fair BBQ. It was good times. They're awesome.
My friend Kathy Cano-Murillo had a booth as did the gals from Portland Super Crafty. All of us were interviewed for the Indie Craft Documentary by the film's director/producers (seen below.)
The guys from Fred Flare were out interviewing for their podcast--they were Hi-larious! (Note Chris's short shorts fabulousness & Keith's flowery pant goodness.)
When Chris saw the title of my book, New Knits on the Block he exclaimed, "Helloooo, 1-800-CUTE!". Comedy.
Diana from Make Workshop let me pick out a hank of her beautiful hand-dyed wool from which I promptly made Stefanie Japel's One Skein Wonder Shrug. Isn't it purty?
When I wasn't at the fair, I got to meet a couple of friends for dinner and drinks one night, spent Father's Day evening with the Perkins family and went cashmere shopping with my friend Lori at School Products. They sell it in bulk there for a price that works out less than most high-end merino wool. We both bought enough to make small "Rambling Rows" throws for our respective couches. The latter outing almost made me late for the Isaac Mizrahi shoot for the next Knit.1 Article. We ran back to her place, I changed, threw on some make-up, packed my suitcases and grabbed a cab. I did my hair in the car. We only had 10 minutes to get the pictures taken, as Isaac had squeezed us in between other events. He knitted on my shrug project, while we chatted for a few minutes and then we were both off--me to the airport and he to--well, I have no idea where.
And so it was--my latest trip to big apple. I go back again to NY in the morning for rehearsal for the Today Show appearance on Thursday. Now, I'm heading to the mall to buy a girdle. I'm taking Dolly Parton's advice from Steel Magnolias, and not leaving the house (or in this case, going on TV) without lycra on these thighs. ;-)
Oh, if you're bored, the Not Another Teen Book blog tour kicked-off today. Check out the 1st stop here.
xoxo,
Vic
On the plus side, we got to hang out with all kinds of cool crafty peeps. I finally got to meet the Sperber sisters (31 Corn Lane), who were kind enough to have us over to their Brooklyn house for a pre-fair BBQ. It was good times. They're awesome.
My friend Kathy Cano-Murillo had a booth as did the gals from Portland Super Crafty. All of us were interviewed for the Indie Craft Documentary by the film's director/producers (seen below.)
The guys from Fred Flare were out interviewing for their podcast--they were Hi-larious! (Note Chris's short shorts fabulousness & Keith's flowery pant goodness.)
When Chris saw the title of my book, New Knits on the Block he exclaimed, "Helloooo, 1-800-CUTE!". Comedy.
Diana from Make Workshop let me pick out a hank of her beautiful hand-dyed wool from which I promptly made Stefanie Japel's One Skein Wonder Shrug. Isn't it purty?
When I wasn't at the fair, I got to meet a couple of friends for dinner and drinks one night, spent Father's Day evening with the Perkins family and went cashmere shopping with my friend Lori at School Products. They sell it in bulk there for a price that works out less than most high-end merino wool. We both bought enough to make small "Rambling Rows" throws for our respective couches. The latter outing almost made me late for the Isaac Mizrahi shoot for the next Knit.1 Article. We ran back to her place, I changed, threw on some make-up, packed my suitcases and grabbed a cab. I did my hair in the car. We only had 10 minutes to get the pictures taken, as Isaac had squeezed us in between other events. He knitted on my shrug project, while we chatted for a few minutes and then we were both off--me to the airport and he to--well, I have no idea where.
And so it was--my latest trip to big apple. I go back again to NY in the morning for rehearsal for the Today Show appearance on Thursday. Now, I'm heading to the mall to buy a girdle. I'm taking Dolly Parton's advice from Steel Magnolias, and not leaving the house (or in this case, going on TV) without lycra on these thighs. ;-)
Oh, if you're bored, the Not Another Teen Book blog tour kicked-off today. Check out the 1st stop here.
xoxo,
Vic
Friday, June 23, 2006
Not Another Teen Blog Tour
Hey there! Just got the scoop on the blog tour for Not Another Teen Knitting Book. Starting next Tuesday, I'll be virtually visiting a blog a day for five days straight! Here's the schedule:
Tues, Jun 27
Knit.1 Magazine Blog
Join us for the B/F/F wristband knit-along with the chance to win a free book and mention in Knit.1 Magazine!
Wed, Jun 28
Naughty Secretary Club Blog
Q&A by jewelry maven and New Knits on the Block contributor, Jennifer Perkins!
Thur, Jun 29
Shelterrific
The lovely ladies who bring you loads of home-y goodness, will offer my "Dorm Decor" pillow pattern for FREE!
Fri, Jun 30
Elizabeth Lenhard's Blog
Interview by the author of my current read, "Chicks with Sticks: It's a Purl Thing".
Sat, Jul 1
Pink World's Blog
We hop across the pond for this one--a quick interview by the UK's very own Lola Love!
Sun, Jul 2
Peptogirl's Blog
A chat with pretty in pink, Peptogirl!
Stay in your jammies, grab a cup of cocoa and read along with us. Hope to "see" you there!
xoxo,
Vickie
Tues, Jun 27
Knit.1 Magazine Blog
Join us for the B/F/F wristband knit-along with the chance to win a free book and mention in Knit.1 Magazine!
Wed, Jun 28
Naughty Secretary Club Blog
Q&A by jewelry maven and New Knits on the Block contributor, Jennifer Perkins!
Thur, Jun 29
Shelterrific
The lovely ladies who bring you loads of home-y goodness, will offer my "Dorm Decor" pillow pattern for FREE!
Fri, Jun 30
Elizabeth Lenhard's Blog
Interview by the author of my current read, "Chicks with Sticks: It's a Purl Thing".
Sat, Jul 1
Pink World's Blog
We hop across the pond for this one--a quick interview by the UK's very own Lola Love!
Sun, Jul 2
Peptogirl's Blog
A chat with pretty in pink, Peptogirl!
Stay in your jammies, grab a cup of cocoa and read along with us. Hope to "see" you there!
xoxo,
Vickie
New York Teen Knitters?
Heya! I'm trying to find a few teen knitters (must already know how to knit)in the New York area for an event I'm doing to promote Not Another Teen Knitting Book next week. I would love to find at least one guy and a girl with a little urban/punk/goth and/or hipster edge to her. Does anybody know someone fitting those descriptions? If so, let me know through my website or contact my publicist directly at: kgalvin@sterlingpub.com
Thanks in advance!
Vickie
Thanks in advance!
Vickie
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Indian-a Summer
I'm back from Indianapolis. Besides the fact that my shoes betrayed me, the trip was great! No interesting story of torrid indiscretions, I just fell off of my 5" Steve Madden platforms doing nothing more than walking down the street. My bloody foot and I persevered however, and had a successful book signing at TNNA. After 100 books, we ran out and had to turn people away. I'm choosing to believe that it was because people dig the new book, and not because their copies were free.
;-)
These events are weird because you see everyone in the industry all at once. Within a 12 hour period I spoke with my friends Beverly Galeskas (Felted Knits & Fiber Trends), Candi Jensen, Adina Klein (Knit.1), Nicky Epstein, Teva Duram (one of my favorite designers) and Trisha Macolm (Vogue Knitting)as well as Melanie Falick, Annie Modesitt, Stefanie Japel (Glampyre Knits & NATB contributor--whose stuff I love and was really happy to finally meet) and I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch more. It's a whirlwind of knittyness! I also got to meet a couple of Catwalk Crochet contributors in person, which was awesome. There were of course, gobs of beautiful yarn everywhere. The only new stuff that I saw however (but to be honest, I only had about 30 minutes to look), was petrochemical-free and made from corn by Southwest Trading Company. It kind of reminded me of a softer version of Berroco suede--really nice. Edith Eig (Mother of Purl) was also there promoting her new light-up knitting needles. This is the 2nd of it's kind that I've seen proto-types of so far, but these seemed to be the lighter weight and more aesthetically pleasing of the two. I'd be interested in trying them out to see if they're effective.
Tomorrow I'm off to New York for the Renegade Craft Fair. If you're in the Brooklyn area this Saturday and Sunday, be sure to stop by the Austin Craft Mafia booth (#157)! I'll be there signing Not Another Teen Knitting Book and selling my wares alongside the gals from Naughty Secretary Club, Hot Pink Pistol, Sublime Stitching, All Dressed Up and Shy and Sparkle Craft. Hope to see you there!
If we can coordinate our schedules, there's a chance that I might be doing a photo shoot with Isaac Mizrahi for Knit.1 while I'm in NYC. When I told my best friend this morning that I have the kids with me until I leave so I didn't see any way that I was going to make it into the salon she screeched, "YOU CAN'T DO A PHOTO SHOOT WITH A FABULOUS GAY MAN WITHOUT COLORING YOUR HAIR!" She's a stylist and gets a wee bit sensitive about these things. When I told her that my hair doesn't look that bad right now, I could almost hear her eye twitching over the phone. I told her that at the very least I'd throw something on it from the beauty supply store myself. She was not amused. ;-)
Don't forget to set your Tivos tomorrow to learn how to convert old wardrobe items into something new and fabu on the new episode of Stylelicious hosted by Tina Sparkles, Jesse Kelly-Landes and Karly Hand!
Alright, laundry and packing awaits.
Adieu,
Vickie
Thursday, June 08, 2006
TNNA Time
I leave for TNNA in Indiana tomorrow. If you happen to be going, stop by the Sterling booth. I have a signing there on Saturday at 1pm for Not Another Teen Knitting Book. Fellow ACMer Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching will also have a booth there, so make sure to check it out as well!
I get to see a bunch of friends while I'm there including Lori Steinberg (who designed the pirate set for New Knits on the Block and the fingerless gloves for the teen book), Karen Baumer (who designed a couple of things for all 3 books and has been a guest on Knitty Gritty a few times--remember the furry-cuff mitten and sock episodes?) and Adina Klein (Editor of Knit.1). So, as far as conventions go, it should be good times.
In true me form, I procrastinated on getting swag ideas to the Sterling folks for the gift bags they're putting together for a party they're throwing at TNNA. So, I'm spending my day slapping my "Craft. Rock. Live." stickers on 150 balls of Moda Dea and will attempt to make the same amount of guitar pick stitch holders --which I plan to eventually have on my site with "Knit. Rock. Love." printed on them. Due to the aformentioned procrastination however, the giftbag version will only have the guitar company logo on it. Hopefully people will know what they are. I'm attaching them to the yarn labels--the way they hang off reminds me of the charms that I used to get in the late 80's, to dangle off my hot-pink acrylic pinky nail. H-O-T! Special shout-out to Dave who spent a good portion of his evening last night at my kitchen table, drilling tiny holes in countless picks so that I can insert jump-rings into them today. Holla! ;-)
As you can imagine, there's a lot of movie/tv watching going on here today. I just finished watching November,an indie pic from 2005. I'd been meaning to watch it forever, because my former roommate, Matt Carey, from over 10 years ago plays the robber in it (When I was 22 I was a receptionist at this smaller talent agency that represented Matt. My other roommate situation had fallen through so, I rented a room from his guardian. Here I go, procrastinating again.) Anyway, we still keep in touch so basically, I suck for not seeing the movie before now.
You might also recognize him from the movie, The Banger Sisters and as the kidnapper (2 or 3 seasons ago) from "24". He's a great actor, an awesome person and I miss him.
The Perkins sisters and their mom are on today's Stylelicious, so I'll probably watch that next.
Speaking of the sisters, I saw both of them last night at Jennifer's husband Chris's band, Beta Valentine's show (here's me & jen).
It was a lot of fun and kuddos to the guitarist Joey, for playing with a broken hand!
Alrighty, back to work.
Vickie
I get to see a bunch of friends while I'm there including Lori Steinberg (who designed the pirate set for New Knits on the Block and the fingerless gloves for the teen book), Karen Baumer (who designed a couple of things for all 3 books and has been a guest on Knitty Gritty a few times--remember the furry-cuff mitten and sock episodes?) and Adina Klein (Editor of Knit.1). So, as far as conventions go, it should be good times.
In true me form, I procrastinated on getting swag ideas to the Sterling folks for the gift bags they're putting together for a party they're throwing at TNNA. So, I'm spending my day slapping my "Craft. Rock. Live." stickers on 150 balls of Moda Dea and will attempt to make the same amount of guitar pick stitch holders --which I plan to eventually have on my site with "Knit. Rock. Love." printed on them. Due to the aformentioned procrastination however, the giftbag version will only have the guitar company logo on it. Hopefully people will know what they are. I'm attaching them to the yarn labels--the way they hang off reminds me of the charms that I used to get in the late 80's, to dangle off my hot-pink acrylic pinky nail. H-O-T! Special shout-out to Dave who spent a good portion of his evening last night at my kitchen table, drilling tiny holes in countless picks so that I can insert jump-rings into them today. Holla! ;-)
As you can imagine, there's a lot of movie/tv watching going on here today. I just finished watching November,an indie pic from 2005. I'd been meaning to watch it forever, because my former roommate, Matt Carey, from over 10 years ago plays the robber in it (When I was 22 I was a receptionist at this smaller talent agency that represented Matt. My other roommate situation had fallen through so, I rented a room from his guardian. Here I go, procrastinating again.) Anyway, we still keep in touch so basically, I suck for not seeing the movie before now.
You might also recognize him from the movie, The Banger Sisters and as the kidnapper (2 or 3 seasons ago) from "24". He's a great actor, an awesome person and I miss him.
The Perkins sisters and their mom are on today's Stylelicious, so I'll probably watch that next.
Speaking of the sisters, I saw both of them last night at Jennifer's husband Chris's band, Beta Valentine's show (here's me & jen).
It was a lot of fun and kuddos to the guitarist Joey, for playing with a broken hand!
Alrighty, back to work.
Vickie
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Achtung, Ole?
On Saturday my friend Jenny (aka Web Mistress Extraordinaire) and I took our 6 year olds to Six Flags Fiesta Texas to celebrate their graduation from kindergarten. By some random act of luck or timing, the park was fairly empty so we rarely had to stand in ride lines for more than a few minutes. With two wild boys in tow, you can imagine how this fact was the motherhood equivalent to the sky opening up to reveal the sound of angels and trumpets. ;-)
Tanner (my son) and I don't often get to spend 1 on 1 time together without his cutie-pie brother, so this was a really nice day for both of us. He and I both love us the thrill rides--the faster the better--so we had a blast on anything that would throw us, turn us upside down, jolt us from side-to-side, or zip us through water at mach speeds.
When we decided to give our stomachs a rest, we met up again with Jen and Finn (her son)--they had decided to bypass one of the crazy rides in favor of a 2nd pass at the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion Adventure--to go on the Ferris Wheel. The loading up process for this ride takes a very inefficient 10 minutes, while the actual fun part lasts all of 2. A flawed plan, if you ask me.
To kill time during the pre-fun portion of the experience, I started working on a non-striped version of Mary Lynn Patrick's (who, BTW, is a Catwalk Crochet contributor) Knits Ahoy top from that last issue ofKnit.1. I'm using the new Suss yarn, "Fuzzy", that I'm currently obsessed with. Here's the WIP of it.
If I actually finish it in time and if I get myself to the gym so that I can also actually fit into my jeans to go with it, I may wear the top when I go on the Today Show. I feel like I should wear something made from yarn yet ironically, I own very little knit or crochet wear. But I digress...
Tanner spent the same time taking pictures with my digital camera. The last one is of Jenny and Finn (who preferred to have a car alone with his mom) from our perspective.
Oh, and BTW, if one's going to name an amusement park "Fiesta Texas" wouldn't it make more sense to then go with a Mexican theme throughout the park instead of opting for a German one? I'm just saying.
Ok, Babble-onia is over now. Thanks for listening. If you're looking for something else to read, check out Set-Designer/Not Another Teen Knitting Book sketch artist, Dave Lowe's recent blog post about how he conceived and brought into fruition, the Stylelicious set. If you interested in that kind of thing (and I totally am), then you'll dig seeing the process laid out for you.
--Vickie
Tanner (my son) and I don't often get to spend 1 on 1 time together without his cutie-pie brother, so this was a really nice day for both of us. He and I both love us the thrill rides--the faster the better--so we had a blast on anything that would throw us, turn us upside down, jolt us from side-to-side, or zip us through water at mach speeds.
When we decided to give our stomachs a rest, we met up again with Jen and Finn (her son)--they had decided to bypass one of the crazy rides in favor of a 2nd pass at the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion Adventure--to go on the Ferris Wheel. The loading up process for this ride takes a very inefficient 10 minutes, while the actual fun part lasts all of 2. A flawed plan, if you ask me.
To kill time during the pre-fun portion of the experience, I started working on a non-striped version of Mary Lynn Patrick's (who, BTW, is a Catwalk Crochet contributor) Knits Ahoy top from that last issue ofKnit.1. I'm using the new Suss yarn, "Fuzzy", that I'm currently obsessed with. Here's the WIP of it.
If I actually finish it in time and if I get myself to the gym so that I can also actually fit into my jeans to go with it, I may wear the top when I go on the Today Show. I feel like I should wear something made from yarn yet ironically, I own very little knit or crochet wear. But I digress...
Tanner spent the same time taking pictures with my digital camera. The last one is of Jenny and Finn (who preferred to have a car alone with his mom) from our perspective.
Oh, and BTW, if one's going to name an amusement park "Fiesta Texas" wouldn't it make more sense to then go with a Mexican theme throughout the park instead of opting for a German one? I'm just saying.
Ok, Babble-onia is over now. Thanks for listening. If you're looking for something else to read, check out Set-Designer/Not Another Teen Knitting Book sketch artist, Dave Lowe's recent blog post about how he conceived and brought into fruition, the Stylelicious set. If you interested in that kind of thing (and I totally am), then you'll dig seeing the process laid out for you.
--Vickie
Sunday, June 04, 2006
New site is up!!
Happy Sunday, everyone! Just wanted to let you know that a brand spankin' new VickieHowell.com is now up and running! As did the old one, the new site still offers crafty t-shirts, books, free monthly patterns, and events & news updates. In addition, however, consider us your new one-stop spot for basic "How-to" knit & crochet (other crafts to come) instruction, "Ask Crafty" answers to your hot burning D.I.Y. questions and "Vic's Picks" ideas for the latest and coolest (in my humble opinion) Lifestyle, Fashion and Crafty products. Oh, and if you're interested in private lessons or a Needle Arts related party--well, we can help you out with that too! If you get a moment take a gander and let us know what you think. Special thanks to web-mistress (and one of my best friends), Jenny Medford for working tirelessly on her "off hours" to get the site looking all bright and shiny, and to photographer Cory Ryan for making the How-To pictures happen! I love my talented ladies!
Ok, I'm off to help the boyfriend finish bulding a play gym for the kids.
"Talk" soon!
--Vickie
Thursday, June 01, 2006
June's Free Pattern!
Hey, all. Well, it's that time again, for another freebie pattern. This month, I'm featuring the "Populars" scarf from Not Another Teen Knitting Book. Some of you may remember from a couple of years ago the Tinsel purse I did for Knitty out of ripped-up fabric? This scarf is made out of a hot-pink version of similar fabric and has keyholes so that it can be worn at different lengths. Special thanks to All Dressed Up and Shy and Naughty Secretary Club for loaning us the shirt and bracelet for the photo shoot. I love you ladies! Enjoy, Vickie
Populars
Glam Adjustable Scarf
by Vickie Howell
Excerpt published with permision from Sterling Publishing Copyright 2006
Level: Freshmen
This scarf uses a conventional stitch with a non-conventional "yarn" to create a fun and funky accessory that looks like it just came off of the runway. It uses metallic fabric, cut up into strips, which adds a little bit of glamour and texture to an otherwise simple pattern. The scarf is designed with multiple keyholes so that it can be worn at different lengths, making it look as great with jeans and a t-shirt as it does with a skirt and heels. It's simple, inexpensive and fabulous. What could be better?
MATERIALS
2 yds Novelty Metallic Fabric
Rotary Cutter
Quilter's Square
Self-healing Mat
Size US 17(12.75 mm) Needles
Tapestry Needle
Stitch Holder
Gauge
Approximately 8 sts = 4" in stockinette stitch (may vary depending on accuracy of fabric strip width.)
MAKING YARN FABRIC
Fold fabric in half and then in half again so that you have four layers of fabric. Lining your fabric up on the gridlines of the self-healing quilter's mat, cut fabric into 1" strips (using a quilter’s square or book to act as a straight edge to guide you)--don't worry, they do not need to be perfect! Tie strips together at ends and wind into ball. You'll notice a lot of fraying at the edges; this will create a great fringey glam look once the fabric is knitted up.
DIRECTIONS
CO 6 sts. *K 12 rows.
K 3, place last 3 sts on stitch holder.
K the 3 remaining sts. on needle for 6 rows. Cut yarn.
Place sts just worked onto holder. Join yarn and K sts from holder for 5 rows. On the 6th row, K3 sts and then continue across row by K3 sts off of holder.
Repeat from * until scarf measures 36". K 12 rows. BO.
FINISHING
Make sure all of the ends poking out from where you tied your strips together are firmly knotted. Trim them down to about 2 1/2" long so that you can see the fringe detail of the fabric.
Dig this project? Get more great knit & crochet patterns and kits like it, here!
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