Trust me, yarn stores *heart* you!

Hey new knitters! Need help? Just ask!



xo, Vickie

Hey busy Knitters, got 33 seconds?

Here's another quick tip on when to find a little knitting time!



xo,
Vickie

Technical Difficulties

Clearly, the podiverse must be trying to tell me something. Even after successful testing, and no apparent audio glitches during the phone interview with Lauren & Emira, the finished interview had such mad interference on playback that it's completely unusable. So, for those of you playing along at home, that's TWO defunct interviews (this one and another with Cathie Fillian) and ZERO finished podcasts. Skype & my IPEVO phone are the bane of my existence, now! Seriously. What I need is a recording studio. Well first, I need money to afford a studio but THEN, I need the actual studio. Why can't my usual stalker recording device just be Mac compatible? There are surprisingly few phone recording options available to Mac users, considering Apple's suppose to have their finger on the pulse of hip technology, and podcasts are definitely the wave of the now. But I digress.

So, I'm going to stop promising specific air dates, because the guilt of not keeping my word is seeping into my sleeping time, yo. ;) Just know I'm working on it and will get you something as soon as I possibly can.

In the meantime, how about a station break? Click on Play for a Quick Tip for Busy Knitters: Combine Knitting Time with Bonding Time!



xo, Vickie

Oh, Balls!

Is it a bird, is it a skein?  Are you HANKering to know the difference between a ball and a cake? Well my knitting friends, watch this video and you'll no longer exclaim, "Oh balls!" when you're trying to decipher which yarn is wound which way. :)  xo, Vickie

Videos & Podcasts

Ok, first off, I have to come clean with the fact that I bit off more than I can chew deadline-wise and don't have CRL done for you today.  I suck, I know, but bear with me--Dave and I are going to try and pound it out over the next coupla days so it'll go up this weekend.  Stay tuned!

This week, Bungalow 3 (the production company for the LifetimeTV.com crafting segments I'm hosting) descended upon mi casa.  Lifetime's going to be launching this section on their site for Holiday crafting with 5 different hosts (with completely different styles from each other) showing how to make projects for: 4th of July, Halloween, Winter Holidays, Valentine's Day & Spring.  My dear friend Crafty Chica was kind enough to recommend me for the Needle Arts Expert, hosting position.  My segments will cover knitting, crochet, machine felting, basic sewing & punch embroidery.  It was so much fun doing these, and really nice having a production crew come to me for a change.  Here's a few snaps from the 2-day shoot:

Halloween segment set-up, in my kitchen.

Cameraman Brian, shooting the close-ups of my hands, for the crochet project.

Hi, I make cheese-ball faces and have monstrous, fake eyelashes!  At least my Valentie's Day Naughty Secretary Club earrings are cute!

Producers Lisa & Jamie, setting up the Christmas set in my living room.

Brian, getting a "beauty" shot of my punch-embroidered project.  Apparently the ghost from Christmas past is visiting in the lower, RH corner of this shot.

The first of these videos will go live on the Lifetime Television website on June 1st.  I'll keep you posted!

xoxo, Vickie

Hey, new knitters!

Are you a beginning knitter wanting to know how to decipher between the knit & the purl side of a stockinette stitch piece. Please, if you will, let me demystify it for you. Watch and learn, yo. ;)



xo, Vickie


P.S. I added Twitter to the sidebar of this blog so if you're bored you can watch the multiple updates daily!

I-cord How-to Video!

I-cord may possibly have the lamest name ever (stands for idiot cord, apparently because anyone can do it) but the technique itself is both easy & super versatile.  Here's how!

xoxo,
Vickie

CRL Season 2--Promo Giveaway!

What time is it?  It's CRL time!  What time is it?  It's giveaway time! (Sorry, the new Mac commercial with the cheerleaders was just on, and it stuck).

WEll, we're down a phone recording device and a sound engineer but we're still aiming for launching season 2, next Thursday the 22nd---ish.  May the crafty Gods be with us!  In the meantime though, hows about a little swap?  You give CRL a little pimping action on your blog or website, and I give you free yarn.  Whaddya say, are you in?

The first 50 people to post this banner (either copy this image or cut and paste the code here)

AND e-mail rebecca@vickiehowell.com, will have a ball of VHC Rock delivered to their doorstep.

Don't wait, free stuff always goes fast!

Craft. Rock. Post.

xo,

Vickie

.  

The Mix

Ok, this'll be a quick one because I'm grounding myself from my computer for the day...ok let's be realistic, for a few hours, to work on the crochet poncho that's due in a few days.

Big mushy-gushy thanks to everyone for the kind words about Knit Aid!  I really appreciate the love.  Also, a quick holla' (yes, I may be the whitest person alive.  hush.) to those who've blogged about it so far:

Jennifer Perkins

Kathy Cano Murillo

Cathie Fillian

Craft Magazine

Karen Baumer

Dave Lowe

Lapdog Creations

Kelly Mooney

Vanessa E.

Mix Tape Zine 

Speaking of Mix Tape, have you guys read it yet?  It's my fave, new zine.  It's produced in Australia, but can be easily delivered to your doorstep by ordering here!

One of the mag's publishers, Justine (who, over the months has become my web buddy, too), sent me a couple of copies last year and I was immediately hooked.  It's smartly written, and filled with loads of great, crafty content infused with pop-culture, parental anecdotes, and eco- consciousness.   I was honored when they asked if they could interview me for their 4th issue!  It was fun to do because they asked me questions that don't usually come up, in crafty pubs--mainly having to do with music.  Since I turned in my answers though, I've been having writer's regret about bands I left out from the "Top 5 Albums" question.  I mean, I named a freakin' yarn after Jeremy Enigk & Trent Reznor and totally forgot to mention Sunny Day Real Estate's "Diary" and NIN's "The Downward Spiral"!  Oy, and don't get me started about how I totally snubbed Billie Holiday and James Taylor.  But I digress.

Ok, enjoy the article and check out the zine. You'll totally dig it, I promise!

xo, Vickie

Sew Cute, Sew Not Working

Right before I'm about to gear up to start another labor-intensive work project, I tend to go on a mad, personal crafting spree--frivolously, making things that have nothing to do withneither  deadline nor conceptualization (Qas that too many negatives in one sentence? I never know.)   I love delving into other designers' patterns, to see how they write--and a lot of times, learn new tips & tricks.  So, before Adrienne and I start knitting & crocheting for our Eco-Stitch book, I spent a little B/F/F bonding time with my Magnolia 7330!

I currently have a huge crafter's crush on Denyse Schmidt.  As soon as I can fit it into the ol' schedule, I'm going to make a black & white version of her Hop, Skip, & A Jump quilt for our bedroom.  In the meantime though, I scored her adorable "Quilt It Kit" and made the pillow from the pattern & fabric that was included in the box.  It matches perfectly with my walls & the geisha painting in the living room.  Yay!

Back to Square One Pillow

My buddy, web-gal Jenny Medford just had a birthday, so I whipped up these cozy little cuties for her (ok, and I made a pair for myself, too).  These are also from a DS pattern, only this time from her book, "Quilts".  The fabric's from Craft-O-Rama in Austin, but I think they also sell it on their Etsy page.

Jenny's Slippers

Another great book I just invested in is "Sew Everything Workshop" by Diane Rupp of New York's Make Workshop. It's jam-packed with how-to information, includes instructions for 20 sewing projects plus 10 paper patterns.  My friend Jaime and I met for a sewing session one night while our husbands had band practice, and made the tank tops from it for ourselves.  I have a serious lack of torso, so I made mine 2" shorter than the pattern calls for and am still going to have to wear a belt with it, but I really like how it turned out and may end up making a couple more in different fabrics.  Speaking of fabric, this print is one of Amy Bulter's.

Flouncy Tank Top

Lastly, we've been needing a little decor for the larger window in our kitchen, so I pieced together the remains of a kimono that I love and have used to make a bunch of projects (including a curtain for the smaller kitchen window & a pillow for an old article for the defunct Budget Living magazine), with scraps from the above, aforementioned tank (a la Sound of Music) and leftovers from altered Ikea curtains that are now hanging in the living room.

Kitchen Valance

And now, back to my regularly scheduled crafting!

xo, Vickie

You're so frame...

you probably think this project's about you!  Oh wait, it could be.  Check out my latest Eco-Craft column in the current issue of KIWI Magazine--an easy to make, refurbished frame embellished with those small toys that seem to be everywhere in a house of kids.  This is a great Mothers or Fathers Day project because not only is it cute as a button (or game piece, as it were) but also, because it encourages the kiddos to clean their rooms in search of supplies. That my friends, is what they call a win-win situation.

Get the mag on stands now and as always, also log-on to the Kiwi website for loads of eco-conscious, crafty ideas!

xo,

Vic

P.S.  Don't have bags full of toy parts and baubles laying around the house?  No problem!  Naughty Secretary Club has loads of them (of the vintage variety, no less) all color coordinated and ready-to-go for you.  Check out their Crafty Curios section for more info!

P.P.S.  Those handsome little devils posing sarcastically like angels (hey, they come by it honestly, what can I say?) are my sons Tanner & Tristan. :)

Proof of Life

For those of you who've ordered copies of Knit Aid from me, the shipment finally arrived last night. Rebecca came over today and we got them signed, packed and ready-to-go, factory style! They'll go out tomorrow so you'll have them soon, my pretties. :) 

Thanks for your patience.  I know it's a bummer that Amazon & B&N sent them out so much earlier than I am but you know, they have pre-set accounts for 1000s of books so they get their stuff first.  Thanks for supporting the little gal! ;)

That said, I'm already completely sold out (holy cow!)  You're best bet now, if you haven't already bought a copy but would like one, is to head on over here.

Thanks again everyone.  You all, rock the knitsbah! ;)

xo,

Vic