Yay! that is so awesome! good for you!

Shannon, aka the author of Spin to Knit & a big-time spinning dork...   

Aww, thanks, Misshawklet! (Wait til you all see how cute she is in the book!)

Yeah, not to be too much of a PR dork, but my book (Spin to Knit) is pretty comprehensive with the photos and it has patterns that are good for handspun yarn, too... I talk about all kinds of spindles and wheels, not just high whorl drop spindles like Spinning in the Old Way (which is a great book if you like spindling!)

By the way -- check out spintoknit.com, because we've got a handspun secret pal swap going on! yay!

Check out this tutorial, I think it'll get you right back up to speed even though the technique described is a smidge different:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=107493.0

Hi everyone!

I've been so wrapped up in yarn these past few years that I've left my fabric stash abandoned and alone. I've also got a weird thing about sewing machines that I really need to get over, so when I saw the fantastic Artisokka string quilt tutorial (linked here on Craftster), I suddenly had a very powerful desire to clear out some of my own fabric and swap quilt squares with other people.

I have some questions for the more experienced quilters and fabric swappers out there. I've done plenty of knit-related swaps, CD swaps, you name it... but this'll be my first quilting-related swap. If any of you care to weigh in on these for me, I'd really appreciate it:

* What size quilt blocks would you recommend setting as the standard? (I was thinking 8-inch/20cm)

* How many is too many? Since people have different levels of free time and commitment, my thought was to not set a specified number of squares for the swap (i.e. everyone sends out 5), but to allow each person to send as many as they're comfortable making... 3, 5, 10... it's up to them -- and then they'd get the same number of squares in return. Am I just setting myself up for disaster on this? (What if the person who sends 10 sends 10 really terribly-made ones and then gets back 10 beauties from other people... kind of unfair)

* Is the fundraising quilt idea a good one? (Send in an extra square to be pieced together and auctioned off for charity) Have any of you done this before? Pitfalls, things I should know about?

* How long a deadline would you set? I'd say a swap like this should be pretty long, since you're not just boxing up fabric scraps or skeins of yarn... at least a few months, right?

* What else am I missing here?

I truly appreciate all feedback you can offer -- I think this is just the thing to get me out of a mini-creative slump and also make some new crafting friends, so I want to do it right!

Thank you!

Library Journal compared it to my new book -- here's the quote:

http://www.knitgrrl.com/?p=275

The reason there's so much Rowan in there, I think, is because the book was produced in the UK. It is definitely targeted to a younger-than-most-Craftsters audience.

I concur on Teva's book kicking much ass, by the way...

By the way -- Cleveland SnB (which now meets at Bela Dubby in Lakewood on Tuesday nights, not Capsule) is having its second anniversary party tonight, so c'mon down!

Jenna does the best patterns! She's got an extreme-beginner-level headband in my next book, and even though it's really easy, it is SO CUTE.

If you're interested in supporting other breast cancer-related causes, please consider donating to Team Knitty this year. We're doing a breast cancer run in Toronto this October (it'll be my second year...and truth be told, we do more walking than running...but it's the thought that counts!) You can read more about it at the Knitty.com blog...we're only about $500 away from our (group) $5000 goal!

(thanks in advance!) Keep me in mind for a knitalong on Hopeful, I love Jenna's stuff!

I went to the Cleveland one recently, and it's GREAT!

See here for a list of US/Canada ReStores:

http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.html

From the site:

Habitat ReStores are retail outlets where quality used and surplus building materials are sold at a fraction of normal prices. Proceeds from ReStores help local affiliates fund the construction of Habitat houses within the community. Many affiliates across the United States and Canada operate successful ReStores—some of which raise enough funds to build an additional 10 or more houses per ye

If you're working on your house, you can find sinks, carpet, tile, flooring, appliances...and lots of weird little bits and bobs that could be made into any number of crafty things. (If I ever find enough French doors that are the same height, I'm making a room divider...)

wootwoot - It appears that the only real question is so who do I knit?  Milli or Vanilla? 

Well, one of them is dead, so perhaps the one who isn't would be the better choice?

Ouch.  I think this is aimed at me as I'm the "everyone" who mentioned the calendar, so I guess I'd better respond. 

No, no, no...not meant that way at all, ax174...by "everyone" I mean many mailing lists and discussion forums other than Craftster. I'd better just shut up, everything I'm saying is being taken out of context.

And as for Mocha's contention that the designers are being "griping babies" about the calendar? Ok, your pattern gets published in the calendar. Good for you. But it makes it even harder for everyone else to get paid for their work in the short term, something that WILL eventually affect all of you if you seek out your own book deals.

Case in point: the designers who contributed patterns to my book. (Why not all my own patterns? Because they needed the book by X date and it wasn't doable without outside contributions, some of which they had seen on Knitty and liked). They're being paid because I told the publisher they HAD to be paid. Can you believe it? Major publisher! We're discussing photography and other items to budget, cost-wise. They think nothing of spending money on those, but when I offhandedly say "ok, and the designers will be paid on a per pattern basis...", they say (and I kid you not) "We have to pay for patterns?"

Would you have to pay to license any other material which didn't belong to you? Of course! To me, this just indicates the serious disregard publishers have for what you, and me, and all the other designers out there are doing. I wish all of you who participated in the calendar project well, don't get me wrong. Heck, I'll probably do something for the 2006 calendar, if I have time. But calling designers griping babies because they note the effect these projects are having on their ability to get paid for their work? That's not fair, either.