The Happy Hooker

September 17, 2012 | Verónica

I love it when someone can take a simple object like a crochet hook and make it come to life bursting with personality. That’s what Stephanie of Obey Crochet does with her irreverent and oh-so-funny hook humor.

She doesn’t mean to incite a battle between crocheters and knitters, but it is too funny to resist.

Even though I am mostly a knitter and only an occasional crocheter, I can’t help but crack a smile at her hook humor. Then I come to discover that she’s a fellow Texan! Go grab some more laughs at Obey Crochet. I will close with one more drawing that all hookers and sticksters can surely agree on.

{All images in this post belong to Obey Crochet.}

Wooli – Bespoke Yarn from New Zealand

September 12, 2012April 18, 2014 | Verónica

This package crossed an ocean to reach me. As you can note by the postmark, this has been sitting in my queue for some time.

This thick yarn is designed by Nikki Gabriel and produced from recycled fabric remnants. The fiber contents include wool, alpaca, silk, cashmere and possum. The raw fibers produce this color which she calls Greige. Other dyed colors are also available.

Then there are these sturdy needles handmade from recycled Rimu wood, which is a tree native to New Zealand.

I like the concept of naming them “construction” tools.

I even got this nice thank you note from Nikki Gabriel herself.

In addition to creating yarn and needles, she is also a knitwear designer. She designed these beautiful flowing costumes for a performance of The Australian Ballet.

{source}

I would like to visit New Zealand some day and go to her shop, Gather, in Napier. In the meantime, I am content with reading her blog.

A Very Crafty Evening

September 7, 2012 | Verónica

This is my second year attending the annual Artisan’s Market presented by the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston (CHH). The market runs from September 6 – 8 so if you are near Houston, you still have Saturday to stop by.

I am so glad that I went on their opening night. I did my usual walk around the rooms to look at all the displays. I then picked up a small plastic basket from the front so I could begin collecting the beautiful handwoven textiles, baskets, handmade jewelry, handspun yarn, and felted ornaments that I had singled out. I was too slow. Those ladies are fierce! Several items I had on my mental checklist were gone! Nonetheless, I had a great time looking, touching and taking pictures.

I saw beautiful handwoven textiles.

There were felted bracelets, handmade cards, woven rugs and artwork.

There were felted baskets, silk baskets and other sculptured baskets.

There were ghosts and goblins and catnip wrapped like mice for the upcoming Autumn holidays.

Even Saint Nicolas’ helpers offered their wares for the yuletide season.

Of course, there was yarn.

A huge round of applause to all of the fiber artists who produced these beautiful handmade items. By the crowds and the long line at check out, I am pleased to say that Houstonians truly appreciate the handcrafted arts.

If you want to see more lovely items like these, this is the post I wrote about last year’s event.

What are your favorite knitting apps?

August 26, 2012 | Verónica

After organizing my yarn and taking inventory, I entered my stash into my Vogue Knitting app.

The app is simple to use and well-organized with sections for Projects, Needles, Hooks, and Yarn. I often refer to the needle listing to avoid buying duplicates.

The yarn listing is helpful to determine if I have the right gauge and quantity of yarn for projects. I also like that I can track progress on my WIPs using the electronic row counters in the Projects section.

My one concern is that this app is not very stable. It often shuts down in the middle of searching my inventory or entering new items. The app goes for $3.99 which is not a lot but then most apps are either free or sell for only 99¢. I submitted a review for the app with these concerns and read that others are experiencing the same problem. I hope they fix it soon.

What knitting or crocheting apps do you use?

My Review ★★☆☆☆

16,112 yards of yarn

August 20, 2012 | Verónica

That’s the same as 9.15 miles.

Or the equivalent of 14,733 meters or 14.7 kilometers for my metric friends.

That’s the size of my yarn stash.

83 skeins or balls of yarn.

This does not include batts, rovings, locks or any other unspun fiber in my possession.

This past Christmas, I told my husband I wanted pretty baskets in which to keep my yarn. I had yarn stashed away in mis-matched baskets scattered around the house in closets, the guest bedroom, and in the living room. He selected these three baskets with lids from Pottery Barn. They’re perfect for hiding, I mean organizing my yarn.