Old plastic bottles woven into a new use.

by Pamela Drake

Local artisans and craftspeople representing all the fiber arts will show their wares during the first annual Oakland Fiber & Textile Festival will take place this Sunday, June 27, at the Splash Pad Park, along Lake Park Ave, between Grand Ave and Lakeshore Ave.

Fiber enthusiasts will demonstrate crafts such as knitting, spinning and weaving, and the fiber-curious of all ages can try their hands at crochet, needlepoint, felting and more at make-and-take tables.

For the complete story visit here.

Read more at  -   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/detail?&entry_id=66378#ixzz0ri0YazBW

There’s nothing quite like receiving a handmade gift, and your family and friends will love being on the receiving end of these handmade designs. Designer Mags Kandis inspires with this delightful collection of beautiful and colorful little projects for you to knit, crochet, and felt.

From wearable accessories such as hats, mittens, scarves, socks, and wraps to home decor including a tea cozy, pin cushion, needle case, and laptop cover, these 30+ pieces are sweet, lively and add a little joy to every household. Each project features creative embellishments and personal touches, including beading, buttons, needlefelting, appliqué, and embroidery. Mags also shares her recipes for easy food gifts and simple sewing projects such as sewn fabric gift bags and sachets to pair with fiber gifts. Directions for making these little add-ons that make a gift personal and extra-special are scattered throughout the book.

Giftedwill inspire you to grab another ball of yarn and invest a little time and love to create something special for someone special.

See more at  - http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Books/Gifted.html

Interweave Media has split their craft-related niche titles into two separate categories: the Fiber Division and the Art & Jewelry Division. The Fiber Division will include the Quilt + Paper group, Specialty Fiber group and Yarn group and will be overseen by vice president and publisher John Bolton. The magazines included in these groups are Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, Quilting Arts, Cloth Paper Scissors (Note: Scissors always win), Spin-Off, Handwoven, Fiberarts and PieceWork magazines in addition to KnittingDaily.com, QuiltingArts.com and CrochetMe.com. The Art & Jewelry Division, meanwhile, will be comprised of American Artist, Drawing, Watercolor, Workshop, Jewelry Artist, Beadwork, Stringing, and Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazines and their related properties. The division will be led by former Yarn group publisher David Pyle, who will act as its vice president and publisher.

SOURCE  _  http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/magazines/your_daily_dose_of_fiber_interweave_media_reorganizes_into_two_divisions_163233.asp

Ask any knitter if they are on Ravelry, and you get one of two responses. One, their faces brightens up and the nod enthusiastically, or two, you get a blank stare and are asked “What’s that?” That’s where I exclaim, “Oh you just have to check it out! It’s an online network for fiber people, and you are just going to love it” That said, if you don’t know about Ravelry, you do have to check it out. If you have access to a computer, here’s your key to fiber goodness (no, the knitting kind!) www.ravelry.com .

Ravelry is a free online site for knitters and crocheters, although weavers and spinners have managed to create their own presence. Your own interests will determine what you get out of Ravelry. There are individual groups that you can join. Say you love soap operas, there’s a group for you. You only knit mittens; well there will be a group for you as well. Some group’s members number in the hundreds, while many have a handful of members. Ravelry is a site where you can post pictures of projects that you are working on as well as see what others are doing.....

Read more at  -  http://www.foothillsmediagroup.com/articles/2010/06/02/torrington/news/doc4bfeae81705d1878738513.txt

Use felted wool sweaters to sew a mini felt tote adorned with felt flowers and other embellishments. Reinvent your old or damaged wool sweaters or pick some up from the thrift store for this clever sewing craft. Follow this sewing tutorial from Betz White to make a pretty mini tote for spring.

Materials

* Wool Sweater, "felted" by washing in hot water
* Felt scraps (either from felted wool sweaters or wool craft felt)
* Assorted buttons
* Sewing Machine (optional)
* Craft Glue
* Needle and thread

For instructions go to -  http://www.favecrafts.com/Sewn-Bags/Felt-Flower-Mini-Tote

Soft and easy to work with, felt is a favorite material among crafters. We've put together our best felt crafting ideas for you, a list including rainy-day projects, crafts for kids, gifts, practical notions, and accessories. There's sure to be something for everyone.

Felt Slippers

Homemade slippers make a heartwarming (and foot-warming) gift. Felt is the ideal fabric to work with, since it won't unravel when cut.

The templates for the slippers can be adjusted to fit different shoe sizes.

For Branch Slippers
1. Download slipper templates (2 slipper tops with branch outline, 1 left sole, 1 right sole, 1 branch), resizing as desired; print onto card stock, and cut out all templates.

2. Cut equal rectangles of heather-brown felt, salmon felt, and fusible webbing (leaving 1 side of paper backing on), each large enough to accommodate 2 slipper tops.

3. Stack brown felt and fusible webbing (paper side up).

4. Lay slipper-top templates side by side on stack. Using a pencil, trace templates, marking notches A and B as indicated on templates.

5. Place branch template on 1 traced slipper top, using marked points to position properly, and trace. Repeat on second traced slipper top, flipping branch template to trace a mirror image. Cut out branch designs, slicing through webbing and felt with a craft knife.

For instrcutions go to  -  http://www.marthastewart.com/article/felt-slippers?backto=true

This squiggle design is sure to make anyone's eyes crazy. A plain black sheath dress is always greatly accented by felt and tie-dye, which makes it one great piece to make.

Materials:

* Aleene's® Fabric Fusion™ Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive™
* Tulip® One-Step Fashion Dye™
o Green
o Orange
* Tulip® One-Step Tie-Dye Kits™
o Ultimate Colors
* Tulip® Cordless Heat Setting Tool™
* Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™
o 25633 Blue Aqua
* Sheath dress, black
* Wool felt, 2 yds
* Foil
* Cutting mat
* Cutting ruler
* Chalk pencil
* Rotary cutter
* Plastic garbage bags

For instrcutions go to  -  http://www.favecrafts.com/Wearable-Crafts/Felt-Tie-Dye-Dress-from-Tulip

Choose stones that are any size you like. While small ones make great paperweights, large ones can be used as doorstops.

Tools and Materials
Predyed roving, available at yarn and knitting-supply stores
Stones
Sewing thread to match color of roving
Nylon stocking (or knee-high)
Liquid soap
Warm water
Scissors

For instructions go to  -  http://www.marthastewart.com/article/felted-stone-paperweight?xsc=eml_crd_2010_04_14

Read more at  -  http://www.douglasdispatch.com/articles/2010/04/07/news/features/doc4bbbbaf624599421607287.txt

Merrick Dean pulls wool from a drum carder. Photo by Karsten Moran

Though the ground was covered in snow and the trees were bare, Wave Hill was bright and alive inside the Glyndor Gallery’s Sunroom on a recent Saturday where artist Robyn Love was running a knitting workshop.

The project is part of Wave Hill’s artists in residency program, which brought seven artists to Riverdale’s beautiful gardens on the Hudson to pursue an art project of their choosing.

Ms. Love decided to share her passion for spinning and knitting by creating the House Study/Handmade project. Every Tuesday and Saturday from Jan. 16 to the end of February, Ms. Love taught participants to spin, card and knit wool to make hats.

The end result? A group exhibition of work made by first-timers and experienced knitters alike.....

Read more at  -  http://riverdalepress.com/full.php?sid=11681&current_edition=2010-03-11