The following is an announcement from Interweave...

Loveland , Colo. , July 1, 2009: Interweave announced today that Kathleen Cubley is the new editor of KnittingDaily.com, effective today.

KnittingDaily.com, serving more than 300,000 knitting community members, recently introduced a newly designed and expanded web site featuring more bloggers, videos, forums and free patterns. Sandi Wiseheart is stepping aside as editor to spend more time writing and today she will move into a new role as a regular blogger for KnittingDaily.com; her blog will be called "What's on Sandi's Needles?," where she'll be sharing with readers her adventures in knitting.

Kathleen Cubley joins Interweave with a rich background in editing, writing, and publishing. For six years she was Director of Editorial and Production at Mountaineers Books in Seattle . Plus, she's an all-around crafter and experienced knitter, who teaches knitting at her local yarn shop, A Grand Yarn in Spokane , Wash.

"Interweave is thrilled to have found someone who has the mix of skills it takes to be the online editor of KnittingDaily.com. Kathleen's strong background in publishing, plus her passion for knitting, makes her ideally suited for this opportunity," says Interweave Yarn Group Editorial Director Marilyn Murphy.

Kathleen's take on it: "I'm addicted to all things knitting, including magazines, books, online magazines, patterns, and blogs. I'm so excited to become part of the online knitting world, taking over the reins so deftly handled by Sandi.

As a member of Knitting Daily since its beginning, I've had the opportunity to watch it grow and change; becoming the KD editor is a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to building on its success and to trying some new ideas, too."

Kathleen is a graduate of Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, minor in Journalism, and has nearly 20 years experience in publishing. She worked for nearly 10 years at The Mountaineer Books in Seattle , in positions as Director, Editorial and Production, and Managing Editor. She also has worked as a copywriting and editing instructor for the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Washington Extension , Editing Program in Seattle ; and she was the sole proprietor of
Write Now! Communications, where she provided freelance editorial services to publishers around the country.

Kathleen Cubley will work remotely from her home office in Spokane, Wash., while Sandi Wiseheart will continue writing for KnittingDaily.com from her home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

        

Released by the San Luis Valley Folk Arts and Fiber Festival...

The San Luis Valley Folk Arts and Fiber Festival kicks off its third year on June 23, in Monte Vista, with an exhibit of fiber artists whose work spans the globe. The SLV Fest is a celebration of the handmade and traditional arts.

Admission to both the exhibit and festival are free. Saturday and Sunday convene with two, full days of vendors, food, music, demonstrations, exhibits and contests—including the favorite wool spinning races.  There will also be children's knitting classes on Saturday.

From the International Freeform Guild website:
"… Freeform crochet is like painting. The hook is a brush and the yarn, a paint. The result can be abstract or realistic. Freeform is original design, not a reproduction of another person's pattern; it goes beyond the realm of patterns and restrictions that usually apply toward our art. The outcome is a piece of art like no other, not only functional, but beautiful as well. Freeform includes 2-D and 3-D art, clothing and useful items."

Fifty-two artists contributed to the original show; At least fourteen will participate in the Monte Vista exhibit. Many of these artists exhibit locally and internationally; several have been published recurrently.

“Four Seasons” will be published in book form later this year. A calendar is also planned. All proceeds from the sales of both will benefit Woman to Woman, a non-profit organization that provides aid to women in war-torn countries. 

Participating Artists:
• Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten, Rockaway, NJ USA
• Orla Breslin. County Kerry, Ireland
• Marie Castro, Guarulhos,Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Kathie Cureington, Alabama, US
• Margaret Hubert, Pawling, NY US
• Myra Wood, Sherman Oaks, CA US
• Kerri Lincoln, Oneonta, NY, US
• Perry Lowell, Framingham, MA, US
• Renate Kirkpatrick, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
• Prudence Mapstone, Brisbane, Queensland AUS
• Sheryl Means, Richmond, TX, US
• Laura Murphy, Monte Vista, CO US
• Zelda Pheonix, West Salem, OH US
• Susan Wolf Swartz, Highland Park, IL, US
• Leslie Nelle Urinyi, New Jersey, US

        

I am very excited to announce the latest global free form project - The Four Seasons - is now available in beautiful book form! A total of 52 artists from around the world and interpreted the four seasons through free form and fiber.

One of the best parts of this project is the 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Global Fund for Women. This wonderful organization fights for gender equality around the globe, including support for access to healthcare and education.

I can't tell you what a wonderful global group of artists the International Freeform Crochet Guild is and I am honored to be a part of it! I must also give a special "thank you" to Myra Wood! She is an amazing fiber artists in California who took the reigns on this project and managed the entire process and worked on the book layout. She is an amazing woman and I am proud to call her my friend!

I hope you check out the online exhibit as well as consider purchasing a copy of the book. You will have a wonderful art project in hand while helping women around the world gain equality.

        

I am pleased to announced that this fall I will be releasing my own original crochet pattern line! I have come to this decision after consulting with a few professional and trusted crochet friends.

I am going to do something I don't do often...throw caution to the wind and put my ideas out for all the world to see! I must admit I am a little nervous, but I am hopeful.

My pattern line will be offered on my Etsy shop and on Ravelry as PDF downloads. Most will be projects that can be finished in a weekend, since many of us need to sneak in our crochet time in small time increments - waiting in a doctor's office, sitting at the kid's practice and at the end of the day is we have a few quiet moments.

I'll keep you all posted on my progress - so keep an eye out for the big announcement!

        

World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes. It began as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other’s company.

Knitting is such a solitary act that it’s easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Get to know your knitting neighbors (and your crochet neighbors too) and attend an event in your area.

Each local event is put together by a volunteer or a group of volunteers. WWKiP events will be held all over the world on June 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st. To find an event near you, check out the official WWKiP Day site. Stitch on!

        

If you are like me and was a child of the 80's, you grew up watching the adorable muppets down at Fraggle Rock. Well, recently, someone posted a little movie of the loveable little Fraggles doing what else? Knitting!

It was just so cute I had to share!


I hope you enjoy the childhood memory!

        

I am both honored and excited to announce the 2009 International Freeform Exhibit is now available for your viewing pleasure!

This year's theme is "the four seasons." A total of 52 artists from around the globe participated this year. The artists were given the choice of creating one or more freeform pieces interpreting the four seasons. Unlike other years, they were not restricted to scrumbles and many of the pieces are wearable art and sculptural as well. None of the artists saw each other's pieces until this online show.

Later this year, a professionally printed book will be available highlighting the entire project and all the artists who participated.

You can check out the online show at the official 2009 Four Seasons Show web site. You will definitely not be disappointed!

        

So a few weeks ago I posted a photo of my magic ball. I had been accumulating bits of yarn for ages and kept connecting them together to make the magic ball. To me, this is the ultimate in free form. There is no rhyme or reason to its assembly. Actually, it is a lot of fun to use! As each bit of yarn unravels it is a wonderful gift!

Well, I am happy to announce that my wrap is complete! The bummer about it is that I finished it during my three days home sick, but at least I feel like I accomplished something!

What I think really makes this fun is that there are no ends woven in! I left all the ends very long so they provide a "fringe look."

So what happens next? I start saving my bits of yarn for another magic ball! I highly recommend this type of creativity. It is like an homage to our grandmother's "granny squares" and the idea of "waste nothing." Every little bit of your yarn goes to good use!

        

How do you know when something (anything) is going mainstream? When Wal-Mart starts to carry the products! A post this week on the New Jersey Fiber Fanatics Group on Yahoo found a few interesting items on the Wal-Mart site. Spindles and spinning fiber! I couldn't believe it!

I have to admit I am not sure how I feel about this. I am happy to see that this wonderful process of turning fiber into yarn, but does it cheapen the process? I don't know. They are also selling the fiber too. This I will admit, I will probably try the fiber. Some of the colors look really nice! But again, I hope it doesn't hurt the prices of those who care of fiber animals and provide that fiber to the masses.

What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!

        

Well it is official! The 2007 International Free Form Guild project is on display at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in New York City. The piece will be on display for the summer and I can't wait to get in and see it up on display!

In honor of the project, Margaret Hubert will be teaching a free form class in July. You can find out all the information on the Lion Brand Newsletter.

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be a part of the Free Form Guild. They are an incredibly talented group of people that I am proud to call my friends. If you would like to learn more about the Guild and the art of free form, you can check out the guild's website: http://www.freeformcrochet.com/. You won't be disappointed!