The next get together will be this Thursday, May 27th, 7:00 p.m. at the Starbucks coffee shop next to Pier One in the Target strip mall at the Rockaway Mall, Rockaway, NJ. We arehaving a great time getting together every few weeks and would love to have more join in on the fun!

If you are on Facebook, make sure to join Stitching at Starbucks, our happy little group! Hope to see you there!

        

I am proud to announce the launch of the 2010 International Freeform Crochet Guild Project: Somewhere in My World!

The 2010 International Freeform Guild's show, Somewhere in My World includes 61 freeform fiber artists from all around the globe.
The artists were given the choice of creating one freeform piece interpreting the theme. The artists were not restricted to scrumbles and many of the pieces are wearable art and sculptural as well. None of the artists saw each others pieces until this online show.

Later this year, the entire online show will be available for purchase in book form. The proceeds of the book will benefit KIVA and to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Stay tuned for purchase information.

        

Well happily, the harsh and cold of winter is over. So, do you know what that means? It is time for Stitchin' at Starbucks!

Please join in on the fun this Thursday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. We meet at the Starbucks in the Target strip mall in the Rockaway Mall complex in Rockaway, NJ.

We always have a great time, so please consider joining us!

        

We were all saddened by the Gulf oil spill that took place this week. Regardless of your opinion about drilling for oil in the Gulf, many wish they could do something to help. Well, now you can!

The Matter of Trust is requesting people send...wool! Natural fibers, like wool, human head hair and dog fur clippings, can sop up oil both on shore and in oil booms. The organization provides specific directions on how to prepare and package the fibers for shipping.

This is something easy we can all do to help clean up this tragic mess. I hope you will consider sending in some extra wool, dog hair clippings, and hair from your most recent haircut.

        

This past weekend was the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I've wanted to go to this even for years and finally had the opportunity to go!

I found out a local yarn shop, Down Cellar in Basking Ridge, NJ, was offering a bus trip on the Saturday of the event. The cost? $90. A little steep in my opinion, but my dear husband wanted me to go, so I signed up. The cost included breakfast, juice, coffee and water on the way down, snacks on the way back, yarn for a community project and several raffles. Sounded like a good time. I was told we should arrive by 6:15 a.m. to depart the parking lot at 6:30 a.m. for an approximate 9:30 a.m. arrival time. I was up at 4:00 a.m. and out the door 40 minutes later. I wanted to make sure I was there on time and couldn't wait to get on the road!

I actually arrived at 5:15 a.m., so I went in search of somewhere that was open for coffee. By the time I got back about 20 minutes later to find several ladies anxiously waiting to go! I checked in and received my goodie back and jumped on the bus. Everyone was very excited to get going. So, we waited while everyone checked in and got settled on the bus. Then they handed out breakfast. Then we waited...and waited...and waited. Many ladies started asking why we weren't on the road yet. Come to find out we were waiting on ONE PERSON who was late. As people on the bus became increasingly frustrated, one of the women who was running the trip said she would wait for anyone. One annoyed woman said she wouldn't expect two bus loads of people to wait for her. The woman from the shop made a point of telling all of us that she doesn't want us to make her feel bad. Well, she finally showed up one hour late and we were finally on the road. I settled in for a nap happy to finally be heading to Maryland.

Unfortunately, things didn't get much better at that point. As we were waiting to get into the show, the air conditioning gave out on the bus. I especially felt bad for a woman sitting a few rows behind me who was really feeling ill due to the heat on the bus. While we waited in line, I asked the trip organizer if we would be staying later since we started out so late. She said no and to "walk fast." I told her for a $90 price tag, I shouldn't have to walk fast. We finally got into the show and our bus parked just shy of 11:30 a.m. - close to two hours late. The organizer announced that we would have an extra 15 minutes to walk around at the end of the day but was emphatic to be online or they would leave without you! Really? We wait approximately an hour for one woman, we are threatened that if we are late to take the Amtrak? Needless to say, no one was really happy.

When I first got off the bus, I did exactly what the woman said. I was so afraid I wouldn't have time to see everything, I hustled and bustled around not really seeing anything. About an hour into the day, I finally settled in and started to enjoy the day.

I couldn't believe all the fibery goodness! I had a chance to visit with Laurie, mommy to Laurie's Lambs and of course take time to visit with her happy sheep. I treated myself to a glass crochet hook from Michael and Shelia Ernst. I also had a new experience and participated in the spinning equipment auction. I won an antique Weave-It loom and bid on a spinning chair, but someone wanted it way more than I did! It was a lot of fun to watch everyone bid and win different fiber items.

I visited every barn to check out all the different animals and ohhh'd and ahhhh'd over all the beautiful fibers and yarn. I even picked up some yarn for fly tying! There were lots of vendors I've only heard about, but never met. Everyone was very friendly and happy to chat about common love of fiber.

I think the Auctioneer put it best. She said during a little break that she loves coming to the festival and seeing familiar faces. That we have become a "fiber family." And I would have to agree. It reminded me of the family Glenn and I have developed at the Fly Fishing Shows we attend. It is a common love and passion that brings us all together. It was a wonderful day!

All too soon, however, I had to trek back to the bus. We left at 3:45 p.m. on the dot...with no air conditioning the entire ride home. Someone popped open the emergency hatch in the back of the bus to at least circulate some air. I again settled in for a nap on the way home, hoping to sleep through the heat.

While the festival itself was absolutely amazing, the issues with the organization of the bus trip, which cut our time to walk around by close to 90 minutes was certainly a disappointment. So, next year, I am not sure if I will go. I will look into the Amtrak and see what is involved. If I do even consider going on the Down Cellar bus trip, I will definitely ask if there has been a late police put into place. If not, well, they won't get my $90 next year. They could definitely learn from Jill Deal in Milford, PA on how to run a successful bus trip.

        

Well, today is Earth Day; a day to remember what our footprint does to the planet and ways we can use recyclable and sustainable goods and products to reduce that footprint. As a result of all these eco-concerns, many yarn companies have worked to develop some new environmentally-friendly fibers.

Caron Yarn has a variety of environmentally-friendly yarns, including Simply Soft Eco . This yarn uses plastic bottles (yes, that's right) in their manufacturing process. Every 10 skeins of Simply Soft Eco keeps six plastic bottles from America's landfills. To date, this yarn has recycled approximately 1.5 million plastic bottles.

Lion Brand has developed a wonderful new yarn using organic cotton. Lion Organic Cotton can be found in four natural colors (no dyes used at all) and is free from herbicides, pesticides and other agro-chemicals. Each hank is 82 yards.

Kollage is a fun yarn company that provides eco-friendly and natural yarns of all kinds! Their yarns are made of milk, soy, corn, wool, cotton, bamboo and more! These are great yarns are produced in wonderful colors and fibers. You can definitely feel good about making projects from such eco-friendly fibers.

One of my favorite recycled yarns is recycled sari silk. These are truly unique yarns and are absolutely beautiful! I have used the yarn for a variety of projects and have never been unhappy with the results. There are a wide variety of places this kind of yarn can be found. Simply do a search online and you'll find lots of places to purchase them!

I hope these few fibers spark your creativity and give you some ideas on how to not only create beautiful projects, but reduce your carbon footprint as well! Happy Earth Day!!!

        

I am happy to announce my latest pattern is now available for purchase on Knitpicks! This is a basketweave scarf that just says spring! The scarf is made using Comfy Worsted Yarn in a new color called Honey Dew. The flowers are made in the same yarn using Peony. The flowers are attached using yellow thread for a little contrast.

I have always loved the basketweave pattern and I thought it was just great for a spring scarf...it makes me think of an Easter basket!

I really enjoyed developing this pattern and I know you will enjoy making it!

        

OK, I hate to admit it, but I'm stuck. I have complete blogger's block. This is just killing me.

So, I want to hear from YOU! What do you want to read about? What interests you?

Help get get out of this blogger's block, so I an get back to providing something interesting.

        

Fiber Artist Noreen Crone-Findlay's latest book, The Woven Bag: 30+ Projects from Small Looms (Writers Digest Guides) has officially been released! Noreen was gracious enough to talk about the her latest endeavor  and explain her thoughts behind this great project!

ALVB: How did you get the idea for this book?
NCF: I have been in love with small looms for decades!  I have been designing for small looms and self publishing my designs on     my website www.crone-findlay.com for many years.

I love weaving bags, and about 10 years ago, I self published a book of designs for bags woven on the potholder loom. It was very popular and I then began designing more and more bags, thinking that I would self publish more books of bag designs.

But, when I approached my publisher, Krause Books/F&W Media, a few years ago, they were receptive to this book. And, so it began.

ALVB: When did you start working on it?
NCF: It takes several years to go from initial concept to the final, finished book being in the hands of the readers. Many people have to work very hard.

I have to create all the designs, do the drawings and illustrations, write the patterns, weave the bags (sometimes over and over, as I refine the design), and then send off everything to my editor.

She  has to work on editing all the text, creating the plan of the book, establishing where sidebars, etc. go, and a million other details. Then, when all my deadlines are met, and the book has moved along, the photographer, editor and I , spend several VERY intense days together, photographing all the 'how to's' for the book. The editor then works with the book designer, and establish what look will suit the bags best of all. And, the marketing department is meeting with them, too.... The editor and book designer work with the photographers and graphic designer to get illustrations translated, and to do the photo shoot for the 'beauty shots' for the book. It goes on and on... there are sooooooooooo many stages that the book goes through before it gets to the printer.... it takes time!

ALVB: Are there projects that a beginner weaver can do?
NCF: Oh, absolutely! I wanted to create a book that would be full of projects that would be inviting to people who have never woven before, all the way to more advanced techniques.  It was important to me that there be lots of great tutorials in the book, so that it would be inspiring and useful and be the source of a great deal of pleasure for weavers of all levels!

ALVB: If someone has never tried weaving before, what advice do you have for them?
NCF: Buy this book! You'll be inspired to try all kinds of fun new techniques, and be guided step by step through all manner of weaving pleasures!

ALVB: Do you have a favorite project in the book?
NCF: Oh, my..... that's a really hard question.   Hmmmmm.... nope.... I can't pick one over the others.... they are all in there for a reason.

ALVB: If someone can only purchase one type of loom, what would you suggest?
NCF: Look at the projects in the book, and see which loom your favorites are woven on. The projects that sing to you the most will lead you to your first loom.  The looms are so reasonably priced that you will be able to buy more than one.  You can do soooooooo much with small looms! Just because the looms are small does NOT mean that your projects will have to be. The bags are created in modules on the small looms (with virtually NO loom waste! Yay!) and then are assembled.  Small looms also are wonderfully portable, so you can weave 'on the go'- which is wonderful. I weave in restaurants, in the car, in airports, wherever, whenever!
Small loom weaving is pure delight!

ALVB: Anything else you would like to add?
NCF: One is that it's really important to me to have a very strong 'eco' component to the book, so having projects that are all about upcycling, was essential to me.

Also, the bags can be made on more than just one kind of loom- there is a lot of 'inter-changeability' in the book, so I didn't want to give people the impression that a specific bag can only be made on a certain loom. The Woven Bag is all about creativity, and delight!

        

Well, it looks like we won't have snow in New Jersey on Thursday for the first time in ages, so the next get together will be this Thursday, March 11th, 7:00 p.m. at the Starbucks coffee shop next to Pier One in the Target strip mall at the Rockaway Mall, Rockaway, NJ. We are having a great time getting together every few weeks and would love tohave more join in on the fun! I can't wait to see everyone again!

If you are on Facebook, search under groups for Stitching at Starbucks and join our happy little group! Hope to see you there!