Update on Website Shutdown - Oct. 21, 2024

Handmade for Charity, my list of charities that accept handmade items, has moved to the blog. Tips on Making Items for Charity has also moved to the blog. Both lists have been updated. Dead links are gone and things are grouped into categories to make them easier to use. This was completed 2 weeks ago.

Today, I updated the contact page on the blog. I replaced the "mailto" link with a contact form which delivers your message to me. Be sure to enter your email address correctly or I will not be able to contact you.

The hosting for the website is paid through November 19. After that, the Handcrafting with Love website at handcraftingwithlove.net will disappear.

Update on Website Shutdown

The work I plan to do before shutting down my Handcrafting with Love website at handcraftingwithlove.net is progressing in spurts, but slowly overall. Currently, all of my patterns have been copied to this blog.

Today I removed the pattern instructions on handcraftingwithlove.net and added a link to the new location on the blog on all of the pattern pages. The Ravelry pattern pages have been updated with the new locations.

I still have to copy the list of charities (which is somewhat out of date) and the charity tips pages to the blog before I shut down the website. So many other things I'd rather be doing, thus the slow progress. But the time for the website has passed.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Long before I had a blog, I had a website. Early versions used free webpage space from my internet provider. Somewhere along the way, I named my website Handcrafting with Love. In June, 2006, I created this blog with the expectation that there would be more frequent updates than I was making on the website and that was true for a few years.

In early 2010, I acquired the handcraftingwithlove.net domain name, purchased webhosting and moved the website to its' own domain. Since then, the website has looked a lot like this:

For more than a decade, I have largely neglected the website and this blog. When my webhosting came up for renewal this year, I decided it was time to shut the website down and that work is in progress. The free patterns and charity information are moving to this blog.

You may remember that this blog had the same green appearance as the above website screenshot. I decided it was time for a fresh look.

There will be new tabbed navigation at the top of the blog which will include links to a free pattern index and the charity information. I've copied some patterns over already and should be adding the tabbed navigation soon.

Stay tuned. My contact information will change to a gmail address, so bookmark this blog so you can find and contact me if needed.

What I Did on Vacation - 2023

Last fall I spent 2 weeks in Albuquerque with my friends Wanda & Roger. Some crafting happened while I was there, but no pictures were taken. A third friend, Phyllis, didn't get to see the quilt tops and requested pictures after I got home and took photographs. So this post is for Phyllis.

First, I finished stitching together the quilt top from the September kit from our 3rd Sunday Project Linus Group. (Yes, we're still meeting on the third Sunday of the month and sewing quilt tops for Project Linus.) The official name for the design is Boomerang, but it was soon known as the dinosaur quilt.

Here is a closer view so you can better see the dinosaurs.

Then there were quilts from a Spongebob Squarepants pillow panel. I cut up the pillow panel in 2022. Found coordinating fabric in my stash. Took photos and scanned fabric to import into Electric Quilt. All in the middle of 2022. Then I set it aside to work on something else and there it languished.

The Spongebob pillow panel was polyester. See-through thin polyester. Luckily, I had some solid white polyester fabric in my stash (inherited from the stash of Wanda's mom). I layered the pieces from the pillow panel with the solid white polyester cut to the same size and stitched them together about ⅛" from the edge. This was also done in the middle of 2022 before I set the project aside.

I occasionally stumbled across the Spongebob panel parts; moving them when working on something else. When it came time to choose projects to take on vacation, Spongebob Squarepants quickly went on the list. After getting to Albuquerque, I dusted off my Electric Quilt design skills and created designs to use the pieces from the pillow panel.

I made 2 Spongebob Squarepants quilt tops from the pillow panel. I used a blue background and orange border on the first one.

And two closer shots to better show the details.

For the second Spongebob Squarepants quilt top I switched the blue and orange, so the second one has an orange background and a blue border.

The smaller panel pieces are different on the second top. Here are two closer shots to better show the details.

Now I'll confess that I started this blog post 3 months ago. Didn't quite finish it on the first writing session and kept procrasting or getting sidetracked by other things.

I currently have 6 Project Linus quilt tops waiting to become quilts. The two Spongebob tops are on the top of the stack and will hopefully get finished in the next week and half to turn in at our 3rd Sunday group meeting this month. The dinosaur quilt got finished and turned in last month.

Review: Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary

In the world of sock knitting, there are many sock patterns, but few patterns for knee-high socks. If you like to knit knee socks, Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary by Barb Brown probably has at least one pattern that will interest you.

At first glance, I wasn't very interested in the book. The first half of the book has patterns for socks with stranded color work. I'm not interested in learning stranded colorwork, especially for socks. Then I realized the second half of the book has lace and texture patterns suitable for solid, near solid or self-striping yarn.

I found the pattern for my next pair of knee socks! "Airy Mountain Knee-Highs" on page 65 looks great in the purple-y self-striping Berroco Sox that was aging in my stash. A couple more inches on the feet and they'll be done.

Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary begins by presenting a formula for knitting knee socks based on the number of stitches in the foot of the sock. A page of information on custom fitting helps you customize the fit of any knee sock pattern.

Ironically, it appears that all the socks in the book were knit for an average leg, then modeled on extra tall, skinny-legged models. The socks all look like they'd fall down if the model walked in them!

Since many of us knit shorter socks as well as knee-highs, the information on converting a knee-high pattern to a short sock is an extra bonus. Additionally, every knee-high pattern is accompanied by instructions for making "regular" socks, anklets or leg warmers.

Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary has 11 patterns with stranded colorwork, 8 lace and/or texture patterns and the cover socks, Dance Little Jean. Dance Little Jean has a bit of colorwork at the top of the leg and color accents the top of the heel flap and beginning of the toe. The leg features cables separated by columns of eyelets. All of the patterns feature intricate looking designs, that aren't necessarily hard to knit.

There are a lot of great knee-high sock patterns in this book. I may add it to my personal library instead of just using my public library's copy.

Danger! Fiber Fumes

I kept hearing about a secondhand store that sells fabric and yarn. A couple of women in our Knits & Needles group at the library had been there.

After our Knits & Needles meeting about a month ago, I headed across town to buy groceries at Aldis. I decided to go a few blocks out of my way to check out this secondhand fabric and yarn store. Just a quick look to see what it was all about. Not shopping. Certainly not buying. Just looking.

Fabric Recycles is a resale store with 2 locations in the Kansas City metro area. They sell fabric, notions, trims and yarn. They buy from people who are reducing their stashes and from estates of those who failed to outlive their stash and didn't take it with them.

I was just looking. Research for possible future shopping, right?

So why did these three items come home with me? Why?

It's those fiber fumes. They're dangerous. Wander around in a store full of fiber and you'll be overcome by the fumes.

The blue crochet thread will be used to make some patriotic bows/ribbons. I have red, white and blue crochet thread in my stash, but the blue is a sky blue. This royal blue will look much better in the bows/ribbons.

Take a closer look at the fabric.

My 4½ year old grandnephew loves any mode of transportation: cars, trucks, buses, planes, trains, construction equipment. You name it. If it moves, he'll love it. So the fabrics with the railroad cars and monster trucks will be stashed away for a potential future quilt for said grandnephew. No prediction on when it will get stitched.

Prices at Fabric Recycles are certainly better than your local quilt or yarn shop for comparable merchandise. Cotton quilting fabric was $4 a yard. However, some of the merchandise was stuff you find at chain stores and for that yarn and fabric, you'll likely save money or at least break even shopping the sales and using coupons at the chain stores.

Watch out for those fiber fumes. You may find your actions are uncontrollable when you are under the influence.