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Cat Bordhi isn’t satisfied with doing things the way they’ve always been done, especially not when it comes to knitting. A curious woman, Bordhi, 57, of Friday Harbor, Wash., uses her inquisitive nature to push the limits and experiment to see what she can create.

The result is a collection of four impressive, knitting books that have established her as an industry expert. From moebius knitting to socks on two circulars, Bordhi is leading todays knitters in exciting new directions and challenging them to take their stitching to the next level

Tune in this week to find out how this Russian Lit major ended up working as a professional artist, teacher author and knitter and how she’s passing the baton by mentoring other knitters interested in self-publishing options.

I interviewed Cat for the podcast and also made her the subject of my weekly art and craft column after I heard that she’s on her way to Grand Rapids, Mich. this week to teach some workshops and sign copies of her books.

Hey local knitters! Here’s your chance to meet Cat!
Cat Bordhi will sign copies of her books from 8 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at City Knitting, 423 Norwood Ave. SE. Also, there may still be openings in her Wednesday sock workshop. The workshop runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost is $90. Call 454-9276 to register.

Visit Bordhi’s website, to find out more her books, for free patterns and teaching aids for incorporating knitting into the classroom.

This Week’s Sponsor: A special thanks to SprayPaint4Fabric for sponsoring this week’s show. Visit sprayapaint4fabric.com  for more information on their various crafty paint products.

(Tune in to this week’s show to find out what you need to do to get in the random drawing for fabric spray paint.)

Want to promote your craft business? Visit the sponsors section if you’re interested in sponsoring an upcoming CraftSanity episode.

Support the show! Buy a CraftSanity T-shirt or button.

Taking Names: Who do you want to hear from next? Send your comments, guest and show topic suggestions to jennifer@craftsanity.com

When I took the girls to the weekly Fulton Street Artisan’s Market last Sunday I wasn’t able to visit with vendors for very long because the good behavior clock was running. There comes a point during every outing where the kids just can’t take it anymore. They’re 2 and 4, so this is completely expected.

My goal every time is to get through as quickly as I can before reaching the point where the girls lose patience. However, the clock ran out on me last Sunday. By the time we were headed back to the car, the girls had lost interest in the art show and whining quite a bit, and I was feeling frazzled.

Then we got to Karin’s “A Window Into Whimsy” booth and the girls perked right up. I thought wow, my girls have great taste and appreciate the lovely handbags displayed beautifully in the booth. How fantastic is that?! I know, sometimes I just let myself go with these crazy notions. Then, I finally clued into the candy dish that had captivated my daughters. Ah, yes, candy. Those suckers worked like a charm to revive Amelia from her wilted flower state and Abby seemed more agreeable with a sucker in her mouth.

I don’t normally use candy to revive my children at art sales, but this happenstance occasion made the car ride home a little more pleasant and probably helped Karin make a sale - which brings me to the point of this post.

I had been meaning to make myself a key fob for some time, but hadn’t gotten around to sourcing the little metal piece that makes the fob complete. I’m busier than ever, so I realized that I’d probably never get a key fob if I didn’t buy one from someone else.

Karin had a great selection in her booth. However, I probably would have had to pass if she wouldn’t have had that candy dish. Without that candy distraction, my kids would have continued to melt down, making me want to continue my rush to the car. While I know candy bribes are a clear violation of perfect parenting rules - and not something I recommend on a regular basis - the candy bought me enough time to buy a $5 key fob.

In the end we all won. Karin made a sale. My girls were happy to get a treat. And I finally got a key fob. (It works great, by the way. I used it all week and didn’t misplace my keys once. I’m beginning to thing this little fob is magic or something. : )

So, I’ve been thinking about this “free candy” thing all week and wondering if having something free for the taking in your booth actually increases sales. Or, does this tactic only work on desperate moms? What do you think? Have you had success luring people into your booth with chocolate and doubled your sales? Or, do you find that people take the free stuff and keep on going? You’re invited to weigh in on the discussion and share your tips below.

After working on it quietly in the for the last few months, I’m finally ready to introduce you to a new collaborative project I’ve been working on. It’s called Posted Stitches and it’s a monthly art quilt challenge that I’m doing with, Bev Laing, a bright and talented artist, writer and crafter who I met through my podcast.

She’s a 35-year-old Canadian living in Australia. I’m a 32-year-old American living in America. We’ve never met, but that doesn’t really matter because but be both like to stitch. Bev is an Oxford grad with a background in art history and a wonderful talent for whimsical sketches with ink. (Scroll down to see the sketch she did of us stitching while perched on mailboxes below.)

I just love her sketches. Anyway, Bev and I became pen pals and after I saw the sketches she penned all over the letters she sent, I knew she’d be the perfect partner for a monthly quilt challenge. You can read the back story over at the Posted Stitches site.

Each month we swap parcels of fabric, beads, buttons and other notions and challenge each other to make a 10″ x 10″ art quilt. There’s a mutually agreed upon theme that we use as our guide to create our quilts. Our plan is to document this year-long project and post photos of our progress.

We kicked things off in June, making self-portrait quilts. (Mine is at the top of this post.) But we took our time building the site, and plan to publish the July results in the coming days. Soon our posts will be up-to-date and you’ll be able to watch our projects evolve as we make them.

As someone who usually creates handmade goods that can either be worn or used in some other practical way, I’m really enjoying having a reason to make a piece of art every month. And having a partner in this creative experiment has been tremendous fun. We do our “reveals” via Skype. Isn’t technology great?!

I’m finding that I’m creating my quilts on deadline because my schedule doesn’t allow much time for leisure art-making. But I’d rather be creating on deadline that not creating at all.

So, have a look at Posted Stitches when you get a moment and let us know what you think. Enjoy!

It’s been on my to-do list for months and I finally did it. I made a sock monkey apron for Dulce, the sock monkey queen. I made an embroidery pattern from one of the photos I took of her monkeys and embroidered like mad while watching the Olympics Saturday night.

Everything was going swell until I sprayed the embroidery with water to erase the water soluble pen lines. To my horror, the red dye in the embroidery floss bled slightly onto the white fabric. I couldn’t believe it. I anticipated every potential disaster but that one. So, in the end, the monkey has a heavenly pink aura around it’s head.

Thankfully, Dulce was gracious about accepting the smudged apron as payback for the darling monkeys she gave my children. She put the apron on right away and made me feel better about the craft mishap. My word.

Thanks again, Dulce. The girls LOVE their sock monkeys.

Do any of you know if colorfast embroidery floss is available on the market? Unless I can find a colorfast product, I might have to start washing my floss by hand ahead of time or something. Either way, I need to figure this out before my next project.

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Grab a box of markers and a clean sheet of paper, and doodle away while you listen to journal artist Dawn DeVries Sokol share the story of how she got hooked on the art form.

Sokol, 39, of Tempe, Ariz., is the woman who compiled and contributed to the impressive collection of journal art recently published in the book “1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations.” This book is filled with inspiring pages by a couple hundred artists that left me itching to start a new art journal myself. (Keep reading to find out how you can enter to win the book.)

Tune in to learn what inspired Sokol to throw herself into art journaling and find out how you can set about the business of filling a Moleskine with your own artwork and words.

This week’s project: Download one of Sokol’s art journal prompts to get you in the mood for journaling. You can find more prompts on her website.

Check out the following book pages from “1,000 Artist Journal Pages” courtesy of the publisher, Quarry Books.

Enter to Win The Book! Do you art journal? Why or why not? What role does it play in your life? Post a comment about this podcast and get in the random drawing to win a copy of “1000 Artist Journal Pages.” The deadline is Saturday, Aug. 30. Good luck everyone!

A special thanks to CraftSanity episode 83 sponsor: ConnectingThreads.com. Connecting Threads is a great source for quilting fabrics, patterns and supplies. Fabrics start at $5.96 per yard. Be sure to check out their free beginner patterns.

Want to promote your craft business? Visit the sponsors section if you’re interested in sponsoring an upcoming CraftSanity episode.

Support the show! Buy a CraftSanity T-shirt or button.

Taking Names: Who do you want to hear from next? Send your comments, guest and show topic suggestions to jennifer@craftsanity.com

ALLEGAN, MICH. — For a moment, I thought about helping this little fiber friend escape. I guess I assumed the chewing was an attempted jail break, a cry for help if you will. But the more I think about it, the sheep was probably just chewing to relieve stress. I’m sure it’s a little stressful having a bunch of people staring at you, petting you and asking how much you cost. If only sheep could knit…

It’s true, folks. I went all the way to the Michigan Fiber Festival and didn’t buy any fiber. It’s almost criminal, I know. I guess I’m to the point where the craft supply I need the most is time. I have plenty of yarn and fabric to keep me busy, so all I crave these days is time to create. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any of that for sale at the festival.

But I did soak up some inspiring ideas and meet some lovely people, including a couple folks who knit socks on those lovely, old hand-crank machines.

Sorry if that photo made you a little dizzy. I compromised my photography on this one because I was feeling a little dizzy myself in the presence of this machine. Seriously, I probably would have bought one if they were selling them at fiber fest. I spotted one of these babies at fiber fest a few years ago and have been quietly obsessed with them ever since. Now that I know a couple people who own them, I’m afraid it will just be a matter of time. I’m in trouble, folks.

The girls had a good time at the festival hanging out with Grandma H. while I chatted with vendors and fellow festival-goers. My sheep apron was a hit as I expected. (Thanks again, Beth. I LOVE it!) The best comment came from a woman who told me it was “high-five-worthy” and slapped me five in one of the vender booths. I’m a veteran when it comes to sporting aprons in public, but that was a first. What fun!

Okay. I have more to tell you about the festival, but it’s going to have to wait because Michael Phelps is about to swim his final Olympic event and this requires my full and undivided attention. I dreamed of gold as a kid, too. So, I’m living it vicariously.

Okay, folks, this is a big weekend in West Michigan for Art and Craft. Here are a couple events to check out this weekend:

I’m headed to the Michigan Fiber Festival, Saturday with the girls to see all the fiber-bearing animals and check out all the great art and craft vendors including Letty and Rita. (I’ll be sporting the apron at the left that I got in an apron swap.) The Festival is at the Allegan County Fairgrounds, 150 Allegan County Fair Drive, in Allegan. Hours are 9-5 p.m. today; 9-6 p.m. Saturday and 10-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free today. Weekend day passes are $5 per person, or $8 for a two-day pass. Kids 8 and younger get in free. (Yippee!)

On Sunday I plan to stop by the Fulton Street Artisan’s Market, 1147 Fulton St. SE, in Grand Rapids, (corner of Fulton and Fuller) to see all the Etsy West Michigan vendors who will be selling their goods. I don’t have a complete line-up, but I know Dulce will be there with her sock monkeys and Catherine will be there with her jewelry. I hope to see you there!

I never know what’s going to happen when I check the P.O. Box.

Sometimes there’s mail, sometimes not.

I always hope I have mail, but prepare myself to see an empty box just in case. It’s really quite silly, but I’ve always been this way about mail.

So when the family made a quick stop to check the ol’ PO box last night after dinner at the local diner, I was delighted to find a key in my box with lead me to a bigger box where a large envelope waiting for me.

This is what was in side:

I know, aren’t they awesome?! They’re limited edition silk screen prints by Texas artist Nick Ramos. As if the prints aren’t amazing enough, he sent along the nicest letter thanking me for producing CraftSanity. My goodness, Nick! You’ve overwhelmed me. Thank you!

The girls LOVE the prints. I was going to have them framed and put them in my office so I can see them when I’m recording my all my shows, but they are making a case for having them displayed downstairs where they can see them all the time. I may just have to compromise and put one in my office and the other downstairs.

It continues to amaze me that super talented people like Nick listen to the show. Wow. It’s my absolute pleasure to inspire and entertain you with my quirky antics. Thanks so much for listening!

Speaking of the podcast, I’m hoping to get the next one out the door this weekend, so stay tuned!

The girls and I ran several errands today and ended up at the public library near our home. I made my usual 30-second pass through the new book section to scout for craft books. On my way back to collect the girls from the children’s section, I passed a display of featured books, memoirs mostly.

I didn’t plan to read a book today, but I left the library with “About Alice” by Calvin Trillin, a long-time staff writer at The New Yorker. In that wonderful way that a great book changes the course of one’s day, I got completely caught up in the lovely way Trillin writes the story of his late wife and muse, Alice Stewart Trillin.

I didn’t know as much as I should have about this talented couple before reading this book. But Trillin broke me down by the end and I struggled to read the last couple pages, my vision blurred by tears. What a beautiful story. Read this book if you haven’t already.

We made fabric pendants today at the Y Craft Club meeting. This one could use more embellishment, but I’ll add that another day. These pendants would make great gift tags and interesting adornments for handmade cards and scrapbook pages.

Podcast update: We’re working on it. Really we are. We’ll post it as soon as s can. Thank you for your patience.

I’m not one to sport a lot of bling, but I love jewelry. And lately I’ve been stealing glances at the lovely projects in Melinda Barta’s new book, “Custom Cool Jewelry: Create 200+ Personalized Pendants, Charms and Claps” (Interweave Press, September 2008, paper bound, 144 pages, $22.95). The book is packed with ideas for creating a wide range of jewelry using a variety of techniques and just about everything in your craft stash.

Barta, managing editor of Beadwork and Stringing magazines, seems to outdo herself offering step-by-step instructions for an extraordinary amount of projects. From baking resin bead collages in the oven to embossing antique playing cards, making fabric beads and shrinking plastic, this book forces readers to consider everything a possible jewelry supply. Paper, wire, fiber, found objects, you name it, Barta nudges readers to explore all possibilities and the technical guidance to make great wearable art happen.

I’m a fabric junkie, so I’m particularly inspired by the Patchwork Pendants on p. 38. This project incorporates fabric stamps, ink and a little embroidery for a delightful result. This evening the girls and I did a little fabric stamping before bedtime. We’ll pick up with the next step later this week and hopefully be sporting our new fabric jewelry very soon. I love the simplicity of this project and the that fact that the result is soft, kid-friendly, bling. (I admit it, I’m not just doing this for the kids. I can’t wait to wear these fabric pendants myself.)

While the number of projects contained in this book may be overwhelming to some and it’s a bummer that it’s not spiral bound, the shear volume ensures that most crafters will be able to find a project or two that they simply must try.

If you’re interested in learning more about Barta, check out CraftSanity episode 35, to hear the podcast I recorded in 2006 after the release of her first book, “Hip to Stitch.”

I recently took a little road trip to Kalamazoo, Mich. where I visited Letty Klein at Pine Lane Farm. We sat out on her deck and chatted about how her love of animals led her into the sheep and braided wool rug business. You can read her story today in my GR Press art & craft column.

Letty is the co-author of “The Shepherd’s Rug: A Braided Wool Rug From Roving,”a book she wrote with her rug business partner, Ann Brown, of Sterling, Ky. The pair met at a sheep festival and decided to join forces to make custom braided wool rugs. After many years of rug-making the pair decided to share their braided rug skills with the reading public self-published their book.

The beauty of these braided wool rugs is that you don’t need any expensive equipment to do it. If you can braid, you can make one. If you’d like to give the technique a try download Letty’s instructions for mug rug coasters and get to work.

This week kicked my rear. I spent way too much time at the office and completely lost the work/life balance I fight to maintain. But your lovely e-mails and comments helped get me through. Thank you very much!

In stressful times like these I retreat to the pool and follow the back line. That’s were I went as soon as I got done with all my work this week. When I’m in the pool, there’s no e-mail, cell phone, or talking. I just slip into the rhythm of my stroke, cruise down the lane, flip and push off for another 25 yards. The pool is my place to escape the garbage of the world, the place I go to unwind, relax and burn calories. I’ve felt this way every since I joined a YMCA swim team at age 13. Swimming lap after continuous lap, staring at the bottom of the pool sounds boring, I know, but I love it. When I swim, I feel like I’m home and completely me.

(In case you’re wondering, I don’t usually bring my camera to the pool, but I took a series of pool photos recently to use to design an art quilt for a monthly art challenge I’m doing with a friend. We’ll be sharing our quilts soon, so stay tuned.)

So, I’m back and blogging and planning to finally tape the intro to my next podcast today. I apologize for the delay. This week was tough, but very motivating. It helped me refocus on some of my long-term goals and future plans to take CraftSanity to the next level. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to hatch a plan that will hopefully make us all very happy. I’ll be sharing more details soon. In the meantime, thanks again for your support. You creative folks inspire me to no end.

Speaking of creative people, I’ve received some great mail since I last blogged and have a bunch of cool people and events to tell you about. I have a podcast to work on, so I’ll just tell you about a couple right now…

Samantha Caffee is taking orders for her new “Miss Madeline” peasant-style apron dress pictured above. As a serious apron enthusiast, I can’t wait to whip up a couple of these sweet dresses for my girls. The dress comes in sizes 6 months to 4 and 5-10. The cost is $10.95 (plus $1.50 shipping) for the printed version and $9.95 for the PDF. You can find out more here.

This it totally short notice, but I want to encourage local readers to head down to the The Avenue for the Arts Market from 4 to 9 p.m. in the 100 Block of South Division Avenue in Grand Rapids. I plan to stop by to meet some talented artists and visit Randall Gornowich, the photographer I featured in my art and craft column last weekend.

Okay, that’s it for now. I better get to work. Happy crafting, everyone!

It’s been a rough week and it’s only Tuesday. I’m up to my eyeballs in work and still trying to make time to stitch as often as possible. This is me crafting sanity, my friends. I’m too tired to know if it’s working, so I’ll have to get back to you on that. : )

The next podcast is coming soon, so stay tuned.

A friend of mine is wrapping up a three-month trip around the world as I type. I know, doesn’t that sound fantastic? Well, the more I think about it, the more certain I am that this is not the right time for me to quit my job and have a similar adventure. However, I can still live vicariously through folks like my friend, Bev, and Randall Gornowich (the Grand Rapids photographer I featured in today’s GR Press Art & Craft column), right?

Instead of feeling bad that you can’t to drop everything and travel the world right now, consider broadening your definition of “adventure.” I try to have what I call mini-adventures every day. Yesterday the girls and I collected pine needles for a future pine needle basket weaving project. And today, I braided Abby’s hair for the first time. (I had been trying to persuade her to let me braid her hair for months and she finally requested braids today.) Then, against my better judgement, I waded into a very shallow section of Twin Lake wearing my Cannon 40D around my neck so I could take some pictures at a family party. I admit this was a very foolish idea given the slippery muck I was sinking into during the shoot and what it would cost to replace my camera, but I got some precious shots of my daughters and their cousins sitting on the edge of the deck without getting my camera wet so I’m very happy and looking forward to our next mini-adventure.

How about you? When was your last adventure? Where did you go? What did you do?