Debbie Stoller On Crafting for Men
Him. He won't wear the damn sweater you spent hours stitching. Every now and then even the most gifted knitters and crocheters find themselves in this seemingly no-win situation.
Realizing this after creating a few items that bombed with her boyfriend, Debbie Stoller has just come out with a new book she hopes will reduce the frustration on both sides when crafty folks make gifts for men.
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Leftovers with Kristin Roach
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I thought pigs would fly before I ever would land a
gig writing a weekly craft column for my newspaper.
Thankfully, things worked out beautifully and I wrote
this week's column about Geniene Hourigan a talented
artist and crafter who happens to make felted flying
pigs. How great is that?!
I invite you to read more about Geniene, 27, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and check out her pattern for this whimsical crocheted necklace over at my GR Press blog. I made one last week out of recycled string. These attention-grabbing necklaces are fun to make and a trip to wear. Enjoy!
The crazy part of the interview was that I taped it with BOTH my daughters present, which is a CraftSanity first. They're 2 and 3 and therefore not great co-hosts for my show yet. Thankfully, Susan loves kids (she has four of her own) and is a very easy-going knitter. So I gave Abby a cookie to munch on (I seem to bribe Abby with cookies every time Susan visits.) and Susan and I had a fun conversation with a few minor interruptions. Amelia slept in her stroller through the whole thing!
Susan showed Abby and I the adorable reversible toys she designed for a new book project. One was a reversible cat and mouse and the other was a tiger and elephant. So fun! Abby "raced" them across a chair seat while we talked and seemed to really enjoy them. I'm so happy to hear Susan is working on a knitted toy book. Plush toys are all the rage and not just for kids. I know I'm not the only one who had crafted a few toys to put up on the shelf or bring along to work. This is fabulous news.
I'll be editing audio today and hope to wrap get a new show to out before my weekend ends. I'll likely include my chat with Susan as the after show, or possibly post it as a standalone. We'll see how long it is. In the meantime, check out episode 46 to learn more about Susan and her life as a knitter and author.
Anderson's latest book hit newsstands in October and is loaded with more great patterns to knit for the little people in our lives. I love the plush peas and carrots pillows on page 90, cupcake baby hat on page 113, cupcake tea set on page 120, and the "Three Little Pigs" inspired pattern on page 155.
Anderson's patterns are great because she knits her
experience as a busy mother of four into her designs.
For example, on page 107 there's a pattern for an
attractive diaper bag that will serve a hip mama as a
fun tote for years after the baby graduates from
diapers. And if the "Plug Fairy" had not already made
a stop to collect all the pacifiers from my house,
I'd be knitting the adorable pacifier clips on page
98 because they're so much cuter than the ones you
can buy in the store.
So if you want to rock the next baby shower you
attend, pick up your needles and make a project in
this book. You will surely impress the mother-to-be
if you show up with a darling, handknit "garden mice
mobile" or a patchwork textured blanket. With 40
projects to pick from, there's likely something to
strike the fancy of most every knitter who loves to
knit for babes. The only disappointment is that I
don't have time to knit everything I like in the
book.
