Giraffes and Such

Adorable and inspiring video from etsy about Sharon Montrose. Do what you love, but keep your passions separate or you'll start hating them!

Anyone know where I can get a baby giraffe? specifically a miniature one like the one from this commercial?

Since starting my own knitware company, Alouetta, I have pooled resources from the internet to fuel inspiration. Some I have bookmarked and can retrieve information on, and others have been dragged to my desktop without any history. Here we go...

Knitting Graffiti

Magda Sayeg, Texas

Carol Hummel, Ohio

Jafagirls, Dayton St. Three Textile Totem

Stockholm

Knit this Dobbs Ferry Knit Cowl in a day. Really.

Martha Stewart featured this pattern by Lions Brand Yarn, which is always a goto yarn for me, due to its cost effectivity and my experimentation with knitting at this point. Get it at Michael's with a coupon and its $3.50 a skein! DO YOU HEAR ME!!?

This pattern is so simple I have it memorized, find it HERE or right here:

Use size 19 circular needles. I wouldnt worry with a gauge swatch, personally. A little bigger or smaller wouldn't bother me. I'm not exact. Work K2 P2 in the round for the first 3 rounds. Then, knit in the round...forever.... Or until it reaches 17 inches. At 17 inches, repeat the ribbing, K2 P2 for 3 rounds and bind off. DONE. It also uses three strands of Lions Brand Thick and Quick Chunky yarn to get the look of a super duper chunky wool. I love it. It really is the simple things in life.

These adorable Baby Bloomers and Baby Bootie Moccasins are taken from The Purl Bee website. I wish they had both patterns available for adults! I would so rock some knit bloomers and moccasins! Purl Bee is a store in NYC that offers yarn, fabric, patterns, and classes. They have really beautiful free patterns on their site, but many are for experienced knitters.

Giant Knitting Machine by Dave Cole, 2005

Loaded Shotguns, by Dave Cole, 2008

Dave Cole knit with these loaded shotguns, with the safeties off. Who said knitting wasn't dangerous and adventurous?

what are these, you ask?

Cute Slippers

These lightweight slippers from Etsy user NikiSlippers are cute and affordable! They are handcrafted by a Macedonian Baba in Toronto and are available here for only $10.95. You can

be their first buyer if you click quickly! I want to pad around my house in a pair of these.

Christien Meindertsma's Urchin Pouf. Love. Christien collaborated with a farmer in Wales to use wool from a single sheep for many of her garment projects. She also uses wool from angora rabbits, alpacas and merino sheep. This ottoman/pouf inspired me to buy size 35 knitting needles! Now I can't seem to find wool thick enough, oh and that doesn't cost $100+ a skein...

If you so desire to buy this pouf, you can find it at Design Within Reach for $800.

The Cozy Cabin blanket is a simple and classic knit for beginners. The pattern is available in The Little Box of Throws, from Amazon for $15. Images come from users SkinnedKnees and Gunnison on the Ravelry website. The pattern calls for Lamb's Pride wool:

The pattern is full of knits and purls on size 10 needles with gorgeous lamb's pride yarn. Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride comes in really beautiful, soft, muted colours, my favourite!

"Wool and the Gang is the story of a family,

a know-how transmitted to the next generation, re-invented,

self taught, a bond between gang members, a gang of knitters,

guys and girls from 7 to 77 years old, all tied together by a piece of yarn…"

Wool and the Gang is an international knitting store and collective. While I was living in NY they opened their first American store located in SOHO and it is magnificent. They sell kits, wool, pre-knit garments and host many knitting functions. I love how founders, Carolyn and Lisa have helped make a name for this heirloom trade in modern fashion.

Even though summer is coming up, you can still knit! Buy this kit, The Tala Tank Top, for $70. "Tala" means wolf in Native American. I'll take a wolf tank top any day!

Wool and the Gang also has extremely helpful and easy to follow knitting videos. Here's one to get you started: Casting On.

02 Casting on with two needles

by WOOLANDTHEGANG

Other videos include:

ANYONE CAN LEARN TO KNIT with these simple videos!

Swank Dollar, also known as SWNKDLLR, is Annie Larson of Minneapolis, MN. Her concept is described as: Fashion Design + Fiber Art + Minneapolis. Items are not for sale. Click to follow her blog or flickr page.

Thanks for looking! Now go knit!

She lives!

So....I forgot my blog passwords!

However, while playing around with Passwords Of The Past this morning, I some how made it in! I have a lot to share and some more free time on my hands again, so i hope to update more frequently.

Here's whats happened in the last year:

- got a job teaching pre-k at a private school in manhattan and fell in love with my job

- fiance and i split. he moved to texas. i stayed in brooklyn.

- met my best friend forever (BFF!), britta plug!

- reconnected with ex-fiance and started dating again.

- moved back to austin, texas in december

- started a knitware company called: Alouetta

- nanny part-time, craft part-time and have fun!

Talk Soon,

Meg

Boxed Water is Better

Boxed Water is Better

The Boxed Water container is far more sustainable than plastic bottled water. About 90% of the box is from a renewable
resource, trees.



The trees used to make our box come from certified, well managed forests. These forests remain healthy and stable through ongoing replanting while removing CO2 from the atmosphere.



The creation and distribution of our box has a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to plastic bottles, up to 80% lower in some cases. This is because our boxes can be shipped to the bottling source flat.



Our cartons can also be broken down to their original flat state, are recyclable in most areas, and will be everywhere shortly. Please visit www.recyclecartons.com to learn more.



We really care about the world's water supply. 10% of our profit is donated to world water relief foundations. We feel anyone who consumes our product is in a privileged position and it's important that part of their spending goes to help those who are not as privileged. Just makes sense, doesn't it?



We really care about the trees. So much so that we donate yet another 10% of our profit to reforestation foundations. So when you're drinking this water, you're helping to plant more trees and protect our forests, strengthening mother nature's lungs.


Currently sold in MI, but you can join their mailing list and spread the word.

Bees

Hello! 

Just popped in to do an update about bees! I have a new roommate, Britta, and she is in love with bees. She has inspired a bee obsession in me. Britta just got a bee tattoo from local tattoo artist JK5 at Saved Tattoo in Williamsburg.

The Snail and The Cyclops has a cute little blurb about beekeeping journals from the 19th century. Check it out!

Hand-Cut Paper Bee, not for sale, Elsita (Master Paper cutter!)

Bees, 340 pounds, Cardigan

John Derian has a nice collection of bee things.

Waste Basket $385

Coasters, $100 for set of 4

Paper Weight, $60

Do you remember this pull toy from Fisher Price? Photo courtesy of Fleaflyflofun! on Flickr.

             

Honey Bee Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap, $3.75 - $4.50, Wilmoth Farms

The Bees Buttons, $5, PotatoPotato

I love these bee and bear illustrations by my friend and Portland artist, Julianna Swaney. She has several other bee inspired illustrations for sale at her Etsy shop, Oh My Cavalier. These ones are not for sale at the moment. You can check out what she is up to at her drawing blog, Oh My Cavalier.

Britta does facials at a spa in Manhattan and has her own space doing natural facials using raw and edible materials! She highly suggests manuka honey face masks. Spread it on your face, licking the spoon when you are finished, and rinse off after 15 minutes. Honey is a natural antioxidant and manuka honey is so powerful you can use it on burns and other wounds. I did one just the other night and my skin feels great!


Internally active manuka honey is used for Gastro-Intestinal Disorders, such as Acid Reflux, Esophagus Ulcer, Heartburn, up-set Stomach, Stomach Ulcer, H. Pylori (helicobacter pylori), Gastritis, Duodenal Ulcer, Diverticulitis, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Externally active manuka honey is used for Wound Care such as Burns, Wounds, amputation stump wounds, Ulcers, Diabetic Leg Ulcer, Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Sores, Bed Sores (pressure sores, decubitus wounds), Scars, MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staph Auereus) infected wounds, post-operative scar wound healing.

Manuka Honey has an antibacterial effect 4 times greater than standard Antiseptic (minimum 18% carbolic equivalent)

Manuka Honey Active 16+, $30, Wedderspoon

This would be beautiful in a frame!

Photo Illustration of Bee, $10, KZukowski

I love the exposed wood on this piece!

Bee in Green, $45, Kim Fox Art

Bee 23 by BingBang Wallet, $25, UO 

The Birds and the Bees Ring, $16, My Lavaliere

Bee Skep Necklace, $22, Mamas Little Babies

Colorful BeeHives Photo by Hdrdoc on Flickr

Stamp bees everywhere!

Bee Rubber Stamp, $2, NoraJane 

Antique Brass Honey Bee Necklace, $14, Fairiesnberries, Montreal

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is one of my favourite girlie books! About four years ago I convinced my book club NOT to read this book. I picked it up last year after repeated recommendations and fell in love with it- instantly feeling embarrassed for eschewing it at the book club! If you were in my book club and my superior debating skills convinced you not to read this book, I TAKE IT ALL BACK. Read it!

Bonus: While it is a fictitious book, it is full of really interesting facts about bees. 

Pick it up at Amazon for $0.01 (YES ONE CENT) with $3.99 shipping

Now go embroider bees on everything you own!!!!!!

Design by Kunderwood via Flickr