Most knitters have a kind of orphanage part of our yarn stashes. This is the place where odd, unwanted balls of yarn from finished projects go to languish. Too small to be a part of a large project yet too big to be throw away. So sad.
The solution comes in the form of the best idea I've seen for a knitting website since Ravelry. Ladies and gents of the Knit may I introduce Oddballs.
The idea is pretty much what it says on the tin. You subscribe for a three, one or six-year membership then get rid of or find the yarn of your choice. The site links orphan balls of yarn with those searching for yarn to reunite with an unfinished project and vice versa. Soon yarn is finding new homes and loving projects when it thought it would be alone forever.
The site also lists accessories in case you've lost a DPN or can't find a 4.5mm.
It's a beautiful end to the tragedy of lonely yarn and a healing home for those WIPs you thought you would never finish. All hail, Oddballs!
A window display trying to tempt you in with promises of knitted beards and disembodied knitting hands appearing from a woven basket? What more could you ask for?
Fabrications is one of London's funkiest shops which is many things: an independent gallery, a yarn shop and a place to buy all manner of crafty and creative things. Tucked away in East London on Broadway Market it can be a bit of a trip to get there but it's always worth it.
The shop also doubles as the studio for designer-maker Barley Massey, who has been upcycling and recycling craftwise for years.
Last year I made the trek to the shop to pick up some amazing Rethink Rubbish craft kits kindly donated for a Stitch London raffle prize. I came away wishing I'd had more time to browse as the shop is a little bit of handmade heaven in Hackney.
Their recent blog post on their Katherine Eaves window display is truly inspiring stuff.
Visit the online shop if you can't make it to East London.
The festival essential when you're celebrating music and culture in the UK has to be the welly. You can go posh with Jimmy Choo snakeskin wellies, trendy with Dragon's Den Wedge Wellies or you could go crafty and customise your own.
The wellies pictured above were spotted at this weekend's V Festival by Osoyou's Jessica: the pink polka-dot glitter wellies were sprinkled in shiny stuff and varnished to keep them dotty, and the studded boots were made from parts of a Primark bracelet and a tube of trusty superglue.
This set of acrylic welly paints from Boot Kidz is also available for welly transformation.
Your festival feet will never be dull again.
It's all gone to sea this week in the world of craft. Maybe I'm just seeing things but I'm pretty convinced there are tentacles coming out of the walls to drag me into the deep. I'm either going insane or I've been wandering through the hallowed halls of handmade we call Etsy again.
Witness the wonder of the Wall Tentacle. A papier-maché and wire wall adornment that puts the man-squeezing octopus into your home decor.
The sea-based sculpture is one of the many kooky cool offerings from Art Akimbo. Other bizarre but brilliant pieces include Nose Mustache Eyeglass Holders, a fridge face and probably least kooky a flying heart of gold clock.
The photo of the face magnets on the toaster is worth a look alone.
Many of us craft-obsessed folks have books full of our scribbles as we plan crafty plans for when we have a little more time. Many of these books are little works of art in themselves. Isn't it about time they got a little of the limelight?
The Sketchbook Project is a idea that gives your scribblings the chance to shine and tour the US alongside the sketchbooks of others.
The idea is:
- you sign up by buying a moleskine sketchbook which is sent out to you to fill up
- You fill up the sketchbook with all the wonders you can possibly squeeze out of your head
- You send the sketchbook back
- Your sketchbook goes on a tour across the US on a path to arty fame and fortune
If you're not sure where to start on filling up your blank book each one has a title to give you a creative shove in the right direction. Titles range from "Things found on restaurant napkins" to "Great hopes and massive failures" and all manner of inspiring stuff in between.
Sign ups end October 31 2010.
Do you long to be playing video games all day long rather than living in the dull humdrum existence where there are no invincibility stars or mushrooms that make you twice your height? Then it's about time you let your bathroom feel like its been treated to a 1UP.
These Nintendo Games Soaps popped up on Dorkadore (a place where girls and gadgets meet) and demanded to be shared.
Geeksoap also offers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Soap for those with grubby halfshells and World of Warcraft Soapstone for washing off bits of blood elf.
Cleansing and yet geekily great.
Your pillow is an important place. It's where you rest your noggin to drift off and dream up all those craft projects you will one day bring to life. Therefore you should treat your bed with the respect it deserves by getting some inspirational bedding on there.
I saw these Sleepyhead Pillows on Domestic Sluttery and immediately fell a little bit in love with them. Not only do they cater for the head of the sleeper but also the head of their furry friend and bedfellow.
The pillowcase cheekily reads "Instructions: place heads inside dotted lines for best results" across the top for those too sleepy to think for themselves too.
An inspirational use of embroidery and the perfect crafty present for snoozehounds everywhere.
digg this |
del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
