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!
Autumn is just about to kick in as things turn chilly and the leaves turn brown. To remind ourselves of greener times how about a little scarf with summer leanings?
The Leaves Scarf by Slipped Stitch blogger Alice Bell is a lovely little knit and the perfect scarf for an autumn where the weather is likely to keep on changing. The pattern calls for a little bit of i-cord and some increasing, decreasing and slipping stitches. A doddle for most knitters and pretty simple for beginners once you get the hang of it.
The felted version of the scarf can be seen in the main image but I think it looks just as cool unfelted in all its stitched glory. Mother nature knits. Very cool.
Fancy stitching a tiny squid that will wrestle your finger into submission? Thought you might. Ladies and gentleman crafters let me introduce you to the tiny Finger-fighting Stitched Squid or Squidius Knittius.
This ten-tentacled terror was created for the Stitch a Squid workshop that Stitch London organised at the Natural History Museum. The event was a massive success and saw shoals of shiny-eyed squid wriggling off the needles to challenge their makers to a wrestle.
Anyone who missed the event but longs to stitch a squid themselves can find the stitched squid pattern on Ravelry and read all about it on Whodunnknit, the new home of Deadly Knitshade's (your humble Crafty Crafty writer) kooky but cute knits.
Stitch yourself a feisty finger-fighting squid. Go on.
There is a whole lot to choose from when it comes to knitted fashion and it can be a horror wondering where to start. So I have to take my handmade hat off to The Dark Knit and her ongoing cause to tell you pick out some of the finest examples.
The Dark Knit is a blogger from Oslo, Norway, who launched her Daily Knit in June 2010 and has been posting her knitted finds ever since.
Though she hasn't managed to keep to the daily part some of her finds are fabulous, such as a flamboyant flamenco dress, an overwhelmingly pink wedding dress, Milla Jovovich's knitwear for Escada, and a Mickey Mouse 80s classic.
She also designs, make and shares some inspiring stuff of her own involving all manner of crafts from beading to crochet.
Throw in some Oslo sunsets and it's definitely a blog worth watching.
They're out! They're stitched! They're from the Deep Sea! Run for the hills! London's Natural History Museum is currently on the look out for six stitched sealife escapees and they want your help.
The Natural History Museum is teaming up with Stitch London on August 27 2010 for a Stitch a Squid event. They invite you to come along to their After Hours night to learn how to knit "'probably the easiest knitting pattern ever" and end up with a tiny stitched squid.
To celebrate this collaboration Stitch London have released six stitched sealife specimens into the Museum. They'll tell you the fishy tale of a new stitched sealife escapee all this week.
See them on the blog or join them on the night to Stitch a Squid and help hunt down the fibre-based fishy fellows.
A good fry up is enough to salve any hangover and make you feel one with the world once more. Throw a couple of runny eggs, a sausage or two, and their oil-fried friends into a pan, bung a few tomato halves under the grill and voila! Breakfast for kings.
To celebrate the good old English Fry Up I've managed to track down this Bacon and Egg Hat and Handbag knitting pattern from your old Pal, Jackie magazine published in 1979.
If you've ever been tempted to wear your deep-fried love about your person and weren't sure how then now's your chance.
Wearing a couple of slices of fried bread as earrings is optional.
It's the time of year when knitters nationwide start click-clacking away in an endeavour to make more tiny hats for fruit drink bottles than any knitter has ever knit before. Yes folks, The Big Knit is back.
Each year Innocent, kings of the smoothie, call on the knitting masses to conjure up mountains of tiny hats. The hats are then sent out into stores and perch upon bottles until some lucky shopper comes along and buys them, smoothie and all.
For every behatted bottle sold, 25p will be donated to Age UK (formerly Age Concern). Fruity goodness for you and a warm glow in your heart for everyone.
Everything you need to know, including some free patterns, is on the Innocent website.
The knitting deadline is October 5.
How many tiny hats do you think you can cram in by then. Race you!
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