I came across this little fibre-obsessed website while trawling Twitter for crafty gold the other day. It's a little virtual window on textile and print.
Spacial Loophole are on a mission to showcase the wonders that they find in the world of textiles and share them with you, the unwary internet wanderer. They show a selection of interesting textile prints/patterns in a personal stratagem to keep the author to the site informed and organized. This in turn keep you informed and organised without having to do any searching yourself.
The poster's goal is "A post everyday with no, no exceptions until a female president is elected in my motherland". There are posts he/she finds in real life such as a rather marvellous bed cover in her/his parent's attic to life-size trains made from castaway fabric in Nairobi.
I'm not entirely sure where the motherland or how likely their female presidenthood is but it's a fine blog and I hope it keeps going.
It's not quite warm enough to break out the shorts but not quite cold enough to slip on the knee high socks. What to do while spring decides whether it has sprung or not? How about knitting yourself a pair of leg warmers?
The Twister Ankles pattern on the Leethal blog is not only easy peasy but different too. No longer will your chilly legs fear being wrapped in run-of-the-mill straight up and down leg warming wools. These leg warmers have "squishy, bulky, cabley yumminess" and a kooky but cool twisted cable pattern that will make your calf cosies stand out from the leg warming crowd.
Throw in the buttons of your choice and place lovingly over your legs when done. Voila. Warm ankles and the options to unbutton them and free your pins if the sun decides to come out. See some examples of the finished items here.
Twisted, terribly easy and terrific.
Back in days gone by they were a classy bunch. Graceful, debonair and chic; the dress of the 40s and 50s took a fair amount of putting together but was worth it for the finished look. Inspired by her grandmother's photos and vintage fashion photographs of the period, My Vintage Dresser was created.
Katie dreamed up the vintage pattern shop when her job became a bit unstable and has gone onto create a place where you can find a treasure trove of vintage fabulousness.
You can dig up retro goodness to your heart's content with a classic selection of sewing and knitting patterns. From 1960s pleated skirts from Vogue to P&B Wools patterns for fine tailored jackets, every pattern will have you itching to get your retro on.
Katie also teams them up with the opportunity to attend workshops covering everything from vintage hairstyling and makeup to where to source vintage and how to put it all together.
You'll be crafting yourself vintagey before you can say "Make do and mend".
Who doesn't love a bit of kooky crochet? Well whoever you are turn away now because Knot By Gran'ma has kooky crochet by the stashload, with free patterns to boot.
She makes painfully cute and often slightly unsettling weird but wicked wool-based beasts. Her creations include wailing ghosties, a disgruntled green frog, and bizarre fibre-freakshow people such as Jen the Tri-Headed Cheerleader. Her Etsy shop offers patterns and the option to buy some of her more complicated finished products.
There are also free pattens for you to try. Check out the boundless joy on the crocheted face of Johnny Heart and the rock-star fun fur of her Baby Bootie Socks.
Her blog offers links to useful crochet sites too. Encouragement for even the most unsure of happy hookers to get their own crochet creatures on the hook.
You've got to give a little love to get a little love of your own according to indie folk band Noah and the Whale, and as all fibre-flingers know knitted love is the best kind to get. Especially if it's quick to stitch up. At Stitch and Bitch London, my not-so-little knitting group, we pass on the knitting love weekly and our Stitched Heart on Your Sleeve Brooch allows you to give love with minimal stitching effort.
Whipped up by the button-obsessed Fastener the simple free knitting pattern is a combination of knits, purls, increases, decreases and a little fanciness with a bit of vintage lace and some cute as a button buttons.
In a shameless bit of self-promotion I thought I'd let you Crafty Crafty folks know that all sorts on woolly wonders appear in the S&B London newsletter every fortnight. So whether you're a Londoner or not it's well worth joining us. It's free too.
Knit someone you love a bit of vintage-style heart-shaped adoration. Go on. It's less messy than giving someone a real heart too.
Winter may feel like it's going on forever but at least it's an excuse to make yourself something cosy to combat the cold. Warm yourself up woolwise with Whit's Knits: Swan's Island Organic Merino Long Striped Hand Warmers.
The pattern comes from the ever so lovely Purl Bee. So far I haven't seen a pattern on there I don't love so it comes from good stock. Knit in grey and 'spring green' the hand warmers pictured also give us a little hope that spring is on the way at last.
See the full pattern here and stitch yourself a pair before the frostbite sets in.
Looking at this painfully cute patchwork bag, I have no doubt that its maker was inspired by nostalgic dolly Strawberry Shortcake. To you, this may or may not be a good thing...
If you're in the 'good thing' camp, you'll need to get your craft on - as this bag comes flatpacked with full instructions on how to turn it into the real thing. I have to confess to being something of a fan: the colours aren't too cutesy, and the shaping is very tasteful. I can see this making a great carry-all for those who like to knit, crochet or sew. [Via The Bag Lady]
$9 at Etsy
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