What crafter doesn’t have wine in the house?
Most security grills for windows feel too much like prison bars. We needed to secure some windows in our house and thought of designing our own in metal. Instead of getting out the welding kit and torch, Dan laser cut a Chicago skyline and installed it outside the windows. I love our new downtown view!
With too many projects and very little time, I kept putting off a baby shower gift until the last minute (not unlike many knitters and crocheters!). I was relying on Bernat Baby Blanket super bulky #6 yarn and a size P hook to quickly crochet up a baby blanket.
Once again, it was down to the wire. I frantically weaved in the ends in the car on the way to the shower, wrapped the blanket in tissue paper and tossed it in a party bag!
My only disappointment was that the granny square pattern had many holes that normally are not recommended for baby blankets. I should have known better. In the end, the recipient, my niece (her baby due at the end of August), loved the final product.
What is your favorite last minute gift.
Lily Chin demonstrating how steaming can add drape to stiff yarn
The Crochet Guild of America’s Chain Link conference was held in Chicago this year, well, in the northwest suburb of Itasca. It was a special treat to experience a conference dedicated to just crochet.
I was thrilled to learn that Lily Chin was teaching What to Look For In a Yarn and (crochet) Tips & Tricks. I first met Lily in 2007 when I attended a knitting retreat at an Indianapolis yarn store. Lily has found a solution for many knit and crochet’s little annoyances, from how to rid the gaps at the end of the row to avoiding casting on 250 chains. She has an enthusiastic teaching style, and most of all, a fabulous sense of humor.
Below are my favorite “Lily-isms.” What is the funniest thing a teacher has taught you?
Someone just asked me if it is inevitable that my (3yo) daughter will be a knitter. Your thoughts?
On a recent trip to Door County I visited Spin yarn store, Sturgeon Bay, WI. The store owner bought and refurbished the building. The building’s first 50 years housed the Bank of Sturgeon Bay. Its next 50 years it was an insurance company. Since the early 2000’s, it been a yarn shop.
The store was easily 3,000 plus square feet and carried many great brands like Rowan, Berroco, Noro and Sirdar. In the second room of the store was a large table with a wall of yarn and a wall of books. The third room was a classroom that included a larger table, and a small area with a couch and comfy chairs.
The ceilings at least 12 feet high with original tiles. Other details included the decorative window panes and lite above the door. The building still has the alarm box attached to the exterior.
The bank vault was intact and was safe keeping the lace yarn.
Spin is a very charming yarn store. I love the attention to detail and uniqueness. Moreover, I was lucking enough to visit the weekend of their yarn sale!
Many front yards have potted plants, a goose or a gazing globe. For the 4th of July, many folks fly a flag. Not Dan, nope. He has bigger and better ideas!
Dan designed a Statue of Liberty sculpture in opposition of the recent U.S. travel ban. After weeks of designing, Dan first laser cuts a smaller prototype of his sculpture.
The final design was cut on a ShopBot carved on MDF board. Dan never really appreciated “The New Colossus” sonnet until he ended up reading it a hundred times as he prepared the pedestal for the engraving process. He found the full context much more striking than the few words that are regularly recited.
A few coats of paint and a gold leaf flame later, and Dan’s tribute to Lady Liberty was complete.
Laser cutters have come along way since its induction in manufacturing in the mid-1960’s. Today’s CNC machines are smaller, lighter and more affordable. Moreover, they can read just about any vector base file.
To commemorate World Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) day, I designed at simple knitting needle gauge using Adobe Illustrator.
A needle gauge can be made of metal, plastic or wood, and is used to determine the size of a knitting needle. Most knitting needles have the size imprinted on them, but over time and use, it often wears off. Needle gauge are an integral part of a knitter’s arsenal.
The biggest challenge was creating accurate size holes for which the needles need to passed through to determine their size. Thankfully (and not surprisingly) I own just about every needle size available so testing the final product was easy.
My husband was in charge of “printing” my design. After a few trial and errors in various materials, the final product was completed in birch plywood and polished with linseed oil. The WWKIP attendees loved them! This small project has inspired me to explore and design other knitting tools.
No stitch markers? Don’t be sheepish. Check your key chain for rings.
This past Saturday was the City of Chicago’s Small Business Development Center Expo at the South Shore Cultural Center. The expo consisted of about 40 exhibitors that included anything from financial information, to tax and legal clinics, to zoning information. One valuable service provided was free headshot by a professional photographer which include services by a hair and make-up artist.
The Expo offered several free workshops. The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) offered a workshop on developing a business plan. Fifth Third Bank and ACCION presented information for accessing capital, and Blue Top Marketing offered a workshop on Facebook marketing. I wanted to attend all of them, but unfortunately the workshops occurred simultaneously.
Maya-Camille Broussard, founder of Justice of the Pies, was the guest speaker. Maya-Camille started Justice of the Pies in honor of her late father. Her father was a self-proclaimed “Pie Master”, in addition to a criminal defense attorney. Maya-Camille wanted to recognize her father’s passion for baking and, professionally, his hard work & belief that everyone deserves a second chance.
Maya-Camille presentation focused on lesson’s learned during her journey creating Justice of the Pies. I walked away learning so much, I really wished I would have taken notes or recorded the presentation. The main take-aways for me was:
Maybe one day I will utilize all these great local resources in Chicago, and apply Maya-Camille lessons to my own business. You never know what the future will bring. One thing for sure, I will be picking up a pie at Whole Foods!
 | Susan Irzyk on Safer already |
 | brennacrocheter on Lily-isms |
| brennacrocheter on Inevitable (adj), certain to… |
| Susan Irzyk on Spin of Door County |
 | Sheila Ralston on Knitting Studio at the Quilt… |
knitTina and DangerousDan 