Get Your Sheep On!

I saw this article accompanied by stunning sheep photos and can't stop looking at it! I wanted to share it with you, dear readers!

by Lina D. 

When you want to photograph clouds but there aren’t any in sight, we suggest trying to find your nearest herd of sheep. Flocks of these cute, fluffy and useful creatures can add an interesting element to landscape photos, but they’re also pretty enough on their own.

Sheep have earned a reputation as dumb and foolish animals because of their flocking instinct, but they are actually quite intelligent, performing as well or even better than monkeys and rodents in certain mental tasks. They exhibit facial recognition, long-term memory, a knack for quick learning, and some have even exhibited intelligent problem-solving capabilities. The best thing about sheep, however, is that, if you count enough of them, you’ll fall asleep ;)

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Image credits: wallpaperweb.org

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Image credits: Graham Smith

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Image credits: Regina Dispade

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Image credits: Marcin Sobas

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Image credits: Marcin Sobas

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Image credits: Tran Liethung

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Image credits: Klaus Leidorf

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Image credits: Roza Vulf

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Image credits: Orhan Kose

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Image credits: Vida Dimovska

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Image credits: Coolberie

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Image credits: Marcin Sobas

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Image credits: Jonathan Brown

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Image credits: Florent Courty

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Image credits: Anna Cseresnjes

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Image credits: Dzung Viet Le

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Image credits: Peter Konig

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Image credits: David Butali

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Image credits: Dariusz Paciorek

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Image credits: Marcin Sobas

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Image credits: Mihai Doarna

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Image credits: Alin Stoianovici

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Image credits: spin360

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Image credits: Marcin Sobas

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Image credits: Jerry Webb

Some BIG News!

This past summer my son was in camp and suddenly I had 5 mornings a week with 3 hours each day TO MYSELF for 8 WEEKS. Don't get me wrong - being a mom is the best job in the world and my son is amazing, but as someone creative, sometimes I miss being able to make a huge mess on the table and not worry about the bits of metal, glass, etc being grabbed by tiny hands, or spreading my paints out all over the floor or getting involved in a project that I know I will work on 24/7 for a few weeks and my patient husband doesn't mind just stepping around it. my birthday quilt

To suddenly have 15 hours a week to do with what I pleased, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with those hours. I dusted off my sewing machine, found a few quilt patterns, researched fabrics and hatched a plan. What resulted at the end of the summer was 3 quilts done (one for me for my birthday, one for my son, one for a friend going through a very difficult time) with another cut and ready to be pieced for my husband. I LOVE quilting. The puzzler part of my brain adores the meticulous process of cutting and piecing, matching colors and fitting all those bits of fabric together to form a functional, beautiful object to keep you warm. It's reminiscent of knitting, but the fabric is already made, rather than having to knit the fabric in the first place.

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After camp ended, my sewing craving wasn't satiated - oh no. Instead it was ramped up x1000 and all I wanted to do was sit in front of my machine and sew late into the night. I've never been a big sleeper - I just don't need a lot and have had a sleep disorder for years and years. I use this to my advantage knitting late into the night while watching TV on my computer, but instead of reaching for my needles, I found myself gravitating towards my sewing machine. After coming to the conclusion that we don't need 57 quilts in our tiny house, and seeing my favorite project bag I bought years ago on Etsy suddenly fall apart, I decided to make myself a new bag.

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Most knitters have an obsessive personally - I've noticed this over years of teaching - and I am no exception. I was so pleased with my project bag that I couldn't stop at just one. I started making them by the dozens. Everywhere I went with my bag people asked where they could get one and if they could buy the one I had from me. Why are my knitting and crochet project bags better than the rest? Made with 100% designer cotton fabrics, my bags are fully lined with coordinating fabric, are machine-washable, roomy enough for a big project, and one-of-a-kind.  Unlike other bags, I use fabric drawstrings instead of cheap nylon cording. There are no plastic toggles or zippers for your yarn to get stuck or snagged in - my biggest pet peeve regarding all the project bags I've bought from other people over the years.

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With the encouragement of a good friend, my husband cheering me on and long, sleepless nights to sew my way through, I hatched a plan to open an Etsy shop by October 1, starting with 110 bags. The result? TanisKnits project bags!

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I hope you'll head on over to my new shop and find something to your liking. Keep your knitting happy and safe in a TanisKnits project bag!

Visit my new Etsy shop here.

Five (+ a Giveaway!)

UPDATE 9/26/14: Congratulations to winner, Julie Spiegleman! --------------------

Our mailman is a great guy. When you run a business and work from home and get a zillion boxes like I do (Yarn! Fabric! Finished projects! Stuff for the next book!) he and I have become fast friends. I've been getting boxes from everywhere lately - Russia, France, Australia, Canada… Projects for my 7th book are beginning to trickle in and it's EXCITING. What's more exciting than that? Yesterday I got a box with my brand new book inside (along with a giant bag of candy, because my Editor knows me well).

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3 Skeins or Less: Fresh Knitted Accessories is my 5th published book. I wrote about it a couple of weeks ago when it became available for preorder, but actually holding the book in my hands, smelling the fresh ink, flipping through actual bound pages… It's an experience that never gets old and makes my heart beat a little faster.

Can I just say how awesome this book is? It's the kind of book I'd want to acquire immediately, even if I hadn't been involved one bit. I have SO. MUCH. YARN, and a lot of that yarn is small quantities picked up from travels, exotic yarn shops near and far, colorways I simply shouldn't live without and fibers that made me want to hug the skein all day long. Everything in this book is 1, 2 or 3 skeins of yarn - that's it! There are full garments in here! Shawls! Hats! Mittens! Wristers! Socks!

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A friend was looking through the book yesterday after it arrived and was putting a sticky note on each project she wanted to make. This turned out to be a moot point as she realized she'd put a sticky note on every single project! That's what I wanted out of this book - a book jam-packed with knitting to keep you busy all year-long. I want you, dear readers, to flip through and be saying "I want to knit that, and that, and that, and that…" THAT is what makes a great knitting book. As I look at my knitting library, my favorite books are ripped, dog-eared, stained, the binding is cracked and the edges worn. A good book is one you keep going back to again and again.

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I hope you'll pick up my latest endeavor with an amazing collection of designers - Marjan Hammink, Ann Weaver, Susanna IC, Joan Forgione, Mindy Wilkes, Susan Anderson, Kirsten Kapur, Glenna C, Asa Tricosa, Sauniell Connally, Erica Schleuter, Heather Zoppetti, Carina Spencer, Carol Sulcoski, Judy Marples, Melissa LaBarre, Thea Coleman, myself, Carrie Sullivan, Cirilia Rose, Melissa Goodale, Margaux Hufnagel, Romi Hill, Faina Goberstein, Kelly Herdick and add it to your knitting library. I hope it becomes worn, the binding cracks and you love it as much as I do.

Let's do a giveaway, shall we? Check out the finished projects in the book here. Which is your favorite and why? A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, September 26th (USA residents only, please).

Graphic Knits!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. We finally get to bid adieu to summer and the aisles that were recently filled with swimming pool accoutrements, patio furniture and accessories for the perfect BBQ become laden with school supplies, lunch boxes and long-sleeved shirts. Fall also means a new slew of books and magazines from my favorite yarn and knitting companies! I love seeing the roster of fall books from Interweave and I was excited to get a copy of Graphic Knits (Interweave) by Alexis Winslow. Alexis was kind enough to sit down with me for an interview...
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Tanis (TG): Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for this book?
Alexis (AW): The garments in the book really reflect my own sense of style. Beyond that though, I made an effort to include patterns that would also be fun to knit. My idea of a fun knit is something with interesting twists and turns, or something that includes stripes of patterning, or maybe just the quick gratification of a big chunky knit. I also really enjoy seeing a garment develop before my eyes. I think this is why I gravitate toward seamless and top-down construction. It's just so great to finish the knitting on a thing and realize that all you have to do is weave in the ends. Having to tackle a big sewing project after I just finished a big knitting project is not my idea of fun!

Barbet Turtleneck

TG: Your book has some really bold, graphic stitch patterns and designs in it. What advice can you offer people who may have trouble choosing or knitting with colors?
AW: I get this question a lot! I say look at your wardrobe. What do you like wearing the most? You aren't suddenly going to love wearing pink if you've never bought anything that's pink. When picking color combos, let the yarn be your guide. Pick one color that is your absolute favorite–a color your very drawn to, and then the other colors should support (not compete with) the main color in some way. I love pairing a bright bold color with a neutral or a pastel version of the complimentary color. I have a background in painting, so I can get a little technical about this stuff, but it's really just a personal preference.

Orly Cardi

TG:  I really love the Orly cardi. Which is your favorite garment in this book?

AW: It's impossible to pick! Everyday I have a different favorite. Trilogy Cardigan is always at the top of my list though. I just started typing a list of some of my other favorites, and it was like half the book! I think I always go back to Trilogy because it has everything I love about hand knitwear design. The unusual construction of this garment is something that you would never see in a store-bought garment–it's even unique to hand-knits, actually. Knitting this pattern is like sitting down with a good novel because the direction of knitting changes in every new section. It's a lot of fun to see how it all comes together in the end. I'm so glad to hear that you like Orly. It's also one of my favorites. Of course I love seamless construction, but Orly, much like Trilogy, is a great example of how a strategically placed seam can become a striking design element.

Trilogy Cardigan

TG:  Tell us a little about the process of making your book?
AW: Well, making this book certainly wasn't easy! I have a full-time job as a textile designer and also do all the graphic design work for CharitySub.org, so I had to fit the book into a very small amount of free time. I find designing to be a great release though, so I always looked forward to my time working on the book. I made most of the samples myself because it's important for me to experience the written pattern as a knitter would–especially for some of the more unusual pieces. I figured out most of my design concepts for my proposal before I got the book deal, so it was really just a matter of picking my favorites and trudging through. I got a little bored in the middle though, and added a few new designs– Danae Mittens, Germander Shrug, and Trilogy Cardigan.

Germander Shrug

TG:  What is your favorite color combination?
AW: I love color, so this is a difficult question for me! I think I'm drawn to a different color combo everyday. Right now, I'm really digging navy and peach, but last week it was cinnamon and cream.
TG:  There are both accessories and garments in your book. Do you prefer knitting and wearing one over the other?
AW: I like variety in my knitting so I alternate big garment projects and little accessory projects. I wear everything that knit! Even in the summer, I'm usually wearing something hand-knit.

Woodstar Mitts

TG:  Fair Isle or intarsia?
AW: Fair Isle! I'm a printed textile designer and just I love all-over patterning. Fair Isle just speaks to my heart, I guess.
TG:  What advice can you give people who want to start designing with color who haven't done so before?
AW: Color is a powerful thing in design. I think it's key to push the limit just a little so that your designs are eye-catching, but don't take it too far because garish color combos can repel people too. The most important thing to remember is that color should be used to accentuate your fabulous design work.

Bowerbird Wrap

Thanks, Alexis! Check out Graphic Knits, available for preorder (and on sale) here.