Bye, Bye, Birdie

Check out these amazing handmade crocheted birds! Original article here.

I Make Realistic Crocheted Birds Out Of Wool

by Jose Heroys

I make realistic looking birds using crochet, needle-felting and a bit of embroidery, because I really like birds and couldn’t persuade any real ones to come indoors.

Each bird takes between 1 and 4 weeks to make. I make them out of pure wool yarns and fill them with lamb’s wool – which makes them feel quite alive – and each one is tagged with a year-coded metal leg ring. Sometimes I make them perching on wool-wrapped wire branches, or turn them into 3-D pictures in wooden rings, and mount them on a wall.

I’ve been making them for about 2 years and have mainly focused on British birds so far, but I’ve got plans to try American birds, exotics and even some extinct species this year.

More info: joseheroys.com

Embroidery and... Cookies?

I love baking with my son! While I know a bit about embroidery, I am by no means a master. What do you think would happen if baking and embroidery were combined?  Subscribers won't be able to see the video, so click anywhere on the post to be taken directly to the blog entry. If you have a few minutes, definitely watch the video - it's mesmerizing! Original article here.

Mesmerizing Embroidery-Inspired Cookie Decorating by Mezesmannaby Christopher Jobson 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpKx-4lZEwA

Chef Judit Czinkné Poór is the mastermind behind Hungarian cake decorating shop Mézesmanna, a small studio with a giant social media presence because of the incredible photos and videos they share of their decorative confections. Nearly everything they produce falls into the ‘looks too good to eat’ category, from elaborate illustrations of animals, to intricate patterns inspired by embroidery. Seen here is a quick video of her ‘royal icing’ technique. You can see even more here.

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

"Are you going?" I hear this a lot lately while teaching at my LYS and I instantly know what people are talking about - Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival! Taking place on May 7th and 8th, 2016 at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland, this is a fiber festival not to be missed.

With animals, family activities, music, demos, food, plants and FIBER, this is a weekend I look forward to all year-long. I was delighted to be asked to teach that weekend - another check on my teaching bucket list made!

An all day Saturday workshop, I'll be teaching my favorite thing - Fair Isle knitting. The class description states, "Have you been wanting to learn to knit with multiple colors? In this Fair Isle Techniques and Design Your Own Cowl Workshop, we’ll cover basic color theory, history and technique of stranded colorwork knitting (English, continental and combination style will all be taught), and learn the differences between intarsia, slip-stitch and stranded knitting. In the afternoon, we’ll put our new skills to work and discuss basic design theory and practice. Each participant will design his/her own cowl, begin to knit it up and see it come to life. Skill level: Intermediate beginner through advanced. Students should bring: 2 Colors highly-contrasting worsted weight wool or superwash wool, US 8 24” circular knitting needles, stitch markers, graph paper, colored pencils."

Find the direct class link here.

Hope to see you there! I'm honored and excited to not only attend the festival again, but be part of it!

Lotus Bud Hat

UPDATE 3.18.16: Congratulations to winner, Hope! Hope, check your email! -----------------------

What is it about the lotus flower? Lovely, mysterious, elegant and fragile, these little beauties are always one of my favorites when we visit the aquatic gardens.

After a quick search, I found out that "Back in Egyptians times, the lotus flower was very important in their religion. Meaning creation and rebirth, it was a symbol of the sun, because at nightfall it closes and goes beneath the water and at dawn it climbs up above the water and reopens. It was the only plant to flower and fruit at the same time, as it would emerge as pure white from the depths of the muddy swamp and grow above the water. One myth that revolves around the lotus is during creation time a giant lotus flower grew out of a pond and from it the sun rose. Also, throughout ancient Egypt the lotus has been pictured in various works of art.  It would act as a border to outline a section of artwork, or held in the hands of a god or human. The lotus was also used in their math, helping to count to high decrees. One lotus would act as 1,000 and two lotus as 2,000 and so on."

If you want to get more technical, our comrades at Wikipedia tell us, "Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, or simply lotus, is one of two species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China. Native to Tropical Asia and Queensland, Australia, it is commonly cultivated in water gardens. It is also the national flower of India and Vietnam."

Perhaps it's the link between the history of needlework (one of the oldest pieces of crochet-like knot work was found in the Egyptian tombs on a pair of sandals) and the appreciation of it by ancient cultures that I decided needed to be transformed into a knitting design. While I was not named after this particular city (I was named after this painting), the Lost City of Tanis (yes, the one from the first Indiana Jones movie where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden) has always been special to me and my love of Egyptian history.

Another search reveals, "In 1939 a French archaeologist named Pierre Montet brought the city of Tanis into the 20th century after nearly a dozen years of excavations. He unearthed a royal tomb complex that included three intact and undisturbed burial chambers—a rare and marvelous find. The tombs held dazzling funereal treasures such as golden masks, coffins of silver, and elaborate sarcophagi. Other precious items included bracelets, necklaces, pendants, tableware, and amulets. Statues, vases, and jars also filled the tombs, all part of an array that still bears witness, after thousands of years, to the power and wealth of Tanis's rulers." Cool.

I'm pleased to introduce the Lotus Bud Hat, a women's hat knit up in less than 110 yards! I love the challenge of extremely limited yardage and for this topper you'll need just one hank of the gorgeous Dragonfly Fibers Super Traveller yarn. This color way, "firecracker," is one of my favorites from the Dragonfly ladies, but I've also knit it up in a solid for those who prefer a neutral version. Inspired by the lotus flower before it bursts into bloom, the lace pattern is set against a background of simple reverse stockinette.

The goal of this hat was to be a quick, pretty knit to use up some of those single hanks in your stash or the ones you've been eyeing at your LYS. Grab your US 10 16" circs and before you know it, you'll have your own Lotus Bud Hat. The pattern is both charted and written out and would be ideal for holiday knitting (don't laugh, now is the time to start!).

Let's give a copy of the pattern away, shall we? Answer the below trivia question in the comments section correctly and you'll automatically be entered in to win a free digital copy. A winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, March 17th.

What specific part of the lotus flower is often used to make tea?

Download the Lotus Bud Hat here.