Vote for your favorite Christmas card

Are you getting in a voting kind of mood?
Are you getting in a Christmas kind of mood?
Do you have a wacky sense of humor?
Do you appreciate a good spoof on a famous person or bit of iconic art?
Looking for a bit of inspiration for your Holiday Greeting this year?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the questions pop on over to:
The Finest Christmas Cards on Earth or (in the world) and giggle, get inspired, and vote!

If you do like spoofs on people, art and enjoy a twisted trip down memory lane (these go back 25 years) I bet you will get quite a kick of these!

I can't tell you which ones I voted for but I am eagerly awaiting the results to see what others liked!

I should also note, if you didn't realize it, that a lot of them were done old school cut and paste style since Photoshop hadn't been invented yet. That was fun to type. Hehe

How to crochet a spider web skirt pattern

I shall hook you up with a spider web skirt!
I shared the beginnings of this skirt inspired by some of the designs in Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! . Well it's not quite finished but I wanted to post the pattern as I promised before Halloween. Ya, it's just a few days before but if you are a pretty quick crocheter you could whip this up in time! I only have a few rows to go.


This is really I suppose more of a formula or guide rather than a full-on pattern for a spider web skirt.
1. Chain the length you want your skirt to be (from waist to hem)
2. Chain the width of the bottom space between each "spoke" (the vertical sections) Essentially follow the pattern above (the path the arrows take you)

When the path is on a vertical spoke single crochet to attach.(pink area highlighted on drawing)
Then single crochet the next loop area and attach to the spoke with a single crochet.

I just guessed at the number of stitches based on how it looked.

A few tips:

I worked with the project flat on a table or pillow on my lap.

I used the space from the previous row to make my next row. I would lay the length of chain stitches over the space I was duplicating to see if it was the same size and adjust as needed.

I wasn't going for perfection, this is a costume and a bit of irregularity was A-OK with me.

I am quite sure you could count exact numbers but I am more of a free form crocheter and like enjoying rather than counting.

If you make one leave a comment or link, I would love to see!

Jane Doe and Rorschach Amineko watch the moon come up over the Airstream

Jane Doe and Rorschach Amineko cuddled and watched to moon rise over Superfly (The Airstream)
Happy Halloween Stan and George Amineko back in Boston and to you all too!

Now onto some crafty links:

The Crochet Dude
Big reveal over at Drew's blog - his super cute strappy clutch purse design! Just in time for the holiday party season!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a chance to win a copy of 101 Ways to Do More With Your Dog, a tutorial on how to make an abstract painting from a photo and a vintage photo to try it out with and a 5-ingredient recipe for Frosted Flakes Bars.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make Halloween knit cuffs embellished with vintage pins inspired by the book Warm Knits, Cool Gifts.

Mixed Media Artist
Sometimes you just need to think about how to reuse items that you've made...

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares a new project for Jewel School and muses about The Big Move.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
There are various options for printing greeting cards onto glossy photo paper. Here are some money-saving tips from Eileen.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Having hand trouble due to carpel tunnel? This tip might help you out so you can get back to crafting.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi discovers an amazing new stamp company in her own backyard.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's cooked up some delicious pumpkin scones just in time for fall; stop by to get the recipe!

About Family Crafts
Sherri will be carving pumpkins soon. If you will be too, check out these free pumpkin carving designs to download.

Halloween kint cuffs embellished with vintage pins inspired by the book- Warm Knits, Cool Gifts

I simply LOVE knit cuffs. If you were around me when we were in production on Knitty Gritty you know this for a fact since I was cranking cuffs out daily, well for that matter all of us were! And so when I turned the page of Warm Knits, Cool Gifts: Celebrate the Love of Knitting and Family with more than 35 Charming Designs and saw this cool argyle cuff watch band I was simply tickled that it was cool enough to get the stash out and wear them. But I was also inspired by Warm Knits, Cool Gifts to kick them up a notch. I wasn't currently in need of a watch band but what I am always doing is looking for ways to incorporate my collection of vintage pins into accessories I will actually wear. I don't seem to ever wear a pin normally. I don't know why that is, but it is.

These two embellished cuffs were what I came up with. Each cuff is knit in stockinette stitch out of a fairly thin yarn that has metallic strands within it. So I get great sparkle to coordinate with the metal pins.

A few tips on popping pins onto knit cuffs:

1. On the cat pin I poked the hardware parts of the pin back through the knitting so that the pin was flush to the knitted surface of the cuff.

2. On the spiderweb cuff I rolled the ends up so that the spider web pin didn't flop around.

Next up on my list to make is a sweater inspired by the one featured on the cover, oh and some of the wonderful mini ornaments that the patterns look so wonderful!

If it sounds like I'm a bit all over, I am. This book combines super cute patterns and projects with amazing style.

More about it from the publisher Potter Craft:
Warm Knits, Cool Gifts: Celebrate the Love of Knitting and Family with more than 35 Charming Designs
By
Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter

"Warm hearts this winter with handcrafted gifts designed by knitting’s favorite mother-daughter duo.

With shawls to wrap up in, hats to pull over our ears, wool sweaters to keep us warm, and ornaments for the tree, autumn and winter lend themselves to knitting in a way like no other time of the year—and no one knows that better than knitting superstars Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter. In Warm Knits, Cool Gifts, Sally and Caddy share 30 of their most inspired patterns for the seasons that are perfect for gifting.

Filled with patterns from modern designs to heirloom pieces, Warm Knits, Cool Gifts offers gift inspiration for everyone on your list. The luminous photography and clear and thorough instructions make each project an irresistible must-knit, and the options for adding personal touches are endless. As you read delightful stories from Sally and Caddy’s own knitting experience and their expert gifting advice, you’ll feel as if they are knitting right beside you. Plus their signature Fit & Flatter tips and special Techniques callouts break down instructions step-by-step, making you a more informed, thoughtful, and intuitive knitter year-round.

SALLY MELVILLE is a widely published and highly sought after knitwear designer who teaches a dozen different workshops at over 20 venues across North America every year. Her work has appeared in magazines from Vogue Knitting to Interweave Knits, and she is the author of several books, including the best-selling Knitting Experience series. Visit Sally online at www.sallymelvilleknits.com

CADDY MELVILLE LEDBETTER is Sally Melville's only daughter. She currently designs knitwear and teaches knitting classes.

Both women reside in Ottawa, Canada. "

It doesn't call the Bat Cave it calls the Burbank Fire Department

In inamongst all the super high tech stuff at The Burbank Airport EOC (that I was lucky enough to be able to tour with The Auxiliary Communications Service branch of the Burbank Fire Corps) there is still this hard line vintage phone to the Fire Department. Do kids these days even know this is a phone? We all did joke it called the Bat Cave, which incidentally is just up the road in Griffith Park.

On to crafty goodness!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has a really fun book to give away this week: Create Colorful Aluminum Jewelry.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a chance to win the new big and beautiful book Quilts Around The World by Spike Gillespie, a knit boxed eyelet pattern, a bunch of ways to get a "handle" on your books and journals and tips on painting realistic blood just in time for Halloween.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make paper pom pom pumpkins inspired by the book Page Maps 2.

About Family Crafts
Sherri is hosting a Make-It-Over crafts challenge and is calling for people to submit their Halloween crafts made using recyclables!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen invites you to jump in the Wayback Machine and revisit a past Halloween Card tutorial.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi figures out how to use paper to decorate an apron.

Crafty Princess Diaries
There is a call out for professional crocheters, scrapbookers, and quilters.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Calling all totes! Eileen is looking for tote bag decorating examples. If you need some inspiration first, watch the video on how to make a recycled tote bag.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge muses about choices, consequences, regrets and living out loud.