Review: Knits That Fit from Potter Craft

Let me start by giving you a bit of back story. It was about the time that ponchos were all the rage that I was a producer on Knitty Gritty and I was living the knitting every minute of the day. I loved ponchos but alas I felt like I was wearing a sandwich board when I tried them on and I was not really interested in feeling like a walking billboard. Everyone else seemed to look great in them. Bummer for me. The second part of this back story was I also wanted instant knitwear. While I love knitting and do it more as a form of relaxation when I wanted a knit item I went to the land of cast off sweaters and sewed one into my new design, hence my book Sweater Surgery. And that's how it came to be.

Now to today's wonderful book I have to tell you about-Knits That Fit: Instructions, Patterns, and Tips for Getting the Right Fit. As stated in my back story big and floppy does not work on me, I like my sweater action snug and shapely. That is what Knits That Fit is all about. The whole first section is jam packed with great fitting info that is sure to make your sweater be just the way you want it. Then you get a whole bunch of the most lovely sweater patterns that you will love knitting and wearing. I haven't decided what I am going to make because so many of the sweaters have great details and shapes there is everything from hoodies to tanks to choose from! Hmmmm, off to the yarn stash to see what combo I come up with!

More about Knits That Fit: Instructions, Patterns, and Tips for Getting the Right Fit from the publisher Potter Craft:

"Stop following, start knitting! When you lovingly make something stitch-by-stitch, it shouldn’t fit like it came from a department store. However, that’s exactly what happens when you knit to fit a general size instead of your actual measurements. In Knits that Fit, you will learn how to break free from following a pattern word-for-word and start making small changes to tailor your knitwear. It’s not hard, either! You’ll be walked through all the essential ins-and-outs of taking measurements and basic pattern alteration. Before you know it you will be able to tweak nearly any pattern to better fit your unique shape. The accompanying TK patterns in Knits that Fit include short-sleeved tops, pullovers, and cardigans from top knitwear designers like Lily Chin, Annie Modesitt, Berta Karapetyan, Sally Melville, and others. Of course, each of the patterns is ready to be customized by you for the perfect fit—information on shortening or lengthening has been built right in! Whether you’ve knit one sweater or ten, this is a book that will change the way you see patterns and the way you knit sweaters. "

Stefanie and the Bunny Peep drink

I hope your Easter was fabulous!
It's Monday in in my post Easter glow I bring you some links to craftasticly good projects.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there are tutorials on how to paint a hatching chick, make a recycled book page egg ornament, and a tilt-shift photography effect along with bunny and squirrel clip art.

Carmi's Art/Life World
A little sachet tutorial for Easter or Mother's day projects.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen shares a free printable cupcake for you to download and use in your art!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is dreaming about her chance to craft and write over her summer break.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Celebrate spring by making a pressed flower card.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has been sharing a travelog of her most recent trip to Guatemala!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Learn how to make a "black sheep" necklace.

Bah Bah Black sheep necklace

Did I get you giggling? I hope so. If you know me you know I am a black sheep so this necklace is quite appropriate. I have so much fun wearing it.

It was fun to make too!

Makin's air dry clay is a dream to work with.

All I did was roll out some of the black and some of the white clay and cut out sheep with their sheep cutter.

I poked a hole in them while they were still soft and set to dry.

I stamped "ewe" on the white sheep and "me" on the black sheep.

I then coated all the sheep with some Judikins Diamond Glaze and linked it all up with some chain.

Another double plaid sighting and crafty blogger links

This girl is just too cute in her double purple plaid! If you missed the girl in the double pink plaid check her out here. Oh and the double green plaid dude. I feel the need to document my fellow plaid compadres.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside we are pleased to introduce my UK counterpart Natalie who will be sharing all sorts of crafty goodness from her side of the pond. There is also a free hedgehog plushie pattern and tutorial, a recycled buckle bracelet, tips on how to photograph a horse and info on Simplicity's Great Bandana Quilt Challenge.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally. Not everything needs to come from a kit or a mix!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make a stitched back up broken heart card.

The Crochet Dude
Drew met his match when crochet's Boye Toy is interviewed by quilting's Bad Boy!

About Family Crafts
Sherri helps you to plan a creative outdoor adventure!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen shows you how she combines, Vintage sheet music, scrap paper, paper napkins and more to create a colorful background on a canvas!

Beading Arts
The final chapter of Cyndi's e-book is now available! "Fibers, Fabrics, and Beads" challenges you to integrate all the fiber arts that you already love with your bead embroidery!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy's BYOC themed craft meeting went very well.

How to make a stitched broken heart card

Today I have this mixed-media card project to share with you using a stitching idea from the book Flavor for Mixed Media: A Feast of Techniques for Texture, Color and Layers.
I like using the broken heart as a theme. They are super easy to make. I ran a pretty piece of paper through the Sizzix die cutter and then just sniped the heart in half in a zig zag line.

This page from Flavor for Mixed Media: A Feast of Techniques for Texture, Color and Layers was my inspiration to stitch back up my broken heart. It features words and art by Tonia Davenport.
I glued the heart down to the card and poked holes on each side of the zig zag with the needle. I then stitched it back up with a piece of silver Kreinik thread.

I thought it came out looking pretty cool from the back side too!

If you are like me and like compilation books filled with art, techniques and inspiration from a variety of artists then I bet you will like:
Flavor for Mixed Media: A Feast of Techniques for Texture, Color and Layers
by
Mary Beth Shaw

Creative individuals are typically as passionate about food as they are making art. So while this is a mixed-media technique book, there are underlying analogies of cooking. A dinner-party setting has a guest list featuring contributing artists. You will be introduced to five chapters, or "courses": Color, Layers, Texture, Flavor and Combinations. Each chapter features projects with stepped-out techniques pertaining to that chapter, as well as tabletalk (inspiring insights and constructive tips) from the guests, and sidebars (What?s in Your Pantry) for ideas such as using found objects, painting over ?failed? works and stimulating your brain when you?re out of ideas. Techniques for the projects will show you how to do things like develop layers with stencils, create texture with items like a cheese grater or combine different substrates into one project.

Mary Beth Shaw has been exhibiting in galleries and art shows across the country since 2000. Her mixed-media works incorporate acrylics, pastel, ink, maker and various collage materials. Her pieces have been published in Cloth Paper Scissors as well as in Creative Awakenings by Sheri Gaynor (North Light Books, 2009). Her teaching style and classes have been very well received on the art-retreat teaching circuit.