Crafty Podcasts

Podcasts are a wonderful way to engage your mind while sewing, quilting, crocheting, knitting, weaving, spinning, etc.

Interweave complied a list of craft-related and non-crafty podcasts that may be of interest to you.

Exercises for Crafters

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Repetitive tasks such as sewing, stitching and knitting can create stress on the muscles and joints in our wrists and hands, neck and shoulders. Stretching frequently certainly helps.

Loopy Ewe shares videos of exercises that can help relieve tension and stress for repetitive movements. The videos are for neck, shoulder, hands and wrists. 

Same Dye, Different Fiber

Maia R. shows two skeins dyed
 in the same dye pot

At the July guild meeting, Maia R. showed two skeins of yarn she dyed in the same dye pot at the same time. The colors were totally different. The reason for the variation can possibly be explained by a recent Interweave article entitled, Case Study: Same Dye, Different Fiber.

Knitting Tip - Freeze Yarn Overnight

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Freezing Yarn Overnight will dispel most unwanted odors. Works on cigarette smoke, cooking odors and other assorted smellies.

Before ripping out mohair and other fuzzy yarns, freeze them overnight. The cold will help the fuzzy fingers untangle and make it much easier to frog and rip.

No fancy tools needed either. Just pop your fiber in a plastic bag to protect it and pop in the freezer!

- Donna, Your Friendly Knitting Doctor 
Noble Knits

Summer Shoulder Bag

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Beth Hester said, "When designing this Shoulder Bag I was thinking of the summer ahead, upcoming travels and family gatherings. In addition, I wanted to use up some short ends of dyed reed that had accumulated from classes and other projects. 

This basket's size is 3" x 13" x 13" tall and each row of weaving is about 3 feet in length. In the pattern I'm giving you the 'Recipe' I used, but I encourage you to think of your particular needs, get out your leftovers, add a pound of 5/8" Flat for stakes and some weavers, gather your rim materials and choose the style handle that appeals to you."

The free pattern (PDF project sheet) can be found here.

Weaving Yarn Guide (free)

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To avoid unnecessary guesswork and to help make the most of those beautiful yarns, the experts at Interweave have put together a useful, FREE eBook on hand weaving supplies to ensure your success in selecting the perfect weaving yarns and hand weaving supplies. Start with an article providing valuable tips for weaving with yarn, including how to allow for loom waste and take-up. Then learn about designing with a new yarn for either a 2-shaft project or 4-shaft project, or start on the scarf pattern that we’ve included. Finally, take a look at our must-have guide to yarn for every weaver, including details on ends per inch, conversions, a reed chart, and more.

Warping a Cricket Loom

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Warping the Schacht Cricket Loom utilizes a technique called “direct warping,” this means that you are measuring your warp directly on your loom. The Woolery Guy makes warping a Cricket Loom look easy in a step by step tutorial.