Thursday 31 March 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!


The last week of March is here, that makes 5 this month :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft



Monday 28 March 2016

On my Virtual Sofa - Legacyknitz


Today I would like to welcome the wonderful Podcasting duo who make Legacyknitz

Welcome to Marigolds' Loft ladies :)

Please tell us a bit about who you both are and what drew you to knitting.

C: My name is Chelsea and I am the daughter ½ of this duo. I am a creative trying to find my place in this industry and the handmade world. I work at an aerospace company in Connecticut as an operations coordinator. I have a degree in dance performance, fine art, and a minor in business. I am still searching for a career that utilizes my business background while nurturing my creative being. For right now the podcast is satisfying that void in my life. My mom is who/what drew me to knitting. I have always been surrounded by “making” thanks to her. I have always had handmades in my wardrobe and baskets full of yarn decorating the house we grew up in, paints, colored pencils, beautiful watercolor paper, sketch books (etc. etc. etc.) in my living space and dance classes to attend outside of home. Her and my father are the reason I am the person that I am today and the reason that I am able to be so very proud of who I am.


S: My name is Sue and I am the mother ½ of this duo. I call myself a fiber artist and have been lucky enough to be is this fiber space for a long time. I for many years I owned a counted thread design business called The Nutmeg Needle where I self published and taught needlework. In this endeavor I discovered how much I love sharing my passion! I spent so much time stitching for work that I needed something different for my down time…...hence…...knitting. Eventually all I wanted to do was knit!!!! I describe knitting as one of my spiritual practices. Knitting is one of the things that completely quiets my brain, and let me tell you I have a very loud and busy brain!!!!!


Why did you decide to start a Podcast?

C: Mom’s Periscoping community was really the jumping off point for this podcast. She was so brave and decided to get out there and in front of the knitting community and took to it like fish to water growing her viewership exponentially with every day she broadcasted. Seeing how successful and fulfilled she was with this daily live broadcasting avenue, I decided to try to film something myself sans the live audience. The first few episodes of LegacyKnitz were with me filming solo. I enjoyed it but definitely felt like something was missing. After a few episodes I asked mom to be a guest with me and the rest is history. It took a couple of episodes to convince her to be a permanent fixture on the podcast, but once she agreed we went all in and it has been a dream ever since.


S: Oh my goodness when I first started watching podcasts I always said I want to be a podcaster!!!! There is something about being part of a like minded community that is so amazing. The Fiber arts are truly my passion and when I love something I need and want to share it with the world!!!! The funny part is we never really planned any of this it just keeps happening….I believe in putting one foot in front of the other and see where it leads you. We are truly being led…...no clue as to where????



Your mother-daughter bond is so touching to watch, have you always been that close?

C: The simple answer- yes. The not so simple answer, we (like almost every parent/child relationship) have had our fair share of growing-up disagreements back in the day. But her and my dad always made sure that they all ended with a talk and a mutual understanding of where the other one stood. As an adult now, I really admire the way they always demanded respect by showing respect. They are a true testament of leading by example both in their love for each other and their love for their family which ultimately made it possible for my parents, my siblings and I to grow into such great friends.


S: How lucky am I!?!?!? YES…...having said that because we are so similar there were definately times when she was younger that were difficult. We never believed in being “friends” with our kids when they were younger. However…….now they are all adults, and I love that we are all friends!!!! We have been blessed with 3 absolutely amazing kids and it was worth every bit of that hard work we put in!!!!


Chelsea, you will be moving away in the near future, how do both of you plan to podcast then, or will there be a break in your podcasting schedule?

C: Oh man, there’s no stopping this train now We will definitely continue podcasting through a split screen Skype type format after the move. We might need to take a week or two off depending on how much time/energy the move takes but we aren’t going anywhere. You can definitely continue to expect regular uploads from the LegacyKnitz podcast.

S: Stop!!!! I don't want to think about it!!!! Just kidding!!! I am soooo excited for them. Oh to be at the beginning of such an amazing adventure!!!! Like Chels said there is no stopping this train now!!!! We are having a blast doing this.



Sue, you mentioned that you always were a "gift-knitting" person. How does it feel to be knitting regularly for yourself? Do you still have time to knit for gifts?


S: You can’t imagine how declaring this my “ Year of Personal Knitting” has impacted me!!!! It is so hard to explain. It can be paralyzing at times since I was always planning gift making. It was part of my daily life!!! I will say it brought me great joy and when I knit for someone it is a very personal thing. In a way taking the year to knit for myself is a lot about self care if that makes any sense!?!!? Having said that we have a few babies entering the world and as Chels said no babies will be hurt in this process!!!!!! I am sure I will break down when the holidays start creeping in!!!


What other crafty things do you ladies do?

C: I zentangle (if you don’t know what it is, look it up- it’s so cool), crochet, draw, art journal, and honestly pretty much anything else that mom discovers and tries I will normally jump on her bandwagon and work with the art/craft form for a while.


S: Oh my what other crafty things don't I do!!!! I really do everything!!!! The one fibery thing I haven't done is weave. I have had a rigid heddle loom for years and I haven't tried it!!! I know that is ridiculous!!! I went to school for children's book illustration and that is definitely on my list of things I still want to accomplish. Besides fiber my favorite medium is combining water colors and inks with colored pencils.


What does the Handmade Movement mean to you?


C: handmade = lovingly made. Handmaking an article of clothing whether it is knit, sewed, crocheted, etc requires you to pick out the colors, the fabrics, and the pattern which means that you have to take much more time and effort than if you were to just run to the store and pick said article out. I think it encourages the promotion of creativity which, unfortunately, isn’t always encouraged in the public schooling systems these days, and it encourages you bend your mind in a productive and meaningful way. I am really hoping that this movement picks up even more speed and continues to span all of the demographics to an even more extreme way because the world could benefit from a little more thought and consideration and creativity.



S: I cant even tell you how excited I am about this movement and that it is being lead (in my opinion) by the younger generation. There are no words for how exciting that is for me!!!! I have always had the mind set of if I can make it why would I buy it??? Even if it costs triple to make!



Who are you most inspired by and why?

C: my mom…for obvious reasons for anyone who watches the podcast. But for anyone who doesn’t…here we go…
She is fun, energetic, adventurous, loving, accepting, understanding, creative, and above all MY MOM (need I say more?) she inspires me to be a better person every single day.

S: I am always inspired by anyone who is excited about what they do. To feel someone’s passion is so powerful.



What is the one Craft tool you couldn't be without?

C: my little crochet hook/fixer tool…because I mess up ALL THE TIME and it literally saves my projects ALL THE TIME.


S: One!?!!?!? Are you insane!?!?! I guess I will have to stick with the most basic tool…….the pencil……..I always have to write down ideas….thoughts…...dreams…..I am a doodler is that considered a craft tool????? In my world I think it might be…….for those who don't think that way it might be hmmmm it has to be 2 things because what good is a needle without thread???? Knitting needles without yarn???? OK I need 2 things and it is knitting needles and yarn!!!


Are their designers/artists who have inspired you along the way?



C: Stephen West was probably the first notable designer that I was able to notice and follow because of his incredibly unique voice and aesthetic. I think he has really pushed me to embrace color- vibrant, intense, unapologetic, IN YOUR FACE color. (also we’re both dancers and I dream about someday talking dance/dancing around the world with him) I have also recently become a huge follower of Molly Klatt as a designer. Her patterns are incredibly easy to read and follow and I LOVE the final products. Her designs are timeless and I will continue to knit her patterns until the end of time. I could go on and on but at the moment those are the two that are the most influential and inspiring in my life and my project choices.


S: The artist that inspired me the most when I was young was Norman Rockwell. I used to TRY to reproduce his paintings. I wish I still had those!!! My favorite artists are children’s book illustrators….Tomie de Paulo Maurice Sendek Chris Van Allsburg……..I could go on and on!!!!


What are your inspirations right now?


C: color, color, color…this is the driving force for me right now. Experimenting with different color combinations and expanding the walls of my very small, very new knitterverse.

S: These are such hard questions!!! I think at the moment I am inspired by all of the indie dyers out there. Yarn right now it soooooo amazing…..no one seems to be afraid of color…..they just go for it and its not about what they think people might like it’s what they like and they aren’t afraid to put it out there. As an artist it is so important to trust yourself!



If you were granted 3 wishes, what would you wish for to advance the Handmade Movement?

C:
1: I wish that this handmade community would somehow infiltrate the public schooling systems and introduce the youth to this newer, edgier, youth-filled knitting world that is developing. As a kid who struggled getting through school and with the idea that hindsight is 20/20, I believe all educational institutions should be prepared and equipped to teach to more than one type of learner. PROMOTE CREATIVITY!
2: I wish teleporting would be created so that we could zoom over and visit/knit with all of our followers/fellow podcasters at the drop of a hat. The virtual world is amazing but I think it would be even more amazing if we could hug all of the people and learn from all of the people and knit with all of the people that have continued to support us through each and every episode/adventure we go on.
3: I wish that everyone understood the power and value that this art form holds.

S: 1: That the younger generations continue to jump on the bandwagon.
2: That the world would see its value!!!
3: That schools would embrace it and teach it!!!!

Wow ladies, thank you so much for an amazing interview :)
It has been great to spend this time with you and I thank you for taking the time to allow my readers to get to know you a little better.



Where can my readers find you girls online?



Our Ravelry Group:


Our Website:





You can find Chelsea here:




 You can find Sue here:



If you haven't yet watched these lovely ladies, I definitely recommend that you give them a try.
Here is their latest podcast for your convenience:



See you soon.
x

P.S. If you are a podcaster and would like me to check out your podcast, or if you listen to a podcast that you think is well worth listening to/watching, let me know below :)

Friday 25 March 2016

FO Friday Fun

fo friday fun

This week I do have something to share with you all :)


owlie socks

Meet my Owlie Socks :)

I love how these turned out and I love wearing them!
I knit these socks with Tweed sock yarn from Spinnwebstube which was a dream to work with.
I added contrasting cuffs, heels and toes for a little colour and I love how the contrasting yarn picked up the various colours in the tweed yarn!

I knitted this pair top down, made a fish lips kiss heel and left the foot pattern free, which I must admit is wonderfully comfortable to wear like that!

I reduced the stitches on the foot to 60 stitches for a great fit!



Don't forget, next Friday a new month of the Sock-Along begins, there are some great prizes to be won so I do hope you will consider joining us :)


What did you finish this week?

Feel free to share all of your finished objects for this week below :)



Thursday 24 March 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!


March is here, and with it the beginning of Spring as well as St. Patrick's Day - Loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft



Wednesday 23 March 2016

Wednesday


Spring seems to be in my knitting today which is nice as outside the snowflakes are starting to fall!

We have finally managed to make good progress on our renovation over the weekend (hence the quietness on the blog) and now I can start to focus on being a bit more creative again :)

Let me show you my projects for this week:


My Mindful Shawl has grown a little since last week, although I only really managed to knit on this project on Monday of this week.

I am just about to begin with the second charted pattern and I hope to have started that this evening :)

If you are knitting along in this mini-KAL don't forget to tag your photos with #mindfulkal so that we can admire your work thus far!

I haven't worked on my Avalanche this week, as my knitting time was very limited indeed :(


Besides that I worked a little on my Interim Socks

As I am on my interim socks, I can tell you that my March socks are done and being worn (they are so compfy :))

I will share them in all their glory with you all on Friday so do come back and share your finished objects of the week with me too!

Jeck

My April Sock-Along yarn has been chosen and I plan on caking it into 2 smaller cakes this evening so that I will be ready for cast-on next week Friday :)

I will be knitting these cool socks in my lovely skein of Rainbow Sock yarn from Bärbel @ my BABS Design, who is also a lovely sponsor of the KAL. 

In April I will be knitting Jeck and hope you will consider joining in the fun of the 2016 Sock-Along?


There will be some new amazing prizes up for grabs in the next draw which will take place at the end of June.

The Sock-Bag you see in the image above is of my own design, and I like it so much I have decided to offer one as a prize in the June draw too :)

(I will tell you all about it in the next week or so when I introduce you to the next lot of prizes up for grabs!)

I can tell you that you will have the chance to win a cake of Bärbels amazing yarn, so get ready to cast on!!

I will be sharing this post with all of my lovely creative friends so do pop on over there and be inspired.

x

Friday 18 March 2016

FO Friday Fun

fo friday fun

This week I do have something finished, but it still needs a couple of finishing touches before I can take a pic of it, so I will share that FO with you next week.

What did you finish this week?

Feel free to share all of your finished objects for this week below :)



Thursday 17 March 2016

Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!


March is here, and with it the beginning of Spring as well as St. Patrick's Day - Loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft



Wednesday 16 March 2016

Spring - Well at least inside the House :)

Spring

Although outside the house is grey and a bit dreary, inside the house - my little stash of yarn is looking very much like an upcoming season change ;)

Let me start with the WIPs that have been on my needles since last week.

As you recall in last week's post I mentioned the various deals I made with myself pertaining to the various projects.

This is how I got along....

owlie socks

My Owlie socks - As you can see I managed to turn the heels on these babies and am on my home stretch!

Goal for last week reached!

I am sure I will be finished my March socks in good time this month!


sock-along


If you want to take part in the sock-along, feel free to join in (you can also join us month-for-month)

If you are already taking part, you can see the cool prizes that are up for grab this month HERE

Avalanche

My Avalanche: Over the weekend I finished off the neck, and started my way down the sleeves :D

Goal for last week reached!

As a reward I cast on a new project - actually a spontaneous Mini-KAL.

Mindful Shawl

After asking all of you which project I should start next, my friend Fides @ Siidegarte mentioned that she would knit the Mindful Shawl with me if I wanted to knit that project. I thought that was a great idea and so the #mindfulkal was born :)

If you would like to knit along with us, this mini-Kal is taking place on Instagram only. 

Use the Hashtag #mindfulkal so we can follow your progress :)

You can read all about it HERE

The Shawl is really addictive to knit and so much fun!

Okay, I did make a mess of the first 25 rows by Tuesday - but that was my fault as I didn't read the pattern properly. 




Libby's pattern is thankfully supplied with a chart as well as written instructions so on my second attempt it all went swimmingly :)

Today in the post I received another gorgeous spring surprise!


spinnwebstube sockenabo

Look at this package - doesn't it look yummy?

This is the March sock subscription from Rita @ Spinnwebstube

I love the yarn that she sent me!

She also suggested a cool pattern for the dual colours - Broken Seed Socks

Which I love, and am seriously considering casting them on as well - TODAY!!!

Just as another in-between project, you understand :)

So what have you been up to this week?

Be sure to come over on Friday and link your Finished Objects for the week, I can't wait to see what you manage to finish :)

I am sharing this post with all my lovely creative friends, so pop over there for some great inspiration!

Tuesday 15 March 2016

March Prizes in the Spotlight

march draw

In order for you to get a better feel of what the March prizes are I tried to capture them on my camera.
Please apologize the jumpy filming quality, I realize I am quite out of practice :(


Sponsors:

Alexa and Emily @ Tin can Knits

You can find the list of E-Pattern books from Tin can Knits for you to choose from HERE

You can find the Ravelry group HERE

Monday 14 March 2016

Mini-KAL starts Today!


The Mindful Shawl Mini-KAL has begun :)

I have managed to knit a couple of rows this morning and am already loving the pattern.

If you are the spontaneous kind of knitter and would like to join me and Fides from Siidegarte on this super mini-knitalong feel free to jump on board.

You can find out more HERE

It is an Instagram knit-along and the Hashtag to use is #mindfulkal

I can't wait to see all of your lovely projects :)
x

Friday 11 March 2016

FO Friday Fun

FO Friday Fun

This week I can share with you my finished gloves!


fingered gloves

These ordered gloves seemed to take forever to knit, but in reality they didn't actually :)

These are knit up in Drops Alpaca and are lovely to touch.

What did you finish this week?

Feel free to share all of your finished objects for this week below :)



Thursday 10 March 2016

A Spontaneous Mini-Kal Anyone?

#mindfulkal

Yesterday I asked you all which shawl I should knit.
Today, it has been decided and has been turned into a fun mini KAL :)

Together with my friend Fides @ Siidegarte I will be casting on the Mindful Shawl by Libby Jonson on Monday 14th March.

If you are all over a spontaneous shawl-along then come on over to Instagram and join us.

The mini-KAL will run from Monday 14 March until Wednesday 27th April.

This will give those of you wanting to join us ample time to collect your supplies and finish in time.

At the moment there are no prizes, well there is one, you get a lovely shawl to wear!

To join in with the Mini-KAL, be sure to use the Hashtag #mindfulkal

I will be sure to post a round up post here on the blog of all the gorgeous FOs I find there.



Tutorial Thursdays Month-Long Linky Party

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!


March is here, and with it the beginning of Spring as well as St. Patrick's Day - Loads of crafting possibilities :)


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)

Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft



Wednesday 9 March 2016

Making Deals with Myself

wednesdays

Do you often make deals with yourself whilst working through your projects?

I do!

This weekend I had an incredible itch to cast on something new but made some deals with myself as to when it will happen :)

So let me explain my deals to you:

avalanche

Here is my Avalanche.
I have actually made quite a bit of progress on this project and have managed to finish off the hem over the weekend. I have also picked up the neckband and am steadily knitting on that :)

My deal with this project is - I have to have finished the neckband and have picked up the sleeves before I can think of another project. (Sounds reasonable :))

owlie socks


They are growing too. Maybe not as fast as I would have liked this week, but I haven't had very much knitting time so far, so I am quite happy with the progress.
I have just finished the second pattern repeat of owls.

My deal with this project is: I need to have turned the heel before I can think of another project (also, doable! I only have one more pattern repeat and can work on my heel)

So those are my active WIPs for this week.

And now the next dilemma - What do I cast on when I have completed my projects as far as they need to go?

I have three gorgeous projects that I am dying to cast on, and gorgeous yarn to work them up in - what should I do?

I am really hoping you all can help me decide!
I have 3 shawls to choose from right now:

siidegarte

This luscious skein of Siidegarte - Siide-Fideel is waiting to be cast on to knit a Mindful Shawl by Libby Jonson

Mindful Shawl

Madeline Tosh Merino Light Maple leaf

This Madeline Tosh Merino Light will be used to knit up an Antipodes Shawl, also by Libby Jonson

antipodes shawl

rosy green wool

And lastly these three lovely skeins of Rosy Green Wool will be knit up into a Love of Spiders by Melanie Berg Shawl

the love of spiders melanie berg

Will you help me?
Which would you start if you were me?

Talking of gorgeous yarns - I have started a thread on the Ravelry Group to drool over beautiful yarns.

Have you got some to share?

Reading Wise: I received my copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude in the mail today and I am hoping to get some reading time in tonight as I have wanted to read this book for the longest time!

I will be sharing this post with all of my lovely creative friends so do drop by there for some weekly inspiration :)

P.S. Don't forget to come and share your FOs with me on Friday, I can't wait to see what you have managed to finish this week.

See you soon
x

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