futuregirl craft blog

Vacation Yarn - Part 1

2013-05-22T08:00:00.000-5:00

I didn't set out to get a lot of crafty stuff on vacation, but I ended up visiting 3 yarn stores. Michael Levine is the only one I went to on purpose.

Michael Levine is not just a yarn store. It's actually more of a fabric store, but they have a "yarn corner" that is packed full of super nice yarn.

I was casually petting everything I saw until I got to this Nova by Tahki Yarns (discontinued). Cotton! Glitter thread! Charcoal and light blue! Must to have!

If there had been more of the Charcoal gray, I would have bought more. Such a beautiful color! I only bought the blue because I'm hoping I can make something with the three skeins. I do like the two colors together.

It's a nice touch that the metallic thread is the same color as the yarn. This one is a nice light blue.

And this one is a nice dark gray.

I didn't need these bobbins (yet!) but for $2.10, I couldn't leave without them. I do want to do some colorwork eventually.

Right before I went into Michael Levine, I stopped in a craft shop next door and picked up these gray sequins. I was definitely in a grey-seeking mode that day.

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Golden Update - Last Body Increases

2013-05-21T08:00:00.000-5:00

Last week we flew to Los Angeles for a vacation. I don't like flying much, but I do love the knitting time on the flight ... and while waiting in the airport because we are chronically early.

The only bad thing about the knitting time on this flight is that the flight is about 58 minutes long. Dude, for all the hassle, I want more time to knit!

I'm in the last bit of the body where I'm doing the final round of yarn over increases. While it is nice to be almost done with the body, these are LOOOooooOOOONG rows. They take soooooo long to knit.

I refuse to add it all up or time myself, but I think there are 400-500 stitches in a row now and they take (what seems like) 30 mins each to knit.

It's like winning the lottery in slow motion.

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My Other Life

2013-05-10T08:00:00.000-5:00

For the 7+ years that I've written this blog, I've had a job. For most of that time, I was a web programmer. I loved it. Almost 3 years ago I moved into Project Management. I love it, too.

A couple of years ago I set a goal of earning my PMP certification. I've been taking night and weekend classes Fall, Spring, and Summer at SFSU since 2011. I spent the last two months studying almost every night.

Last week I took and passed the PMP Exam.

I don't know about you, but I have found life to be a big squishy mess of weirdness: things blending into other things, things slowly fizzling out unceremoniously, things being thrust upon me without warning, things happening that don't make any sense and are never explained, or amazing things that disappear into the roiling sea of life before I have a chance to savor them.

But, a handful of times, I have had things in life that are bright, sharp, clear, and celebrated. Earning my PMP is one of those crisp, defining moments.

I'm sharing this with you because I'm so incredibly happy about it, and it's fun to share happy news. I'm also telling you because it explains why I haven't been posting tutorials and patterns like I used to.

I still have a few more classes to take, but I will definitely have more free time in the coming months. Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I have a list of ideas a mile long! I'm so excited to see what I come up with. Thanks for sticking around!

This is how I feel! Andrew took this photo of me goofing around at Salton Sea.

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A Collaboration - Ecstatic

2013-05-09T08:00:00.000-5:00

The ninth (and last) word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Ecstatic.

I cannot hear the word "ecstatic" without thinking of the director Werner Herzog and his concept of "ecstatic truth". This is not the "accountant's truth" You can see him explain it to Henry Rollins (start at 1:20).

I agree with him that there is a truth that is deeper than facts. As he said, "Facts do not illuminate." In reference to Herzog, I chose a German font for the word "truth".

This is the last piece I created for this project. Seeing all of these pieces makes me want to pull out the embroidery floss.

Making these small pieces is generally quick and satisfying. I may have to come up with a new project that involves stitching.

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A Collaboration - Untitled

2013-05-08T08:00:00.000-5:00

The eighth word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Untitled.

I took this as permission to do whatever I wanted. For all of the other pieces in this project, I'd been heavily relying on my Embroidery Sttch Dictionary for ideas about what stitch pattern to use (hello idea for owl brick stitch).

One stitch I kept wanting to use but hadn't had the chance to use was satin stitch. What better than a flower to work on my satin stitch skills?

I'm sure I found the flower pattern in one of my clip art books, though I couldn't find it a quick thumb-through of my favorites just now.

I did a little color blending in my stem. See the darker green at the top?

On the whole, I think this flower is a bit of a fail. The two pinks are supposed to denote the front and back of the petals, but I can't tell which part is which petal. It's just a cacophony of shapes.

There's some kickass satin stitch, though. I also like the tiny yellow French knots.

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A Collaboration - Moonlight

2013-05-07T08:00:00.000-5:00

The seventh word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Moonlight.

Pretty straightforward interpretation. I have a tattoo of the moon with clouds on my left arm (if you click that link, scroll to the bottom of the post for the photo).

I love these pearly, iridescent beads!

I used a pattern from a Japanese Pattern book for the awesome clouds.

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A Collaboration - Junkyard

2013-05-06T08:00:00.000-5:00

The sixth word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Junkyard.

For this world I went conceptual. When I embroider (or sew or crochet or knit) I keep any potentially usable bits of floss (or fabric or yarn) together in a little box. I even wrote a post about my workspace that featured my floss and felt bits (photo of floss bits below).

When we first got the word "junkyard" I instantly thought of my floss bits stash. I pulled out the contents of my "floss junkyard" and started stitching three-bar-crosses.

I had a couple of rules:

Each cross must have three colors.
Each color needed to be used in it's own blob of space.
Each space blob should overlap many other space blobs.
Each color should be on the bottom, middle, and top of the crosses (not just one position).

I like the randomness and interplay of colors. It's definitely energetic.

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A Collaboration - Secrets

2013-05-03T08:00:00.000-5:00

The fifth word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Secrets.

For this word, I imagined how secrets feel when you're keeping them. For me, they can feel like something living inside me ... something wild and dangerous quietly perched in my chest.

I took an anatomical drawing from a clip art book and replaced the heart with an owl. I seriously love the brick stitch feathers on his chest.

Hey, look! Embroidered intestines.

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A Collaboration - Alphabet

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000-5:00

The fourth word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Alphabet.

I love letters. Well, all the letters except K. I never liked K. It's weird to write. The leg and arm never seem to match up. It's an awkward, unbalanced letter. It's probably the only letter I have strong feelings about. Well. I kind of like Q. Could we just replace K with Q? If there isn't a U with the Q, we'd just treat it like K. Agreed?

I went with the obvious for alphabet. Obvious or not, I like it a bunch.

I spent forever laying out the letters in Illustrator and overlapping them in a square so they were balanced, and you could distinguish every letter. I probably spent more time in Illustrator than I did stitching.

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A Collaboration - Thirteen

2013-04-26T08:00:00.000-5:00

The third word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Thirteen.

As a source, I used a photo that Andrew took of a fantastic tree with 13 limbs:

I used cream, green, and orange to represent the canopy of leaves ... suggestive of turning from summer to fall. I left the trunk and branches bare, and the effect of the background stitching pushes them into the foreground.

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A Collaboration - Antarctica

2013-04-25T08:00:00.000-5:00

The second word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Antarctica.

After a false start that involved a perfect penguin ...

... I started on my actual entry:

This is a topographical map of the coast of Antarctica. I tacked down the long lengths of thread with little stitches based on the grid you see above on the tear-away stabilizer.

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A Collaboration - Entangled

2013-04-24T08:00:00.000-5:00

The first word that Andrew gave us to interpret in embroidery for
A Collaboration was Entangled. After doing a bunch of sketches, I decided to experiment and I took photos as I progressed:

I imagined that these were blood vessels converging in a beating heart. At least that's how I remember it.

Here are some shots of the final piece:

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A Collaboration - From the Archive

2013-04-23T08:00:00.000-5:00

This crafty lull seems like a perfect time to share some work from my past with you. I know I'm all about knitting right now. And most of you came to me because of my crochet tutorials and handbag pattern. What may surprise you is that I lovelovelove embroidery. LOVOOOVOOVOVOVVE.

Back in 2008, a former craft blogger Ruby Crowned Kinglet and I started a ... thing ... that we named A Collaboration. Follow that link to read our correspondence leading up to the agreement to do a weekly project where my husband would pick words that she and I would interpret in embroidery.

I was very excited about the whole thing. I loved Stephanie. She and I had very similar senses of humor. And the things she made, well, they blew me away. I was dazzled to be a part of something with her .

It was amazing, but like many things on the internet (and in real life), it eventually fizzled out. That was sad, but I still have some amazing embroidery to show for it. I'll start posting it tomorrow.

You can see Stephanie's posted contributions to the project here, here, and here

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Purple Cables

2013-04-22T08:00:00.000-5:00

I don't have the time or brain power to work on sweaters right now, so I started a little purple swatch of these cables to occupy my hands. I've been adding a row or two a day the last couple of weeks.

Even when I'm busy, I like to have a project to work on. I've also been periodically checking my Ravelry pattern highlights and friend activity tab just to look at yarny goodness. My poor queue has grown to 438 projects. It's nut-ball-crazy long.

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San Francisco Walks

2013-04-15T08:00:00.000-5:00

At least once on the weekend, I like to take a long, long walk. I like to walk as far away from home as I possibly can and then walk all the way back. That usually amounts to around 7 miles round trip.

In the comments of the Reader Survey, a couple of people asked for a little more non-crafty info, so this weekend while we were walking, I thought I'd snap some pictures for you.

I didn't think of this until we were halfway through our walk. And, I didn't come up with a theme or anything like that. I feel like I totally borked the whole thing. The photos aren't particularly beautiful nor San Francisco-y either. Well, maybe a couple are.

I'm going to post them anyway because I don't have the time to do a crafty post this week. Oh, well. Let's see what I decided to document ...

This is where I got the idea to take photos for you. We were at the corner of Broadway and Fillmore and the road was falling away from us in both directions (straight ahead and to the left). Click through to the Google Maps street view if you want to see for yourself.

The reason I took the photo is that you can barely see the top of the next streetlight down the block. Here, let's take a closer look ...

Is that hilarious, or what? Also, right out of frame is the Golden Gate Bridge (which I misspelled as one word in my images ... gah). I thought I'd taken a photo of the bridge for you, but that photo didn't get saved on my phone. Oops!

When you're standing at this corner, cars appear from below, as if by magic . It's slightly terrifying if you're crossing the street on foot because the cars don't want to stop on the near-vertical road so they nose up into the intersection and I always feel like they are going to keep going and careen into me.

Believe me, I was happy to see those stairs when we crossed the street. Walking down those hills can be brutal on your big toes because your feet slip to the front of your shoes and smash, smash, smash your big toe with every step.

I promptly forgot all about taking photos for you until I saw this GIGANTIC crane for which they'd closed the street. I love big machinery. I love watching big cranes, construction equipment, and anything like that. I really don't know why. I don't want to build big things. I don't want to run the equipment. It just fascinates me for some reason.

So, hey look, big crane. Isn't San Francisco beautiful? Haha!

We stopped to rest our feet at Yerba Buena Gardens and I took these last two photos. Yerba Buena is pretty fantastic.

I hope this post isn't too ridiculous. :) We'll be back to regular programming soon.

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2013 Reader Survey Results

2013-04-10T08:00:00.000-5:00

702 of my fantastic blog readers completed an anonymous survey. Here's a big "Thank You" to all of you for taking the time to fill it out!

Here are the results:

1. What is your gender?

female
male
transgender
other

692
3
2
4

99%
0%
0%
1%

2. What is your age?

younger than 20
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 or older

14
111
205
164
134
73

2%
16%
29%
23%
19%
10%

3. Crafts you enjoy are:

crochet
knitting
embroidery
handsewing
other

602
406
267
265
254

"other" responses:

applique
armenian needle lace
art journaling
arty stuff
baby clothes
basket weaving
beading
book arts
cake decorating
card making
decopauge
doll making
drawing
dying
ceramics/painting ceramics
cross stitch
drawing
dressmaking
electronics
felting
free machine embroidery
gardening
general crafts
glass work
home decorating
inkle weaving
jewelry design
knotting twine rosaries
loom knitting
machine/other sewing
marbling
mixed media art
mosaic

motherhood
needle felting
needlepoint
needlepunch
origami
painting
pag needle lace
paper
paper cutting
patchwork
photography
pintura em tecido
(Portuguese for fabric painting)
plastic canvas
polymer clay
print making
printing
quilting
reading books
refinishing furniture
rug hooking
scrap booking
sculpting
silversmithing
sketching
soap making
soft sculpture
spinning
tatting
weaving
woodworking

4. How much do you spend on online craft-related purchases each year?

nothing
less than $50
$50-$100
$101-$200
more than $200

51
164
184
136
166

7%
23%
26%
19%
24%

5. You've been reading futuregirl.com for:

less than 1 year
1 or 2 years
more than 2 years

310
195
196

44%
28%
28%

6. How do you read futuregirl.com?

feed reader
email subscription
visit futuregirl.com
Other

288
240
278
12

"other" responses:

bloglovin'
ravelry
taptu

7. If you use a feed reader, how many other sites do you subscribe to?

only futuregirl.com
1-50
51-100
101-200
over 200

17
182
86
39
35

5%
51%
24%
11%
10%

8. Describe your engagement with futuregirl.com:

I read every word of every post
I read the post if I like the photos
I just look at the photos
Other

296
279
7
119

42%
40%
1%
17%

"other" responses:

between ready every word and reading if I like the photos
browsing
Craftiness
depends on subject matter of post
Every few days I check in and browse to see what's been going on
First time reader
I catch up now and then. :0)
I dip in every now and then
I don't knit so I just skim mostly.
I gloss over the email and if something catches my eye or has something to do with a project I'm working on I'll click through to the site.
I just don't read the "craft in public" posts
I just read the articles pertaining to crochet
I keep stumbling on it, but now i am going to read it
I look at all the posts, skim them sometimes, I like to follow along your knitting journeys even though I don't knit.
I look every now and then
I look in when I get the chance and catch up with the items I missed
I look the photos and sometimes I read everything sometimes just look thrue.
I pick and choose based on what looks interesting
I pop by to check out a post here and there, once very couple months or so.
I read all of it if I have time
I read almost every word
I read almost every word of almost every post
I read ALMOST every word of every post. It's not just about the pictures.
i read approx 90 - 95% of your posts. i love them!!
I read complete posts when I have time
I read crochet related topics most, I can't knit
I read every post that interests me
I read every word of every post apart from the "Knitting in public"-posts, since I don't live in the USA.
I read every word of every post except the crafting in public, since I am not local
I read every word of most posts - I don't read in detail knitting explanations
I read every word of some posts
I read every word when the post is not too much about knitting (I am an intermediary knitter and I need to learn the knitting vocabulary)
I read if I like the pictures and the post title
I read most everything, but sometimes I may not check in for a while!
I read most of every post
I read most of the posts, but skip the photos sometimes, depending on how interested I am in the technique/project
i read most of the posts, not so much detailed instructions (particularly if it is for knitting)
I read most of them
I read most posts but not all
I read most posts, but not all of them
I read most posts, skip the local meet-ups because I'm not local! (Not a deterrent to reading your blog though, as they are clearly labelled, I can skip them easily.)
I read most posts; the catchy ones send me to your site for a better look!
I read most, I like your techniques and explanations of why
I read only what is of interest to me
i read some posts, but if its real technical knitting stuff i skim it because im not that great at knitting yet
I read the post if I like the photos or title
I read the post if I like the topic
I read the post if I'm interested...I skim over the knitting things, since I don't knit
I read the post if it a topic I am interested in or if the picture is something I might like to try.
I read the post if it is about a craft I am interested in
I read the post if the subject is of interest to me
I read the post if the topic interests me
I read the post if the topic interests me.
I read the post when the topic grabs my attention.
i read the post, if i am interested in the topic or if the first words make me curious.
I read the posts if it's a topic of interest to me
I read the posts if they are not overly technical :).
I read the posts on subjects I'am interested in
I read the posts with titles that interest me
I read until I get uninterested. (Usually the whole post)
I save posts that interest me and read them when I have time, for example: on the weekends
I save the posts to a folder, and when I have time, go through them reading what interests me
I scan the blog.
I scan the post and read what looks interesting.
i skim and read the whole post if i'm interested
I skim but read if I have time
I skim each post & read every word if the pictures and/or topic interest me.
I skim every post and if it looks interesting to me I will read the whole post
I skim posts if they seem interesting I read them.
I skim to see if it interests me then read the whole post.
I skim your post & read if interested
I skim, if something catches my interest I read thoroughly
I skim/read thoroughly based on my time and post's topic
I tend to read several posts at a time, to 'catch up' every couple of weeks.
I usually read a bunch of posts together, so maybe not every word of every post ;)
I usually read the whole post if it pertains to something I can do on my side
i will read it if the topic is of interest to me
i'll read crochet posts but i don't knit
i'll read it if the title/topic interests me
if I like the topic
if she covers a topic that pertains to my craft.
If the content applies to my craft I read - mainly read for ideas from pictures.
just found it today
just found some helpful tutorials...just now!
just found you
just like to see what you are up to and if words or pictures interest me, I read every word - I enjoy how you speak like you are talking to a friend
most of time read but sometimes just skip over
most posts
newb
Normally read all of post, depending on the time I have
Only crochet related
only really read the crochet related posts
pattern specific and tutorial searches
read a post now and then
Read almost all, but skim over most of the knitting.
Read and look at the pictures
read everything except the crafting in public posts
Read interesting topics
Read post if it is relevant to my interests or is a tutorial I searched for
Read posts for specific projects.
read posts when I have time
read the crochet-related stuff.
reference point
skim
skim through posts, then read the ones I find interesting
Skim, mostly
Somewhere between option 1 and 2 :o)
speed read unless something catches my eye - picture or pattern or subject!
The title and the photos draw me.
This is the first thing I have gotten from future girl
too many posts to keep up with.
too new to site/subscrip only read possible 2x for pattern
tutorials blog
Usually by post title
usually read all unless its very long, then just skim pictures
Whatever catches my eye
When ever I get a moment of down time and remember
when i have time, i'll read recent posts back to where i last read.

9. How did you first find futuregirl.com?

ravelry
pinterest
allfreecrochet.com
crochetpatterncentral.com
a link to your crochet tutorials
a link to your sewing tutorials
I don't remember
Other

55
48
32
4
113
33
321
95

8%
7%
5%
1%
16%
5%
46%
14%

"other" responses:

a link to your meal planning sheets
A talk @ maker fair, San Mateo
Another blog
As a "More Like This" option in my feed reader
Attic24 blog
Blog roll
Craftster a long time ago? Maybe?
craftzine.com
crochet happy.com
doing a google search for "wristlet"
Facebook
Feed subject index
Felt
Friend recommendation
From google to your post about knitting outside
from the PBS show Knit and Crochet website
giveaway on craftypod in 2008
google craft blogs, you were on first page :)
google image search
Google reader suggested you to me
Google search for a blanket stitch tutorial!
google search for craft blogs I think
Google search for crochet blogs
Google search for crochet patterns & techniques
Google search for foundation crochet stitch
google search for lining a crochet bag
google search for sewing technique
I don't remember but maybe flickr - are you on flickr? I find a lot of blogs that way
i don't remember what i was searching for, but i think i landed on your post about putting aluminum foil in your windows to block heat (or was that someone else??)
I found your Octofrost
I googled "how to block a lace scarf with wires" and your site was the first hit
I googled "how to..." something and found you!
I met you
I think you found me!
It was a link to your Starling handbag but I can't remember where from!
it was probably through one of my yahoo.com crocheting groups
Link from another blog (planetjune?)
Link from lincraft.com.au
looking for how to sew felt
Searching for how to line a crocheted purse
seems to me I googled 'blanket stitch' and up you popped! I think this was also around the time you were making mushrooms for a swap or contest?
Sister Diane/Craftypod
stumble upon
taptu
The weekly menu planner...(I know, right?)
Through a friend
Twitter
was looking up fun crafts
You started following me on Twitter! Hello!
YouTube

10. Say anything you want about anything you want.

I love your tutorials and I like that your projects always seem like something I could really do for myself. Many bloggers make things that are beautiful but they seem way too hard to even try.Thank you!

Thanks for teaching me how to weave my crochet ends back in. My projects are much prettier and less lumpy now!

I'd like to see you crochet a sweater! I was disappointed when you learned to knit. I mean, it's good for you but less exciting for me to follow a knitting blog.

It's been lovely reading you for years now - ever since I was a fledgling crocheter. I keep coming back to the foundation single crochet tutorial...

I really love your blog although your posting gets a bit sparse every now and then. Your attention to detail is amazing! I mean... that creepy clown sweater!? Fantastic and terrifying all at the same time!

I love your tutorials, to see your work in progress and understand how you do it, after all you have a PhD in crochet :)

I pretty much readh only the e-mails that relate to crochet/knit.

Love your posts and best wishes for the future!

I would like more crochet patterns and enjoy the photos!

I may not comment but I do enjoy your blog.

I don't comment often, but absolutely LOVE your blog. Your tips and suggestions, your process, what you're interested in--I really enjoy and appreciate your work! I also really liked the what you posted this week one year ago, two years ago, etc. Because I'm a relatively new reader, I liked seeing what you've written in the past. I think your blog is fabulous! Thank you!

In general, I enjoy posts with some personal information included, as it allows me to learn more about the poster and be more engaged with that person. Some posters, however, write more about their lives and general thoughts than they do about their craft. They are often very well-written but after a while, I tire of the personal diary approach . . . just my opinion.

You and your website are a breath of fresh air every time there's a new post. Love reading about your crafting adventures. The photos are very helpful and your fearless ability to do and re-do to reach exactly what you want are inspiring. Love it!

You are an incredibly talented individual. I love that you have several projects in process at the same time. That has encouraged me to do the same.

Love reading about other peoples crafting. Gives endless inspiration. Just wish it could give me extra time to fit it all in! Thank you!

This blog is a highlight of my craft week!

I can't remember how I found the bag tutorial, but I used those with every bag I crocheted. I enjoy your posts and am looking forward to that wristlet tutorial someday. Thanks for helping me make such a cool bag! (many times)

I admire your passion and endurance

Your awesome!!! Wish I could knit like you! It's hard t find nice sweaters in a size 16.

You have a very creative, engaging writing style in addition to being a talented fiber artist. Your posts are entertaining rather than brain dumps that belong in someone's journal, not on the internet. I am fast approaching 60 (it happens when you're not looking) and happy to see my favorite hobbies being embraced and celebrated by younger people -- I was in a minority when I was a sprout! Between discovering your blog, Ravelry, Knitty, etc. where there is so much fantastic sharing by like-minded people, it's a wonder that I'm able to get any work done (I run my own business which requires many hours on the computer -- I'm sure you know how easy it is to get sidetracked by things you'd rather be doing!). Thanks for a great read. Also -- your foundation crochet tutorial is fantastic.

Love your stuff... would love to see you go back to more crochet and softies!

I definitely love the crochet video you have on your side. That is the reason I'm here. Thank you.

Love the site, lots of good tips and I find new patterns.

I may not crochet or knit much at all, but I enjoy watching the progress of your sweaters. Maybe one day I'll tackle the cute starling bag that you make.

I have followed your blog longer than any other blog. Your work is beautiful and so are you. You are entertaining and adorable and I have learned quite a bit from you. I have been crocheting for more years than I care to admit but sewing and embroidery, which are often needed in crochet projects, are my weak points. I enjoy doing them but I'm just not that good at it. But because of you I can line a purse and add a zipper pretty darn well now. As a matter of fact I will be referring back to your tutorial again later this week to line a Hello Kitty purse I'm making for a friend. With all of your fans I'm sure you know you are appreciated but let me just add one more thank you note to the stack. You are awesome!

Love your site and look forward to it

Always inspired by the generous, organized, and creative people like futuregirl, who are willing and able to share their ideas, projects, and skills as you never know which sparks will lead to a masterpiece.

Really enjoy your work!

I never traditionally knit... Rarely crochet. Themed interest is rugs... Hooking, twining, knitted or crocheted from T-shirts. An overall interest in craftiness... Also recycling and upcycling.

I don't knit or crochet, but I love looking at your work. I'm completely blown away by what you can do. I wish you were my sister so I could make you make things for me. :)

i dont like the "crafting in public" posts. other than that i love your blog!

I enjoy reading your blog. Sometimes it's interesting, sometimes you make me laugh (the caption option on one of your tutorials you posted on youtube that wasn't quite right...lol), and I am always amazed. I know how to knit, but I am better at crochet. Love your sweaters though, so one day I may have to get more 'proficient!'

Please upload more tutorials on bags, poncho hooded scarf and more.

Foundtion stich is owesome,i tried ur starling bag,thanks for it.

Keep up the good work Alice! You definitely are an inspiration to all of us.

I enjoy your posts, but I'm more of a crocheter than a knitter so I will skip over some of the knit updates, like sweater updates, etc. With that said, I still find your creations lovely & do enjoy seeing what you're making.

I really enjoy your newsletter and find inspiration there. Thank you!

Thanks for your informative blog!

you make really adorable felties and pretty sweaters. actually i think most all of your projects are great

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." e.e. cummings

I love your designs and your work. You have been an inspiration to me.

Today I visited your website for the first time. I read your article about the macrame owl. Some of the links in that article are not working and 1 is even forbidden. (no idea how or why). I think I will happily browse further on your website, because I like what I've seen! Thank you for making such a beautiful and informative site!

I think it's really neat that you name your sweaters. In general conversation, it would keep people guessing as to what you're up to. That would be such a giggle. By the way, you have beautiful hair, among other good features. Keep up the good work, you're inspiring to a newbie like me, and don't lose that touch of whimsy-it's all you.

I really like the hand sewing tutorials because they are very clear. I was making some little felt creatures and with your tutorials I was able to finish them quickly. :)

Thanks for being so great. : ) I really admire your knitting endeavors!

I love your site and your photos.

I love reading about how you tackle each project you work on. How you work through the problems or things you want to do without (or very rarely) giving up is inspiring. I can't believe how many things you have going on at the same time and yet I want to see them progress faster so I check back frequently!

I don't know if this information is on your blog but I would like to know more about you (e.g. how long you been crocheting or knitting... things you like to make... yarns you like dislike ... hooks you like or dislike.. etc). I found one your crochet tutorial very helpful when I needed it which led me to your blog. I like the work you do and the photos you provide showing off your work. Most of the stuff is knitting and I don't knit and get frustrated with people when they keep saying my stuff is knitted when it is not but for some reason, I am attracted to your work and your blog and look forward to receiving your latest post to see what you've been working on. You make knitting look so easy."

One day I will come to your crafty events.

I really love your blog, you are one of 3 blogs I always check when I have a moment at work, immaterial of the RSS feed. I aspire to have a blog like yours. I've been reading for 3-4 years Constructive feedback - I'd like to hear more from you, really liked it when you were making the crochet sea creatures. Hope you aren't thinking of stopping blogging....

Keep up the good work!

It would be nice to have sometimes a post about crochet too or about your area, if possible.

Bacon is delicious but unicorn bacon is also SPARKLY!! :)

My first interest is crochet, but I still find your knitting to be of interest, possibly because I am so hopeless at it! I have learned about things on your blog I have never heard of before. (I did a bit of Googling about steeking after you mentioned it!) I would love to be a great knitter, but I don't think I have the patience. I like crochet because I can see my progress and I can work out where I am up to, unlike knitting. If I drop a stitch in knitting I can't work out how to get it back, I can't count the rows, and it's all a little rough. Crochet is easier, but I am still learning there too. I am self taught from books and internet and definitely learning from my mistakes.

I love how neat you are with your work, I wish you did crochet more often.

I love getting your correspondence, Alice! I've learned so much from you and I look forward to opening your emails each week! You are talented and I love that you share it with your readers! Thanks so much!

I love when you post about all your experiments to find a technique that works exactly the way you want. I always learn lots! And while I don't know if I'll ever remember all the steps for foundation single crochet, I have your tutorial bookmarked for whenever I need it. Hands down, it is the best.

More tutorials! I love them!

I'm hungry.....lol Thanks for the postcard. Will be sending mine out hopefully soon! I love your knitting projects. Hugs!

Truly I am so new at crochet, I have been teaching myself through YouTube and other tutorials that are linked through website's I have found just by surfing for EASY pattern's. Your purse looks very challenging for a newbie but am thinking I might give it a go. It would be so nice to finish one project that I have not had to rip out repeatedly. I seem to be seriously challenged in all ways creative. I do however have the spirit of determination in my genes!!

Thanks for providing the inspiration I need to keep busy at home while I recooperate from my neck surgery I had in November...keeping the mind off of the pain and physical therapy does wonders for the soul.

Thank you for sharing your talents! I hardly ever comment because I read blogs on my phone & typing is slow, but please know that I appreciate you! Thanks!

Baked beans and tortoises!

I may not be a knitter (avid crocheter), but I love watching the growth of your sweaters and how you solve problems related to fitting them to your body. Some of your techniques can be applied to crochet work also. I also really like seeing what new yarns you're using. I even went looking for some of them after I read about them on your blog.

I aspire to be as talented as you and other marvelous crochet pattern creators. It is truly an art form. Thank you for being who you are.

I think I might have found you through a link to a crochet tutorial. I remember the Starling Bag playing heavily in my early love for your website. I always appreciated the thorough tutorials / information that you include in your posts. You've stretched my skills as you've stretched your own and I am always awestruck by how you patiently rip and rework your pieces until they're just right!

I love your information and wish I was a better knitter and crocheter. Thanks for your inspiration.

I love seeing all of the different things you create-- from crochet bags to knitted sweaters and sewn stuffies-- they inspire me to craft more. I also love your tutorials because they are so detailed and informative. The thoroughness of your Starling Handbag tutorial helped me overcome my fears and make a bag. Thank you for an amazing blog. :)

My god, have I been on the internet for a long time. I've been reading your blog for almost 5 years--no wonder that bird purse needs a good bath!

I love random stuff, I like that you describe your mistakes and how you fixed them. I just learned to knit, I will not be having too many beginner mistakes thanks to you. And that is awesome!!!!

I love your projects! So inspiring and makes me want to spend more time crafting! Keep it up!

I started subscribing via email because I liked the tutorials you have on your site. They were very well done and I found them very helpful. Thanks very much for sharing!

I love how nothing seems to intimidate you and your willingness to tackle any project. Oh! And, how you just never seem to give up. I often walk away in awe!

great tutorial on felt. I have also enjoyed seeing the different projects you are working on and how they come together, especially the fox. You are great at what you do.

I apologize if you've already done this (as I haven't read your entire archive). I'd love to hear about what inspires you.

Thanks for just being there. I think you are very talented, and I often wonder how you have time to do it all! You are such an inspiration.
I am a relatively new knitter, but a long-time (35+ years) crocheter, and I admire your work. Gives me something to aspire to.

I thoroughly enjoy your blog. You are a very talented crochet and knitter and have inspired me to work on my skills. I have enjoy your sweater progress post as well as the several tutorials you have. Thank you so much!

Love it. I crochet. Love the organization to your site and your tutorials

I appreciate the fact that you are honest about mistakes made and amount of re-dos. I knit, but not well. Crochet is my love. I love your skylark pattern and have used it to design bookbags for my granddaughter and I, for water bottle bags (It keeps the ice longer!) and little miscellaneous carrier bags. Thanks a bunch!

I've enjoyed reading your blog! I wish I could knit so I could make some of the cute stuff you make.

Futuregirl provides excellent tutorials. I find her blog inspirational.

I really like that you show the journey of a project, with all its ups and downs, and that I can find your projects on Ravelry if I want to try them.

I have been reading your blog for years, it is refreshing in the sea of kinda-the-same craft blogs.

Your crocheting tutorials are awesome, and I love seeing how you pick apart stitch patterns for your own designs. You're one of my favorite craft bloggers!

love your worneek more crochet ha please thanx for your blog an time renbyee

I don't comment a lot because I read before bed on my iPad but I love your blog!

Nice blog

I "found" your site on Ravelry and was intrigued when you described yourself as someone who engaged in "craft badassary"!!! Love your photos and read every word of your posts. Keep it up!

This is a delightful blog; I look forward to every new one! The blog is so well written that I feel like she's my niece :-)!!!

I love your attention to detail, and I hope one day we can meet in person!

I love your starling hand bag and the tutorials on your site. I don't know how I lived without foundation single crochet before!

You are a scientific crafter!

Your Starling Handbag pattern is the best crocheted purse pattern! I don't knit, but I enjoy reading about your adventures in sweater-making.

Your site is extremely cool! Quality products not just any junk!

You make very good video tutorials. Non-pretentious, friendly, relaxed, encouraging, capable.

This blog is a regular visit for me. I started with the felt owls and still make them from the patterns she provided. LOVE the owls and love this blog!

I started crocheting again after 30 years and found your starling bag to be a wonderful project. Thanks!

Keep up the fabulous work!

I like your entertaining writing style...

Thoroughly enjoy reading your blog. Even though I don't leave comments, I appreciate the dedication and thought that goes into your blog.

bring home all the american troops and never send them anywhere ever again.

i love your blog

you're spunky and it makes me come back to keep reading your new posts!

Your FSC tutorial has saved me from countless hours of frustration, manymany thanks! Also, many more thanks to you for publishing your photos and full posts to your feed; I try to do most of my blog-skimming via my feed reader (which I find vastly more efficient than going from site to site) and it seems like more and more sites I follow are only including snippets in their feeds in an attempt to boost click-throughs to the full site. Thank you for making it easier/faster for me to access your content! :)

I love looking at all your projects, especially your knitting. I don't even knit myself. It's like craft porn : )

Greetings from Macedonia and keep on!

Thank you for all of the posts and information. I really enjoy seeing how creative you are. Some of your items blow my mind. Keep it up.

Thank you for providing some excellent crochet patterns. I haven't been able to try any of them yet but I will get around to it sometime I'm sure.

I'm astonished by the generosity of you and all the craft bloggers I read. The dedication and how much you share and how much I learn from reading you.

You are an inspiration!

I like how you write, how clear and useful your posts are.

:)

Your posts are well written and a pleasure to read. Also, education.

I've loved this site since the first time I visited. It just gets better, and more helpful, every year :) Keep on crafting!

I've enjoyed reading your posts for a long time, but I have almost cancelled my RSS feed because you seem to be concentrating on knitting a lot more, and although I can and do knit, I started following you because of your crochet

I enjoy a variety of crafts and projects, like to keep busy

I love that you continue to be very open to your readers, but do not let the blog subsume all else in your life. (You have a nice balance) I also like that while your personality shines through, you do not proselytize, nor get on your soap box for your particular "ailment". You let little bits of your personal details out, but I don't have to read your entire personal philosophy in the context of a crochet tutorial! Why I read Futuregirl "religiously" : Talented, fun, slightly irreverent, smart, craft-committed, impish girl.

I'm a new reader. Great blog.

More downloads please - love that little octopus, it was the first thing I found of yours and have used it loads of time.

I saw your Starling bags and fell in love with your blog.Not sure what it is about them but I couldn't stop coming back to your site time after time to see what you were up to next. Thanks for all the interesting and fun projects to look at and try.

Thanks :)

I search the net for free patterns and will purchase if it is a pattern that I have been unsuccessful at obtaining a free pattern. You are extremely talented and your use of color combinations are unsurpassed.

What I appreciate most about your blog (aside from the great tutorials, the simple but perfect color scheme, the numerous links to other awesome things, the clear photos) is your humor. The references you make always throw me into a geeky fit, so I can't stop reading. I will probably never comment outside of this one, but know that I adore every single one of your posts. I'm so glad I re-found your blog once I started knitting and crocheting.

I've been your groupie for years.

Just awesome!! I have no idea how you find the time for so many crafty projects :-)

I'm very new to crochet and like to read anything related to it.

I love crocheting and think what you do is awesome

So many things you show make me incredibly happy. <3

Love this blog!

I check back a couple times a week or sometimes a few times a month but when I do I read everything since my last visit. I love seeing hat you have been up to and the amazing pieces that you make!

I adore your knitting skills! You`re such a talented crafter, just keep that up! If I could wish for something I`d like to read a little bit more of crocheting, but that`s really optional! Best wishes from Germany :)

I started following this blog because of all the creative embellishments and fabric lining ideas on your Starling handbags (I've made a few and love the pattern).

Watching you challenge yourself encourages me to challenge myself!

I like to read about how you work on or adjust your garments, and your design experiments. I don't read every post because life often gets in the way, and the number of unread posts in my reader becomes unmanageable. Everything then gets marked as read!

I'm very bad at leaving comments - I read on my phone and it makes commenting difficult, but I will try harder ;-)

I love how completely unpretentious you are, even though your shit totally rocks!

What if we did more surveys just for fun? :D

please don't stop blogging - I love reading to your stories and seeing finished projects.

Thank you for the sea creature patterns! My baby loves the mobile we made from them. :)

I've just started crocheting in the last month. I rely on the video tutorials to "walk" me through the process. It is so helpful to save these and use them for individual stitches or to follow a complete pattern. My grandmother would be so happy to see me finally able to do what she tried to teach me as a child. I finally get it, Grandma and you were right. It is fun! Also addictive.

love your work!!!

Love your blog!!!

Hi Alice, I read your blog religiously for years before I found Ravelry in 2008 and now that is where I spend most of my internet time but I still look you up now and then to see what you're up to. I'm very happy to see you're still blogging!

I love this blog! The tutorials are great and watching you make the transition from crochet to new knitter to awesome knitter is inspiring. I also appreciate your fearless approach to new project. Yeah, you had to frog the last 30 rows to fix a mistake, but it was worth it in the end. You help me to become a fearless crafter, thanks!

I love this blog because you are simple and relevant!

You are missed at craft night but its spirit lives on in your honor! =) I especially love watching your process photos of larger projects since I don't do anything like that right now.

Love the way you think. Techniques are simplified which makes learning very easy!! Thanks for all you share, but please...never stop sharing!!

Your blog is interesting for several reasons. You seem bit more down to earth than some of the other craft bloggers and you spend tons less time pushing the products of your advertisers. I like that.

Love seeing your thought process on projects and ideas.

i like your blog. gotten some good ideas and learned some things about color. thank you

I just stumbled upon your blog after googling 'craft blogs' one day while I was bored. It was great to see your skills in knitting progress! Your projects turn out beautifully. :)

Good luck on your blog and out of it!

The first post I read from you was about how you tried to reknit a pattern you saw. Very impressing! Then I saw your description of the starling handbag, maybe on Ravelry. And even though I didn't try it myself yet, I will definitively do it later. Thanks for your great Blog!

Love your crochet patterns

Lovely blog, good variety of content, keep posting!

I would prefer to see more of a range of individual crochet items for adults ie ladies :)

I find your blog delightful!

I fell in love with you first blog I read.....and have been a captive client since...

I don't knit, but it's awesome to watch you beautiful sweater take shape. You have an interesting and well written blog. Thank you :)

You are so incredibly talented! Thanks for sharing your knitting joy.

Love you! Love to see the excitement and the way you are solving your chalenges. And i have used some of your suggestions and you are awesome! Thank you for sharing your joy and frustrations with us.

Thanks :-)

Thanks for blogging. I get behind sometimes and can't read everything. But when I have time I enjoy the variety, the sharing and sense of community and the inspiration.

I enjoy reading your "enthusiasm" in your blog. I have friends that knit and crochet and I pass on what is appropriate to them. I have crocheted and knitted in the past (many, many years ago) but now have changed my focus. I may come back to it and you are showing me small projects that I would try again. Keep it up. I love it .

Thank you Alice! I only know how to crochet and I came to your site by finding (and making) your starling handbag, but I continue to read your posts. I enjoy them all! (Even all your knitting posts, though I am not a knitter.) :)

Thank you for sharing your passion for crafting with us! Your work is beautiful and it's been really interesting watching you get so into knitting recently.
I love the easy to understand tutorials. Lots of good craft ideas.

Thanks to you I got into knitting, and I absolutely love it (: You inspire me to keep doing crafty things.

I love the way Alice explains things and she has unbounded patience!
If I didn't ""get it"" once she re-explained until she was sure I understood...the greatest quality of a teacher!

I love your blog. I think I've written before that I don't knit, but love to see what your working on.

I enjoy your blog, (site) love your tutorials!!

sorry, I'm a little shy about replying to surveys. I would like to say though, that I enjoy you very much. I'm a beginner as far as knitting goes, and an intermediate in crochet. I handsew 3" teddy bears. It's nice to see that the professionals make mistakes too....thanks for sharing.

I look forward to your posts! I love seeing your projects and your tutorials have helped me tremendously and given me a lot of inspiration. Please keep up the good work!

I think ya doing a great job..

I just appreciate your tech-savvy craftiness and your general niceness.

You've been inspiring, interesting, and instructive over the years. I don't check my feeds as much anymore, but love to catch up with multiple posts at once when I get the time.

You are a wonderful knitter. :)

very very very very nice. I learn and aspired

This survey got me thinking about how very important good photos are as a "headline" for a blog post. I never realized it, but I really am much more inclined to click on a post in my reader if it's accompanied by an intriguing photograph.

great site. Very inspiring for a basic knitter like me.

I do love your site! it's fun, friendly and most of all helpful! I always find a project that I want to do (like this very minute). Let me say "THANK YOU" for your hard work in providing us Crafters with your talent.

Just wanted to say that I've been a reader of your blog for a few years (I cant recall how long ago!) and I think it's great how your work has evolved as a writer and a crafter :)

You are great i love your work and your starling handbag

I am not a knitter but I love to see your projects blossom!

new reader, only just found you by becoming interested in crafts recently :) i'm sure i'll be reading much more of your blog

i am a BEGINNER knitter...in like, im finishing my FIRST scarf. :) i like to think of myself as crafty but with a 18 month and 3 year old, my free time is limited. im more of an silent observer of the greatness that others create.
your blog is def inspiring...one day i would love to be able to whip up a sweater or two!
cheers!

I Am often accused of being forgetful - but I really remember filling this out once before!!! LOL Looking forward to your next reveal!!!!

Awesome and inspiring

I've learned a lot about knitting and knitting without a particular pattern from you. Plus, your designs are really cute!
I really like your blog. You make the cutest things and are very generous with tips and tutorials.

i am bummed about google reader being shut down. Their subscribe and Next buttons are the most used on my bookmarks bar.

need a lots of tips in crocheting, knitting, sewing etc .... thank you 4 the tutorials

I love your blog! I ran across your blog trying to find a new wristlet about 2yrs ago and fell in love! You made me realize that I could make all these items not just blankets, and it's really not that hard!

You're very talented! I enjoy seeing what you're working on. Thanks for sharing!

Your foundation single crochet was a life saver! I like your posts -- its like you are talking to me in person.

I love your website and your tutorial videos are awesome! I've made several handbags and felt stuffies for friends and family and they make the perfect gifts. It's so inspiring to see all of the sweaters you've made recently and it makes me want to get into knitting. Thanks!

Futuregirl is a talented lady, who expects perfection from her efforts. Also, she is a very friendly and helpful person, which I experienced when first downloading the crocheted handbag pattern. I have made one bag and use it constantly to hold my current sock knitting supplies.

I love your stuff and it makes me feel confident that if I work at it (like you do) it will turn out great. Thank you so much for showing the stuff that isn't perfect and how hard you have to work to fix it.

I love this blog. A great source for inspiration and fantastic tutorials!!

I love seeing what everyone else is doing. Thanks for the wonderful blog!

I love your blog!

I love your blog and all of your tutorials! I found your site right after I finally figured out how to read a crochet pattern. Your videos helped me gain more knowledge and confidence to blossom as a knitter and crocheter! Keep writing, you are hands down one of my all time favorite sites to visit!!

I'll be back ! you are great !

Your blog inspired me to crochet again...thanks

I think your dedication to hand crafting in an age where everyone wants instant gratification is amazing and inspiring. I was learning [read that as 'teaching myself after my mother-in-law halfway taught me'] to crochet when I found your foundation crochet posts via Google. I've been hooked ever since. Reading about your adventures in knitting inspired me to try it again myself [half learning from MIL again]. AND your site lead me to the yarny place of awesomeness that is Ravelry. For that alone I adore you! Your determination to figure out things out is amazing. I loved reading your post about the Flower Purse and the Japanese pattern book that it came from. Matter of fact, that maybe when I bookmarked your page. You rock! Thank you, you crafting Badass :)

I love your site! Please keep posting no matter what happens with googlereader!

Love your videos

I think you are a talented crafter and I enjoy your creativity and ingenuity! Keep up the great work and superior blog and newsletter. You are truly inspiring!

want to see more crochet purse and crochet dress patterns

:o)

I was so excited when I found your site a couple of years ago. Sometimes, when I get frustrated with new techniques or new media that I'm working with, I see the work that you're doing and it inspires me to keep trying. I've seen how many times you've started and restarted and done things over and over until you get them the way you want. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who needs to redo things several times to get it just right. So, thanks for the motivation!

I really want to create my own style in crochet and look to you for inspiration.

I enjoy that you share the trial and error process. Even if I am not a knitter it gives me "permission" to branch out and learn from the process, even if it doesn't work. I loved the time when you limited your craft budget and wrote about that experience. I enjoy your blog very much and appreciate the time you spend on it.
I really like your first class tutorials. I also enjoy following your design process. You inspire me.

video tutorials? i think you are super clever x x

I really like your site, especially reading about your knitting projects.

Sometimes I don't read your blog for a long time. I come back randomly. When I do show up, I enjoy.

I like your style, you 're always optimistic and seldom discouraged. It makes me want to craft more. thank you

I love what you do with your blog, it's one of the few where I read almost every post, not just browse. Thanks for all the good stuff.

I love you.

Hmmm...anything huh? And you're reading this? Ok. I'm hungry. :D

In the past I only interested in crochet amigurumi. Your posts broaden my interest. I am now knitting my very first T-shirt!

I taught myself to crochet about six months ago. Since then, I've made the starling bag in both cotton and wool. I also made several of the hex bags, although I altered the hex bag to have a floor and to be a bit larger so my sister could use it for a grocery bag. I love your crochet alongs! Now that I'm hooked, I wish I'd learned a few decades ago, but I'm making up for lost time. Thank you Futuregirl!

I have been following mainly because of the crochet but I don't come by very often now because its all knitting

i continue to read your blog because you are so talented. i enjoy watching your knitting process and the results of risk-taking. i do miss your tutorials!

I love your blog so much...love the photos and the story behind.

I know you knit but how about some crochet stuff for those of us who do not knit.

Alice, I really like your blog and the few (very few) videos you have on YouTube; It would be nice if you could film some more videos, the way you explain is very easy to follow.

i'm amazed at how fast you work and it's always beautiful. I do mostly little toys for nieces and nephews and charity.

I love your adventurous spirit when it comes to trying out stitches. You've given me inspiration to experiment wherembeforeimeould follow a pattern and not venture from it. Thank you!

I want to make the heart shaped muffler in white colour which I found in your blog. It is awesome, I hope I will have the patience to finish it. I loved to receive the postcard sent by you.I cannot thank enough. This world of internet seem all imaginary to me but now I feel differently. So many times I want to buy the craf objects but due to lack of confidence in terms of paying online, i avoid to opt. I want to buy knit or crocheted item on pay on delivery mode. I want to know how do you spend your day an manage everything.. Thanks

Your blogs first caught my eye because you are in San Francisco (I grew up in Antioch about 60 miles to the east). I live in Arkansas now, but I like to see what projects you are working on and especially like to hear how you re-invent and modify projects to suit your needs. I respect your opinion about crafting/stitchery books ... plus you have red hair so you've got to have a little Irish/Scottish in you ... as do I. If you get a chance to visit Ireland or Scotland, you would love it.

Love your work!!

I'm new to crocheting and I would like to learn knitting as well after I've perfected my crocheting skills. I appreciate all of the written as well as the videos that helps me in rounding out my crocheting skill. Thank you for the time you have devoted to helping others. :)

Hmmmm. I'm trying to improve my techniques for the crafts I do.

I think pictures are what draw me in to read someone's post. I'm very visual. I enjoy your style of writing and your humor.

I think you are great to have this blog to share with the world. It's so nice to see crocheting resurfacing. I really thought it was going to be a lost art with so many people preferring knitting. Thank you so very much.

I just love your site. It's fill with humor and loads of learning and I need both! Keep up the good works!

i like the tutorials shown and into crochet more blog holds my interests

I am so impressed by futuergirls knowledge and skill.

I enjoy reading all your patterns, your stories, and all the extras like this survey, It's fun. The first contact I had with your blog was for the pattern for the Starling Bag. I enjoy your site.Thank you for sharing all your hard work.

Love your posts and your projects - so ambitious and envy-worthy. Keep up the great job!

I prefer posts that are NOT advertising things! Interweave knits & croches posts almost always are trying to sell their products! When they give away freebies, it's only for new subscribers to their newsletter! How about a little appreciation for those of us who already subscribe?! Very obvious & annoying!

Enjoy all of your posts and patterns.

I enjoy seeing your progress through projects. Not many people keep up like you have and it gives me hope that someday maybe I'll be able to do the same. You give great tips and advice on mistakes you've made and you're honest which keeps me involved because it makes you more human and relatable. Thanks for being you and keeping up such a great blog.

i like it. keep up the good work!

one of the best blogs that I've read; interesting material, concise information; fun!

I love that you post about local events where you can meet with people and group crafting events, I just feel sad that I'm so far away I can't join in.

Your talent is amazing. I would love to be able to pick up knitting like you have. But crocheting is my thing and I do love it. Thanks for sharing your crafty love.

great site. easy to navigate. funny, I even laugh out loud at some stuff ie clean/dirty dish washer girl. beautiful photos, colorful, large. just love it and will continue to follow

I came across your site years ago when I was looking for patterns and tutorials. Patterns are wonderful eye candy but the tutorials are what really gets me moving.
Thanks so much for sharing your blog. It's very clean, neat and professional."

would like to see dress crochet patterns

I really enjoy your tutorials i also LOVE that I can message you and you videos. Thank you!

Hope you're having a beautiful and blissful day! Take time to stop and smell the roses <3

Hi, I have little to say, maybe say a little more on another day. My English is insufficient for long conversations. I like your work and tips on crochet and stuff so I read what you post.

Enjoy your blog....keep it up!

Love your blog!

Futuregirl.com is a wonderful, inspiration blog! Thank you for sharing!

You are da bomb. Thanks for the postcard!! :)

Thank you for all your hard work in putting this together.

I like all the photos. And lots of variety!

Love your blog!

Maybe you can use brighter eye catching colors in your photos.

I really like the name of your blog. Napolean was afraid of cats! My sister is pregnant with her second child, and is four years younger than me (I am childless). It is going to be 18C this weekend! British commercials are weird. There are few things I enjoy more than knitting something useful. I wish I was a better planner. I like the frilly arm on the green sweater you just posted! Hope you have the best long weekend!

Keep it up!

nice blog, thanks!

I want to know how you find time to work full time and still be an awesome crafter! It makes me want to be you :)

Purchased your patterns. Daughters loved the felt seahorse! Was fun to make too!,,

I love your colourful works thou I'm not so eager to crochet.

Your felt stitch tutorials are really helpful. Use them whenever I am feeling stuck. Thanks for such easy step-by-step instructions.

I'm pretty sure your blog is one of the only craft blogs I really follow anymore. :) I don't get to craft often but when I do I'm usually inspired by one of your current or past projects. There have been a few times where I've found myself reading through your older posts because I remember a project that was similar to something I'm now working on! For example I'm learning crochet by making a similar wristlet you made! :D

great site

Hi alice... I love your video tutorial.. They explain much... And i love your idea with stitch marker.. Totally helpful... Hope there are more new project tutorial video coming... Thank you..

how do i get off your list? you are great but i am more a project browser than a committed reader. thanks anyway, my bad. Your blog is a joy, thank you!

I downloaded your patterns of sea creatures, seahorse and octopus. They were all fantastic. Have nearly completed an art project with my daughter, she is delighted and would like to thank you so much. We will send you a photo soon!

Adoro crochet ,para mim não existe algo melhor do que visitar blogs sobre esse assunto beijos

My baby is the cutest ever!

Love the detailed instruction and great pictuers. Too many bloggers have crummy photos on poorly designed pages. Good job!

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Hemlock Final Edging

2013-04-08T08:00:00.000-5:00

I decided to go with a double seed stitch border under the edge lace. I frogged the previous edge to move the lace up 8 rows to accommodate the new border. Sometimes I wish I could just copy/paste my crafting. Oh, the constraints of the analogue universe.

I'm loving the way the double seed stitch border blends nicely with the lace. It kind of looks lacy, doesn't it?

The only issue is the bind off isn't playing nicely with the edging. It looks OK in the back, but in the front it's buckling.

And, seriously, is there going to be a weird bunched up lump at my waist across my back when I wear this? Every side-view shot has it. Crossing my fingers that it won't. WTF, sweater?

Here's an close-up of the buckling edge. The left is the front where it's wavy and the right is the back where it lays flat.

O hai, stringy string. I'm surprised no one noticed you ... ahem ...

See, the bind off looks fine back here. I think it's because it's getting stretched a little. It's possible blocking would totally sort this out (as a commenter from my last post suggested). But I've thought about it and I'm going to undo this bind off and try using the Interlock Bindoff which I used on the sides of Helena. It'll be stretchy and smooth. And it's possible it will be fine from the get go and I won't have to block this sweater every time I wash it. Anyhoo, that's the plan.

And, just for full disclosure, I tried out eleventy-seventy-twelve bind offs before I went with this one. There was lots of binding off and un-binding off going on that afternoon.

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Hemlock - Hem Not Quite

2013-04-04T08:00:00.000-5:00

I decided to go ahead and work on the hem before I do more sleeve work. Here is the sweater with mismatched sleeves and a hem ... that rolls ... suckage.

I did the same simple lace along the hem that I did on the sleeves. I thought It might stay flat, but the power of stockinette is too strong. The only reason the sleeves don't roll is that they have enough negative ease to keep them flat.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but it'll involve some larger expanse of non-rolling knitting. Maybe some ribbing. Maybe seed stitch. Hmm. Time to pull out the stitch dictionaries.

I started getting tangled up in all my yarn ends during the photo shoot. Ha!

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Hemlock Sleeve Version 73

2013-04-02T08:00:00.000-5:00

The wider sleeve looks sloppy ... sloppy around the lace edge ... sloppy around the shoulder. I thought having a wider sleeve would make less foldy bits around the arm pit .... you know, ease the transition point between the sleeve and sweater body ... but it appears to have made them worse.

Evidence:

I like the shorter length, though. I'm going to redo the sleeve the original width, but the new shorter length. Here's the thinner, original sleeve for comparison:

Plowing onward to sleeve version 74 ...

... and that won't be the last of the sleeve-work either because I'll have to length/shorten one of the sleeves once I decide which length I like best.

This is the point in sweater knitting where I start hating the sweater I'm making. I (metaphorically) grit my teeth and knit knit knit because I just want the $#^@#&$% thing done.

Though, I know as soon as it's off the needles and the ends are secured ... I'll forget all about this love the everlovin' hell out of it.

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Please Take My Reader Survey - Last Chance!

2013-03-24T08:00:00.000-5:00

*** SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED ***

I'm about to close out my reader survey and compile the results. If you have a couple of minutes (and haven't already been a rockstar and filled it out) I'd appreciate if you'd answer 10 quick questions in my 2013 Reader Survey.

Thanks, everyone!

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Hemlock Sleeve Experiment

2013-03-22T08:00:00.000-5:00

Oh, crazy sleeve. How did you ever happen? Here's what went down ...

I am ready to start the edging around the bottom of this cardigan. I was thinking that the simple lace pattern is, well, just too simple. I thought maybe the fancy front edge lace pattern would work, instead of the simple lace pattern I originally came up with for the sleeves.

My Brain said, "No way. Too many increases. It would be frilly and ginormous." I couldn't shake the urge, though, so my brain suggested I make a swatch to see.

Haha! The edges of the swatch look pretty straight. I was pretty sure the fancy lace would look fantastic.

My Brain still couldn't be persuaded to knit the whole bottom edge in that lace pattern, so it had another suggestion, "You want to redo the sleeves to make them wider anyway, so why not reknit an arm and edge it with the fancy lace? Then you can see exactly how that edging will look."

I should know by now my Brain usually knows what it's talking about. Holy moly, frills gone wild. Wow that looks awful. How did I trick myseld into going along with this?

I can't tell if I like the wider arm, either, with all that frilliness happening. I'm going to reknit the last 10 rows with the simple lace and then decide if I want to reknit the arm AGAIN to put it back exactly how it was ... because right now the "tight" arm (below) I was complaining about looks (and feels) pretty darn good.

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On The Demise of Google Reader

2013-03-18T08:00:00.000-5:00

I use Google Reader. I have for years. 2 of my 3 smartphone screen panels are just for Google Reader widgets (everything else is packed on the one home screen). I was less than happy to hear that they have decided to close down Google Reader on July 1st.

It's also a issue for me because I have 17,247 feed subscribers who read my blog using Google Reader. Am I going to lose all those readers? I don't want to lose you!

Ugh.

Any suggestions on what to use to read my feeds when Google Reader shuts down? Bonus points if you've actually used your recommendation and like it's android widget. ;)

The one I saw mentioned in articles a lot last week was Feedly, but I'm not sold on it yet. It's pretty, though.

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Have You Taken My Survey?

2013-03-16T22:00:00.000-5:00

*** SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED ***

Pretty please! I'd love it if you'd complete my 2013 Reader Survey.

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futuregirl.com Postcard Exchange

2013-03-15T08:00:00.000-5:00

I've decided to make the futuregirl.com Postcard Exchange an official thing. I created a handy dandy Postcard Exchange Sign Up Form if you're interested in participating.

HOW IT WORKS
1. You sign up and give me your address.
2. I send you a post card.
3. Bonus - if you reply with a postcard, I'll keep you on the list for the next mailing. If you reply with a letter, I'll send you a letter in return.

It's that easy.

I send out postcards a couple times a year, so if I've just done a mailing, it may be months before you get a postcard from me. Be patient. If you don't know when it's coming, then, hey, surprise postcard!

I've started getting reply postcards from my recent mailing. It's so much fun discovering them in my mailbox! I've pinned them up over my craft table.

(note: The zombie isn't a postcard. It's from a pack of targets for shooting practice. I could not pass up a pack of 20 zombies for $5. I love how it looks like he's holding up the holiday card I got from Tina)

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Cable Swatch

2013-03-13T08:00:00.000-5:00

Of course I couldn't resist. :) I took a ball of yarn, needles, and a cable needle with me on errands and knit here and there while my fellow shopper was browsing. Oh, yes, I knit this standing up. Ha!

It was a tricky and I did drop the cable needle, but other than that, super awesome. Cables are actually quite simple once you understand the "crossing of the stitches" bit.

The fancy looking cables are just interesting combinations of crossing. It's easy once you break it down. You can only knit one stitch at a time. You can do that, right?

It's a very elegant stitch, but I also I love that this looks vaguely insect-oid. I wish I had the time to play around with it. I'd love to see if I could add creepy, spindly cable legs or strange, twitchy antennae.

Khaaaaaaaan!"

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