Wow, wow, wow ... her designs just keep getting better and better! If you like her work, check out my recent round-up! Get the crochet pattern, designed by Megan Lapp of Crafty Intentions. More From This Designer - Crafty Intentions: This post contains affiliate links.
How to fold a note...the middle school way Back before Facebook, Cell Phones, Text Messaging and Email.. We wrote notes! Buuwahahahahhaa! ...
When a murder shocks picturesque Arborville, New Jersey, Pamela Paterson and her Knit and Nibble knitting club suddenly find themselves at the center of the investigation—as suspects . . . Pamela is ready to kick back and relax after a busy day selling stuffed aardvarks to benefit Arborville High School’s sports program at the annual town festival. But just as she’s packing up, she makes a terrible discovery—someone’s stashed a body under the Knit and Nibble’s table. The victim is Randall Jefferson, a decidedly unpopular history teacher after his recent op-ed criticizing the school’s sports program. But the primary suspect has an alibi, and the only clue is a stuffed aardvark found on the victim’s chest . . . Now the Knit and Nibblers must unravel the case quickly—before a crafty killer repeats a deadly pattern. Knitting tips and delicious recipe included! Product DetailsISBN-13: 9781496713292 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Kensington Publication Date: 08-28-2018 Pages: 320 Product Dimensions: 4.25(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.80(d) Series: Knit & Nibble Mystery #2About the Author Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor who lives in Leonia, New Jersey, where she writes mysteries and plays blues guitar. She holds a Ph.D. in medieval literature from the University of Illinois and taught writing and literature at Queens College, CUNY, and Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she was a tenured full professor. Her short stories have appeared in Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Crime and Suspense, Flashing in the Gutters, Spinetingler, Crime Scene: New Jersey 2, and Murder New York Style. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Peggy served on the board of MWA New York as head of the Mentor Committee. She was president of Sisters in Crime NY/TriState from 2013 to 2015. Peggy regularly attends mystery‑writing conferences and participates in conference panels and also gives talks on mystery fiction at libraries in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.Read an Excerpt Read an Excerpt CHAPTER 1 "Do you think anyone will actually buy these?" Roland DeCamp, trim in a navy polo shirt and crisply pressed khakis, studied the aardvark he'd plucked from the group arrayed before him. He examined its stubby legs, rabbit-like ears, and long snout, running his fingers over its knitted surface. "Not a bad job, if I say so myself," he concluded. "I think I'm getting the hang of this knitting business." "Actually" — Bettina Fraser reached across the table to lift it out of his hands and set it back among its fuzzy turquoise companions — "I believe that's one I made." "I beg to differ —" Roland picked it up again and pointed to the shiny black buttons that marked its eyes. "I particularly remember using these buttons. Your buttons were different — see, look here." He seized another aardvark by the scruff of its neck and turned its head toward Bettina. "Not as shiny." Pamela Paterson slipped around the table to join Bettina. "They all turned out beautifully," she said. "The one with the shiny eyes is definitely yours, Roland." Pamela was the founder and mainstay of the Arborville knitting club. Bettina was her best friend, but Roland was the only male member of the club. Sometimes he needed someone on his side. "And I'm sure we'll sell them. Sports mascots in the school colors — well, one of the school colors at least. Who could resist? And it's for such a good cause." Arborville High School's colors were turquoise and gold, and the occasion was Arborfest, Arborville's annual town celebration, held the Sunday after Mother's Day. The knitting club, known to its members as Knit and Nibble, had been at work for weeks producing the aardvarks now arrayed on the table. Money from the sale of the creatures was to go to the high school's athletic program. On a corner of the table not occupied by aardvarks was a pile of flyers describing the knitting club. Arborfest had begun at eleven a.m. with a parade down Arborville Avenue, featuring Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brownies, the mayor and town council in vintage cars, and the high school's marching band. Now the festival was in full swing. Two rows of booths faced each other across the asphalt expanse of the library parking lot. The Arborville chapter of the Community Chest was represented, serving slices of a huge sheet cake celebrating the group's one hundredth anniversary in the town. And the Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce had booths, as well as the library, the recreation center, and the historical society. The Arborville pizza parlor, When in Rome, offered samples of three kinds of pizza, and the Chinese takeout restaurant offered dumplings, fried on the spot, creating a tantalizing aroma. The Co-Op Grocery's booth highlighted its bakery, with trays of gingerbread cookies shaped like the letter A, for Arborville. Inside the library, a display of old photos and newspaper clippings focused on the high points of the high school's athletic program. On a stage at the end of the parking lot, the high school's jazz-rock band was playing a lively tune. It featured enthusiastic horn parts, and the horns glinted golden in the midday sun. Beyond the parking lot, in the grassy expanse of Arborville's park, a petting zoo had been set up, with lambs, baby goats, and rabbits. Pony rides were available for the children, and a clown capered about on the lawn, pausing now and then to juggle a bright collection of balls. "Yes," Pamela repeated, to Bettina this time. Roland had wandered off to join his wife, and they were sampling pizza at the When in Rome booth. "It's a very good cause." "I'm sure he'd agree." Bettina nodded toward a sturdy young man in a turquoise "Arborville Aardvarks" T-shirt. He caught Bettina's eye and strolled over. "How are you doing?" he asked. "Brad Striker," Bettina explained. "The new football coach. I interviewed him for the Advocate last fall." Pamela reached out her hand and supplied her name. The coach had the square jaw and strong brows of a comic-book hero, and he grasped her hand without smiling. "I'm glad to see the knitters approve of high-school sports," he said, letting go of her hand after a firm squeeze and reaching for an aardvark. "Not like that" — he paused, as if censoring the word he'd planned to use — "that ... that idiot history teacher." "Did you see last week's Advocate?" Bettina asked Pamela. The Arborville Advocate was the town's weekly newspaper, and as the paper's chief reporter, Bettina covered most of the town news. Pamela hesitated. "I know I brought it in." No one actually subscribed to the Advocate — it just arrived, generally midweek, at the end of one's driveway. "I'm not sure I read the whole thing." "Randall Jefferson can be a very nasty man," Bettina said. "But, freedom of the press and all. He must be busy, with the school year winding down, but he took the time to sit down and unburden himself on the subject of high-school sports." "Not in favor?" Pamela asked. "Most definitely not in favor." Bettina laughed. "You got that right. The high-school sports program should be abolished, especially football. He noted that the students are stupid enough already without rattling their brains on the football field, and if they spent more time studying history they'd be better citizens. People who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it and so on." Brad Striker didn't laugh. "Like I said, an idiot." He shoved his hands in his pockets and swung his head from side to side as if he was scouting the crowd for the object of his irritation. "They say he's got so much money he wouldn't even have to work if he didn't want to. Why doesn't he just stay home and mind his own business then?" "Can't the students do both?" Pamela inquired. "Sports and history?" Pamela herself had never enjoyed team sports, preferring to get her exercise by doing errands on foot, a luxury that the tiny town of Arborville allowed. Brad Striker frowned, as if even a compromise was an insult. "Idiot," he muttered again and wandered off toward a rowdy group of young men wearing T-shirts just like his. Bettina touched Pamela's arm. "I don't think he meant you were an idiot," she said soothingly. Pamela, meanwhile, was handing over two aardvarks to a tall, smiling man who immediately gave one to each of the excited little boys bouncing at his side. "Our first sale," she said, smoothing out two twenty-dollar bills and placing them in the metal cash box. Young couples in shorts and T-shirts strolled with their children, balloons on long strings bobbing along behind them. Teenagers stood in tight knots, segregated by gender, the girls giggling and watching the boys, and the boys trying not to be obvious about watching the girls. Older couples ambled along, pausing to greet old friends. "Such a perfect day for this," Bettina said, beaming. "The booths look so nice, and the volunteers worked overtime to finish the rock garden. That handsome Joe Taylor really got them organized." She turned toward the library to survey the little plot, bordered by carefully arranged rocks, then turned back toward the crowd. "Oh, look!" she said suddenly. "Richard Larkin is here with his daughters." Bettina nodded toward a tall man in torn and faded jeans standing with two young, twentyish women. "Why don't you go over and say hello? This is his first Arborfest. I can certainly manage the booth myself for a while." Pamela had been the object of her friend's matchmaking efforts since the previous fall, when Richard Larkin — recently divorced — moved into the house next to Pamela's own. "I said hello to him this morning," Pamela said. "He was bringing in his newspaper while I was loading the aardvarks into my car." "Well, go say hello again." Bettina gave her a friendly nudge. "Ask him if he's having a good time. You said you'd think about dating again when Penny started college, and now she's already finished her freshman year and you're still all
Hmmm. Looks like I’m going to have to dress a bit fancier when I knit from now on! Looks like a sweater she’s working on. Another sweater? Maybe it’s a UFO.
I’ve been flirting for some time with the idea of Hønsestrikk, a style of knitting developed by the Danish knitter Kirsten Hofstätter in the 1970’s as a protest against the yarn compani…
Pass me the Party Rings.
My interest in films from the 1930s and 1940s, and sometimes as far as the 1960s, may be known to long-time readers of this blog. Apart from performances, story lines and the luminosity of the mostly black and white images, I am still enjoying them for the history of clothing, furnishings, manners, social commentary, etc., as well as the history of film making and rights of actors. Thanks to the internet, I have created a collection of images of many of the women in these films engaged in knitting, either before or behind the camera. Non-acting famous knitters are also sprinkled within the collection. The knitting needles, bags and projects of these knitters are another reason to take a good look at these images. Some of these women were well-known in their circles for truly enjoying handwork, like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Others may have knit to pass the long times on set between takes, relieving boredom, or were posed for publicity shots, perhaps not knowing how to knit at all. I shall share these images here on this blog during the coming year with little or no commentary, on the birthdays of the subjects. The first is Loretta Young (January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) – 100 years young today! She seems to be counting stitches in the knitting photograph (1942.) I am more interested, however, in the highly textured cardigan she is wearing in the image found here and wish I could find the original pattern: http://tweeasvolk.blogspot.com/2011/12/knitting-advent-calendar-8-loretta.html
EVERYONE loves the simplicity of IKEA furniture. But sometimes knowing your living room or bedroom looks exactly like everyone else’s isn’t ideal. This crafty homeowner took things into…
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As one of the stars of the beloved antique-centered TV show American Pickers, the delightful, yet daring Danielle Colby has shared her fiery and fierce femme attitude and approach with the world ever since she first appeared on the show. And while she’s been a part of it since its first release back in 2010, there’s been rumors going around about whether or not Colby has decided to leave 20+ seasons and 300 episodes later.From how she got into a career in antiquing, to what she’s got planned for herself in the future, to the nature of her relationship with the creator of the show, Mike Wolfe, here’s the interesting and intricate life journey of the artsy and cool Danielle Colby. Take a look at her photos from over the years and see how she came to be the woman that we all love and respect today.
bjork-crochet
(Sister Parish-covered tissue boxes, $58, via The Zhush) In the last week, I've been working on major, deep cleaning and redecorating my bathroom. After all of this work, I've been asking myself: Why are tissue boxes inherently ugly? Would it be so difficult to offer a chic tissue box design once and awhile, Kleenex or Puffs? For this project, I used the following supplies: 1. fabric of your choice (I chose a sample of "Lascaux" by Alan Campbell in white/black that I had) 2. spray adhesive (optional) 3. tissue box cover (I purchased this one from West Elm) 4. paintbrush 5. vanishing fabric marker 6. scissors 7. bottle of Mod Podge Want to jazz up an unfortunate tissue box in your home? Step #1: Start with crisply ironed fabric and lay it wrong-side up. Place the top of your tissue box cover face down on the fabric. Trace the top and opening the box cover with your vanishing fabric marker. Then, lean one side of your box cover (the face of the box) and trace about 1/4" larger than the edge of the box. Continue with all of the faces/sides of your tissue box cover. Step #2: With your outline marked, cut the edges of your box (it should look like a cross) and then snip the opening of the cover. Do not cut the opening out entirely. Step #3: Put your fabric aside for a second and begin covering your tissue box cover with either Mod Podge (which I used) or spray adhesive. Start with the top of the box first and stop. Apply the fabric to the top of your tissue box facing rightside up. Smooth out bubbles as you go. Then, proceed to the next side/face of your box cover, applying Mod Podge to the cover as you go. Fold the extra 1/4" of fabric around the corners of one side. Step #4: There will be 2 sides of the box cover that will have extra fabric wrapped around their edges. To create a clean edge, tuck the extra fabric you have and apply the fabric with Mod Podge. You will be left with 2 sides with crisp, clean edges. Step #5: Apply Mod Podge to the bottom of the box and fold your fabric over the bottom edge. Hold until adhered. Step #6: Brush your Mod Podge around the inside of your tissue box opening and hold the snipped fabric against it until adhered. Step #7: Last and final step: apply Mod Podge to every side of the tissue box cover. At this point, be sure that there are no stray fibers on your fabric-covered tissue box because, when Mod Podge-d, they will be there forever! Also, Mod Podge dries clear so be as liberal with it as you want. And, voila! Like that, your tissue box is much, much more chic. In less than 30 minutes (plus drying time), my bathroom has a fun fabric accent. As you can tell, my bathroom is taking on a black-and-white color scheme and I'm looking forward to revealing more projects very shortly! Would you try this easy-peasy project?
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This girl was born with a birth defect that completely changed the way she looked - but she looked absolutely stunning on her wedding day.
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All charts now added! Any DK yarn will do for this, I used mostly Stylecraft DK Acrylic for wide colour choice and washability. Each panel is started with a 51ch, so that you end up with 50 stitches each row. I recommend watching GeGe’s Youtube Tutorial for correct Tunisian colour changes so that you don’t get holes in your work! Part 1: http://youtu.be/WbupvlYzq_U Part 2: http://youtu.be/muoovamC5Es Also this video on how to bind off to avoid holes at the top of your work: http://youtu.be/DaRfKW_CtxE Please note that the Charlie chart is missing the star on his uniform - when you print this chart you will need to mark out a star shape :-)
Learn this great way to join yarn in knitting or crochet. It's secure and another way to avoid having to weave in ends.
Bree Cox’s mom says Bree began dancing as soon as she could walk. “It’s the way she expresses herself,” she remarks of her teenage daughter, who has Down Syndrome. Bree comes from a family of dancers. She has older sisters who’ve danced and been a part of the high school drill team. So, when it
Sutton Foster poses in costume. She’s the top!
With Zazzle custom buttons you can do more than just express a political opinion. Since you can add your own designs, pictures, and text you can express just about anything you can think of. Start creating amazing flair today! Available in 5 sizes from 1.25" to 6" diameter Covered with scratch and UV-resistant Mylar Square buttons available too Made in U.S.A.
The Christine Sweater is named after my grandmother, who taught me how to knit with two dull pencils and a ball of purple yarn. I wanted to create a sweater that would be simple enough for a first-time sweater-knitter to pick up with confidence, but interesting enough to keep you engaged. I feel like this perfectly encapsulates my grandmother’s personality; she was sweet and inviting with a way of making everyone feel comfortable, but she also had a way of engaging the mind and making you think. She was unassumingly brilliant, effortlessly funny, and the most selfless person I’ve ever known. The Christine Sweater is a tribute to her. The balloon sleeves pay homage to her larger-than-life personality. I added the contrasting color for some extra pizazz, just like she brought to any situation. It is my hope that you will find comfort in both knitting and wearing your own Christine Sweater. Construction Notes The Christine Sweater is worked in the round by first casting on stitches for the upper back. Stitches are then picked up along the shoulders to form the front panels before casting on stitches for the neckline and joining both sides to work in the round. The sleeves are then picked up and worked in the round before finishing off by picking up and working stitches for the neckband. All bind-offs are finished with a simple I-cord Bind-off for a neat edge.
It’s a theme in Berlin to do businesses on low culture rather than high culture. Some people jester in front of cars waiting for green light, and others spank people in clubs. Playful got curious about Kamila who makes very ugly plates. Yes, they’re named Very Ugly Plates.Why Very Ugly Plates?"I knew they will be naughty and in polish "naughty" is the same word as ”ugly”, like dirty in english. I didn't like to go with "dirty" as no one likes dirty plates, and I like when people tell me that the
Create your own lovely crochet hippo with our step-by-step Cuddle Me Hippo Amigurumi Pattern! This little cutie can definitely make its owner happy!
*DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ONLY* *NOT A PHYSICAL PRODUCT* *NOT A DIGITAL FILE FOR EMBROIDERY MACHINES* This item is a digital PDF download meant to be printed out by the purchaser. Once downloaded, you can print and use as many times as you wish. These are patterns only, with no instructions. Intended for diy hand embroidery, punch needle, bead work, crewel etc. What you get: A downloadable PDF that includes a single unique design. Includes a separate pattern scaled to fit 6", 7", and 8” hoops. A total of 3 individual patterns are included. Use your own creativity to create a truly custom piece - use your favorite colors, materials, and stitches! Great for creating hand-made gifts. Fun design for hoop art, t-shirts, jeans, tote bags, pillows etc. Perfect for beginners - you can complete the entire pattern using only one type of stitch, if desired. I recommend a back, outline, or stem stitch. A quick search online will provide you with ample how-to videos for these simple stitches. Please contact me for Custom Orders! I can alter any pattern to fit a specific size, or add names and dates etc. DISCLAIMER: For personal use only. You may not alter and/or reproduce for sale. You may create stitched artwork for sale from the pattern(s) in small quantities
From childhood tragedy to a shady connection with one of the most prolific crime families in history and a short-lived first marriage, Angela has done a lot of living in her 90-odd years. Join us as we take a look at some mysterious facts about everyone’s favorite TV sleuth. You might be surprised at what you find!
Sundews aren’t your average houseplants. Learn about their special needs and the amazing adaptations they use to provide for themselves on Gardener’s Path.
Magda Sayeg is a pioneer of the popular crafty street art known as yarn bombing, a combination of knitting and crochet as removable urban graffiti.
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a blog about all things crafty. glue gun, vinyl, painting, sewing...i do it all...and i do it quickly! i'm all about fast and easy crafts!
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