Craftside

Super Duper Double The Crochet Dude and Amineko Holiday Goodness Giveaway

We're not really giving away The Crochet Dude, although I could totally see him strutting his stuff at one of those bachelor auctions and I would be bidding like a fiend! But I digress. We have 2 fabulous Holiday Goodness Giveaway prize packages of The Crochet Dude hooks, stress relieving gloves, stitch markers and tools along with some great crochet books for you to enter to win today.

To enter to win this first prize package that includes The Crochet Dude Hooks and tools with a copy of the super cute book Hello My Name is Amineko, answer the question here in today's comments section by Midnight ET Tuesday, December 28, 2010 and you're in the running.

The Question:

What is your favorite crochet stitch? Or, if you aren't a crocheter, what's your favorite crochet item you have seen?

To enter to win this second prize package of The Crochet Dude goodies and the book The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet: Basics, Stitch Patterns, Projects for All Methods of Crochet, pop on over to This Post at The Crochet Dude's Blog and answer his question.

The fine print:

You may enter once at each location.

Open to US residents only; winners must provide a physical address (no PO Boxes).

More about the books:

 

The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet

Basics, Stitch Patterns, Projects for All Methods of Crochet

by

Margaret Hubert

The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet is a comprehensive reference book on all aspects of crochet. This book provides a reference for all methods, including:

• Tunisian
• Filet
• Intermeshing
• Broomstick lace
• Bruges lace
• Freeform crochet

It includes step-by-step instructions for all the basic stitches and swatches of hundreds of stitch patterns with complete instructions. This handy guide also provides instructions and patterns for 50 projects for garments, accessories, and décor items!

Margaret Hubert designs for yarn companies and book and magazine publishers including Crochet, Interweave Press, Quick and Easy Crochet, Crochet Fantasy, and Belle Armoire. She teaches at yarn shops, retreats, and national gatherings and rarely misses a national conference in the needle arts field. A world traveler, Margaret pays close attention to the fashions in Europe and spots style trends as they hit New York. She is equally as passionate about knitting and crochet, and can design patterns for either, in any size or shape. Among her specialties, she is a master at free-form crochet.

She is the author of 11 other books including five books in our Hooked series, Knits for Men, Plus Size Crochet, and Knit or Crochet: Have It Your Way.

And

 Hello My Name is Amineko

by

Nekoyama

Hello My Name is Amineko follows the journey of Amineko the Crochet Cat and his crocheted friends as they eat, sleep, and have lots of fun and adventures. The book comes with complete step-by-step photography and instructions for creating an Amineko of your very own and personalizing this cute cat with different facial expressions, clothing, and even bedding. Hundreds of color photographs tell the adorable tales, and mischief, that Amineko and his friends find themselves in, with complete instructions for knitting adventures of your own.

Born in Tokyo 1967, Nekoyama has been a life-long lover of cats. Cats and their endearing mischief have never failed to cheer her up. She created her first Amineko by accident and has never looked back. Today, she and her husband are the proud parents of many Aminekos. Nekoyama’s first book, A Day In the Life of Amineko, was published in Japan in 2005. 

Craftastic good time at Unique LA and Crafty Blogger links

Unique LA was positively amazing! We all had such a great time making fun crafts and teaching the attendees of Unique LA how to make fun stuff! Thanks all for coming by the Craftside Make and Take zone and getting your creative on. Not to mention taking your picture wearing the World's Ugliest Sweater! You wore it well! Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Here are the Aminekos (from left to right) George, Stan, Rorschach and Jane Doe traveling in style in their Hello Kitty tote bag. I mean really, what else would do? The line to get in was practically around the corner of a giant building. But the giant Christmas tree in the lobby was pretty to look at.

Here's a quick pic of me and the Aminekos in place and ready to go just before the doors opened to the happy holiday shoppers!

A special thanks to Sonja, the woman behind the fabulous Unique LA event! She had a quick second to make a face for the camera in The World's Ugliest Sweater. Such a ham!

This was my favorite Ugly Sweater shot of the day. Is that mom and baby just the cutest thing you ever saw????

Crazy Ugly Sweater photos were not the only thing happening in the Craftside Make and Take zone of course! There were 2 solid days of crafts going on. This was just one quick shot I grabbed of Jeanine Stein author of Re-Bound, Cherryl Greene of Club Scrap and  Linda Swingle sharing crafty goodness with Unique LA visitors.

Thanks to our host, our craftinistas, and all who came by and got their craft on with us!

I should also share that the Aminekos and I went out on a photo safari and I will be sure to share photos the mischief we got into soon!

Now onto some crafty links for the day:

The Crochet Dude
Drew takes a walk down memory lane and shares why crochet and the holidays are forever fused together for him.

About Family Crafts
For your amusement, Sherri shares a fun spin on the classic 12 Days of Christmas song with gifts to go along with each verse!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's going Christmas green and created a recycled Christmas card banner out of old cards she's saved. Check out her easy tutorial and make one yourself!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi celebrates the 50th Anniversary of a British soap opera with a new set of fridge magnets.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is very pleased with how her new college crafting club is moving along!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Need some quick and easy ornaments or gift tags? Stitch up back stitch motifs in white floss on red fabric - simple and holiday-rific.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Not all projects run smoothly from start to finish. Read about Eileen's experience with a tote bag made from a kit.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Margot's daughter Avalon whips up another FAB project for ILoveToCreate teen crafts! Check out her Blue Christmas card!

Mixed Media Artist
Have you heard of kirigami? Come and see how much fun this paper-cutting technique is!

 

Sew a heart on a softie from the book Palm-Size Softies

Giggle time! Jane Doe Amineko gave Rorschach a heart "tattoo". If you follow this blog you have seen all the "kids" as we call all our Aminekos (crocheted cats). I was flipping through Palm-Size Softies and Tattoo Bible - Book 2 and got the idea that Roy should get "inked," only the needle used was for sewing and his material was felt and some embroidery floss.

Roy is really happy with Jane's work. Any suggestions for more? I also had the idea that this would be a great idea for fixing a worn spot or rip in a loved softie.

If you like these little Goat Groupies that were my inspiration and want the full pattern and lots more, grab yourself a copy of:

Palm-Size Softies:

Patterns and Ideas for 44 Stuffed Pets and Dolls That Fit in the Palm of Your Hand

By

by Hitomi Takahashi, Mikiko Matsui, Akemi Tsubo

Packed with more than 40 unique, adorable projects, Palm-Size Softies shows you how easy it is to create some of the most stylish stuffed toys around. Full-color images provide a panoramic view of each critter, and the step-by-step instructions and included templates will make construction of your new friends effortless and quick. Whether you’re searching for a loveable little pup, kitten, bunny, or bear, you’ll find a fun, fast, low-cost craft project that the whole family will enjoy. Easy-to-find materials and distinctive fabrics will give your projects personalities all their own.

Hitomi Takahashi is the Chief-Editor at Boutique-Sha, a leading craft publisher in Japan. Hitomi has published books on a variety of craft subjects. Mikiko Matsui and Akemi Tsubo are staff editors at Boutique-Sha. They are big fans of small and cute sewn creatures.

And if you like tattoo art then you will love:

Tattoo Bible - Book 2

by

Superior Tattoo

Based on the success of Tattoo Bible - Book One, ArtKulture and Superior Tattoo bring to market Tattoo Bible - Book Two, another unique and colorful collection of flash art. Everything is here, from Skulls to Tribal, from Americana to the avant-garde.  Tattoo Bible - Book Two, covers different styles and an endless supply of ideas. The images are represented in a range of physical sizes, some are printed two or four per page, the more intricate designs are reproduced one per page. The categories include Hearts, Dragons, Roses, Skulls, Butterflies, Girls, Crosses, Celestial, Tribal, Back Pieces, and Nautical.

Superior Tattoo is one of the best-known and well-respected suppliers of tattoo equipment to tattoo shops all over the world. From tattoo machines to a vast array of colored inks, Superior Tattoo can supply everything a necessary for the creation of today’s bright, colorful tattoos.  Their unique position as a leader in the tattoo industry makes Superior Tattoo the ideal author for a book of high quality flash art.

Jane Doe Amineko has a new friend- Rorschach to bring you Crafty Blogger Links this Monday

I'd like to introduce Rorschach. He is Jane Doe's new friend. She calls him Roy for short.

I have a feeling they are going to have a lot of fun together! They enjoyed a simply gorgeous day here in SoCal hanging in the garden with the new Aloe and pumpkin plants.The pumpkin plants seem to be doing well but the first little baby pumpkin that started to grow didn't make it. There is still plenty of time for more to sprout, the plants have new flowers on them every day so we are hopeful! I wonder what they will dress up like on Halloween? Ideas? Well, you are here for your crafty links, so onward ho!

The Crochet Dude
Drew tries out his new video equipment!!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how I melted sequins inspired by the sequin singeing technique in the book Dusty Diablos.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is giving away a copy of "Dimensional Beading," so hurry over and leave your comment!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Here are directions for creating a hat-shaped card. Eileen made a Red Hat card but the directions can easily be adapted to make a cowboy hat, a Mexican sombrero or a frilly lady's hat for an afternoon tea or luncheon.

Crafty Princess Diaries
It definitely required a learning curve before Tammy was about to reach 50 sales in her Etsy shop.

Cathie Filian
Check out how Cathie turns an outdated holiday themed cookie stand and a cotton print thrift store skirt into a cupcake stand.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi creates a faux metallic bead with quilted fabric she sews together herself.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen teaches you how to make spectacular backgrounds using Krylon's spray webbing and also shares with you what NOT to do.

About Family Crafts
Grandparent's Day is September 12th... Now is the perfect time to start making gifts to give to your grandparents.

And a bit about the fun book that the pattern for Jane and Roy is from:

Hello My Name is Amineko

by

Nekoyama

Hello My Name is Amineko follows the journey of Amineko the Crochet Cat and his crocheted friends as they eat, sleep, and have lots of fun and adventures. The book comes with complete step-by-step photography and instructions for creating an Amineko of your very own and personalizing this cute cat with different facial expressions, clothing, and even bedding. Hundreds of color photographs tell the adorable tales, and mischief, that Amineko and his friends find themselves in, with complete instructions for knitting adventures of your own.

Born in Tokyo 1967, Nekoyama has been a life-long lover of cats. Cats and their endearing mischief have never failed to cheer her up. She created her first Amineko by accident and has never looked back. Today, she and her husband are the proud parents of many Aminekos. Nekoyama’s first book, A Day In the Life of Amineko, was published in Japan in 2005. 

Winners of Hello My Name is Amineko and The Complete Photo Guide to Textile Art books and Craftastic Links

The winner of

The Complete Photo Guide to Textile Art

by

Susan Stein

is Lynda

The winner of

Hello My Name is Amineko

by

Nekoyama

is Nikostar

And speaking of Amineko, check out the cute apron I made for her over at this post:

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how to make an apron for an Amineko or an 18 inch doll from the book All Dolled Up.

And now on to some more crafty goodness:

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has one more metalcraft book to give away this summer. Come sign up for your last chance to win!

About Family Crafts
Discover creative ways to personalize your notebooks and text books!

Aileen's Musings
Join Aileen's creative torso challenge--you can download and embellish your torso tag and enter to win a free collage sheet.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi tests a new scoring tool to make a star book in one hour.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Do you bead? Are you chic? Then you will want a chance to win Margot Potter's latest book!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Do you know how to avoid clay shrinkage and distortion with clays baked in the home oven? Let Eileen tell you.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares the third free project from her new book Bead Chic with a giveaway!

Have a great Monday!