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a Walk on the Crafting Wild Side… There’s probably no better way to start the weekend and jumpstart some inspiration than to go visit your local Craft Divas… b.Limey! I knew I was going to like this place as soon as I got off the elevator…

Catalyst Ranch 656 W Randolph Suite 3W Friday, July 22, 2005 the Chicago Craft Mafia’s Summer Shakedown

The Ranch was ALIVE with a huge assortment of creative vendors showing their latest creations… These are the very lovely felted bags from DragonFly Handbags

Absolutey mouthwatering millinery from the design studio of Laura Hubka…

Looking cosmopolitan as ever, my neighbor Theresa models one of the fabulous Hubka creations. We both flipped for the Fuschia! And speaking of Cosmos, we enjoyed one before the Shakedown over at the new Meiji restaurant in the neighborhood (right next to Blackbird). YUM! The bartender made the best lemon twist I’ve ever seen…

The entirely stylin’ tootsies of one Ms. Kelly (from Arcadia) on the move during the show…

More beauty on display from nFelt… Nad Thitadlaka presented a wonderful assortment of shawlettes and ponchettes, along with some totally original felted pieces…

A girl’s gotta SHOP! I got my beautiful chandelier earrings from Beth Respess at Dejahmi…

And always, saving the BEST for last…

The BEST Dressed Dogs on the Planet wear creations from our friend Corinne, of Lucky Penny Handmade…

The colorful beauty of these outfits never ceases to amaze and delight! VA VA VOOM! :)

NEXT: Street Scenes GALORE!

a little atmosphere

OK. Eyes wide open.

Love Blooms: go to a craft show. Buy some fab new earrings. Immediately start knitting a sweater inspired by the design of said earbob…

The chandelier shape spins you into UltraFembot mode and you find yourself unable to stop making YO’s. You want a little shaped T-shirt/tank to hug yourself during the waning days of summer. You cannot resist the *atmosphere* color yarn you find in your deep stash knowing its greyish silver is suddenly in style for fall.

You are reading yet another Medieval novel (A Morbid Taste for Bones). That helps too.

You take the new shell on board the #66 and go to it. It is the only project you have going that can go mobile via bus and bag and it travels.

You fondly recall the gentle mocking of your friends when they think of you riding the bus. Surely you don’t enjoy the masses during the prolonged heat waves we’ve been having. SURELY you don’t enjoy rubbing up against god-knows-who-who’s-been-god-knows-where, do you? Surely you don’t enjoy the horde of Art School Boys that are always enroute on the #66 with their messy hair and finely shaped fingers stroking their iPods…

Especially the one that sat across from you yesterday. You saw him watching you and you were startled that he looked just like him. Surely not visiting our fair city, could it be?

But who knows – those medieval voices were whispering Gwytherin/Griffith/Gwyneth – or something…

So be it, I knit on…

this Coporate Yakkity Yak in an emailed newsletter made me GIGGLE: “Doobiddy Doobiddy has fifteen… designs which have a strong sense of street cred, and feature the bold new … yarn. This is young style which will demand ‘respect’ and is astonishingly practical for busy lives as well!”

Translation:
you better have DEEP Pockets in those low-riders…

because it would be absolutely INSANE
to talk about AUTUMN now that it’s broiling
here in the Midwest I decided not to…

NOT!

Above you see what the ColorPicken industry people project as the Fall Colors for the coming season:

from left to right:
– Rattan
– Gloxinia
– Ruby Wine
– Burnt Orange
– American Beauty
– Glazed Ginger
– Morrocan Blue
– Moss
– Burnt Olive
– Atmosphere

Now, personally, I think I could eliminate about 20% of the colors out of this group as being not my *season* (teeheehee…) (Maybe I should just give Ginger a try?) BUT the other 80% hold some real promise! What do I especially SPY in there? Something they’ve called *MOSS* which of course is just another variation of my very own favorite, KIWI, b.Lime, Chartruese, etc, etc, etc. I’M THERE! So empowering to know one can still be in fashion even while possessing a dyed-in-the-wool obsession…

Speaking of someone who is not only in fashion but appears to be ahead of the curve, I found this color card while looking for DK weight yarns – pretty much covers most of it, non? (These colors were offered this spring.) Also, anybody know where the yarn classifications come from? I see reading the yarn info it’s listed as “classic” and “precious”.