Don't Fear Kitchener Stitch

I just found a wonderful, illustrated resource to keep near my knitting. (My Kindle and knitting basket live near the same chair.) This e-booklet from Smashwords is free this week to celebrate Read an E-Book Week, so get Kitchener Stitch by Liz Cademy today.Leave her a book review, too, so she knows how great her e-book is!

Find Crafty E-Books for Read an E-Book Week!

Check out these sites and get a free or discounted e-book to celebrate Read an E-Book Week:

Smashwords RAEW Catalog

KOBO e-readers and books

My Amazon Author Page

FiberFrau's Newest Craft Articles

Check out Knitting Patterns for Movie Fans on Yahoo! Voices and How to Find Unusual Sewing Patterns on Hub Pages.

Free Pattern for a Crocheted Scarf with Gold Rings

Here is a quick project with an unusual twist: Add gold-tone jump rings  to some of the stitches.  This scarf (or belt) is like a large piece of jewelry with its added hardware.  Jump rings are easy to find in the beading/jewelry department of craft stores and big-box stores with craft departments. Get your free pattern in PDF, Mobi (Kindle) or EPub (Nook or Kobo) format at Smashwords.

Satisfaction: When Your Daughters Wear Your Designs

Yesterday was "Blue and Gold" day at school, and two of my daughters included my handiwork in their outfits. April used my Tubular Striped Cowl (yellow and white, from FiberFrau Book 3) while Kathleen wore my own favorite long and wide seed stitch scarf in alternating wide stripes of navy and gold Caron Simply Soft.

I really enjoy working on my pattern books for several reasons:

1. Having a book in progress gives me incentive to quickly finish my samples so I will have pictures for my book.
2. The samples can be worn after they are photographed for the books.
3. A knitted scarf can be sold only once, and people are rarely willing to pay decently for the time involved.  A pattern, however, can be sold at a very reasonable price and be purchased by an unlimited number of people.

I'd love to hear from any readers who want to publish their own patterns or have already published.  Just add a comment and I'll get back to you.

Announcing FiberFrau Book 3: Knitted Cowls from FiberFrau

Just published on Smashwords, Book 3 has four patterns for knitted cowls. From a pretty lace cowl to a super-warm tubular cowl, these designs use color and texture to create interesting accessories. Two of the cowls are based on Hogwarts house colors for Harry Potter fans, although you could make them in any school colors. The lace pattern is simple, although it looks complicated--that's the beauty of lace.

Please check out these patterns and leave a review for me so I can know what you'd like to see next.

FiberFrau Patterns Update

I'm busy working on samples for FiberFrau Book 3: Colorful, Cozy Cowls to Knit.  I have also been linking my patterns to Ravelry. If you are a Ravlery member (and you should be--it's free and very helpful) please send me a message and we can be friends there. Here's my page.

Has the Polar Vortex inspired you to do extra knitting? I've actually been known to wear more than one scarf when the temperatures dip below 20F.