Otherwise titled Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts. From albums for scrapbooks, botanical pressings, and fabric flowers, to mosaics, rope crafts, soap-making, and tin punching — this book honestly has it all. The best thing about it is that the projects aren’t tacky or cliché, they are quite tasteful and subdued (not just glittering everything).

The only reason I don’t have anything to show for it (read: no finished projects) as a number of the techniques are quite involved. In true Martha style, these are not “quick ‘n easy” projects. Many of the projects, such as silkscreening, candles, and soap-making all require a number of supplies and materials. Despite that, this is still my Big Book of Inspiration.

There is a lot of useful information in here if you’re already into a certain craft. For example, I like making earrings. So, there is a jewellery section that includes diagrams on how to make certain beads and projects, and also a gem glossary.Or if you just want to learn more, xyz are all the tools and materials, and all the back matter is brilliant.

In the back, there are all the templates used in the book for calligraphy, glass etching, origami and other paper crafts, scrapbooking, silkscreening, and rubber stamping. The templates are also available online at MarthaStewart.com. There is a list of sources for supplies as well; some of which are international chains, others located all over North America (both Canada and the USA). This is great as well as a little surprising since Martha sells craft supplies on her website. The index is also very well cross-referenced.

Besides being my Big Book of Inspiration, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts is a great resource for the crafty person in you. When friends come over, this book often gets pulled off the shelf and flipped through.

I trekked out to Burnaby yesterday to meet Chelle and her precious ball winder for a Knitting Meetup. It was really nice, I wound all three balls of the Cascade Luna and then cast on for the Quickie Cowl. And then, I made progress!

Usually I am such a process knitter and don’t get much knitting actually done.

Okay, nobody is actually riding Henry, but it’s fun to put stuff on him while he runs around the apartment. It was so hard to get a photos because he was really excited and kept rubbing up against my leg making his saddle slip off.

Happy (late) Whiskers on Wednesday!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been in the back of my mind (and TBR list) for a while. So when the book bloggers started chattering about the second title in the series, I knew I had to get my butt in gear and read the first. Oh and read I did! I finished the book in three days, which, considering I’m working full time, is quite quick for me.

The Hunger Games is about a competition to the death that takes place between all the Districts in former-North-America. The Capitol (located safely behind the Rocky Mountains on the West Coast) puts on these games to remind all the remaining districts of their power. Many years ago, District 13 had an uprising, and after the Capitol laid waste to District 13, they instigated the Hunger Games. Once a year, each district draws two children’s names (a boy and a girl) as “tributes” to the game. They are then sent to the Capitol to be prepared for the games. It takes place in a giant arena with hidden cameras and the citizens of all the Districts are forced to watch. For certain Districts, ones that usually win, being a tribute is an honour. For other districts, like District 12, it really just means death.

The book begins shortly before the names of the annual tributes are drawn. We are introduced to our main character, Katniss, whose main concern is providing for her family now that her father is gone. When her little sister Prim is drawn as a tribute, Katniss selflessly volunteers to be District 12′s girl tribute. And so begins The Hunger Games — a fight to the death between 24 children.

The Hunger Games is very well written and captivating. It is such a neat concept and I love that it takes place in a post-apocalyptic time, yet within North America. It’s fantasy, but yet it’s home; it’s sci-fi, but it has strong  underlying messages and themes. The characters are well-rounded and realistic and no YA novel is complete without a love story/triangle! I loved being along for the ride of this book and just thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Visit Scholastic’s Hunger Games page to read an excerpt PDF. Now I can’t wait for Chasing Fire to come out on September 1st. (Careful: don’t read the synopsis of Catching Fire before you’ve finished The Hunger Games. There are spoilers in the synopsis.)

UPDATE (January 2010): Read my review for Catching Fire (book 2)
UPDATE (August 2010): Read my review for Mockingjay (book 3)

I can’t count how many times I’ve driven down this one road of the Fraser Highway in Langley (a nearby city about 45 minutes away) searching aimlessly for Knitopia. I’m not joking, that’s actually the name of the store that I could never find. I knew that it was down one of the side streets of the one-way section of the Fraser Highway. It’s one of those folksy-arty blocks where they want to decrease road traffic.

Finally, when I heard that Knitopia was moving back to White Rock (20-30 minutes away), I made the effort to find Knitopia. It happened to be the same weekend as the Langley Arts Alive Festival. Unfortunately I left my camera at home, so this photo is from the website. It was neat; the shops were all open and there were lots of artisans on the street.

Knitopia (ravelry link) was chock-full of good stuff, but there were several lines and distributors that the owner wasn’t taking with her back to White Rock. One of the brands was Cascade, and a couple lines I’d never seen before. And, it was only $2.50 per skein! So here is the yarn I bought:

I want this Luna to become a cowl for me. Chelle knit a really pretty one (ironically also red, but that’s beside the point) and I just like how simple it is. It’s the Quickie Cowl by Fawn Pea (rav link).

For this, I’d really like to knit the Branching Out scarf from Knitty Spring 2005… but I don’t know if I have the patience for that much lace, even though it’s more of a DK weight.