Celebrate Fall by Knitting-A-Long with Guest Blogger and STC Craft Author Katie Startzman

Hello! I’m Katie Startzman, author of STC Craft’s The Knitted Slipper Book. I blog at Duo Fiberworks with my twin sister Laura Poulette. Thanks to STC Craft for inviting me to guest post here!


We will soon be deep into slipper season—blustery, gray days and downright cold starlit nights. As someone who delights in making and wearing slippers, I look forward to this time of year. It’s an opportunity of pile on the handknits, make lots of soup, and catch up on my reading by the woodstove. But we’re not quite there yet. Here in Kentucky, we still have a good long stretch of crisp Fall weather ahead of us, and the layers I put on in the morning get peeled off as the day warms up.

To celebrate the changing seasons, I wanted to do a knit-a-long that featured a pair of slippers that would be a good fit for this transitional time of year. The Cotton Loafers from The Knitted Slipper Book are shoe-like slippers that are made from soft organic cotton and rustic jute twine. They’re my knitted mash-up of boat shoes, espadrilles, and loafer moccs. They feature functional leather lacing, and the thick jute sole is sturdy and comfy.

 


I’ll be hosting the knit-a-long on my blog, over the next two weeks. In a series of posts, I’ll share tips and tricks to knitting these quick-to-finish, stylish slippers. You can view the first post here. Since many folks are unaccustomed to knitting with jute, I’ll also be sharing a free pattern that combines the cotton and jute to make a mini-tote.

Thanks to Blue Sky Alpacas, we have giveaways planned too—a sweet kit of organic worsted cotton yarn, jute, and a hand-stenciled canvas project bag made by yours truly.

**To enter the giveaway here, leave a comment between now and Friday, September 26 sharing something that you love about this time of year.** The winner will be announced on Monday, September 29.

Be sure to join us at Duo Fiberworks in the coming days to knit with us and for a chance to win a kit over there too. Here’s the schedule:

Monday, September 22:      Inspiration and design

Thursday, September 25:    Knitting the jute sole, project kit giveaway begins.     
    
Monday, September 29:      Knitting the slipper upper: Also share free pattern for the Bird Nest Mini-Tote

Thursday,  October 2:         Seaming and finishing details, announce giveaway winner

Kata Golda's Workshops in New York Start This Friday!

Mark your calendars! Starting this Friday, March 18, Kata Golda, author of Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt, will be  in New York City to teach workshops, sign books, and give felt craft demos. Here's the complete schedule!

FRIDAY MARCH 19, 2010

3 – 5pm | Book signing & Felt Craft Demo | Kate's Paperie (Soho)

Kata Golda's charming handmade photo albums have been popular at Kate's for many years. Join Kata Golda at Kate's Paperie in Soho as she demonstrates how to make projects from her book Kata Golda's Hand-stitched Felt, including felt photo pockets and cute little finger puppets that nest in their own roll-up bed, which doubles as their carrying case. Kata Golda's felt craft DIY kits, her book, and bags of hand-dyed felt scraps will also be on sale.

72 Spring Street; New York, NY 10012 (between Crosby & Lafayette Streets),  (212) 941-9816

COST: Free. No registration required.

 

SATURDAY MARCH 20, 2010

2 – 4pm | Handmade Crafternoon | New York Public Library (Manhattan)

Crafty librarian Jessica Pigza and Crafternoon author Maura Madden welcome Kata Golda to NYPL's Handmade Crafternoon, where she'll share her process of making some of the sweetest felt creations to ever roam the earth. Learn how to make one of the finger puppets from her book!

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (Room 227) , 11 West 40th St.; New York, NY 10018-2788, (917) 275-6975

COST: Free. No registration required.

 SUNDAY MARCH 21, 2010

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Felt Craft Demo | Books of Wonder (Brooklyn)

Join us for some lunchtime stitching with author Kata Golda, who will demonstrate kid-friendly felt craft projects from her book Kata Golda's Hand-stitched Felt.

Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street; New York, NY 10011, (212) 989-3270

COST: Free. No registration required.

 

MONDAY MARCH 22, 2010

4 – 8 p.m. | Craft Night at Etsy Labs | Etsy Studios (Brooklyn)

Kata Golda returns to Etsy for her second felt craft workshop at Etsy Labs. This time she'll show you how to make one of her popular (and extremely charming) finger puppets. Drop in anytime between 4–8 p.m. Instruction will be given throughout the night as participants arrive, so don't worry if you swing by after work at 6 — you won't be missing out on the demo.

Etsy Studios, 55 Washington St., Suite 512 (5th floor); Brooklyn, NY 11201,(718) 855-7955

COST: Free; RSVP here.

Winner of the Kata Golda Hand-Stitched Felt Contest and Felt Photo Pocket Demo!

Congrats to Naomi, our lucky winner of a free copy of Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt! Thanks to everyone who entered our contest. Stay tuned for Naomi's answer to the question: "What sort of adventures will your felty mice have?"

In the meantime, as a special consolation prize, here is the felt photo pocket demo that Kata did at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, NY.

This is a re-broadcast, in 2 parts, of the live webcast demo. There were some problems with sound, but hopefully these 2 videos will help fill in the gaps. Enjoy! I hope you'll be inspired to buy the book for friends and family (I plan on making nothing but felt gifts this year!)!

VIDEO LINKS:
• Felt Photo Pockets with Kata Golda (Part 1)
• Felt Photo Pockets with Kata Golda (Part 2)