Book Covers

Today's post is not about my own creative efforts, but those of a friend I met through the Creative Mom Podcast group.

Ok so I spend a fair amount on the bus. Now of course a lot of that time is taken up by knitting, but I am also an avid reader. So I was really excited when I saw that Jessica of Ocean of Creativity was making fabric book covers.

I actually received these more than a year ago, but I kept waiting for her to post more in her Etsy store. I haven't seen her do so, but if you were interested I bet she could make some more if you contacted her.

I can't say that I am terribly skilled when it comes to sewing, but I absolutely loved the idea of these. Generally most of my books are library discards or donated library booksale finds. Good reading, but they aren't always in the best shape. So I contacted Jessica about the possibility of sending her some much loved fabric that I wasn't going to do anything with, and I have to say I am thrilled with the results.

She made me one one in a hardback and one in paperback size (I would say up to 350-400 pages, but I bet you could request one that accommodated a thicker paperback if you wanted). There is a ribbon at the top of the spine that you can use as a bookmark, and a loop of fabric that goes through a ribbon loop at the side to hold the book closed while it is in your bag.

I am a tactile person, and I have to say that my first impression is that these really have some thickness to them. They are fully lined and in the case of the hardcover it has an extra layer of interfacing that gives it some substance and added protection.

Which leads to me to my next question. It is the end of summer. I am doing a lot of chilling on the new couch reading since it has been too hot to knit much. What have you all been reading this summer? Anything you would recommend?

Changes

So last summer I was spinning some of this beautiful merino/tussah silk blend. In fact I even blogged when I finished the first skein. After finishing one ply and then plying it on itself, I had that lonely skein that had to wait a full year for me to get around to finishing the rest of it.

In that time I have done a lot of spinning, particularly early this summer. Right after my spinning wheel's accident, subsequent surgery, and then repair it took a while for me to get the feel of how the tension worked. It was a lot touchier, which meant it was hard to get just the right tension on the flyer.

So here are side by side, the two skeins I ended up with from this roving. (You can click on the picture to make it larger.) The one on the right with the green ties, is the one I finished this summer, while the one on the left that you can't see the ties is the one I finished last summer. The newer yarn is a lot more even, but also softer spun. I know that my roommate really likes the first one, which has a lot more twist to it.

While I tend to think of myself as a product knitter/crocheter, I am a process spinner. I am far more interested in actually doing the spinning than what specifically what I end up with when I am done. (In fact I have knit with very little of my handspun. Maybe that should be a goal for this coming year.) So the change was interesting, but I wonder if could make the first kind again anymore... Any advice from other spinners out there?

Welcome, welcome

While I have been off unpacking boxes, my sister has been busy creating something amazing. Welcome Ms. S to the family!


Thanks for giving me a wonderful reason to keep making baby items, sis. She is beautiful.

We Haz House!

Don't worry. The blog hasn't been abandoned. As I hinted at previously we were planning to move. And I didn't want to jinx anything by posting about it in advance, but indeed we just bought our first home. We closed on July 31st. As you might imagine the house has been a maze of boxes since, though they have slowly been whittled down.

The internet person is coming tomorrow to transfer service, so if I can just find the box with the camera cable we will be back in business shortly.