Support creativity and get some bang for your buck!

Last week, I found out about the coolest thing ... a way to support creative efforts, fledgling artists, published designers do even more.  Shannon Okey (the brains behind the phenomenal publishing house of Cooperative Press, hand-knits designer and all round amazingly creative woman) has started a month-long campaign to do even more for indie knitting designers, using a program called Kickstarter.

Here's a video that shows some of the designs that are going into the new series Shannon is publishing:  

I have some designs in these upcoming books -- a set of knitted dolls for Fresh Designs: Toys and a set of southwest-inspired sofa pillows in Fresh Designs: Home.  


Now, these books will be published this summer regardless of Shannon matching (or even better, beating) her goal of $5000.  The important thing here ... and why I've already pledged a bit ... is that this is a chance to help an indie publisher, indie hand-knits designers, and a host of other folks do something very cool ... very creative.  Any pledge, large or small (even $1) will help.  There are some cool incentives for different pledge points -- including copies of the 10-book Fresh Design books!


So what are you waiting for?  Go make a pledge, would ya?  And thanks .... from one of many independent hand-knits designers!

Enjoy the journey

Mary C. Gildersleeve

By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs

bhwh.mary@gmail.com

WooHoo: Elizabeth's Foreword

Here's a link to a beautiful foreword from a beautiful friend ... thanks Elizabeth!

In the Spirit of Design: A Knitting Retreat

This past weekend I spent up near the Wyoming border at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Walburga. I was leading a knitting retreat and it was SO MUCH FUN! A wonderful group of 17 ladies (including my dear SIL) came to the beautiful valley in Virginia Dale where the Benedictines have created a haven of peace only two hours from Denver.

We all arrived around 4:30 pm on Friday and knitted and talked and participated in the sisters' prayer-life and just generally had a superlative time. So great, in fact, that the ladies have asked to "do it again" next year!

I gave talks on the history of knitting, the design process (where do ideas come from; getting those ideas from your head to your needles; tools of the trade), ethnic influences, fiber choices and "hand" of the fabric, color theory, stitches for textures, the "pros" (famous and not so famous hand-knit designers), and outlets for creativity (charity knitting). Over the next few days, I'll be posting the text of my talks so that those who couldn't join us will get an idea of what we covered.

Additionally, Sr. Genevieve Glen, who edits the Magnificat, gave a fabulous talk on the spirituality of creativity and the link to God's ordering from chaos as shown in Genesis 1. As soon as she posts her thoughts on her own blog, I'll link to the talk as it really was wonderful.

Intermixed with talks and prayer time, we had LOTS of time to sit and knit and chat and really get to know each other.

I can't wait for next year's retreat!