clutter-free gift ideas!

Today, I share some ideas for clutter-free gifts for the holidays. I hope you find it helpful!

Companies mentioned:

• CreativeLive
• Creativebug
• Craftsy or the new subscription model
• Heifer International

book chat - my favorite vegan cookbooks!

For this week's book chat, I'm sharing my favorite vegan cookbooks!

Here are links to all the books I shared:

• The New McDougall Cookbook by Dr John and Mary McDougall
• The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook by Dr John and Mary McDougall
• The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
• Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli
• Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking by Dana Schultz (her blog)
• Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia C. Simpson
• The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner
• The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler del Torro
• Chocolate Covered Katie blog

And check out The Vegan Roadie on YouTube if you're interested in a traveling vegan food show!

crafty chat - fiber arts tag

I was tagged by Amanda of Mandobug Crafts and thought, what the heck, this could be fun! =)

Questions: 

1) Who are you?
2) When/why did you start knitting/crocheting/spinning/weaving?
3) Your favorite or proudest make?

• Handspun Poncho (spinning and knitting)
• Painted Warp Wrap (weaving)
• Owl Bag (crochet)

4) What is your most disastrous make?

• Shalom by Meghan McFarlane

5) Do you have a favorite place to buy yarn or fiber (online or local)?
6) What is your most used or most loved pattern?

• Barley Hat by Tin Can Knits (4! - my handspun Barleys for him and her and a pair to donate)

7) Your most dreaded knitting/crocheting/spinning task?

8) And your favorite task?

9) What is your favorite crafty entertainment?

10) For patterns, do you prefer books, magazine, Ravelry, or would you rather make up your own?

11) What is your favorite brand of knitting needles or crochet hooks and for spinning, what is your favorite wheel?

12) What is your favorite notion or tool?

• HansenCrafts miniSpinner

13) What is your current favorite project?

14) Favorite place to knit/crochet/spin in public?

15) What is your favorite fiber arts book?

16) Do you have any other hobbies?

17) If you could meet anyone in the fiber arts community, who would that be?

• Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot
• Amy Beth of The Fat Squirrel Speaks

Rapid-fire:

18) knit or crochet?

19) weave or spin?

20) color or neutrals?

21) sweater or socks?

Thanks for the tag, Amanda! (Be sure and check out Amanda's video!) I tag Emily of AndersMill Knits, Julieanne of My Muddlings and Sheila and Debbie of Never Cast Off podcasts.

book chat - experiments in eating locally

Books discussed:

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
• Blessing the Hands that Feed Us by Vicki Robin
• Also check out the many books by Michael Pollan

Vicki's TEDx talk can be found here.

less wonky pottery and a little yellow uke!

Book:

• Ukulele for Dummies by Alistair Wood

One of the YouTube videos I've found:

• How to Play the Ukulele in 5 minutes

two new episodes!

There's a bit of a change this time around. First up, a crafty video:

And the non-crafty chatter:

Videos that will help you make your own Amish knot rug:

• Starting out your rug
• Increasing
• Ending your rug
• Whitehouse Whimsies and Rugs on YouTube has some other good tutorials if you'd like to make an oval or rectangular rug as well.

Be sure and enter to win a copy of the Black Tie Affair wrap pattern from designer Jennifer Runyan over in the Ravelry group!

The books discussed:

• Movement Matters by Katy Bowman
• Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin

And the vegan dog food my boys are now enjoying:

• V-Dog

episode 78: free your feet!

The winners for my portion of  the prizes for the Summer Stripe-along are announced along with the winner of the Yeksa shawl pattern! I also talk about some of my recent reads, my recent social media break and future plans.

In addition to the yarny prizes and progress keeper I provided for the Summer Stripe Along CAL, I'm so thankful to have had a couple of my podcaster friends offer up prizes as well. Big thanks to both of these generous ladies!

• Angela of Delusional Knitter Designs/Revelations of a Delusional Knitter podcast offered one of her patterns 
• Benita of Dyed in the Wool Biz/Fiber Pusher Podcast for offering up a copy of her Walking Through China sock pattern and 4 ounces of spinning fiber!

The sun progress keeper was made by Julieanne of Lovebird Lane Yarns on etsy (also hosts the My Muddlings Podcast).

I also drew for the winner of the Yeksa Shawl pattern, designed by Janine McCarty of the Yarn and Ewe Girl Podcast.

The books I talked about:

• The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner
• Dynamic Aging and Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief by Katy Bowman (all of her books can be found here)

Podcasts mentioned and not already linked above:

• Katy Says with Katy Bowman
• The Slow Home Podcast

The shoe brands mentioned (check out Katy's site for lots more recommendations!):

• Vibram
• Kalso Earth Shoes (the vegan option is Prosper)

Videos are available on YouTube, iTunes and through your favorite podcatcher! =)