Vickie Howell | Blog

Introducing, Vickie Howell Collection Kits!

2007-04-18T07:13:00.000-05:00

Wowza, two new knitting kits from the Vickie Howell Collection! They're cute, they're quick-to-knit and perfect projects for the knitter on the go!

B&B Baby Kit

Photo: Jody Horton Model: Fields Horton

Kit includes:
• 3 colors of Vickie Howell Collection's LOVE (70% Bamboo/30% Silk)
• 10 yards of Vickie Howell Collection's ROCK (for monogram & ties)
• Plastic zippy project tote
• Pattern for Newborn Stripey Beanie & Booties

Total boutique luxury for baby! Comes in 3 colorway choices: Punky (modeled), Earthy, and Candy.

Earthy: Monogram & Tie yarn included in black (VHC's ROCK in color: Joan)

Candy: Monogram & Tie yarn included in black (VHC's ROCK in color: Kim & Kelly)

Psst! The kit alone or the set knit up, both make great gifts!

Formality Scarf Kit

Photo: Dave Campbell

Kit Includes:
• Two colors of CRAFT (65% organic cotton/35% milk filber) from the Vickie Howell Collection
• Plastic zippy project tote
• Complete scarf instructions

A tux-tastic, year-round accessory! Comes in 3 colorway choices: Starry Night (modeled), Enchanted Evening, and Endless Love.

Enchanted Evening (VHC Colors: Jennifer & Carol)

Endless Love (VHC Colors: Meowers & Carol)

Check out these and keep your eyes peeled for more only, at Vickie Howell.com!

Virginia

2007-04-17T07:57:00.000-05:00

After the tragedy of yesterday's massacre at Virginia Tech, the knit-related news I had planned to post about today seems trivial and inconsequential. I'm sitting here with my boys, one who's home sick and the other playing at my feet, feeling comfort in knowing they're close and safe. I can't fathom what the parents of the 30+ adult-children murdered, must be going through right now. I just can't imagine.

If any fans out there are friends or family members of the students or professors who were injured or killed in this inexplicable act of violence, please, please let me know if there's anything that I can do to help you through this awful time--put together a charity auction to aid in funeral costs, personally visit or call hospitals or homes, anything. Contact: rebecca@vickiehowell.com , and she'll get any necessary info to me.

I usually keep my very strong political opinions off of this forum but today, I ask us as a country to please re-examine our current gun laws. In the state of Virgina, it is currently legal to carry concealed guns, guns need not be registered with law enforcement, a permit is not required to purchase a gun, there isn't a waiting period and, there is zero background checking required for "private"(gun shows, swap meets, etc.) gun sales . I know this information wont bring any of the victims in this case back but I have to hope as a parent and activist, that we can help prevent more events of this record-breaking magnitude from occurring in thing future.

My thoughts and love are with you all.

Vickie

NEW KNITTY GRITTY ON HGTV STARTS TOMORROW!

2007-04-15T17:42:00.000-05:00

Starting tomorrow, HGTV will air new episodes from season 7 of Knitty Gritty on Mondays in April, and more beginning at the end of May (I guess they're trying to ration the new stuff out). Re-runs from past seasons will continue to air on Wednesdays and Fridays. Just a reminder, Knitty Gritty airs on HGTV on MWF at 7am/6amCT, and DAILY on DIY at 2pmET/1pmCT/12omPT. Make sure to set your DVRs for these new ones--the projects are all really cool and vary in skill level! Knit on, Vickie

NEW EPISODE MONDAYS ON HGTV
4/16 "Coreolis Sock" with guest, Cat Bordhi (Remember her from the Mobius show?)
4/23 "Kitchen Couture" with guest, Jordana Paige (That's right, the bag lady)
4/30 "Hooked on Knitting" with guest Lily Chin
5/28 "Spot on Adornments" with guest, Christina Batch (EOC of Adornment Magazine)

Pssst! Don''t forget there are also two NEW episodes from season 8 on DIY this week including, the viewer anticipated Yarn Harlot sock show.

Knitted Centerpiece O'Love '07

2007-04-13T17:05:00.000-05:00

I think I mentioned before that fellow Austin Craft Mafia member, Susann, eloped a couple of months ago. She and her hubby are throwing a big bash tomorrow night to celebrate and as our gifts to her, she asked if each of us from the group would make one of the 8 centerpieces she needed. There were no rules at all, other than they needed to be done by tonight. IMHO, this is a brilliant idea--gets people involved and cuts down on bride-stress. Go Susann! Knowing our group of girls, there's bound to be some wacky table baubles showing up--Jennifer made a wedding terrarium that I'm totally jealous of! Conversely, and for a change, I went traditional.

I bought a square vase at a craft store and filled it with hydrangea from Whole Foods. The vase is covered with four pieces that I knit out of Leigh Radford's Silk Gelato by Lantern Moon, and then seamed together. The color, "Melon", actually reminds me a lot of the iridescent pink of Susann's dress that she'll be wearing. I was lucky enough to be with her when, upon my insistence because it looked so friggin' beautiful on her, she bought it. But I digress..
The centerpiece is finished of with a silk ribbon I got on-line at MJ Trimming. Super simple, but pretty. Well, at least I think it is. Hope Suzie Q likes it, too!

Ok, off to a date night with Dave. We're going to the Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and a movie. Have a great weekend!

xo,
Vickie

Calling all parentals!

2007-04-12T19:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, Parents! If you're out at a grocery store or newsstand this month, take a look at the current issue of CHILD Magazine. In it they feature me and my cutie-pie boys including, a full page of our, ok my, favorite things in daily life (Vans Slip-ons, Lexie Barnes bags, Spider-man Vitamins...)

If you haven't had a chance to check out my eco-friendly craft column in the healthy parenting magazine, KIWI, not to worry!

They've created a page for me on their website and started putting up past issue's projects. Pick up the newest issue due out in May, with my Hugs & Stitches booties pattern!

I have a couple of new things to tell you about, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. Apparently, even though I stopped sharing Wet n' Wild eyeliner's almost 20 years ago, I still managed to get pink eye, and it kinda hurts to stare at the monitor. WTH?!

Nightie night,
Vickie

Peeks & Waves--Free Pattern of the Month!

2007-04-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

With Mother's Day coming up, it's time to start working on quick, but thoughtful gifts for mom. For this pillow cover, you need only to knit one piece and attach it to an existing pillow, letting its color peek through the front while the back remains uninterrupted. And hey, if you use my line of yarn, you can literally say your pillow is made with LOVE! ;-)

Materials
1 Ball each of Vickie Howell Collection’s LOVE in colors: Jack & Sally (silver), Ennis & Jack (lavender), and Joel & Clementine (dark purple).
US Size 9 Needles

Tapestry Needle
Black 19”x19” Pillow (I found mine at Target)
Black Thread
Sewing Needle
Sewing Pins

Finished Measurement
Approx 19”x19”

Wavy Pattern Stitch
Rows 1-2: Knit all sts.

Row 3: K 6, *YO, K1, YO2, K1, YO3, K1, YO2, K1, YO, K6. Repeat from * to end

Row 4: Knit all knit sts, drop all YOs.

Rows 5-6: Knit all sts.

Row 7: K1, *YO, K1, YO2, K1, YO3, K1, YO2, K1, YO, K6. Repeat to last 5 sts. YO, K1, YO2, K1, YO3, K1, YO2, K1, YO, K1.

Row 8: Repeat row 4.

Directions
With Jack & Sally, CO 65 sts. Work 8 rows in Wavy Pattern Stitch.

Join and switch to Ennis & Jack. Work 8 rows in Wavy Pattern Stitch.

Join and switch to Joel & Clementine. Work 8 rows in Wavy Pattern Stitch.

Continue established 3 color stripe pattern (24 rows), twice more.

Join and switch to Jack & Sally. Work 8 rows in Wavy Pattern Stitch.

Bind off.

Finishing
Pin finished piece onto front of pillow. Using sewing needle, thread and small stitches, attach knitted piece to pillow by tacking on

Happy Easter, Peeps!

2007-04-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our 2nd annual Easterpalooza at our house AKA, the "Howell/Campbell Home for Wayward Easterers". Austin is a city of transplants so there are a lot of us here who don't have family close by. Easterpalooza is open to anyone who wants to come. The adults sip on mimosas and eat snacks while the kids hunt for easter eggs and jump in the huge, Spider-Man bouncy pit. It's good times. This year, it was pretty cold outside but a lot of people still showed up, including sisters in craft maifia-ness and their SFOs: Jennifer, Tina, Karly (who's newly engaged--YAY Matt & Karly!), Hope, Jenny (who I suckered into modeling the Sense & Sensibile-knitty Scarf & Wrap, the patterns of which are available for free with VHC yarn purchase at your LYS), and Susann who brought her sister and 4 kids who are visiting for
Susann's post-elopement party. In case you're keeping track, that's 2 ACMer's engaged, and 2 who've eloped over the past 4 months. Don't drink the water. ;-)

Patterns: Melinda Morrow, Yarn: Vickie Howell Collection's Love

My mom's also in town, which is awesome. We got crafty and made a ridiculous Peeps Wreath for the door. After all, nothing says "Welcome to Our Home" better than hot glue and sugar-saturated marshmallow!

Me and Libbs (aka my mom). Photo by Tanner Howell :-)

"Welcome, my peeps!"

On the Knitty Gritty front, I finally watched the new episodes that have aired so far. The music action is going to take a little getting used to but, I actually like pace of the new, HDTV format. Seems less tedious to me. I don't know, I need to see more before I have a strong opinion. Just out of curiosity though, do any of you watch Uncommon Threads or Craft Lab? They're produced by the same company and edited almost exactly the same way. For those of you who are anti-new format, does that feeling go for all three shows? Inquiring minds wanna know!

I do however agree, the Knittycam is a bit obscured by the large graphics that are on screen at the same time (although I like that they're labeling what's being done--and yes, I did catch the graphics mistake made on the cropped sweater episode). All that to say, I think the guests have totally kicked ass so far and that the topics have been pretty interesting to watch. I'm really glad that we were able to do some more advanced stuff this go around. Congratulation to Jamie (aka Scout) for her great job showing us how to hand-dye yarn on today's episode! She was all worried, but did a fantastic job! Seriously, that was the last show of the season we shot and everybody was really tired. She was a great sport. Thanks, lady!

Ok, I've got a sick kiddo to check on and a quickie, Free Pattern of the Month (are you reading, Dave Lowe?! ;-)) to finish. Hope you all had a happy Easter!

xo,
Vickie

Tons O' DIY Knitty Gritty Goodness!

2007-04-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

Alright, I'm a little late spreading the new Knitty Gritty gospel (that apparently happens when I go and get myself a personal life & stuff), but here goes:

Calling all Knitsters! There are brand new episodes of Knitty Gritty airing daily now on DIY. That's right, season 8 has begun and in some kind of needle& yarn showdown, season 7 will also begin airing on HGTV on April 16th (schedule to follow). If you're quicker on the uptake than I am, you may have already seen the Michael Del Vecchio travel tote, Cookie A. lacey sock and Stefanie Japel top-down shrug episodes (if not don't worry, they'll re-air!)-- but there's so much more to see, beginning today!

DIY SCHEDULE (Weekdays at 2pm ET/1pm CT)

4/6: "Hat Trick" w/ guest, Jennifer Hanson aka Stitch Diva
4/9: "Hand-Painting Yarn" w/ guest Jamie Dixon aka Scout
4/10: "Celebrity Scarves" w/ guest Sarah Rosenberg
4/11: "Teen Scene" w/ guests Katy Von Rader & Hana Gurvitz
4/12: "Knitting on the Go" w/ guest Lisa Shobahna Mason
4/13: "AlterKNITive" w/ guest John Brinegar
4/16: "Knits That Fit" w/ guest Amy O'Neill Houck
4/17: "Knitting Rules!" w/ guest Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka YARN HARLOT
4/18: "Happy Hour Knits" w/ guest Star Athena (re-air)

It seems that the Do-it-Yourself web folks have been hard at work on the site and have added a Handy Dandy Stitch Glossary (with video demos by yours truly) and a Knitty Gritty Video Channel! Oh, and don't forget I also have a How-To knit and crochet section on my site . Clearly people, all the knitting resources you need are literally at your finger tips. So...let your fingers do the walking, er, typing!

Knitlicious kisses,
Vickie

P.S. Don't forget to set your DVRs!

The Missus

2007-04-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

The Campbells

In case any of you have been wondering why I've been a wee bit quiet over the past week or two it's because, I was putting together a wedding. Mr. Dave Campbell and I threw caution (and the stress of planning and scheduling) to the wind and eloped over the weekend! We were married by candlelight in a wine cave at a Calastoga, CA winery on Friday, the anniversary of the day we met. We walked down the aisle together, to Muse's song "Blackout" and danced to "Love is a Place" by Metric. We sipped champagne, visited the Beringer Vineyard in Napa Valley and stayed for a couple of days at the lovely, Indian Springs Spa where we indulged in massages and mineral baths. Our witness was the photographer and the ceremony was offciated by the flamboyantly fabulous Rev. Blane (seen below flashing "jazz hands" with me), who managed to personalize the event so much that he even included my love/Dave's hate for Diet Coke.

After that we headed south to San Francisco where we spent a couple of honeymoon days at the swanky W Hotel while shopping, eating amazing food, hanging out at a pub with a bunch of Irish dudes (seen below with us from L-R: Mick #1, Darren, and Mick #2) and for the first time in years, not even checking e-mail. The whole experience was amazing, romantic and for us, absolutely perfect.

As soon as we can figure out a place to hold it (Texas heat makes venue choices difficult), we'll throw a celebratory party. We can't wait!

And that folks, is all she wrote!

xo,
Vickie

Night of the Living Wed

2007-03-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

I'd like to begin this post with a disclaimer that there's no need to worry, this blog will not be turining into a weddingpalooza-type journal. That said, my recent research on elopments and destination weddings has brought to light, some fantastically entertaining finds as well as phenomenally frighting facts. I mention the latter only to say that, the average American wedding costs $20,000 to produce. THAT'S MORE THAN I PUT DOWN ON MY HOUSE! Seriously. I think we'll be passing on "average" and go more for "creative". But I digress.

I mention the former (and please don't confuse these with our actual plans which at this point, are vague at best), because to keep such information to myself would be utterly unfair.

For the frigid bride, there's seemingly no better option than getting married in a frozen tundra! From January-April in Canada, a winter wedding at the Ice Hotel takes "having cold feet" to a whole new level!

For couples who are more Trek-y than trendy, it might be time to think of marraige as the final frontier. The Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas lets you have your Quark and eat it too! Wait, what?

For the groom who wants to take his wedding by storm (or by Storm Trooper, as it were), Star Wars themed nuptials are surely the answer! The bride is suspiciously missing from this picture, however. My guess? She's at the bar, drinking away the droid.

If you have any elopement suggestions, silly or serious, I'd love to hear 'em! Afterall, the more the marry-er! ;-)

xo,
Vickie

Booties Go Bragh--Free Pattern of the Month

2007-03-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Alright, my Irish heritage coupled with the fact that my best friend is due with her 2nd son on St. Patrick's day, has me on 11 when it comes to shamrock inspired design. These babies knit up in an evening so start now, and your wee laddy or lass will be doing a jig, just in time! xoxo, Vickie

Bootie Go Bragh
Shamrock Baby Shoes

MATERIALS:
1 Ball "LOVE" (Vickie Howell Collection). Color (MC): Wesley & Buttercup (white).
Scraps "LOVE" (Vickie Howell Collection). Color (CC): Mulder & Scully (jade green).
US size 6 DPNS
Tapestry needle

SIZE
0-6 Months

DIRECTIONS
With MC, CO 35 sts. Using only two of the dpns, work in garter stitch (knit every row) for 1 3/4". BO.

Count in 14 sts. in from the top right-side. With MC, pu 9sts.
Next row (WS): Purl
RS: Knit
WS: Purl
Repeat last 2 rows 3 more times.

Leaving 9 sts on hold on needle, seam up bottom, heal and top foot panel.

Using tapestry needle and CC and back stitch, embroider Shamrock (or whatever design yourlittle heart desires) onto the top foot panel.

With MC and 2nd & 3rd DPNS, pu 17 sts around the ankle of bootie.
Next row: In MC, k1, p1 to end.
Next row: Switch to CC, *k1, p1 to end.
Repeat last 2 rows once more.
Next TWO rows: In MC, k1, p1 to end.
BO.

Weave in ends. Stuff toes with tissue to block.

Copyright Vickie Howell, Inc. 2007. All rights reserved.

The Interactive Age.

2007-03-08T19:49:00.000-06:00

So apparently, instead of actually communicating directly, families now hear about each other's major life events via blogs or MySpace. Yesterday I got a comment posted on the latter by my cousin's wife (who I didn't even know had a page on the grand MS) congratulating me on our engagement. I immmediately went to her page to post a reply and discovered that she's pregnant! Ahhh, the Internet age. Speaking of going interactive, will you be?

Are you among the many thousands descending upon Austin to attend SXSW? Then be sure to come see me and Jenny Hart (Sublime Stitching) wax like experts or something on the Boss Lady Panel. Alex Beauchamp of Girl at Play will be there too!

What: Boss Lady Panel at SXSWi w/ Jenny Hart and Vickie Howell

Where: Austin Convention Center, Room 10AB

When: Saturday, March 10th 5 - 6 pm

The panel is moderated by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears of BossLady.ca

Superman's mom knew before mine did.

2007-03-07T09:34:00.000-06:00

Ok, two months later, I'm finally done with the book/yarn tourstravaganza! I apologize for the lack of posting, especially over the past 4 weeks but frankly, there's times when a gal must choose sleep. ;-) Sooo, without further ado, here's a brief, madcap re-cap of at least most of the stops on the southwest/midwest/northeast/east coast legs of the trip!

CHICAGO
I spent 18 whole hours in Chicago. I'd never been there before but from what I saw, it looked like a cool place. I told the driver who picked me up from the airport that I'd expected to fly through a glorious golden "O" as I entered Illinois since it is afterall, home to both Oprah & Barack Obama. Alas however, the skyline appeared ordinary.
The best part of the trip was getting to hang out with fellow Craft Mafiosa, Cinnamon, and Brenda Janick from Stitch 'n' Bitch--Chicago. Although Brenda and I hadn't met in person before, technically we've known each other for 5 years. Brenda is also the founder of Stitch n' Bitch.org, and the reason I started Stitch n' Bitch--Los Angeles in 2002. Due to what would turn out to be a history making storm in the northeast, I made it out of there via a stop in Philly, on the last flight available, before airport shut-down debauchery ensued.

VERMONT
It was touch and go for a while, but I made it into Burlington! My luggage however, did not. Thus began my Vermont adventure of unruley weather, wardrobe borrowing and hoping for the best. Special thanks to B. Original's Michele Breschen for packing extra underwear and saving my butt! Literally.
This stop was actually a break from the tour to shoot next year's holiday special. We wanted snow for this one and boy, did we get it! I spent a romantic Valentine's Day with 5 other craft show hosts and 20+ crew members snowed in at a house for the night during a blizzard that, rated #2 in the all-time history of Vermont storms. In a brief moment of panic, Steve from Creative Juices furiously shoveled snow, thinking that he could dig his way to our hotel miles away. After reality set in though, we all realized that we couldn't really complain about having to spend a night in a 3-story winter home that housed 2 fire places and a wine cellar. Jennifer and I bundled up and pretended we were in the middle of the movie, Fargo. Well, except for the whole wood-chipper scene which we both conveniently forgot about. All in all, it was good times. Sandy Genovese and I were the last 2 to make it out of Burlington so we used our extra time to sit in our pjs in my hotel room, where I taught her how to knit. Another convert, yay!
Oh, and my bag finally showed up on the day that I was leaving. Good times.

Steve & his shovel. You can't blame the guy for trying!

Me & Jen posing during a shoot.

Jennifer, Cathie (Creative Juice) and me playing in the snow.

MINNEAPOLIS
Unfortunately, the great snow-out of '07 kept me away from a couple of morning news appearances (Thank you Crochet Today's, Brett Bara for subbing for me!) as well as some other events. The one I'm most sad about missing was at Crafty Planet . I stopped by to say "hi" once I did make it into to town though and, Holy Awesomeness, Batman! Never before has owning a store seemed appealing to me, but Crafty Planet has changed my opinion on the whole retail gig. The shop is packed with all the indie craft goodness one could hope for! There was a wall of Sublime Stitching, Subversive Cross Stitch and Wool & Hoop kits, shelves filled with books from the likes of Debbie Stoller, Stefanie Japel, Amy Butler and Teva Durham, a yarn room with my stuff along with a myriad of selected others and the CUTEST FABRIC SELECTION EVER! Seriously people, if you're ever in Minneapolis you must visit Trish & Matt at their self-made craftopia!

With Trish & Matt in front of their Craftbot. I want a Craftbot!

PHOENIX
Lovely publicist Krista Margies escorted me to the next 3 cities and we were in and out of Phoenix lickety-split. Wait, who still says "lickety-split"? Sorry about that. Anyway, SWTC put on a great warehouse event where I got to meet tons of knitters including, an entire middle-school knitting club. Even their principal came! I loved that. I also loved getting to work out some of the details of the winter line of the Vickie Howell Collection. I'm so excited! These new ones will be completely different from the first three (oh, but we will be adding some awesome additional colors to ROCK), but will also work great with them, and, dare I say, will bring a little added sparkle into the chilly months. Stay tuned!

DENVER
Once again, time wasn't on our side. The flight from Phoenix to Denver was delayed and caused us to keep probably the largest crowd of the the tour, waiting. :-( I felt soooo, bad about that. Even changing in the airport and doing my make-up in the cab though, we were still an hour late. We kept calling the store, Showers of Flowers, asking them to convey to the crowd that I really wasn't pulling some diva move by being so late and that we really were trying our hardest to get there. The event turned out well, though. The audience had a ton of questions which is my favorite part of the whole book-signing gig. I really enjoy chatting with everyone. SoF had loads of my yarn in stock too, which I really, really appreciated!
The store owner was also kind enough to wind a ball of 4 different yarns together and gave it to me. I promptly knit up this scarf.

With Krista & My New Scarf

Next stop was the Lamb Shoppe. If you're looking for a cozy, welcoming store with beautiful fibers, a cafe and a nice book selection then, this one fits the bill! It was a really nice evening capped off by meeting up with my friend Amy, who I've known since I was 3. I was born in Denver and we spent several years as neighbors in Broomfield. We still keep in touch infrequently but when we do, it's like not a day's gone by.:-)

Me & Amy G. 2007

Me & Amy during our, we-listen-to-Pearl Jam-so-therefore-must-wear-flannel stage. 1993

NEW YORK/BROOKLYN
It was a quick trip to New York. I visited The Point Cafe in the west village which is probably my fave store in the city. In case you're keeping track, this is also where we shot the thing I did for Lisa Loeb's show, #1 Single as well as the Knit Bits with Debbie Stoller. :-)

Speaking of Debbie, both she and designer Kris Percival (Speedy Knitting) came to my signing in Brooklyn. After that I had drinks with her and finally got to meet her boyfriend Michael. I like them both so much! It's always great getting to hang out with her. After that, Krista (see above), myself and some other peeps headed off to some bar in with a Bocce ball lane in the middle of it to meet up with my friend Leo Allen (Who btw is the funniest person I know. He's going to be in Austin during SXSW opening up for David Cross. By all means, check him out if you can!). It's probably not necessary for me to mention once again how much I friggin' love New York. So I won't. ;-)

BOSTON
Boston was was #14 on a 14 city tour so as you can imagine, mama was tired. It will however, forever remain my favorite city in the mix and not only because the word "wicked" is part of the regular vernacular there. Although clearly, that's part of it. The main reason though, is that my sweet, amazing, handsome man, Mr. Dave Campbell, suprised me by showing up at my hotel and proposing and we are now officially engaged!

After I said yes one of the first things out of my mouth was, "ummm, uh, I need to call Annette O'Toole." He found this a bit odd but after being with me for a year has grown used to my randomness and shrugged it off. I had a scheduled phone interview with her for Knit.1 for later that evening. I left her a message asking if we could reschedule, telling her that I would totally understand if she needed to do it then, but explaining the circumstances. She called me back shortly after, graciously saying that that was by far the best excuse to cancel an interview. After I hung up I turned to Dave and said, "Oh my God, Superman's mom knows before mine does." Oh, and the media escort they hired for me there (who btw, I want to adopt as an aunt because she was such a joy to be around) had the last name, BRIDE! Weird. Sometimes my life is a cartoon.

We went to a vegetarian Chinese place for dinner and then to a club called TT Bear to see The Thermals play. They, btw, sound fantastic live. Seriously. The show was actually sold out but Dave had e-mailed ahead of time telling them that he was flying out to ask me to marry him and that we were fans and was there any way he could buy tickets to cap off the night's plans? The lead singer himself, e-mailed back that there was no need, that we were now on the guest list. That made me like them even more. :-) Thanks, Hutch! You and the band helped make the night perfect for us!

Ok, I've totally run out of time. I have to go pick up my kids from school. Oh, but I don't want to forget to mention Spark Crafts in Boston. They threw a GREAT brunch event for me. Mimosa's are never a bad thing, if you know what I'm sayin'. It was a packed room with a great crowd in an adorable shop. What better way to end a run?

If you're still reading, bless ya. Hopefulling your eyes are bleeding from the length of this post.

xo,
Vickie

P.S. Crap, I forgot to mention the Mall of Americas Knit Out. I'll do it later, k?

Final Leg of Tour!

2007-02-22T20:34:00.000-06:00

Heya, folks. I know I haven't mentioned any details from the mid-west tour--they're coming as soon as I can, I promise)--but it's already almost time for me to hit the road for next and final leg of the Knitty Gritty Knits tourstravagana! Here's the skinny:

Monday, February 26th --Arizona

6-9pm
SWTC Warehouse
Book Signing/Yarn Tasting
918 S. Park Lane
Tempe, AZ

There'll be dessert at this one, folks!

Tuesday, February 27th--Colorado

7pm
Showers of Flowers
Book Signing/Yarn Tasting
6900 West Colfax Ave.
Lakewood, CO

Wednesday, February 28th

6pm
Lamb Shoppe
Book Signing/Yarn Tasting
3512 E. 12th St.
Denver, CO

Thursday, March 1st--New York

6pm
The Point NYC
Book Signing
37A Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014

Friday, March 2nd--Brooklyn

7pm
Barnes & Noble Park Slope
Book Signing
267 7th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, March 3rd - Cambridge

2pm
Porter Square Books
Book Signing
25 White Street
Cambridge, MA

Sunday, March 4th - Boston

Spark Crafts Studio
Book Signing
50 Grove Street
Davis Square
Somerville, MA
Brunch-eque bevies and snacks at this one!

3pm
Willow Books & Cafe
Book Signing
279 Great Road
Acton, MA

Hope to see some of you there! xo, Vickie

Midwest Leg of Tour

2007-02-11T09:44:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday, party people! I leave in the morning for the next leg of the Knitty Gritty Knits tour. This portion only involves a couple of cities because of a holiday special shoot I'm meeting the other DIY craft hosts in Vermont for, mid-week. If you're in the Chicago, IL or Bloomington, MN areas though, please tune in or stop by! xo, Vickie

Monday February 12th

7pm
Book Signing
Barnes & Noble West Webster
1441 West Webster Ave.
Chicago, IL

Friday February 16th

5:50am
TV Appearance
“Kim Insley & Tim McNiff in the Morning”
KARE 11 “Sunrise Show”
Minneapolis, MN

10:30am
Radio Appearance
Susie Jones & Elanor Mondale Show
WCCO AM Radio
Minneapolis, MN

6:00pm
Book Signing/Talk
Crafty Planet
2318 Lowry Ave. NE
Minneapolis, MN

Saturday February 17th
10am
TV Appearance
Saturday Morning Show
WCCO TV
Minneapolis, MN

10:30am-5pm
Mall of Americas Knit Out Event
Appearances/Book Signing/Knitty Gritty Shoot
60 E. Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425

Sunday February 18th

10am-3pm
Mall of Americas Knit Out Event
Appearances/Book Signing/Knitty Gritty Shoot
60 E. Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425

10 Things I Remember About the West Coast Tour

2007-02-10T15:25:00.000-06:00

1. My little brother Kevin, coming to TNNA to visit me for the launch of both my new yarn with SWTC, and Knitty Gritty Knits. I made him walk the aisles of the convention holding a copy of the book that had, "This is my sister!" and an arrow pointing to my picture on the cover. He was not amused. Although he said that the whole being-surrounded-by-crafty-people experience was like "re-living his childhood", he stayed for a long time so he couldn't have been that miserable. ;-)

2. Getting to see one of my favorite guests, Erika Knight for the first time in 3 years. She was at TNNA promoting her beautiful new book, Glamour Knits. I absolutely adore Erika and her designs!

3. Having dinner with Drew Emborsky and Annie Modesitt who were there to promote, Men Who Knit & the Dogs Who Love them. Annie also showed me a preview of her next project, an ingenuous, knit-stitch flip book. She's self-publishing, so stay tuned! That same day, I also got to see, Amy Singer, Suss, Melissa Leapman, Candi Jensen, Jenny Hart, Tina Whitmore, Nicky Epstein, Brett Bara, Lily Chin and many more. :-)

4. Turning the cameras around to take pictures of people who came to the Barnes & Noble signing in Orange, CA.

5. Shooting a "DIY from CHA" special with a bunch of the other DIY craft hosts. We always have so much fun working together. It's like being at camp. Later we all hung out with Karl & Amy from DIY to the Rescue at the DIY/Sterling launch party for the new books.

6. Giving a presentation at CHA (Craft & Hobby Convention) to industry buyers about textiles and home decor. The audience stared at me with straight faces. It was semi painful doing mine, but I enjoyed watching Cathie's workshop on floral design!

6. Jennifer & I chatting with craft maven ,Carol Duvall. Later met Bernie, rescuer of Noel the wonder pup. I'm thrilled to report that Noel's doing well and loves the ears everyone's been sending her!

7. Seeing all of my new yarns in stores for the first time at Full Thread Ahead in Los Altos., Stash in Berkley and Pacific Fabric & Crafts in Seattle. So exciting! I can't tell you how much I appreciate local yarn store owners investing in the Vickie Howell Collection .

Me with Hollis of Full Thread Ahead. She's wearing a travel wrap I designed to be extra wide for warmth on airplanes. Yarn: Double-stranded ROCK in color: Billie Joe.

Barrel of LOVE at Stash in Berkley.

8. Randomly ending up on the same press juncate, which put us on one flight and two different morning shows together, as the former head of the DNC, Terry McAullife. He was promoting his new book, What a Party!. He's also the CEO of Hilary Clinton's campaign. I don't think he ever asked my my name but instead took to calling me "chick with sticks", after I was introduced that way on a show in San Fran. I chatted a bit with his consultant Justin, late one night at the airport while waiting for our flight. As we boarded the plane he had his hands full so I helped him with his briefcase. Of course, I had to joke that I was literally carrying the weight of their campaign. This was a lot funnier, sleep deprived at the time, than it is re-counting it now. But I digress.
I also had the pleasure of meeting the author of Alternadad, Neal Pollack who was a guest on the same morning show as I was in Portland. We both had hours to kill before our respective next events, so we grabbed some breakfast together. My favorite part about what I do is all of the interesting people I get to meet. Neal is definately one of them.

9. Visiting the Yarn Garden in Portland. It was such a great event! They have a lovely cafe in their luxurious store which gave the talk/signing a casual feel. I parked myself on the counter and chatted with the packed room of people for an hour or so, while sipping champagne and nibbling on truffles. This is my favorite type of appearance, ones I get to just hang out with fellow knitters and talk. My schedule doesn't allow me to go to Stitch n Bitch meetings anymore, so this is the next best thing! Oh, and a friend I went to junior high and high school with but hadn't seen since, Ali, showed up with her MIL and daughter. That was a very cool suprise. :-)

10. The DIY Knit In Blog-a-thon event! Holy majoly, it was crazy. I was on my laptop at my friend Melinda's in Seattle, and didn't stop typing for 6 hours. I don't know how many people logged-on but there were over 550 comments posted! Thankfully I had Karen & Nan from DIY in Knoxville helping out answering questions. Next year, we'll have a better system worked out so I can give more attention to individual posts. Possibly involving a bullpit and "Judy from Time Life" headsets. Thank you so much to everyone who joined me! It sounds cheesy, but I really dug knowing that so many people across the nation were spending time virtually hanging out together.

My friends Kristin and Lori knitting and helping me out during the Knit In on Superbowl Sunday.

xo,
Vickie

HGTV Update

2007-02-09T10:30:00.000-06:00

Hey all. Some of you have e-mailed about HGTV's change in programming, so I wanted to give you the scoop. As I think I mentioned before, HGTV was experimenting with having craft programming on their network by airing Knitty Gritty, Uncommon Threads, Craft Lab, B. Original, Scrap Booking and Creative Juices, temporarily. It appears that as of Feb 19th, their 3-hour a day craft block will no longer exists. I encourage you to write HGTV to express your desire to continue seeing our brand of creative programming on their network (and of course, call your cable provider to pester them to put DIY on the base backage of cable). FYI, your letters totally help. The proof being that until Feb. 16th, they're airing new episodes of Knitty Gritty daily and after Feb. 16th you'll STILL be able to watch the show MFW mornings at 7am (I know. Early. Just set your Tivos ;-))! Uncommon Threads will be airing at the same time on T&TH.

Ok, I have all kinds of things to post about but I'm running out now.

More later!,
Vickie

Lana & Clark Ascot--February Free Pattern of the Month!

2007-02-04T15:33:00.000-06:00

My new yarn line, Vickie Howell Collection, has finally begun to hit stores so I thought it was appropriate for this month's pattern to be made from one of the yarns, LOVE. This is great quickie project that takes only one hank (approx 90 yds) of this luxurious fiber. I gave the prototype that you see in the picture to Annette O'Toole , when we were shooting Knit Bits together. She was so lovely and supportive that I decided to name the project in honor of her role in the original Superman movies. Wear it as shown or use a vintage button earring or tie pin to wear it as a traditional ascot. It's cute, quick to make and a great addition to any outfit. Enjoy! xo, Vickie

Lana & Clark Ascot

Materials:
1 Ball LOVE ( 70% Bamboo/30% Silk), Color: Joel & Clementine.
Size US size 7 needles
Tapestry Needle

Size:
One Size

Finished Measurements:
6" (at widest point) x 28"

Directions (Make 2)
CO 26 stitches.
Rows 1-6: Knit
Row 7: K1, *YO, K2tog. Repeat from * to last st. K1.
Row 8: Purl
Rows 9-14: Knit

Repeat rows 7-14, four more times.
Repeat rows 7-8, once more.
Knit 2 rows.

Next row: K1, K4tog (6 times), K1.
Knit next row and every row for 6 ½"
BO.

Picot Edging
On RS, PU 25 sts.
On the WS, BO as follows:
K1, place st back on left-hand needle, CO 2 sts, BO 4. *Sl St on right-hand needle back onto left-hand needle, CO 2 sts, BO 4. Repeat from * to end.

Finishing
Using mattress stitch, sew the garter stitch ends of both pieces together. Weave in ends. Block.

For more patterns in Vickie Howell Collection yarns visit the SWTC website!

Copyright Vickie Howell, Inc. All rights reserved.

Knit with Me Virtually Tomorrow!

2007-02-03T18:09:00.000-06:00

Hey, all! Just wanted to remind you that I'll be live blogging on the DIY Knit In Blog tomorrow from 5pm-11pm ET(4pm-10pmCT/2pm-8pmPT) during the Knitty Gritty Knit In! Hang out, knit, watch 12 back-to-back episodes of the show, and chat with me. And hey, even if you don't get DIY (or are otherwise engaged in sports programming), you can still log on to the DIY site and ask me any hot burning questions you may have. I'd love to hear from you and I promise I'll do my best to get back to you immediately! I'm still on tour, so I plan on typing to you from our own little Knit In party at my friend Melinda's, here in Seattle, WA. Hooray for knitting and blogging with friends!

Chat soon,
Vickie

P.S. While you're tuned in to the show tomorrow, don't forget to knit 7"x9" squares to benefit Warm Up America. Here's the scoop!

West Coast Leg of Tour!

2007-01-26T16:43:00.000-06:00

Hey there! I leave in the morning for the West Coast leg of my tour and even though the scoop is on my calendar, I thought I'd also post it here:

Sunday January 28th-Tuesday January 30th
CHA (Craft & Hobbies Assoc. Convention)

Tuesday January 30th
7pm
Knitty Gritty Knits Book Signing
Barnes & Noble
791 South Main St., #100
HOrange, CA

Wednesday January 31st

3pm
TV Appearance
"View from the Bay"
ABC CH. 7

7:00pm
KGK Book Signing/Vickie Howell Collection Yarn Tasting
Full Thread Ahead
169 Main St.
Los Altos, CA

Thursday February 1st

10:00am
TV Appearance
"Bay Area Focus with Susan Sikora"
KBCW-TV

7:00PM
KGK Book Signing/Vickie Howell Collection Yarn Tasting
Stash Yarn + Inspiration
1820 Solano Ave.
Ste. B-2
Berkley, CA
Wine, cheese & cake, too!

Friday February 2nd

9am
TV Appearance
"AM Northwest"
KATU-TV (ABC Ch. 2)

630pm
Knitty Gritty Knits Book Signing
The Yarn Garden
1413 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR
Champagne & chocolates, too!

Saturday February 3rd

1:00pm
Knitty Gritty Knits Book Signing
Pacific Fabrics & Craft
838 NE Northgate Way.
Seattle, WA

Sunday February 4th

2-8pmPST/4-10pmCT/5-11pmET

Super Bowl Sunday Knit In/ LIVE BLOG CHAT
Watch a 6-hour Knitty Gritty Marathon on DIY and chat with me live through the DIY website!

Hope to see/chat with you West Coast peeps, soon!

--Vickie

ACM Newsletter-January 2007!

2007-01-25T12:10:00.000-06:00

Hey all...for those of you not already subscribed to the Austin Craft Mafia Newsletter, I thought I'd post the one that went out today, here. Thanks for reading! *-*, Vickie

Happy New Year from the Austin Craft Mafia!! We know, we know. We never write, we never call. Holy majoly though, have we been busy! Here's the skinny on what we've been up to:

Group Stuff
Have you seen the current issue of Craft Magazine? In it there's an article featuring the Craft Mafia. Oh and speaking of Craft Mafia(s), take a look at our ever-expanding list of sister groups popping up internationally!

In other news, last November Stitch Fashion Show and Guerilla Craft Bazaar presented two very
deserving craftspeople, and Stitch participants, with the first annual Stitch grant. The decision was very difficult with all of the fantastic applications that we received. Winners were chosen based on their craftsmanship, business sense and future plans for their business.

The first place recipient of the Stitch grant went to Freshie and Zero. The second place grant went to Austin's own Vinca.

Interested in applying for next year's Stitch grant? Well, information about 2007 will be up in a few
months, but for now, you can study up and prepare for next year's grant application!
Sign up for the mailing list and get all of the latest info about Stitch 2007.

Individual Company News

Naughty Secretary Club
Wowsers there is a new season of Jen P's show CRAFT LAB
LAB airing over at HGTV.
Check out episodes weekdays at 9am Central. Oh and
you can still catch season 1 over at DIY
Network at 11am.

There are new and exciting goodies being added to Naughty
Secretary Club almost weekly! This week alone
there is a new stash of Barkcloth Purses, Revamped
Vintage Earrings and Nostalgic Notions Bracelets!

Watch Craft Lab everyday on DIY Network & HGTV!

Sparkle Craft

Out with the old and in with the new!
Sparkle Craft is going to see some exciting new changes for 2007; the biggest
is that Tina'll be phasing out all accessories to focus solely on guitar
straps. If you've always wanted a Sparkle Craft belt, headband,
wristband or scarf, this will be one of your last chances and you might as
well get it on sale! She wants to end this era with a bang, so She's
having a big sale January 22nd-January 31st. To get 20% off your entire
Sparkle Craft order, simply type in 'love' in the voucher section during
checkout. http://www.sparklecraft.com/
In other news, we're really pumped to announce that Tina Sparkles
Spring 2007 party dresses are set to arrive just in time for your special
Valentine's Day date. The dreamy dresses will be available at Parts
& Labour in Austin, TX starting the second week of February. Sparkle Craft and Tina Sparkles have been buzzing
in the press over the last couple of months. Check out my press page to
see all the exciting mentions in Alternative Press, Venus, Nylon, Jewell,
Austin Music Magazine, The Onion and the Austin Chronicle.

Sublime Stitching
Jenny has a new Sublime Stitching project in a just-released book called "Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book" from Black Dog Publishing (UK). Check out the unicorn-embroidered satin bomber jacket on page 41!

And, if you happen to have the current issue of ReadyMade, be sure to look for Jenny's 'Sewing Card Saint' on page 72. It's an embroidered photo of her mother from 1952. Glamorous and lovely.

Sublime Stitching has new stuff in the store! Just visit us to see what awaits you...

Hot Pink Pistol

Hot Pink Pistol has just added brand new goodies!
Check out my new series of new Dead Rappers, vintage hand painted suitcases, new girly girl paintings and new clothes!

Vickie Howell
Knitty Gritty: Knitty Gritty is now not only on daily on DIY but also on HGTV! Tune in weekdays at 11am/10amCT. This just in, new epsiodes from Season 6 will air daily for the first 3 weeks in February. See Vickie's Blog for a complete list of shows (and all kinds up up to the minute news).
Don't forget though, Knitty Gritty is only on HGTV for a limited time. If you don't have it already, make sure you call your cable provider and demand, "I want my DIY!", so you don't miss out on upcoming seasons!

New Book: Knitty Gritty Knits, a compilation of kick-ass projects from the first 3 seasons of Knitty Gritty, has hit shelves. Grab it on-line at at your local book store or get a signed copy at one of the spots on Vickie's book tour!

Book Tour: Vickie Howell's coming to town! Starting this weekend, Vickie will begin a 13 city tour! From Anaheim, CA to Boston, MA, she will be visiting yarn stores and Barnes & Nobles accross the country. Check out her Events Calendar for details. She'd love to meet you all so please stop by and say "hi" at any of the appearances!

New Yarn Line: Vickie has joined forces with the amazing SWTC to produce her very own yarn line! The Vickie Howell Collection consists of 3 yarns: CRAFT (35% Milk Fiber/65% Organic Cotton), ROCK (40% Soysilk/30% Wool/30% Hemp), and LOVE (70% Bamboo/30% Silk). Look for it in a yarn store near you! Psst...most of the yarn store book signing events on the tour will also include "yarn tastings". You won't wanna miss it! Knit In: On Superbowl Sunday, please join Vickie and the DIY Network for a Television Knit In to benefit Warm Up America. There will be a 6 hours of back-to-back Knitty Gritty episodes, accompanied by a simulateous live chat/blog session with Vickie during the entire marathon! Save up all of those hot burning Knitty Gritty questions and she'll answer them personally on the DIY Website, on February 4th 2007. Check your local listings for Knit In times.

Kiwi Magazine: Vickie now has a regular column in the new healthy parenting magazine, KIWI, focussing on eco-friendly crafts. Check out the current issue for how-to on making super-cute felted pillows out of recycled sweaters! KIWI Magazine's on newsstands today!

As always, thanks for reading and for shopping indie!

Needles & Gluesticks,

Austin Craft Mafia

(Jenny, Karly, Vickie, Jennifer, Jen, Tina, Jesse, Hope & Susann)

P.S. Don't forget to check us out on MySpace!

New Knitty Gritty Everyday on HGTV!

2007-01-23T16:56:00.000-06:00

This just in...February 1st-19th, HGTV will air brand-spankin' new Season 6 episodes of Knitty Gritty, EVERY DAY! That's right, 13 more episodes , no reruns, on every weekday, for almost 3 weeks. Here's the episode schedule:

<
2/1- 9-Patch Baby Blanket/Lily Chin/Reversible Cables
2/2- Wild & Crazy Hats/John Brinegar/Knit Scultpturing
2/5- Pajama Party/Jennifer Worick/Pampering Projects
2/6- Book of Bright Ideas/Cecily Keim/Entrelac Journal
2/7- Rockin' Gloves/Marnie McLean/Sock Yarn Wristlets
2/8- Knit Jewelry/Kim Wilson/Novelty Yarn/Beads
2/9- Cushie/Debbie Abrahams/Knitted Cushions
2/12- Forever Plaid/Teva Durham/Slip Stitch Intarsia
2/13- Game Day/Tina Whitmore/Felted Backgammon Board
2/14- We be Jammin'/Shannitta Williams Alleyne/Rasta Hat
2/15- Free Formin' Feet/Myra Wood/Free Form Knitting
2/16- Delightful Details/Anne McCauley/Detailed Knitted Patterns
2/19- 3-D Scarves/Melissa Matthay/3-D Knitting

If you like having new shows on everyday, please let the HGTV know by filling out this form. It'd be great to join Uncommon Threads & Craft Lab in the daily format!

Oh, and don't forget, Knitty Gritty will only be on HGTV for a limited time. If you don't have it already, make sure and call your cable provider to say, "I want my DIY!" So you don't miss out on future seasons!

Happy Knitting!,
Vickie

Life Lessons from Nacho Libre

2007-01-22T08:02:00.000-06:00

My whole note writing life has been a lie! For the past 20+ years I've been signing letters with some variation of "xo". Sometimes with an emphasis on "x"s, sometimes the emphasis on "o"s --all depending on the intent of my note closure. Confident in the way I was handing out penned hugs and kisses, I've carelessly x'd my little heart out (often excluding the jezebel "o"s completely), thinking that I was sending out tons of huggable love. But no. At 33, I have learned that all of these years, I have been wrong.
We were watching Nacho Libre over the weekend when Jack Black's character narrated a letter he wrote to his Nun-crush that ended in a series of "xxooxxoXooo"s, which he read one-by-one.."hug- hug-kiss-kiss- hug...". I commented to the BF, "They screwed up. He's reading it backwards. The x's are supposed to be the hugs and the o's for the kisses. Duh." To which BF says, "Ummm, no they didn't."
"Yes!", I say. "The 'x' is for the crossing of the hugging bodies and the "o" is for the kissing mouth."
"Noooo", BF remarks, "the "o"s are for the arms wrapping around someone and the "x" is for marking the kissable spot."
"Seriously?", I say. "But all of my life I've been writing it the opposite way."
"Seriously.", he says.

This realization has me cataloguing every letter, note and e-mail I've ever written. Is is because I signed a note "xx" (what I thought to be, hug-hug) to the boy in 4th grade who was clearly "just a friend", that he suddenly asked me to "go around" with him? Surely the actuality of my "kiss-kiss" verbiage must've thrown him! Would signing "oo", which looks vaguely like boobs BTW, have been any less confusing? Does the fact that I across the board, tend to use more "x"s than "o"s make me seem less warm and more hussy-like? Seriously people, I'm totally a hugger! Furthermore, is the inner turmoil caused by this newfound clarity, evidence of some sort of lack of social maturity on my part?

I do not know, friends. I. Do. Not. Know.

That is all.

--Vickie