Posted by angharad on 2007-09-21 13:09:34
Post Subject: Los Angeles craft center
Hi! i wanted to let you all know that I have just opened a craft center in Santa Monica. We offer weekly classes, but more importantly we have a studio full of light, tables and tools for all sorts for crafts-fiber art, book binding, soap making, candles, polymer clay...you name it we probably support it. We really hope to be a gathering place for crafty people in the LA area, so come by with your ideas and check us out-we''d love to meet you!
Posted by Aardvark on 2007-11-26 13:13:12
Post Subject: Soy Candles
Anybody know where I can find soy flakes for making candles? I live in New Jersey and I'd prefer in store shopping, but online is ok too, as long as it's U.S.
Posted by revafisheye on 2007-03-09 14:57:21
Post Subject:
It is true that Maggi is the largest private soy producer in the world, but its product is not going to North America, and it's not likely making candles.
The company grossed $600 million in sales this year, primarily managing the production, trade and processing of over 2 million tons of soy, most of it destined for livestock in Europe and Asia.
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11756
Just in the last few years has Brazil passed the US in soybean production.
The tactics of the Brazilian clear-cutters are certainly something to be concerned about, but the US is not importing foreign soy. We make more than enough here.
Posted by chromegrrrl on 2006-08-28 14:27:30
Post Subject:
I thought I was the only one that did this sort of stuff. You make me feel much better-- I was making candles and made the whole house smell like strawberry shortcake.
Try borox laundry booster as a paste (mix just enough water so it's about as thick as toothpaste) then smush it down over the spots and let it dry, vacuum it up or wipe it up, then follow with some regular soap and water.
Or if you want really aggressive, use 50/50 rubbing alcohol and liquid dish detergent (the cheap runny stuff is the best) and let it set for an hour or so then clean it up (wear gloves, because it will strip the oils from your skin and I'm pretty sure breathing alcohol fumes won't be too good for you either)
Posted by xuli on 2004-09-11 15:41:42
Post Subject:
1. how did you learn to knit? how old were you then and old are you now?
My best friend taught me how my senior year in college. I was 21. I'm 27 now.
2. knitting = nesting? is your knitting a way of getting back to simpler times?
No. I like MlleEmily's answer about not romanticizing the simpler times -- I was going to say the same thing.
3. in regards to the current resurgence in knitting, when do you think it started and why?
I have no idea.
4. do you have a crafty group that you meet with? how often? why do you dig it?
Yeah, every couple of weeks. I dig it because going somewhere where people bring their projects to show off motivates me to finish mine.
5. where do you go online to discuss/learn/share your craftiness? how do these sites inspire you in ways that real life conversations don't?
Um, getcrafty.com. These sites inspire me in a way that real life doesn't because there's just such a wealth of knowledge out there that isn't possible in real life. Among my real life friends I'm pretty much the craftiest one, the one people go to in order to find out how to do stuff, but I consider myself pretty non-knowledgable about most crafts, and online there are so many people who know so much more than I do, so when I have questions I have a base of people who much more knowledgable than I am about something to help me out.
6. is there a subversive element to knitting? a punk rock element? or simply a DIY smugness?
It depends. Knitting for me has definitely helped me to shop less, which is sort of subversive, but knitting also attracts a lot of yarn snobs.
7. why do you knit?
It's a creative outlet and it makes me feel self-sufficient. Plus, I can make things that are nicer and cuter than most of the stuff in stores. (Like the poncho I made myself -- it cost me $10 in yarn and it looks way better than any of the supertrendy ponchos that my friends have bought at Macy's. Ha! Listen to my DIY smugness. This should be filed under the answer to question #6.)
8. what other crafty things do you do besides knitting?
I'm learning to quilt. I crochet. I used to sew when I was a kid, and am trying to get back into that. I also cook a lot more (and better) than a lot of people; does cooking count? I've done lots of random crafts from time to time, like making candles from remnants of old candles, but I wouldn't say I "do" them in the sense of doing them regularly.
9. the future of knitting- is there one or are we just kidding ourselves?
Of course there's one. It's fun. Anything fun has a future.
10. do you prefer to knit alone or with other people? why?
Both. I like hanging out with friends and talking and knitting, but I also like zoning out in front of the TV and knitting alone.
11. true or false: can craft save us all? (elaboration here would be nice, but not necessary.)
This is an attagirl from another Jean, only I'm an 81-year-old retired college
prof in, you guessed it, Home Ec.
I found your Getcrafty book on our library's new books list and was curious. I
was a crafty housewife, with 2 years at Wellesley before I married, and with two
little girls who grew up during the 60's. It was then that I decided that there
was something in this feminism movement so went back to college (Ohio State) as
one of the first adult students. I chose Home Ec because I thought I could do a
better job than some of the teachers who my girls had had in high school. Well!
My whole life changed. I found myself in the middle of the campus riots, arguing
with young men who thought that a woman's place was barefoot, pregnant and one
step behind! When I finished my degrees (MS in Textiles) I could no longer
communicate with my old friends who cried when their children went off to college
and who spent their days playing bridge or watching soaps. I ended up teaching
Home Ec. at the college level and passed on my strong message that women counted,
could still be good parents/wives and also have a career ....but it took planning!!
I'm retired now, back to those great crafts... you name it I've done it... and am
delighted that my 2 girls are both homemakers and career women who, although super
busy are happy with their lives.
Which brings me back to my attagirl message: I'm delighted that your web page is
so successful and that your book is so inviting. The artistic side of life is SO
important and that self satisfaction of doing something creative is what all of us
need in this world. My special pursuit right now is quilting, but I also was an
avid knitter (at Wellesley in 1941 we used to knit in class... can you imagine
Hillary doing that?) and I still love making candles and soap. Thanks for opening
many doors for your generation.
PS: Glad to know that The Reader's Digest sewing book is still a good one... I
used it as a text in all of my clothing construction courses.
Posted by Miss Rachel on 2005-05-02 21:39:48
Post Subject:
I'm 24. I'm into doing collage, mixed-media, book arts, photography, drawing, ceramics on the wheel, you name it. But more often, these days, I do simpler, Michaels-type crafty stuff, like making candles, beaded jewelry, etc. I went to art school, and now I'm finishing up a masters degree in art education. I also play the drums and I've been in a few bands... I love to sing too, and I'm a freak for karaoke.
Other stuff I like: bubble tea, magazines (especially Bust and Bitch), keeping journals, good people, cities, going dancing, tarot cards, astrology, listening to records, the library, good food (in large quantities), public transit, d.i.y., radical feminism, drag shows, and plucking my eyebrows.
I like this website (and the Get Crafty book) because they inspire me to stay actively creative, and to make things myself instead of just being a consumer.
I think creativity is basically what makes life worth living.
