New Online Articles

The art of quilling has been around for centuries and it has indeed become a great form of art involving the use of strips of paper that are coiled and curled using a curling tool and shaped into shapes that will make up a much bigger design or pattern such as flowers.

This paper art was also known as paper filigree and for some others, it was named paper-scrolling. For those who practice the art centuries ago, they use to make use of quills in rolling the strips of paper, thus the name quilling. Today, a curling tool is used in making these fine paper ornaments.

If you want to try your hand on the art of quilling, you can actually start simple. Instead of buying pre-cut paper strips, you can practice on lightweight card stocks and cut them into the standard 1/8-inch strips.

Once you’re done practicing the curling and coiling, you can then try on the basic shapes. Here are the basic shapes you can start practicing.

The tight coil and the loose coil are the basic coils you need to practice because from these two, you can make the heart shape, the square, the teardrop, the marquis and the different scroll shapes. For example, in making the teardrop shape or the raindrop shape, as others would call it, you will start from making a loose coil and then pinching one side with your thumb and index finger to form the teardrop shape. The marquis shape is similarly done as well but pinching two opposite sides of the loose coil.

The challenge in practicing the art of quilling is the pattern or design you have to make. If it is your first time trying it, you can find great ideas on quilling resources online to appreciate the beauty of the designs made out of quilling. From making unique handmade cards to making 3d flowers and ornaments, you will be truly inspired to make your own simple designs and express your creativity.

Generally, the art of quilling is a simple art form and a very good hobby that you can even teach your children. Aside from inexpensive materials, it does not involve other machines or complicated tool as well. Of course, you just have to be extra careful if you are working with children. Make sure they are using the curling tool safe and make sure too that you are working with a non-toxic glue.

By being creative, you can actually make a lot of artistic products from quilling. For ideas on where to use quilling, you can make designs that can be framed and placed in your wall, you can also make cake toppers with them, quilled roses for mother’s day gift, or valentines gift, quilled flowers in baskets, scrapbooks, photo frames, holiday decors, and many other ornaments you can make with it. Indeed, from a simple rolling and curling of colorful paper, you can make a wonderful work of art. In fact, some of the quilling pieces from long ago are being placed in museums for their great design, artistry and beauty.

Carolyn Anderson loves to do paper crafting. For great quilling designs and modern guide on mastering the art of quilling, check out magic in quilling. For other resources, check out Subliminal Secrets Exposed, a guide to living a happy life.

Grinding practice is a large and diverse area of manufacturing and tool making. It can produce very fine finishes and very accurate dimensions, or in large production volume it can also roughen the surface of metal quite rapidly. It is usually better suited to the machining of very hard materials than is “regular” machining in the past was the only practical way to machine such materials as hardened steels.

There are several types of grinding media available. The most appropriate type will vary from one application to another. Common media include ceramic, glass, still and plastic.

One of the first considerations, when determining the best grinding media to use is whether or not the media will introduce any unwanted chemicals to the product being ground. Or will the media cause discoloration, as steel will often do to lighter colored product.

The next consideration is the specifications involved in the grinding process. What diameter of media will be used? What size chamber will be most appropriate? What density is appropriate, and what is the most cost effective media for this application. When determining the budget, there are multiple things to consider. Different media may be less expensive for one project, however, if it causes more wear and tear on other equipment, it will me more expensive in the long run. If the media itself last longer, it may be worth the higher cost up front because it will cost less in the long run. Other factors include wear-resistance, erosion-resistance, magnetism-resistance, high-temperature-resistance, high mechanical strength, high hardness and strong shock resistance.

Often it is necessary to run grinding trials with different media. Glass is typically a good place to start because the cost is low, typically has good wear properties, can be manufactured to be round, and can be purchased in a variety of grades.

Plastic media comes in just about any shape, size, density, texture imaginable. Depending on the application, you might select spherical, cube shaped, cone shaped, or pyramid shaped, just to name a few. The sizes range from sand and powder consistency to each particle being several inches each. Extensive studies have been done understand the effects of many media shapes on load behavior and mill power draw at various mill speeds and load filling.

The next category is polishing media. These, for obvious reasons, are most commonly less abrasive. Some media is even available in a paste form. Media in this arena are commonly made of materials, including carbon steel, stainless steel, inconel, etc. and can produce a mirror finish on all types of products.

Norstone Inc (http://www.norstoneinc.com/) has been providing mill operators and owners of all kinds with a wide range of proppants, industrial media supplies and grinding media. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

Quilling can be a fun art and it can be a great way to spice up your scrapbooks, personalize your gifts, and make your handmade cards unique and impressive. Quilling indeed is a simple way to express your creativity. If you love crafting paper and making designs on your own, for sure you would love quilling. To help you familiarize with this craft, here is a simple guide to quilling that you may find useful.

The Tools You Will Need

To start with the guide to quilling, you must have the materials needed. The basics materials you need in quilling are the quilling paper strips, curling tool and a clear glue. The paper strips are usually lightweight card stock cut into different strips. The standard and most commonly used size is 1/8″ but you can have narrower strips like 1/16″ or much wider strips such as 1/2″ to one inch. The size of the paper strips would depend largely on the design you have in mind. If you want a design with finer details, the narrower strips would be perfect. Paper strips are also in different colors to enhance your designs as well.

Aside from these three materials, you may also need tweezers, a corkboard to work on, straight pins and toothpicks to help you apply glue to your designs.

Making The Designs

To start, it would be of big help if you have a pattern to base your work from. This will be your guide to quilling your fist design. Be patient, as soon as you have mastered the different techniques in making the basic coils, you can have your own time to discover more unique designs.

The basic thing to learn in paper quilling is to make coils using your curling tool. Depending on the pattern you have, you can make tight coils or lose ones, and you can also make those specialized shapes like the teardrops, the square, the marquis or the eye shape - you can learn them one by one with techniques like pinching the sides of the coiled paper strips to make the shape. The teardrop shape, for example, which is a common shape that makes up most quilling designs is made by making a loose coil with your curling tool and pinching one side of it with the use of your thumb and your index finger to create a corner on one side, and make it appear like a teardrop pr a raindrop.

Basically, your design will make use of the basic shapes like the tight and loose coil. From there, you can make a lot of shapes including the scrolls and spirals. You can also find ideas on designs and patterns from the internet or from others that will help a lot as your guide to quilling your first art piece.

Mounting Your Design

Working on a corkboard can be a great idea to help you pin your design before finally gluing them on your card or paper. You can make use of a toothpick and tweezers to help put the glue on your finished design and help you mount fine coils. A clear and fast-drying glue is preferred by many to have a clean finish. As soon as you will be working on your own, you will eventually have know the difference and find your own preference with your tools and materials.

As soon as you mastered this basic guide to quilling, you can then move on to more unique projects. You can find a lot of great ideas to start with from others and from there, you can enjoy exploring other quilling designs and patterns. Have fun!

Carolyn Anderson loves designing her own cards. For more unique ideas and step-by-step guide to great quilling designs, check out Quilling Magic. Also check out Easy Face Painting, if you are interested in other art like face painting.

If you love making handmade cards and crafts, for sure, you would love to find great paper quilling ideas you can use in your creations. You can use them in ornaments, to personalize your gifts, in cards and scrapbooks, and many other things you can do with it. In expressing your art, you can only have your imagination as your limit.

Of course in art, it is always advisable to use your imagination in creating your crafts so that you can practice and hone your skills and discover new things about it. Although this is true, it could also help a lot if you can start with some paper quilling ideas t and just work on your own style as soon as you explore many other things you can do with quilling.

Anyway, we all have to start from the basics. Here are some basic ideas that you might find useful in your craft.

You can select the size of the quilling paper depending on the design you have to make. The standard paper size you can use is the 1/8″, which you can actually cut on your own in a paper trimmer or paper shredder, although you may not get this size in a shredder. Buying pre-cut strips is a good option though if you want them to curl perfectly. Of course, you would at least get a uniformly sized paper. But if you are just starting out, you may also opt to practice on paper that you cut yourself to at least save you a few dollars while still trying your hand on the craft.

To guide you through the correct size of paper you need, if your quilling project involves fine details, you may need narrower strips of quilling paper such as 1/16″ in size. For 3D sculpting and fringe designs, you may want to use wider strips - 1/2″ or 1/4″. For basic designs or when practicing, 1/8″ would do.

You can also choose from a variety of color to help enhance your design and paper quilling ideas. If you are choosing your own paper, make sure you choose something that has the same color at the front and back of the paper, or else it will mess up your design. A lightweight card stock will work nicely.

Choosing your glue is also essential in making your craft. Surely, you would not want your quill design to be stained with visible white glue all over. Choosing a glue that dries clear is recommended to avoid messing up with your design. One way to help you in gluing your creations especially involving those fine curls, is to spread the glue thinly on a paper and with tweezers, you can lightly press your quilled designs on it just enough for the bottom to get enough glue and stick it to your scrapbook or card. You can also make use of toothpicks to help you with the gluing.

Making your design is appreciated in quilling. This will truly unleash your creativity and allow you to make your own style. If you want to learn more paper quilling ideas and master the art of quilling, you first need to learn how to make basic designs and shapes. You can find useful resources on how to make teardrop designs to square designs. It will also be useful to observe from quilling masters and learn from them.

Carolyn Anderson enjoys a lot of hobbies and interests including scrapbooking. To learn more about mastering the art of quilling, check out Quilling Magic. If you love gardening, check out How To Make Hypertufa, a guide to making garden art.

Self-portraits are representations of an artist which he has painted, drawn, sculpted or photographed. Although these were rampant since the olden times, it is only during the mid 1400s or Early Renaissance period when artists were identified to depict themselves as the important character or main subject in their line of work. In fact, via panel portrait, which requires the help of cheaper and better mirrors, several printmakers, sculptors and painters were able to try self-portraiture.

A portrait is an image made to the likeness of a person. Oftentimes, it is the picture of a face that reveals an individuals features. Of course, there are cases wherein it reveals, suggests or depicts even more. Such photographic portraits can also reveal or depict a persons style, general personality, character, manner, demeanor, air or mien. This is aside from the bearing and appearance of the person.

Making a Portrait of Anyone
In making a photographic portrait, there are things you need to consider such as paying attention to composition, composing a beautiful portrait, controlling the background and being careful of the backgrounds sharp lines, making sure the lighting is appropriate as well as using light reflectors or fill flashes, getting the subject to look into the camera, carefully focusing on the individuals eyes, bracketing your photos as a type of insurance against good exposure and shooting various shots.

Making a Portrait of Someone Else
Making a portrait of someone else pertains to photographs made under a good setting and then revealing the person where a story can unfold. Aside from the factors affecting how you can make a portrait for anyone, when you are photographing someone else, there are other things you need to consider. This would include the need to ask permission to photograph him or her (why you need to plan ahead), to discover how you can gain access (only if necessary) and the need for advance planning (making a re-shoot very difficult).

Making a Self-Portrait
Self-portraits are referred to as photographs made in the right setting and thus revealing yourself in the process. When conducting a photo-shoot for yourself, there are several things you need to consider. This would include the difficulty to focus on your own eyes, the need to look for someone who can stand in on your behalf for focus issues (otherwise you need to set-up a prop 1st in order to set the focus), the need to utilize a mirror while shooting a reflection of the scene and the delicateness of focusing on the exact spot for your eyes as well as shooting with a shutter wide open because the lighting is low (so that the field depth becomes shallow), being expressive and in giving more information about yourself. You can also add using a tripod that has a self-timer or a long cable release that you can control as well as longer exposures and the inappropriateness of seeing more of the environment.

All about Women Painters in the Past
The most notable self-portrait producers ever since the olden days were women. In fact, these women have left a legacy of their work. Look into the works of Caterina van Hemessen, Frida Kahlo and Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrum. It is indicated that the latter had about 37 self-portraits painted. However, women at that time were not trained in nude drawings, making it very hard for them to paint bigger figure compositions.

In the 19th century, most self-portraits of women are paintings of themselves holding a palette and a brush. There were even speculations if the clothes they wore are really the ones they were wearing at the time.

For more information on Self Portraits in Baroque Period and Self Portraits in Romantic Periodplease visit our website.

Very few people have a hobby in these times; they’ll dismiss the idea by saying that they have work all day so don’t have time for hobbies. Little do they realise that adopting a hobby can be a brilliant way to unwind after a hectic day at work; whether your interests lie in knitting patterns or decoration dolls houses, there are a whole host of arts and crafts that you can take up as a hobby.

Knitting is a very soothing hobby to take up, but requires a lot of attention if you want to avoid dropping any stitches. The click, click, click of two knitting needles hitting together reminds me of sitting in my grandmother’s living room when I was younger, and I’m sure it conjures up the same images for many people. Knitting patterns can be fun regardless of whether you choose to knit a pair of bootees for a newborn baby in the family or if you want to make a blanket for your children to keep as a sort of family heirloom.

Decorating a dolls house is another way to leave your legacy in the family. If you’re expecting a baby girl and find yourself bored on maternity leave, then invest in one of the beautiful dolls houses that are available in many shops across the country. You can choose wall paper to hang inside and the furniture, even the doors and windows you want to make a truly unique house that your daughter can play with for years, and will no doubt want to save to give it to her daughter.

Scrap booking is a fantastic way to preserve your memories in a fun way. Personally, I have a box at home that I keep meaningful things in it such as photographs and ticket stubs from concerts and I plan to move these into a scrap book. You can customise each page of your book in a fun way that relates to the memories on that page. If you’ve still got letters from friends and first loves, then it’s always fun to glue those into the book so when you flick through it, you can remember all the different memories that make you who you are.

Many people now only paint as a way of decorating a room, but creating your own work of art is a brilliant way to relax. Your work may not instantly be up to Moet and Van Gough standards, but with practice you will get better at what you’re doing. Hobbies are something that seem to be becoming as out of fashion a crinoline skirts and handlebar moustaches, but if people realise they can relax this way then they are an alternative way to spend time other than watching television.

Dominic Donaldson is a hobbies expert.
Find out more about Knitting Patterns

This day and age knitting has a definite gender bent. We tend to think of it as a “granny” hobby done only by little old ladies rocking in wooden chairs. Maybe we think of young pregnant women waiting for the little bundle of joy to arrive. We never even consider a middle aged man who works in a factory to be a likely candidate to pick up knitting needles. Yet, this is by its very nature a sexist attitude. Could it be that as a society we’ve decided what a grown man can or cannot to just because we think it’s too feminine?

1.) Men deserve to relax too!

The truth is knitting is not just a pastime you engage in to simply throw together a pair of mittens. Let’s face it: buying them is quicker, easier, and cheaper! Knitting is not as much about the final product as it is about the process. It is almost meditative, a soothing, repetitive motion that has a similar effect on a person as the gentle rocking motion of a swing has on a small infant. The “click, click” sound the needles make are reminiscent of rain pattering on the roof at night. The whole experience makes a person feel cozy and relaxed.

2.) Creativity is NOT limited to women.

Men typically have a very good spatial sense. That stands them in good stead with this type of hobby. Like chess, certain knitting patterns require thinking rows ahead. Obviously, women can do this and have been for generations. Men can do it, too. It’s possible that because of the way men think, in a logical and linear fashion, some of these knitting patterns may actually makes more sense to them than to women. Many women may do these patterns as an extra challenge, but the almost mathematical precision required might make it simpler for men to grasp the knitting a little more quickly. Now, don’t misunderstand, that doesn’t mean men are necessarily better than women at this, just that they may have an advantage that makes knitting just as likely a hobby for men as it is for women.

3.) Men actually started this whole knitting thing to begin with.

It’s really true! In the 1500’s it was men who handled the knitting and the passing on of the tradition. There were rigorous tests and requirements for young men hoping to knit for a living. They had to be able to make several different types of articles at a high rate of speed with a certain level of quality before they were allowed to be considered knitting masters. The only reason that knitting ceased to be a tradition taught and apprenticed in such a manner was because a man invented the knitting machine in the late 1500’s. It took a while, but once the machines caught on and clothes were made more easily, faster, and cheaper, hand-knitting became more of a tradition or hobby than a necessity. It then was passed to the women who began to use knitting as a way to train for manual dexterity and industry, a classic way to not be idle.

4.) Constructive idleness can be a great alternative to simply “vegging out”.

A person can be knitting and still be resting. If a person is watching a movie or television, he or she can still be working on a project and take much better advantage of that otherwise idle time. When one stops to consider the tremendous amount of time our society spends doing nothing more than watching television it’s actually quite staggering. A person could convert that time into something useful like a garment, rug, dishcloth or some other useful item. There are organizations that like to have hand-knit items for the people they are helping. One good example is the quantity of cancer support groups that help provide hats for chemotherapy patients. If a man could master a simple hat pattern, he could learn to practically do it in his sleep and provide something useful and beautiful for someone in need.

5.) Delayed gratification and patience are stretched and strengthened with knitting.

Do you realize that you are not going to finish a project immediately? Chances are it will take several days working consistently to produce a project, and “several days” would actually only apply to a very small project (a hat or one mitten, or something of that nature). A more labor intensive project, say, a sweater for example, may actually take months. Knitting is not something you do to get something quickly. It’s something that is done with the idea of creating something beautiful to keep for a long time, a treasure. Some people like gifts, some people like quality time, some people like someone to do things for them. Knitting does all three.

The fact is all of these are good reasons to knit, not just for women but for men as well. It’s a nice idea that a man can put off that normal societal pressure and take up such a useful, relaxing hobby as knitting. Women never abandoned the craft even though it really is so much easier to buy garments already made. Maybe there is simply a part of us that needs to keep that tradition, that love of something personally made. Knitting can certainly fulfill a need in us to keep connected, to relax into an understandable pattern, a routine, and do things that are special and unique for one another. Embracing the fine art of knitting is to embrace a classic piece of our heritage, and one that is worthy of our attention and dedication. Maybe it is time for women AND men to begin to knit.

JJ Vazquez is a primary contributor and editor for the blog located at the Begin to Knit website. She is also CEO of the Vazquez Group, a business dedicated to education and cultural advancement. Visit Begin to Knit to receive “Purls of Wisdom”, the site newsletter.

If you’re creative about choosing wedding favors, these fun gifts can serve double duty at your reception as decor and as a memento for guests. With so many options, picking out wedding favors is great fun, but depending on how many guests you’ve invited, buying wedding favors can get pricey! If you’re looking to save costs but still offer your guests unique wedding favors, consider some of these do-it-yourself favors for wedding guests depending on your theme:

Celebratory Toast Themed Wedding Favors

If you’re planning a bit more of a formal wedding, consider using martini glasses to create unique wedding favors. The martini glass makes a wonderful keepsake — but it’s what you put inside them that make them ‘pop’ on the table. To add color to your table, fill them with jellybeans, chocolate pieces, or mints in your wedding colors, then use a hot glue gun to attach a beautiful silver or gold charm and a colored ribbon to the glass.

Tie beautiful ribbon around the top of the neck with a personalized tag. As a finishing touch, place a chocolate pretzel in the glass to look like a stir stick. When you’re done, you’ll have a treat that all your guests will love regardless of their age.

Nautical Themed Unique Favors for Wedding Guests

For a nautical themed wedding, offer favors for wedding guests that are spilling from a miniature treasure chests. To add a personal flair, add a personalized monogram with craft paint on the lid of this nautical chest. Fill the treasure chests with a variety of treats such as chocolates, mints, and candies to mimic real treasure.

Cowboy Themed Wedding Favors

Cowboy themed weddings offer a wealth of fun and creative decorating options! Try lining the tables with a handkerchief patterned tablecloth and using overturned cowboy hats as centerpieces. Fill each hat with chocolate bars in personalized wrappers that your guests can take home with them at the end of the night. To take the theme further, place mini felt cowboy hats next to each place setting and fill with mints or chocolates. For a personalized touch, use a fine-tipped metallic marker to write the bride and groom’s name on each mini hat.

Unique Wedding Favors for Beach Themed Weddings

Many beach themed weddings are destination weddings. In this case, a personalized mini suitcase-shaped tin filled with mints or chocolates makes a fun favor. To add even more value to these gifts, attach a magnet to the back of the tin so that your guests can display it for years to come. Another idea is to fill a champagne glass with sand and shells or with candies and chocolate. To customize the favor, tie a bow with a personalized favor ribbon imprinted with your names and the wedding date.

When it comes to creating unique wedding favors, the possibilities are endless. To save money, start with some unique wedding favor inspiration pieces and then complete the personalization and assembly yourself. Not only will they have a personal flair that ideally suits your wedding theme, these are truly unique gifts that you and your guests will treasure for years to come.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on unique wedding favors, visit http://www.weddingfavorsunlimited.com/.

Art Journaling is a fairly new form of artistic expression that combines self-help with creativity. Art journaling is taking the diary, or journal, one step further by adding doodling, drawing, coloring, magazine cutouts, stamping and other forms of visual expression to the words you write. You don’t have to be an artist to do art journaling. You just have to have a notebook or journal, writing tools, and perhaps magazine, scissors and glue.

The arts have been known for their healing powers for centuries in other cultures. Today the U.S. therapy field is beginning to realize that creating art is a powerful healing tool. Researchers have found that keeping a journal has a positive impact on physical well-being. Psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker (University of Texas-Austin) believes that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. Pennebaker says that writing about stressful events helps to come to terms with them, thereby reducing the impact of these stressors on physical health. Other research has shown that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Aside from what the scientists have discovered, there are many more benefits to journaling that we journalers have long known. Being creative without feeling you have to be “an artist” is a wonderfully freeing feeling. It can help you deal with all kinds of emotional problems, and bring you joy and a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Some other benefits of journaling include:
- Clarify your thoughts and feelings
- Get to know yourself better by putting your thoughts on paper
- Reduce stress
- Solve problems more effectively
- Track patterns, trends and improvement and growth in your life
- Gain surprising and valuable insights into yourself
- Get a broader and more accurate perspective on yourself
- Provides a safe way to express negative feelings
- Can get your creative juices flowing

Remember being a child and coloring, glueing and cutting? Remember how fun that was? We all yearn to be creative, and it’s a shame that only children and “artists” are encouraged to be creative.

Pick up a pencil, crayon, or marker and start art journaling. Your project doesn’t have to be worthy of an award, but it does have to be something that brings you pleasure. So don’t be afraid that someone will judge you on your art. You don’t need to show it to anyone. It is a journal after all.

Heightened awareness, relaxation, vitality, healing, self-worth, and the ability to connect with others are a few of the words used by people who have found their inner self through art journaling. So go on, get out some paper and markers and start art journaling. You’ll get lost in your own creative world in no time, and find yourself feeling free and alive.

Cat Williams is a freelance writer and advocate of using art journaling as a healing tool. To find more info on the benefits of journaling, go to her website at Self-Help-Healing-Arts-Journal.com.

In this time of economic crisis, beginning to knit might actually be a good thing. Although it may seem at first glance to be counter-intuitive, the fact is that aside from the stress-relieving qualities of knitting, there may be other important factors as well - that of creating an additional income stream.

A young woman in beleaguered Elkhart, Indiana, recently made famous on the news when President Obama visited to talk about what he would do about unemployment, discovered this little secret. She has many friends that appreciated some of the knitted items that she was beginning to wear in the cold weather, including a beautiful sweater made especially for her to wear to work - knit by her husband.

Yes, that’s right, her husband.

During the winter months at his job, he is generally lucky to put in a 20 hour week. This particular year was a little worse than others. They had seen difficulties as well due to a foreclosure, and other situations that had put their finances in a tailspin.

“One of the girls that I work with commented on how pretty my scarf was,” said the young woman, who we’ll call Jenny to protect her privacy. “I asked what she would pay for one like it, and the idea just grew from there.” Before she knew it, she had collected orders for around 25 scarves, a real blessing for all considering Christmas was just around the corner. “It almost replaced my husband’s lost income from the time off, and we were able to make our bills.” Jenny also commented that, although it is an unusual pastime for a man, knitting proved to be most beneficial for him in this situation. “It’s hard on a man to not be able to make money to take care of his family. This way, he was able to use his knitting skill.”

It was good for Jenny’s colleagues too as her husband was able to custom knit the scarves. He had different styles of stitches and an unbelievable variety of colors. He knit them for men, women and children. There is an extra added bonus - she works at a leading retailer and was able to get a discount on the yarn. There were actually people picking out the yarn they wanted to use. Some wanted school colors, some wanted to match with a favorite coat, and some wanted colors to match their favorite team. Fortunately, Jenny’s husband is highly proficient and was able to knit at about the rate of one scarf per six hours of straight-on knitting.

And he still managed to maintain the tradition of making a hand-knit sweater for each of their four children for Christmas.

Does it bother Jenny that he knits so much better than she does? Not even a little bit. In fact, he is actually the person who taught her to knit. She is really quite proud of him. “He is highly gifted,” she said. Maybe in these difficult times, more of us should begin to knit as well.

JJ Vazquez is a primary contributor and editor for the blog located at the Begin to Knit website. She is also CEO of the Vazquez Group, a business dedicated to education and cultural advancement. Visit Begin to Knit to receive “Purls of Wisdom”, the site newsletter. Also highly recommended is Knitting For Profit, a site by Liz Raad, for more great ideas on streams of income for knitters.