Cozy

I have socks!  I mean, I had socks... but now I have my very first pair of hand-knit socks, and they're awesome.  They were made by Gina Dahl, of Dahlish Knits.

Based on these, I highly recommend her shop, and may very well buy some more myself!  I didn't actually buy these, though.  She hosted a giveaway on her blog earlier this month and I won!  The funniest part?  She used a D&D die to choose the winner.  Geeky as I am, that's so fitting.

Like a glove!  Or... y'know... a sock.  And they're so soft.

Artist Spotlight: Parts Thirty-Two and Thirty-Three

I got incredibly busy last week and didn't get a chance to post the artist spotlight, so this week you get two, you lucky dogs!  Our first artist is one you've met on this blog before, Twiddletoes!  So what's she been doing since last May?

How about convertible mitts?!

And slippers?

And hats?

And of course her traditional and tabi socks, which can be found in her Etsy shop, her Cargoh shop, and on her website.

For news?  The blog.

Our second artist this week is another sort of knitter, one you haven't met here before, Gina Dahl of Dahlish.   A creative force, Gina has a huge passion for knitting and creating.  For her, there's nothing better than curling up on the couch with some good music and a knitting project.

She doesn't stop there, of course.  She also loves to play the piano, build things with her kids, and take the dog for walks.

So... what makes her different?  Well, if you check out her Etsy shop, you'll see that she sells knitted dolls!

And puppets!

Clutch toys!

And character or animal blankets, like this giraffe and dragon!

But if you want to really get to know her, you'll read her blog.  It's there that she'll tell you about her kids, her dog, her cooking, and other things she's knitting, like these really cute ornaments.

And this pretty sweater.

I have a question.  What can't she do?

Artist Spotlight: Part Nineteen

And now for something completely different... Twiddletoes, from Atlanta, GA!

Is it states on the website that "Twiddletoes Socks specializes in handknit, artisan footwear, designed entirely by me and created by hand - no machines, no mills, and no mass production.  From unique Japanese-inspired tabi socks to my Simple Luxury line, you're guaranteed a finely crafted pair of socks that are well-fitting and comfortable, whether they're for yourself or a gift for a friend or loved one."

So how did Twiddletoes come about?  It started about six years ago when the artist had been cringing over people shoving their flipflops on over their regular socks.  This led to her knitting of tabi for the biggest offenders in her life, her dad and her husband.  This expanded when she realized there was quite a bit of interest in her tabi and she ended up taking them to craft fairs and festivals.

The luxury line is made from luxurious natural fibers, like cashmere, alpaca, and yak.  The design of Twiddletoes' tabi and other socks is completely original.

Heart and soul goes into every pair of Twiddletoes socks.  As the artist herself says on her blog, "Handmade socks, to me, are hugs for your feet.  When you slide on a pair of hand knit socks, there's a warmth there that storebought socks don't have."

Would you believe that a single pair of socks from her Simple Luxury line (which can be found in her Etsy shop), contains over 34,000 stitches and uses a little over 1/4 of a mile of yarn?!

In her spare time, ha ha, when she's not writing, gardening, playing with the dog, cooking, exercising, reading, watching movies, or engrossed in one science fiction series or another, she's doing things like knitting this great lace piece as a Mother's Day gift for her grandmother.

Plus, she's got an awesome sense of humor, and if you have one as well, you can get this very cool felted headache pill that's almost 6" long and made from her yarn scraps.  

As it says in her shop, "whether it's squeezing it to death instead of your co-worker or lobbing it at  your partner who's asking whether you picked up the dry cleaning, this felted pill might bring you a bit of relief on a stressful day."

I love it!