Usually I’m the one rounding up crafty folks to feature in my weekly art & craft column, but recently I got a chance to but down my notebook and share a bit about my crafty life and business. Yesterday, I was featured on p. 7 in The Detroit News Homestyle section. You can read the story online here.

I also contributed a short tutorial on how to weave a small purse on the 13-peg CraftSanity Potholder Loom. This is a great parent and child project for beginning weavers. The sample was made by weaving two squares, one on top of the other, and then connecting loops from the top and bottom squares on three sides as the squares are removed from the loom. (See the article for step-by-step instructions.) You can weave a third square for a flap or go without. The beauty of handmade is that you get to make all the design choices as you go.

A special thanks to Jocelynn Brown for featuring me in her weekly Handmade column. It was a real kick to featured in my hometown newspaper in the same issue detailing the Prince Fielder’s mega deal with the Detroit Tigers. I hope he spends that $214 million wisely. (Don’t even get me started on how nonsensical it is to pay pro athletes this much money. Check out Brad Pitt’s movie “Moneyball” to explore the Hollywood version of the business of pro sports. It’s pretty good.)

Maybe Prince will fund an arts program for inner city youth in Detroit. A girl can dream… In the meantime, I’m just going to be grateful for this lovely opportunity.

A couple weeks back when I thought my column writing days were numbered, I had a bit of a panic because I came very close to blowing my opportunity to write about one of the nicest people on the planet.

A newspaper reader had sent me a tip about Bob Roskamp, an 82-year-old West Michigan man who crochets blankets for charity, and I took my sweet time following up. As the clock ran down on my old newspaper contract, I knew I had to move fast if I wanted to make good on my promise to write about Bob.

I reached Bob the day before he was headed out of town and I still can’t believe he agreed to do an interview on such short notice. A couple hours after my initial call I was in his kitchen. He got out some of his blankets and showed me the albums where he keeps photos of all 400 plus blankets that he’s made for charity. His crochet skills are impressive and his passion for helping others is inspiring.

If he can stitch hundreds of bed-sized blankets to give away to orphans, I can’t help but wonder what could happen if more people approached charity crafting with even half as much gusto.

You can read  Bob’s story here. It ran in on the cover of Monday’s edition of The Grand Rapids Press.

If you know about an extraordinary crafter like Bob, please let me know. My column is continuing (Yay!) and I’m always looking for inspiring people to write about.

Have a great day!

* Pantone’s Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango

* The Square – an awesome device and app that makes accepting credit cards an affordable breeze for handmade business owners with Android smartphones, iPhones or iPads

* and other tidbits about mending, recycling and repurposing, buying local and the quiet rise of macrame

So check out the column and let me know what you think is going to take the craft world by storm this year.

And here is my TV segment about these trends.

Wow, it’s Thursday already. How did that happen? I overbooked and this week totally got away from me. The good news is that I still found time to cook, read, and run in addition to my usual work load. There was no time to waste this week and that was probably a good thing.

Now that I’m back at my computer, I want to thank all of the lovely people who left comments on my last post about getting to keep my newspaper column. I really appreciate all the support and encouragement. Thank you!

I had been dreading having to write my last newspaper column this week. Instead, I ended up working on three columns which was challenging to fit into the schedule, but a very nice problem to have. These are some wild times, my friends, but things seem to be working out.

We Have a Winner! I didn’t intend to make you wait to hear who won the “Sweet Shawlettes” giveaway, my apologies for prolonging the suspense. The Random Number Generator selected Ellen Margulies. (Congrats, Ellen!) If any of you missed my podcast interview with the book author, Jean Moss, you can find it here.

I have more podcasts in the hopper. If you’d like to sponsor one, please get in touch. Rates and info are available here. You’ll find advertising info for the CraftSanity Magazine at the same link, so check out the rates and say the word if you want to be part of any upcoming CraftSanity projects.

Work on the spring issue of CraftSanity is ramping up. I’m still looking for more projects to feature this spring and summer. So let me know if you have a fabulous design up your sleeve. I love working with new designers and can’t wait to hear your ideas.

Oh, and after years of making chili with ground turkey and doing my best to avoid the meat when filling my own bowl, I made veggie chili for the first time last night and LOVED it. This was a no brainer and long overdue as I seem to be developing an aversion to food with a face. (This has been going on for several years.) I will post my recipe as soon as I get a chance to take some nice photos. Natural light is my favorite, but it doesn’t help me when I’m trying to shoot photos of dinner on dark winter evenings.

Ok, I have to go whip up some samples with Amelia for tomorrow’s craft segment on WZZM Channel 13′s “Take Five” morning show. I’ll be back soon with some tasty recipes and fun projects.

This was a first for me. Until that letter arrived, I had never been terminated from a job – ever. Even though the newspaper was terminating all the freelance contracts and intellectually I knew the letter was not intended as a personal attack, I couldn’t help but feel like a total loser.

The letter mentioned that someone from the company might “reach out” if they wanted to continue working with me, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I surrendered to the universe and did not plead for my job or try to make a case for why they should keep me on when the reorganized newspaper company launches in early February. Instead I just focused on moving on, wondering what I would feel like once I shed my newspaper columnist title. Even though I’ve been publishing my own magazine for more than a year, it’s nice to have a legitimate title that I didn’t make up myself. There’s a certain credibility in that.

Last week, my husband and I went on a walk around the neighborhood during which we brainstormed ways to expand my handmade business and publish more of my work. I also lamented a bit about how I was going to thank my readers for giving me the opportunity to write exclusively about what I loved for roughly three years. Had they not responded positively, the jig would have been up much sooner. How was I going to wrap up the best print journalism gig I’ve ever had?

Turns out I won’t have to figure that out – at least not yet. Jeff and I returned home from our walk to find a thick envelope in the mailbox. It was a contract for me to keep writing my column for an expanded statewide audience.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, not sure what to make of it.

It’s no secret that I LOVE writing about art and craft, so it should come as no surprise that after a couple days of reflection, I decided to take the company up on its offer. (And, yes, I am aware that this opens me up to the very real possibility of being terminated from the same gig a second time.)

The strange part is that I still feel like I’ve had the wind knocked out of me. It really stunk to receive a termination letter followed by weeks of corporate silence. I had no reason to believe I would be part of the new media product and I was preparing myself to show as much grace as possible in the event that a lower-priced replacement writer was brought in. I just prayed that he or she would at least know the difference between knit and crochet. I had trouble sleeping even though I was telling people that I was “moving on.” And despite the fact that the newspaper column is not a lucrative gig by any means, it’s more than just a job to me. I love talking to people about what they make. I enjoy having a weekly dialog with newspaper readers, and I have a special place in my heart for those who don’t have any desire to go online and follow me on Twitter.

And, sadly, I’m one of the lucky ones. Many of my former colleagues lost their jobs in the latest round of cuts (or the two or three rounds before that), with many of them deciding to call it quits and exit the unstable journalism industry once and for all. As a society we lose each time another seasoned journalist loses a job or decides to change careers.

I’m not sure how long it will take for the industry to stabilize, but I hope it happens soon. Journalism is key to protecting our democracy. (Yes, I recognize that my column is more entertainment driven than democracy-protecting, but you get my drift. And for the record, I’ve done my share of hard news coverage and still perfectly capable of it.)

So I guess this means I’m back, even though I never actually left. My apologies to those who I upset with news of my termination. Now I’m wishing I could have spared you all the drama. And thanks to all of you who have written kind notes and said encouraging things about my work. I continue to be amazed by the kindness of strangers and kindred spirits who seem to know exactly when to send me a show of support. Thank you so much!

I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to be a newspaper columnist and plan to make the most of the experience while it lasts. I hope you’ll come along with me on this next leg of the journey. Since my new audience stretches beyond West Michigan, I plan to adjust my coverage accordingly and I’m excited to see where this leads. You’re invited to send your story ideas to jennifer@craftsanity.com and help me cover the art & craft in the mitten like never before. You can start by introducing yourself and telling me what you make.

Here’s to second chances and unexpected good news.

P.S. I had my husband take the ridiculous photo at the top of this post in the freezing cold after I signed my new contract. I don’t usually sport giant doilies on my back AND rainbow aprons when I go out on column interviews – although that would explain the initial termination. : ) I also don’t draw very well, so the photo was my attempt at creating a caricature of myself. Did it work? Not so sure. Ah, well, celebrate your quirks, my friends.

Yesterday I made a last-minute scramble to interview British knit designer Jean Moss via Skype. I had previously agreed to be part of her blog tour for her new book “Sweet Shawlettes: 25 Irresistible Patterns for Knitting Cowls, Capelets and More” and had planned to post a Q&A with her today.

But then I started reading her bio and thought better of it. I wanted to hear her tell her story and thought you might enjoy that, too. It worked out for all of us that Jean has a fun and spontaneous spirit, otherwise I don’t think this podcast would have happened on short notice.  (A special thanks to my husband, Jeff, for helping with the speedy turnaround.)

Jean has been a knit designer for 30 years and her career was launched after a chance meeting with one of Ralph Lauren’s agents. What happened next is quite a story that you’ll have to tune in to hear.

Since her big break, Jean has gone on to design for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Laura Ashley and Benetton. She contributes regularly to Rowan Knitting, Crochet Magazine, The Knitter, and Vogue Knitting. She also writes a “Ask Jean” advice column for the U.K. magazine Knitting.

When she’s not knitting, Jean likes to cook, lead tours, garden and sing. And this episode includes a musical treat. We let Jean play us out with her song: “More Yarn Will Do the Trick.”

She has written 10 books and is currently promoting “Sweet Shawlettes” ($21.95 US), a book filled with 25 patterns for beginner and advanced knitters. The patterns are divided into four categories: country, couture, folk and vintage, so there’s a nice variety of projects to pick from.

Lovely photos by Alexandra Grablewski as well as detailed charts and illustrations accompany the written patterns. A helpful “techniques and stitches” section at the back offers knitters additional information to get them clicking away on the projects right away.

When I get my next non-work related knitting break, I want to make the Harlequin Cape, shown on the cover.

I  also like the Arabesque Scarf on p. 64. (above)  It can be made in two sizes and makes lovely use of the feather and fan stitch pattern.

And while I will probably not get time to knit the challenging leopard print Kitty Capelet on p. 84 anytime soon, it’s very cool and would be  fun to sport around town.

I could go on about “Sweet Shawlettes” but I’ll stop here and give you all a chance to win a copy of the book.

ENTER TO WIN: Post a comment below about your favorite stitch or technique and we’ll get you in the random drawing for a copy of “Sweet Shawlettes”. The deadline to enter is Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. Good luck, everyone!

BECOME A PODCAST SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by CraftSanity Magazine. That’s right, I sponsored it myself. : ) If you’d like to sponsor the next episode, you can find sponsorship info here.

• Download the show (you may need to right-click the link)
• Subscribe to CraftSanity on iTunes
• Subscribe to CraftSanity on Zune
• RSS feed for podcast
• You can check out Jean’s other blog tour stops here: 
  Mon 2 Jan        More Yarn Will Do The Trick – Jean Moss     
  Tues 3 Jan       Wendy Knits - Wendy Johnson
  Wed 4 Jan        Knitgrrl - Shannon Okey
  Thurs 5 Jan      Yarnagogo – Rachael Herron
  Fri 6 Jan           The Knitter – Rosee Woodland
  Sat 7 Jan          Rhythm of the Needles – Joanne Conklin
  Sun 8 Jan         Knit Purl Gurl – Karrie Steinmetz
  Mon 9 Jan        CraftSanity – Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood
  Tues 10 Jan     Planet Purl – Beth Moriarty
  Wed 11 Jan      Sunset Cat – Stephannie Tallent
  Thurs 12 Jan    A Really Good Yarn – Julie Schilthuis
  Fri 13 Jan         knit 1 chicago – Lynn Coe
  Sat 14 Jan        Go Knit In Your Hat – Carol Sulcoski
  Sun 15 Jan       Redshirt Knitting – Erika Barcott
  Mon 16 Jan      In The Loop – Cheryl & Ellen
  Tues 17 Jan     WEBS – Kathy Elkins
  Wed 18 Jan      Zeneedle – Margene Smith
  Thurs 19 Jan    Knitspot – Anne Hanson
  Fri 20 Jan         Urban Yarns – Alexa Ludeman
  Sat 21 Jan        A Friend to knit with – Leslie Friend
  Mon 23 Jan      Tentenknits – Margaux Hufnagel
  Tues 24 Jan     Fancy Tiger Crafts – Amber Corcoran
  Thurs 26 Jan    The Panopticon – Franklin Habit

As my weekly newspaper column winds down to an end this month, I’m trying to tie up some loose ends and write about the people who have been on my list for a long time. This week I featured Rebecca Green, a rising Grand Rapids artist and illustrator and regular contributor to CraftSanity Magazine.

She was photographed in her studio by Ryan Pavlovich. (Check more of Ryan’s impressive work here.) The painting on the easel was Rebecca’s 2011 ArtPrize entry.

You can read the column in today’s Home & Garden section of The Grand Rapids Press or read it here. And be sure to visit Rebecca’s online gallery, too.

The final countdown of craft columns continues. Three more to go before early retirement.

If I didn’t have other work to do, I’d plop down and read the rest of Stockett’s book straight through to the end. The book is really good, so it’s complete torture to read it in small chunks like I’ve been doing. But I have to be careful. I almost missed a sentencing hearing many years ago when I was a court reporter because I was too engrossed in the third book of the Harry Potter series. I just about died when two hours of hearings ended and I never heard the name of the guy I was assigned to write about called. I thought Harry Potter was about to get me fired, but it turned out that the sentencing had been postponed and I had not missed it. From that day on I never brought another book into the courtroom. When you like books as much as I do, it’s just too risky.

On the cooking front, I’m studying up. Amelia and I made a trip to the Grand Rapids Public Library last week while Abby was in school and I loaded up and checked out as many books as I could carry out in one trip. I’m not kidding when I say I’m a book lover. I seriously would camp out at that library for hours on end if I could clear my schedule and snag some free parking nearby.

When I was pregnant with Amelia, who is now six, I spent many hours in the local history department of the Grand Rapids Public Library working on my graduate thesis after work and between frequent bathroom breaks. I had a blast looking at old newspapers and historic artifacts. There are so many untold stories in that library and I’m kind of itching for a new research project.

But my last visit was all about finding some interesting cookbooks and of course a couple art books came home with me, too. I made onion soup for the first time last week and have yet to decide what this week’s new recipe will be. My sister, Julie wants to make a pie, so I might make one, too, because I live too far away from her to taste the one she bakes.

I’ve been cooking a lot lately and really enjoying it. I will enjoy it even more once I rid my kitchen of all non-cooking related items. (I have a big problem when it comes to keeping flat surfaces clear.) I think my plan to try out at least one new recipe a week is realistic because I like to cook and my family needs to eat. And, I think having a goal in front of me will force me to plan ahead.

I think Jeff and I finally nailed down a chili recipe we’ve been tweaking for years. I’ll share that recipe here soon. I keep forgetting to take a photo of the chili before we eat it all.

One of the funny things I’ve noticed now that I’m cooking more is how low quality many of my kitchen tools are. Now that I’m getting serious about what goes on in my kitchen, I’m slowing upgrading my equipment. I got the OXO Good Grips Peeler above for Christmas and, wow, did it speed things up when I made soup last night. If I was timing it, I’m sure I would have achieved a new personal record for peeling potatoes and carrots. It’s amazing how one little tool can make a world of difference.

Loom and magazine sales were steady last week which was great. Thank you to all the new subscribers and loom buyers. I really appreciate your business!

On the fitness front, my week 1 milage total was 21.48 miles. I also swam about 1,200 yards during a super quick dip at the Y. I’m building a base. I’m not signed up for any specific races at this point, but I’m getting ready. Saturday’s challenge was to run to the post office before it closed. I had a magazine to mail and didn’t want to delay my workout any longer, so I ran 1.39 miles carrying a large envelope. Because I haven’t been competing in any local road races, this is how I get my kicks. I was quite pleased when I made it to the post office a couple minutes before it closed and was happy to find my P.O. box empty (usually, this depresses me) so I could continue my run empty handed.

Wearing my new FitBit pedometer around has inspired me to capitalize on opportunities to be more active. I’m also studying my sleep patterns which the device tracks and has been really interesting.

Aside from the fact that my Christmas tree is still up, it was a pretty good week. How about you? How was your first week of the new year?

Ok, I’m back with Part 2 of the instructions for today’s “Take Five” craft segment projects.

My 6-year-old daughter, Amelia, asked for construction paper for Christmas and was thrilled to receive a lot of it. I was thrilled, too, when I saw her drawing microphones (another one of her presents) until the unused paper started getting scattered around on the floor. That’s when I decided to retrieve the recycled priority shipping boxes I had stashed next to the recycle bin and asked Amelia to help me make an organizer for her paper.

Please note that three cereal boxes of equal size would work for this project, too.

Recycled Box Paper Organizer

Ok, so this is what we did in between Amelia’s frequent singing breaks. (She really likes her new microphone.) First, we cut off the long flaps at the top of the box. I used packing tape to secure the flap pieces I removed inside to reinforce the narrow side walls of the boxes, but this is optional.

Then we folded down the narrow flaps to the inside of each box and secured them in place with packaging tape. This helps reinforce things a bit.

Then it was time to stack. To do this, hold two boxes on on top of the other and wrap with packaging tape at the front, middle and back of the stack. Now stack the third box on top of the stack and wrap the stack again with tape. When Amelia was on break and unavailable to hold the boxes while I taped, I used a couple clamps to keep the boxes from shifting. (Clothespins would work, too.)

Amelia and I covered her organizer with scrapbook paper (that I seem to use for everything but scrapbooking), but you can use wrapping or craft paper of fabric to cover the boxes to match your decor.

I used packaging tape to secure the scrapbook paper in place. While this required a serious amount of tape, the finished product is pretty durable.

While the finished product is not as spiffy as the white store-bought organizers I have upstairs in my office, Amelia is quite pleased with her custom organizer and happily keeping her paper in it. Yay!

Cereal Box Magazine Holder

When we got done with three-box paper organizer project, we realized we still had more construction paper. (I know, we’re a bit overstocked at the moment.) So, I grabbed a cereal box and cut it to look like a magazine holder. To do this, cut off the top flaps, then use a straight edge to draw a diagonal line from the middle of the top edge of the box  to a point on the right side edge of the box about 4 to 6 inches up from the bottom. Then cut straight across the narrow right side of the box and straight up the fold. Use the triangle shape you cut out of the front side of the box as a template to cut the same shape out of the back of the box.

Use as is, or cover with decorative paper or kid’s drawings. Abby likes to draw scenes from her favorite Mario video games, so we decided to cover  the overflow construction paper holder with one of her latest drawings. Go Mario!

One of the big mistakes I’ve made while trying to get my house in order is loading up on many unnecessary and/or unsuitable organizing supplies. I’m done with colored bins I can’t see into and I’m holding off on buying more of the clear kind until I weed out more of the stash. After many attempts at trying to organize chaos, I’m finally willing to accept the fact that less is soooo much more. And because I’m trying to be very cautious about what I bring into the house at this point, I’ve been using what I have to fashion DIY organizers on the cheap.

Working along these lines, I’m back with instructions to make the super easy oraganizing projects I showed on “Take Five” this morning on WZZM channel 13 here in West Michigan.

I’ll start with my favorite: the cashew can turned yarn covered caddy.

To start, peel the label off the container and spread a generous amount of Elmer’s School Glue round the bottom of the container. (I usually apply enough glue to wrap one inch of the container at a time.) Place the end of your yarn in the glue along the bottom edge of the container and slowly turn the container to wrap. Hold the starting end of the yarn in place with your finger for a few rows to make sure it stays in place. Keep gentle tension on the yarn as you wrap. When you reach the top of the container, cut the yarn and apply a little extra glue to secure the top end.

Now trace the bottom edge of the can onto a piece of craft felt. Cut out the circle and place it inside  the bottom of the can and load it up with crochet hooks, double pointed knitting needles, pens, pencils or other supplies. If you want to keep everything organized, dedicate one container to each craft you do.

Here are some examples of other coffee and bean cans that I’ve covered with crocheted cozies:

I whip stitched three granny squares together to make a decorative sleeve for the coffee can above.

If monotone is more your speed, you can stick with a single color and crochet a half double crochet cozy for a standard sized can of beans. (If there’s interest, I can post a basic pattern to make these over the weekend.)

I have to go pick up my daughter from school, so I will post the other two projects from today’s segment when I get back.

Watch my segment