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Bead Makers Win the Flame Off in Tucson

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The Flame Off is a very important part of the Best Bead Show that takes place in Tucson. The show has ended as of today but I’m sure their memories live on. The Best Bead Show is the bead makers show. The best of the best show here as well as the suppliers of glass and tools and equipment. After a full day of selling their wares they gather and show off their glass working skills in the Flame Off. Crazy! So some of my favorite bead makers won! Whoo hoo!! Check out the winning piece above. So awesome. And the winners are…JC Herrell ( you soo her work all over this blog), Kim Fields and Judy Carlson. Go ladies!! And Judy is pres of the So Cal Flame Surfers, the local Southern California chapter of the ISGB. I”m posting other pictures from the Flame Off but if you can get over to Facebook look around and see the other guys…and their big flames! Wish I could have been there!

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Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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