admin, Author at Marly Bird

Alaska Inside Passage Knitting Cruise

July 17, 2013 By admin 15 Comments

A vivid rainbow arches over a serene lake with distant mountains and cloudy skies. A bird flies low over the water in the foreground. -Marly Bird

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Hi Everyone!!

Did you miss Marly over the last two weeks? I know she missed you guys!! Her time with Crafty Cruises in Alaska was absolutely the best!

The last two weeks have been an amazing whirlwind of fun for John (Marly’s hubby) and Marly! This was the first time that the Love Birds (see what I did there?) were able to take a grownup vacation and leave the little Birds at home.

Today Marly was full of stories of their trip, ranging from the cruise details, to the fun excursions, to hers and John’s time in Seattle.

As you may know Marly is a huge fan of the Twilight series, and she talked John into going to Forks for the day, where she completely geeked out on all the Twilight things in town. They also went and saw the coast line, and put her feet in the water (which for Marly is a big deal)!

The group of knitters on the cruise numbered about 35 people, (there were a LOT more folks on the ship, there were just 35 on the cruise to be crafty!) and there were folks from all over! She was so excited to meet them all once everyone had gotten settled on the ship, and then get to know these folks over the course of the cruise!

Marly and John did do a whale watching excursion and had a fabulous time, and she got some amazing pictures (be sure the check them out in this post)! She has given some pictures from all different parts of the trip for this post, so make sure you scroll through all of them here.

One of the other things that Marly was so excited to do, was yarn shop hopping! She visited one in Seattle, and a couple in Juneau, Alaska. What fiber enthusiast DOESN’T love a local something fun when you go on a vacation and hit up a local yarn store? Lesson learned…make sure John is either outside the store when she completes her purchase, or at least distract him when the total comes up on the register! (Make sure you indulge yourself in some Quivut!)

Some things Marly learned about/while cruising:

How to pack (minimal shoes, they take up too much room)
How to Muster (life jacket, CHECK!)
How to Tender (sit down, don’t rock the boat)
The cost of your cruise is not necessarily your grand total!
Humpback whales are solitary creatures
Orcas travel in pods
Whales’ tail fins, are much like a fingerprint!

(Sidenote from Jolene: As I’m listening I’m giggling y’all…I’m waving back to all of you as well!! – J)

Next week’s show has a super fun gifts and of course, more prizes!!

Like this podcast? Be sure to leave a comment/review on iTunes to let other know about it!
Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.
Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/marlybird

This podcast is sponsored by: Knitter’s Magazine, Craftsy.com, Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, Decades by Drew Emborsky, Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet and Bijou Basin Ranch.

TNNA Recap!

June 27, 2013 By admin 41 Comments

Hi Folks!

This week, fresh off the plane, Marly brought us her recap of her weekend at TNNA‘s convention in Columbus, Ohio and all the fun things that went on while she was there.

She mentioned the YarnThing Designer Dinner she hosted, seeing her fiber friends in the industry, getting to meet all kinds of new designers and the general fun that TNNA can be!

This week, she gave away some of the fun stuff from the goody bags at the Designer Dinner on the air, and the blog giveaway this week is for a great Chic-A Bag and some super yummy Bijou Basin Ranch Lhasa Wilderness yarn! Leave your comment here on the blog with the secret word/phrase.

Marly will be off the air for the next three weeks since she will be on the Craft Cruise to Alaska, but that gives you all more time to enter for this week’s giveaway, as well as catch up on archived episodes of the podcast!

Marly also posed the question to you, her loyal listeners! Who do YOU want to hear on the show? Who do you want to know more about, what is going on in the industry you’re curious about? Shoot Marly an email and tell her so that she can work on getting those folks on the show!

Happy Crafting everyone!!!

Like this podcast? Be sure to leave a comment/review on iTunes to let other know about it!
Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.
Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/marlybird

This podcast is sponsored by: Knitter’s Magazine, Craftsy.com, Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, Decades by Drew Emborsky, Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet and Bijou Basin Ranch.

The Art of Seamless Knitting

June 13, 2013 By admin 14 Comments

Hi all!

This past episode was so fun, talking about The Art of Seamless Knitting with Simona Merchant-Dest and Faina Goberstein!

These ladies are such sweet friends of mine, and I was so excited to talk to them about their new collaboration. So many fun designs that you have the opportunity to tweak just a little bit here and there to make the pattern be something that fits you, which is one of my favorite things about their book.

Simona and Faina have such distinct and amazing styling and designs, I am so excited to share their amazing book with you, my wonderful listeners!

How to find Simona online: Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry, her blog!

How to find Faina online: Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry, her Ravelry group, and her blog!

As always, here we go with our super fun giveaway! If you go and comment on my facebook page, you will be entered to win Faina’s Craftsy class, Sizing Knitwear Patterns. (Who doesn’t need a fresh new Craftsy class??) If you leave a comment here, using the key word, you will be entered for a copy of this beautiful book!

Like this podcast? Be sure to leave a comment/review on iTunes to let other know about it!
Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.
Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/marlybird

This podcast is sponsored by: Knitter’s Magazine, Craftsy.com, Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, Decades by Drew Emborsky, Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet and Bijou Basin Ranch.

Love of Knitting and Love of Crochet Magazines – Jennifer Burt

May 22, 2013 By admin 30 Comments

Hi all!

This week, Marly was on location in Golden at the offices for Love of Knitting and Love of Crochet, and spoke with their wonderful editor-in-chief Jennifer Burt.

Jennifer was so wonderful to sit down and talk with Marly about all the ins and outs of things at the Love of Knitting and Love of Crochet offices and what it takes for them to put out these magazines every year. So many different aspects were discussed, what goes into putting the magazine(s) together, what steps are involved in choosing submissions and Marly is doing everything in her power to make her way into the offices for “naming day” to watch how chosen patterns are named for each magazine.

Currently going on for the Love of Knitting/Love of Crochet folks, the summer issues of their magazines are currently out, and then coming up for the magazines are the fall and winter issues as well as two special issues! One being a special issue for wedding related projects in mid-June, and another weekend crochet issue in mid-July. In the weekend crochet issue, they have a side by side comparison of knitting projects vs crochet projects to debunk the myth that crochet uses double the yarn that a knit project does, and that it goes twice as fast. (Hint: it does go faster, but that double number is about to be changed!)

You can pick up the current issues of Love of Knitting and Love of Crochet in your local craft stores, including JoAnn Fabrics, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, as well as local big bookstores.

Now, if you’d rather have a subscription to their wonderful magazine(s), you are a lucky listener! There are THREE different ways to enter for a chance to win a subscription to their magazines!

As usual, leaving a comment here on the blog with the key word/phrase given by Jen, and that winner will be announced next week.
Comment on Love of Knitting or Love of Crochet’s Facebook pages, also using the same key word/phrase.
Comment on Marly’s Facebook page, and be entered to win, and if you enter on this page, Marly will draw a name THIS Friday (May 24th).

www.loveofknitting.com is their website, and there is a link in the upper right hand corner for the Love of Crochet links as well.

Next Week on the podcast: Kristin Omdahl!

Like this podcast? Be sure to leave a comment/review on iTunes to let other know about it!
Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.
Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/marlybird

This podcast is sponsored by: Knitter’s Magazine, Craftsy.com, Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, Decades by Drew Emborsky, Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet and Bijou Basin Ranch.

Gwen Bortner

May 15, 2013 By admin 28 Comments

Hi Everyone!

This week, Gwen Bortner joins Marly on the posdcast!

Gwen has a new class on Craftsy.com, “How to Teach It” and is here to tell us more! Not only can her class apply to crafty teaching, but applies to many different aspects of teaching something in general!

Gwen is also known as the Entrelac Queen, and has a book out regarding this as well as another Craftsy.com class, called “Entrelac Knitting“.

Gwen Bortner is a Craft Yarn Council Certified Teacher, teaches knitting and business classes at venues throughout the country, has been published in a variety of knitting magazines and is the lead designer for her business, Knitability, LLC.

Education is probably the most important component of the Knitability business plan as all efforts focus on the company motto of “Taking Knitters to the Next Level”. Gwen’s passion is teaching and enjoys every opportunity she has to share her love of knitting with others. Whether teaching through the local community education program or at a national knitting convention, meeting new people and sharing the love of knitting is one of her greatest joys.

In recent years, Gwen has combined her previous work experience as a business consultant for Ernst and Young, LLP and her passion for teaching by offering business classes for members of the crafting industry. Her most recent endeavor was converting her class “Share Your Passion, Teach!” into an online offering via Craftsy called “How to Teach It”

Gwen’s teaching philosophy can be summed up in the following quote, “My job is to make the students’ (in this case other teachers’) toolbox bigger. If all you own is a hammer, everything looks like a nail! In the process of providing options, more skills are developed and a better teacher is the result. Handcraft skills are rarely passed down between relatives anymore. Good teachers of all handcrafts are critical to ensuring these creative skills continue to be practiced.”

You can find Gwen on Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry, Craftsy and her website!

As you know, Marly loves her listeners who listen after the live show, so leave a comment with the keyword, and be entered to win Gwen’s Crafty class, “How To Teach It”!

Happy rest of the week y’all!

Like this podcast? Be sure to leave a comment/review on iTunes to let other know about it!
Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.
Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/marlybird

This podcast is sponsored by: Knitter’s Magazine, Craftsy.com, Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, Decades by Drew Emborsky, Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet and Bijou Basin Ranch.

Franklin Habit

May 1, 2013 By admin 26 Comments

Franklin Habit, the latest on Marly’s All Male Revue!

Franklin and Marly had a spirited discussion on Franklin’s love for the history of knitting, Franklin’s other habit of choice, photography, and how he loves to enter twine the two whenever he can. They also discussed his latest Craftsy.com class, Heirloom Lace Edgings and gave away a class on the show!

In true Marly fashion there is a giveaway via the blog as well. Make sure you leave a comment with the keyword in it, and be entered to win Franklin’s Craftsy class!

Franklin also is going on a cruise with Melissa Leapman closer to Christmas time! Check out the details here!

You can find Franklin on Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry and on his blog! Franklin’s book “It Itches” is available on Amazon here.

Up next week: Daniel Yuhas!

Like this podcast? Be sure to leave a comment/review on iTunes to let other know about it!
Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.
Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/marlybird

This podcast is sponsored by: Knitter’s Magazine, Craftsy.com, Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, Decades by Drew Emborsky, Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet and Bijou Basin Ranch.

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