Nuts about Needlepoint » blog

July Reviews & Blog Changes

Janet Perry — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:28:27 +0000

I know from my email how many of you rely on this blog as a source of needlepoint news, inspiration, and instruction.

I also realize that I’m not always the most organized person on the planet. My organization strategy tends to be what I call “happy anarchy,” letting things just end up where they end up.

And this blog has tended to be the same way. But, after 8 years (yes it’s been THAT long), I think both you and I deserve more order in our lives. So, I’m adding some order to the blog, so that you know when to look for particular kinds of articles.

You’ll always know that if something is timely or important I’ll break the schedule, but if you are really interested in seeing what’s new, say, you’ll know to look on Fridays.

Tuesdays-Thursdays every week you’ll find original content from me. This has been in place for quite a long time and will continue. These columns can be an eclectic mix of everything from free projects, to sneak peeks, news, or reviews.

Fridays will be new product days. Often these posts will let you know about one or more new products. Sometimes they’ll point to where you can find out more.

Saturdays will be dedicated to needlepoint ideas, techniques, and tutorials. Sometimes these posts will point to a great resource of idea from elsewhere on the web, sometimes they will be an idea from my own stitching. On Saturdays you’ll find information to make your needlepoint sing.

Sundays and Mondays will have a mix of news, inspirational sites, and whatever else comes along. I’m going to take a page from my daughter’s blog and do “Clippings” posts where serval things are put together into one post.

I’m hoping by organizing in this way, I’ll get more of the things you want on the blog and make the information easier to find.

This month, July, all Tuesday-Thursday posts are going to be reviews. Next week it’s all Blackwork books. There are magazines, more books, threads, finishing items and lots more to come during the month.

Nuts Now Available on Kindle

Janet Perry — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:55:47 +0000

UPDATE: Direct link now added.

Do you have a Kindle?

Would you like to get this blog automatically uploaded to you eReader so you can take it with you and read it on the go?

I’m delighted to announce that Nuts about Needlepoint is now available by subscription to Kindle owners. You begin your subscription with a 14-day free trial. To get your subscription, go to the Kindle store and click on blogs it will be one of the new releases. Or you can subscribe directly through this link.

I’m so excited!

Help Me Out!

Janet Perry — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:18:58 +0000

The computer arrived back yesterday afternoon — that’s one bit of good news.

Most software on the old disk I either had copies of, my Mac guy put on it, or I could find on the Internet — more good news.

BUT the hard drive was almost completely trashed and so only one folder (the most important one) was recovered and much of it (the current stuff) was lost — that’s the first bad news.

Even more importantly, all my email was lost. And that’s how you can help. If you have written to me, if you paid for my upcoming kimono class, or if we have stitch guide business in process (i.e. you’ve paid a deposit) or if you were thinking about it, please email me. I don’t have anything at all.

Thanks for helping.

Blog Reading Made Simple

Janet Perry — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:47:45 +0000

Many of you have written to me to tell me how much you like the new layout. Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I’m going to continue to tinker with it, so let me know what you’d like to see.

This new layout is not linear, as my former theme was. That can make it harder for some people to read. You want something simpler, that allows you to see and read the blog in that same linear fashion.

I understand because there are blogs I follow that I can’t read.

To solve this problem and to get the blog in a linear format, use a blog reader. The one I use is Google Reader. You can get the feed from almost any blog, organize them into folders and read them without any of the other stuff on the blog.

The posts are presented simply, with the pictures (something I’ve never been able to do in RSS) but without the widgets, ads, or surrounding theme. In other words, just the facts. The blogs to which you have subscribed are listed, by folder, in alphabetical order along the left. If a blog has a new post, it is in bold with the number of unread posts after it in parentheses.

There are a number of other features, most of which I don’t use.

If you want to see the post on the blog, click on the title. If you want to see the blog from its home page, click on the blog title.

I love Google Reader and use it daily to keep track of everything from LOLcats to lots of needlepoint blogs. It organizes my reading, makes my bookmark file simpler, and saves time.

Add this Blog to your Webpage or Blog!

Janet Perry — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:03:49 +0000

I made a very cool tool that you are free to use to add information (and posts) from this blog into your blog or webpage. The tool is called a “blidget,” short for blog widget, and comes from a totally cool site called Widgetbox.

It’s as simple as pie to do. With it you can create a blidget for your own blog. While you’re there you can search for tons of other widgets as well. In fact, most of this week we’ll be exploring some cool widgets you can use for needlepoint.

To see the bliget for yourself go to http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/nuts-about-needlepoint.

Once there you can grab the code and add it to your site. Here’s what it looks like running:

This week and next I will be highlighting some other cool widgets I have found which will he;[ with your needlepoint. If you have created a widget that has something to do with needlepoint, let me know about it through email and I’ll check it out and write about it.

Mea Culpa!

Janet Perry — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:15:38 +0000

I biffed completely and totally. If you tried to look at my blog entry for today you saw a title and nothing else. I’m very sorry about that. I have spent the entire day thinking today was the 20th and that tomorrow was the 21st. So I thought I had another day. With lick, I’ll get the canvas scanned and the post up in the morning. Sorry about that. Related posts: Which Needlepoint Project? Oops! Friday & Saturday Stitching Thread Reviews & New Product Articles Coming! Hearts & Bargello – a Lovely Ornament Related posts:

You Make My Day Award

Janet Perry — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:19:01 +0000

I learned about this little award earlier this week and I love the idea. You give it to the blogs which are your favorites. The originator of the award is Mel whose blog is Stitching with Camels.

Here’s what she writes about the award “Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.”

Here’s my choices, so pass it on to your favorite blogs.

1. POSSIBILITIES, etc. – Judy Harper probably has more needlepoint she’s forgotten about than I will ever have. But I love her musings about how she revives old ideas, embellishes canvases, and finds inspiration all around her.

2. Independent Needlework News – I love Heather’s blog for finding out about what it current in the needlework world.

3. Stitch Amaze – I am always floored by Rosalyn Cherry-Soliel’s creative approach to needlepoint. This site will set your stitching on fire.

4. Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Club – A fantastic blog and so much instruction there from a truly wonderful stitcher.

5. Stitching Hands and Happy Hearts – My friend Tish’s site, I love her charming canvases.

6. Needleart Nut – Pat’s blog is another great needlepointer’s blog.

7. Margaret’s Needlework Nook – This blog, while mostly about stitching, also covers lots of other things.

8. Needle in a Haystack What’s New blog – This blog, from one of my “go to” shops has postings about what new threads, books, and other products which have come into the store.

9. Two-Handed Stitcher – Designer Laura Perin’s blog is a wonderful look into her process of designing.

The last one isn’t stitching related, but I look at it every day.

10. Ten Thousand Places — This blog about all sorts of things is by my eldest daughter and keeps me up-to-date.

New Look for Nuts about Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:21:29 +0000

Hi Folks!

To welcome in 2008, I have changed the overall look of Nuts about Needlepoint. I saw this charming bird yesterday and just fell in love with it. If I was able to design something for myself, it’s just what I would do.

I love the clean lines, the pale blue and brown color combination and the mid-century modern look.

You’ll notice that there are a couple of other changes. The list of categories has been replaced by a category “cloud” This is a more visual method of organizing categories. The more entries there are in a category, the bigger the word in the cloud. To go to the posts in a category, just click on the word, that hasn’t changed.

The order of information in the sidebars has been rearranged somewhat as well.

The static pages are now all listed in bolder type in the upper right corner.

Currently the feeds, subscriptions, and web rings are missing, but I plan to add them as soon as I can.

Finally there is a new “about” are on the right (under the pages) which summarizes the site.

If you have ANY problems viewing the new site or posting comments, please email me (napaneedlepoint @ gmail.com – remove spaces).

Blog Review – Chilly Hollow

Janet Perry — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:28:27 +0000

Now that I have some time to actually spend browsing the web, I wanted to tell you about on of my favorite blogs, Jane Wood’s Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure. Jane is an amazing stitcher and doing a pehnominal job of blogging her way through needlepoint. Are you wondering what’s new? She points out often, wonderful new things, great stuff which is on eBay and stuff which is coming out. Do you want to learn how to do needlepoint? She has just finished an amazing tutorial starting with a blank piece of canvas and ending with a finished design. Do you want to get ideas about needlepoint? She blogs about her current projects. This kind of on-line diary of a stitcher’s projects and passions is quite common in the knitting world. Some people have become well-known, starting from their blog as a base. I wish the needlepoint world had more folks like Jane and more blogs. Related posts: Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Blog – Tour Stop Blog Vacation ALERT! This Blog Has Been Hacked! Laid & Layered Fillings – Book Review Blog Stitching – Making the Initial Decisions Related posts:

Ribbon Embroidery and Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:09:35 +0000

I’m currently a guest blogger on Stitching Up a Storm where I talk about using Ribbon Embroidery techniques in needlepoint along with ideas on how you can use ribbons of various kinds in needlepoint.

As a bonus there is also a listing of companies and some of the ribbons and ribbon threads they make.

Look here for postings on the future stops on my Virtual Book Tour.