Author: Amy O'Neill Houck

The last time I taught my Sweater Reclamation class (up-cycling old wrecked wool sweaters into fun felted projects) my students really got into the little needle felted embellishments that we were adding so I promised them I’d offer a needle

I’ve just gotten back from a long weekend on “The Spit” in Homer, Alaska attending the Kachemak Bay writer’s conference.  As keynote speaker Barry Lopez reminded us that “the first rule of writing is to pay attention,” I realized that

This pattern sat and hibernated by my desk for some time before I got a chance to publish it. Now that it’s out there, I’m thinking it might be fun to make another. I’m contemplating scrounging about in my stash

  I always get excited when there’s a new crochet book to explore, but the ones that really catch my fancy are about techniques. Kristin Omdahl’s new book, Seamless Crochet: Techniques and Designs for Join-As-You-Go Motifs, is not just a technique book, it’s

James has been in Nome for a bit over a week helping to coordinate the delivery of a Russian fuel barge that was led by a Coast Guard ice breaker. You may have heard about this story because it’s been

Ever since we moved to Alaska, I’ve thought it would be fun to spend the holidays here–avoid travelling, and get to experience an Alaskan Christmas. This year, I finally convinced my mom, and my brother and his family to come

Do you ever get the feeling, you’d like things to stay just as they are, thank you very much? I had to chuckle when I got this recent New Yorker in the mail, because that’s kind of how I was

A few things have been happening around the Internets that got me thinking again about fair use. It’s one of my favorite perennial topics. I am passionate about the idea that artists, crafters, makers, writers and other creators can take

Lately I’ve been more careful about purchasing craft books. We’ve moved into a smaller house and there just isn’t room. But I never pass up the opportunity to use a new stitch dictionary. So I was thrilled to hear that

(Or how I lost most of my afternoon to my digital library). I have to admit, I love e-books. I read a lot. I love paper books–the feel of them, the smell. One of my first jobs ever was in a