A Year Of Handmade #6... Blogs That Inspire You

Today's topic in the list of #AYearOfHandmade created by Rebecca of Rebecca Bee Designs is "What blogs inspire you?"

Kate on her bike. Image from http://www.theknitter.co.uk

katedavisdesigns.com : I adore Kate. Her blog is inspirational, intellectually stimulating, funny and full of great knitting tips. Kate is a Scottish academic that lives with her partner Tom and their furry friend Bruce, the most inquisitive and lavishly doted upon black lab.

Bruce Copyright KateDaviesDesigns.com

Why do I love her blog so much? Kate is very real in her online personality. She shares the good, the bad, and the opinionated in a very candid fashion. She seems like a great person to sit down with, have a few beers or cups of tea and discuss and just talk. I have a feeling we'd either have a rip roaring verbal sparring over contrasting opinions or nearly bust a rib laughing about some great silliness.
Kate is a scrappy survivor of a stroke. She worked incredibly hard to regain what others might have accepted as lost for good and had the balls to take her life in a new direction. The picture of Kate on her trike was a huge influence to me. I adored long distance biking before my trauma and mourned the loss of it keenly. Balance is an enormous issue for me, along with anxiety. But, I got back on a bike last summer and accomplished another goal on my list. I may be wobbly, but the biking bug is back in full force.

2. http://ysolda.com/blog/ ... I really love going through the old posts and reading Ysolda's insights as she rocketed to knitting super-stardom. She is fun, witty and very smart.

And, like Kate, she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to sewing! (I'm still a grasshopper in the sewing circle of life.) Ysolda is a twenty-something Scot that teaches a mean sweater shaping class and an extraordinary business woman to boot. It's on my bucket list to attend one of Ysolda's classes in the future. I must say, as much as I love Ysolda's old blogging, her current entries are few and far between. But when they come, they are usually excellent. Ysolda is actually the impetus for me purchasing my beloved Olympus Pen camera. Her photography is so beautiful!

3. http://www.livelovediy.com ... A non-knitting blog? Yup. I love Virginia's spunk and vision. She got me wielding a paint brush and looking at old furniture with a different eye. She also got me over the horror of painting wood, LOL!

Virginia also serves up some sage advise on a verity of subjects and her "how-to" tutorials are excellent. I also have a more discerning eye when I go thrift shop shopping. Make the hubby happy too! :)

4. http://www.rebeccabeedesigns.com ... Back to knitting blogs. Well, mainly. Rebecca is an awesome Canadian (yeah!) crafter that taught herself to knit, and oh my, she is on fire.

This young lady (yikes, that makes me sound so old) reminds me of Ysolda Teague, the early years. Rebecca always has interesting posts and tips that get the creative juices brewing. I love her Instagram pics. Her "blog voice" is witty and original, the makings of a very fun read! Rebecca also started the #YearOfHandmade link up party, which I find really fun to participate in. Along with being so social media savvy, she has some really cute designs for crochet too. Sadly, I'm not much of a crocheter, so I can only admire them from the other side of the hook.

5. http://www.getyourknittogether.com ... Another life and knitting blog. I really enjoy seeing the alert pop up in my email that Lesley's got a new post out. Not only is she a fellow Canadian, but lives in my home Province! How cool is that?!?

And she is laugh-out-loud funny. Seriously, some posts must not be read with a mouthful of hot beverage, 'cos it'll be spurting out your nose. Remember, you've been warned! Currently, she is working on an epic sock yarn scraps blanket. It is crazy cool, but I don't think I've got the fortitude to take on such a task. She has a ton of sock yarn with a serious sock yarn fetish. You can find her patterns over on Ravelry here.

So, these are some of my inspiring blogs in a nutshell. Hmmm. I think there is more, but I can't remember them right now. That's not surprising, considering my short term memory thing. I think I should make a link list on my site.

What blogs inspire you?