TUESDAY'S TEMPTATION

I like to tip-toe through Etsy more than I probably should and while there I come across some interesting items. An added bonus is that I keep PayPal in business. Hey, in this economy we all have to do our part.

Today my Etsy search was for knitting patterns. I didn't have anything more specific than that in mind when I came across For A Song. It was the sweet baby pictures that drew me in, and then I realized that the patterns were just what one of my nieces had discussed with me for photography props for her business. How am I supposed to resist this?

I ordered a cocoon pattern and a pixie hat pattern. A big plus is that she gives permission to sell what you knit!!! If you don't knit, she sells some of the items all knit up for you. Rush on over to For A Song and get what you need for the most adorable baby pics ever!

You Deserve A Happy Place!

Recently, a dear friend of mine told me she was having trouble getting motivated to work on her crafts because it took so long to set it all up and put it all away afterwards. She loves to do mosaics. I can only imagine that the set up process is much more involved for mosaics than any of my fiber related interests, but in the past I have said that it would be too much trouble to find my needles and the right yarn, only to knit for 15 minutes. So I do understand her quandary.

Around the same time, Sheri at The Loopy Ewe asked her blog readers to tell her about their knitting nooks. I had just rearranged and reorganized mine in an exhaustive effort (with the invaluable assistance of my beautiful sister) and proudly described my Knitting Nest, as I called it.

These two seemingly insignificant events got me to thinking. If our hobbies bring some measure of joy into our lives, don't we deserve a little dedicated happy place for them? I'm talking about a space that makes it convenient and easy to practice the creativity that our souls desire. If you knit and are one of those rare ducks who doesn't require a huge stash, then a comfy chair with a basket next to it may be all you need. The point is, it is there waiting for you to partake of the relaxation and creative outlet that will enrich your life. You deserve this place.

I live in a very small apartment. I have what I call my knitting nest. The center is my motorized lift chair, with a Seraphina Shawl draped over the back so I can pull it over me. The side pocket of the chair contains remotes and a pouch of knitting accessories (scissors, various kinds of stitch markers, a crochet hook, yarn needles, etc). The right side of the chair has 2 side-by-side book cases. One is filled with craft books, binders and magazines. The other bookcase is the nerve center of my world. The bottom shelf holds a multitude of cords and power strips. Next shelf up holds my laptop, camera, cellphone and all chargers. (A coaster is nestled in there for my tea cup.) The top 3 shelves hold yarn for my planned projects. The very top of the bookcase, displays my spindles and my button collection. Clamped to the bookcase is an Ott light. On the side of the bookcase, I have attached hooks to hold an assortment of project bags with WIPs for quick access. Next to that is the spinning wheel. On the left side of my lift chair is a project basket to work out of, my Namaste needle binder and my large, kidney-shaped lap desk leans there at the ready. I have to admit that there is a closet full of yarn and fiber storage too, but let’s not go there.

Please, take the time to set give yourself a space that is designed for the activity that you love. A place that facilitates your creative outlet. You are worth the effort. You Deserve A Happy Place!

In a Jiffy!

For the past several years I have become enamored with fingering and lace weight yarns. I am drawn to them. I spin them. I crave them. I buy them, and buy them, and....you get the point.

Recently I have learned the joy of bulky weight yarns. The speed with which a project can be completed. INSTANT GRATIFICATION! The following clutch and coin purse are done in Lion Brand Jiffy in the Blossom colorway. One skein created both projects in only a few hours. The pattern is the Quick and Classy Cabled Clutch (Ravelry.com link) by Sarah Marie Fuchs. The pattern can be found in the book, One-Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn-Shop Favorites. I love this book for quick gifts.

I placed the decorative button on both the front and back of the clutch over the black 3/4" grosgrain ribbon. The handles are 1/4" wooden dowels. I have not yet lined the purse and I am not sure if I will.

The coin purse I improvised, so I thought I would share the simple pattern for this Easy Peasy Coin Purse. It easily holds coins, cash, debit card and my license. . 

•  make a 3 inch chain
•  sc in 2nd chain from hook and in each ch to the last ch, 3 sc in last ch, sc up other side of chain to beginning ch 2 sc in beg ch, sl st to 1st sc.
•  ch 1, sc in each st around to beg, sl st in beg sc
•  repeat previous rnd until piece measures approx 2.5".
•  working back & forth on one side of piece only, sc from one end to the other, ch 1, turn.
•  sc2tog, sc to last 2 sts sc2tog, ch1, turn
•  repeat previous row until only 3 sts remain, ch 5 and attach to other side of point for a button loop.  Sew on button, weave in ends and enjoy!

 

TUESDAY'S TEMPTATION

OMG, isn't this stunning? I am a big fan of turquoise. I wish I owned more turquoise. I wish I owned this bracelet!

Epona's Jewels

Epona's Jewels has some of the most beautiful creations I have seen on etsy. I have spent hours (yes hours) clicking through the images of her jewelry, stones and beads. I would love to make some stitch markers from the beads below and that is just the tip of the iceberg of all she has to offer.

Click on over to Epona's Jewels and you too will find that your paypal account will become a frequent flyer on her site.

Off The Needles

This hat I made for a hospital charity sale. The pattern is Lace Baby Beanie designed by Lora Jenkins. It was a fast, easy knit and used very little yarn. I made it with some left over acrylic sport weight yarn, but I don't remember the brand. It is displayed over the end of a Super Saver skein of yarn, because the small size is too small for my styrofoam display head.

TUESDAY'S TEMPTATION

I love my Spindolyn! I think everyone should have a few of these incredible spinning tools. You can find Spindolyns at Knitting Any Way. There you will find a plethora of information about Spindolyns, quill supported spindles. This is my preferred method of spinning when I am away from my spinning wheel.

I own the castle style base and I have both the tenor whorl and the soprano whorl. Now she has come out with a mezzo whorl that I am sure I will have to purchase too. There are 4 different bases available and all the bases work with all of the whorls.

I love my Spindolyn so much that I made a bean-bag cozy for it. It adds more weight and stability to the base by widening the base, plus inside it is a resealable bag filled with rice, wrapped around the castle base. The pictures below show the castle base nestled in my cozy supporting the tenor whorl on which I have been spinning some fabulous angora fiber that I got from Heather (boutrosbabe) at Highland Handmades.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wow! Was I surprised when I saw the date on the last post. I bet you can guess that I was thinking of new year resolutions and suddenly my neglected blog entered my mind. I would like to say that I am going to post at least once per week this year, but more realistically, I am hoping I will at least post once per month. Please nudge me if I get behind.

This past week my sister came over to my apartment to help me reorganize and rearrange my craft area. My apartment is very small so it was beginning to take over the place. Once we unloaded all my stuff, we moved a shelving unit and found black mold. UGH. The unit had been against an exterior wall and apparently it had blocked the heat from getting behind it, permitting condensation to collect on the wall.

For 3 days I had everything strewn around my living room, while I bleached the wall. Then maintenance came over and cleaned it too. Next they put a sealant over the area and finally they repainted. My living room has now been rearranged so that nothing is against the exterior walls. I purged a lot of acrylic yarn and some other craft items that hadn't been used in a long time. For me, purging meant that they went to my sisters craft closet. LOL.

FROG OR FINISH?

During this process we discovered a plethora of UFOs and WIPs. I think I startled my sister with the number of them. The decision now is whether to frog or finish the projects. Today I have frogged 2 of them. There are 3 projects that I am still undecided on and 7 projects that I am determined to complete before I start any more new ones.

Do you have any crafting related resolutions?