Foodie Wearables

Mexican Food

2010-10-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hello!!!

Thank you for joining me. This blog will be pretty busy over the next couple of months. I will be adding a new one each week. Today I will be focusing on three foods a cheese enchilada, a green burrito, and nachos. All of these are made with polymer clay. If there is a great interest perhaps I will do tutorial blogs, or you tube videos. as for now I will just share my photos.

The cheese enchilada plate is quite cute, if you look closely, you will notice the cheese inside the sides of the enchilada. I also put a great deal of time into making the rice and beans. The enchilada is topped with a red sauce, and and olive slice.

The green burrito is smothered with a suiza sauce, then topped with cheese, sour cream, and an olive slice.

The nachos are my favorite of the three. They have tomatoes, green peppers, and some sour cream. Please feel free to take a look at all the photos. You can enlarge them a great deal by clicking on the image. I welcome your comments, and ideas. I am making several of these at a time, so they will be offered in limited quantity at my etsy shop... Thanks everyone!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Heathernwells

Heather

Chocolate Truffles...Yum!

2010-09-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back

While enjoying a wonderfully delicious marzipan truffle from See's the other day, I decided to make some chocolate truffle beads. As always I wanted to share. So here are some photos and info about the beads including materials and such. They are very easy to make. So if you like this, and would like me to make a tutorial on You Tube, please reply to this Blog post. If I get 10 replies, I will put up a tutorial by Thanksgiving at the latest.

The wonderful thing about these beads, are that there are NO polymer clay tools needed. I used four colors of Premo polymer clay.

Dark chocolate Recipe- Chocolate

Milk chocolate recipe- Chocolate, white, ecru

White chocolate recipe- White, a pinch of ecru, a pinch of chocolate

Raspberry recipe- Fuschia, tiny bit of white

The only tools required for the bracelet are crimping or flat nosed pliers, and wire cutters

Three family members are already wearing them...They couldn't wait for the holidays ; )

These can be easily be made into charms and stitch markers for knitting too!!!

Each tiny bead costs about 5 cents in clay. Each bracelet costs me about $4.25 to make. It can be more or less depending on the clasp you choose, and whether or not you use crystal beads. My clasp was $2.00, and the crystal beads were $1.30

All the supplies can be found at most local craft stores. I hope that this has given you some inspiration. I enjoyed making them. If you want a tutorial please request one in the reply section of this post.

Thank You for reading

Happy Crafting

Heather

Little Bo Peep Layette

2010-08-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

My brother is going to have a cute baby boy. I crocheted a blanket from a pattern called Little Bo Peep Layette. The designer is Michele Thompson. The cover of my leaflet fell off, and was lost long ago... But it was published by Coats and Clark in 2000. Today I will review the pattern, and share some photos.

I used denim blue, light blue, and white yarn. I chose Lion Brand, Pound of Love. I purchased one Skein of each color, and I have enough left over to make a baby sweater and hat. I used sizes U.S. F, and U.S. G hooks.

I did make this blanket years ago, and made a mental note to never make it again. I remember that it just seemed to take forever to make. This was before I learned to knit though.... and acquired a much greater degree of patience.

This afghan starts with a checkered section. The directions were well written, and easy to follow. I started this while my boyfriend and I were driving to Vegas. I forgot to repeat the rows 3-8 that the pattern had clearly written out for me to repeat, and completed a light blue section before realizing I made the mistake. What a rookie thing to do!!! I refused to rip out the 30 rows of sc that I just completed. I would normally rip it down to the repeat, but I find doing rows of nothing but sc extremely tedious. I ultimately decided that I would leave the 3-8 repeat of rows off the last section of the afghan.

Everything in the pattern (of the body of the afghan) is correct. It was fun to complete the checkered sections, but I found myself having to bribe myself with various treats to finish the sc sections.

The sheep were fun to make. it involves making a loop stitch. Very interesting doing it over the first row, but you will get the hang of it by row three if you haven't come across it before. The pattern directions for the sheep are written correctly. The original pattern uses tiny buttons for eyes, and ribbons around the necks of the sheep. For safety reasons I made french knots for the eyes, and omitted the ribbon bows around their necks. I also made eleven sheep instead of twelve, and placed three sheep (instead of four) in the middle section. A quick note... being left handed, my sheep face left instead of right.

Overall I enjoy the pattern.. It is well written, yardage requirements are accurate, and the finished afghan looks the way it should. After spending many years knitting, it wasn't nearly as tedious as I remember it being from years back. I love the way it turned out, and hope that Eric and Amber like it as well. I would suggest this pattern to anyone, advanced beginner and up, this pattern uses sc, and dc. Then loop stitch is introduced in making the sheep, which are sewn in place after completing them. Although a bit of patience is required.

Note: if you sew through the top half of the sc you wont have any of the sewing yarn showing on the back side at all.

I know that this pattern was also published in a thicker book by leisure arts. I would have mentioned it before, but it was a book have given away, and forgotten the name of. I would be happy to answer any questions about this pattern, if any of you decide to make it and need help or want to complain through sc sections :).

Heather

A Slipped Cable Hat

2010-04-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

During the 2010 winter Ravelympics, I decided to make baby hats for charity. It was also another way for me to use up some stash. Here is a cute hat that I created. The hat is based off of a cable that I found in "A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns" from Barbara G. Walker. As a friendly reminder, if you want to share this pattern please print it from this blog.

Materials:
1 skein of Sport weight yarn: Examples: Patons Beehive Baby Sport
U.S. 5/ 3.75 mm needles
Gauge: 10 Stitches, and 9 rows per inch (Without stretching)

Sizes: 0-3 mos (3-6 mos, 6-12 mos, toddler)

Note: You can also use size 3 or 4 U.S. needles, if you wanted to make any of these a bit smaller. For the crown shaping to turn out nicely, you must have a multiple of 20.

Slip St Cable: Drop slipped st off needle, and leave in front of work, slip next 3 stitches to the right needle, drop next slipped st. place the first slipped stitch on left hand needle, slip 3 stitches from right needle back to the left needle place remaining slipped stitch back on left needle then knit these five stitches.

Pattern dec: Slip next stitch to right needle, place next stitch on a holder, slip next stitch on right needle, place stitch from holder onto left needle, slip two stitches from right needle back to left needle. Knit these three stitches tog.

Cast on 120 (140, 160, 180) and evenly divide on dpns, be careful not to twist, join in the round

Rnds 1-5: *P2, K5, P2, K1. Repeat from *around.
Rnds 6-7: *P2, Wyib Sl1, K3, Wyib Sl1, P2, K1. Repeat from * around.
Rnd 8: *P2, Work slip st cable, P2, K1. Repeat from * around.

Repeat these 8 Rnds, until piece measures 3.5"( 4", 4.5", 5")

Shape Crown

Rnd 1: *P2, K5, P1, work pattern dec, P1, K5, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 2: *P2, K5, P1, K1, P1, K5, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 3: *P2, K5, work pattern dec, K5, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 4: *P2, K11, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 5: *P2, K4, work pattern dec, K4, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 6: *P2, K9, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 7: *P2, K3, work pattern dec, K3, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 8: *P2, K7, P2, K1. Repeat from *around
Rnd 9: *P2, K2, work pattern dec, K2, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 10: *P2, K5, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 11: *P2, K1, work pattern dec, K1, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 12: *P2, K3, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 13: *P2, work pattern dec, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 14: *P2, K1, P2, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 15: *P1, work pattern dec, P1, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 16: *P1, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 17: K2tog around

Cut string and pull through remaining stitches. Weave in ends.
Hoped you liked this hat pattern!!

2010-04-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, : )
Thank you all for participating in the blog contest!

I the bunny pattern in the photo, is from The Knitted Teddy Bear, from Sandra Polley. It is the bear on the cover of the book, I will discuss what changes I made below.

The winner of the yardage contest was lil bean, She guessed 2100 yards. The actual yardage was 1,993 yards. I hope that you can make something nice with the yarn!

This bunny's pattern name is Thomas. I made 300 yards of yarn by using 1 yard increments from the left over yarn from the blanket. I think that this is another fun way to use up stash yarn. I used a size U.S. 2 needle to knit him up. I followed the bear pattern exactly. I decided to knit up bunny ears instead, tommorow I will be updating this blog, to add the ear pattern, and tell you about a type-o in the pattern itself.

Thanks

Heather

Completing The Afghan

2010-04-04T00:41:00.000-07:00

Today the contest begins. At the bottom of this blog there will be a photo of my left over yarn. If you would like it, post a comment stating how much yarn you think there is. You can guess in yards or meters. The person who guesses closest wins! I will announce the yardage, and winner in my next blog. April 15.

Yarn 29:Smooth
Second Treasury of knitting patterns.

Yarn 30: Ribbon Yarn 31: Slightly textured

Anny Blatt Victoria Seed Stitch

2 rows Reverse stockinette

Yarn 32: Smooth Yarn 33: Smooth

2 rows Garter Baby Alpaca

Second treasury of Knitting

Yarn 34: Ribbon                                  Yarn 35: Trendsetter
Linen Stitch                                           a ruffle yarn, 1 row stockinette

Yarn 36: Arabesque (Trendsetter)         Yarn 37: Smooth
Stockinette                                            Stockinette

Yarn 38: 1 strand arabesque, 1 strand eyelash
2 rows reverse Stockinette

Yarn 39: Smooth                                      Yarn 40: Baby Alpaca
Knit 3 Purl 5 rib                                        Stockinette

Yarn 41: Smooth                                      Yarn 42: Eyelash
2 rows reverse stockinette                         2 rows reverse stockinette

Yarn 43: Slightly textured
Stockinette, then bind off!!!

All done yea!!

Now here are the photos of the yarn that will be given away. To enter the contest, post much much yardage you think there is in the photos. I will announce the winner on the 15th of April. Good luck to you all.

Yarn Give Away

2010-03-31T01:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for continuing to read my blog. I hoped you liked this project. Sadly this blanket will be completed in the next post. If you liked the color combination Please read my next post titled Completing The Afghan. At the close of my next post, I will run a contest. The winner will receive the rest of the afghan yarn. There will be a large amount. Here is how it will work.

300 yards will be reserved.. divided evenly among the yarns I used (for a matching teddy). This is a blanket for my little guy. Then I will hank all partial skeins (so yardage can be determined). At the end of the next post there will be a couple photos of all the yarn someone will win. To enter the contest simply post a response to the blog guessing how much yardage (you can guess in yards or meters) there is in the photos. The person that guesses the amount of yardage closest, gets all the yarn. I will take responses while the teddy is being knit (should be about 10 days) When the teddy is finished, I will post a photo of him, and announce the winner.

Note: Additionally a few full skeins will be sent to the winner. These skeins were intended to go into the blanket but I ultimately decided against them.. The full skeins will also be included in the photos so you can calculate that yardage into your guesses.

Good Luck!!!
Heather

Yarns 15 Thru 28

2010-03-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start today's blog with a quick notes.

First I want to mention something you might have noticed already. I tend to have thick and thin sections. This is an intentional decision I make as I go along. I do this because I think is makes the afghan more appealing, and more textured to look at. I often decide this as I go, if I have a couple of wide bands I will add a small band or two. The only exception is furry or flagged yarns, when I only do 2-4 rows at most. The reason for this is that a little fur adds a nice texture, a lot will often be too much. The nice thing about doing this is that you can use the same furry yarn a few times in the afghan.

The other thing I wanted to mention is choosing the next stitch. The placement of my yarns have already been decided. I will start with the simplest..Furry or flagged are always reverse stockinette. Slightly textured yarns are very simple (non-detailed) patterns such as stockinette, garter, seed, or ribs. Smooth yarns are the only yarns I give much thought to for stitches. When my next yarn is smooth I look at my entire piece. I pay attention to the last several stitches that have been completed, if they have a vertical feel like cables, ribbing, or stockinette.. I usually look for patterns that have a horizontal, squared or diagonal feel. I like changing the textures often, to keep your eyes moving along the peice, rather than getting drawn in to any particular area.

Yarn 15

Slightly textured (175 stitches)

after completing the color change row (knit if RS is facing, purl if WS is facing)

3 rows of garter stitch

Yarn 16 and 18 (it frames yarn 17 nicely)

Muget (Anny Blatt)-doubled

Stockinette stitch 4 rows

Yarn 17

Super Angora (Anny Blatt)- doubled

175 stitches

Stockinette this time I went till I ran out of this yarn - 14 rows

Yarn 19

Wool Ease (Lion Brand) doubled

I used one strand each of two different heathered brown colors

Pie Crust Basketweave (Vogue Knitting Stichtionary) Multiple of 8+10 (178 stitches)

Yarn 20

1 Strand muget, 1 strand papi, 1 stand scarce eyelash

two rows garter stitch

Yarn 21

smooth (Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns)

Slip-Cross Open Cable 180 stitches

Yarn 22

Muget doubled 180 stitches

3 rows reverse stiockinettes

Yarn 23

Seduce doubled 180 stitches

stockinette stitch

Yarn 24

textured with spares eyelash 180

2 rows one is color change row, the othe reverse stockinette

Yarn 25

Fine Kid (Anny Blatt)

180 stitches stockinette

Yarn 26

Smooth 170

Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (corded stitch)

Yarn 27

Ribbon, 175 linen stitch 2 rows

Yarn 28

Victoria (Anny Blatt) doubled

175 2 rows reverse stockinette

Yarns 5 thru 13

2010-03-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hello every one! Hope you are all doing well. Today I will focus on the next few yarns, stitches, and the method of increasing and decreasing for your next stitches.

The Math!
I mentioned before that I have 175 running stitches. What I meant by that is, generally speaking the afghan will have 175 stitches on it. Sometimes increasing or decreasing is needed in order to make an upcoming stitch work out. So I will try to explain how to do it now. If you are already familiar with how to do this, feel free to skip past this part.
Often times when choosing a new pattern you will see something like this (multiple of 10 + 3) the multiple is referring the amount of stitches you will be repeating in order to knit the pattern. The number after + usually centers the pattern, or acts as a natural border.
Say I have 175 stitches, and I need to increase or decrease in order work a stitch that is a (multiple of 10 + 3). To work this out I start by dividing 175 by 10 the answer is 17. I then multiply 17 by 10 which equals 170 then I add 3 to this total giving me 173. Since I have 175 stitches on the needle.. I would dec 2 stitches in the first round of the next color.
A special note: There are other factors you may consider when deciding whether to round the stitches up or down. If you are using a thicker yarn for the stitch you should decrease instead of increasing.. If you are using a thinner yarn try increasing. if you are making a rib, or working cables increase you stitches, because ribbing and make cables will naturally pull your work in. If you have any problems, just email me. I can help you with the math.

Yarn 5 Smooth texture
Diagonal purl (multiple of 6 + 1) Top yarn in above photo
I had 175 stitches 174 is a multiple of 6... I add 1 so I needed 175
I will tell you how many stitches I used for each stitch here on out.
Row 1: *Purl 1, Knit 5. Repeat from * across. End with a Purl 1 (RS)
Row 2: *Purl 5, Knit 1. Repeat from * across. End with a P1
Row 3: Knit 2, *Purl 1, Knit 5. Repeat from * across ending with Purl 1, Knit 4.
Row 4: Purl 3, *Knit 1, Purl 5. Repeat from * across ending with Knit 1, Purl 3.
Row 5: Knit 4, *Purl 1, Knit 5. Repeat from * across ending with Purl 1, Knit 2.
Row 6: Purl 1, *Knit 1, Purl 5. Repeat from * across.
Repeat rows 1 through 6 for desired length.

Yarn 6
1 fun fur strand (Lion Brand), and 1 strand of arabesque (Trendsetter) held together
I stayed at 175 stitches.
I ended with my RS facing me, so I knit my first row.. then I did another knit row (Reverse Stockinette).
Reverse Stockinette really give textured yarns a nice pop in this project. Typically I only do a couple of rows when doing anything furry.

Yarn 7:
Selene (Anny Blatt)
175 stitches
Stockinette stitch

Yarn 8:
Seduce doubled
175 stitches
Stockinette Stitch

Yarn 9:
Intermezzo (Trendsetter Yarns)
175 stitches
This is a very interesting yarn that can create a fun ruffle. It has holes on one side. I stuck the needle straight through the hole, while knitting the last row of seduce. I skipped two holes for every single stitch, otaining this fun ruffle.

Yarn 10:
Big Baby it is Alpaca can remember the manufacturer
A wide rib (multiple of 16 + 10) I decrease 5 leaving me with 170
Row 1: *Purl 10, Knit 6. Repeat from * ending with Purl 10 (RS)
Row 2: *Knit 10, Purl 6. Repeat from * ending with Knit 10
Repeat rows 1 and 2 for desired length.

Yarn 11:
Slightly Textured
Increase to 175
Seed Stitch

Yarn 12
Smooth
Two rows Reverse Stockinette

Yarn 13
Handspun? (Ozark)
175
Stockinette

Yarn 14
Mohair ruffle
Okay, this one took a very long time! I made a ruffle seperately on o size 5 needle then attached it by knitting it on to the afghan. It was 700 stitches.. after knitting an 1 1/2" on the size five I decreased across then after a couple more rows I decreased again. Then I took a very thin yarn called Muget(Anny Blatt)
and Knit it to the blanket with the muget.

We will get to the next several yarns in the coming week!

Scrap Busting, Stash Busting

2010-02-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

This will be a long post, I will try not to be long winded, but there is a lot I would like to share as we go along. You may wish to print this blog for future resource. I will discuss choosing the yarns, arranging the order, and then give you some helpful information that you should think about when making the blanket. I will end this blog by sharing my needle size, stitch information etc... I want to add one more thing here just in case you need any help at all. You can ask any questions about this project at all I will be happy to answer any question!! You can post them as comments below the blog or email me.

Choosing the Yarn

I did mention in the last blog that I choose a couple of colors that I like together. I then start pulling skeins of all the different shades of those colors that I own(including partial skeins). After that I start grabbing some skeins of neutral colors that I think will look nice with the main colors I have chosen. I try to smoosh all the yarn together in a big pile end up to keep the labels from distracting your eyes from seeing the what all the colors look like together. When you do this you will usually see some yarns that just don't seem to belong, go ahead and remove those now.

An Alternative
You can also do this with different shades, or just different textures of one color. For example, an afghan in all whites in different textured yarns is extremely striking.

Every Yarn in it's Place
There are a couple methods in which you can place your yarns. First I will mention the daring way. You can put all of your yarn in a bag, close your eyes, pull out a skein, and use it next. This is personally a little to daring for me, so now I will share my method of organization.

My Method of Madness

I work from the edges in. The way I do this is by scanning my yarn. I try to locate two yarns of the same color, they can be the same type of yarn as each other, or very similar shades but different yarns. I place these yarns far apart from one another. I scan my yarn again looking for a color that looks good next to the yarn I just put down. I try to find another yarn of the similar color of the new yarn and place these just inside of the two you have already put down. Now repeat the last step, placing the two new yarns on the inside of the last two you placed. If there is a yarn that you find very striking and want it to be in the center, place it there now. You can continue by working in towards the center, or if you have chosen your center, back out towards the edges. Once you are finished, working across the skeins from the end you want to start on, take a sharpie and write numbers on you labels, 1-? I also like to get several large ziplocks and number them. I usually have 5-7 skeins in each ziplock. This way you can travel easier with this project taking only the next few skeins that you will be using. The purpose of placing them this way is to give the afghan a feeling of balance. So your eye travels rather than being sucked in to one area of the afghan.

Things to Consider When Placing your yarn
*If you don't have two different yarns of the same color, feel free to split a skein in half by rolling it into two balls.
*Use all weights of yarn if they are lighter than worsted you can double them, or run them with another yarn of your choice. I commonly triple fine mohair, or double light weight cottons. I use a U.S.10.5 size needle on all of mine, but if *you have heavier yarns feel free to use an U.S.11.
*You can use up partial skeins very easily in this project.
*Don't be afraid to add textured yarns like eyelash, boucle, or flagged yarns they add a great deal of depth!

Blanket Info
*I use a U.S. 10.5
*My basic amount of stitches are 175 throughout
*When changing colors, if the public side is facing you knit 1 row. If the private side is facing you purl 1 row
*When changing stitches, if you need to increase or decrease before starting the stitch, do this on the first row of a color change (that row should always be knitted or purled across)
*You can consider this blanket a sampler of stitches, I typically change stitches each time I change yarn. Suggestions for stitches can be found below, and in the following blog updates. :)
*If you want to try a stitch but are afraid of putting in on your blanket without trying it do a small swatch of it in the yarn you are planning to use.
*I am using a few books to find stitches for some of my blanket (you do not need them) but if you like any stitch that I am doing at least you will find the name of the book for each stitch I do just in case you want to purchase it for yourself, though most are classic and can be found free on the internet.
Resources are as follows: A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker
Vogue Knitting Stitchionary
Vogue Knitting Stitchionary 2

Getting Started Yea!!!!

Finally :) Okay so now the meat and potatoes. You can make this afghan with just Garter,and stockinette.. but this is a perfect project for learning stitches or just playing that being said do what you are comfortable with. First lets take out yarn number one, is it smooth, slightly textured, or textured? Certain textures on yarn will show off some stitches better than others. For example Smooth works great with more textured stitches like cables, bobbles and cords. Slightly textured can look nice in simple patterns like garter, stockinette, seed, linen, and ribs, while I wouldn't bother doing anything other than garter, or stockinette with textures like eyelash. I will be recording my progress here on blogs as I go. I will state the kind of texture my yarn is, the stitch I used, the source of the stitch if I got it from a book, and the amount of stitches my blanket currently has. If any of you have a hard time with knowing how many to increase or decrease for a stitch let me know and I will be happy to help you till you get the hang of it. I will go through the math as we need to change stitches the those of you that haven't done this type of thing before.

Note: The following patterns are just what I decided to use. Please feel free to use which ever patterns you like. I happen to be starting with a pattern from a book, but around half of the time I am not using patterns from any book they are simple. I will list yarns that I still have the labels for. My next post will be of the next few yarns.

Casting On
Yarn #1
Slightly Textured Cartridge-Belt Rib from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns By Barbara Walker
I chose this pattern because it does not contract like a rib, and starts the blanket out with some great texture. I casted on 223, and used up all of the the first yarn which was 2 1/2".

Yarn #2
Textured 2 Rows of Reverse Stockinette
I purposely make textured sections really thin, so they dont overwhelmed my stitch work in the rest of the blanket. Just food for thought for when you use a textured yarn.

Yarn #3
Smooth Texture,
I had 1 row reverse stockinette, 4 rows stockinette, 1 row reverse stockinette.

Yarn #4 Trendsetter Filosophy
Smooth ribbon Linen stitch 1"

Off Track... On Stash Busting

2010-01-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad girl... I really meant to make some needle case holders, but decided that they take up a lot less space than my gigantic stash. I have to start eliminating some of it or I won't be able to close my closet. I don't have room for any more yarn or fiber (a major catastrophe). :) In the next several blogs I will be guiding you through how to make these types of afghans.

I don't like when my finished objects look like they are made from scrap,so these afghans are made in a way that gives you a very purposeful look. I welcome you to join in the stash busting, if you are on Ravelry and join in-try to post your photos in your project pages, I can put them on the blog here if you would like to share your progress, or they can be any of your own stash busting projects or ideas.

These projects are perfect if you tend to purchase the same colors over and over again.
This afghan can be as simple or difficult as you want to make it. I will be walking through everything from selecting the yarn to be used, to finishing the afghan. I will be giving many tips to help you along on yours should you make one. The photos above are examples of what you can do. I have made a few of these and LOVE them. Every one of them turns out pretty and they are an exciting knit. Below I am including photos of the yarn I will be using, with some tips of how to choose your yarn, and a little information to get ready for us to begin. I will begin knitting next week!

The first thing I do when choosing yarn for this afghan is look at my colors overall. I tend to have the best luck when I choose two colors, and neutrals. for example, in this case I have chosen aqua and blue. I will go through my stash grabbing a skein of each aqua and blue (choose different shades light and dark) that I have. I then grab one skein of each of the neutrals (whites, creams, taupe, brown, black) I set these on end and smoosh all the yarn together in a pile so I don't have the labels distracting my eyes from the colors. I now remove any yarns that don't look good in the pile. It is best to have between 15-25 skeins for this project. Partial skeins are perfect for this project too so don't forget about them!

Next week we will organize and start knitting!

Starting Out the New Year With Organization

2010-01-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

This year I am going to write a lot of knitting patterns, at least that is the goal. I wanted to make sure that I am organized before starting my pattern writing adventures. I know that it will be another unorganized year if I don't push myself through organizing first.

So..... I will document here what I am making and how, just in case anyone else wants to organize as well.

Today I will start with a fabric covered journal. I make them for keeping track of my projects, and handspun yarn. Next time I will be making a circular needle case. I will apologize in advance for the lack of photos this time around.. My camaras batteries were dying... I will have much more detailed photos of the needle cases. This is a very easy project though so don't worry.

Materials:
Three ring binder
Two types of fabric I bought 2 yards of each, so I have enough for matching needle cases.
Quilt Batting enough to cover the binder
Two Yards of trim
Scissors
Spray on adhesive
Hot glue gun/glue sticks
Thin poster board or cardboard
Iron
Unopened trash bags
Ruler
Pen or pencil

Preparing your fabric: Iron your fabric to remove any creases. Lay the fabric (for the outside of the binder) right side down on a flat surface, place your binder (open) on your fabric then cut your fabric 1 1/2" larger than the binder on each side. Lay your binder (open) on the quilt batting in the same manner, and cut batting 1" larger then binder on all sides. Measure the front cover of your 3 ring binder. Record these measurements, subtracting a 1/2" vertically and horizontally.

Covering your binder: Unfold, but don't open your trash bag. Lay it out flat in a well ventilated area. Lay your quilt batting on the center of your trash bag. Spray your spray adhesive on the surface of the quilt batting. Carefully lay your binder (closed) on the batting. Smooth the batting on your binder slowly removing any wrinkles that occur.
Fold the edges in, and smooth them on to the inside of the binder. Let your binder dry, then repeat this step for the fabric
Tip: For cleaner corners, after smoothing one side of the fabric to the inside of the binder, cut the fabric at an angle, and then smooth down the other side.

Preparing the inside fabric: Now take out your poster board, and the fabric for the inside of the binder. Lay the fabric right side down. Now lets prepare the poster board. Cut out two rectangles using the measurements you recorded earlier... Place one of them on your fabric and cut the fabric out leaving 3/4" of extra fabric on each side. Before cutting the other piece of fabric look at the inside of your binder. If the rings are connected to edge, without leaving much extra space, you can cut your other fabric to the same measurements of your other inside fabric.
Note: Some notebooks have a lot of space between where the rings attach to the folder, and the bend of the folder. In this case, I cut the fabric leaving 3/4" on three sides, and leave extra fabric on the remaining side, to accomidate this extra space.

Gluing the inside pieces: Glue the inside pieces around the poster board, turning in the edges as you did with the outside. Let them dry. Note: If you do have a binder with a lot of space between the bend and the rings, when you fold over the edges of the fabric, fold over three sides, the other side will adhere to the binder to cover the space left in that bend. The other piece will be covered normally with all four edges folded over the back of the poster board. Let these pieces dry.

Adhering the inner fabric: Spray the back side of the poster board with the spray adhesive, then center and stick them to the inside of the binder covers. Note if you have the binder with extra space, smooth the extra fabric in towards the center of the binder. trim the extra fabric and tuck the edge under the metal joining.

Finishing touches. Now hot glue on the trim :) Yea we are finished.
Further considerations may include page protectors, and business card sheets. Below are photos and a few notes on the records I keep.

I try to record my projects in detail.
For knitting, crochet, and tatting. I will include a photo of the finished project, the pattern source.. ex: the name of the book. If it was a downloaded pattern, I slide it in a page protector attached to the project photo. I include the yarn information, needle and hook sizes used, note any changes I made to the pattern, who I gave it to, and note how well I liked doing the project. As silly as this may sound, it is very useful. I often remember when someone asks me to make them something I have made before.. thinking I really didn't like doing it the first time.. but it couldn't have been that bad I finished it..... Then half way into the project I discover what I disliked about it in the first place. I know there are several "never again" items, I have been suckered into.

For Spinning: I record my fiber source, the colorway, fiber components, amount, whether it is a reproducable colorway, predrafting instuctions, ratio, plying info, and how much yardage I produced.. I also wrap a little fiber, a single, and my finished yarn around a cut up 3 x5 card and stick it to the page. I then slide this into a page protector. When I finish a project with it, I finish project page (like in the above section), and add a photo.

Ohh I like adding a page for business cards.. to be able to find my sources more easily:) Here is an example

I hope you can get some use out of this.
Enjoy :)

Gingerbread Fun!

2009-11-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

My family had a gingerbread contest on Thanksgiving. It was very fun! Everyone had very different gingerbread creations, and it was very hard to choose a winner. Here were the rules.
1: a premade gingerbread house that we provided had to be incoporated somehow.
2: Everything had to be edible.. except mechanical devices such as lights, and hinges etc..
3: All decorating had to be done on Thanksgiving evening when we were all together.

Here is a photo of each of the houses. From last place to first. P.S. all photos can be enlarged (alot) by clicking on them.

6th place: Uncle Mike... He was talking some serious game, but due to gingerbread malfunctions, could not complete his house. He decided to lend a helping hand to the rest of us contestants, but he is already plotting for next year. : )

5th place: Genevieve, and Ariana. They made a spooky gingerbread house, if you look closely you will see a little grave, some bones, and a couple of ghosts. Their house also had a blacklight shining on it for effect, and some dry ice (fog)
5th place: Mom, and I were going with a north pole theme. If you look closely you will see a polar bear, Penguins, and a snowman. We did not have enough time to finish. If I decide to finish it I will post Pictures on my next blog. 3rd Place: Eric and Amber. They were making an excavation site that they have been to in Egypt. there is a pyramid, an Obilisk, a caved in builing and an intact building. Cute little Gummy bears were their workers.2cnd place: Rob, Leanne, Matt, and Katie also did a nothpole theme. There are street lamps that light up in this cute village. There are alot of buildings, and people. Very cute : )

1st place: Jeffrey and Kellie went with an under the sea theme. They had an Octopus as Santa, and they are the mermaid, and merman. The mermaid has a pregnant belly, like my sister.

2009-11-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

Hello again : )

I just wanted to share a bit about the designer, that let us use her Cabled Hat pattern for our last Mystery KAL. She is a wonderful designer, and her name is Meg White. She offers several designs on Ravelry.com. This designer spotlight is more of an interview.

You can find Meg White on Ravelry as Turbo. She also has a blog http://www.thekninja.blogspot.com/

Me: When did you start knitting?

Meg: My mother tried to teach me when I was very young, and a roommate in college showed me a hat she was working on, but it just didn’t stick with me. I didn’t quite get it, or maybe I wasn’t interested then. I think, really, it was a little knit bikini in “Bust” magazine that suck in my head.

One day, walking through a flea market, I picked up a ball of yarn and needles for $3. Why? I didn’t have any real intention of ever knitting at the time. That was a Sunday. On Tuesday I broke my leg. Lying on the couch, wondering what to do, I picked up the needles and yarn and started knitting. Yes, I just started knitting – and purling. Bizarre, huh? Somehow this latent knowledge had stuck in my brain along the way and came to me unexpectedly when I needed it most.
I bought more yarn and the “Stich’n Bitch” book, coincidently by Debbie Stoller also, clearly the godmother of my knitting. My first project was a scarf with random stripes and my second a baby blanket that turned out larger than expected. After the big blanket I figured I might as well go for a sweater and knit up a cabled pullover on the fly with some crappy acrylic, which ended up fitting my roommate better than me.
After the broken leg healed I found myself laid up again with a back injury. Well, rugby’s a heck of a sport. I’ve knit pretty much all day everyday since I started. Who would have known that it would become so important to my life?
I’ve made relatively few projects from patterns, although I like to read them and incorporate ideas and techniques from others’ work. Only recently have I started to record my work and offer it to others. I’ve actually written several sweater patterns that I don’t feel confident sharing yet. Does anyone want to test knit?

Me: How long have you been designing?

Meg: I’ve been designing since I started knitting, but I only began sharing my designs about a year ago.

Me: Do you have other hobbies?

Meg: I’ve practiced many textile techniques at some point, including sewing, quilting, weaving, embroidery, batik, and macramé. I crochet nearly as much as I knit now. I love to be outdoors hiking, playing Gaelic football, or working in my garden.

Me: Is there anything special you would like to share with my followers?

Meg: I’ve just finished reading “No Logo” by Naomi Klein. It’s about the invasion of corporations into the public realm, both aesthetically and politically, and the travesty of sweatshop factories in developing countries.
While reading it I felt a bit smug about being a hand knitter. To me knitting represents a lifestyle choice. I’m proud to be a knitter, to be developing a skill to extricate my life from mass consumerism, and to be able to share this ability with the people around me. I love being a part of our knitting community – meeting people who are similar to me or different, learning constantly, and admiring the art of all of our hands.

Mystery Knit Along #4 Week #2

2009-10-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome back!!
This will be the last week of this knit along. This pattern was shared with us by Meghann White. I will be doing a designer spotlight on her shortly.

Knit 8 rows or until hat measures 6 - 7 inches from brim.
(Knit 10, place marker) repeat 8 times (around 1 row of the hat).
(Knit until two stitches before the marker, K2tog, slip marker) repeat on all rows
until only 1 stitch remains before each marker.
Thread yarn through remaining stitches and tie off.
© Meghann White, for personal use only

Thank you again for joining me

Heather

Mystery Knit Along #4 Week #1

2009-10-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

Thank You for checking in. This is the first of a two week mystery knit along. A wonderful designer is letting us use this pattern. She is also on Ravelry, and I will tell you about her at the close of this knit along.

Here is the first part of her pattern. I hope you enjoy it!!

Materials:
Cascade 220 (uses less than ½ a skein)
Size 8 16” circular needles
Gauge: 4 stitches per inch

Row 1: P1, K2, P1, K4
Row 2: P1, C2B, P1, K4
Row 3: Repeat Row 1
Row 4: P1, C2B, P1, C4B
Instructions:
Cast on 80 stitches (or some multiple of 8)
Knit 8 rows.
Fold the brim up to show the reverse stockinet, and knit through both layers to
create hem.
Follow the chart 10x for 5 repeats, plus an additional rows 1, 2, and 3.
Purl 3 rows

Mystery Knit Along #3 Designer Spotlight

2009-09-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hello!! The wonderful designer that is letting us use this pattern is Diana Troldahl, she goes by Otterwise on Ravelry here is her profile link http://www.ravelry.com/people/Otterwise
I will share more about her after our finishing instructions for this project.

To finish this project, bind off at desired length and weave in all ends. Thank You as always for joining in this knit Along! I will provide a direct link to her blog with this pattern in the page section of our group. I hope you enjoyed this pattern.

Diana has been crocheting most of her life. She learned how to knit in Japan years ago, where she knit her first sweater. She did not really get serious about knitting again until 2001. Diana knitted Japanese style until she started pattern testing for her sis-in-love LynnH, a fellow designer. Here is the link to Diana's pattern page, where she has patterns for sale, and patterns for free. http://www.ravelry.com/stores/diana-troldahl-designs

Diana started making her own designs at age 8, making crocheted animal patterns. Her friend Lynn inspired her to start putting her patterns on paper. Diana has a blog here http://otterwise.blogspot.com/

Diana feels that knitting has been her salvation. She has a disability that has progressed, and it has left her less and less able to do things she used to, knitting has helped her calm her mind, and given her new purpose. She loves hearing how a pattern she created is used by the person making it (there are some great stories on the projects pages of her ‘Cloud On Her Shoulders’ pattern) and knitting has also introduced her to some amazing people.

Knitting also allows her to give back. About once a year she creates a new pattern, and designates a portion of the proceed throughout its life to go to a charity. Cloud on Her Shoulders helps fund the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research, and the Kiva Bag helps fund loans for kiva.org. she also likes to knit for Warm Woolies. Through knitting and designing, she feels a sense of purpose. I think she is an inspiration!!!

The photos I included here, can be found in her pattern shop on Ravelry.

What you see here are the Allison bag (fits a laptop perfectly), and the Kiva bag.

Mystery Knit Along #3 Week #2

2009-09-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Mystery Knit Along #3 Week #2

Welcome back!!
Not much to this weeks instruction. Just continue on in the same manner till desired length. By now I am sure you have figured out it is a scarf. I am only about half way done, so I will show you the finished photos next week.

I did want to share how I weave in my ends. I hope the photos aren't too confusing. I will put up a better tutorial in our Ravelry group soon. I weave in my ends using duplicate stitch. It is where you follow actual stitches in your knitting, with your yarn needle and yarn.

For a knit stitch you start by bringing your yarn needle up through the base of your stitch as pictured.

You will notice the stitch travels up, over to the left then back down to the base (where you brought your needle up. Now slide your needle under the base of the stitch right above the stitch you are working on now, but on top of the yarn in the stitch you are following.

The yarn now travels back down, where it connects to the yarn below it. You slide your needle into the base of the stitch (where you first brought your needle up), and up through the base of your next stitch to the left.

You continue in this manner. It is much harder to see the body of the stitch in the purl. Feel free to pull on your work a bit the see the stitches better. The duplicate is worked the same way though.

Although you are bringing your needle through horizontal bars up through two, then down through the next two on the left

Mystery Knit Along #3 Week #1

2009-09-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!!!

I am very excited to start another knit along. We have another designer that has let us use one of her patterns. I will share a bit about her at the conclusion of our knit along. This knit along will be 2 or three weeks.

This is a good stash busting project. You need around 200 yards of a main color, and scraps of other colors. Try to keep the yarns around the same weight. Enjoy!
**A note... The designer used the colors stated below. I will show a photo of her finished project at the conclusion of this knit along.

There are two 'mystic' bits about this project. One is how the appearance and intensity and color shadings of the main color change depending on which yarn it is paired with. The background color I chose is a light turquoise. If it is paired with a light blue, it appears a deeper teal, if it is paired with a green, it looks very blue. Each color changes the quality of the main color, producing a visual illusion of even more shades of color than I used. The second mystic bit is how this seemingly narrow project can expand to double its width due to the ribbing.

Size 8 needles (or needles of a size to work with your weight of yarns)

Gauge: not important

with main color, cast on 40 stitches.

row 1: k2, p2 across

row 2: k2, p2 across

row 3: begin new color, k2, p2 across

row 4: k2, p2 across

row 5: using main color, k2, p2 across

row 6: k2, p2 across

row 7: continuing with second (transient) color; k2, p2 across

row 8: k2, p2 across

Work in this pattern, changing between the main color(s) and transient colors, carry the non-working yarn up the side until its turn comes again. When the transient color you chose runs out, add in your next choice of color from the yarn scrap pile, maintaining pattern.

Work up to 30" this week.

Thanks for joining me again :)

Mystery Knit Along #2 Designer Showcase

2009-09-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for joining this knit along with me. I also want to thank April for providing such a sweet and wonderful pattern. I hope you all enjoyed knitting it.

This cute little pattern was provided by April Lowe. Here is the one I made, with my little guy.

I am going to provide some of April's links, and then I will tell you more about her.

April has a couple of stores on Etsy. Lillebarn http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5205516
and, Lillebarn Too
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6860556
Her blog is
www.lillebarn.blogspot.com

Lillebarn is Danish, it means unique and stylish handmade items for tiny babies and kids, including hats, blankets, stationery, wall art, onesies…

April has been knitting for 5 years. She is a self-taught knitter using books and patterns to figure things out. She had a hard time finding patterns for exactly what she was looking for. So April learned how to design her own patterns very early on. Then she decided to start selling her patterns because she couldn't keep up with her knitting Orders.

The three beautiful photos, are some of her products. The hat patterns are 4.50 each. The birth announcements cards are completely customizable.

April comes out with new patterns and products throughout the year, but especially at the start of each season. April is also going to offer us a 15% discount on a first purchase. All you have to do is enter mysteryknit in the notes to the seller, in Etsy check out.

April also enjoys photography, piano, SCUBA diving, traveling, cooking, and nutrition. She has two sons, ages 2 and 1.

April loves to design knits for her boys, and some of her friends baby girls. It gives her joy to be able to share the patterns she writes.

I did want to share something great about the pretty grey and white hat.... The pattern includes yarn suggestions, size variations from newborn to 4 years and up. I will probably be making one for Genevieve (my daughter) she is 8

Good night. I appreciate you all
Thank You again for joining me in this knit along.

Heather

Mystery Knit Along #2 Week #2

2009-09-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

This pattern was provided by April Lowe. I will be sharing more about her in the designer showcase.

Here are the rest of our pattern instructions.

1. Using the long tail method, co 4 st
2. Knit across the top of the first ear flap
3. Using the backward loop method, co 7 st
4. Knit across the top of the second ear flap
5. Using backward loop method, co 3 st
6. Join round being careful that no stitches are twisted and work in garter stitch for 4
rows. When knitting in the round, make garter stitch by knitting one row and then
purling the next row. So for this part you will knit a round, purl a round, knit a round,
and then purl one more round.
7. Now knit every row (shows stockinette st when knitting in the round) until hat
measures 5 in from cast on edge.
8. Begin decrease sequence as follows:
1. *k5, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round
2. *k4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round
3. *k3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round
4. knit onto 3 dbl pointed needles as follows: needle 1; k 5st, needle 2; k 5 st, needle
3; k 6 st
5. *k2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round
6. knit
7. *k1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. 8 st remain.

Cut yarn, leaving 8 in tail. Thread tail onto yarn needle and pull through remaining st.
Turn hat inside out and pull yarn through center of the top hole and pull to close tightly.
Tie knot at top of hat and weave in end.
Making up:
Weave in ends on ear flaps

Make 3 pom poms (approximately 2 to 3 inches) and attach to top of hat and bottom of 2
scarf ear flaps, weaving in ends. Pom pom can be left off the top of the hat if desired.
© April Lowe / Lillebarn 2007
To be used for PERSONAL USE ONLY. This pattern not to be used for resale of this
pattern or the finished knitted hat without written permission

Mystery Knit Along #2 Week #1

2009-08-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

Mystery Knit Along #2

This pattern is provided by another talented designer. Next Monday after giving the next instructions, I will share some beautiful photos of more designs she created.

YARN: Thick and Quick in color of
your choice or other yarn of the same
super bulky weight. You need 2 skeins
of yarn.
TOOLS: Size US 15 16” circular needles
Scissors
Yarn needle
Pom pom maker or something to
make pom poms
4 Size US 15 Double pointed needles
Sizes: 1-2 years

Using 2 of the double pointed needles, co 2
st and work in garter stitch.
1. knit into the front and back of the first stitch and knit 1 stitch (3 st)
2. knit all st (repeat for all even rows)
3. k in front and back of first st, k 1 st, knit in front and back of last stitch (5 st)
4. repeat row 2
5. repeat pattern of row 3, k in front and back of first and last st of this row (7 st)
K all rows (garter st) for 40 rows and leave on one dbl pointed needle and set aside.

Make one more of these and set aside.

I followed these instructions exactly. I made no allowances for using a size 13 needle.

Heather

Mystery crochet Along #1 Showcase

2009-08-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

We just finished our first crochet along. The pattern's name is Bobby blue, and was shared with us by Amy. She is a designer that sells her patterns on Etsy. Amy's shop is called Melbangel Crafts. You can also find her on Ravelry as melbangel. Here is her store link. http://www.etsy.com /shop.php?user_id=87376

After telling you a bit about her, I will share my plans with these cute little guys we made these past two weeks... Very cool! Your kids will love them.

Amy has been crocheting for 6 years. She also enjoys knitting, making plush fabric, cross stitching, quilting, and plastic canvas.

Amy believes that crafting is a never ending learning process, and that passion
and patience are key. Amy has been designing for 3 years now. I have included some photos of some patterns she sells in her Etsy shop. Her patterns start at $2.50. There are 76 items for sale in her shop. My fave is the banana split. Just looking at it makes me hungry. ;) She has a great variety of fun stuff.

***Bobby Blue Remake. Do you remember that old carnival game where you try to knock over stuffed creatures with bean bags? This pattern is just perfect for that!!! But you can have sooo much fun with the different colors you can make them with to customize them.

I did them in two tone colors, but there are many options. You can make a little figure for each person in your family. You can make holiday ones. For Halloween make Frankenstien, a ghost, a jackolantern, or just in Halloween colors, etc... Christmas.. Make Frosty, Santa, or just red -white - and green combos. Or make this a fun thing to make and give a new one each holiday to add to the collection. Embroidery thread is stiff enough to be sturdy, has many colors, and will cost between $2-2.36 for each little guy. I am pretty busy but I do hope to make some holiday critters with the bobby blue pattern we just used. My little girl is horrified that I created little bean bags to knock them over, hopefully I can convince her to give it a try.. But she wants to use the mini bean bags as pillows for them to sit on.

I will put the patterns I wrote for the bean bags, in the page section of our raverly group.
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cliodhna
Thank you so much for joining me again in this Mystery Crochet Along.

Heather

Mystery Crochet Along Week 2

2009-08-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back!!

This week we finish this project. Before getting to the pattern, I wanted to share what I did differently. After finishing last weeks pattern, I made hair for these little guys. That is it. The original pattern includes crocheted feet, hair and eyes. The first photo is of the original pattern as written, then there are photos of the ones I made. There are great possibilities for these little guys. I will share what I am doing with them in the designer showcase for this project, I will also share some super cute ideas for other color possibilties.

Pointy Locks ( make 5 pieces)
With dark blue yarn and leaving a
length of yarn for sewing later, make 5
similar pieces as follows:
Working in rows,
Row 1 : Ch 5. Sc in 2nd ch from hook
and in each ch throughout. (4 sc). Ch1,
turn.
Row 2 & 3 : 4 sc. Ch1, turn.
Row 5 : [ dec 1 sc over next 2 sc]2
times. (2 sc). Ch 1, turn.
Row 6 & 7 : 2 sc. Ch 1, turn.
Row 8 : Dec 1 sc over next 2 sc. (1 sc).
Ch 1, turn.
Row 9 & 10 : 1 sc. Ch 1, turn. Fasten
off.
Thread the beginning length of yarn
through a tapestry needle and sew each
piece of lock around the circumference
of the dark blue patch on the top of the
head.

Feet ( make 2)
With orange yarn and leaving a length
of yarn for sewing later, make 2 similar
pieces as follows :
Working in rows,
Row 1 : Ch 7. Sc in 2nd ch from hook
and in each ch throughout. (6 sc). Ch1,
turn.
Row 2 : 6 sc. Ch1, turn.
Row 3 : [ dec 1 sc over next 2 sc]3
times. (3 sc). Ch 1, turn.
Row 4 : 3 sc. Ch 1, turn.
Row 5 : Dec to 1 sc. Fasten off.
Thread the beginning length of yarn
through a tapestry needle and sew each
foot to bottom of body, aligning them
next to each other. (Please see pics).

Eyes ( make 2)
With off-white yarn,
Rnd 1 : Ch 2. 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
( 6 sc)
Rnd 2 : Work 2 sc in each sc around.
(12 sc)
Sl st to beginning sc and fasten off,
leaving a length of yarn for sewing eye
onto face.
Sew 2 big french knots using black
yarn into the centre of the off-white
eye patches.
Finishing
Thread neon pink yarn through a
tapestry needle. Embroider a heartshaped
mouth (or any other shape that
you prefer) onto the face.
Sit back and enjoy the finished toy!!!
-

My hair is just short lengths of my yarn tied in. I also made mini pom poms and tied them onto a couple. I hope you enjoyed this project!! As always, contact me if any of this is unclear.
heather_n_wells@yahoo.com
Heather

Mystery Crochet Along # 1

2009-08-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am quite excited. This pattern has been generously donated to us by a wonderful designer on Etsy. I will tell you more about the designer at the close of this crochet along next week.

I wanted to say a few quick things before we get started. I am following today's portion the pattern exactly. I have decided to play with color for fun though. I will discuss any changes I have made at the bottom of the pattern. I will be discussing the places in the pattern where you see **
There are photos of this weeks work, at the end of this blog

*** Changing color properly in a Sc: insert hook into stitch indicated, yarn over pull up a loop, pick up your new color, and draw through the remaining two loops.

Materials **
· Acrylic Yarn (light blue, dark
blue, orange, black, neon pink
and off-white)
· Polyfill
· Tapestry/yarn needle
· Crochet hook (size needed for
your yarn type)
· A pair of scissors

Size
Height – 3.5 inches Width – 2.8
inches (Size will vary depending on
your crocheting tension and the type of
yarn used)
Things to Note
· This item is crocheted in the
rounds. Do not join rounds. Use
a scrap of different coloured
yarn to mark rounds.
· Work in loose ends as you
crochet along. Alternatively,
you can thread remaining end
of yarn onto a tapestry needle
and weave into the existing
stitches.

Abbreviations
Ch – chain
Sc – single crochet
Rnd – round
Inc – increase
Dec – decrease
Sl st – slip stitch

Instructions

Head/Body
**With light blue yarn,
Rnd 1 : Ch 2. 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
(6 sc)
Rnd 2 : Work 2 sc in each sc around.
(12 sc)
Rnd 3 : [ sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc]6
times. (18 sc)
Rnd 4 : [ sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (24 sc)
Rnd 5 : [ sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (30 sc)
Rnd 6 : [ sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (36 sc)
Rnd 7 : [ sc in next 5 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (42 sc)
Rnd 8 : [ sc in next 6 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (48 sc)
Rnd 9 to 16 : Sc in each sc around. (48
sc)

Now for the decreasing rounds.
Rnd 17 : [ sc in each of next 6 sc, dec
1 sc over next 2 sc]6 times. (42 sc)
Rnd 18 : [ sc in each of next 5 sc, dec 1
sc over next 2 sc]6 times. (36 sc)
Rnd 19 : [ sc in each of next 4 sc, dec 1
sc over next 2 sc]6 times. (30 sc)
Rnd 20 to 22 : Sc in each sc around.
(30 sc)

Now for the increasing rounds.
Rnd 23 : [ sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (36 sc)
Rnd 24 : [ sc in next 5 sc, 2 sc in next
sc]6 times. (42 sc)
Rnd 25 to 28 : Sc in each sc around.
(42 sc)

Now for the decreasing rounds.
Rnd 29 : [ sc in each of next 5 sc, dec 1
sc over next 2 sc]6 times. (36 sc)
Rnd 30 : [ sc in each of next 4 sc, dec 1
sc over next 2 sc]6 times. (30 sc)
Rnd 31 : [ sc in each of next 3 sc, dec 1
sc over next 2 sc]6 times. (24 sc)

**At this point, change to dark blue yarn
and continue decreasing …
Rnd 32 : [ sc in each of next 2 sc, dec 1
sc over next 2 sc]6times. (18 sc)

**Stuff body/head with polyfill.
Rnd 33 : [sc in next sc, dec 1 sc over
next 2 sc]6 times. (12 sc)
Rnd 34 : [ Dec 1 sc over next 2 sc]6
times. (6 sc)
At the end of round 34, sl st in next sc
leaving a length of yarn, fasten off.
With tapestry needle, weave in
remaining length through sc of rnd 34,
pull to close opening, secure and fasten off.

My changes:
Feel free to follow the original pattern, or you can read below to replicate any of the changes I made.

Material changes:
4mm Safety eyes (instead of making them.. in next weeks)
Embroidery thread (makes them smaller)
Poly-pellets (to help them stand better)

Color changes:
*when changing colors carry yarn loosely.

Purple: I worked the pattern as is, but I alternated my light and dark yarn every three rows.

Aqua: After every Inc, I worked 2 stitches in the darker aqua. Then worked two rows of dark aqua after four rows of alternating colors. When Dec, work the two stitches after each Dec in the dark aqua.

Salmon: I aternated colors after every increase in the inc rows, and after every Dec in every dec row.

After the 33rd row that reads (3sc, dec) around, I stick in my safety eyes. I place them in the
row 28. At this point I also fill the bottom inch with pellets. Continue with pattern Instructions.

Mystery Knit Along Wk 5

2009-08-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here are are on the last week of our first knit along. I hope that you have enjoyed our first project. Now lets give your purse it's finishing touches.

I start by cutting 6"-7 1/2" inch lengths of my thickest, or darkest color ribbon. Using a yarn needle I will thread the ribbon then draw the yarn through a stitch 2-3 rows above the top of your main fur area. I then tie the ribbon just pulled through into a knot, as shown in the first photo.

I tie the other ribbon yarns to the row directly
below the top fur row.

*** Try tying in 2 together for added depth. Or tie in three rows if you have more ribbons.

If you have upholstery trim sew that on. Beaded trim can look amazing. In my cream purse I tied in two rows of two yarns each. Sewing a button on the outside can also be a nice touch. Sew on a purse handle to finished off your purse.

I personally like to sew in a fabric lining, and a snap on the side to keep the purse closed.

For sewing in the lining lay the purse on my fabric, and fold it over the purse. Cut the fabric leaving an inch more of fabric on each side. You will have one long piece of fabric. I fold the fabric in half again and sew up the sides (with the right side of the fabric inside). I fold the top of the fabric down an inch, and iron it to create a crease. I measure the width at the top of the purse. Then sew the fabric at an angle on both sides, and trim the sides of the fabric. I hand piece and sew the lining in by hand. I hope to see all your finished purses. By mid week I will post photos here of my cream bag. Also for every knit/crochet along we do I will be highlighting a store or designer. Sometimes the pattern will be provided by them. I will also post a photo of my very favorite item or two from that store, or designer.

Thank You sooo much for joining me in this knit along.
Heather

Mystery Knit Along Wk 4

2009-07-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to week 4!!! We are almost done. Sort of.

Dec Rnd: K2tog, knit till you have 2 stitches before your next stitch marker, K2tog, slip your stitch marker to your right needle, K2tog. knit till you have 2 stitches left of round, K2tog

Now we decrease.
With felting yarn only, work 1 dec rnd. Work 1 knit rnd. Work one dec rnd. Work 1 knit round.
Work one dec rnd. Work one knit round. Adding any eyelash yarn Work 1 Dec rnd. With main yarn only, Knit 3 rnds, then bind off.

Lay your purse out, like pictured in the first photo. *You will notice that the decreases are on the sides the purse.
If you had left over yarn from casting on, you can start sewing the bottom of your bag with it just working your way across. If you didn't have extra from your cast on, cut a length of your felting yarn and start sewing the bottom of your bag. Start from the begining of your cast on, finishing on the other decrease side.

I sew the bottom of my bag with ladder stitch (shown above). Whip stitch works just as well

Flip your bag inside out... if it isn't already.

Lay your bag upside down. Flatten the bottom, it will form a triangle on both dec sides of the bag.
Sew a running stitch across these triangles as shown left. Sew the running stitch anywhere from an 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" in from the tip of the points.

This will give your bag a flat bottom.

Weave in any super long ends if you wish. Flip the bag right side out again. Use a crochet hook to pull flagged yarns through to the outside. weave in your bind off yarn.
Now place your bag in the washing machine. Some people put their bags in an old pillow case, to protect the washing machine. put in a cap full of dishwashing liquid. You only need a little. Wash it in a hot cycle. If you have a top loader you can keeping checking on your purse and pull it out when you like it. I personally have a front loader... and have to wait for the full cycle to be over. I washed my bag twice, in two quick cycles. After removing it from your washer stuff your purse to your desired shape, as I have done below. I stuff them with old grocery bags. I have seen them stuffed with newspaper too, but I would want to risk staining the inside with newsprint. We will finish with more finishing instructions next week... get your ribbons and your handles ready :)
Heather

Mystery Knit Along Wk 3

2009-07-19T16:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday!!!!!!
Congrats to our 5 winners from last week. Winners please email me with your address if you have not done so yet :)

Here is week 3 instruction to our first mystery knit along. Remember we are holding our felting yarn throughout.
Cut the first eyelash yarn, and continue knitting with the second eyelash yarn for 6 rows. Add your 3rd eyelash yarn, and knit 1 row. Cut your 2cnd eyelash yarn, and knit 3 more rows.
Cut your 3rd eyelash yarn.

Now add your 1st eyelash yarn and your flagged or boa yarn. Knit 1 row. Cut your 1st eyelash yarn, and continue knitting 1 more row with your flagged or boa yarn. Cut your flagged yarn. Knit two rows holding your felting yarn only. Next week we will finish the knitting portion of this project. The first photo is our project up to this point. Start looking through your stash for your novelty ribbon yarns. The other two photos are the yarns I will be using in our finishing. You can get creative here, If you have trim or even other fabric ribbons we can use those.
Hope you are enjoying this project :)
Heather

Contest Day!!

2009-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Here is how it will work. I am going to ask 5 questions. You may only answer 1 question. This way we will have 5 different winners. The first answer to each question wins. Answer in the comment section of this blog. Write the question #, then the answer.
This way you can see what questions have already been answered .

Winners email me your address. Ringmarkers@yahoo.com
1. Shawshank Redemption: What kind of animal was Brooks pet? Nalamienea answered and won this question.

2: Gone With The Wind: What did Scarlett and Rhett name their daughter? Tracy answered and won this question...

3: Dark Crystal: What was the name of Kiras pet? Knit-o-matic wins this question

4: Big Street: Who is the leading actress in this film? Linda wins this question

5: French Kiss: Who is the leading actor of this film? Vickie answered and won this question

Good luck all!!

Mystery Knit Along Wk 2

2009-07-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

Week 2 instructions:

Welcome back, I hope you are having fun :)

For this week we will be using our base yarn (you are already using it), and 2 eyelash yarns.

Note: Your base (felting) yarn will be used throughout the whole project. When adding a yarn, just hold the new yarn together with your old yarn. Wrap it the same way would would for working with one yarn.

Knit another 2 inches of your project. Add your first eyelash, and knit 3 rounds. Now add your 2nd eyelash yarn and knit one round. At this point you are knitting with your first yarn, and both eyelash yarns.

This concludes this weeks instruction. For next week have one more eyelash yarn, and a flagged .. or boa yarn.

Remember to come back on the 16th... I will be asking five trivia questions. For prizes.

Thank you
Heather

Mystery Knit Along Wk 1

2009-07-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Remember to tune in 7/16 for the questions of the contest.
You can post pictures of your projects here http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/cliodhna/688421/1-25
Are your needles ready? ; )

A few notes on my materials before we begin. My needles are a size U.S. 11 -16" circular needle. You could easily use a 24" circular as well. I found some Angora Super from Anny Blatt left in my stash so I am using that. It also felts beautifully. You can use any yarn that felts. If It is less than worsted weight, you will be working with it doubled.

Cast on 100 stitches loosely. Now here is where you have to be careful. Join these stitches, by knitting into the first stitch you casted on. *** make sure the cast on is not twisted before you do this. The easiest way is by keeping the knotted edge of your cast on is on the inside of your circulars, like the first photo shown.

The second photo is me knitting into the first stitch I casted on.

Knit one round, then place a stitch marker before your first stitch on round 2. Knit 50 stitches, then place your second stitch marker. Continue knitting around, until you have 3 inches. Make sure when your knitting is at rest you slide your stitches towards the back of your circulars

Note: If you are using a 24" circular, the first row will be tight knitting on, but will loosen up signifigantly by your third row.

This week choose an eyelash yarn ... We will be using it in next weeks instructions
Enjoy
Heather

contact me if any of this is unclear

Stories Update

2009-06-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. There is an update of Stories Of The Traveling Stitch Markers at the bottom of this blog.

Mystery Knit Along

We will be starting a mystery knit along on July 6 2009. Every Monday starting the 6th, I will be giving instructions for the following week. The will be no more than 1 hour worth of work a week. The group http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cliodhna on Ravelry will have a thread called Mystery Knit Along. There we can show our progress. Feel free to join in. The first materials you will need is 100% wool (must be able to felt) "Natwolle" from muench is good, "Fishermans wool" from Lion brand is also good. You will need 200 yards. Make sure not to use wool that is bleached white. You will need a size 11 U.S. circular needle.. not longer than 24", and 2 stitch markers.

Stories Of The Traveling Stitch Markers

I know it has been awhile. I will try to be better. I will just run thru the states that have had recent activity.

By Mail Rock candy: In it's first part of the Journey. A photo has been added of their very first project.

Stripey Blanket: These markers are on their 5th journey. They have been in CA, TN, MASS, NY,OK there are 13 photos in this thread.

California: The markers are on their third journey. There are 6 photos so far.

Alabama: These markers are on the second part of their journey. There are 3 photos so far.

Oregon: These markers are on the second part of their journey. There are 3 photos in this thread.

Canada: These markers are on their fourth journey. This thread has really taken on a life of its own. There are a couple of really great women that are organizing and moderating. Thank You!!
There are 21 photos in this thread. Field trip photos included.

North Dakota: They are on the 5th leg of their journey, there are 7 photos so far. Field trip photos too.

Montana: These markers are on the 3rd part of their journey. There are two photos.

Texas: The markers are on their second part of the journey. There are two photos.

Virginia: The markers are on their 3rd journey. There 34 photos.. Along with field trip photos.

Getting Excited

2009-06-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

I am getting very excited about the contest!!! I will share a little now about how it will work exactly. On July 16, I will post 5 movie questions. Each question will have a corresponding prize. The first answer to each question will get that prize, but you may only win one prize. To answer the questions, click on comment.. below the blog, and leave your answer there. This way you can see what questions have already been answered, and choose a different question to answer. The names of the movies are hidden in my Etsy store if you want to prepare. :)

I did decide to start a group on Ravelry called Cliodhna. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cliodhna I thought that we can all share photos, ideas, and do KALs

Speaking of knit alongs, I started a thread in the cliodhna ravelry group for the entrelac, if you would like to join in. If you don't have the pattern already, please email me your personal email address.

The photo to the right is the group thumbnail image. OOPS The photo traveled up

I do want to start a mystery KAL . The knitting time of this project is about four hours, so it isn't a huge time commitment. I wan't to break it up over 4-5 weeks. I you have bits ands pieces of novelty yarns, it will be very inexpensive. It is a great gift too if you are trying to start on those Christmas gifts early. I would like to start The first week of July. I just thought it would be fun to do a knit along, where you have no clue what you are making ; ). All I can say is trust me it is a cute project!!! I will start a thread called Mystery knit along.. check in there if you want to join.

In the next day or so I will edit this blog to include any updates to Stories of the traveling stitch markers... Baby boy is upset... Take care
Heather

A new blog

2009-06-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

To start this new series of blog I am having a contest :)

On July 16, I will ask 5 trivia questions. The first people to answer correctly will get prizes. More information comming soon. Each person can only win one prize. So five of you will be receiving prizes. The prizes are from my etsy store. First Prize is a surprise, but sets of stitch markers, and hand spun yarn are among the prizes. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5638084

I would like to focus on a project in each blog. Our first project is the not so scrappy entrelac blanket. This has been an ongoing project. It is worked on a size U.S. 11 needle. 1/2 the yarn is
a solid colored yarn I used Karabella Super Yak. The other half is Saisons a L'Atelier yarn. The second yarn is a hand tied yarn. You can get the effect by hand knotting your stash yarns at 1 yard intervals.
This pattern will be available anytime after June 12. If you are familiar with entrelac, your base triangles are 90 stitches. I would love to see and share photos of your not so scrappy entrelacs. Or your variations of any entrelac. Feel free to post photos in the comments. :) If you follow my blog I will email you the pattern free.

Shop Talk

Not much going on this week. Any orders of three items or more will receive 25% off your entire purchase, or free shipping, (which ever is more) through June 15th. I will refund the difference back to you through pay pal within 24 hours.

I am updating color availability on my handspun....as fast as my fingers can spin it.

Stories Of The Traveling Stitch Markers
this is a group on Ravelry, check us out!! You are more than welcome to join in the fun.

I will be updating state info in my next blog.
Thank you all

Please leave your comments and ideas.... I would love to make this a better blog!!!!

Heather

A new type of blog

2009-06-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned by this time tomorrow I will have a new blog. I am changing some stuff. I will keep updates of what states to check, but I will also have an occasional free pattern, scrap ideas... etc. So watch for tomorrows blog. Info on how to get a free pattern will be there!!!!
Thanks
Heather

2009-05-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been a lot of activity this week. Check out these Threads. Maine, Virginia, Kansas, Texas, and North Dakota.

The lampwork photo on the right is a new set of markers on Etsy
[http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5638084]

I just had some ads created by Romi on Ravelry. She did an amazing job. She created my Etsy banner, my market listing, and my forum banner
She has time for a couple more if anyone needs her services.

Do you have left over sock yarn? I am starting a sock yarn blanket. I am using Shelly Kang's free pattern (found on Ravelry) It is a fun project. Check out the group Blankie Mania. I decided to use only hand spun yarn though. So I have lots left over. I am offering mini skeins.. to try to help fund this undertaking. These squares are tiny. I start with 31 sts on a U.S. 1 needle. There are lots of mini skein swap on Blankie mania for those of you who have lots of sock blanket yarn left over, and would like to try this project too.
Thanks
Heather

May 22

2009-05-22T10:09:00.001-07:00

May 9..... Sorry

2009-05-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

Wow two weeks have gone by!! Sorry for not doing an update sooner. Here we go. There are new sets of markers. I added some lampwork glass as well. I am trying out Etsy. [http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5638084]

Arkansas: There are some beautiful photos and a nice story. This particular set of markers will no longer travel. If you know some one in Arkansas who would like to play... please direct them to our group.
Oregon: Your markers have changed hands, and are starting their new journey.
Alabama: The markers have arrived, and are starting the first leg of their journey.
Connecticut: The markers are ready to travel on. They have attended a state event, and helped with a couple of projects. There are links.
North Carolina: The markers, have help with a project, and are moving on within a local snb
Kansas: They are ready to move on. If someone from Kansas doesn't reply within the next couple of days they will go to the next person on the me next list
Wisconsin: They are going start a new leg of the journey. Sounds like a fun place to change hands! Looking forward to photos
Rock Candy: These markers have traveled to a quilting? festival. There is a link.
Maine: The markers have changed hands. There are photos.

April 23

2009-04-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

Stripey Blanket There are photos of the first and second stitches.
My Community The markers arrived to the 3rd person safely. Come take a look at the photos. FeistyMuse, hope your daughter is better.
Canada Take a look at your new photos. Your markers are on the 2cnd part of their journey.
Hawaii Take a peak at your first photo.
Montana Your markers are on their 2cnd journey. Your markers are currently on a road trip.
Michigan The markers are ready to be passed on, and your first project is finished. Peak at the photo.
Pennsylvania Due to an injury your markers have been passed on. Gargoyles can be quite dangerous.
Oregon There is a photo of your first project in progress. The markers are now starting their 2cnd journey.
Iowa Your first project was finished.
Maine Wow I love all the field trip photos. You have a very beautiful first project as well.

Hey everyone, what ideas do you have for creating a passport for your markers?

Take care.

Trying out Etsy now [http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5638084]

April 17

2009-04-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning!!! Lets get to it :)
Utah Your markers are out of the country.. on vacation.
Me next Please The lagoon set is traveling. I will be contacting and sending out a couple more mail sets next week. This list should be moving pretty quickly soon.
California The markers have been on the move. They have been received, and is starting the next leg of the journey.
Connecticuit Your markers have switched hands.
Nevada There is a photo of your markers if you are curious. Your markers are starting on the new leg of its journey
Montana Your markers are starting on a road trip.
Tennessee Your markers have had quite an eventful first journey. They are in the process of being transferred
My Community I second charity item has been completed and the markers are in transit.
Stripey Blanket The second yarn has been added, and the blanket is going to travel again. There is a link of the new stitch that has been added.

I haven't posted about the business in a while . I created 3 new singles. They are extremely limited. There are only a few of each.

April 10

2009-04-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hello. Happy Easter!!
Down to business.
My Community This charity line of markers have already started their journey. There is one finished object with photos, and has already changed hands. There are photos of these traveling markers, in the thread. They are singles check them out.
Stripey Blanket This is going to be a fun project, and a quick moving set. Each person only adds anywhere from two rows, to 6 1/2". So if you haven't received markers yet, you may want to put yourself on the list, in this thread. The first 2 yarns are on the blanket. The blanket is on it's second leg of it's journey. There are photos of these markers as well.
Tennessee Your markers first journey have had quite a bit of excitement. Check out the begining of your story.
Montana Your first project is complete with photos. The markers have been passed on.
North Dakota You have a finished object, with photo.
New York I am glad your husband was okay. I suggest everyone read this thread. Glassneedle has a very cute Idea. I want to know what you all think of it. I am interested in what she comes up with.
Thanks
Heather

New Stories Added

2009-04-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed a thread called Charities in our little group. Check it out. There will be 3 sets of markers traveling for charity purposes only. These sets will be mail only. These sets should be moving pretty quickly. You may sign up for all of them if you wish.

Now for your stories:)
Canada There are some great photos of your first project. There has been a lot of activity in your thread. P.S. creativity Thank you for posting threads in some of your other groups about us.
Georgia Your markers have taken a little field trip, ouchy!

Kentucky Your markers are starting on their 3rd journey. Check out the pictures of your first field trip.

Rhode Island Your 1st story has begun

North Dakota Your first story has begun. Hope the weather your way is better soon. Emptyknitster thank you for the weather report :)

Montana Your first project is being carefully inspected, just to make sure it is purrfect

Maryland Your first story has had a sad beginning. As the markers travel through our hands. We will all be at different points in our lives. Some of us will be experiencing sorrow, love, joy, pain. I hope we can all be touched and humbled by others, whose lives we may otherwise have never known.

Thank You all for participating in this little project. I hope it brings you a little joy.

Field Trips

2009-03-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Lots going on this week!
California your first story is complete. There is a beautiful picture of the first finished project.
Tennessee Your markers have taken their first field trip.
Kentucky Your markers have successfully been passed. They have also been on a riverboat cruise.
Virginia Your first story involves sheering, hand spinning, dyeing, and a field trip with photos.
Arizona Your markers have completed the first journey.. Looking forward to the photos:)
Pennsylvania Annhhh Some one is helping mommy... I'd like to see a photo of that one

Keep tuning in Fridays for the latest updates! Nothing new on the website. Singles are still on sale. All orders will be shipped in the white boxes you see on the website. I was trying to keep postage prices down for our group:) Take care all.

Arrivals

2009-03-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hello All. I have a sale starting today on my Single stitch markers. I also added photos of the singles to my website.

Now for group news.
A little over half of you have emailed me to let me know you have the markers. Here is a list of those who have posted on our group of their arrivals. Two of you posted photos of the markers. Four of you have started with a background story.
By mail only Spring
Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennesse, Utah, Vermont, Virginia

Once upon a time

2009-03-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a girl who couldn't blog. But she found google, and lived happily ever after.

Hello all! :)

This is the very first post. Just trying to learn how this blogging thing works.

I will be posting updates about my ring marker business, and the group.. Stories of the traveling stitch markers here.

I just added a couple of Single pictures to my website. This weekend The singles will be on sale. I am also introducing some shawl sticks. Come Visit http://ringmarkers.com