swirling in the ether...
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
snapshot
I'm working on a new project and hope to have it finished by the end of the day! It involves another thrifted wood piece... and a little crochet this time...
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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
p r e t t y
My mom gave me these cute vintage jars! I think I'll use them for holding my dried herbs and blended teas (right now those things are in little bulk section bags and just thrown on a shelf in my pantry). I really love the pink lids!
Monday, December 27, 2010
tuesday flickr finds!
In honor of my new Accordion Cowl pattern, this weeks Flickr Finds are all about knitting... : )
1. secret knitting, 2. Knit the City - Phonebox Cosy, 3. Chevron Scarf knit with Socks That Rock, 4. Bunny Knitting Bench Monday, 5. 48/2009: Knitting Tools, 6. 46.365 : Knitting Tools, 7. Wound yarn, 8. Circus Happy Fun Time, new yarn for Etsy, 9. Yarn Colorwheel, 10. august vegan yarn club, 11. sock yarn salad, 12. Hand-Dyed Sock Yarn
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free knitting pattern :: accordion cowl
A new pattern for your knitting pleasure!
This one is super simple to make, but using 4 shades of yarn going from dark to light adds a dramatic twist! I used Cascade Yarns "Cotton Rich" in Tomato, Fuschia, Pomegranate, and Bubble Yummy. One 50 gram skein of each color was needed to complete this project.
Using size US 8/ 5 mm circular needles, cast on 120 stitches with your darkest color (in my case, Tomato) and join for working in the round. Don't forget to place a marker to mark the beginning of the round. The entire cowl is made by knitting 5 rounds, then purling 5 rounds. Knit 5 rounds, purl 5 rounds, knit 5 rounds, purl 5 rounds.... When your darkest color runs out, join the next lightest color and keep going. This stitch pattern gives the cowl a squishy, accordion effect. I was able to get 2 knit sections and 2 purl sections out of each skein, switching colors around the last row. Continue like this until you have just a row or two worth of yarn left on your lightest color, then bind off loosely. Weave in the ends on the inside of the cowl so they aren't visible.
Enjoy!
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Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thrifty McThrifterson
I found a few secondhand treasures yesterday...
...75 cents each...
...$2.98 each for these floral dresses! I'll have to take outfit pictures with these, they are so cute!
I'll be stepping away from the blog for a few days while spending time with my family over the holiday. I plan to work out a few new knitting patterns to share and I'll be back on Monday!
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Sunday, December 19, 2010
tuesday flickr finds!
1. Cards Display, 2. {treasure hunt wednesdays}, 3. Cozy Kitten, 4. Oh Deer, 5. Untitled, 6. Gifting, 7. shiny and bright, 8. Tiny kitchen - shelfs, 9. A Very Merry Christmas to All!, 10. Warm chestnuts and hot coffee, 11. blue skies & freedom, 12. Books waiting
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k n i t t i n g
I've started using leftover sock yarn to make some baby booties for the shop. I'm trying to make a few different styles, including variations on my own pattern. I'm also looking for some vintage patterns to use...
... so small and cute!
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Saturday, December 18, 2010
cozy weekend
I'm in the mood to hibernate this weekend : ) I will be nestled inside doing some baking and knitting...
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Friday, December 17, 2010
swirling in the ether...
vintage top... thrifted for $1.98!
this week I'm loving...
chocolate covered cherry lip stain... I have it and I'm addicted!
miniature food : )
happy friday!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
i can't remember what day it is...
This week is such a blur... so much to do and so many things I need to add to that to-do list...
I bought some beautiful fabric yesterday and plan to make some dresses with it! I have a simple shift dress pattern that hasn't been tried yet.
And I'm getting started on crocheting some Valentine's Day goodies for the shop, too! I have a bunch of new things in mind to make : )
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
finished projects : )
The February Lady sweater is finished!!! And it looks great... now I can check it off my list of goals...
And I finished two custom orders, too! A set of red hearts and a set of puff stitch pot holders.
Today I'm working on an embroidered note and a new scarf for my husband (more on that project later!).
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tuesday flickr finds!
1. recent work, 2. Materials, 3. Even a bit of Christmas in the loo, 4. forest love..., 5. Vegan Friendly Grey Bunny Rabbit Scarf, 6. Colorful Crafting with Jen: Sheep Feet Socks, 7. Untitled, 8. My Vintage Pyrex, revisited! (explored! #125), 9. Story of a Seamstress, 10. teacups, 11. pom poms, 12. hoops
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thrifty DIY :: Crafty Quote Plaque
Here is a little tutorial! I found a weird vegetable-themed wooden plaque at the second hand store for thirty cents (thrift stores always seem to have wood plaques in abundance!) and decided to give it a makeover. Here are the before & after shots...
It was really simple and fun to do, so get ready to raid the ugly wooden plaque section of the thrift store!
First, take a look at the surface of your plaque. Is it already pretty smooth, or are there uneven spots? My plaque happened to be someone's old decoupage project, so there were some spots where glue was peeling off. If yours is uneven like mine, take a few minutes to scrape or sand the surface until there are no loose gluey bits, paint flakes, etc.
Next, assemble a few supplies. You will need gesso, some acrylic paint, and a paint brush or sponge. Cover the entire front surface of your plaque with gesso. Let it dry. Apply one more coat. Let it dry completely. Now you have a lovely, clean surface ready for painting.
Now apply your paint. I used a bottle of inexpensive acrylic craft paint (Americana in "Spa Blue") and applied two coats with my paint sponge.
While your paint is drying, gather up a few more supplies. You will need some "Mod Podge" or decoupage medium, a pencil, a kneaded eraser, a black sharpie, a pair of scissors, and a brown paper bag.
I drew a few crafty shapes on the paper bag with my sharpie, two spools of thread and three balls of yarn. You can draw whatever kinds of objects you like... cats, cupcakes, clouds, whatever : ) It's your plaque, so include the things you like! Then, cut them out.
Next, position your paper shapes at the bottom of your plaque in a pleasing, balanced way. Put a little dab of Mod Podge on the back and stick them in place so they don't slide around while you're working. Now, use your pencil to lightly add some text to your plaque. I chose a Jane Austen quote because I love her books and I thought the quote was great for hanging in my living room! You could personalize it with any kind of quote you like... a favorite song, a poem, a great movie line... anything! After placing the text, I drew some curvy lines to mimic thread & yarn. I thought they tied my objects into the design and framed the text nicely, too!
When the design is all sketched out, trace over the lines with your sharpie. Any stray pencil marks can be removed with the kneaded eraser.
Last, use the Mod Podge or decoupage medium to cover the entire front surface of the plaque. This will smooth & seal your paper shapes and give the plaque a nice shine. A thin coat is all you need.
Finished!
apple tawashi
I crocheted this adorable little apple tawashi! A tawashi is a Japanese scrubby and there are tons of cute patterns available online. The apple slice pattern is available from Lion Brand Yarn at their website or through Ravelry... it's very simple, just a circle folded in half!
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Thursday, December 9, 2010
swirling in the ether...
This weekend I will be working hard on some new projects to share next week... including a new DIY tutorial! I can't wait to get started!
Here are some things I've been loving this week (other than my new blueberry tea):
The new BBC Sherlock series... it's amazing! (via PBS)
This Sparkly Crochet Hook Tutorial on A Beautiful Mess
The somewhat cheesy but also very enjoyable Lost in Austen miniseries (via Netflix)
This baking necklace from Freshy Fig on Etsy
A granny square wreath : )
Happy Friday!
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