Scarfi-Scarfness!

Last week I knit up what I call the "Hollywood Scarf". That got it started! The ideas for more scarves kept coming, and so...as of this morning I have completed two more scarves, each a bit different. I love it when that creative bug bites me...but, I must say with all this knitting my house is a mess! :o)

I made what I call a "Bling - Bling" scarf. It's a bit different that the first. It's not as long, or as wide, and I changed up some stitches a bit. It's already sitting in my etsy shop waiting on a new home!

Before I go any further, I will apologize for the length of this post, but I have so many pictures to share! The thing about these scarves is that they are so full of things to see in them...all the texture and color, and versatile in how many ways they can be worn. I am curious to see what kind of response I get from these.

I changed the section of purple to a stockinette stitch, and added the lighter color of eyelash yarn mixed with a pink eyelash...I really like the contrast!

The fringe is longer than the Hollywood Scarf and I added some eyelash yarn in it.

Worn this way I am reminded of a bright birthday present that's ready to be unwrapped!

Okay...once I finished this little scarf up, I was thinking about something similar done in blacks and reds. I had the idea of knitting sections in different colors and textures, and changing stitches to look as if it were a patchwork. I grabbed some yarns out of my stash and just picked up and went with it....

I love this scarf! I made it with intentions of going straight into my etsy shop, but I am having a hard time parting with it!!! I especially like the ends. I used a bulky grey Lion Brand yarn along with some black eyelash yarn...I think the ends look as if they are made from fur!

The red really pops it up!

You can also see some royal blue peeking through. It turned out so soft and squishy...I didn't even add any fringe, I liked it just the way it was!

I have been after my mom to make up something for our Whooville shop. She is extremely skilled with a sewing machine and makes pretty little blouses and kids clothes! She made up this little housedress to go into Whooville.

It is adorable! I hope it finds a new home soon! I am after her to make more. She also makes BEAUTIFUL rugs from strips of wool that I have been after her to make so I can get one in the shop! I'll keep on her. She does the best work, but has arthritis in her shoulders and hands, so she can only devote an hour or so at a time and has to take a break.

That's it for now. I have a crochet project I am working, a messy house, and need to make a trip to the grocery store, but all I want to do is curl up on the couch and start a new scarf!!!

Bye for now!

Hollywood Scarf

As I was laying in bed the other evening, trying my best to go to sleep, an idea for a scarf popped into my head. Some people hate it when that happens. I on the other hand come up with many ideas this way, and I hope to God I will still remember it when I wake up! Well, I did!

I call this my "Hollywood Scarf" because of all the bling-bling it has. I used about 7 different yarns in it, and the fringe is all in ribbon yarns! I had to put down my crochet project to get this thing cranked out. I have a hard time focusing on one thing when I have these ideas in my head. It was a nice little distraction from my skirt project...but trust me when I say I am working on granny squares again every evening when I get home from work!

I hope you can get an idea from this picture of all the yarns.

It is longer than I had planned...but that's okay!

Now how bling is this fringe!

I have a lot of yarn left over, so I am already contemplating my next scarf. I am thinking it won't be as long, the tassels will be longer, and I will use a stockinette stitch in portion of it. This one may make it into my etsy shop.

For now, I'm returning to my granny square skirt project...hope to get it close to being finished very soon...pictures to come!

Crocheted Granny Square Vest

I was so excited to learn that my vest has been featured on foundhandmade.com on their blog! And the following day received an email that the same vest was featured in handicrafter.today.com as one of their top 10 picks! Both of these sites promote etsy sellers, and I was thrilled to be one of those lucky sellers! I have been selling on etsy for over a year...this is a first for me!

There is a story behind this little vest. I was contacted by a girl who had seen and loved my granny square purse, but asked if I could use this same square and make her a vest. I was jazzed at the thought of actually designing something for someone in particular!

I knew that if I were to turn the square and not use it on the diagonal it would have a totally different look, so I labored over coming up with someone that would use it diagonally. I also had to take a couple rows out of the granny to make it smaller in order to make it fit the design.

I am really quite proud of what I came up with. The design is so simple, but the work in each granny square makes up for the difference!

I used embroidery thread and a small crochet hook to make the squares. It takes an unbelievable amount of thread...but the end effect is so worth it! After all my squares are done, and all the ends woven in, I assemble the vest.

This is a labor of love for me. I love color! The brighter the better! For me there is no problem with mixing odd colors together...somehow they work! Is it not the coolest thing to take a simple granny square and give it a modern swing!?

Here's hoping for a good week! I have been working on squares for my granny square skirt, and will hopefully get some more pictures uploaded of my progress this week, as well as another little project I worked on this weekend!

I've Been Inspired!

I just love my flickr contacts...they can totally inspire me! As I was checking out the recent uploads of my contacts early this morning I came across these two beauties! This is what get's my engine reved up...check it out.

This poncho is absolutely the bomb! It is the work of a lady referred to as Silvia66. She lives in Itally and has an awesome esty shop! I am in awe of her work. It is all original. This poncho is so unique, I have never seen anything like it. Just look at those little granny squares! I must pay homage to this lady, she really inspires me.

This little shrug is from Alessandra Hayden, a lady who I have gotten to know via flickr, she also has an etsy shop and is known as "justbehappy". She is unbelievable with a crochet hook. This shrug is her own design...I so much would love to make one of these for myself! I love it! I have thoroughly enjoyed coming to know her and really amazed at her talent.

Happy Crocheting!

Finally...I am happy with my grannies!

Well, I think I finally got my mojo going on this crocheted skirt and have come up with a color pallet that I actually like...it took a little time to get it going. So, now I am sitting back and cranking out squares. What a great way to pass the time...especially on these weekends when my husband is out of town!


As I work on this, I am almost tempted to make double squares for a skirt for myself...but I think I would like mine longer so I could wear it with boots and dark tights. We'll see. Sometimes I get these grand ideas and just don't have time to carry them out.


Yes, I am really liking these colors. I am using a smaller stitch rather than the classic double crochet granny. Instead I am doing a half-double crochet stitch. It's a pretty little square.

Today was an absolutely beautiful day! The weather was warm, it was hard to believe it is February! I actually opened up some windows in the house!

As some of you may know, I have a secret addiction to paper and making cards. My sister gave me and my sister-in-law a Cricut machine for Christmas! What a generous gift! It was a special thank you for us helping out with the baby and the kids when she had her heart attack this past fall. I am happy to say she is doing very well now! Okay...I am getting off the subject! Today I packed up my paper supplies and put them in the car along with Phoebe and headed to my brother's for a day of paper madness!

My niece Devin with Phoebe in her lap.

Now, just look what we came up with! Rhonda, my sister-in-law, wanted to come up with some little valentine gifts she could take to work. Aren't these adorable! We did it all with the Cricut. We got six of them completely done while we cut up and giggled. Phoebe also had a blast playing with the kids. She hasn't moved since I brought her home...I actually think they wore her out!

Here's hoping for a good upcoming week! Hopefully Brad will get to come home this weekend, I am crossing my fingers!

Decisions!

So, I am working on a custom order for a granny square skirt, and the request is for bright colors of pinks with some oranges and a dash of green thrown in. I have been playing with yarn for the past week and I'm struggling. I am normally do not have such a hard time with these things, but I'm just not feeling it yet.

I like the brights.... but


I also love using black, but not sure I like these colors combined with the black.

So, can anyone help me out??

When taking a break from the grannies, I whipped up this pretty little crocheted scarf. I used a yarn that was given to me by a friend who brought it back from a trip to China. The yarn has a silky feel to it, with a soft fuzzy thing going on. It's really very soft and snuggly.

With the cold snap we have been going through (17 degrees this morning) it has felt really good!!
Smiles!

Bead-aliscious

I love it when I rediscover stuff! And I have so much STUFF that I have hung onto over the years that I just can't part with. So, the other day I was digging through some of my bead stuff, and came across these little treasures. I just have to share!

These were made by my Grandma Alice, I believe probably in the early 70s. They were mixed in with a bag of costume jewelry which my dad asked me if I wanted. OF COURSE! What a silly question.

Both of my Grandmothers were very skilled with a crochet hook. And you hear me talk about both of them alot. I think it's because I still feel their connection, like they are watching over me! And I have many of their possessions, which I think still have their vibes in them!

These are too cool...and although they were made years ago, and probably considered "vintage"...they are totally wearable today. I've been studying them and I don't think they would be to hard to make...maybe time consuming and a bit tedius.


I love this one! It's super long, and you can wear it like a choker/lariat! Her beading is absolutely perfect. I can remember her wearing this!

Isn't it cool?!

This one is very nice too! My Grandmothers favorite color was lavender, so I am thinking this was probably her favorite. And she wore it all the time. She would wear it as a long necklace, not like a choker. But I think it looks fabulous worn this way.

I have about three of her rings that she made. I believe this one is crocheted. The silver cording is stretched out so it falls of my finger. But this is so bright and sparkly. Love it!

Maybe I can get some pictures of my Grandmothers and post them. And I have one of my Grandma's sewing box with all her sewing stuff in tact, just like she could pick it up and use it at any time. I'll have get some pictures of it and share that, too!

Peace!

Experiment in Pinks!

Here is a little bit more of my experimenting with these colors. I am leaning towards these color combinations and I like the random changing of the yarn.

Here I did a little square with the black center...hmmm....not sure. I like it, maybe I need to work three more of these up and see how they look.

Decisions!

Friday Night Scarf

Named so, because I crocheted this up Friday evening while waiting on Brad's plane to come in! This is some yummy yarn my girlfriend brought back from China! It has great color along with a little glitzy thread through it. I used a half-double crochet, followed by a row of double crochet. And yes, as always, I made it super long! I don't know how long I'll be on that kick!



I have more of this yarn in shades of golds and think that may be something I can do this week in the evenings when nothing else really appeals to me!


New Project: Crocheted Skirt
I have had a request to make a crocheted skirt, in pinks and blacks. Here is my yarn selection, some gorgeous Lion Brand Wool!


I am experimenting with different squares. I can't quite decide what I like. Here is a sampling below. I did a few more samples last night, and will post those as soon as I can! This is my creative process...I work up some squares and put them together until I find what really strikes me. I'm actually wondering if I should throw another color into the mix! Any comments on this would be truly appreciated!!!



Of course, I love the black against this pink! It gives it that pop!

Brad came home for the weekend, which was so nice! The house has seemed so quiet while he's been gone. I was curious of how Phoebe would do when she saw him. She lost it! Started whining for him to pick her up! It was so sweet.

I cannot leave before posting a cute little picture of her I snapped last week!

Now how adorable is she I ask you!!