Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Weekly Dose of Crafts

And the posting about crafts continues! Last Friday I found myself buying a kit to learn to glitter stamp, I have no idea how that happened but it made me very excited. I ended up learning a bit about the world of glitter and investigating other ways to use glitter. I somehow decided I also wanted to make some ornaments and when I found this tutorial both of these interests collided!


So far I've made 13 ornaments, Monday night I made 12 in about an hour and a half and that was with multiple breaks to admire the ornaments! Do you have any fun ideas for ways to use glitter? If so I'm all ears! I have a few other ideas but would love to hear more!

Last week I placed a KnitPicks order to make myself some new winter accessories including this set, and this and this and this. We'll see how many of these I actually end up making! I also ordered a few books!


Of my chosen winter accessories I decided to start with the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret because I had read it doesn't take very long! Below is my progress for two nights. I would have gotten further but I needed to get a needle!


Yarn used:
KnitPicks Sugarbunny in Lavender

Are you on Pinterest? I've been really enjoying it recently! You can find me on there as Mint910!

For more crafty goodness be sure to stop over at WIP Wednesday! And find me on Raverly as mint910.


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Weekly Dose of Crafts

I might not have posted anything crafty since July (err that was a long time ago) but I've still been making things. So let me share a few things!

My current favorite WIP is something a little new for me, I'm not totally following a pattern, well I am but I'm not at the same time. Back in September Target released a new designer line, Missoni by Target. People were in there buying up everything the day it released. I happened to go the same day to buy some food and luckily happened across these Missoni by Target shoes (I wasn't even on the hunt for them) and couldn't leave them there. I liked the pattern so much I decided I must make a blanket that mimicked them!

Mine look just a little different from this
 First I decided I wanted to knit the blanket since I've never knit a blanket and then I decided I'd probably never finish it so I moved to crochet. I thought about yarn for a few days, I knew I wanted something soft and fluffy but still on the cheap side (my first crochet blanket ended up weighing too much and is a little uncomfortable to use). I settled on Bernat Roving when I realized its colors were very close to that of my shoes. I searched a few stores and ended up buying a few colors online. As you can see below one of the colors didn't pass the test.

Yarn Pyramid!

I started the blanket a little over a week ago using this stitch pattern but making up the stripes based exactly on my shoes and I'd say I'm almost close to half done! I've even been using it as its gotten a little cold here and it's very very warm so far but also not heavy at all! Hooray! I'm only getting about 7 and a half rows from each skein of yarn but its well worth it!

I really don't think I could be any happier with how this is turning out!
 Yarn used:
Bernat Roving
Flint
Rice Paper
Lotus
Magenta
Orchid
Plum

Have you seen the new Caron yarn by Vickie Howell? Sheep(ish) from her new line Stitch. Rock. Love.? I've been eying it at Joann the last few months!

Just so happens that Vickie Howell was the cover girl on the Knit Simple Holiday Issue sporting her Cover Cowl full of giant cables! The cover claimed you could knit it during the day and wear it that night! Not having tried cables for a LONG time and really wanting to try Sheep(ish) I jumped at the chance to knit this cowl up!


 I'm happy to report that the claims of a quick knit were true! I started it one late afternoon during the weekend and finished the following afternoon, I really think that's got to be some kind of record for me! This has renewed my fascination with cables and I have some plans for some upcoming cabled accessories!

Still needs buttons!
Yarn used:
Sheep(ish) Magenta 
I just have to note this is not actually Magenta, it's really purple!! 

Isn't Sheep(ish) pretty! This pile of yarn leads me to my next WIP.


While exploring Vickie Howell's blog I came across her Color Card Scarf, click the link to see how pretty it is! I gasped when I saw it! The catch was to make it that beautiful would involve using all 21 colors of Sheep(ish) and being the yarn hoarder I am I went for it instead of just trying to find something I already had. I think all but one color I got for at least 40% off over a few weeks.

I was working on this the week before my Missoni blanket when I got stopped by a color I didn't have at the time.

Rainbowy!

Yarn Used:
Sheep(ish) all colors

I really have a thing for novelty yarn so here are two scarves I made from two of the new Red Heart Boutique yarn lines. I made the first in maybe 2 or so weeks and the second in about 2 days!
The first is the Lengthwise Knit Scarf in Boutique Magical.

Yarn used:
Red Heart Boutique Magical Open Sesame

I also just had to try the new Boutique ribbon yarn Sashay in this pattern

Yarn used:
Red Heart Boutique Sashay Jive

So that's what I've been up to recently, how about you?

For more crafty goodness be sure to stop over at WIP Wednesday! And find me on Raverly as mint910.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

This Week in Books

This is actually about the last month or so in books!



Just showed up review copies:
Catwalk by Deborah Gregory
The Lost Songs by Caroline B. Cooney
All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky by Joe R. Lansdale
Scored by Lauren McLaughlin
My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin
The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall
Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments 3 by Arthur Slade
What Boys Really Want by Pete Hautman
A Plague Year by Edward Bloor
Unforsaken by Sophie Littlefield
Painting from the Cave by Gary Paulsen
You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis
Every You, Me Every by David Levithan
The Death Cure by  James Dashner
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Purchased at Barnes & Noble (because it is the only place that sells this):
Yummy Crochet by Kristen Rask

Purchased at the William and Sonoma signing (so it's signed!):
Cake Pops by Bakerella

P.S. Like my new bedspread?


Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Missed Connections: Love, Lost & Found by Sophie Blackall

I'm a big fan of non-traditional books, ones that don't exactly fit in any one category and Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall is a great example of one. Sophie Blackall has a fascination with missed connections, a glance on a train or a brief chat, a meeting at the time didn't maybe mean a whole lot (or maybe it did) and a person wishing after the fact they could get in touch with the person.

Missed Connections is a blog turned book of beautifully illustrated missed connections. Blackall takes the words people have written and turns them into beautiful pieces of art. Originally I was taken with Blackall's beautiful paintings (beautiful and delicate detail and color) but I also found the idea of exploring Missed Connections really interesting. Blackall has written a really nice introduction to her book so when you look at and read the missed connections it is much more meaningful than just looking at some pretty pictures.

One of my favorite Missed Connections from the book
If you loved missed connections or beautiful artwork you should definitely check out Sophie Blackall's Missed Connections.

Missed Connections was released October 4th 2011
Genre: Awesome
4.5/5 Stars
Accepted Review Copy

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