Winner winner chicken dinner!

And the winner of the Ella Bonnet is.........Erika Williams! Congratulations Erika, I'll be contacting you to get your mailing info :) Thanks to everyone who entered, you are all winners to me.

A Christmas Giveaway

I promised it and now it's here! In order to celebrate 2,000 sales on Etsy and to thank all of my wonderful fans and customers, I wanted to give away a stocking, but alas, I didn't finish the pattern in time, so instead I'm giving away a new Ella Bonnet in size Newborn (0-3 month size) for your little cutie or your next Christmas photo session!

All you have to do simply follow my blog and facebook page and also favorite my Etsy shop, then leave a comment below. Extra entries will be accepted for giving my Facebook page or Etsy shop a shoutout on your facebook page, blog, or on twitter. Leave a seperate comment for each extra entry as well. Winner will be chosen by random number generator on Monday, December 12th!

Ready?? GO!

Incredible Finds

I am still swooning today over this. Words cannot truly express how much I love it. I will try to explain to you how wonderful it is, however it is something you must see in person to truly understand. Kind of like the Grand Canyon, it's beauty cannot ever really be captured in a photograph. The entirety of it is so incredible you just cannot do it.

I went with my folks to an antique mall yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed peeking into corners and finding all sorts of goodies and things that were just neato. (Is that a word - or is it neat-o)? I don't care. It was great. I spotted alot of amazing crocheted goodies as well, and wanted to buy them all just so I could stash them away somewhere secret. Somewhere I could pull them out now and again just to smell them and touch them when I needed to smile.

But this one...OH THIS ONE - I had to have it. Immediately.



Guess how much it was?! This beautifully hand-crocheted work of art with 884 squares of yarny goodness? (Yes, I counted them) This thing is 90 inches wide by 140 inches long. It can fit a full sized bed - it fits my queen, albeit a bit short on the sides, it will do the job. Each square is 2 1/4 inches. EIGHT-HUNDRED-EIGHTY-FOUR of them. For reals. Grand total for probably hundreds of hours of work? $39 dollars.

Now, my first reaction was that of incomprehension. How could this be so cheap? Does the person selling it here have any idea of the work that was was put into this beauty? Did they price it wrong - maybe put the wrong tag on it? Then, closely inspecting it thinking it MUST be coming apart or have a huge stain or something - nothing. Wait a sec, yes, it does have a very small stain, hardly noticeable really, and it looks simple enough to clean.

My second thought - and believe me, it wasn't even really a thought, more of a gut reaction, was to get this baby in my arms as soon as possible. Like one of those look-around-and-grab-it-before-someone-else-sees-it kind of items. It was one of those rare purchases that I just had to have. I didn't know what I would do with it, but I would love this blanket the way it should be loved. I was meant to have it. And, if it were priced appropriately, I never could have afforded it.

But...I can't help but wonder about it. Who made it? Was it a gift for someone? It smells old, but how old is it? Did the person selling it make it, or did they find it at an estate sale somewhere? And how could they sell it for only $39?? The yarn is soft and wonderful and not brittle at all. Guess I'll never know! I'll cherish it nonetheless.

Check out the cute little picot edging:



Jealous??

Working, working, working

Busy catching up on orders and getting ready to do a craft fair in a couple of weeks - eek! (Wish me luck on that one, I have lots of stuff to make)!

Meanwhile, my patterns are laying dormant while I'm crocheting and knitting up a storm! All is good, they will be here soon!

An Arm-ey Post

Those of you who have been following my Facebook page may have heard a little bit about how I hurt my arm - or how I don't know how I hurt it anyhow. If you hadn't heard...long story short: pain, couldn't move it, couldn't crochet or knit or even type, ouch! Well, it's MUCH better, so I'm open for business again - not that I actually closed, but now I can take orders again as well as sell patterns.

Speaking of patterns...

Two new patterns are coming on Friday, October 7th! Sneak peeks below modeled by the lovely Fiona Headwig.

The Portland Headwrap, sized for toddler, child, and adult sizes.

And the Dapper Diaper Cover, for sizes 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12 months.

Pre-order pricing is happening now, check out my Facebook page for a great deal! Pre-order sale ends Friday!

Wednesdays Random Thoughts

Who's ready for fall? I'm raising my hand enthusiastically right now, you just can't see it.

You know, I grew up here. I know it gets hot in the summer, but it never ceases to amaze me how freaking hot it really gets. So, the question really is...why do we continue to live here?

Well, the fall and winter are great, although I do prefer seeing the leaves change colors and a little more chill in the air than we have here. But, I guess the reason is that it is where we came from. And our families are here.

I'm dreaming of beautiful misty fields and green mountains with trees and hope to get back there someday...

Two New Patterns!

Introducing Cherry Twist, my first all-knit pattern. I'm pretty proud of it, and I hope you like it too!

I pondered over this pattern for some time, as I absolutely loved the way it looked in both Malabrigo Twist and Malabrigo Worsted. Twist has a lot more heft to it, and the stitch definition is amazing. Worsted is so soft and fuzzy and very lightweight. Both have wonderful qualities to make them favorites of mine. There is a very slight difference in row gauge, which makes the Twist hat just a tad longer, but both versions the are the same circumference. Beanie, A Little Slouch, or Extra Slouchy, which one do you want to make?

Super textured and super cute, you will be sure to turn heads when wearing this gorgeous hat!

***This pattern is for Adult sizes only***

Sizes: Beanie, A Little Slouch, Extra Slouchy

Yarn: Worsted Weight Wool (136, 165, 198) yards (Sample shown use Malabrigo Twist in Sealing Wax colorway in the A Little Slouch version)

Needles: US size 6 (4.00 mm) and 8 (5.00 mm) 16” circulars, and size 8 (5.00 mm) dpns or size(s) needed to obtain correct gauge.

Gauge: 16 sts and 24 rows in ss = 4 inches square AFTER BLOCKING (If using Malabrigo Twist, your gauge will be 16 sts and 23 rows in ss = 4 inches square)

Skill Level: Intermediate - you must be comfortable working in the round with circulars and dpns, increasing and decreasing

Available for purchase via Ravelry or via my Etsy shop

And, introducing the Alisa Hat, a really cute crocheted hat that took me forever to write down for you because I had to explain (with a photo tutorial) my weird way to make the brim. Weird but cool :)

This is easily one of my favorite hats. Yes, I do really love hats of all shapes and sizes, but this one is a favorite of mine to wear. I am the type of person who can only wear a few different styles, baseball caps not being one of them. However, this style suits me just fine. Easily adaptable and cute, I’ll bet if you think hats are not for you, this one just may change your mind!

***This pattern is for Adult sizes only***

Sizes: Adult Small, Medium, Large

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, 50% Cotton/50% Acrylic (207 yards/100 g ball): 1 ball, or any comparable worsted weight yarn (Sample above shown in Plum colorway)

Hook: Size G/6 (4.25 mm) or size to obtain correct gauge - please note some G hooks are 4.00 mm - check your hook before starting

Gauge: 16 sts and 7 ¼ rows in dc = 4” square

Skill Level: Intermediate

Available for purchase via Ravelry or via my Etsy Shop

Thanks for looking!

And the winner is......

I just went over all of the entries for my 3000 Facebook Fan Giveaway, and there were 67 total, thank you guys!!

And the winner is.....Samantha C! Samantha, I've emailed you and sent you a pm via Facebook - CONGRATULATIONS!!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter, I really appreciate all of your support!

The Tooth Was Loose

Typed by my 7 year old last night:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Today I was at a place called pump it up and while we were there my mom bumped me while I was drinking water and my tooth came out. And while I swallowed the water I noticed that I swallowed it. I was crying after I noticed! So I don't have a tooth to put under my pillow! Oh and hopefully you give me money still.

Connor Grant

Isn't the last line the best?? And yes, I bumped him - I feel terrible. Yes, he swallowed the tooth! He was sooo upset that he wouldn't have a tooth to leave and wouldn't get any money. I suggested we write her a note and leave it under the pillow instead of a tooth. (I feel a smidge guilty for the whole Tooth Fairy thing, but this is priceless). In my defense, it was reeeaaaallly loose. I had visions of him swallowing it with his food. I was bummed as it was his first top tooth lost, but this note to the Tooth Fairy will forever be a treasure to me. (She was very understanding by the way) :)

P.S. No, I'm not digging in the poo to find it. I know you did not just go there. Eeeeew...

3000 Facebook Fan Giveaway!

Quick giveaway! I am giving away a $50 credit to my Etsy shop as I'm super excited to have reached 3000 fans on my Facebook page . To be eligible for the drawing, you will need to follow my blog and Facebook page, and leave a comment both on my FB page and here on the blog. One lucky winner will be chosen by random number generator on Saturday, July 30th. That's it!

Let's Try This Blogging Thing Again

Look into my eyes, you cannot resist me....puuuurrrrrr.

All right. I'm a horrible blogger, I admit it. But this time I'm going to do better - really. Well, maybe. Ok, probably not...but I'll try.

I've been working on several new patterns and I'm the slowest.pattern.writer ever. My apologies to my pattern stalkers who continue to patiently wait for a pattern I said would be released soon.

Let's talk about how often I throw around the word soon, shall we? All the time. I'm terrible. I get excited about a pattern, and I show you a photo, or better yet, I sell the completed item in my Etsy shop and you ask me if the pattern is available yet, because you would like to make it yourself, darnit. Yep. I tell you it's coming soon. Keep an eye out. All the time. Did I mention I'm terrible?

Now, I should tell you that I'm not a complete liar. When I tell you it's coming, I have every intention at that time of finishing up that gosh darn pattern and having it tested and put up for your enjoyment (and to hopefully make a little money too) But, there's an evil little gremlin in my brain that slows me down. Yeah, that's it. And then sometimes I actually follow through and finish it when I say I will - the gremlin just wants to MESS WITH YOUR HEAD. He's evil I tell you, EVIL!

That said, I really do have 2 patterns coming soon. They are for the most part finished. I am working out some final details and they will be released on July 30th. You know, in case you want to make them and stuff. Keep an eye out.