Heart Scarf Lifeline

by Kelly

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I'm working on a tricky heart scarf.

Even though this isn't a lace pattern, it's a 15 row repeat, so after a few episodes of frogging, I decided to try using a lifeline. I saw this technique on KnittingHelp. That link goes to a video showing how it's done.

Pardon the pun, but I heart this technique!

   How it works

First, complete one repeat of the pattern. Then thread a tapestry needle with some contrasting yarn and pull it through the loops on your needle, leaving a little bit hanging out on either side. Then begin another repeat of the pattern. If you make a mistake,  just take your knitting needle out of your work and begin unravelling. When you reach the lifeline, the stitches are trapped on that spare bit of yarn, so you can't accidentally unravel past it. Then just slip the stitches back on your needle and you're ready to try again.

If you're like me and make a lot of mistakes, you already know how to put the stitches back on your needle. If not, check out this link to a YouTube video.

This has saved me a ton of hair pulling! I can't recommend this method enough.

The scarf is for sale in our shop here.

Wow! And an Apology

 by Kelly


Such a wonderful (if a bit overwhelming) response to our giveaway!

Hopefully I have all the bugs worked out now, and there should be no further mistakes on my part. I am working on restoring the deleted comments on the giveaway post. The draw itself will be done with information from the email account that holds all the posted comments, so my meddling will have no effect on the draw. No personal information will be displayed when the winner is posted - only the user name provided. Once again, I sincerely apologize for what has happened.


On a more positive note, I am amazed by all the beautiful and creative ideas and suggestions we've received! Your help in inspiring us is much appreciated. I personally have quite a list of possibilities that I can't wait to explore.

There were a number of questions asked which may be answered in individual posts as the week goes on. And a little birdy told me that one of us may be working on developing patterns, so that's an exciting development. Whether they will be free or for sale in the shop hasn't been determined yet.

So thank you, everyone who has responded so far! We are having a great time reading the comments, and can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring.

Hooray! Crochet Giveaway

by Kelly

We're having a giveaway!

Lately we've been working on improving our shop, and we've decided that we could use a little impartial advice. In return for your help, you'll earn a chance to win some cool crochet stuff. We'll get to the rules in just a second, but first let's talk about the prizes.

We worked hard to choose things that would be useful and interesting to all crocheters, whether they're just starting out or are very experienced.

 Here are the items that you might win!

•  an exclusive 50% off coupon code for our shop.
• Two sets of Susan Bates crochet hooks.  Eleven hooks total.
• 2012 Crochet pattern calendar
• 50 More Crocheted Afghan Borders by Jean Leinhauser

The Susan Bates crochet hooks are Silvalumes and Crystalites, size F5 (3.75mm) through size K10.5 (6.5mm) And yes, folks, those are the old style Silvalumes. There's a bit of controversy over their recent redesign, so if you've been looking for the originals, here's your chance to win a set.

There are three ways to enter our Hooray! Crochet giveaway.

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Check out our shop over there in the sidebar or at this link and pick out your favorite item, then tell us what it was in your comment.

3. Give us ideas! Name one thing that isn't in our shop that you would like to see. And no, it doesn't have to be a crochet item or crochet supplies. Between us we also embroider, cross stitch, do plastic canvas work, quilt, knit, and spend a lot of time in our respective gardens.

If you do all of the above, you will receive three entries for the giveaway.

That's all you have to do! And don't worry if your comments don't appear right away - our moderation is on to prevent spam from clogging the giveaway.
 
 The giveaway will end on  February 7th, 2012. The winner will be announced in a blog post on February 8th, and contacted by email if that information is provided. The winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. When the winner has contacted us, we will officially close the contest with a final giveaway post.

                                    Technical Stuff

Please make sure your name is unique. Example: 'Kelly 178' or 'applejacks' would be good choices.

Winner will be chosen by use of random.org.

International shipping available for the giveaway, so if you're outside the U.S. you're welcome and eligible to win!


Good luck everyone! We can't wait to see your comments and suggestions!

 You will notice a lot of deleted posts in the comment section. This is solely because of my inexperience in handling this amount of action on our blog. If your email has been accidentally posted so that it is visible, you have my sincerest apologies. I am currently reading through every comment to ensure that all private info is indeed private. If your comment was deleted, it will be restored in such a way that your privacy is ensured. This may take some time.
Once again, I am truly sorry that this happened.  - Kelly

Hands Down

The full grasp of winter is upon us here in the Midwest and one of the benefits of living in this frozen tundra is the constant battle with dry skin. The air outside combined with the heat inside really takes a toll on my skin every winter and it starts to get noticeable with my crochet work. My hands can get so rough that I find them snagging the yarn. I’m not a big nail polish wearer and don’t often have time for a professional manicure but two products that I’m using this year and absolutely love are Curel and Seche Vite.

Curel makes an inexpensive line of moisturizing products that work great, are not greasy and a minute after I’ve applied it, I’m ready to hit the yarn again. Check out their site at http://www.curel.com/

My second must have is Seche Vite dry fast topcoat. If you’re going to polish you must get this item. When I do polish it’s base coat and two color coats – a lot of layers to dry. Apply this dry fast topcoat and you are good to go in 5 minutes. In all honesty, I wouldn’t crochet after 5 minutes, but you’re able to grab keys, type, etc. Maybe 15-20 minutes before I’d pick up the hook and yarn. Unlike the Curel, Seche isn’t cheap. It’s about $10 at Ulta, but SO worth it. Grab an Ulta coupon off the web or in the Sunday paper and make it an even better deal. Check out Seche at http://www.seche.com/

Your hands will thank you.

Crafting Controversy

by Kelly

I recently read a post on Stacy Trock's Fresh Stitching about the new Susan Bates Silvalume design, and it reinforced something that I've been thinking for some time - that knitting and crochet groups are just as likely to split into opposition parties as politicians or religions.

Even in my short time as a crafter, I've seen a lot of comments on knitting and crochet forums that seem awfully fervent for something that's supposed to be a pleasant pastime. On the subject of yarn alone, there is quite a bit of controversy. Some crafters won't use acrylic yarn, some are opposed to wool as that's an animal product (although shearing doesn't harm an animal, they are opposed to keeping livestock in general), and some believe that using recycled materials is the only responsible path to take.

Meanwhile, crochet hooks and knitting needles are another sore subject. Some prefer wood over any other material, some prefer a particular brand. I, myself, don't mind the soft, metallic clicking noise that my aluminum  knitting needles make, but years of listening to rock music may have reduced my hearing slightly. To someone else, they may sound like fingernails on a blackboard. And while I prefer my Susan Bates Silvalumes, I'm not going to say that they are the only ones I'll ever use, because I haven't tried very many brands. I will say that I prefer smaller sized crochet hooks to be metal, rather than plastic, because I'm always afraid of breaking small plastic hooks.

Honestly, though, I think that all this division and controversy is just human nature. Whether for good or bad, I think that people in a group feel as though they should support each other, and one way to do that is to defend the majority opinion. And if someone from another group feels differently, watch out!

I actually hold any number of strong (and often unpopular) opinions, but not about crafting. How about you? Have you tried the new Silvalumes? Is there a big difference? Or do you feel that one hook is just as good as any other?

50 More Crocheted Afghan Borders

by Kelly


We're going to be having a giveaway soon, and one of the items in our contest is a book. If you're a regular visitor here, you know that I love
me some books. 

I'm always delighted to give books as gifts, because then I can check them out before wrapping them. One year for Christmas, I bought the Twilight series for someone, and read them all before The Big Day.  Luckily, I have inherited my mom's ability to read a book without cracking the spine or leaving other evidence behind.

The book to be included in our giveaway is 50 More Crocheted Afghan Borders  and has, of course, fifty beautiful borders. But two in particular caught my eye, so I had to try them out.

First up, a simple pink heart pattern, which I think would work beautifully as a border for anything made for a little girl:

then there was this slightly more complicated flower border:

I'm glad to report that these patterns are easy and fun. The directions are clear and the pictures are beautiful and encouraging, even when the pattern is a little challenging. The book stays open when you're working from it, unlike some pattern books that I have in my library.

Our giveaway is scheduled to begin January 30th, so be sure to visit us then for your chance to win a copy of this book!

Color Me Happy

Though I am hard pressed to figure out what Pantone, Inc. actually sells, apparently they are the authority on color (who knew) and every year they decree what the Color of the Year will be. This can have far reaching effects, from paint companies to couture clothing and now to those of us busily stockpiling yarn for our next project. Are you ready for the 2012 Color of the Year?

Tangerine Tango!Not a huge orange fan myself, but this shade has a lot of red in it and an overall warm and sunny, Spanish feel that I find appealing on these frigid winter days. Lots of yarn companies are adding shades of tangerine to their collections including this stunner from Jimmy Beans Wool - http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/ManosDelUruguay/StriatedDyedWool.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=34311

What kind of projects would look good with this color?