Crocodile Stitch Shawl

I'm beginning to love this stitch!  Good thing, as I had a request for this stitch in a neutral shawl with some light fringe.  Four skeins of Patons Lace Sequins in Amber is the perfect yarn!  A hook size of US H (5.00mm) is what is recommended in the pattern and what I used, but you could go up a size or two and use fewer skeins. 

It's easy to crochet up once you get the hang of this 2 row pattern by Bonita Patterns.

A long run yarn is really gorgeous in this stitch.  This is 3 skeins of Patons Lace in Bonfire.

Nice size for my petite daughter, Zoe and a wide wingspan.

Little gold sequins add a hint of glitter and shine.

After shooting a "sneak peek" photo to the customer, all is a go to ship!  Whew!  I'm always on pins and needles on a custom order until I get the go ahead.

I'd love to see your crocodile stitch projects of any kind, so feel free to send a pic!

Click here for Bonita Patterns

Don't forget to pop over to my Etsy shop for my pattern sale!

Best,
Sheila

Yarn tip:

* If you are a fair isle knitter, use the square plastic bag holders that come with a loaf of bread as bobbins!

Pattern Sale - Christmas In July Sale in my Etsy Shop

Visit my Etsy shop only for my Annual Christmas In July Pattern Sale!  All patterns are 20% off for the rest of the July.  If you are like me, knitted and crocheted items are under the tree every year for loved ones.  I whip up these little hats every year for new babies arriving in the New Year.

This simple crocheted granny scarf is the perfect gift for all your girlfriends.  Cotton, acrylic or yummy yarns can be used for this great scarf/shawl.

My crocheted Pocket Cowl is a great gift for women or men!  Two skeins of super bulky weight yarn and a few buttons are all you need.

Make a dozen little toys OR pincushions from my Cupcake pattern.  Use up those little balls of yarn and stuff with fiberfil, cotton balls or more of your scrap yarn!

This is perfect on any little munchkin or bigger noggin!  Easily change up the color combo, add a pom pom, tassel or clip on bow.

Don't forget the teacher, secret santa, hairdresser, babysitter or your favorite mail carrier if you like to spread your yarn goodies around!

Click here for my Etsy shop

Best,

Sheila

Yarn tip 

* If you are a fair isle knitter, use the square plastic bag holders that come with a loaf of bread as bobbins!

Kollabora - a New Site to Show Off Your Projects

I've recently come across a lovely new site called Kollabora!  You can show anything you make....sewing, knitting, crochet, jewelry, embroidery, home decor, dyeing, quilting and cross stitch.  It's super easy to sign up and even easier to upload your photos.  They have a shop and a learning tab with tutorials.  It's free to sign up!

Click here for the Kollabora site

Here's what they say on their about page:

We believe that we are what we make; that’s why we decided to make crafting
easier and more accessible by helping you find and create cool DIY projects.
From fashion to jewelry to home décor, if you can make it, you’ll find the how-to on Kollabora.

Craft on!

P.S. If you’re here in NYC, join us for Kollabora Open Lab, every first 
Thursday of the month from 5 - 7 PM the Kollabora team and friends sit 
together at our loft space on 39 Wooster St 3rd floor and make stuff.

Our name comes from collaboro, the Latin word for working together.
On Kollabora.com, not only can you find full DIY tutorials, but you
can also share your projects step-by-step, upload works in progress, get
feedback from other users, and show your appreciation for what others
are making.

Yarn tip of the week

* Use all those little cometic bags you get at the department store when
you buy beauty products to hold all sorts of things! Little snap barrettes
and mini rubber bands to hold tail yarn. Use one to keep a mini knit kit
on hand. Scissors, tape measure, tapestry needle, crochet hook, point
protectors, stitch markers, little note pad and pen, etc.

KnitCircus Blue Hitchhiker

Hover over any photo to Pin
I don't know what it is about this scarf!  Every time I look in my pattern stash for a pattern to knit up and add charms to, I keep going back to this one.  Martina's Hitchiker.

I purchased this lovely yarn from Jaala at KnitCircus on Etsy.  It's actually a shawl kit (Corrina Shawl Kit)  that comes with one skein of yarn and the paper pattern in its own plastic sleeve.  Yay! Very easy to read pattern with gorgeous pics.  Jaala also sent along a little 15 yard mini skein of Sock du Soleil, in Red Balloon.  A very nice surprise indeed!  Great price too...$26.50.  That's a great bargain to get yarn, pattern, plastic sleeve and mini skein.  Plus, if you have a question about the pattern, contacting Jaala is simple.

I had every intention of knitting up the Corrina, but when I cam across these charms, I just had to do another Hitchhiker.  I've got some lovely cotton yarn in beach colors that will be used for the Corrina pattern!

The Hitchhiker pattern is an easy one and I love the versatility of the shape.  It's also a great pattern for hand dyed or long runs yarns.

Jaala's yarn color is Andromeda and is a fingerling, superwash merino with little silver sparkly bits throughout.  The charms are from Hobby Lobby, Metal Gallery #225870 Beaded Flower Garden.  They cost $10 per pack and you get TONS of them in one package.  Two colors come in the package.  The other bead is a light, sort of robins egg blue.  I'm saving those for another project.

I bought 3 packages of beads as they were on sale for $3.60 a pack and just used the dark blue ones The back side is silver, which goes great with the sparkles of silver in the yarn.  I add them as I knit along with a tiny crochet hook so I don't have to string them all on the yarn before I start knitting.

Well, that's it for this week!  Have a great weekend.

Best,
Sheila

Click here for Jaala's Corrina Shawl Kit

Click here to see Martina's Hitchhiker pattern

Yarn tip of the week!

* I keep all my paper patterns in a three ring binder! One binder holds all my scarf patterns. Another holds all my baby patterns. And still another holds all my toy patterns! I use clear, three hole page protectors to keep each one in and if I decide to knit/crochet a pattern, I remove it from the binder, leaving it in the page protector, and take it to the yarn shop to pick all the supplies I need!

Keyboard decals / not yarny, but still awesome!

Just LOOK at these awesome decals I found in my mailbox today!  I have not been in love with something other than yarn for a long time.  I'm not even sure how I ran across them....maybe another blog.

Laminated keyboard stickers by Kidecals.  I am crazy over the Pretty Roses Keycals.  Feminine, colorful and a brilliant idea!

If you sign up for their newsletter you get 15% off your first order.  They are for 13" and 15" Macbook,  Macbook Pro and Macbook Air and bluetooth keyboards only, so be aware.  Also, they are removable.

Some of the letters and numbers are a bit hard to read, but if you are old like me, you took typing in high school and don't look at your keys much.

There are 20 designs to choose from, cost $14.00 (without the discount) and shipping is free.

I bought the orange set my for daughters birthday coming up.  She will love these and all the letters and numbers can easily been seen.

They also have smaller sets for $6.00.  A set of 9 for certain keys only.  Still, really cute.  If I knew which of my friends had a Mac, this is what they would all be getting for Christmas!

Yarny post next week for sure.

Best,
Sheila

*tip of the week:

Buy little snap barrettes and mini rubber bands in the hair care section of the dollar store to keep the loose tails on balls of yarn!

Click here for the kidecals/keycals site

Yarn Shop Goodies & My Big Fat Greek Family

Just LOOK at my latest yarn shop goodies!  I was in St. Louis, Missouri visiting My Big Fat Greek Family, more on them later, and visited some local yarn shops.  In March, I posted about these yarn shops if you'd like to re-read.

Ewe Knit Yarns was the first stop for some Dyeabolical Strong Arm Skinny Sock Yarn in Firefly...love that name!   Gorgeous in red, black and yellow.

Julie, the shop owner took this pic for me for you to see it in hank form.  A bit dark, but you get the idea.  Totally different look when she so kindly "caked" it for me.  Julie is working on a book about the proper way to block your knitwear AND if blocking is not your favorite thing to do, she does offer that service in her shop!  How awesome is THAT?  Definitely will be buying her book as my blocking could use some help.

Lovely shop with chairs just calling all knitters and hookers to sit and clack or hook away.  Pets galore also in this LYS.  A couple dogs and a parrot hanging out with the locals and looking for treats!

Next stop, Kirkwood Knittery.  Beautiful shop with very helpful and nice staff.  Vibrant Universal Yarn Classic Shades in Tutti Fruitti.  I see a new shawl pattern in my future for these.  Also couldn't resist Classic Shades Sequins Lite in Antique Cobalt.  The photo doesn't show, but I bought 3 skeins of each.  Shop owner, Brooke, was so kind as to pop some Lavender Cuticle Balm in my bag.  No pic as it went right in my purse!

Then off to St. Charles, just outside of St. Louis.  THE quaintest town with little shops and restaurant galore!  Connie, at Knit and Caboodle on Main Streets carries all the favs.  Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 in a charcoal heather will also be a shawl as I am missing that color in my shawl wardrobe!  Something I have not seen is Smooshy Sock Yarn in Beach Fog.   It is by Dream In Color Yarn.  Perfect for jeans and light colored top.

I picked up these readers, in of all places, a flower shop!  You know the kind.....some jewelry and bits in the back of the shop.  I needed to bump up the vision to 3.00 on the readers and I LOVE the reader shades.

Ok, now a little bit about my family....if you don't mind.  My dad is first generation Greek, raised in St. Louis, and my mom is from Scotland.  VERY ethnic upbringing.  Greek family functions are huge to say the least.

My pop is the youngest of 7 and they all had 3 kids, my cousins. Add Yia Yia and Papou (Greek for Grandmother and Grandfather).  Then, there is the occasional cousin of theirs thrown in.  Then you add your Godparents and their kids if they are not of the immediate family.  All 40 or so gathering in small houses for the holidays.  I'm talking about 1950's and 60's.  Greek food, Greek dancing, speaking Greek.  Cigars, drinks and lots of laughter.  It was GREAT!

Now we are all married, many of us to other Greeks,  and have kids and some of those kids have kids!  Big Fat Greek Weddings, Big Fat Greek Baptisms, Big Fat Greek Funerals and Big Fat Greek Holidays.  It's THE BEST!

Well, I could go on about names and traditions, but I fear you will not reach the end of the post!  If you read about my family, I thank you very much.  My poor mother's side is left out today.  Posting about the Scottish side another day.

Best,
Sheila

Click here for Dyeabolical site

Click here for Ewe Knit Yarns site

Click here for Kirkwood Knittery site

Click her for Dream In Color Yarn Shop