Barefoot Sandals, a Knit Kit and a Charmed Row Counter

I love these barefoot sandals my daughter made!  She saw some on Pinterest and asked me to show her how.  A mother can't resist!  We got out one of my crochet books...Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs by Edie Eckman....we popped over to Hobby Lobby and bought some Lion Brand Bon Bons....and away she went on her first crochet project.  She then sewed on some little white seed beads, which make them really pop!

She then tried another motif pattern and added another yarn color.  I think they are both really cute!  What a great bridesmaids gift for a beach wedding!  She put them both up on "snap chat" and all her friends wanted to know where to buy them.  I have a feeling she will be crocheting them up for bithday or Christmas presents for all her besties!

I've been busy putting Knit Kits together for my Etsy shop.  Here's how have them listed in my shop:

Everything a knitter or crocheter needs for their project bag. A $25.00 value!

You get everything you see here:

*Zippered bag with two pockets (measures 6.5" W x 9.5 L) {16.5cm x 24.3cm} color may vary
*Journal (80 blank pages) color may vary
*Tape measure
*Two barrettes (I use them to keep yarn tails in place on my yarn balls)
*Two sewing needles
*One row counter
*Ribbon on thread card
*Four point protectors
*Two cable needles
*One needle gauge
*Two stitch holders
*Ten bobbins
*Twenty crochet stitch markers
*One pair of scissors
*One Project Card

A $25.00 value!

And it all fits in the zippered bag.

Great gift for yourself or any knitter or hooker.

That's a TON of goodness for $16.00!!!!  I only have 5 available, so if you'd like one for yourself or yarn buddy, visit my Etsy shop to purchase.  

This is one of the cutest knitting/crocheting accessories I have seen in a long time.  Attach it right to your project.  Heidi Bears Row Counter for Circular Needles Tutorial is on her sight and easy to follow.  I can't wait to go out and get a few things to make some!  I often misplace my row counters as they are quite small.  This will make it easy to remember to USE the row counter on many a project.

I'm heading over to the Iowa State Fair next week.  My annual trip with one of my closest friends, Michelle.  I so look forward to it every year.  Food on a stick, the butter cow,  all the blue ribbons for best knitting and crocheted items, the piglets, baby lambs, and the largest bull and pumpkin in the state!  

When I was a teenager, in the '70's, my friend Karen and I would go there first thing in the morning, take off our shoes, walk around barefoot, till it closed at night!  It...was...awesome.  We saw Elton John, Sonny and Cher, Loggins and Messina, Chicago and Seals and Croft.  Some of the best memories of my life.  I am still friends with Karen and saw her last weekend when I passed through Kansas City, where she lives with her family.  I'm SO lucky to still have her in my life.

Have a great weekend,

Sheila

Yarn Tip:  

I keep a knit kit in my suitcase. When I travel, I sometimes forget to pop one in my project bag.  This way, I always have one on vacation or business trips.

Autumn Baby Blanket

I know it's July,  But this is the time of year I write new patterns, get kits put together for my Etsy shop and think about Christmas knitting and crocheting.  Here's something I'm working on.  One simple pattern, three different yarn weights, three spectacular gifts for babies, teens and adults.  I love my yummy yarn (any yarn you don't find in your local craft store), however, sometimes it's too costly for gift giving.

So, the pattern will have yarn suggestions that you find in your Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Joann Fabric stores.  For my overseas friends, these are our local craft stores.  This sample is a DK weight (3).  I think I'll use sock yarn for the pattern.  I'm sure most of you have loads of it in your stash, I know I do!  Maybe it would be fun to have a, sort of patchwork look using different skeins of sock yarn but all the same colors.  I'll have to think on that and play around with it.

I'm going to also crochet up a sample in some worsted weight (4) yarn.  Solid colors, but with a gradient or ombre effect.  Solid colors are typically less expensive than gradient yarns.

Super bulky weight (6) too, which is one of my favorite weights.  Maybe three different edgings as well.  

A plethora of kits are ready now in my Etsy shop.

Cath Kidston Inspired Baby Blanket Kit

Knitted Arm Warmers Kits

Reversible Baby Blanket Kit

I've got 9 different kits with nine different fabric choices!

Christmas Hats Collection

(this is a pattern bundle, not a kit)

Technicolor Hat Kit

Have a great week,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Blanket sizes:

Full size measures about 50" x 65" (127cm x 165cm)

Lap blanket 35" x 40" (89cm x 102cm) {great for the elderly}

Baby blanket 25" x 30" (64cm x 76cm)

Knitting a Technicolor Checks Blanket

Hello my lovely followers!  I have completed my Knitting In Technicolor series with the final blanket and I've added a hat!  I have so enjoyed designing these bright and colorful blankets.  After the huge success of the Crochet in Technicolor series, and many emails, I've designed three blanket knitting patterns and a coordinating hat to the line.

Knitting Checks in Technicolor is a super easy, 6 row repeat, pattern.  I've added fringe to two sides (directions are included in the pattern), but you can add any border you like.  If you crochet, a simple single crochet edge would be lovely.  Or a shell stitch!  Seventeen skeins or worsted weight (4) yarn will knit up all three blankets and a matching hat.  

This hat is perfect for the beginner just starting out with circular needles.  No double point needles needed as there are no decreases!  A couple tassels instead of a bow for the boys would be cute, to match the fringe of the blanket!

Bright, cheerful and so much fun to knit with all these colors!  I get so many compliments at baby showers when I gift something from my Technicolor series.  It really makes me feel so warm inside.  

Would it be too much if I did a pastel series?  I think I will.  How cute would that be for spring time?  Maybe something in all blue pastels for boys and pink for girls!  A gender neutral blanket in shades of creams, soft greys and turquoise!  My mind is churning right now!  I'll have to jot that down and get to a yarn shop!

I've put together a bundle pattern set of all three blankets and the hat.  You can knit all of these with the 17 skeins of yarn and still have some left over!  The patterns, sold separately, are $5.00 each.  The bundle is $15.00.  That saves you $5.00!  Each pattern is very easy and perfect for the beginner who is ready to move on from scarves!  The bundle is only available in my Etsy shop.  

I know when you hear "seventeen skeins" you think about the cost, however, four blankets and a hat comes out to less than $18.00 a project.

I also have one hat kit available in my Etsy shop for $12.00.

Everything you need to complete your own knitted Technicolor Hat! 

You get:
*Enough acrylic yarn to complete the newborn or 0-6 months size hat
*One printed pattern 
*One red bow
*One project card
*One stitch marker

Well, there you have it!  If you would like to purchase any of my patterns in the Technicolor series, knitting or crochet, you can find them:

In my Etsy shop

My Ravelry shop

My Craftsy shop

or click on any of my shops at the top of this post!

Have a great week,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Knitted Arm Warmers Kit

Spring kit

It's the end of spring in the USA and we are heading into summer, my favorite time of year!  Yay!  Vegetables from the garden await, the smell of fresh cut grass in the air and wooly knitting and crochet.  I know, not too much fun in the heat of summer, but this is the time of year I get my knitting and crochet kits together.

Fall kit

The first of which is knitted arm warmers.  After all, my friends on the other side of the world are heading into their winter!  

You can knit them in the round or on straight needles.  Instructions are given for both.  No thumb holes!  

I've put three kits together....Spring (the top photo), Fall (above photo) and

Winter kit  

Whether you are petite, like my daughter, or "fluffy" like me, they will fit!  You can make them shorter and get two pair or knit them longer for one pair. 

You get everything you need to complete your own arm warmers:

*Two skeins of machine wash yarn

*One printed pattern

*A coupon for your next order

*A surprise gift

Find the kits in my etsy shop

I've also got some new fabrics in my etsy shop  

below are just two

and 

a Cath Kidston Inspired Blanket Kit there too

Thank you for all your kind words of sympathy and encouragement last week.  It was very much appreciated!

Have a great week!

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Here's a tip from Knit Daily on weaving in your ends!

Rainbow Entrelac Blanket

I love a yarn with long runs and entrelac patterns. I'm not, however, too fond of lots of color changes. This yarn was just the ticket as it changes colors on its own. It is a kit from Mary Maxim that comes with 5 balls of yarn and the pattern.

This is not a quick knit and took quite some time....about a month/120 hours. I am a fast knitter and as I make a living selling patterns and finished items, I do spend a great deal of time in "my chair" knitting or hooking away!   The yarn in the kit is DK weight and I used my Knit Picks US size 7, 32" circular needles.

I love how it turned out. The pattern calls for an I-cord edging, but I wanted a slightly larger border so a crochet hook and some single crocheted rows provided a nice edge without taking away from the lovely blanket itself.

The pattern is very well written and the color changes keep it interesting. You are actually only knitting 10 stitches at a time, so if you find you need to frog back, it is not so daunting.

Craftsy.com (you can find them on the right side of my blog under Lovely Sponsors) has some workshops/classes for you if you are new to entrelac and need to see the jist of how entrelac works. There is always YouTube for videos as well.

If any of you have entrelac projects to share, I'd love to see them.

Best,
Sheila

DIY Knit Kit

Happy Thursday to you!  I'd like to share with you today my knit kit.  I do a fair amount of traveling and take my knitting/crocheting everywhere I go.  If you're like me you probably have something like this in your bag.  It has all the essentials for the knitter or hooker on the go!

Scissors, stitch holder, cable needle, safety pins, crochet hook, sticky notes and pen, tape measure, my business cards from Moo.com .  I love these cards, by the way.  They have my contact info on one side and a picture of a finished product on the other!  Also in the tin, extra reading glasses, stitch markers, ruler, row counter, bread bags ties (for intarsia...they work like bobbins), a mini tin to hold sewing/tapestry needles and the smaller items.  Oh, and hair barrettes to hold the tail on a ball of yarn!  Did I mention everything?

It all packs up nicely in this tin I found at a thrift store!  I'm going to make some of these for a couple fellow knitters/crocheters this Christmas!  One can never have enough knitting/crocheting goodies.

That's all for now!  Have a great weekend!

Best,
Sheila

Kits Are In!

After MANY requests from satisfied customers, the kits are here! 

With this kit you get the fabric, crochet hook, care instruction card, a label to personalize yourself, a coupon for your next order and FREE pattern to complete a blanket approx 31" x 30" with two edging options! 

Pick out your own yarn to coordinate with the fabric! Chocolate would be yummy. A crisp white would look great too! Peaches and pinks are other colors in this fun fabric! Choose more than one color for a unique look!

I think a crisp white would be lovely with this kit. A shade of blue would look great too, or, choose both for a unique look all its own!

Pattern, below, is by far, my most popular pattern and included in the kit!  Easy and quick!  Whip one up in a weekend!

I'm working on a much requested kit for my Etsy shop for the most popular pattern in my store called Crocheted Reversible Baby Blanket.  Fabric, yarn, hook, your own label, free pattern and more!

Here's just two rough samples of the kits!  Heading off to the photographer tomorrow for the shoot and will have them for sale next month!

Many of my customers do not have the best access to shops that sell yarn or fabric!  Personally, I would go mad without my favorite shops!  So, this is for them and for the crocheter that would like it all in one bundle.

I do plan on selling the kits with an option to purchase without the yarn, for those who like to pick colors themselves!

I also will be getting into dying and selling my own yarn!  Can't wait to get started on that!

It's starting to cool down a bit here in the midwest after 3 months of 90 plus degrees!  My fall scarves and boots await and I have missed them so!

Best,
Sheila