Random Fun

Sheepish socks on clearance at Shopko!

 

Knitting little girl fingerless mitts and coordinating hat.  The iron on applique is from JoAnn Fabrics and the yarn is Lion Brand Heartland.

 

New yarn from Fiesta Yarns!

 

New mini business cards from Moo.com!

Happy Monday,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

When ordering yarn online, if you have an idea of a project in mind, write it down on a post it note.  When the order arrives, place the post it note on the bag so you don't forget later.

Free Pattern! Tiffany Cowl & Headband Knitting Pattern

Free pattern on Craftsy

The wonderful folks over at Craftsy and working with Cloudborn Fibers, a new yarn company.  Their yarn is exclusive to Craftsy and can't be found anywhere else.

A few months ago, Cloudborn asked me to design something using their yummy yarn!  A privilege indeed.  They sent some super soft Baby Alpaca Bulky fiber in light blue and cream.  I immediately saw Tiffany's signature blue!

Cloudborn has made this yarn in a perfect blend of baby softness and a lovely halo for the most luxurious feel around your neck.  It has great stitch definition and no splitting as you work.

The cowl is knit in the round, no purls, except for the rib sections.  Wear it down or wrapped around your neck....

(if you look closely you can see me in my daughters sunglasses)!  I always think this is funny for some reason.  Anyhoos....

The seed stitch headband coordinates beautifully without being too matchy, matchy.

I wish you could feel the softness of this squishy goodness!

This is a beginner pattern, however, still satisfying for all levels of skill.

Find the free pattern only in my Craftsy shop

Find the yarn, Cloudborn Fibers Baby Alpaka Bulky only at Craftsy

There are 11 different weights to choose from and all are on sale!

If you do not want to invest in 4 skeins, you can easily make this with two skeins and a shorter cowl.

Here are some pattern details for you:

Measurements:

Cowl circumference - 72” (183cm) 

Cowl width - 11” (29cm) 

Headband circumference - 18” (46cm) 

Headband width - 4” (10cm)

Needles:

*US size 10.5 (6.5mm) 32” circular needles 

*Optional needles: if the circular needles are a bit fiddly when knitting the headband, use US size 10.5 (6.5mm) straight or even double pointed needles will work.

Yarn:

*Cloudborn Fibers Baby Alpaca Bulky (5); 109 yds/100g (100m) 

Two skeins in Sky Blue (A) 

Two skeins in Ivory (B)

Notions:

*one stitch marker 

*tapestry needle

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

As gift giving time approaches, think about adding some tags to the gift bag!  I found these by searching on Pinterest.  I'm sorry I don't have the links for you.  While you're over at Craftsy getting your free pattern, type "free tags" in the search box and a bunch will pop up for you!

Print them off, cut them out and you're done!

Things I'm Working On, Things I see

 

Here's a sneak peek at something I'm working on for Craftsy.  Cloudborn Fibers sent me this gorgeous yarn to design a free pattern for them on Craftsy.  The launch will be coming up later, so I'll give you a heads up when the time is closer.

Cloudborn Fibers have made this yarn in a perfect blend of baby softness and a lovely halo for the most luxurious feel.  It has great stitch definition with no splitting as you work.

 

Stunning colors that remind me of a jewelry box from Tiffany's!

 

I've designed TWO somethings that uses every bit of yarn, which makes for a good investment.

 

Something else I'm working on is a wedding blanket for my cousin.  Her colors are plum and cream and it will be a nice, generous size.  I really like how it's turning out.  I'm using my Man Cave Blanket pattern.  You can find the pattern links to my shops at the top of this page or below.

The fawn hook is from Kelli at The Clay Bean Co. on Etsy.  

And now for something completely different....I'm working on a Soup Cook Off for my church.  I'm known for putting fun things together, mostly for children at my church.  I did a Kids Cake Contest a few years ago.  Children in Sunday School made decorated cakes at home and brought them to church. I had outside judges come in and then handed out cooking prizes.  It was terrific.  

Anyhoos, I'm doing a soup contest for all ages and these are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize. I found everything for 70% off at Michael's.  Score!!  Tote bag, measuring spoons, paper napkins, blank journal and a note pad.

 

I saw these at a grocery store.  So easy to make yourself, just get a styrofoam ball and glue on the yarn.

I love this fox knitting gauge in an issue of Knit Today.  Found it in my local Joann's Fabric store.

Well, that's it.  Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Find me on 

Craftsy

Etsy

Ravelry

Purls of Wisdom:

I find inspiration everywhere.  Outside, shops, magazines, etc.  I always take a photo as I find great color combinations in clothing, food, jewelry, plants etc.  That way, I can look at the photo later when searching for inspiration.

Summer Shawl and Thrift Store Findings

I'm working on a summer shawl pattern.  Gorgeous colors of the sea and very easy to knit up.  

It's in the blocking stage at the moment.  I block most of my shawls "dry" then give them a heavy spray of water with a few drops of Soak in the bottle.  I find it much easier this way as sometimes a soaked shawl or scarf is a bit unruly. 

I'll be adding some beading to the short ends for interest and a little weight.  Still working out the details on that.

One lonely, yarny blanket in a thrift store last week.  Usually you can find 5-10 on a rack.

But....

I did spy these vintage flower loom project books.  So retro and lovely.  Really takes me back to my childhood as I grew up in the 60's and 70's.

Last, but not least, my pal Joan is riding her bike across Scotland.  She's my age, mid 50's and I just can't imagine doing that myself.  I'm so very grateful that she took the time to hunt down a shop, send me photos of fiber, worked it all out with the shop owner and get it in the mail to me.  I'm going to get two shawls out of this yardage, one for myself and one for Joan, of course.  She lives in Denver, Colorado USA, so it will be perfect!

Anyhoo, she sent me this lovely spool of sapphire worsted weight goodness from the Isle of Iona with two labels.  The shop is Iona Craft Shop if you happen to be up that way.

The sheep graze every corner of the island and when summer comes they are sheared to enjoy the sun.  They sort through the fleeces one by one then they are spun together to become Iona Wool.

The postcard on the right shows the beautiful sunrise over the sound of Iona.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom,

I purchase my blocking boards from any store that carries giant foam puzzles for children, in the toy department.  So much cheaper than traditional blocking boards. Don't have blocking boards?  Lay out your project on the carpet or bed mattress. 

Winning Some Craftsy Love

Look what arrived the other day.  I won the May Craftsy Yarn Giveaway!  Whoo hoo!  I see some grey fingerless mitts, a denim cowl and some dishcloths in my future.

I found these lovely mechanical pencils at Michael's for $1.50.  Love them! 

The scarf behind them was made from my Easy Triangle Scarf pattern and some Artiste Crochet Thread in Sandstone that you can find at Hobby Lobby.

Find the pattern in my 

Etsy shop

Craftsy shop

Ravelry shop

Have a great Wednesday,

Sheila

xo

New Scarf Pattern in Progress and Other Yarnigans

As the summer rolls in, here is the midwest USA, it's time for me to think about winter!  I do my "winter line" of scarves, blankets, hats and such during the warm weather months for my pattern shops.

I get several requests from knitters and crocheters to do more designing using super bulky weight yarn and fat needles and hooks.  I totally get that!  Super quick projects that don't cost a ton of money.

My first scarf pattern is the Urban Infinity.  You'll get instructions for 5 or 6 scarves using the same pattern but with different brands/kinds of yarn.  Some you can find in your local craft store and some using "yummy" yarn that comes from a local yarn shop or on line.

I've got three to show you today.

Here's some yummy Knit Picks Stroll Fingering yarn I picked up on clearance.  The three on the right are on my needles now doing a Profusion Cowl by Karen MaCall.  

That turquoise one is called Frozen and screams "little girl slouchy hat" to me!

I love this yarn bowl I purchased from Back Creek Pottery in Montana.  Reminds me a little of The Hunchback From Notre Dame.  I just love it!  You won't see these on her site, but if you contact here through the website, she will get right back to you.

Oh, and just LOOK at what Hobby Lobby is stocking on its shelves.....dyeable yarn and dye!

This is worsted weight (4) acrylic yarn for $3.49, 4oz, 205 yards.  The Rit dye is $4.99 a bottle.  As the yarn is acrylic, you cannot use the regular Rit dye.  This dye is especially for acrylic yarn.  If you have some white or cream acrylic yarn in your stash, you could use that.  Just be sure to pick up some of this special dye.  

I'm planning on giving this a go sometime this summer!  I'll keep you posted.

This crochet thread is also from Hobby Lobby and I just love it!  The softest crochet thread I have ever used and comes in loads of yummy colors, solid and variegated.  I'm working on some cotton scarves using my Easy Triangle Scarf pattern.  Even in the heat of summer, I like to wear these as stores, offices and restaurants are so chilly with the air conditioning set to "freeze".

Aren't these blank journals cute?  Michael's has them on sale for $.50 a piece!

And now for something completely different.....Lego peeps!  I spotted these in a sort of junk shop in The Old Market here in Omaha, Ne.  

Find my Easy Triangle Scarf and all my patterns on 

Etsy

Ravelry

Craftsy

Best,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

This is the time of year when you can find great deals on yarn.  Take advantage to the sales and stock up.  When I purchase yarn I often have an idea of what I'll use it for at a later date.  I jot down the information on a post it note and include the pattern name.  When my order arrives, I place the post it note on the bag or skein so I don't forget why I bought it!

New Blanket Pattern Progress

I'm making good progress on my latest blanket pattern.  Knitting in squishy, garter stitch stripes.  The blanket portion is complete using nine colors of greys, purples and creams.  I know that garter stitch can be a bit boring, but the stripes are on the thin side making for quick color changes.

 

The leafy border is next using this lovely green.  Still working out the pattern for the edge.  When I started knitting the blanket, I just got in my head that the border needed to be in green leaves of some sort.

Here's my color inspiration.  Gorgeous edencottageyarns.  I saw this pic on instagram and fell in love. Aren't they just scrumptious?  I did not use her yarns, but rather used the photo to pick worsted weight yarn from Hobby Lobby.

This color combo would make a lovely shawl, don't you think?

Have a great week,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

In a case like this, when my blanket was finished and I need a border color, I take the blanket with me to the store.  I want the border color to coordinate and the only way to pick the best color is to have the finished item in the yarn shop.  I picked out 5 greens and placed them all on the blanket, making it super easy to see the best one!