Chocolate Box Reinvent and Make Your Own Sock Blockers

 

Did any of you receive a box of chocolates from your Valentine?  Me neither!  My daughter did, however, from her boyfriend.  She gave me this heart shaped box when she finished the treats as she knows my love of reusing things.  

It's perfect for holding my knitting/crochet bits and bobs.  Stitch markers, plastic bread bag ties for fair isle bobbins, buttons, needle protectors, ribbon, small rubber bands for keeping small balls of yarn from unraveling, hair barrettes for the same use, an empty dental floss container for cutting thread or yarn, row counters and circular needle cord stoppers.

All perfectly nestled in the box for easy access.

I also put to use some wire hangers.  "NO MORE WIRE HANGERS"!  That's funny if you know about movie actress Joan Crawford and her distain for wire hangers.

Anyhoos, to make some affordable, wire hanger sock blockers, just give it a pull in the middle then bend back the top point towards the opposite point.  I covered the hanger part with electrical tape so as not to snag the socks.  Slide your just washed socks over them and hang outside, over a shower curtain rod or in your laundry room.  

They dry super fast with all that open space the hanger provides and the sock fits great after.

These are Mary Maxim Step It Up in Tie died 

I hope you have a rainbow in your day,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Be brave with color when you make socks.  I would never knit a rainbow sweater, but I definitely would wear them on my feet!

Holiday Knitting and Crocheting Part Two

As promised, Part Two of Holiday Knitting and Crocheting is all about blankets!  If you are here in the USA, kids are back in school, garden clean up begins, jeans, scarves and shawls come out of hiding and yarny blankets fill our laps!  

This is my most popular blanket pattern by far....Crocheted Reversible Blanket.  Super easy for the beginner and beyond, in any size and in any yarn weight.  The addition of fabric makes it extra special and I have new fabrics in my Etsy shop to help.

For little boys....

to Aneela Hoey, to

Cath Kidston inspired.

Something for the more advanced crocheter, the Uptown Stroller Blanket.  Two skeins of worsted weight yarn makes this family heirloom!  It's rather on the tiny side, but directions are given to make it larger.

Try it in more than one color to match the gender or nursery.

If you are a knitter, the Knitting Chevrons in Technicolor Blanket is an easy, two row repeat using worsted weight yarn in seventeen colors.  I have three knitting patterns and four crochet patterns in the Technicolor Series.  You can easily get up to 4 blankets out of all that yarn.  If you are a newbie knitter and ready to move on from scarves, this is for you!

This entrelac blanket is from Mary Maxim and absolutely stunning!  It comes as a kit in different colorways if pastel rainbows is not to your liking.  The color changing yarn does all the work here!  The pattern calls for an i-cord edge, however, I crocheted four rows in single crochet. I knit this using US size 7 circular needles.  You will knit back and forth, as you do on straight needles.  Circs are used to accommodate the weight of the blanket.

 I found this one on Ravelry by Louise Marina.  I adore the sweet border.

I could not find a pattern for this one, but you can use your scrap yarn, make scarves and stitch them together.  I love this effect.

What are you working on for your holiday, yarny goodness?

Find all my pattern stores at the top of this page or

Etsy here

Craftsy here

Ravelry here

Next week, head and hands!

Best,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Here are some blanket sizes for you!

Scarves, Mittens, a Purse and Some Exciting News!

I finally got some "model" photos of the Crocodile Stitch Scarf!  This is one of my favorite patterns.  It's from Bonita Patterns on Etsy.  I posted about this 50 Shades of Grey here, if you'd like to refresh. 

I added a big button to keep the scarf secure in the wind.  If you find the right one, I think it makes the scarf extra special.  No button hole, just poke the button up through the scarf.  I will be making these in all kinds of colors for "my girlies" this Christmas.  

I like that you can wear it either way, button in front or the back.  I also like to wear my scarves over my coat as apposed to under.  This one is 4 skeins of Prism Sparkle from Mary Maxim, in Cobblestone.  It's a DK weight (3).  I think I used a J hook to get the most out of the yardage.

This one is made using 4 skeins of Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Winery.  Very easy to find in your local craft store and is a worsted weight (4).

Great colorway for those of you who feel grey and black a bit bland.  Reds, pinks, purples and a bit of grey.  Ooo, add a bottle of wine when gifting this one!  This giganto button is the perfect color, but is too big to poke through, so be careful when choosing a button. 

Mittens by Susan B Anderson, in Classic Shades; Tutti Frutti by Universal Yarn Inc.  Great pattern from Susan and it's free on Ravelry!  You could easily make matching mittens for your Croc Scarf prezzies!   

I made the medium size and they fit my delicate daughter and my fluffy self!  I knit the cuff longer than instructed as I like the bulk and the ability to have them go up my coat sleeve.

Now, the purse is from Creative Knitting March 2010 issue called the Mallory Bag.  I'm sure you could find a back issue online.  It's an intermediate pattern, however, I think an advanced beginner could do it.  If you are new to cables, it's a great place to start.

Some exciting news!  I was contacted by one of my favorite knitting periodicals, Simply Knitting.  I've just finished an interview, sent LOADS of photos and can't wait for the October issue!  This is quite an honor for me!  I'm a huge fan of Simply Knitting and was thrilled to be a part of this United Kingdom magazine.  I live in the USA, however, I am half Scottish, so my love runs deep for the UK.  I'll proudly post about it when my issue arrives!

Also, I was contacted by the merchandising manager at Annie's Catalog (which has been around forever and is a great catalog) to sell 6 of my knitting patterns on their site!  You can read the interview and find 3 of my crochet patterns and 3 of my knitting patterns.

Have a great week,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

When I need a button for a knitted or crocheted item, I always take it with me to the store.  I'm amazed when I go in thinking of a certain color, only to find out the perfect button was something totally different. 

Mohair Blanket With Daisies

Do you ever knit or crochet something and think..."It's cute", but I want it to be REALLY cute!

This was one of those projects.  It happens to me all the time, whether I'm painting, upholstering, knitting, crocheting or whatever, I think, well, I don't really like it that much.  When I think that, it just means it's not finished.

So I added some daises!  I whipped these up in about 15 minutes or so with a Daisy Loom!  The yarn is lovely and from Mary Maxim called Seasons in Winter.  Two skeins, a J hook and one skein of some leftover Patons Lace in Vintage Antique for the edge.

I used my signature wooden button from Etsy for a center, but any store bought button would be darling.

I just tacked them on through the center with the yarn tail.  Scattered about like they had fallen on the blanket.

Some in the colored yarn and some in the solid.

So lightweight and pretty.  You could use any of your leftover mohair in various colors and it still would delight.

I've had this loom since the ice age!  I'm not sure they make them out of brass any longer, but I think you should still be able to find one in your local craft store.

They take about 30 seconds to make just one!  You turn the knob on the back so the spokes pop out, wind your yarn...

secure the petals with the tail...

turn the knob to retract the spokes...

and off pops the daisy!

I'm heading away for a hen weekend (girls weekend) tomorrow for some much needed girl time with a bestie!

I hope you are doing something fun and yarny!

Best,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Ripping out mohair type yarn is a pain, to say the least.  Here's what I do to make the job much easier.  

Put your finger in the space between the stitches...

pull down...

then up.  Do the same all along the row.  It goes much faster!