WIPW: Week 27

Hello everyone!

I have not posted in the last few weeks since I have not had much time in my schedule to work on my latest WIPs until this week. So thankfully....I have a few WIPs and FOs to share.















4th FO for 2011:
CAROUSEL HAT (SPORTY VARIETY)

I mentioned in my last blog post that my cousin Kims bday was Jan 18th, and that I had decided to make her a Bonita Hat. I frogged the 1st attempt at the hat due to a sizing error, and started again on the hat. I however decided half-way through that the hat style would just not be in her taste. Plus, I wanted to challenge myself and try another hat pattern out. I decided to keep the same color scheme (hotpink and white bands towards the band of the hat.) I found a new pattern on yes...Ravelry (thank the gods that it exists!) for a carousel type beanie by Sami Jo Fitzgerald. You can find the pattern here. I have a pic of the WIP, the FO, and a pic of my cuz proudly sporting her new beanie!

Carousel Beanie WIP

Carousel Hat (Sporty version) FO

Kim & her new birthday hat

Last week I mentioned a few future projects that I planned on starting. Here is the progress on those:

 6TH FO FOR 2011 (previously Future WIP #2:)
FILMSTRIP BEANIE

My brothers bday is coming up in March. He is a photographer/filmmaker. He has been requesting a film strip inspired beanie from me ever since I started crocheting. I decided to take a spin on the aforementioned Carousel Hat from this blog post. I think that it turned out OK, however I am not 100% pleased with how it came out. I may be tweaking this one a bit in the next few weeks (since I have until March.) Here is how it looks now:

Filmstrip Beanie

7th WIP for 2011:
SOCKS/HAT

7th WIP FOR 2011:

I started on the socks for my Dad today. This is my 1st venture into the world of crochet socks, and I must say I am a wee bit intimidated. I found a free pattern for some socks through a link on Ravelry for Mrs D Crochets that sound pretty straight-forward. The pattern is called Toasted Almond Crunch socks, and you can find the pattern here. The pattern calls for using:
Two 1.76 oz. skeins Red Heart Heart & Sole (color shown: Toasted Almond, thus the name)...
However, I changed up the color to Red Heart, Heart & Sole Blackjack, as I already had it in my stash.
Here is the progress so far:

Socks!

FUTURE WIP#1: 

My Father's bday was at the end of January. I had plans to make him a lush hat out of some beautiful Pima Cotton I have my eyes on at the LYS. I did not have time to start the hat for his bday (so now I am aiming for Fathers Day, or just an extra special surprise for being an awesome Dad. I still have my eyes on that Pima Cotton from the LYS.

Thanks again all for reading! Stay warm wherever you may be, and happy crafting :)

12 days of Handmade Holiday Giveaways: Day 7 featuring Yarn Harvest!!

So I love to blog about special yarn/craft/crochet/knitting giveaways from others blogs! I think these giveaways are not only a good way to receive AWESOME handmade gifts, but they are also a wonderful outlet to connect with other crafters, and local businesses! So, I was SUPER excited when I came across this giveaway on the blog Think Liz and that the giveaway was from Yarn Harvest. For those who may not know about the company, here is a bit about them:

Yarn Harvest is an eco-friendly yarn company located right here in Austin, TX (my hometown :)) that specializes in taking second-hand sweaters and frogging them, "to make new, affordable, high-quality yarn products." Super awesome right? This eco-friendly company is truly inovative, and is taking green steps for our environment. According to their website,  "Every year, thousands of pounds of sweaters are discarded. Some get donated to charity; the rest end up in landfills across the U.S." Never thought about it, right? I for one am glad that Yarn Harvest has. Here is a mission statement of sorts from their site:

"Here at Yarn Harvest, we pride ourselves on our environmentally friendly status. We're also a pretty creative bunch, and by combining the two, we've found a way that gives those old sweaters a second chance. Through Yarn Harvest yarns — proudly produced in Central Texas — we offer you the chance to turn this yarn into your own, new creations."

So, needless to say I am proud that Yarn Harvest is stationed in my home town, and that Liz of Think Liz, was thoughtful enough to include their product as a giveaway on her blog.

Here are the details of the contest from Think Liz:

"Here are the two beautiful hanks of yarn – itching to be turned into something new!"




Yarn Harvest giveaway yarn

 So here are the details of entering the contest. Make sure you hop on over to Think Liz' blog and do this! I already have ;)

"So how do you enter for Day 7? Three different ways:

1. Leave me a comment and tell me what you would do with this yarn – gift it away, make a scarf, you know, something along those lines.
2. Reblog the giveaway and leave me a separate comment with the link.
3. Subscribe to my blog via RSS Reader or e-mail and leave me another separate comment saying you subscribed (top left corner of the blog) or tell me that you already subscribe.

What are you waiting for? Enter now because this giveaway will end on Monday, December 13th at 10pm. This item will only be shipped to a winner within the US."

We Are Thankful for Ravelry Celebration -11/13/2010

If you are in the Austin, TX area in mid-November you should stop on by at The Knitting Nest (Austin, TX's premier LYS (Local Yarn Shop.) They will be hosting a Ravelry celebration November 16th, 2010 from 10am-6pm that will include a Silent Auction with the proceeds benefiting The American Cancer Society.

For those of you who would like to know a bit more about what The Knitting Nest is...Here is a quick bio/mission statement of their store.

"make yourself at home...

The Knitting Nest is a place to stock up on knitting supplies, learn more, hang out, and participate in the greater knitting community.
We currently stock the largest supply of Cascade Yarn in the Southwest United States. It includes every color currently made of Cascade 220 and many colors of Cascade 128, Cascade Superwash and Cascade Ecological Wool.
We also carry Farmhouse Yarns, Hill Country Yarns, Lorna’s Laces, Elsbeth Lavold and the new Organic O-Wool from Vermont Fibers - as well as many others."

Awesome right?...and don't worry...for those like me, Crocheters are welcome also!

You should also check out their website here.

Here is a bit about the event: (Reposted from The Knitting Nest Group Forum on Ravelry)

The Knitting Nest is excited to announce that we will be having a Ravelry celebration in November - because it is just a few weeks before Thanksgiving we are calling it “We Are Thankful for Ravelry” because - come on - WE ARE!!


We will be joined for the day by The Princesses of Ravelry:
Mary-Heather (rainydaygoods) and Sarah (onestitchshort) !!

We are also going to have a Silent Auction that day, just like we did for Texas Loves Ravelry - this time the money will be going to The American Cancer Society in honor of Mary-Heather’s mom who is currently (BRAVELY!) battling cancer.
So, mark your calendars! Start saving your money!

Send us a donation for the Silent Auction!!! I think it would be awesome if we had an entire table of giftcards donated by people for stores in the Austin area!

Most importantly - SPREAD THE WORD!! Feel free to copy and repost this in your own groups
My next post is going to be a list of all the people that have pledged donations and once they start rolling in we will start posting pictures! Join the fun!!

Here is a list of the companies who have made donations for the silent auction so far!!!!

Donations for The Silent Auction so far:


Namaste, Inc.
Black Sheep Dyeworks
The Bobbins Nest
Bluetulips
Bad Amy Knits
ZigZag Stitches
Max’s World
Sassafras Creations
Tom Bihn
Liberty Avenue Bags
Malabrigo Yarns
Diana Couture
Twist Collective
Berroco
Pamela Wynne of Flint Knits
Ysolda
Hannah Fettig of Knitbot
Jimmy Beans Wool
Kristen Kapur of Through the Loops
Dream In Color
Knit Picks
Sundara Yarn
Kollage Yarn

Confessions of a Yarn Junkie

Are you a yarn junkie?

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you find it impossible to pass a craft store without stopping in? Do you tell yourself...I will just stop in and see what they have on sale. Then you grab a basket and end up filling it to the brim with yarn before you know it?


2. Do you go online and yearn for that yarn you don't have? Gazing and dreaming at all those bamboo silks, and alpacas? Then....grab that credit card before you can think twice about it?


3. Have you run out of space in your yarn bins and organizers and now fill your closets and garages with big bags of the stuff?


4. Do you now have more yarn than you can possibly use? Could you open up a small yarn store yourself?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are just like me....a yarn junkie.

So what are things that I have done to curb this appetite?

1. I now only go into craft stores if I have to get a particular yarn for a project and absolutely cannot use any of the yarn that I currently possess.


2. If I am compelled to go on a spree, I also now make sure I am bargain shopping, so that my wallet does not suffer the consequences of my addiction.
   

Bargain shopping 101:

1. Most craft stores have online coupons that they post on their websites, or email to you weekly or bi-weekly if you sign up for their newsletters. This definately helps to soothe the wallet so to speak. I now wait for these coupons to be posted online and then I can indulge in my little addiction for 30, 40 or 50% off.
2. I also like to frequent the local thrift stores. Most of the time you can find amazing deals. I just bought (2) 1 lb cones of Peaches & Creme 100% cotton 4 ply at my local thrift store last week. (1) was unopened and the other...barely used. I got them for .99 a piece! I believe they retail somewhere in the $10 range. Now I have enough baby pink to last me a lifetime....well almost a lifetime.
3. I will also surf local online classified sites like http://www.craigslist.com/ . On these community sites people will often want to practically give away their scrap yarn. Sometimes people will want to barter as well. Some people will have too much of a color/type of yarn and would like to trade you for what you have an excess of. You can also post a wanted ad on these sites for yarn/supplies that you desire. Some people will give things away for free on occassion!
4. These community classified sites are also great for locating yard sales in your local area. Yard sales are great for finding yarn on a budget as well. Most people will sell items in large bulk as well, so it is possible to get 2-5 skeins for a bargain price.
   

To end this post I will share a few pics of my stash. It is a great comfort to me as a crocheter to have a plethora of colors, materials, and weights of yarn in my possession.

...So here is to all the alpacas, acryllics, angoras, bamboo silks, cashmeres, cottons, hemps, mohairs, nylons, polyesters, rayons, wools, and all other yarns of the world.

I am proud to be a Yarn Junkie!