Rouge Sanibel Cowl

A friend from Ravelry, Amy (a/k/a AmyBamy), invited me to join the East Coast Knitters group.  They are having a knit along for the month of June for this item:

It is called the Sanibel Cowl.  I made this for myself!  It was such a fun and brainless knitting pattern.  I love how it came out!  I bought more yarn from Joann's last week to make it two more colors before winter.

Supplies:
Pattern: Sanibel Cowl by Beth Anne Paustian
Yarn: Loops & Threads Immpeccable #01531 - Rouge
Needles: US 8 on 24" Cables

The Miami Dolphin

Here is a commissioned order from work:

A co-worker asked for a dolphin in Miami dolphin colors for his sister.  He was very happy with and my want one for himself!

Supplies:
Pattern: Dolphin by Jennifer Down Under
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Peace and Love #W260936 - Boogie Blue and #W260961 - Orange Chill
Hook: US G

Light Blue Owen

Here is another monkey for a commissioned order from work:

I must admit, I am rather tired of making Owen the Monkey since this is the fourth one I have made in two months.  But, on a positive note, I think that assembling him is now easier.  He came out perfect!

I also wanted to add that Stacey from Freshstitches contacted me to ask if I would share my photo of Owen on her pattern page on Ravelry!  Of course I said YES!  I am honored!  Click on the pattern below and see for yourself!!!

Supplies:
Pattern: Amigurumi Owen the Monkey by Stacey Trock
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver Light Blue and Buff
Hook: US G

Howie the Penguin

Here is my first penguin that was a commissioned order from work:

He ended up being bigger that I thought he would be.  He is so cute and cuddly!  Jen was really happy with it!

Supplies:
Pattern: Amigurumi Howie the Holiday Penguin by Stacey Trock
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver Black, White, Light Blue and Lemon
Hook: US G

My Easy Peasy Crocheted Bag

I sent my buddy bee, Michaela, a skein of Cascade Soft Spun yarn and she was looking for a pattern to use it that was something just for her.  So we both starting looking and we found the Easy Peasy Crochet Bag.  So we both decided to make one.

 

I started crocheting the bag on Friday night and I got this much done:

So I finished it and added the trim, handles and fabric lining on Sunday when I had some quiet crafting time alone!  Here is the finished product:

Here are the details behind this bag:

• I used Cascade Soft Soun Yarn.
• I used a size I hook.
• I chained 8 to start.
• I worked the base for 30 rows.
• I worked 30 rounds for the body of the bag using up all the yarn.
• I added the trim and handle made from Knit Picks Telemark Sport weight yarn.
• I used a size F hook for the edging.
• I braided the handles using 18 pieces of yarn for each handle.
• For the liner, I used a fat quarter (18" x 22") of fabric following the pattern instructions.
• I hand stitched the liner to the bag at each single crochet.

I am very happy with how this came out.  I may make some more of theses soon!  My hubby was impressed and thinks they would sell well at work or on Etsy.

Supplies:
Pattern: Easy Peasy Crochet Bag by Sharon Maher
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Soft Spun #2837 - Pink and Knit Picks Telemark #23937 - Columbine
Hooks: Size I & F

My Buddy Bee Package

Here is my buddy bee package that I received from Alayna (ATobey on Ravelry):

 

I loved it!  Here is a close up of Archer the dog:

 

She made him to match my chocolate labradoodle, Hershey!  I think he is too cute!

 

She also made me a kindle cover that fits perfectly:

 

She was afraid that it might not fit but it did.  She also included a soap saver crocheted holder for when I go camping and a thread cutter.

 

Thanks so much Alayna!!!



 

Vacation Potholders

Here are some potholders that I also made on vacation and over Memorial Day weekend.

 

Emerald Isle

Hippi

Summer Splash

Aquarius

Psychedelic

Damask Ombre

This is a great, no-brainer, pattern!  After you make your chain, there is no counting at all!  You just keep single crocheting until the sides meet up in the middle.  It is a super simple and useful pattern!

Supplies:
Pattern: Crochet Folded Potholder by Michelle Gibbs
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton #W260943 - Hippi, #W260865 - Psychedelic, #W260989 - Aquarius, #W272599 - Summer Splash and Lily's Sugar and Cream #19241 - Emerald Isle and #19535 - Damask Ombre
Hook: US G

Vacation Starburst Hotpads

Here are some hotpads that I made while I was on vacation and over Memorial Day weekend:

 

Blue and White



White and Blue

Summer Splash (All one color)

 



Hot Green and Hot Pink

 





 

Hot Pink and Hot Green

 



I have a few more colors what I have put together that I will be making into these hotpads soon.  They are not as difficult to make as it looks!  After they were assembled, I used my iron on the highest steam setting to make the whole hotpad lay flat.

Supplies:
Pattern: Starburst Hotpad Pattern by Kiley Jones & Loretta Schepp
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton #W272599 - Summer Splash and Lily's Sugar and Cream #00001 - White, #50215 - Robin's Egg, #01740 - Hot Pink and #18172 - Hot Green
Hook: US G

Buddy Bee Swap

I participated in another swap put on by the Freshstitches group over on Ravelry.  Here is what I made for my partner, Michaela (ToastyOat on Ravelry):

She had this amigurumi listed as a favorite so I had to make it for her in her favorite color orange.  I found the instructions to covert the gnome into a wizard from this blog posting from a fellow Raveler.

 

I also made her a pillowcase:

 

When I saw this fabric in my stash, it screamed her name so I made it for her.  I also added a placemat for her dalmation Zelda, 2 appliqued hand towels and a skein of Cascade Soft Spun yarn in orange.  She totally loved everything!  It was a pleasure being your buddy bee Michaela!

 

Supplies:
Pattern: Amigurumi Forrest the Garden Gnome by Stacey Trock

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Solid Worsted in #1382 - Yellow, #0208 - White, #0217 - Black, #1383 - Orange and #1202 -  Beige

Hook: US G

 

The Pink Owens

I was commissioned from a co-worker to make two monkeys in pink for her twin cousins.  Here they are:

Shocking Pink Owen

Baby Pink Owen

She loved them!  I wonder if they will make it to their final home since she loves pink as well!

Supplies:
Pattern: Amigurumi Owen the Monkeyby Stacey Trock
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver Baby Pink, Shocking Pink and Buff
Hook: US G

T-Fal Iron Review

This iron, T-fal Ultraglide Easycord Ceramic Soleplate Steam Iron, is the second iron that I have owned in 5 months (but that is another story).  When I went to get the replacement for my first one, I read lots of reviews on the irons available at Kmart (that's where the first one was purchased and they were accepting it as a return).  Here it is:

 

I love how it sits on the cord.  I am a quilter so I was looking for an iron that produces a lot of steam to help take out the wrinkles from my fabric.  Another feature that I wanted was a smooth bottom.  This was the fabric did not get caught up in the recessed holes.

 

It is also a smooth ceramic plated bottom.  It glides over the fabric with ease!

 

The cord does not swivel but moves up and down so it is not in your way when you are ironing.  It also has a large opening for filling with water.

 

Overall, this is a great iron for only $39.99.  It has not leaked (yet) and is working like a charm.  If you are in the market for a new iron, for quilting or every day use, I would recommend this one!

Herstyler Grande Hair Professional Curling Iron Review

I was approached in by someone in the mall recently to try out some new hair product by Herstyler, a clipless curling iron and a ceramic flat iron.  I really liked the results but the cost was obnoxious, $150 for one for $200 for the set.  So when I got home, I googled it and found the same clipless curling iron on Amazon for $25.  Here is the one I bought:

 

 

I have poker straight long hair of medium thickness.  Here is the back of my hair naturally:

 

 

I have always wanted curls and/or wavy hair but the curls never take or stay.  I am also hair challenged and I have never been able to use curlers or a curling iron with positive results, plus I am impatient.  So I used the Herstyler curling wand for the first time the other night when I got home from work after it arrived.  Here are my results:

 

 

I found this to be relatively easy to use!  I was able to accomplish these results in about 20 minutes with little effort.  All I did was wrap about 1 inch of hair around the barrel with the tip pointed down so that the barrel could not be seen.  This produced nice tight curls instead of waves.  I did not anything to my hair before or after curling it.  I did this around 5:30 at night and when I went to bed at 10, it is super wavy.  By morning is was still a little wavy and would have needed some major touch ups.

 

I would highly recommend this clipless curling iron!

Hubby's Pillowcase

Well, since I made myself two new pillowcases for the bed, my hubby wanted one too!  Here it is:

 

His pillow is a king size so instead of cutting 27" of the full width of fabric for the body of the pillow, I cut a 36" piece.  It is now long enough!

These are so easy and quick to make, once you know what you are doing.  I think I am going to dig through my fabric stash and see if I have enough material left from my red and yellow log cabin quilt to make pillowcases to match.

My New Pillow and Pillowcases

This weekend, I bought myself a new bed pillow.  It is from Bed Bath and Beyond and it is the Brookstone Bio Sende Memory Foam Classic Pillow with Better than Down Cover.

It was rather pricey for a pillow ($59.99) but I love it!  I love memory foam pillows but sometimes they get too hard (even for me) without a down cover.  When I got home, it was too thick to use in my normal pillowcase, it looked like a sausage, so I had to make some for it.

 

Here they are:

 

 

And:

 

 

I had enough fabric of both the white and brown so I decided to make opposite pillowcases.  I really liked how they came out.

Have you seen how to make these?  Check out this video!

My Completed Jitterbug Quilt

OMG, I just realized that I never posted a completed picture of my Jitterbug quilt from the class I took at Meeting House Fabrics in Wales, MA in February:

 

 

Here is the back of the quilt as well:

 

 

I am very happy with how well this quilt came out!  It was finished just in time for spring since the color make you think of spring all year round!