Contest #2

It's that time again, folks. Contest time! This month you can win these peacock earrings... handmade by yours truly!

I saw the feathers at the craft store today... and immediately knew what I wanted to do with them. And here you have it! Copper earrings with real peacock feathers!

And they can be all yours! All you have to do to enter this contest is comment to this post.

Yup. That's it. Simple, no? So what are you waiting for?

(Drawing will take place on Friday, May 23rd.)

Knit Aid by Vickie Howell

Let me tell you how fantastic this new gem is.

I got my copy today (signed by Vickie--yay!). And already I'm in love with this must-have!

If you're a knitter, or want to be, you have to get this book NOW. It's small enough to fit in practically any bag... but don't let the size fool you! It's jam-packed FULL of insanely useful information. Don't know what S2KPO means? Page 10. Forget how to M1 (make 1 increase)? Page 47. Need a buttonhole? Page 62. Wanna make a pom-pom to put on top of your newly knitted hat? Page 90. Or maybe you just need some graphing paper... or can't find your gauge ruler. Flip to the back of the book... you'll find both there at your fingertips.

But the goodies don't stop there, dear Interweb. This is seemingly an endless bank of knitter know-how. And the best part? It's spiral bound... so you don't have to fight with keeping the pages open.

All this for under $10. (Where else can you find a book so thorough for only $7.95?!) Hop on over to her shop to get your copy today!

Knit happens.

I finished my mom's prayer shawl last night while watching "Rent." There's nothing quite like sitting on the couch... with a warm cup of French pressed coffee... knitting away and singing, "525,600 minutes..."

I must admit... I was amazed at the sheer size of this shawl once completed. It's easily taller than I am. And it's so warm and so snuggly. And Mom loved it. She immediately wrapped it around herself and used it while sitting on the porch swing.

I've already started two more prayer shawls, actually. One for myself in a fern green color... and another in warm, fall-tones. The fern green yarn is Suri Dream (a semi-furry yarn) by Knit Picks... and the fall-tones yarn is Homespun by Lion Brand. Both have their own unique texture that I love.

Oh, and speaking of love... Happy Mother's Day to all the mommy's out there!

Craft Leftovers.

My first Craft Leftovers Monthly came!

It's lovely and rad, all at the same time.

Buttons. Two big swatches of green and yellow fabrics (my two favorite colors!). A mini-zine. And a knitting kit for the perfect wash cloth. (And the pretty yellow ribbon that held it all together, too!)

Kristen, the brains behind CLM, puts these together each month. The kits are a steal at under $20. Not only do they give you a couple of artsy things to make each month, but it's also re-using all those leftover scraps of crafty goodness.

She's doing a special summer edition that'll be going on sale soon! You go check her out. I'm going to go craft.

Zoom, zoom, zoom!

The last couple of days I've been on a creative mission to get stuff done. Not just little things... but semi-large amounts of work. For starters, I have been knitting like a fiend to finish a prayer shawl in time for Mother's Day. (I will be finished with that tonight, too!)

Secondly, I have been sewing critters again! (And not just Sydocians, believe it or not.) Currently I am working on 8 different "Wilco" critters. (He's the Adopt-a-Critter mascot!) To try a different method than I've previously done, I'm doing a bit of an assembly line. I cut out the bodies... attached eyes and such... pinned them together... and will then sew & stuff them all tomorrow. It seems to be working a lot better, actually. The picture to the right shows them just before the mouths were sewn on.

The only down side to this wave of
productivity is my studio is a disaster. Especially my desk/table where all the magic happens. But I've been too "into" sewing these little guys together that I don't want to spoil the moment by taking the time to clean off my desk. So instead I've simply been pushing it all out of my way. Very little of the brown table can be seen underneath my scraps of felt and embroidery floss. It's like a rainbow has thrown up. (The photo is before Hurricane Plush hit.)

Lastly, I'm sketching new critters. When full production begins again in mid-June, I intend to stock the shop with new faces. The only two I've decided to keep are Sydocians and Wilco-styled critters. They are the meat and potatoes, after all. Aside from them, everything will be new. I've got about 3 solid designs so far that I can't wait to begin "test construction" on. Exciting times are ahead in my world of polyfil and felt. Won't you join me, dear Internet?

PS - Is anyone else as excited about making their own roller skates as I am?