FO Friday: Turtle Tote & Goodies Galore

My knitting guru's birthday was last Friday, and I wanted to think of something fun yet useful that I could make her. After combing Ravelry and my bookshelves for ideas, I finally decided that the Turtle Lunch Tote from Amigurumi on the Go would make an excellent project bag! It was actually kind of hard to give this one away, I may have to make one for myself someday soon. You can purchase this awesome book via Craftsy Deals by clicking my affiliate link!

I got a few goodies in the mail this week - first, I placed an order with HaldeCraft because I wanted to try the lavender hand lotion before it was discontinued...naturally, some lip balm (which is also being discontinued) found its way into my shopping cart, and Lorena very kindly included a bar of Lavender soap that smells absolutely heavenly. I don't usually order lavender anything online without already being familiar with the product line and how it smells, because there is good lavender and very, very bad lavender. Lorena uses the good stuff - the really good stuff, in fact. Lavender lovers rejoice!

The Lavender Lemon lip balm is on my desk, and it's a nice little moment of relaxation during my work day whenever I slather it on. It's very lavender-y and you can actually taste the lavender for the first few moments you are wearing it, which I happen to like. It's one of those things that tastes exactly how it smells!

I am also really enjoying the Lavender Hand Lotion - it's extremely moisturizing but not too greasy or sticky, and it's now on my night stand so that I can let it work its magic while I sleep. Leave it to me to get hooked on the stuff when it's going away! I haven't tried the Lavender Soap yet, but I plan on using it over the summer because I read somewhere that lavender is a good bug repellent. Seems like a good way to test the theory, anyhow! I did notice that the soap design is yarn and needles, which is super cool (but hard to photograph)!

You should also check out HaldeCraft's hand-dyed yarn (you can see some of it in action on this blog post, wherein I knit a monkey toy with her Tepper Worsted in the Sock Monkey colorway!). Good stuff!

I also received my third and final shipment from the FreshStitches Kit Club (sniff). I was so happy to open it up and see one of the monster patterns I'd been eying on Ravelry! The yarn is lovely - I think it might be Zauberball of some kind - and I am pretty excited to whip up a wacky-colored Roosevelt. I wish I could sign up for another 3 months of kits, but sadly, it's not in the budget for now. I just mailed in our tax payment - ouch! While there are many benefits of being self-employed, tax day is not among them!

If you've been wanting to sign up for a monthly yarn, fiber or kit club, this is a really good one to try out. I generally don't like surprises and would rather pick out my yarn and patterns myself, but Stacey does a really good job with each shipment - I wasn't ever disappointed in the least. Plus, her designs are so cute that you can easily keep them for yourself or give them as a gift. It's totally worth your while to sign up!

Speaking of which, there are still a few more days to take advantage of my Tax Day Pattern Sale - click here for all the details!

Whew! That was a long one - thanks for sticking with me today!

For more FO Friday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis blog!

Have a crafty weekend!

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b...

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a...

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n...

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