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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year!



From my family to yours.



Teaser

I won't be able to do a full step-by-step of this year's ornaments before Christmas, so here is a teaser until I can!





They're very sparkly!

In the last minute rush before Christmas, I hope everyone has a chance to pause, take a deep breath and appreciate the many blessings of our lives.

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Cross linking

I've been working on writing more on Squidoo, and have added a fair number of lenses that are topical to this blog as well.  Here's a list of the various crafting related pages I've got up, as of this date.  I hope you enjoy them, and please feel free to leave any comments, vote on polls, pin them or share them with your friends!

Our 2012 Christmas TourtiĆ©re  - my newest lens.

Hand Made Christmas Traditions - my most popular lens at this time, and winner of Lens of the Day.

Christmas Light Luminaries and Salt Jar Luminaries -  These two are also at the top of the list of my most popular lenses. 

Crochet Covered Christmas Ornaments - another of my most recent lenses.

The Joy of Hooking - this is one of the first lenses I ever made, and still one of my highest ranking lenses.

Twisted Sisters & Company Fibre Mill Tour - this is one that goes back a bit, but has recently seen a surge in popularity.  I have lots of photos and a video of the tour a group of us took of the fibre mill.  If you ever have a chance to visit them in person, I highly recommend it! 

Our Easter Eggs - I would not have expected to see this one climb up the ranks just before Christmas, but for some reason, it has!  I guess people are planning ahead for their Easter crafts already!

Rediscovering Mdm Benoit - does cooking count as crafting?  I think it can!  With 2012 marking the 25th anniversary of Mdm Benoit's death, I was happy to see this one enjoy a leap in popularity towards the end of the year.  More people need to know about Mdm Benoit! ;-)

If you're interested in seeing all my lenses, including the non-crafting ones, this is my Lensmaster Page.

If you are interested in writing for Squidoo (yes, it does pay!), you can join and start right away!  It does take a bit of time and consistent effort, but it has more potential then a lot of other similar sites I've looked at.  It certainly pays more then just blogging! LOL!

2013 Class Schedule

I've submitted my class schedule to the Clareview Michaels I teach at for January - July, 2013.  I'm keeping the same times and days of the week, so it's just the dates that are confirmed.



Class name and date
Times

Months
Single Crochet

     First Friday of the month 
3:00-5:30pm
Jan. 4, Mar. 1, May 3,  July 5,

5:30-8:00 pm
Feb., 1, Apr. 5, June 7,

Tall Stitches

     Second Friday of the month
3:00-5:30pm
Jan. 11, Mar. 8, May 10, July 12,   

5:30-8:00pm
Feb. 8, Apr. 12, June 14,

Textured Stitches

     Third Friday of the month 
5:30-8:00pm
Jan. 18, Mar. 15, May 17, July 19,   

3:00-5:30pm
Feb. 15, Apr. 19, June 21

Granny Squares

     Fourth Friday of the month
5:30-8:00pm
Jan. 25, Mar. 22, May 24, July 26,

3:00-5:30pm
Feb. 22, Apr. 26, June 28, 

Hooded blanket

    Second Thursday of the month 
3:00-5:30pm
Feb. 14, Apr. 11, June 13,   

6:00-8:30pm
Jan. 10, Mar. 14, May 9, July 11,  

Daisy Ring Rattle

    Second Thursday of the month 
6:00-8:30pm
Feb. 14, Apr. 11, June 13

3:00-5:30
Jan. 10, Mar. 14, May 9, July 11,   

Lace Crochet Wrap

     Third Thursday of the month
3:00-5:30pm
Feb. 21, Apr. 18,  June 20,

6:00-8:30pm
Jan. 17, Mar. 21, May 16, July 18,   

One Piece Granny Throw

     Third Thursday of the month
6:00-8:30pm
Feb. 21, Apr. 18, June 20,  

3:00-5:30pm
Jan. 17, Mar. 21, May 16, July 18,

Crochet gifts - Totes

     Fourth Thursday of the month
3:00-5:30pm
Jan. 24, Mar. 28, May 23,

6:00-8:30pm
Feb. 28, Apr. 26, June 27,   

Time for Crochet - open

     Fourth Thursday of the month
6:00-8:30pm
Jan. 24, Mar. 28, May 23, July 25,   

3:00-5:30pm
Feb. 28, Apr. 26, June 27,


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A handy thing...

So my darling younger daughter is teaching herself to knit.  Well.  I'm quite impressed with how quickly she is picking it up!

After making a quick sample of knit and purl with a cable, she moved on to making a pair of slippers, which my husband now wears.  They are awesome.

Now she has decided to make a phone cozy for her father's phone.  It's going to be a basic rectangle folded in half and the side seams sewn closed.  It's also going to have a cable in the centre.

For those not familiar with doing cables in knit, a group of stitches is taken off the needle and onto a cable stitch holder - a J shaped tool - then the stitches are worked back on again later.  In the process of doing this, my daughter needed to keep her stitch holder handy until needed in the next row.

So she did this.






Yup.  She's using her captured bead earring as a holder for her stitch holder.

What a hoot!  Plus, it works rather well!



Monday, December 10, 2012

Salt Jar Luminaries

This is the project that inspired our Christmas Light Luminaries.  Here is a step-by-step of my older daughter as she made these.


I hope you enjoy it!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Free pattern now up

Well, I really need to get to bed, but before I do, I have a couple of links to share.

First, I've just posted a new lens on Squidoo with a free pattern for the ornaments I made for the Christmas Market my daughter and I just took part in.




Click here for the pattern.  Permission is given to use the pattern to make and sell these yourself, with credit given to Get Crafting! but not to sell the pattern as your own. 

Though I have written about our tradition of hand made decorations for our tree here before, I've put it all together in another Squidoo lens as well, which you can visit by clicking here.



I still have to make our decorations for this year, too!  I have to finish a custom order first, though, then I will work on them and post a step-by-step when they're done.  Hopefully, I won't be cutting it too close to Christmas day!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Christmas Market

All set up for the Sherwood Park Christmas Market.  This is also the debut of Dolph, my new head with neck.  Sadly, my budget did not allow for a torso, but I can fit a light in Dolph! 
Sent from Anna's phone

Monday, December 3, 2012

To Market We Go

Just a head's up for the local folks...

On Dec. 5 from 5-8 pm I will be set up and selling my wares at the Sherwood Park Farmer's Market Christmas Market.  Though I have been setting up with my daughter all summer during Art in the Plaza, this will be the first time I've had my own booth! 

My daughter will also be there, as will Jacquie and Maxine, who were with us for most of the summer at Art in the Plaza.  This being a farmer's market, most of the other vendors will be food related, but there are several vendors of non-edibles present, so it'll be a great time to pick up a few gifts and a wide range of food items (including purr-ogies for cats!) to choose from!

I hope to see you there!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Shea


My daughter recently picked up some shea butter and a new soap mold.  With a bit of ground apricot and scented oil from her last aquisition, and this is the result.
I can grow to like this new hobby of hers.

Sent from Anna's phone

Saturday, November 17, 2012

A new step-by-step, plus a reminder






I've decided on two new crafts for our Christmas decorations this year.  For one, I've started a step-by-step lens over at Squidoo - Christmas Light Luminaries.  Check it out here.

I'm going to be posting more of my step-by-step posts over at Squidoo these days.  The simple reason for it is, Squidoo pays! *L*  I hope you enjoy the different format.

Also, I'd like to send out a reminder to the Edmonton folks that I'll be doing a $5 Yarn Night at the Clareview Michaels, Nov. 17 from 1-3pm.

Hope to see you there!




Saturday, November 10, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part eighteen

Finally, something different!

phone cozies

Here's a collection of smart phone cozies I made.  They're different sizes to fit different types of phones.  The middle one in the bottom row is Tunisian stockinette stitch.  It was done as a rectangle with the sides sewn together. The one above it is so dark, you can barely see the cables!  That one was done as also done as a rectangle with the sides sewn together.  The others were all done in the round, some beginning from a flat base just two rows wide. 

I'm having a lot of fun making phone cozies.  They're a great way to expriment with stitches, textures and cables, are quick to work up, and leave you with something useful in the end. 

Blankets 4 Canada Promo

It's that time of year again!

Join me this Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Clareview Micheals from 1 - 3 pm.  Bring a long hooks or needles and some yarn, and we'll sit and chat while making 8x8 inch squares for Blankets 4 Canada.

A joining party will be organised for the end of January or beginning of February.

Hope to see you there!

And to the wonderful people who have been donating squares throughout the year, you're awesome!  It's always amazing to go past that donation box as see all those bags of squares.  It's been great to see donations of finished blankets and yarn, too!  Thank you so much for all your time and effort.  It's greatly appreciated!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part seventeen

Wow - I can't believe I'm going part 17 in this!  I was busier this summer then I thought!

Bottle and Can totes 

Yet another bottle bag!  This time, I used a cotton yarn from my stash that I got from the ReUse Centre, that had no label.  In fact, I'm guessing that it's even cotton.

The pattern is modified from one I saw for a top - far too open for my taste in clothing, but it worked out rather well for a bag.  The handle is a length of foundation single crochet with a row of single crochet worked down the other side of the "foundation" chain.   

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part sixteen

This pair of bags were done in Craft Smart yarn.


Bottle and Can totes

I made the smaller bag first, modifying a pattern that's usually used to make a flat star shape.  Then I played with the idea, making it zig-zag in the larger bag.  Both bags have handles made using foundation single crochet.





Sunday, November 4, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part fifteen

Another water bottle bag, this time using Handicrafter Cotton.  I really like this yarn for can, bottle or cup cozies.


Bottle and Can totes


I added extended single crochet knubs for texture and grip.  The handle is a bit shorter then I usually make - long enough to wear on the shoulder, but not long enough to wear across the chest.  At least not for an adult.  It's done in foundation single crochet.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part fourteen

Hats weren't the only place I experimented with granny clusters! 

Bottle and Can totes

Here's a small bag with a strap long enough to wear across the chest.  The size is large enough for an Arizona Tea can or a medium sized water bottle.  The yarn is another hard wearing acrylic.



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part thirteen

I saw some bags using granny squares a different way and decided to try my hand at it.  For this one, I used the new Craft smart yarn available at Micheals.  This is a really dureable yarn that is perfect for items that will see a lot of rough use!

Granny Trio tote

Just three granny squares joined to make the bottom and sides, then rows of sc to make a border along the opening.

Granny Trio tote

Here's one of the side panels laid flat.

Man, that red's so bright, it's hard on the eyes!  The camera didn't like it very much.


Granny Trio tote

The handle was done using Tunisian Stockinette stitch again.  Starting only 3 stitches wide, the red was added in the forward pass. 

I think this is an interesting way to use assemble a bag, and a method I think I'll use again.



Sunday, October 28, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part twelve

Here's another project using the Waverly for Bernat yarn.


Old Style Cables bag

The horizontal lines are the cable stitch I learned how to do in my crochet course - a stitch that no one really uses anymore.  I can see why - it's a pain to work, but I do like the result!  The strap is just rows of 4 sc, then I bordered it all with sc.

The main thing that's different about this bag is the inside.

Old Style Cables bag

I made a plastic canvas frame for the inside.  The sides and base are a single piece, with smaller pieces sewn into the sides.

Old Style Cables bag

After sewing together the plastic canvas pieces, I worked buttonhole stitch along the top, plus an extra row of running stitch, just for appearances.  After placing the frame inside the bag, I worked joined it to the bag itself using the button hole stitches to sc into.  Without the frame, I felt the bag was just too floppy for use.  That drape is great for shawls, but not so good for bags!




Friday, October 26, 2012

Catching up on my crocheted projects, part eleven

Finally, moving away from hats!

Here's a cheery little evening bag I made.  Rather different then my usual bags.

For a bag, I prefer to use a sturdy, durable acrylic, like Red Heart Super Saver.  It's the sort of thing that can handle a lot more use and abuse.

Fractal accent evening bag

I started this bag by making a flat, rectangular base, then worked up the sides in the round.  The textured area is alternating dc and sc stitches - I can't remember if it's called the seed stitch or the moss stitch.  The flap was made by first working a few straight rows for the part that covers the top of the bag opening, then reducing on one side only.  I tried to line up the plain and textured sections in the body of the bag.  The button loop is just a chain loop that was covered when I worked sc around the edge opening.  I also did a row of slip stitchs just inside the edge, using the slight holes formed when working the sc edge.  It not only tidied up the look of it, but strengthened the edge of flap at the botton loop.



Fractal accent evening bag 

 The fractal flower is another hyperbolic accent.  I like using these to cover the seam that forms when working in the round.


Fractal accent evening bag

The handle was made using Tunisian Stockinette Stitch, just 4 stitches wide.   At this width, a regular hook can be used.  I find it makes really nice handles.

More photos here.