My Fave Etsy Purchases of 2009

To sum up some of my craft adventures of 2009, I thought what better way than to list some of my favorite purchases from Etsy.

As I was getting the hang of crochet earlier this year, I wanted to find a way to neatly organize all my needles. It was getting a tad messy. After doing some searching on Etsy, I came across Coyote Craft's perfect solution: The Tuck and Roll Crochet Hook Organizer. I had mine custom made with my choice of fabrics! I love it! Here's the photo from my reserved item on her page:

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These silk screened handkerchiefs from The Honey Press made some perfect presents for the men in my life, or as they'd like to call them "Sneezy Sheets." They have lovely modern motifs. This is the set I snagged.

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I simply couldn't resist this zip pouch from Ity Bity Bags. It went along perfectly with my Lomo Camera zip-pull! AND it's lined in linen, one of my favorite fabrics.

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What knitter can resist the adorable patterns by Danger Crafts? I purchased the Maddox the Mischievous Monster pattern earlier this month. I haven't started on it yet, but it has joined my "Things to Knit" list. Let's see what I come up with in a few months.

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To a New Year, with many many Etsy purchases in mind!

Happy Holidays!

The holidays have been a little quiet for me, but the chaos still surrounded me. I'm glad I finally have the time to sit down and just be. I'm also quite happy to find some photos in my inbox of some love that I had sent abroad for Christmas.

My friend Chris received the scarflette I had made him on Christmas Eve! It arrived with perfect timing. I used a cotton and wool blend yarn for this chunky scarflette knitted in fishermen's rib, and topped it off with two leather covered buttons I brought with me from Berkeley.


Remember Ona's Owl in Barcelona? I received this in my in-box of a very happy Ona and her Uncle Eduard! She even sleeps with the owl too!


Last but not least, I received photos of my little cousin Sidney who had received her scarflette in the mail too. Her mom reassures me that the following is a "I love it!" photo, nonetheless I'm glad she's wearing it. I made hers in a daisy stitch with some luxurious cashmere, merino wool, and silk blend.

And here she is reading my Christmas postcard from London. These are the reasons I love making gifts!

Things to Be Thankful For

I've been taking a bit of a blog break, but I still have plenty of projects building up. So don't worry, things are in store.

Today I realized that this is my third Thanksgiving in London. And today is my first attempt to make a mini-meal for my husband and I. So far so good. I haven't burned anything yet, so that's always a good sign!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have plenty to be thankful for!

Ona's Owl

Recently, a friend asked me to knit something for his God-daughter. I was happy to knit the favor, or in this case amigurumi. Her name is Ona, and I thought of her name as inspiration to knit her an owl. Ona's Owl. I like the ring to it, and there is my thing for alliteration. He visited us in London this past weekend, and I didn't have time to snap a photo. But I was happy to open these in my inbox.

He sends his greetings all the way from Barcelona!

Things in the Making

Lately I've been fixed on the idea of knitted jewelry. For one thing, I think it adds a touch of softness and elegance. And another thing is that my husband seems to agree with the "low price point."

Here are somethings I've been up to lately...

This first piece is made from an old brass chain I had lying around from some costume jewelry. I pryed apart some of the chain rings with some pliers to install this cutely crocheted "mini-bib." I just adjusted a pattern of some crochet edging and used some stash scraps. If you look closely, you can see I used two threads, one shiny embroidery thread and some cotton thread. I like that the slight shine from the embroidery thread adds depth to the design. It was a really easy DIY.


I knitted this piece during my long bus rides throughout the city for a friend's birthday present. The main body is a knitted i-cord that I joined the ends to form it into one huge loop. I used one whole skein of Alchemy's Syncronicity. I love the shine of the wool and silk blend.


The"clasp" is made from a merino/micro-fiber/cashmere blend I had left over in my stash. It's knitted in a horizontal rib to add some stretch. I wanted to add the clasp so that the necklace could be worn in lots of different ways. I have plenty of other projects up my sleeves, and this gray London weather seems all the more inspiring for knitted things.

Natalie Dee

I know I've been a little MIA... but I'll explain why later. In the meantime enjoy something wonderful by the delightful Natalie Dee.

nataliedee.com

Knotty Knitted Necklace Tutorial

I really do love tongue twister titles and alliteration. As expressed in my Sneak-Peek, I had recently become fascinated with decorative knots and wanted to incorporate them into my crafting. The result is a simple, but stylish necklace. The possibilities are up to it's maker. So let's get started!

In Barcelona, with my good luck knot necklace.

Notes:

• This pattern requires very basic and simple crochet, knitting, and knotting techniques.
• It's essentially an i-cord with a crochet "fastener" and knot.
• It doesn't matter how long your DPNs are, but the shorter ones are easier to work with.
• I recommend using a cotton yarn so it won't pill as you’re working the knots.
• 50 grams of yarn could make 2 or more necklaces... one for you and one for a friend!
• Finished size is about 38 inches (about 92 cm).

Gauge: Exact gauge isn't essential, as long as the stitches aren't too loose or too tight.

Abbreviations (US):

• CH - chain
  
• SL ST - slip stitch
  
• SC - single crochet
  
• beg - beginning
  
• DPN - double pointed needle
  
• K - knit

Pattern is divided into parts:

• Crocheting the Fastener
  
• Anchoring the I-cord
  
• Knitting the I-cord
  
• Finishing
  
• Braid Knot Tutorial

I used/You'll need:

• 50g of Cotton Rich by Cascade Yarns, in lemon yellow
• Crochet hook G (4.5mm)
• Two double pointed needles size US 7 (4.5mm)
• Scissors
• yarn needle

Crocheting the Fastener

Make a slip knot and leave a short tail to secure and weave in.

Step 1: CH 10













Step 2: SL ST in first CH to form a ring














Step 3: CH1 and 20 SC into ring

This is what 10SC looks like...











Step 4: Join with SL ST in top of beg CH

Anchoring the I-cord

Here, I marked the stitches that will anchor your i-cord in pen.

Step 5: Pick up a ST through the back loop of first ST.














This is a yarn-over inserted through the 1st stitch.











This is the same stitch being pulled through.














Step 6: Pick up next ST through the back loop.

Knitting the I-cord

Step 7: Switch to DPN.
This photo is exactly like the previous one, but with different needles. It’s easily done by holding down your stitches as you switch.










Step 8: Slide stitches to the right end of the DPN, the yarn will be at the left side of the stitches. And now begin knitting, K3.











This is what 3 stitches on your needle should look like.










Step 9: Do not turn the work, slide the stitches to the other end of the DPN.

Step 10: Pull the working yarn tightly along the back and K3.

Repeat Steps 9 & 10 until the i-cord is 36 inches (92cm).

Finishing

Bind off. Weave in loose ends.

Tie a simple knot at the end of the i-cord.














Your finished product should look something like this!

Braid Knot Tutorial

Though there are plenty of different kinds of knots out there, I decided to do a tutorial for the braid knot. Braids remind me of innocence and sweetness, and are linked with childhood nostalgia. For more knots simply search for them throughout the web; there are plenty of instructive videos and websites.

To start, I like to make sure that my braid knot is centered. You can do this by laying out your necklace, and centering 3 strands to work with. If on the first try, it’s not quite centered don’t worry, just try again. It does take some practice.

1: Start by looping the cord around twice to begin to work with them

2: Now you can begin braiding the cords. It's just like braiding hair.
You'll bring the bottom cord over the center cord, then the top over the new center.
And continue.



3: Continue until you have gone as far as you can go,
and then simply slip the loose end into the last hole.


Finished Product:


Other Knots I've Tried:

This is a chain-stitch knot. It's like crocheting with your fingers.
And this is half of a good luck knot.

Other Ideas:

• Experiment with different knots to see which one best suits your mood, style, or personality.
  
• Keep in mind that some knots won’t be necklace worthy.
  
• Make your i-cord longer for more complicated knots.
• Wear it around your head as a head or hair band – with or without knots.
  

If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to comment or e-mail!
I'd also love to see photos of your creations! I'll post them here with a link!
aromyx[at]gmail.com

Happy Knitting and Knotting!




Please do not copy or distribute any part of this pattern without permission.
Please do not sell items made from this pattern.

Knit-A-Poem

While reading the Londonist last week I found out that the "Knit-A-Poem" project still needed knitters. It's a project put on for the 100th year anniversary of the Poetry Society. And to celebrate they wanted to make the world's first giant knitted poem. There are more than 750 knitters around the world knitting letters and spaces for a secret poem.

Though I was very last minute, I was happy to receive a response that they still needed knitted "spaces." To jazz my square up a bit I did mine in a linen ridge stitch. Ironically, as I was knitting, I liked the wrong side better than the right side. So I called it a "reverse linen ridge stitch." Quite clever.

Here's the right side:

Here's the wrong side:

The linen ridge stitch is done on an even number of stitches:
R1: (RS) purl
R2: (WS) k1, *wyif sl 1, k1,* k1
R3: purl
R4: k1, *k1, wyif sl1,* k1

Here's my completed square:

I dropped it off at their offices this past weekend. I can't wait to see the finished result!