Craftside

Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers

And boy am I a yarn lover!

Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers
Knitting with Simple Patterns and Amazing Yarns

By

Carri Hammett

The knitting trend is being fueled by wonderful new yarns like ribbon, frizzy, eyelash, and metallic. Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers presents easy knit patterns that make the most of these irresistible novelty and decorative yarns. Knitters will learn the secrets of combining colors and textures while creating stunning accessories in no time.

Each project has variations showing how different yarns will totally change the look. The easy knit stitches and techniques are taught step by step with photographs.

Throughout, Carri Hammett shares her tips to make knitting more enjoyable and successful. Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers is for both beginning knitters, who usually start with scarves and will love this way to take their craft to the next level, and experienced knitters, who are all yarn addicts!

Carri Hammett owns a successful yarn shop in Excelsior, Minnesota and has an extensive background in fiber arts. Her shop is wildly successful because she stays ahead of the trends and constantly encourages her customers to try new things.

This a great book for me and I'm sure you will love it too! My favorite aspect of it is that it's not too complicated but still packed full of great stitches and designs that really make a statement and look fabulous!

This was just one of my favorite things that I learned from this book; how to knit stripes with odd numbers of rows! Stripes are so easy and now to know how to do odd numbered rows like this is just amazing.

(Click on images to enlarge)

And you know when I bet this technique would really come in handy? When knitting a scrappy scarf and you're working with scraps of yarn and you never know how many rows you can get out of each length of yarn. By using this technique you can maximize the amount of yarn used and almost none will go to waste!

A Beautiful Piece and a Variation from Making Designer Freshwater Pearl Jewelry

Bring on the bling from the sea!

Making Designer Freshwater Pearl Jewelry
Techniques and Projects for Creating Classic, Contemporary, and Casual Jewelry

By

Nicole Noelle Sherman

Throughout time, people have been fascinated and bewitched by the pearl; its luster, purity, and perfection. It has been featured in jewelry since early civilization and has adorned kings and queens, first ladies, and movie stars. The power of pearls is their remarkable ability to bestow upon the wearer a sense of mystery, elegance, and grace. In contemporary fashion, the technical ability to create new pearl forms in an inexpensive manner has generated an excitement about possibilities of freshwater pearl jewelry. Pearls are not only available in classic round and glistening white form, but in a range of exotic and beautiful colors and shapes. The popularity of the pearl in fashion has never been greater. This is the first jewelry-making book focused on pearls - no longer only seen at church and weddings. The projects range from casual design to bohemian and classic styles, to unique signature pieces in contemporary styles. Chapters cover the development of pearls as a material, their care, proper stringing techniques, an illustrated techniques section, 16 projects and variations, plus a special section on creating jewelry for brides, mother of the bride, and as wedding party accessories and gifts.

Nicole Noelle Sherman designs and creates jewelry in her studio in Free Union, VA. Her work grows out of a family tradition of art and architecture; her aesthetic exhibits complex patterns on a geometric structure with careful attention to detail. While not exclusively working with pearls, Nicole’s jewelry centers on the freshwater pearl. Nicole’s freshwater pearl jewelry reflects her love of organic materials and interesting form.

So I'm flippin' though yet another one of Nicole's spectacular books, she has written a bunch ya know!
And this variation really caught my eye. It is simple and elegant yet has a not seen every day construction.  I liked it. And when I like something I want to make it and share it!

I decided to play with the scale and elements but stick with the basic unique structure.

I used a rectangle bead instead of round and made really long dangles.


So my tip for the day is pick up a great book like Making Designer Freshwater Pearl Jewelry find a design you like and make it your own with color, shape, materials, and scale!

Fun Fleece Flower from Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals

New from Creative Publishing international:

Wild & Wonderful Fleece Animals:
With Full-Size Patterns for 20 Cuddly Critters
By
Linda Carr

Fleece is soft, warm, easy to work with, and simple to sew—requiring no lining or edge-finishing. Even brand-new sewers can make the perfect gift in a weekend, or less!

This book provides easy step-by-step instruction to make a range of cuddly fleece creatures to keep or give away--in a variety of colors, textures, and patterns. Each of the 20 animals is featured in a full-size photograph, along with a variation in one or more colors or sizes. There are easy-to-follow line drawings and step-by-step text instruction for construction and assembly of each one. Linda adds her own creative touches to each of the simple shapes--decorative trims, bright appliques, and quick, secure closures. Full-size tissue patterns and templates are included for each of the projects. Fleece fabric is easy to find, and the selection of colors, patterns, and textures is increasing in larger craft chains and in traditional fabric outlets.

Includes full-size, fold-out patterns and templates for each of the 20 projects.

Linda Carr designs toys, dolls, and kids’ and doll clothing for Vogue patterns. She has worked with Vogue to create many licensed patterns, including Jim Henson’s Muppets, Cabbage Patch Kids, World Wildlife Federation toys, and the Madame Alexander series. Linda was featured in the February 2007 issue of Vogue Patterns. She is also the author of Classic Cloth Dolls: Beautiful Fabric Dolls and Clothes from the Vogue Patterns Collection.

This book is packed full of the cutest animals you just have to make so you can snuggle them!

I have a bunch of little nieces that I know will love them. I better get cookin' on my Christmas gifts for them. In the mean time I had to instantly make this flower. It was so easy and quick!

(Click on images to enlarge)

I grabbed a scrap of fleece (you may recognize it from my cold pack cozy project)

I cut the pattern out and then used it to cut the fleece. I gathered and sewed the pom pom on as the instructions indicated. Here you have it:

And yes, this is my current everyday purse with a Hello Kitty  cell phone cozy. Some things you just can't out grow!

Monday follow up and Crafty Blogger Links

I have posted about several things that were works in progress and now that they have come to fruition, I want to share them with you today along with links to my fellow Crafty Bloggers and their goings-on.

In June 30th's post about the Swap-o-rama rama I showed a photo of this patch and a shirt I thought I was going to put it on. Well as the crafty gods would have it, as I mulled over it, it just wasn't working for me. So I went to the wardrobe and I "test drove" the patch on a whole bunch of my cloths and landed on this:

A plain little cropped black sweatshirt hoodie.

Then I went to

Embroidery to Embellish Everything
30 New Hand-Stitched Designs

to figure out how I was going to stitch it on.

I landed on a basic running stitch.

A note to share with you about sewing a non stretch patch on a stretch sleeve, especially when it does fit snuggly and does require the stretch. Pin the patch onto the sleeve when it is on you so you have the proper amount of give under the patch.

In July 9Th's post about the upcoming title Felt Inlays, I made a sample and wasn't sure what I was going to make with it. Well, as the "Summer heat" would have it, I don't seem to be able to go without a cool drink by my side, so I ended up using it as a coaster. First I was using it in it's "scrap state" but I now have trimmed it up into a nice oval. Don't you think it coordinates nicely with my glass?

(click on image to enlarge)

In July 3rd's Post about making a banner from a font from Indie Fonts 2 I showed you the blank un-decorated letters printed out. Here they are in all their colored glory hanging from a simple piece of yarn. I invited a friend over to help me color them in. She generally doesn't think of herself as a super crafter, but really enjoyed letting go with this "no stress" project.

About Family Crafts
When you have a day when it is way too hot to spend time outside or when there is another reason you are stuck inside, you can keep busy with these Summer-themed coloring pages.

About.com Cross Stitch
Use these tile patterns for bookmarks, borders, and more - let your creativity flow!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's feeling inspired! Enter Aileen's Artist Manikin Contest and get your groove on creating your own art muse! Click the link to find out the nitty gritty...

Crafty Princess Diaries
Lesson 3 in Tammy's series on getting your craft work published talks about submitting your work to magazines.

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi got to test some new Golden's digital ground products, and a waxed paper transfer collage is the result!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
The Scissors are busy with Summer Sweater Projects

The Impatient Blogger
Madge is in full tilt preparation mode for the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Show. ACK!

Inovative photo corners made with Ribbon from Scrapbook Collage

Scrapbook Collage:
The Art of Layering Translucent Materials
By
Trice Boerens

Never before has there been more interest in scrapbooking. Once a seemingly mundane activity, scrapbooking has grown into a sophisticated art with scrapbook enthusiasts clamoring for more ideas for making their pages creative and unique. Scrapbook Collage feeds exactly this demand. Each section focuses on a variety of translucent materials that can be used to build beautiful layers and dimension into your scrapbooking projects. Through stunning finished pages, illuminated details of the unique techniques and materials applied to sample projects and templates, this book provides instruction on how to create sophisticated, collage-style scrapbook layouts.

Trice Boerens has worked in the craft industry for the past 22 years as an author and writer, and for numerous books and magazines. Although textiles featuring needlework and quilting have been a central focus, she also designs jewelry, greeting cards, children’s books, home accessories, and even tattoos. She has also done design work for companies including the Disney Corporation, Blue Mountain Arts, and the Campbell’s Soup Corporation. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in Art Education and Graphic Design. She is the author of Decorative Embellishments for Scrapbooks (Rockport, 2004). She lives in Ogden, Utah.

I am all about including things in my scrapbooks and altered books in new and innovative ways, especially when I can make them myself. Who doesn't have scraps of ribbon laying around to give this one a try:

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Not one to do things exactly the same, check out my spin on this cool idea.

First of all I had to get creative on the adhesive front. The original project from Scrapbook Collage called for double-sided adhesive and I either don't have any or can't remember that I do, you decide.

So, I did know that I had double-side iron on adhesive (and more importantly, I could find it) so I grabbed that and my pretty pink organza ribbon.

Now organza ribbon will melt so I set the iron on 3 (pretty low) and the adhesive will go through so I put a scrap piece of paper in the folded area and pressed the paper backed adhesive to the side with the open fold.

I then pressed the smaller triangles onto the side tabs.

I then peeled the paper back off the small outer triangles and pressed the tabs open.

To adhere the photo corners into my altered book I peeled the paper backing of the large central triangle (the first one I ironed on) and pressed them to the page.

These guys work great because the translucency of the organza ribbon allows the entire image to show! In this case I popped in one of my ATC's that is a pocket egg made from Michael Strong's rubber stamps egg stamp.

Organ-ized Organza ATC Storage in an Altered Book- what an all around good crafting Friday it iz!