My Life in Stitches

Birthday Shout Out

2012-02-01T12:33:00.000-05:00

One of my friends is celebrating a birthday today. She also makes fabulous tutu's and bows. Check it out here,
Hannahs Treasures, like it, and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

New Listings on Etsy Today

2012-02-01T12:14:00.000-05:00

To celebrate February 1st, I put up several new listings in my Etsy Shop, My Life in Stitches, today. They are all heart themed in honor of one of this month's holidays - Valentines Day! Click on over and take a peek - I may have that last minute gift you are looking for.

Obsessed With Knitting?

2012-02-01T09:36:00.001-05:00

The Last Knit - When knitting becomes an obsession.

Directed by Laura Neuvonen
Country Finland
Year of Production 2005
Running Time 7 minutes

Just watch it.

Diagonal Crochet Dishcloths - Set of Four for Sale

2012-01-31T16:27:00.001-05:00

Diagonal Crochet set of Four, a photo by My Life In Stitches on Flickr.

I have a really nice set of four diagonal crochet cloths up for sale in my Etsy shop.

Made from 100% natural cotton - Keep two for you and give two away! Great for a teachers gift, housewarming, bridal showers or any other occasion.

The cotton yarn is durable and is perfect for cleaning your kitchen pots and pans - however, also can be used as a face cloth as well.

Measures 6 inches by 6 inches.
Allow for shrinkage after laundering.

Care: Machine wash, lay flat to dry

Go check em out!Via Flickr:
www.etsy.com/shop/mylifeinstitches

Pretty in Pink Small Cloths -SOLD!

2012-01-31T15:25:00.001-05:00

Pretty in Pink Small Cloths, a photo by My Life In Stitches on Flickr.

It is so nice to make a sale. I reopened my Etsy shop at the begining of January and good things do come to those who wait, and market and wait. Well, you get the picture. It makes me happy when the things I make find their way to a new home. Kind of makes me feel like I'm making a difference for someone!
Via Flickr:
www.etsy.com/shop/mylifeinstitches
SOLD!

Gifts From The Sea

2012-01-25T13:55:00.001-05:00

Gifts From The Sea, a set on Flickr.

We have been experiencing really warm weather in New England this winter. We have also been having some really unusual higher tides than normal. However, this results in a fun stroll along the beach and finding pretty treasures and jewels. Interesting pottery shards, pieces of sea tossed and tumbled new glass and old glass. I love living by the ocean.

Beam Me Down Scotty - To Arizona

2012-01-18T11:39:00.004-05:00

I came across a really great site, South West Trading Company. Based in Arizona, the website has a great selection of yarns and patterns. They are also very active with promoting fiber arts in their area with the offering of classes. I wish I lived in the area to take advantage of the events on their calendar. Until that happens, I will browse their book selection, with patterns developed by Jonelle Raffino and other members of SWTC.

Happy creating today ya'll - - - I am back to cross stitching the Mario chart for my son I found on Sprite Stitch. His birthday is this weekend and since this won't be done by then, I'll be sending him a picture of the WIP instead!

Crochet Covered Beach Stones

2012-01-17T16:12:00.003-05:00

Crochet Covered Beach Stones, a set on Flickr.

Been working on heart themed beach stones and I'm starting to be happy with the results. A few could end up in my Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/mylifeinstitches

Pardon Me, I didn't Knit That for You

2012-01-14T08:25:00.004-05:00

Just out of curiosity, I searched YouTube for interesting videos about crafting and came across this gem.

It is sung by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne, of http://www.masondixonknitting.com.

Enjoy - I'm off to crochet stars today! Pics and info to follow, stay tuned.

What Are You Working On Today?

2012-01-13T11:36:00.004-05:00

I'm spending time today with a project I started in November 2010. This is a gift for my son and was inspired by this chart I found on a blog by Sprite Stitch. It is a lot of stitches, but well worth it.

What are you working on today?

New Listing on Etsy Brings Satisfaction

2012-01-11T11:57:00.004-05:00

Satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. I listed a set of 6 crochet coasters on Etsy today. I made these a few months ago and for a while could not decide if they would be small facial cloths or coasters. I always came back to coasters. Head over to Etsy and check them out! They make a great gift for yourself or someone else.

Heart Breaking Trial and Error

2012-01-11T09:29:00.007-05:00

So this week I was wondering if it wasn't too late to hop on the Valentine Day marketing and selling of heart related things.

I scoured my pattern files looking for hearts that would translate well to my current obsession of crocheting on beach stones. I found a couple, got the supplies together and got to work.

For some reason, I wasn't feeling the love on these. I'm wondering if it is because I fabricated a set pattern for the beach stones instead of being more free form.

Still debating if I will place these in my Etsy shop.

What do you think?

see more pictures on Flickr

Singing About Crochet

2012-01-07T09:26:00.007-05:00

I was cruising the internet yesterday looking for a small filet crochet heart to crochet. I came across Crochet Geek who had a great chart and as I cruised the site, I found this little gem she had reposted from Youtube - check it out!
I Crochet
The Collaboration Project
July 31, 2011,
The Triad NYC
Music: Kevin Wanzor and Joel B New

On The Rocks

2012-01-04T10:28:00.005-05:00

We moved back to our beloved hometown of Gloucester, MA. It is so nice to be back again. We moved away in 1994 and 16 years later we are home! I love being by the ocean again and being able to take daily walks along the beach in the harbor and scavenging the gifts from the sea, buttons, glass, pieces of pottery and stones. I love the beach stones with all their different colors and shapes and I like to cover them in crochet!

Stripes Part Two

2009-11-06T16:46:00.004-05:00

My candy cane inspired scarf is coming along nicely. The yarn is sooo easy to work with and this scarf is going keep someones neck VERY warm this winter. I am using a K2, P2 pattern alternating every two rows.

Hometown Stripes

2009-11-05T18:38:00.005-05:00

I am venturing into knitting again and because I am feeling impatient and looking for quick results - I picked up Lion Brand Yarn Hometown USA. This is a bulky, easy care yarn that works wonderfully with a pair of size 13 needles. Since we are in the beginning of the holiday season, I chose white and red......so.......guess what pattern I'm doing? You got it - STRIPES! I am knitting a striped candy cane influence scarf. I couldn't resist! So far, I am very happy with how quick this works up. I may even try some granny squares with this and make a big, bulky, comfy afghan!

I picked my yarn up while browsing in Wal-Mart today. Here's a link to Lion Brand if you want to check out the yarn.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2009-11-04T11:56:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how quickly this year went by. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the new year. Now it is time to get ready for the holidays. With that thought in mind, I am starting my holiday crafting earlier than usual this year - however, I'm sure there are some of you who are WAY ahead of me.

I had some round glass ornaments laying around and remembered a friend in Florida who shared with me patterns for crocheting ornament covers. I used the pineapple pattern because the pineapple symbolizes friendship.

They turned out so nice that I am thinking about using them along with a gift tag for holiday packages this year. Let me know how you like them - you may even find them for sale in my Etsy shop!

The Blog That Time, er...I Forgot

2009-05-04T16:48:00.002-04:00

Holy Cow! It has been way too long since I even approached this blog. Since the last post, I have actually moved on from finised dishcloths to unfinised afghans! I am making progress!

What's not to love about a handmade dishcloth?

2008-09-25T16:23:00.002-04:00

Whether they are crocheted or knitted, handmade dish cloths are a joy to have in the house, apartment, dorm or work. People I know prefer these to the thin store bought type.

On the practical side, they are absorbent and quite useful for sopping up spills. The same thing that's true of sponges is true of cotton dish cloths: a damp one absorbs more than a dry one. That may seem counter intuitive, but it's true. Not to mention eco-friendly when compared against paper towels. Cotton cloths can be used in any room, from the kitchen to the bathroom – even in the garage.

Sure they’re pretty, but they are strong and durable too.

On the cute side, Handmade Dish Cloths are adorable when matched with serving pieces or when used as potholders or tea towels. Create a pretty display in the bathroom with matching soaps.

Uses for your handmade dish cloth:

Wash/Bath Cloths - They scrub fairly well because of the texture, but are not scratchy or rough.
Dish Cloths - Use them on nonstick pans for scrubbing off baked-on stuff when you can't use a Brillo pad.
Dusting Cloths – Use with or without furniture polish without fear of scratching your wooden surfaces.
Use them as hot pads, as pot holders and decoratively on the counter under any pretty bowl.

How to care for your handmade dish cloth:

Dishcloths do need to be "broken in” - 100% cotton really needs to be washed a lot before it mops up instead of just pushes water around.
I would recommend throwing them in the wash before use too. I find that helps as part of the “breaking in” process
Just as with the micro fiber cloths, never use liquid softener on your towels because it decreases their absorbency.

Double Crochet Reversible Afghan

2008-09-22T10:05:00.002-04:00

Double Crochet Reversible Afghan
Originally uploaded by dailystitch

This is an afghan I'm working on for my daughter. I chose the Black and Gray colors because she is into vintage films and is a film student. this should keep her warm on movie watching nights! Usually you will see this type of afghan done in single crochet - however, I wanted something a little quicker and softer than the results one would get with SC - so I decided to work this up with Double Crochet. It goes much quicker!

A New Work In Progress

2008-09-21T00:21:00.003-04:00

I worked on some new dish cloths tonight. I'm using a very simple pattern:

Use cotton yarn and a size "H" hook
Foundation - Chain 29
Row 1 - Turn SC in 2nd stich from end - for a total of 28 SC's chain 1, turn
Row 2 - SC in back loop, then SC in frot loop - alternate all the way across (28 SC's) Chain 1, turn
Repeat row 2 until you reach your desired size.
SC in all 28 for your last row.

I like the feel of this pattern in it's completed form. It is slightly textured, yet lightweight and soft feeling at the same time.

Yarn Keep

2008-09-13T23:09:00.003-04:00

Yarn Keep
Originally uploaded by inklore

I found this while browsing through the Etsy flickr group. It is made by inklore.

This is a really nice canvas bucket that is fully lined - made especially for holding a work in progress. Perfect for that crochet or knit project. I love the two tone color with the block print of the ball of yarn and knitting needles. This is too cute and practical as well!

I'm adding this to my wish list.

Stitch N'Paint Cross Stitch

2008-09-13T21:16:00.003-04:00

Stitch N'Paint Cross Stitch
Originally uploaded by dailystitch

I saw this Stitch n' Paint Cross Stitch in a Leisure Arts book, "i can't believe i"m CROSS STITCHING." I liked the way the colors look against the outlined stitches. It is now finished and hopefully, within the next few days I will practice my painting skills to complete it. Stay tuned!

If you are interested in the Leisure Arts book,
I am selling it on ebay this week.

Diagonal Stitch Crochet Dish Cloth

2008-09-13T08:36:00.004-04:00

Same Crochet Dish Cloth - different view of stripes
Originally uploaded by dailystitch

I crocheted these with a size "G" hook and used Sugar'n Cream Stripes yarn. The pattern is a diagonal stitch pattern. i found a lot of patterns on the internet - however, the twists and turns you need to do in the pattern did not make sense until I found a website with videos. Once you understand the basics, no paper instructions are needed!

Unfortunately, I lost a lot of my internet bookmarks and no longer have the site that helped me - BUT...here's a link to a You Tube video demonstrating the technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atWgB88WDjw

By the way - These are available for sale on my Etsy Shop!

http://mylifeinstitches.etsy.com/

Front of Graphic Floral Cross Stitch

2008-09-10T22:33:00.001-04:00

Front of Graphic Floral Cross Stitch
Originally uploaded by dailystitch

Here's a closeup of the stitching on my WIP.