Yarn

Busy Busy Busy.. And a Spring time wreath

/ jennanana / 1 Comment

I don’t know if you could tell or not, but I’ve been busy lately.  Graduate school isn’t fun when the end of the semester comes rolling along.  While working on major projects and trying to keep my 4.0 GPA (let’s see how long that lasts..) I’ve been crafting in between reading, reading, and more reading.  I’ve got a lot to share, but I’ll spread everything out so your brains don’t explode with amazingness.  HA.

Anyway, for the last year or so I’ve been seeing a lot of these fun and simple wreaths all over Craftgawker and Pintrest.  I’ve been wanting to make one myself but never got around to it.

FINALLY I DID.

It turned out supah cute and looks lovely against our red front door.  My yarn stash is getting put to good use other than being knotted by a crochet hook.

Since I haven’t posted in a long time, I have LOTSSS to share. But that’s it for now.. Preview for coming attractions: 2 afghans I’m working on, an accessory for my camera, and finding inspiration from a baby book. Stay tuned!

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Cuddles and Crochet

/ jennanana / 4 Comments

Fa la la la….Oh hey, there! Sorry, just taking in the sweet bliss that is Christmas break. This of course means a break from school and now dedicating most of my day to catching up on all of the junk I haven’t had time for in the past 4 months. It also means that Christmas is.. wait for it.. less than a week away and I have WAY too much to get done. So in the spirit of being overwhelmed and having completely neglected this blog in almost 2 weeks, I’ll grace your day with a short, fluffy and cuddly post.

Ever found a skein of yarn has mysteriously popped out from its place? Find a ball of yarn plucked and pulled across the room? Do you have a cat? As cliché as a cat playing with a ball of yarn is, I can’t help but warm up inside every time my calico kitty paws at the yarn I’m working with.  As much as I want to shoo her off the bed and stop grabbing at the colorful strand that is more enticing than catnip, I let her play because it’s too darn cute.  I also always find that a yarn ball seems to come loose from its shelf and somehow gets strewn around my room.  My sister’s dachshund is another unbelievably cute story.  Midge is the biggest cuddle bug among cuddlers to the point that it’s stupid. She always has to be next to someone… So it never surprises me when I’m working on a project and she jumps up next to me, looks me in the eyes and seems to say, “Hello, I’m here to be your warming pad on this chilly Winter day! Get ready to snuggle.” And then she proceeds to push my yarn out of my lap with her nose and plop down in its place.  Yesterday I sat down to bang out a chunk of my Christmas gifts for the family and she found her spot in the midst of all the (cheap Red Heart *don’t judge me, I’m trying to use it up*) yarn I had on the couch with me.

So here are some photos.  As annoying as my animals can be while tugging the yarn out of my hands, they’re too adorable to keep to myself.  And really.. Is there anything better than snuggling up with your furry friend and relaxing? I didn’t think so.

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Caught in the act of pulling yarn from its nook..

Keeping me company while I make coffee mug cozies. Bored to death obv.

The Basket Weave & UPDATE!

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Hey, it’s Black Wednesday!

For the first time in a few years I decided to stay in tonight because a) I’m getting up early to play frisbee on the beach with my dad and sister, as is holiday tradition and b) I felt like poop and didn’t want to be surrounded by little tipplers two nights in a row.  Black Out Tuesday and the band Leadfoot at Keegan’s Pub last night was a good old time and, judging by the amount of Killian’s Irish Red I drank, all the fun I need for a few days. Leadfoot rocked the socks off of everyone last night and I can’t wait to see them play again. This sums up the night pretty well……

SO, what am I doing on this Thanksgiving Eve? Catching up with homework and crocheting. Yaaay!

I am obsessed with CraftGawker. And when I say obsessed I mean I wake up every morning and while I’m trying to shake off the sleepies I pull up the app on my phone and fulfill my daily dose of gawking. There just isn’t enough free time for all of the cute ideas I come across… So when I strolled upon the image of an adorable boy wearing an adorable crocheted cardigan I couldn’t help but open up the link. Low and behold it took me to what is now my favorite blog by the cutest couple in the world, Katie and Reuben at House of Humble. Reuben had crocheted a cardigan using the basket weave stitch and I knew I had to do something with it.

About a month ago I was wandering the yarn aisle at Michael’s craft store and came across this lovely yarn (the label ripped off after I got it home and I can’t remember what brand it is…) and have been saving it for the perfect project. It’s unbelievably soft and fuzzy. And the color is a pretty plum purple.. one of my favorites =)

I went on YouTube and found a simple video by mikeyssmail that teaches you step by step how to do the basket weave.  Needless to say I’m going to use this snazzy plum yarn to make myself a cozy headband for the cold weather creeping in on us! It shall be my little side project while I’m banging out all the things I’m making for everyone else. Pictures will follow =D

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Gobble till you wobble!

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UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!: I finished my headband =)

Surprisingly I finished it a lot faster than I thought I would. I am in love with this basket weave stitch and will be using it again, for sure! The headband turned out more than fantastic and will be keeping my ears warm throughout the frigid Chicago winter.. Wanna seeeee??

It’s a very simple pattern and I think you should try it out and make beautiful things for yourself =) Happy crocheting!

Marathon Crocheting

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What is my favorite attribute about the cold weather seasons? Cuddling up under my cozy blanket, Netflix and some yarn.  This weekend I did some marathon crocheting because my orders are blowing up! I’m so grateful to everyone who is supporting me and my creative efforts by purchasing some cozy, warm goodies from me, even if my fingers feel like they’re going to fall off! So I sat at home this weekend, saving my libations for fun on Tuesday and Black Wednesday, and made a dent in my orders…

My good friend Jeff requested some baby hats which turned out more than adorable. There was one more hat but I didn’t take a picture of it, only because I’ve made one just like it before. Needless to say it was adorable too!

AAAAAND I found a way to improve on my lovely flower headbands with an awesome new pattern for a flower, which I found on youtube! I really like this flower because it has a cool 3D effect and I can do dual colors =) I banged out three of these little guys in one sitting.

And finally, I started on another big comfy infinity scarf for a Christmas present. I have quickly remembered why I hate making scarves. Row.. after row.. after row.. after row.. how exciting. BUT it’s going to be worth it because infinity scarves are rad, and if it turns out anything like the one I made for myself last year, every inch of it will be loved and cherished! On another note, I’m planning on trying out a basket weave headband for myself and today I added to my crochet hook collection and bought an afghan hook so look forward to some cool new creations.

P.S. I feel bad for my friends who subscribed to this blog.. What could be more boring than hearing about my granny activities??! Oh well, time to go watch Dexter and drool over Michael C. Hall.

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