These are a few of my faaaaavorite things... Part 4 -- Bath & Body Edition

Today I am going to feature more of my favorite products that I have bought, but with a bath & body theme! Almost all of these items can still be purchased through the sellers' shops -- just ask them if you don't see them listed! I have bought many, many bath & body products from Etsy but these are my ABSOLUTE faves!!! Enjoy!


Violet Skin Cream


12 Tea Lights - Vegan Soy - Mix 'n Match Colors and Scents


Sandalwood Rose Goats Milk Soap


Bulgarian Lavender Bath Bombs


Chocolate Turtle Brownie Soy Wax Tart Melts


Chai Tea Three Butter Soap with Organic Chai Tea


Dreamsicle Lotion Bar


Gingered Pumpkin Goat Milk and Honey Lotion


Purple Lavender Essential Oil Soap


Pumpkin Souffle 16 Ounce Hand Poured Soy Wax Candle


Pink Sugar (Aquolina Type) Body Oil


Maple Oval Lip Balm

These are a few of my faaaaavorite things... Part 3

Okay so today I am going to feature some of my favorite items that I have either bought or traded for on Etsy... almost all of them have been re-listed, so if you like any of them you can purchase them as well! Enjoy!!! :D


Kyle the Raccoon Wool Felt Applique Plush Doll Pillow by Cuore


Large Knit Project Tote with Pockets


The Lonely Tiger - Handcarved Stamp


Sweetheart Apron in Pink Marilyn by prettylittlepearl

Bijou Print


White Knitter's Brooch - Yarn and Needles


1AEON Natural tote with 3 blue Owls (I got mine with black owls)

Felting 101: Part 1

Hello all!

Haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would just share one of the things I've been working on with you -- a crocheted and felted stash bag!

Felting (otherwise known as "shrinking" when done by accident) is the process of knitting or crocheting something out of wool yarn and then throwing it in the washing machine on hot with some detergent. After running it through a few cycles, the item will have shrunk, the stitches will meld together, and the fabric will become very dense and durable.

I will write up another blog post in the next few days explaining this process in more detail, and I will also show you the second item that I felted today! But for now check out the following:


Stash bag, "before": large, lumpy, and shapeless


Close-up of the stitches before felting


Stash bag, "after": smaller, smooth, and shaped to perfection!


Close-up of the stitches after felting!

Check back in a couple days to see my knitted entrelac bag!!! :D

BP Spills Coffee

So funny yet so sad...

Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair

Hi all!

I just got back a little while ago from vending at the first annual Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair held at the Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead, NY! In addition to having fiber artists sell their wares, there were also many demonstrations and workshops, including sheep herding, sheep and alpaca shearing, carding, dyeing, spinning, felting, knitting, and weaving! There were also angora rabbits, sheep and lambs, and llamas and alpacas that you could pet. Below are some pictures I took throughout the day of some of the beautiful work I saw as well as some of the lovely creatures without whom none of these fiber arts would be possible! Enjoy!


My table


My favorite item of the day, a lovely felted handbag from the Hallockville Knitters




Beautiful table decor and pin cushion from Mojo's Place


Gorgeous hand-dyed and hand-spun yarns from Hampton Artistic Yarns


Brilliant hand-dyed rovings from Color Craze Fiber


Beautiful hand-spun yarns from Temptress Yarn


Me meeting my first darling llama!!!


Amazing art from award-winning needle felter Irene Heckel


Freshly sheared llamas and alpacas


Me petting some baby Romney sheep! "Baaaah!!!"


Mommy angora bunny and baby angora bunnies (2.5 weeks old!) :)


Another angora bunny -- I challenge you to find its face!! (Hint: only the nose and mouth are visible)


Adorable retractable tape measures I bought from Mojo's Place


"Weave-it" miniature handmade loom I bought from Bumblebee Primitives


Finished woven square!

It was great meeting everyone and I look forward to seeing some of you again at the next fair!

Hippest Handbag EVER!!!

I just wanted to show off this amazing gift I got from my sister Jeanne on Easter (the green you see in the bottom of it is Easter grass -- she had filled it with chocolate also) -- it is too gorgeous and cool and unique to not be shown off!!!



She found it in a thrift shop in NYC!



It is made entirely of wire, different-colored glass beads, iridescent amber-colored acrylic beads, and a sheer fabric that pulls closed with a beaded ribbon drawstring.



HOW COOL IS THIS??!?

The Nervous Knitter

I am, what some people would call, a "nervous knitter". Certain things about knitting that I haven't tried yet scare me and make me feel anticipatory anxiety. It's silly, I realize, to be afraid of a pair of not-so-pointy needles and a ball of wool, yet I am. Yet at the same time I truly desire to try new things and expand my knitting boundaries. So far I have mastered the following (with great mental anguish ahead of time):

cables
changing colors
entrelac
lacework ("easy"-level)
increasing
decreasing
using markers
making something in 3D
fulling (felting)


Sage Green Braided Cable Scarflette Neckwarmer

Things I still need to master and that continue to give me the chills every time I think about it:

double-pointed needles
fair isle/intarsia
making a sweater
making socks
making gloves
making a hat
following a chart


Knitted and Needle Felted Violet Rose Clutch

And some of these are combined: like, I need to be able to use double-pointed needles to make the hat and the gloves I want to make. And the silly thing is, once I try it, I am fine. It is all anticipatory anxiety. I guess what I'm afraid of is that I will fail, and that I will waste time and energy on something that turns out to be no good. Never mind the fact that all of the other things I have tried have turned out fine...


Knitted and Felted Scoop Bag

So do any of you get nervous with certain crafts or trying new things? Would love to hear from you!

7/9/10 UPDATE!

I have now become much less of a nervous knitter, and have attempted and conquered most of the items on my "scary list": double-pointed needles, fair isle, making a sweater, making socks, making a hat, and following a chart! The only one that I have tried and NOT conquered now is the intarsia -- that still kicks me butt! Oh well... I'm just glad I've gained so much more confidence! :D

Alice in Wonderland Goodies!

Today I am featuring some of my Alice in Wonderland themed items as well as items from some of my Etsy friends' shops featuring Alice! Enjoy!

From NotSoShabbyChic:


Alice in Wonderland Fabric-Covered Buttons Collection 1


Alice in Wonderland Fabric-Covered Buttons Collection 2 -- Set 1 of 4


Alice in Wonderland Fabric-Covered Buttons Collection 2 -- Set 2 of 4


Alice in Wonderland Fabric-Covered Buttons Collection 2 -- Set 4 of 4


From Erin115:


Alice in Wonderland - Cheshire Cat Punch Needle Sachet


The White Rabbit - Alice in Wonderland Rose Sachet


The Mad Hatter - Alice in Wonderland Balsam Fir Sachet


From RusticRainbow:


Brooch Wonderland Tea time POPlet

Mad Hatter PoPlet Ornament wallhanging


Brooch The Queens Tea POPlet


Pendant Felt Cameo POPlet Ask Alice