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Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

On Vacation So Don’t Expect Much!

Iris Rose

Okay, I am on vacation so can’t promise you much but here goes. Two weeks in Aruba, are you jealous yet? We have only been here two days and already I feel like mush, good mush but mush none the less.


I finished up the craft sale season and am ready to move on to pattern writing. Look ahead to January for that. I think that I am over my pattern writing block and ready to move forward now. I have a few machine patterns and a couple of hand knit as well as crochet patterns to publish for you.

I had some fun with my LK 150 machine in creating an easy poncho that will translate well to hand knitting too and, as a bonus for those of you that are multicraftual, the edging is crocheted. Look forward to that pattern before the end of the month.

In the meantime, have a great week ahead and I should have a real post for you next week. By the way, I have reached a milestone in my blog life. Last post was number 100 and now I am on to the next century of posts.

Happy crafting and remember to be kind to everyone you meet whether you believe they deserve it or not.

Baking
Iris Rose

I am taking a break from crafting this week, at least as much of a break as my brain will let me take. I really pushed through this fall for craft sale stock and now I am stepping back and finally working on some of the projects that have been crying for attention. Can you say yoke cardigan, do you remember this one from ages ago?

In celebration of the extra time that I have this week I made muffins! I thought that I would share my recipe with you today; I hope that you enjoy it. I always make big muffins because I don’t snack between meals and find that a small muffin just doesn’t get me from breakfast to lunch. My recipe makes twelve large ones but should make twenty four regular size muffins.

Coconut Cranberry Muffins
Heat oven to 375F. Butter muffin pans or spritz with cooking spray.
4 c flour
¼ tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
1 c coconut (save a couple of tablespoons for topping if you want to)
1 ½ c craisins (or raisins if cranberry flavour doesn’t float your boat.)

Mix all these together in a large mixing bowl.

1 ripe banana, mashed
½ c honey
½ c canola oil
3 eggs
1 c milk or cream
2 c buttermilk

Mix all of these together (beat the eggs, banana, oil, and honey together first) in another large mixing bowl.
Stir the wet ingredient into the dry until just mixed. Fill muffin pan cups to almost full. Sprinkle a little coconut on the top of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes for large muffins or 15 minutes for small ones.
Get busy and you can enjoy these for breakfast tomorrow!

Have a lovely week full of happy crafting and kindness and thank you for reading.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Wrap It Up For Kids

Iris Rose

Last week I wrote about handmade gifts and shamelessly suggested my own patterns for you to make in time for gift giving at Christmas. Today I will just as shamelessly suggest some of my patterns for kids! It always surprises me at how much little ones appreciate a gift made just for them.  My patterns are all priced at $4.99 or less.

If you crochet, my Toddler’s Pretty Crocheted Cardigan (paid) is an easy and fast make for your Christmas princess. Made with low cost acrylic yarn, you can probably make this with something from your stash. I used Red Heart Soft for my pattern tests, but I have also made this with other basic worsted weight yarn.

My Little Lovely Lacey Cardigan is another pretty (paid) make. Combining both knit and crochet, I have offered you size 6 months to girls 8 in this one in DK weight yarn.

Knit and Sewn Kid’s Dress, also paid, combines a knitted top with a sewn fabric skirt. Make it up in a pretty glitzy yarn on top and satin or lace on the bottom and the Christmas dress is done.

On the toy side, my Sweet Doll Bed is a very quick crochet project for a last minute gift that will make a little one smile. It will fit up to an eight inch doll and can easily be modified by increasing the rounds of the base. Using acrylic worsted weight, this one won’t break the bank either.

How about a Monster? Free in my Ravelry store, this one requires a little more knitting skill but is really fun to do.

And lastly, how about a cute hat? This is also free in my Ravelry store, a quick make and kids just love to wear a Tiger Hat on their head. You will need to know how to knit in the round and have a little more skill to make the features.

I posted a pattern for a cute rabbit that is easy to make in a blog post earlier this year, another freebie if you take the time to look back to May 3rd!

I hope that these suggestions will inspire you to create handmade gifts whether you use my patterns or not.

Thank you for reading and happy crafting this week!

Knitting

Gift Wrap Up!

Iris Rose

If you are anything like me, you use that last minute that everyone talks about to get the most work done. We are sneaking closer to Christmas and all the fun (and stress) of gift giving. I have a couple of patterns in my Ravelry and Etsy stores that fill the handmade gift and last minute criteria both.


Free is always a good thing, well mostly anyway. Sometimes free advice is not welcome and freeloaders definitely not but free patterns, okay! I have a few suggestions from my catalogue. First is the Curved Shoulder Scarf. Easily made in a couple of evenings, or one if you stay up very late, it is a very pretty way to make a gift without breaking the bank. You likely have a suitable yarn in your stash just waiting to be used!  Also in the four hour category and also free, is my Simple Shawl pattern.  Use up those fancy bulky yarns in an evening with this one.  I made the pictured one with one skein of Lion Brand Landscape.


Next, may I suggest the Delphinium Shoulder Scarf? This one is a paid pattern but you will want to knit this one more than once. It is a little more involved than the Curved scarf and more shawl like in size and fit. I used less than one skein of Red Heart Super saver to make the sample for the pattern. It uses short rows for shaping to hold it on your shoulders with the wrap and turns nicely hidden in the seed stitch body. I really don’t like the look of wrap and turn except when they are hidden in the stitch pattern.


Also free is my Latte Scarf, made with one Caron Cake. You could make this into a wrap by increasing the number of pattern rows if you have a second cake. You could also use a plain or variegated yarn for this one and have a very pretty present. It has been a very popular pattern judging by the number of downloads, thank you, and is still being chosen regularly.


Okay, now you have some inspiration, get stash diving and start crossing those handmade gift projects off of your list! I, however, intend to wait for the last minute ’cause that is the only time I get anything done.


Have a happy week with kindness all around you.

Travel, Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Kananaskis And A Crafty Week

Iris Rose

I had a great week, how about you? The weekend craft sale was great but very tiring. I don’t handle the stress of anticipating what, if anything, will sell so I am glad that I have this one under my belt.

Before I show you last weekend though, I forgot to post last week about DD1’s birthday weekend away to Kananaskis in the Rockies. It was a special birthday so we all got together at a lovely hotel and had a great time in the pools and just generally enjoying the fresh air and great beauty of the province that we live in.

I was at the Springbank Art Club craft sale last weekend and really was very gratified by all of the lovely comments on my work. Sales were good and I have a clearer mind on what I need to focus on for the future. I should know better than to say something like that. It is always a curse!

I didn’t make any of my critter hats for the sale as I was restricted from competing with other vendors that also make hats. I did have my grandkids visit wearing the hats that I featured last week and had a really strong response so I have been busy this week making more for my next sale, Etsy Foothills, in Okotoks on November 24th.

And now for a whine, just a caution for those Canadians who order yarn from Europe and the UK that is shipped through DHL. I paid for courier shipping from the Wool Warehouse (great online store and great customer service) and was dismayed to be told by DHL that before they would deliver my parcel, I had to pay $18.45 to clear customs on top of the fee I had already paid for shipping. The value of my yarn was $58.00CAD, shipping was $21.00. When I have had parcels of greater value delivered by Canada Post, there is no custom clearance fee or duty. I suspect that DHL is charging a blanket fee whether there is duty to be collected or not, holding your parcel hostage.

I won’t be ordering from Europe or the UK anytime soon if this is how shipping is handled. Regular post is an option but I waited nine weeks for an order shipped this way from England to Canada. It is too bad that one giant company can ruin the business of smaller ones in this way.  Thanks for listening and I am off the soap box.

Have a happy week with lots of pretty yarn on your needles and hooks!