Going Mug Cozy Crazy!

Hey everyone! Have ya missed me?

Turns out, being 7 months pregnant, caring for a 1.5 year old, and moving into our first home (!!) definitely takes a toll on ones body! We've been moved in for about a month now, and am finally getting into a new, hopefully more organized, routine. My family is loving the space, the garden, and (my favorite part) the house is all on one level! No more running up and down with laundry or to bedrooms or anything. It may sound lazy, but I'm excited to put those days behind me. ;)

My son, Jude, enjoying our strawberry patch at the new house!

In the meantime, and after unpacking my yarn stash (which happened right when we moved in of course), I got to work on some small easy projects that I could gift or possibly sell. Mug cozies have always been my go-to project when I have some cotton and don't know what to do with it. They're functional, adorable, and everyone loves them! Here is the pattern I used for the mug cozies pictured. I'm also selling these in my Etsy shop!

My work in progress

The finished product!

I also made some can cozies since its summertime and you could always use a way to identify your soda/beer from the other 4 sitting on that picnic table over there. The can cozies also fit on cups from almost any fast food place, so the condensation doesn't get everywhere! Or am I the only one that has that problem? Here is the pattern for the can cozies! 

Now I have made quite a few more cozies since these pictures, so make sure you check my Facebook page to see what I'm working on daily! I promise to be back soon with some more goodies. (;

Heres a peek at what's to come! I've been on a bag kick lately. To the left is a medium sized clutch, and to the right is a larger clutch with a handle. Stay tuned!

My journey into hand spun yarns

I've been itching to crochet with handspun yarn for a while now. Ever since searching on Etsy and seeing all the beautiful colors, styles, and weights had me chomping at the bit to buy some! The only thing holding me back was the price. Some of those skeins go for up to $50! I didn't have that kind of money, especially not to blow on yarn I wasn't able to see and feel myself.

Well the time finally came. Fate stepped in (okay, maybe it was me) and convinced my hubby to get me a $50 Etsy gift card for valentines day!

<3 <3 <3

I just about cried when I got the email. Then I spent all night on Etsy browsing all the handmade yarns from some amazing sellers!

I've 'liked' Spinning Wheel Studio a while back on facebook. They update almost every day with lots of bright and colorful new yarns on their shop! So I knew I HAD to go there first. I bought 2 skeins of two different colors. When I saw they shipped out the very next day I was jumping for joy (yes literally, if you're half as obsessed with yarn as I am you know what I mean!). I got it in the mail just a few days later and I couldn't have been happier!

I highly suggest buying from her shop. She does such great work, and my yarns came wrapped like a present! I had a great time opening the tissue paper wrapped skeins, it was like my birthday or something!

So, what did I make you ask? Well, it was intimidating at first, I didn't know what to make. at $18 a skein I had a heavy weight on my shoulders to make something awesome, something I would USE, and something I would love.

I eventually came up with this purse/bag. Its small enough to hold a few essentials and take with me on a quick trip, and its fancy enough to be able to take out to dinner or out with friends (but lets face it.. how often does that really happen? haha)

Stay tuned later this week for the pattern!

Have you made anything recently with hand spun yarn? Show me on my facebook page!

New Phone Cozy Free Pattern!

Looking to adorn your phone in something not quite ordinary? Why not keep it protected and scratch free in a phone cozy?! It makes it easier to find in your purse (especially if you love huge bags like I do!), and you can pick any bright, dark, or multi color you want!

I made this one with a small amount of sock yarn I had left over from another project.

Sock Yarn Phone Cozy Free Pattern

Materials

Small amount of sock yarn

Size G (4.25mm) Hook

Chain 10

Round 1: SC in 2nd chain from hook, DC in same space. *Skip next chain, SC, DC in next stitch*. Repeat ** to end of row. Begin working on the other side of the foundation chain, repeating SC, DC in one stitch, skip the next, until you reach your first SC. Slip stitch into your first SC to finish the round.

Round 2: Chain 1 and turn. SC DC in same space as ch. *Skip next st, SC DC in next st.* Repeat ** around. Join with sl st to first SC.

Repeat round 2 until you reach the length of your phone.

For the button loop:

Slip stitch into the next 5 stitches.

Chain 10-15 (depending on the size of your button and the width of your phone) and slip stitch into the same stitch.

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Just add a button and your done!

This took me about 15-20 minutes to whip up. Super quick, easy, and fun to do!

I hope you enjoy and I always love seeing what you make so be sure to 'like' me on Facebook for daily updates of what I'm doing and to show off your work as well!

Getting Back In The Groove

With me being sick for a month straight, I didn't get to do much, if any, crochet! Luckily, I'm feeling a million times better, and have started to get back into the swing of things.

I haven't had the time or patience to sit down and read a new pattern, so I've just been working on some things I already know how to make off the top of my head. 

These headbands are truly addicting to make. I can usually make 2 or 3 from the start to finish of a Grey's Anatomy episode (yeah, i'm a little obsessed with that show). 

I started digging through my yarn bin(s) for some random colored yarn to work with, and I found this beautiful coral color! I can't help it, it makes me smile when I see it.

I tried to get some good pictures to show off the color, but it really doesn't do it justice.

I also got a request to make one in black. Not only did I make one in black, but I also made a grey one with a black flower. Perfect for those of you afraid of a little color (although I LOVE bright, random colors!).

I think adding a flower gives it that nice little touch, dont you? (;

You can find the pattern for the headband here. Or if you're too lazy to make it yourself or don't know how to crochet, pick one up for only $10 in my Etsy shop! 

Where Have I Been?!

You know, I've been wanting to make a post for a really, really, long while. The only thing was, I felt I needed this amazing pattern (or even just a pattern..), and I still haven't come up with one. It was time for me to realize I don't need to have a reason for posting, it's my blog, I can do what I want! (; 

So instead of a pattern I figured I'd share with you all what I've been up to the past month. Now I do have a little explanation about why I haven't been blogging at all in 1 month (bad, bad self!). Halfway through December, I found out we are expecting our second child! Thrilled and excited, my head filled with tons of adorable baby things I could create.

Then the fatigue set in... and the nausea. When I was pregnant with my first, morning sickness was my biggest problem. I was nauseous all day and all night, and even had to receive fluids through an IV twice.

I kind of thought things would be the same this time around, only it was worse, way worse. See, now that I have a 1 year old to chase after, it's not so easy to spend the whole day throwing up. We started watching more and more TV (which I tried to limit before), and I started spending all day in bed.

The worst part was, the drugs that I had taken last time to combat the nausea (Zofran), had NO effect on my state. I was still sick as ever.

Now for the good news!

 After going to the ER twice, and being hospitalized the past 5 days, I'm feeling almost normal! Now that I'm properly hydrated and my electrolytes are as they should be, I can continue taking my medication and eating a simple diet and hopefully all will stay well.

I'm really looking forward to spending more time with Jude, as that is my number one priority these days. I've missed him so much, I feel like I need to make up for all the lost time!

I just don't want you guys to think I'm abandoning this blog (which let's face it.. I am). I have BIG plans for this place in the future. I just ask that you hang tight for a while. I really do have some awesome ideas for great free patterns.

In the mean time.. Here are some pictures of the things I've been working on this month!

I made myself a ribbed ear warmer, using this pattern, and I love the way the colors turned out! I wish I could remember the brand of yarn I had used, but I got it as a gift. 

While in the hospital, I made a few newborn hats to donate to the hospital for the new babies! I also got to work on a baby blanket, using this super easy pattern! 

Be sure to head over to Facebook and 'like' my page! I share pictures of everything I work on as I do it, as well as some awesome giveaways!

The Result Of My Color Therapy

In my last post I shared a bit of color therapy I was doing, and the results have been surprisingly pleasant!

This infinity scarf is my new favorite thing. Not only can it be worn a variety of ways, but it's super soft and the color puts me in an instantly good mood!

Check out the pattern here at Moogly's blog. I love love love all of her patterns. And this one is super easy, and perfect for beginners!

I also have been playing with the yarn I recently got from Toil and Trouble on Etsy. (I highly reccomend buying from her on Etsy, she does such wonderful work!!)

After I rolled the beautiful skein of yarn into a ball, I started on a simple hat. Sometimes I just need to get a feel for the yarn before I decide what to do with it. A hat seemed like a good starting point. 

Then I had a lightbulb moment, and decided to make myself a triangle granny scarf. I can't remember where I found the pattern but it is very easy and it came out beautifully!

Now I have plenty of colorful scarves to keep me warm this winter, and to brighten my spirits!

Color Therapy

Now that it's almost halfway through December, the winter blues are really starting to kick in. Luckily I have lots of pretty yarn to make me smile. There's something almost magical about the way a skein of bright colored yarn can cheer me up.

I'm not the only one.. Right?

My newest purchase from Toil and Trouble on Etsy!

Once I started noticing myself feeling a little more down in the dumps than usual, I got an idea. Since every time I looked at my stash I would smile, I decided to grab a basket and put a few of my favorite skeins in it, and bring it upstairs with me (I keep most of my stash confined to my basement). 

That basket has been hanging out in random places in the living room and kitchen, and ya know what? I never look at it and go "Ugh, there's another thing I need to put away!". I almost always smile.

Right around this time I started reading "Crochet Saved My Life" by Kathryn Vercillo. I've been following her blog Crochet Concupiscence for a few months, and when she announced the release of her newest book, I knew I had to have it. Needless to say, since battling depression myself, it's nice to hear others stories and accounts with how crochet helped them deal with and overcome many different illnesses. 

In the book she mentions the use of 'color therapy' a few times, and this really intrigued me. I never realized how much a simple thing like the color of yarn could improve my mood.

Yesterday was one of those days.

I found a skein of brightly colored Simply Soft yarn hiding in a corner, and I decided to make something with it. Instead of using the skein as it was, I sat and rolled it into a ball, focusing on the beautiful bright teal color. 

I slowly felt my mood improving.

The start of my infinity scarf!

Using this pattern just released by Moogly the night before, I started on this super easy infinity scarf. The bright, happy color mixed with the simplicity of the pattern made for some wonderful relaxation time for me. I'm also looking forward to wearing this out!

Hopefully it will carry that bright and happy feeling wherever it goes.