crochet and other crafts
I just wanted to quickly share a recent order, a photography prop set. This worked up faster than I thought it would. Well, it is for a newborn!
This time, I want to share my thoughts on another favorite yarn: Vanna’s Choice by Lion Brand.
Vanna’s Choice is a worsted weight/”4″ yarn made with 100% acrylic. This is a soft premium acrylic yarn and very consistent. The current retail price is $4.39 per skein.
Unfortunately for me, my local store stopped selling this yarn right after I discovered it! Luckily, some colors are cheaper on Amazon.com and go on sale quite often on LionBrand.com.
My favorite use for Vanna’s Choice are blankets! Shown below is my Sophie’s Universe Blanket. Although this project is not exclusively Vanna’s Choice, the yarn got along just fine with the other brands.
Vanna’s Choice is also full enough to use on amigurumi and stuffed toys. With the right hook and tension, the yarn holds filling well and is still soft enough for babies.
Care instructions for Vanna’s Choice is to machine wash and dry.
My general rule for crochet items in the washing machine is to put the cycle setting at the most delicate setting available, with the water set at the cold temperature. For the dryer, the lowest temperature as well. Every once in a while, my items accidentally get put in other settings like “permanent press,” but they still manage to survive. My ends stay woven in and (so far) there is little to no piling, depending on the use. They also have not lost any softness.
Overall, this yarn is great! Although it is on the pricier side, it is well worth to splurge if you want to make that extra special gift.
The shop has been quite busy lately, but I finally managed to get photos of something I made before orders came in.
I felt like getting my needles out and knit, and use up some yarn my sister found at a thrift store. I started off using circular knitting needles since I don’t need to worry about falling stitches or losing needles. But once I got about halfway through, I switched over to double pointed needles (dpn’s). Luckily, the set I had was long enough! This is especially easier once the decreases started.
My personal queue is still (and probably always will be, right crafters!?) quite lengthy. So you just never know what I’ll be posting next!
Here’s another addition to my Lalaylala creations. Lupo the Lamb!
This one uses a bobble stitch to create the lamb texture. It is also crocheted legs first, then body, and straight up to the top of the head. Which is not for me, so I think I’ll change that next time. I may just use a head from a different Lalylala and attach the head to the body by sewing. This way is easier for me to create a more stable neck.
At this point, there’s nothing much else to say about these dolls anymore. They’re just so darn cute, how can you not share more photos?
My current go-to yarn is Red Heart With Love, and I would like to share my thoughts about this yarn with you!
Red Heart With Love is a worsted weight/”4″ yarn made with 100% acrylic. This is much softer than Red Heart’s Super Saver economy line, and the quality is much more consistent. The current price range on Amazon is $4.50-9.45, depending on the color. Basic colors tend to be cheaper than bolder and multi color skeins.
One of my favorite With Love projects is the Mermaid Tail Blanket. This one shown below is crocheted using two strands at a time. One strand each of the colors Lilac and Waterlily. Being a soft acrylic yarn, the end product turned out to be squishy soft! Very comfy!
Red Heart recommends this yarn to be machine washed and dried. Blankets I have made with With Love has survived this recommendation. My general rule for crochet items in the washing machine is to put the cycle setting at the most delicate setting available, with the water set at the cold temperature. For the dryer, the lowest temperature as well. Every once in a while, my items accidentally get put in other settings like “permanent press,” but they still manage to survive. My ends stay woven in and (so far) there is no piling. They are still soft as ever!
Shown above is my daughter’s Magic Rainbow Blanket. Although this project uses different brands and types of yarn, Red Heart with Love still helped a lot to make it a soft and comfortable blanket. This yarn is soft enough to use for wearables like mittens. Shown below is the Mommy Hold My Hand Mitten. It’s thick enough to provide warmth, but soft enough to not be scratchy.
Overall, I love this line of yarn! Very reasonably priced, great selection of colors, and versatile! My most common projects for this yarn are blankets and amigurumi. I personally try to stock up when it is on sale or (since I’m in Hawaii) when there’s a free shipping offer on the Red Heart website.
April is National Stress Awareness month! I am celebrating Craft Yarn Council style, and I am making lemon stress balls!
This month, we take note of what causes us stress and rid of them in a healthy way. Standing in a slow line? Take it out on a lemon while you wait! Be aware of what stresses you out and find a healthy outlet. My go-to is crocheting, but other crafts work for me too. I try to scrapbook and knit. Whatever floats your boat, maybe you enjoy floating on a boat!
Keep in mind that having a hobby does not mean the stressor goes away permanently. if your taxes are stressing you out for example, settle them ASAP. Neighbors getting on your nerves? Talk to them about the issue, and move on to the proper authorities if they’re not cooperative. Do something to help the situation, constantly running away from it does not always help.
Want to crochet lemons too? The pattern I’m using is linked below.
Check out the hashtag #stitchawaystress on social media to see what others are making for National Stress Awareness month!
Tamara Kelly from Moogly recently released a new item in her Leaping Stripes design, the Mersmerizing Mini Bag!
Mine came out to a cute size of 8×11 inches. Small enough to put valuables in for trips to the beach, or as a dress-up accessory for your little cutie!
The pattern is very easy to understand, as always. Once you get the hang of this stitch, you can easily get into a rhythm and finish up this project quickly. This stitch can also be made as a throw/blanket, a larger bag, and even a hat. All of these can be found in the Mooglyblog website.
Want one but don’t crochet? This bag is available my shop for ordering and customization!
I have finally finished Luna’s blanket! And photos are finally here!
For this blanket, I used Moogly’s Magic Rainbow Baby Blanket pattern. I added enough squares to make it fit a twin size bed. Used various yarns like Red Heart Super Saver and Vanna’s Choice. Pretty much whatever I seemed to have enough of in my stash. For my full list, click here. Again for this project, I used my favorite hook, Furls Odyssey.
I altered the last couple rounds of the square so I don’t have any ends to weave in, I just crocheted over each color change. The only sewing in I did were the ends after joining each square to another.
This pattern is pretty easy. You don’t need much experience in crochet. As long as you know how to read written patterns, you’ll be fine. The squares are easy to memorize once you get the hang of it, maybe 5-10 squares for me.
This project I actually regret not doing sooner. The box of yarn I intended to use served as our nightstand for a few weeks.
The blanket went along faster than I thought it would! It only took a few days to complete and used only a little over half of the yarn I expected to use. The pattern could not be any easier to follow. (project info below) Great last minute project!
I’m not usually one for words, but this project inspired a yarn review in the making! After finishing the fin, I could not get over how squishy it is so far!
This one is another cutie!
By now I’ve figured out how I can attach the arms as I make the body. I don’t sew or sc the arm closed. I start attaching one side of each arm when I have 3 more rows to go on the body. The second part of the arm on the next row. Then the last round of the body to finish off. This method I feel is much more secure compared t sewing them on because the arms are fused onto the body. For me, this also provides a cleaner look on the join.
I’ve also figured out by now how to fix the “floppy” neck. Just make the stuffing firmer in the neck area compared to the rest of the body. It helps to monitor this when you are attaching the head to the body. As you sew around the neck, add stuffing until you are satisfied and the flop is gone!
I wonder, which Lalylala should I make next?
Something by Vera 