crochet and other crafts
Last year’s Black Friday, I had a good haul of this Heartland yarn by Lion Brand. This has been my on-the-go project because it’s just a big ol’ granny square!
I just made a granny square as wide as my arm span. Then slip stitched together the side into itself to form the sleeve. A single crochet edge around the openings. And there you have it!
Really, that’s it.
The top part is folded over to make it look like a collar.
Warm and comfy. But in this Hawaii summer, this sweater will have to wait.
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.
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?
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!
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.
Hi everyone! Welcome to my new website! I just recently started this and still new to the ins and outs of WordPress, so please bear with me. Here, you will see what I have been up to and shop my items all in one place! I’ll be slowly adding items as there are so many I could put.
Thank you all for joining me on my never-ending crafting journey, and may you be inspired to create something as well!
Something by Vera 