Fabric Bundle Contest

I am a Ginger Monkey along with Pink Castle Fabrics is hosting a great little create your own bundle contest where you get to play bundle designer.  The contest is running through the 31st and all you have to is create a bundle with 12 of your favorite fabrics from the Pink Castle selection and then link them up at Ginger Monkey.  If your bundle is chosen as the best, you win it!  Pretty cool, huh!  Beware, the competition is steep.  I was checking out some of the bundles that have already been linked, and there are some really cool selections out there.

My bundle reminds me of summers in Morro Bay when I was a kid.  It's one of my favorite places on Earth.  In the morning is can be rainy and overcast, and then the sun shines all day and the flowers bloom on the dunes.  If you were lucky, you could see whales breaching from the shore sometimes.  It was a great time.

My fabrics from Left to Right:

1. Fly A Kite Floral in Yellow by October Afternoon
2. Haybale in Yellow by October Afternoon
3. Timeless Treasures Basics Dots in Yellow
4. Circles in Daffodil Yellow Modern Whimsy
5. Chevron in Yellow - Cotton Chevrons by Riley Blake Designs
6. Hello Pilgrim Pearl Bracelet in Turquoise Lizzy House
7. Rain Drops in Rain Blue Jack and Jenny by Laurie Wisbrun
8.Closet Coat in Blue - Millie's Closet by Bee in My Bonnet
9. Hello Pilgrim Butterfly Sky in Turquoise Lizzy House
10. Roundabout Dots in Downtown Aqua City Weekend by Oliver and S Liesl Gibson
11. Fish Tales in Ocean - Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket
12. Sea Garden in Ocean - Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket

Novelty and Colors Layer Cake Swap

After all the swapping fun I've had this last week, I've decided to join in on just one more swap.  My husband must be wondering where all his envelopes have gone this month :)

Hilachas and My Sister Made Me Do It have teamed up to offer the Novelty and Colors Layer Cake Swap.

Everyone is swapping 12 10x10 Blender and a Novelty fabrics each.  Hilachas has a list of colors available and a Flickr group set up so we can all see what the others are sending (also so we don't accidentally buy the same Novelty fabrics).  I think there are still a few slots open until the 28th of March 2012 for those who are interested.  I've signed up to swap a Navy blender and a Fuchsia blender with their accompanying novelty fabrics.  I had a great Navy that I wanted to use, but alas they requested that the fabric be unwashed, and I religiously was my fabrics after purchase.  That's okay, I found four really great fabrics that I love and ordered them today from Fabric.com for the swap.  I love Fabric.com because I've never had a problem getting even big orders shipped to my APO.

I agonized over which fabric to buy!  I loved them ALL, especially the novelty fabrics.  I was torn between a really great whale fabric and the cassette tapes.  I finally decided on the tapes because my seven-year-old son came in the room and asked me "What are those?"  I remember cassette tapes, and taping songs off the radio when I was a teen.  Good times :) So, I just had to get them.  I also love the balloons.  I was trying to get Novelty fabric than went with my blenders.  I think that this will make them more useable later on.

There's still fun to be had for other would be swappers who want to join in.  Hope to see some of you there :)

Stale Stash Swap

*This swap is now closed.  Thank you all for swapping with me.  It was great fun :)*

Lucy at Charm about you is hosting another Fabulous Fabric Event!  

I love FQs.  I buy them more than any other cut of fabric, but sometimes I buy something for a future project that never comes to fruition, and then I have beautiful fabric that just sits in the drawer.  These seven pieces of fabric would love to get swapped to someone who can really use them.  Just FYI, the green dragonfly is actually 2 FQs that are currently married.  I can divorce them, but if someone would like them both it would be a shame to break them up.  

I'm hoping to swap with someone for some unique novelty fabrics!  I'm making a 400 piece I spy and I need some more squares!  I've got 350 4.5" squares done, so it's been hard finding stuff I don't have.  I'm perfectly happy to trade a FQ for I spy scraps as long as they are 5"x5" and I can get a usable image from them. Think weird!  Think sushi or balloon animals or parrots or anything really!  If you've got strange novelty fabric that is just sitting around see if I have something you'd like instead. :)

Just FYI this tangerine dot fabric is NOT designer. It is from Hobby Lobby, but the quality is good. I have 1 yard (or 4FQs of this one) 1/2 yard (2FQ) left.

Make sure to check Lucy's Blog to see what everyone has to swap or send in your own link!

Crochet Hat

Hello everyone.  I'm finally done with school this semester, and I'm going to take a little break from classes for a bit to be with my family more now that the weather is turning nice.  Don't get me wrong, school is important, but trying to raise 3 children while doing difficult college classes is tough.  I always feel bad when my family is not getting my full attention.  I will be starting classes again this summer, and I hope to have my degree by next spring!  While I'm taking spring break with my family, I also hope to get some projects completed.

I've been wanting to post pictures of this crochet hat for a while now, and I finally got some pictures together along with a review of the pattern and some tips for anyone who falls in love with this hat too.

This hat was made using the Mindy Beret Pattern by Crochetrend.  You can find this pattern & others at her Etsy shop 

Crochetrend

 

I constructed this hat with an I hook using a worsted weight yarn from Hobby Lobby called "I love this yarn" in sunflower. It is done in the round from the top to the brim as one piece.  The stitches are all basic but you'll need to know how to do a Fpdc, Bpdc, and 3 DCs finished together.  There are lots of online tutorials that will explain these stitches in detail if you aren't familiar with them.

The back of the hat radiates out in forming a very pretty pattern

 

The FPDCs are used along with the DC and ch spaces to form this radiating pattern

Tips: There are only two things that I changed when working this pattern. The first was to change how the rounds were joined. Because the first stitch in this pattern is supposed to be a FPDC the pattern says to slip stich around the first chain stitch and then chain 4 so that later it will look like a FPDC ch1. This looks okay, but it is a bit flat compared to the other FPDCs. So, I did a slip stitch into the top of the first FPDC, ch2, then did a regular FPDC around that same first FPDC. This make the first FPDC a tiny bit bulkier than the rest, but it is not noticeable and makes for a cleaner looking join.

I worked the pattern flat and before I started decreasing it measured 10 inches in diameter.

The pattern gives you two options to finish the brim. One is larger, the other smaller. I wanted to go smaller than both options, so at round 20 I only did 60 stitches. I have a 21.25 inch head size, and I like a more snug fit to my hats so they don't shift. I finished off with two 1 inch buttons, and made a matching scarf to go with my hat.

Two weeks left in the semester

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, but my homework may have swallowed me up a bit.  For those of you who don't know, I take online college classes, and I'm currently in the final week-and-a-half of the semester.  So I have a few papers due, and I'm trying to study for the finale! YIKES!!!  This puts a real dent in my sewing and internet time.  So bear with me for the next week and then I'll have a great post for you. In the mean time, I'm enjoying the little taste of spring that we've gotten this week.  The sun has come out of hiding and the tulips are in bloom.  I couldn't resist these lovelies from the flower vendor down the road.