work in progress wednesday

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

it’s almost free pattern month! yeah!

This is the time of year I have a really, really, REALLY short attention span – so I start to start a lot of new projects – I mean, a lot. I’ll have 20 or so wips by the time I’m done… yeah, I’m that crazy.

But, I also am dabbling a bit. I used to do a ton of embroidery – well, maybe not a ton, but some, before I got married. I picked up an embroidery kit with my 50% off coupon & started this

Jon has done some latch hooking here & there over the years (another craft of mine), & he picked up this to work on

it’s two kitties – one looks like our beloved lost Zorro, and the other our wonderful big fat Wedgie

how perfect is that?

Jon’s been crossing off the rows when finished, & dating them so he can track how much he’s done & when – neat idea, eh?

I started a multidirectional knit scarf, using knit picks chroma in worsted, & size 8 needles

and I’m playing with some grannies

which will end up some charity lapghans

more progress on Jon’s socks

oh, & I’ve been spindle spinning some mystery fiber, too

vintage craft goodies

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

So, right at Halloween we lost our power for 2.5 days. What else do you do in the cold with no lights, heat, hot water, & the like? (at least we have town water so could flush our toilets) We don’t have fancy phones that can go online – I do have a kindle that goes online, but it’s really a pain to do that. So I read a lot (notice all the recent book reviews? that’s why!), crocheted a lot, knitted on my dad’s endless socks some – and then got bored & decided to take photos of some of my vintage craft stuff. So I’ll be sharing some goodies with you, starting in two weeks! They are crappy indoor photos, but since it was snowing, windy, & really cold… Here’s a sneak peak…

Next week I am cohosting this event:

So I will be posting a free pattern every day, starting my confetti shawl! Here’s another photo to keep you waiting

Guest post from Maggie Menzel of A Little Loopy

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

Hello everyone! My name is Maggie Menzel. You can find my webpage, A Little Loopy at http://web.me.com/maggieo/Site/Welcome.html. There youâ€™ll find knitting and crochet patterns that I have designed as well as my crafting blog.

This summer I stumbled across a charity called Knit-A-Square (http://www.knit-a-square.com/), which I am now going to shamelessly advertise for. The charity creates hand made blankets for orphans in southern Africa. They ask knitters to provide them with 8×8â€ blanket squares that they then sew together to create these blankets. AIDS has completely ravished Africa and because of it orphans are everywhere, often homeless or infected with AIDS themselves.

Since discovering Knit A Square, I have created almost 30 squares for them. They are so quick and easy to make!

You can knit or crochet them and you can use any yarn you wish. And each and every square goes towards warming a young child.
In South Africa alone, there are 1.9 million orphans. It regularly reaches sub-zero temperatures, especially at night. These children live in great poverty; in shack settlements, heading up families of their siblings together with other children, or alone, without shelter, in hills and dumps around the cities.

The blankets provided by Knit-A-Square keep them warm and let them know that they are loved.

It is rare that you find a cause so compelling. In fact, I personally never have. This is my first time knitting for charity. That is not to say that there werenâ€™t many I should and could have knit for before, but none have ever grabbed my attention the Knit-A-Square has.

It is such a desperate cause, and itâ€™s difficult to come up with excuses not to help when those in need are children. Knit-A-Squareâ€™s goal for 2011 is to have 175,000 squares (or 5,000 blankets), 5,000 hats, and 2,000 garments donated. Again, you can find them here: http://www.knit-a-square.com/.”

credit: most photos from Â Knit-A-Square’s facebook page.

york maine, progress on the sock yarn afghan

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

Last weekend we took advantage of the gorgeous, 60 degree weather, & went up to Maine for our belated anniversary. We were both sick at the end of september, so we finally decided it’s now or never, & went up to York & Portland for the day.

I took the sock yarn afghan with me & knit some squares…
(don’t ask me what’s up with the expression on my face)

and took a progress shot or two

I knitted on Jon’s socks a bit, too

We walked on the beach

enjoyed the sites

watched a horse gallop on the beach

and just generally enjoyed ourselves. I did manage to buy 4 vintage pillowcases, that I keep forgetting to take photos of, for a whopping 50 cents a piece. It was a wonderful day.

fiber friday – circles to squares lapghan (oranges) granny square shrug

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

Here’s another circles to squares lapghan I finished recently, this time using up mainly oranges, I love how this one came out.

Of course, it helps that I love oranges!!

This one is also going to charity.

The above shows 3 very full bags of goodies, off to charity

I finished another freeform

I really like this one

I also managed to make something for myself, just because…

it’s the granny square shrug pattern that’s gotten so popular on Ravelry. It’s made with 2 hexagons & joined together. I did some short row shaping on the back side, but ran out of yarn before I could really length the sleeves or the body. I used 4 skeins of vanna’s choice yarn in a pretty tweedy color that hubby picked out for me a while ago for some gift giving occasion or another

What do you think?

I’m not really happy with how the short row shaping/joining ended up on the back, but I think once I steam block it, the wonkiness will go away

work in progress wednesday: sock yarn afghan

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

I started a pair of socks for Jon, my usual toe up on 5 dpns. I’m using Knit Picks felici in sport weight, size 2 needles, 68 stitches around.

I’ve gotten a lot done on my one a day sock yarn afghan, too. ready for way too many photos?

two side triangles

these have been worked on off & on over the last few weeks

so it’s not really all that impressive how many finished squares I have done

how’s your one a day coming along?

etsy treasury: crocheted earrings

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

‘crocheted earrings’ by anastaciaknits

crochet earrings

Caged Star Crochet Earrings … fusionartandje… $12.50	black and white ear jewelry … Donauluft $88.00
Crochet Earrings Skeleton Le… Nothingbutstri… $10.00	Wire crochet earrings with f… Deconfetti $45.00
PATTERN ONLY–Rainbow Sol Cr… Geminisunshine $5.00	Blue Crochet Earrings – Ster… EclectionsGift… $18.00
Drowning Half Moon Teal Croc… fusionartandje… $11.50	Long crocheted earrings Whit… YoursOnlyByWer… $14.00
Brass Swirls and Oynx Croche… BowtifulSamui $15.00	Crochet Earrings – Amber Sun… MariaKonstanti… $25.00
White crocheted earrings tuka $5.00	Linen Crocheted Earrings KnotTherapy $18.00
Brass treble clef and block … BowtifulSamui $15.00	Wire crochet earrings, dangl… WatchMeWorld $15.00
INNOCENT ROSE, Earrings, ros… 7artjewelry $489.00	Vienna Necklace and Earrings… lazycat $165.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

guest post from the so very creative Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

Hi, I’m Suzy from Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom.Â By day, I’m a mild mannered Executive Assistant in a large company in downtown Atlanta.Â But, when the evening rolls around, the gloves come off and I become a total crafting maniac.Â The family is slightly relieved by the fact that rather than subject them to craft project after craft project, I have instead chosen to subject the rest of the world to it through my blog.Â Unfortunately, they soon realized that not only do I blog about crafts, but I tend to blog about them too.Â Because my life is a sitcom.Â And some things are just meant to be shared.

Each week, I try to feature other artists and crafters and throw in a bit of my life along the way. Â On Thursdays, I offer a Commercial Break Linky list for anyone that would like to advertise their site, their current project, their etsy shop, their new hairdo, whatever.Â It is kinda a free-for-all, no rules party kinda thing.Â It’s like inviting everyone into my livingroom and telling them to help themselves from the fridge.Â I get the pleasure of your company and don’t have to do any cooking.Â Works for me…

AndÂ there is my buddy, Tom Selleck and his mustache.Â He hangs out with me every Wednesday when I do Guest Star interviews.Â He thinks it’s because he’s famous.Â But his mustache has it’s own dressing room.

Just saying.

And every Friday, you can expect a tutorial of my latest project.Â Some projects come together well, some are kindaÂ a pain in the butt.Â Sometimes I’m just as surprised as you are when the post comes out, like when I made these bracelets

You might have seen my Faux Metal Wall Art.Â A project created almost entirely from toilet paper tubes.

My Ukrainian Eggs that are for sale in my Etsy Shop.

I also do Faux Stained Glass from Elmers glue.

I have tons of tutorials on my site, ranging from simple crafts to much more complicated. Â A bit of something for everyone!

And one thing that you can count on with Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom is that with any luckÂ it will put a smile in your day.Â Because after all, life is a sitcom covered in glitter, hot glue strings and dog hair…isn’t it?

ps – a note from me, Anastacia – take a look at one of Suzy’s projects

quilled starry night, how cool is that? I so want to learn to quill now!

yarn review: Happy Feet yarn by Plymouth

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Anastacia Knits

I was thrilled – beyond thrilled – to get yarn support from Plymouth Yarns. Not only is the staff an absolute joy to work with, but they sent the yarn right away, which is an extra joy. I received both fingering weight yarn

and dk weight happy feet yarn

Look how gorgeously dyed the yarn is – look how touchably soft this shawl is

It washes beautiful, crocheted up beautifully, blocked great, & so far is holding the block nicely, even with the nylon content.

My conclusion? This is a great yarn for the price! Well worth buying & stashing.