Sushi Scarf, Space Invaders and Animal Crossing

This week was inspired mostly by video games. Not sure why, but it just was! I finished off a space invader panel(and will probably be making a tutorial while working on the other side) which ultimately will become a mini-pillow. It turned out pretty cute i think :) .

I also completed another Animal Crossing inspired hat, baby size version. This one is the 'purple knit hat' you find in New Leaf and i love how it turned out. I'm brainstorming on what other items i can make inspired from this game, it truly is one of my faves.


Lastly, i finally got somewhat of a tutorial up. If you haven't seen my prior post(or video), i made a sushi roll--up scarf. Making one is super easy and the idea of it is open to anything. If you want to find out more check out my blog post here and my DIY vid here. I won't go into details 'cause i would just be repeating myself lol. :)

I'm still working on my sweater as well...and i'm so excited...i only have one more sleeve to go! Yay! It's almost summer here so i don't know how much use i'll get out of it once complete(by the ends of June i hope), still i'm just excited to have it done. When it gets cooler i'll definitely be giving it some ware. My socks...are still in progress. I think i won't bring them back up until complete('cause i'm surely taking my time with the pair). And finally the purple shawl. So far it's pretty great all though time consuming...mostly due to my inability to follow directions it seems lol. I had to frog a few rows more than once 'cause i couldn't follow the chart correctly. No fault of the pattern of course, in the end i know it'll be worth it(and i'm getting much needed practice).



Another 'finally', i posted something new to my yarn shop! I also shared the recipe with you guys on how i dyed the Legend of Zelda inspired yarns; Link and Zelda specifically. For any dyer out there, i hope it serves as inspiration. The yarns are for sale at my shop here as well, of course :). Check out my recipe blog post here. I'm not sure if i'll make a video for these specific colorways, however next time i dye something Legend of Zelda related i'll try to record and will definitely record in order to make one(and won't forget to remind you guys of these).

Dip Dye Yarn ~ LoZ: Link and Zelda Colorways

Dying yarn is one of the most awesome things, as well as coming up with different colorways. Of course, i had to make some Zelda inspired. I have dyed a few other characters as well(lol), but this time around i'll be showing you Link and Zelda specifically.

To note, i prefer to dye superwash wool(as i don't have to worry about mishandling since it won't felt), yet when doing the Link colorway i did a bulky non-superwash 100% wool skein as well. I used liquid food coloring dyes(the neon and regular variety), vinegar & water, pyrex glass containers and the microwave as my heat source. I didn't note the amount of water or vinegar i generally used in each dye bath, but did note the amount of dye for each.

You can see my setup from the pictures, and how i divided the skeins into each dye bath. You'll also see the skeins before and after re-spinning :).

Zelda Colorway

Dusty Rose(dark pink):
Red - 36 drops
Blue - 12 drops

Pink:
Neon Pink - 13 drops

Yellow:
Yellow - 13 drops

Link Colorway
Green:
Neon green - 75 drops

Yellow:
Yellow - 20 drops

Brown:
Red - 10 drops
Yellow - 10 drops
Green - 10 drops
Blue - 10 drops
Black - 1 drop

These are finally up at my etsy shop! Find them here;
Zelda Colorway
Superwash Link Colorway
Bulky 100% Wool Link Colorway

Note: There is no right or wrong way to dye yarn or fiber. You can use any kind of dye, apply as much or as little as you want, anywhere and/or anyhow...etc you get my drift.

DIY - Crochet Salmon Sushi Roll-Up Scarf

Sushi is pretty popular nowadays, so I thought I would pay homage. I'm personally not a fan but plenty of the people in my circles are and would definitely dig this scarf. It's super simple and adaptable as well- have fun win it! UPDATE: I now have a knit version as well; you can find it here!

I made a concept video on how the scarf is made; in short it's simply a stripped scarf that can be made with many/any stitch, fiber, yarn weight, color and it's up to you whether you hook it, knit it, loom it, sew it, the possibilities are endless really. 

The scarf i made used Red Heart and scraps of yarn I had in my stash. I used an H hook and did double crochet all throughout. I decided to make mine 20 stitches wide which made it about 7 inches. When complete, it was almost 7 feet long(save an inch). How long or wide you make it is also up to you, obviously :) .

For those who are fans of patterns I'm including the info for the specific scarf I made in the video. It's not exactly a pattern but gives you something to follow, and can adjust accordingly. I'm also including the approximate measurement of each individual color sections for reference(i do recommend rolling up your own scarf and changing colors accordingly). 

I started with the center of the scarf(aka filling)

Pink/salmon color - 25 rows (15.5")

Yellow/orange - 13 rows (8.5")

Green - 4 rows (3")

White - 9 rows (6.5")

Green - 4 rows (3")

White - 13 rows (8.5")

Green - 4 rows (3")

White - 29 rows (20") 

Black - 23 rows (16")

Once complete simply weave in the ends and you're done!

                               

A few hats & FO's!

This week the grandest thing was a pair of baby hats and an adult size one via 'Hollywood Knits Style'. Both baby hats are free patterns i found via ravelry(links are in the video's description) if interested. They were an easy knit and pretty quick being small and all... :). The adult hat i made in the round as opposed to knitted up flat and then seamed together(as via the pattern), all though that resulted in slight laddering for me as you can see :(. Next time i'll know to avoid those! Overall a good week.

I also finally got a couple of projects i had on hold finished ~ the unicorn for example...it finally got eyes! And the owl finally got his appliques sewn on. I also whipped up a really quick project for my swap partner(a mini 'coin' purse) and had a chance to work on my sweater as well. One of the sleeves has finally been started, the collar is complete and after trying it on i think it's a pretty good fit. I'm super excited! There are a lot of things wrong with this sweater(as i can tell you now) and perhaps even more by the time the sleeves are complete...but i'm totally fine with it and already love it regardless. It's my first and will probably be my favorite for a very long, long time...

Monster Haul; Bernat Mosaic

Yep, i did it again. A few weeks ago yarnfactoryoutlet.com had a flash sale of Bernat Mosaic(and a few others). This is one of my favorite yarns due to the awesome colorways and the color transitions. In all seriousness, I'm not affiliated with this company/website in anyway and purchased these for myself; i just wanted to share the wealth and perhaps encourage you to like/subscribe to your favorite brands or website etc, as sometimes it really pays off.

The flash sale was $7 for a pack of 3 skeins, making each about $2.33 a piece. At their 'original price' they offer the 3 pack for $9($3 a piece) which is not bad in itself. My purchase was 10 colorways or 30 skeins(!!) for $81.95 including tax and shipping, making each skein about $2.73. That's some amazing savings. The lowest price i found for this yarn was Walmart at $4.22 a skein(price varies per colorway). Yarn Factory Outlet is based in Canada i believe and i'm in the US(not sure if they ship worldwide) ~ i can say i found their shipping to be pretty comparable and quick.

Last but not least, the grab bag aka surprise bag. Didn't quite meet my expectations but then i wasn't really expecting anything. It's great for a freebie; i really wouldn't have picked the yarn out for myself otherwise.

So, expecting this shipment i had to skip another amazing sale that happened this last Mother's Day weekend. Michael's is now selling online(was that always the case?) and they had their Loops and Threads yarn on sale for $1.29(i think that was it). That's pretty amazing and probably a better sale than the above. It took some major self control but i managed it, my stash is monstrous enough as is. XD

Don't forget to check out shop.sheknits.com and browse around. She makes some awesome yarn and has the patience to do so(unlike me lol). Also check out Dalequan's youtube channel and website, all links will be included in the video description.

FO's! ~ Mushroom Cuff & Animal Crossing Inspired

Hey all! I have a few finished objects(FOs) this week. To start things off, i have 'finished'(aka sewed up) the mushroom cuff i did a couple of weeks ago. I've decided to make some in cotton so i could use them at the gym. Is that...kind of gross? I don't always forget to take my towel, but when i do i'd want to use one of these cuffs lol. The cotton version is in the works and will update accordingly.


The Animal Crossing game series was also a big inspiration for me this week. Remember i told you i felt torn between gaming and yarn projects? Well this helps to balance things out, as it's easy to game on the go and/or wherever i please. What i love about the game is how much you can be inspired by, specially when it comes to charts and/or clothing items(you can design in the game as well via charts which are totally usable with any other craft, knitting/crochet included). I've always been a fan and i know i always will be.

So, what has it inspired me to do this week? I tried to replicate the 'Orange Knit Hat' i found at the Able Sister's Shop the other day. This is newborn/baby size and it came out rather close i think. I also finished the sheep amigurumi and will be shipping the couple off this weekend. They make a good match, don't you think? They were a custom order and seem to be a couple in this person's Animal Crossing town. Too cute! :)

MD Sheep and Wool Festival Haul!

I attended on Sunday and it was pretty awesome(yet tiring) . Not only did i not get to visit all the vendors but i also didn't get the few things i really wanted(like a shawl pin(s) and perhaps another yarn bowl). I did come home with a small yarn haul however, which obviously, include some of my fave yarns. I was also pretty tempted by fiber and had to remind myself a number of times that i don't quite enjoy spinning(via spindle) and i wouldn't enjoy them to the fullest. There were some gorgeous spinning wheels i wouldn't mind trying out sometime. I really have to meet others who enjoy needle crafts around my area!