Animal Crossing and Projects Update!

I finally completed the larger version of the Animal Crossing inspired amigurumi cake. I'm thinking whether to make a video tutorial and if i should wait until it's uploaded before releasing the pattern(s) or just add it on later on. Hmm, i guess it will depend how soon i can get that done, we shall see! I used the same toppings(strawberries/candles/etc) for the larger version than i did for the small one, just made the cake itself a little bigger. I may make one more to re-test the pattern before releasing it(this will be a free one btw).



Talking about Animal Crossing, i got the most awesome thing via a Secret Santa swap. My partner is also into amigurumi and crochet, so she made me a Bell Bag!! It's pretty cute. She also included a piranha plant cross-stitch necklace(and/or key-chain). She's located in Canada and has an Etsy shop as well. Check her out here! She makes a lot of video game related goods, i'd say she's definitely worth a look. *Update, i think her shop is on break...but do go and check it out once she's back!

The next projects are smallish in size and are for gifting actually. I finished the cute cat hat and have decided to add buttons to the 'seam', as i found it pretty noticeable(however i knew exactly where it was, so...). I also did a couple of simple finger-less gloves. The stripped one is pretty awesome, and due to my laziness of sewing in ends i ended up doing the magic knot technique on every stripe. I pretty much eyeballed it as far as where to change yarn and it's not perfect, but it's close enough. From now on i think i'm doing this for stripes(unless they do have to be perfect for some reason). These were a simple 3x2 rib. The purple ones are 2x2 rib, and turned them into tiny cables to add some texture since they would be pretty plain otherwise. I also tried out making a cable on the thumb gusset...wasn't very hard at all and am quite satisfied with the results.

I worked on my current brown sweater as well, i actually started on one of the sleeves. You can see the body of the sweater is complete, an open cardigan was exactly what i was going for. I really like this pattern, all though unfortunately i had to adjust due to my gauge, it turned out great. It's a free one from tincanknits, you can find it here. I made quite a few adjustments to mine, i'm also doing a couple of stripes in a cream/aran color on the sleeves. I should be done with it for the next update! You can check out my project page on Rav for more details(all though not completely up to date).

I worked on a couple of hats(a baby and adult sized) from one of my favorite free patterns, Be Kind. I gave the double knit technique a try as well. My swatch wasn't the best really, i probably should have used a smaller needle size (my gauge i'm telling you...), so will keep at it until i'm satisfied with it and then decide if i do in fact want to use this technique for a project(or not). It would make an awesome cowl/scarf. I'm still iffy on whether i like charted characters knitted up(or not).


I worked on some spining and have finished off two skeins that are ready to be worked. Actually, i lie... one is ready to use, however the other is ready to dye and then have the twist set. I'm not sure what color yet, but i know it'll come to me! It was my first time plying on my wheel and it went pretty smoothly. I decided to navajo ply it since i spun this yarn a little thin, making it into a 2-ply would still be a little thin for my taste. Definitely not as hard as i thought, i'm looking forward to doing more. That's all for now i think; in the meantime check out my Cast-Off video below!

DIY - Knit Ribbed Salmon Sushi Roll-Up Scarf

I'm back with a knit ribbed version of the Salmon Sushi scarf! I previously made a post(and video tutorial) for a crochet version of this scarf(check it out here); it seems pretty popular so thought i would make a knit version. I wanted to make it reversible and wanted to do something other than garter stitch(all thought i may have one on the works, shh...) and decided on 3x3 ribbing.

This is more of a guideline to make a scarf, this is a very simple 'pattern' that is very easily adapted to your needs/likes; 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 Super Saver(worsted weight). I used US sive 5/3.75mm needles and did 3x3 ribbing(which makes it reversible). I decided to make mine 24 stitches wide which made it about 3 inches. When complete, it measures about 6'2" (74 inches) long. How long or wide you make it is also up to you, obviously :) .


These are the specifics for the scarf pictured. 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 as you go and change colors as you see fit, as there are many factors which can change your tension and gauge while working on this project).

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

Pink/salmon color - 80 rows (16.5")

Yellow/orange - 45 rows (10")

White - 13 rows (2.5")

Green - 11 rows (2")

White - 46 rows (10.5")

Green - 11 rows (2")

White - 35 rows (7.5") 

Black - 80 rows (19")

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

Black Friday& Cyber Monday 2014 Haul!

This post contains the totality of that i've picked up during the Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales this year. It's mostly yarn, although not only... no need to say that all this will aid my yarny addiction greatly.

Walmart had the Red Heart with Love yarn on sale for $1.97 this year, so i had to at least check it out. I don't recall using or trying out this yarn before and when visiting the store, whether i chose to buy(or not) was all up on my impression of it. I decided it would work; it's a true worsted weight(maybe even aran?) which is my preferred.  With Love is a 100% acrylic yarn that comes in 6oz/315yds a skein. I picked up 3 balls/skeins in Chocolate(brown) and Pewter(gray) which should be good sweater size quantities(specially with pops of other colors incorporated). I also picked up 2 skeins of each in Daffodil(yellow), Peacock(blue) and Aran(off white). I visited the store after the morning rush and it worked out perfectly; plenty of yarn to choose from and no waiting in line. WIN. Check out my yarn addiction video here.

Knit Picks ran their 'Big Sale Event' during black friday week. I was iffy about purchasing since i'm a rather newbie customer to knit picks as i tend to levitate towards the more inexpensive yarns; however i thought i would jump in as the sale prices seemed pretty fair. I got 9 skeins of Wool of the Andes Bulky in the Bluebird colorway, which is 100% wool and 137 yards p/ skein ~ this colorway is gorgeous. I also got a sweater quantity(10 skeins) of Wool of the Andes Superwash in the Camel Heather colorway, which is 100% superwash wool and 110 yards p/ skein. I plan to make some awesome sweaters with these, all thought i've yet to fall in love with any specific pattern. For detail(or perhaps for another project all together) i got a couple of Superwash skeins in the Indigo Heather colorway, also very pretty. Last but not least, i got one skein of Hawthorne Fingering in the Laddy's Addition colorway, another amazing pinkish orange to grey colorway. Love it! I purchased all this yarn for $50.20; no shipping cost(over $50 on their website)...making it a win at $2.28 a skein. View my  yarn addiction video here.

My browsing Knit Picks wasn't over however. After their 'Big Sale Event' they offered free shipping with a minimum purchase of $30(rather than the usual $50) and i saw they had quite a lot of their fiber on sale. If you guys haven't heard yet, i very recently purchased a spinning wheel and couldn't NOT jump in on this. Check out my spinning wheel blog(and video). I took advantage of the discounts on their Wool of the Andes Roving and purchased 4 Natural/Bare bunches(I lack the correct word for this, lol) which would pair up nicely with any color, and/or can be dyed if needed. I also got one bunch(lol) of each of the following 5 colors: Hot Rod heather, Salsa Heather, Dill Heather, Tidepool Heather and last but no least, Sapphire Heather. Each 'bunch' is 3.53oz/100grams. My total order came to $35.09. Check out my yarn addiction video here.

I also made a purchase from Tasteless Designs on etsy(check out the shop here). These weren't on 'sale' i believe, but due to my purchase of the wheel i couldn't resist the beautiful colorways... and since purchased around the same time i thought i would add them in. Aren't these gorgeous? Both are 4oz of Superfine Merino. The gray/yellow colorway is called 'Spellbook', while the one with red is called 'Berlin'. I'm really looking forward to spinning these up.


Last but not least, the spinning wheel! I purchased a Babe(spinning wheel) from woolery.com and it's quite exciting and awesome at the same time. Check out my related blog here and/or check out my spinning wheel assembly video here. This year has been filled with lots of new things to feed my yarn/fiber stash. I'm looking forward to using some up while at the same time looking forward to purchasing some more to fill the void...lol.

Uh-Oh ~ Spinning Wheel Assembly!

This year i really went all out and bought myself a late birthday(Nov. 4)/early holiday gift for myself. I've been looking at spinning wheels for quite a while and finally decided on a Babe. It's one of the most(if not THE most) inexpensive spinning wheel brands i've found and from my research, they are quite amazing and versatile. They are made from PVC pipes which is part of the reason why they are inexpensive, yet this makes them very lightweight and the no fuss assembly makes them ideal to travel with.

I purchased a production spinning wheel, double treadle(2 pedals) in white. I assembled mine in about 30-45 minutes; not too bad for such a newbie as myself. I have tried a spinning wheel once in my life(not the best experience) and haven't been around many at all, so for a novice like me that's not too shabby. It took about 2 weeks for it to arrive(quicker than i expected actually) and it came neatly packaged in a rather compact box. From what i recall(from their website), the wheel itself is a wheelchair wheel. I purchased mine from woolery.com, however Babe does sell them directly from their website at babesfibergarden.com.

I decided to set it up in my basement; it's where i had the most room for assembly and will have the most privacy(for plenty of practice). You can call it our family room, it's where all the game systems are set up. Since my husband isn't much of a gamer, you can call this my spot...and now even more so :D.

 This wheel really had a very easy assembly. It was rather self explanatory and not many parts to put together at all. My favorite part was the pedals, i just loved how they snapped onto the base as well as have the velcro straps for extra security(why i love them, i don't know lol). The real 'assembly' part of it i would say is the 2 screws it came with...that's it(a screw driver is required for this)! It did take me a few tries to get the drive band on(it goes around the wheel itself as well as the bobbin) and it did take me a second to figure out how the flyer mechanism works(did i use the correct terminology there? The whole bobbin/hooks section).

While i had my doubtful moments where i wondered if i got it right(regardless of reading the directions) there was actually a YouTube channel that i found very, very helpful. It was the only one, actually, that showed in some detail how a Babe spinning wheel actually works...and even if 'assembly' wasn't really the point/take of the video, the information provided did help me quite a bit. Check this spinner out at Expertly Dyed. She's a spinner/dyer/knitter that i've been following almost since i've started my own channel, and she has tons of information that other spinners/dyers will find useful i'm sure.

The video i made isn't really to take you step-by-step in how i put the wheel together, but rather it's just to share my experience. It's sped up quite a bit(not sure anyone would really want to sit there and watch it in real time!) and i did cut out a few sections here and there, specially when i took my time reading directions before going further. I had a chance to play around with it for a couple of days now, i would say about 2-3 hours so far. I found that my hands get cramped after about half an hour of spinning, but that's understandable since it would take some time to get used to repeated movements you're not used to(ie drafting). I'm getting better at multi-tasking with my hands while my feet are busy pedaling as well.... it will take some practice but so far so good!

Surprise; Update Time!

How long has it been since i've done an update on my finished projects and what i'm working on? I'm not quite sure; i don't recall the last things i've shared either(and i don't plan to go and find out, lol). I grabbed what i remembered making and all though i don't have a few of these items to show anymore, i think i got most of them.

I've finished a number of things, including a cowl for my Secret Santa Rav swap(all thought i don't have a pic of the completed cowl; it was sewn together of course- find the pattern here) as well as a headband and an item that was already in use(a crochet container for small misc items on my bath counter). I also finished my gift cat hat(at last!). I was iffy about this one 'cause there is a (very noticeable?) seam in the front of the hat and i wasn't sure if it required an embellishment(or not). What do you think? This is a very cute free pattern you can find here.

Now let's talk about(more) cowls. I finally finished one that has actually been done for some time, but i was rather unhappy with the color of the yarn. I decided to over-dye this project and ta-da! Love how it turned out(and it may be a future pattern in the works). I also finished a crochet cowl(great free pattern by Nina, find it here) which is just up my alley. I love close-to-the-neck cowls and this totally fits the bill; i also really like the neutral color i chose for this pattern. It would be amazing in any color really(and i do plan to make some more).

My one huge thing was my sweater - I'm so glad it's complete(this is a free patter you can find here)! I finished it last week actually, but i've yet to wash/dry before i let myself wear it out. It fits pretty well and i love the colors that i chose. This pattern would also make a great cardigan/open sweater so am looking to alter the pattern and make it again w/ that purpose. I decided against duplicate stitching something on it, as i thought it  would take away from the stripes.

The Animal Crossing game series inspired the amigurumi cake i worked up which i will be posting a pattern for(eventually, haha). It's not exactly to scale so may tweak it a little(and/or offer both sizes, we'll see!). I am also participating in another Secret Santa(not Rav related) which is the funnest one yet. This has more of a geeky approach; the person i'm gifting is into games as i am and by coincidence also happens to knit! This is amazing; to share the love of yarn i dyed her a custom skein of Superwash Merino/230 yds in various hues of green(her fave color). I'm also working on a Piranha Plant decorative pillow(reminiscent of the Super Mario Brothers games) and am waiting for a couple of items i ordered to arrive before sending out her package. Soo excited!

My works in progress consist of a ribbed knit sushi scarf(if you guys recall my crochet version you can check out here, i will similarly write up a recipe/pattern for) as well as a purple shawl i've started quite some time ago and um, anything else mentioned above.


Recently i have also made quite a few purchases due to the black friday/cyber monday sales and i've got a few of them already. I made a video sharing my yarn haul from Knit Picks, and if you guys have seen my current videos know i have purchased a spinning wheel(and that it has arrived!). I'm still waiting for a couple of other fiber purchases; once i have received them i will be posting up a general black friday/cyber monday haul blog where i talk about all my purchases during this time. I also have a video on how i put my spinning wheel together, it's more to share the experience rather than a how-to video, and will be posting a blog with pictures and commentary eventually. All in all, it's hasn't been a bad 3-4 weeks!