Fiber Haul, Crochet Hooks and a Project Bag

Mail Time: 4~19~2015

I share the prizes for my 900 subscriber giveaway in this video; in case you missed it they are very cute, adorable and quite useful. I found these sticky notes featuring llamas and alpacas(i'm not sure which exactly, lol) on ebay.... such a dangerous place for the wallet! I will be having 4 winners; keep an eye out for my Giveaway Video in the near future!

Mail Time: 4~26~2015

I recently purchased a set of Clover Soft Grip Crochet hooks via Amazon which i am pleasantly surprised with. Crocheting for long periods of time would leave me with some aches and pains when i used my usual(metal crochet hooks) so decided to look for something which was not so bothersome. Looking at the reviews and going by a few fellow youtubers comments, i decided to try them out. They work great, and definitely lessen my discomfort. I would recommend these for sure. 

This adorable Elephant Project bag has also been added to my collection; i specially like the strap which will make it so much more versatile in my book(or wardrobe). It's so roomy too, i may be taking this one to MD Sheep and Wool with me, all though i'm not sure if i'll have enough time to actually sit down and work on any project. Love the zipper, love the print, love it in general. I also purchased a set of knitting stitch markers which i also happen to love; simple yet beautiful is a win in my book. These came from Cozy Crafting on Etsy. Abby(the one behind this shop) also has a podcast under the same name, check out Cozy Crafting on YouTube. 

As if you didn't know, i have a major fiber haul to share with you guys this time around as well. I purchased this haul from discontinuedbrandnamedyarn.com which does tend to have pretty fair prices and daily sales on top of that. Check out my Mail Time video below!





Louet Shetland Sliver(carded)
8 oz total in the 'Holiday' Colorway









Louet Romney Roving
8oz total in the 'Evergreen Heather' Colorway









Louet Blue Face Leicester - BFL
8 oz total in the 'Emu' Colorway










Louet Blue Face Leicester - BFL
8 oz total in the 'Crested Guan' Colorway









Louet Blue Face Leicester - BFL
16 oz total in the 'Cruel Summer' Colorway









Louet Blue Face Leicester - BFL
16 oz total in the 'Don't Stop Beleiving' Colorway









Louet Blue Face Leicester - BFL
16 oz total in the 'Squash' Colorway

MD Sheep and Wool Anyone?

One more week until the MD Sheep and Wool festival and i'm quite excited. I've been putting off purchasing yarn since the beginning of the year and this event is one i put on my list that does not have that restriction. There's no specific vendors nor type or amount of yarn/fiber i'm looking for, however i've recently been thinking of getting hold of a blending board(for fiber) so i'll see what they have to offer. I'll be attending on Saturday and hope to make the Podcast meetup. I have a small list of fellow youtubers who i regularly watch that will be attending as well and i'm hoping to meet some of them in person. If you happen to be attending and would like to say hello, send me a message!

I completed my second Handbrake cowl in this awesome yellow yarn(which came with no label from a destash). I love the colorway and this project in general; i actually didn't realize until not too long ago that this(paid for) pattern includes a scarf version as well(which i want to make at some point). My current work in progress is a Sloane Shawl(paid for pattern), which has amazing texture. I'm using my monthly yarn pick for April, Quatro from Cascade Yarns. The red colorway was this month's pic, however i had the pink barber-pole colorway in my stash and decided to use it as well. I'm pretty sure my shawl will be smaller than what the pattern calls for(i don't have enough yardage), however it should make a nice size kercheif or shawlette. That reminds me that i'll also be looking for some shawl pins at MDSW.

Talking crochet, i made a pair of fingerless mitts inspired by Bravely Default. I have finally completed the game and decided to make something relating to one of my favorite character's costumes; more specifically the girl's version of the Pirate. This was an awesome game, all though a bit longer than it really had to be imo, it's been one of the longest i've played since last year for sure. I do have a couple of other ideas for projects i'd want to make relating to this game, so don't be surprised if you see a few more pop up. With this completed, i've moved on to playing Majora's Mask(also on 3DS). I played this before when it originally came out on N64 back in the day. The Legend of Zelda being one of my fave franchises, i had to pick up this version. 

Another exciting bit, we've made it to over 900 subscribers on my YouTube channel! You know what that means...a giveaway is coming! If you've seen my most recent mail-time video you also know what the prizes will be this time around(if you haven't, check it out here). Talking about mail-time videos; i'll be posting another in the short future(probably tomorrow) which includes a lot of awesomeness...and my one (huge)fail at keeping my yarn/fiber diet. Check out my video for more blurbs. 

Cowl of a Time!

Most of what i've worked on this week has been cowls(or cowl related). My first and probably my favorite piece was the cloud cowl i 'designed' the chart for. It came out amazingly awesome, all though i still need practice with the colorwork. I made it in the round and the chart design was pretty seamless, they go all around the cowl yet every other row is off by half(if that makes sense). It did take me quite a while to complete and it did get rather dull after a while. Being a newb to colorwork it's expected, it really took me patience and concentration, so i threw a section of striping in there to speed up the process. I used Kitchener stitch to finish it up and this gave me a chance to really understand the stitches and how they intertwined; Kitchener has always been confusing to me(although i've done it successfully a handful of times). Check out my project page in Ravelry here.

I was gifted the Handbrake cowl and have completed one in the Bernat Mosaic's 'Optimistic' colorway. The pattern is simple as is the patterning, however the color-changes in this yarn(all though lovely) really drowned it out. I wasn't able to use the whole skein as i had planned either as it would have made it just too tall. So, i'm trying my hand at another with a more subdued colorway in yellow; unfortunately i don't have much information about this yarn as it was from a destash and came with no label.

A colorwork pillow was also completed, featuring the mushroom. This was also made in the round, and it was more of a swatch really, to see how the charts would look if i made one from the bottom up while the other from side to side. There is a difference which is very reminiscent of tunisian crochet. This was a swatch for one of my future works, which may(or may not) have something to do with the cloud cowl......

Crochet-wise, i've been working on my granny square blanket on and off really. I did have to complete two amigurumi bears for an order. I don't have any specific crochet projects in the works at the moment, but one usually turns up. I have been spinning as well, and have finished my best skein to date. This was some Into the Whirled Falkland fiber which i made into a 3ply skein of 320 yards. It's amazing, i would say it's around a DK weight, all though there are some thinner/thicker spots in it as well. What i love about it the most is that it's a gradient yarn, i'm still in awe that i made this. I plan to make it into a shawl so i could really play on the colors and use as much as i possibly can. I'm currently spinning some gorgeous fiber from Tasteless Designs(check out her etsy shop here) with the colorway  name 'Spellbook'. This is 4oz of amazingly soft superfine merino. I already know this will make some awesome finger-less gloves.... i gotta say that i love this color combo.

Last but definitely not least, i got to meet up with an awesome YouTube friend, YarnYenta247(check out her YouTube channel here)! She has been traveling cross country and on her way back to NY, she just happened to be staying 15 minutes from me, so how could i not?! It was a great time, i got to meet her and her husband and discussed yarn and travel among other things. Wonderful couple, if the chance comes up i would love to get together again. All in call that made my last two weeks a huge win. Check out my video for more blurbs. 

Malon's Shop Update ~ 4/12/2015

 

This week's updates at malonb.etsy.com.



Be warned; he's always watching! and tends to sleep with one eye closed and one eye open. In ancient Egyptian, Celtic, and Hindu cultures the symbolic meaning of owl revolved around guardianship of the underworlds, and a protection of the dead. Just a fun little fyi :).
Made in vintage oranges/yellows/grays with orange and gray felt details. 
 Check out the listing here. 







This pillow features Sonic on one side and a couple of rings on the other; reminiscent of the Sega era. Approximately 12"x 14". Ready to ship! 
Check out the listing here.

Set of 3 Sardines in a can.

Check out the listing here. 






Stands at 7"; ready to ship!!
Check out the listing here. 







This week's updates at malonsshop.etsy.com.



Hand-painted in a bright green apple green with tiny specks of brown to mimic the small imperfections which sometimes inhabit even the most perfect apples. A size 7 needle is recommended. This is worsted/4-ply weight.
Check out the listing here.






Hand-painted with a bright yellow, rich green and red with an orange tint, this yarn turned out pretty happy and bright. The colors softly blend into each other. This is a dk weight yarn and a size 6 needle is recommended.
Check out the listing here. 

75% Acrylic, 25% Peruvian Cotton
3.5 oz / 100 grams
268yards / 247 meters
Weight: #3/light
Check out the listing here.






Made in Peru
52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon
3.5 oz / 100 grams
290 yards / 266 meters
Weight: #3/light
Check out the listing here. 



Made in Peru
52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon
3.5 oz / 100 grams
290 yards / 266 meters
Weight: #3/light
Check out the listing here. 

Testing: Knit Picks Lint Shaver

I received this in a swap package earlier this year and have been looking forward to trying it since. I've never used one before so it was pretty exciting! It's small, compact and easy to use. It uses 2 AA batteries and the lint collector is quite easy to snap off for cleaning and emptying. It also comes with a cute tiny brush in case you need to clean the head. 

What is lint? What is it made of and why is it here? 
With a little bit of research i found that 'lint' is really the accumulations of fibers and other materials. During the course of normal wear, these fibers may either detach or be jostled out of the weave of which they are part. This is the reason that heavily used articles like shirts and towels become thin over time, and why these particles collect in the lint screen of a clothes dryer. Unfortunately it does affect the fabric;  the more fibers you loose the thinner the fabric gets. Check out more about lint via wiki. 

There are 3 items i tried this on. I'm listing them below along with the before and after pictures; if you want to see some live action check out the video(below)! In short, i'm quite pleased with the results and if i didn't own one, i would purchase one for myself (only $3.99 via Knit Picks, and you may even be able to find it at your local dollar store).




The cowl is made with Bernat's Softee Chunky yarn. I've made it a while ago and it's been used quite often... it's big and over-sized making it one of my favorites. I'm rather happy with the results!




This Harvest sweater was made with Red Heart with Love(and has not been washed yet, all thought it has been worn enough). The pilling is focused on the underarm of the sleeves as well as the sides of the sweater.  As you can see, the lint/bobbles are gone! Yay!



The last sweater was a purchase from South America when i went to visit back in 2007. It's gorgeous and beautiful; however the lint hasn't been removed since and you can tell. I had to use it all over for this one; however i'm glad i did.... it looks amazing!

Malon's Shop Update ~ 4/5/15

Updated in malonb.etsy.com this week: 

This amigurumi is inspired by Epona, one of my favorite characters from the Legend of Zelda video game franchise. She plays a major part in Link's adventures in a number of the Zelda games. 

View the listing here. 

This cute little pig is a bit of fuzz around the midsection....pretty nice to pet! :) 
View the listing here.








This dainty elephant is made in cotton with a ribbon yarn bow and beaded 2-strand necklace.
View the listing here.








This sleepy lamb is pretty adorable; no explanation needed! 
View the listing here. 






Updated in malonsshop.etsy.com :

Hand-painted in purple and orangy peach, they blend into each other creating a pinkish magenta.  A size 7 needle is recommended. This is worsted/4-ply weight.
View the listing here. 

52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon
3.5 oz / 100 grams
290 yards / 266 meters
Weight: #3/light
Machine Washable
Color: 2165
Dye Lot: 133
View the listing here.


Going by the name of this colorway, could you guess what it was dyed with? Coffee! My first colorway dyed with one of favorite drinks...ever. This time the result was deep caramel in color(hence the name). This is a dk weight yarn and a size 6 needle is recommended.
View the listing here.





This is a simple two-tone skein. Re-dish pink blends into a deep gray through. This is a dk weight yarn and a size 6 needle is recommended.
View the listing here. 

50% Super Fine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Cotton
3.5 oz / 100 grams
215yards / 198 meters
Weight: #4/medium
Color: 6294
Dye Lot: 281922
View the listing here.




This colorway is made of two colors combined; simply white paired with dark heather gray. A size 7 needle is recommended; this is worsted/4-ply weight.
View the listing here.

This skein is kettle dyed a very unique and deep purplish-blue. The pictures don't do it justice! This is a dk weight yarn and a size 6 needle is recommended.
View the listing here.