Wednesday, February 25, 2015

800 Subscriber YouTube Giveaway!


And the WINNERS are....


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To qualify for this giveaway you must be subscribed to my YouTube channel: MalonsShop
This is open to old and new subscribers so share with anyone else who may be interested in winning some yarny prizes! Open internationally. Giveaway runs from February 25 to midnight(USA, Easter Time) of March 6, 2015 Results will be uploaded on March 7th. 




  To enter:
  1. 'Like' & 'thumbs up' my giveaway video.
  2. Share my channel or video via a social media outlet (only once is required, but feel free to share as much as you want). 
  3. Comment on my giveaway video and tell me:
  • What is your favorite type of video to watch? 
  • Share your favorite color & your favorite animal

Good Luck!!Good Luck!!  Good Luck!! Good Luck!! Good Luck!! Good Luck!! Good Luck!!





Sunday, February 22, 2015

Mail Time! Amigurumi Knits and Knit Picks

It's been quite a while since i've had some yarn related mail coming in. As you guys know i'm on a yarn ban so unfortunately, i'm not purchasing any yarn or fiber regardless of how great the deals(and there have been some great ones). I don't tend to buy books/patterns all that much and have actually not thought about whether or not they would be included in my ban. Obviously, i opted to not include them and purchased an awesome book, Amigurumi Knits: Patterns for 20 Cute Mini Knits.

I had borrowed this from the library last year something and loved the patterns.  I had a chance to work up some too. Mind you i'm a lot more familiar with crochet amigurmis, so the ones i worked up were a little less than ideal, but still so cute... I'll be making more of these and selling them in my shop eventually. The ones shown here are available now(check out the tomato, carrot and eggplant here.My Etsy shop is malonb.etsy.com)! They would make great soft-toys for a play kitchen and/or to display(specially due to their size as they're quite large).

My second piece of mail was free, thanks to Knit Picks. I purchased a few cords and interchangeable tips quite some time ago and have started to use them more recently. Unfortunately i've had one of my Caspian tips come loose from the metal section where you screw on the cords(i feature a short clip in the video), and all thought it wasn't a hard fix(i dabbed a little glue on the end and pushed it back into position), i did notify them as an FYI. They promptly informed me that this doesn't happen often but when it does(or if any other issues come up with the tips or cords) they do replace them for free. So, i got a new pair of tips... pure win. :)



Sunday, February 15, 2015

25% Blanket Completion and WIPs!


I've only completed two projects this time around, and still have yarn left from my February yarn club skein! I made an awesome kerchief that turned out dreamy, and i'm pretty sure i have enough for a set of hand warmers/finger-less mitts. If i have any yarn left after that, i plan to make something else if i have enough, or use it in another project until it expires. This weight of it is a little thinner than what i'm used to, nontheless i'm still enjoying working with this quite a bit.


My biggest accomplishment is my finished Piranha plant! My Nintendo blanket is now officially 25% complete(a little over actually) and i couldn't be more excited. I really pushed for this these last two weeks, unfortunately my overworked arm has been paying the consequences. As awesome as this was, i will try to take things easier and slower for the other 75%, i'm way ahead of schedule as is(not that this really has a deadline).


I spun up some fiber and am working on another awesome bat of some dreamy Falkland. It's my first time working from a 'bat' and i'm quite pleased with how thi
n i'm spinning this. I also finished the brown fiber but have yet to skein it or measure yardage. My drop spindle spinning(lol) is also still in the works. Check out youtube vid below for more blurbs on what what i've been working on!


Sunday, February 1, 2015

January Wrap-Up!

This month has been pretty great. I've completed a total of 9 projects, one of them being an adult crochet sweater that was completed from start finish this month. That's pretty good for me, last year i've had times where i didn't get anything done in a couple of weeks. I have a blog up where i'll be listing my projects completed each month; don't forget to check it out every now and then! I'll also try to make project pages(on Rav) for them as well.

As mentioned, the biggest accomplishment is the crochet sweater i made for my husband. It's a good and easy enough pattern, all thought i did have to alter the body a little(the small size was too big). I'm happy with the re
sults, and i did manage to use up a whole jumbo skein of Red Heart Super Saver(and then some). I'm not sure i like the look of it, as far as the material of the fabric goes. After making knitted sweaters, i think that's what i prefer.

I also completed a scrap cowl as well as a shawl made with Loops and Threads Impeccable. I love that yarn, it's really one of my faves. The shawl turned out great, i love the final product and the pattern was really simple/easy to memorize. I have to thank a fellow yarny friend for that one, who gifted me a booklet with the pattern(all though you can purchase it in Rav).

Last but not least my WIPs. Another great stash buster project is my Video Game crochet blanket... It will be a long while before it's complete but i'm ahead of schedule so no worries there. I'm also making another cowl in garter stitch, using the carry-the-yarn when making stripes technique(i don't know if it actually has a name...).

I also purchased a couple of skeins, but i didn't really do it on purpose. When i made the purchase i didn't even think twice, it only came to me after the fact and honestly i wasn't going to return it for that reason. They are missing quite a bit of info, however they feel like wool and are soft enough... i'll be able to use them for something. Going back to the game afghan for a second, i'm not sure if i actually have enough yarn for this so may have to purchase some in the long run... which i will do if that means i'm purchasing for a specific reason(not to simply add to my stash). Ideally i'll get to that point at the end.


2015 in Yarn Crafts

Hey all, i've decided to keep track of my knitting and crochet projects this year by adding to the list as i complete each project. It was a pretty easy and a quick(er) way to have a final list of all that i've completed... so far so good! I'm including the link to the patterns(when applicable) as well as if they're free(or paid, etc). I may just add a link to my completed projects as well(so if you're on Ravelry, feel welcome to check them out!). Check on this post from time to time to view my progress.

* Around June and July, life happened and i missed keeping track of what i made for a few months thereafter(i also took a bit of a break)... hence the list not being complete. All projects have been added to my Ravelry if you're inclined to check that out. I hope to follow through with a complete list in 2016!




January:

February:
March:
April:

May:

June: