Felted Dryer Balls ~ DIY

Recently i checked out this page(blog?) regarding dryer balls(http://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-wool-dryer-balls/). It was intriguing since they have a list of positives(no negatives? maybe the price of yarn) and they seemed pretty fun to make. In simpler terms; wind up the yarn into a ball, throw it in the wash to felt and dry....ta-da!...end of story.

I made a vid on my process(of course) where i dyed the top layer of 5. I added a 6th ball to finish up the partial skein i had left. It used up quite a bit of yarn, i haven't put them to use yet but soon...lol.

These are said to replace fabric softener, decrease drying time and help increase fluffiness while reducing static among other things. You would throw them in the dryer and while bouncing around with your clothes that would help the hot air circulate cutting down on drying time. As with most things, the more the merrier(and the bigger the better i assume lol).

Magfest Recap!

Magfest was pretty great this year. It ran Jan.2-5 at the Gaylord National Harbor in MD(where's it's been the last few times if not longer). I attended all days except Sunday and it was pretty tiring. Taking pictures was also something i gave up on; so many people/cos-players and so little time plus all the events...it couldn't be done. But if you guys want to view there's plenty of other videos/pictures out there you can find(via youtube and other means).

I got to see the 2 performances i was mostly looking forward to; the Guitar Bros and the Triforce Quartet. Got some vid. of both(all tho still haven't uploaded all of them up to my channel....talk about putting it off), all pretty amazing and inspiring. Here's the one i managed to upload thus far, the LoZ Medley(pretty long).

I also got some gaming goods. I found there wasn't as many vendors with Japanese licensed merchandise as i recalled in the past(or perhaps i'm thinking of another con?) which was a little sad since that's what i like to collect, but did find some awesome stuff. I made a video as well(with some stuffs i'm not showing here) which i probably already threw in here someplace. 

For those who always attend and/or plan to next year, i'll definitely see you there! And please remember your antiperspirant/deodorant; don't let the stank of this year repeat itself.

Crafty Goals 2014!!

I actually have some yarny goals this year, thanks to a fellow crafter's inspiration. They're not too many and from what i see pretty attainable; i'm actually excited to start this productive year!

The easiest way i can share them with you is to make a list~ so here ya go:

-Expand and update my shops(malonb.etsy.com & malonsshop.etsy.com)
-Make vid.tutorials
-Increase blogging and make it something others want to read :)
-Make 1 large project a month(anything as small as a pair of socks)
-Learn/practice making socks(lol) the more the merrier
-Make 2 sweaters by the end of the year(one for me, one for the hubs)
-Use up my yarn stash(specially on those said sweaters)
-Make 2 projects a month with a stitch i don't use much(if at all) and/or learn a new stitch.
-Get back to dying some yarn!

If you'd like the video version, feel free to watch.

I did miss one i later realized i had on my list but skipped for some reason or other. I would also like to keep my ravelry updated(which is not at the moment); that's where i get a lot of ideas/inspirations as well. You can find me there(ravelry.com) as 'malonb'....of course lol.

Yarn Un-Crimping *~*

I purchased these awesome 'skeins' of yarn during the black friday/cyber monday sales. The yarn itself had been knitted up in panels and then dyed..and sold this way! Via the instructions/directions they recommended working straight from the panel, meaning no re-skeining and/or cake making...of course they also recommended blocking your project after it was complete. I started to make a scarf/shawl and during the process it was obvious the crimp/kink of the yarn just got in the way. It was hard to manage, not to say the crimp made the yarn shrink on itself and even tension wasn't at all possible. And so began my journey...

I can't say i'm 100% satisfied with it, but it's a major improvement. I'll be making one into a cake in the near future and test it(if all is good, the 2nd will follow). I probably won't be going for the shawl i was working on earlier, all tho i may just try the sock pattern this came with.

LoZ Haul and Works in Progress(WIPS)

I recently recorded a haul that just happens to be Zelda themed from the last couple of months. I wouldn't actually call it a 'haul' as much as random stuff i happen to acquire which happens to have the same theme. Did i do that on purpose? Not really, although the Legend of Zelda series being my fave, you shouldn't be surprised. Check it out here.

My biggest win was the musical chests Nintendo forked over via the Streetpass group. For those that payed attention(and/or were lucky enough to get one) i unfortunately missed out on getting Ganondorf figurine bonus you could preorder for here in the USA...i just didn't do it in time. Huge loss, am i right? So this made me feel better and somewhat feel like Nintendo made it up to me(not that they owed me anything to begin with). You win some, you loose some i guess...and sometimes you break even. 

As for my works in progress, i'm planning to do some tunisian crochet tutorials...specially using afghan stitch(aka simple stitch). It's the one i use the most(do i know any other? actually, i don't think so...>.>) and it translates into pixels so well. It'll be the basics and probably branch out into how to do charts and all that jazz. My example project is the mushroom. I chose to make it red, but any color would have done. Should have those up by next week i suppose. 

Something that's also in the works; using that frog mario chart i designed for my afghan(no progress in weeks unfortunately, just didn't feel like) and making a pillow. To kind of help me jump back into it i suppose, i haven't been doing t-crochet(tunisian crochet) in quite a while. 

Also, Magfest!! It's this weekend(thursday-sunday). I'm going alone(except for sat, the hubs may come with) and i don't even mind it. I'll meet up with a few friends there, but more than that i'm just excited for the experience. Should be tons of fun! :)

Amigurumi Book Review ~ Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice Easy Crochet Critters

Cast Off Crew #41

Whoops, missed a couple of weeks....yet here I am! Lol! A few FO and two frogged projects... :(

Loz: A Link Between Worlds ~ 3DS

Yes, that's what i have in my DS right now! It feels kind of wrong, since i pushed Animal Crossing to the side for this. I've yet to try the street-pass feature, all though i have a few shadows waiting. I also recently ordered the Prima guide  during cyber Monday off Amazon(30% off and free shipping) since it wasn't included in the player guide's box set. What i miss is the screen-shot feature. In Animal Crossing you're able to take a screenshot of your top screen when L&R are pressed at the same time. Not that i would use that often here, but sometimes it's the little things.... :)

SMB3 Map and Loch Ness Chart

www.malonsshop.etsy.com

Just finished this chart! Recognize the game this is from? Except for the river monster(or uh, Loch Ness…). I’m not sure if it’ll end up being a pillow or a dust cover for my old-school PS2. 

Here I am... :)

Was gone for a while there, am i right? All though not completely! I've been pretty good at keeping up with my Cast-Off videos(where i show my yarn-related finished objects and works in progress) i think, taking life into account. You can find these(and all others) on my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/malonsshop.

My amigurumi shop is still in motion(www.malonb.etsy.com) and have more recently opened another. Yes, another shop! For what?! you ask...well i fell in love with dying yarn, so it was inevitable. I have a small variety of fibers at this time, but more are surely to follow. Maybe even some hand spun(as i've recently learned how to use a drop spindle) and perhaps even some dyed roving. Check out the new shop at www.malonsshop.etsy.com. I'm also in love with the idea of colorways inspired by video game characters ;).

I've been brainstorming a way to incorporate all these(blog,video and shops) into one. I'm not quite there yet but i've been thinking along the lines of publishing a pattern, showing how to create the item and others being able to purchase it at my shop(s). As much as i love creating and making things for my own enjoyment, it would be much more rewarding to actually live off what i love to do....wouldn't it?