Crafty Goals - July 2014 Update

Hey all, this month has been a little more productive than last. I'm pretty pleased with how things turned out. It seems kind'a short however, don't you think? Next time i will have my list in hand lol. Let me break it down. If  you would like to see my completed projects for the month check out my Cast-Off Crew vids uploaded in July(2 this month) and/or browse my past blogs.

Big Project This Month:
- Mushroom Baby Blanket/Lapghan(reversible)

Sweaters(make 2 this year)
- One sweater is complete
- Plans for the second are in the works!

Etsy Store Listings
- Yes! I have started to re-post those sad listings which have been expired for quite a while and i was a little too uh, laid back to re-post in a timely manner. This goes for both of my shops! Check them out at malonsshop.etsy.com & malonb.etsy.com.

Website Updates
- I've been working on my website, all though it's still under construction. Feedback is appreciated! malonsshop.com

Video Updates and Tutorials
- I had a number of video updates this month, including my stash videos(which had various parts). Check them out on my YouTube channel! I also have a number of blog updates corresponding.

- Posted one tutorial!
Lion Brand's Envelope Flatware Flatware Tutorial
Check out the related blog as well

New Stitches & Techniques
- I have lined a crochet bag
- I have learned how to add a zipper as well! :)

Patterns from my Library
- I made a number of projects using patterns found on Ravelry.
- I made at least 1 project from my book/mag library as well.

Yarn Dying & Spinning
- Yes! I actually gave spinning another try and have dyed specifically for this purpose. I have completed a skein of white/navy blue candy stripped handspun.

Use Your Stash!
- This month i've decided to go on a yarn diet. However, i already have a smallish yarn haul to show you guys(oops)...and a pretty awesome swap package. However i've been pretty good on using my stash yarn specially after my organization phase(since i actually got a chance to see the magnitude of what it has become).

Linus, Game Inspired & Vacation!

These couple of weeks have been pretty productive i must say. I worked up two Linus shawls(free pattern via Ravelry, you can find the links in the vid description). One in the called-for sock yarn and the other in Bernat Mosaic yarn, a worsted weight. Both came out pretty great, i'm so glad i tried out this pattern; It's on the top of my faves list for sure. 

I also worked on a couple of video game related items, it seems like i ran with the Mario game theme this time. Actually, i started the 'panel' last month i believe(could have been earlier than that!) and have just finished the second row featuring the ghost, 'Boo'. Not bad! Am i right? :) The next will be in green(s) and will feature my fave baddie of the Mario game series, the Goomba. 

The mushroom blanket was a feat on its own. I have a page on Ravelry for this as well, it took a lot of my time and hard work lol(seriously, it did). It's made with half-double crochet, except for the border(which is simply single crochet). The hardest part to figure out was the swatch and how many stitches/how many rows would make a passing pixel(aka square, which is what this mushroom is made of!). Once that's calculated, it's just counting stitches and making sure you don't skip(or add) any. 

The lined bag was another feat this time around. I actually managed to work the sewing machine without much of a fuss. I messed up on the zipper and had to re-do, but that was easy enough(although time consuming). Overall it gave me a chance to give sewing another try; i should really start incorporating this into my crafting. 

Last but not least, vacation time! It's been a while since i went on my last and am pretty excited to be going someplace new. It'll be my first time to the west coast. The heat is probably the only thing i'm dreading(ok, and the plane ride), but otherwise it should be a fun experience. I'm planning to hit up some tourist attractions surrounding where i'll be at in San Diego, and plan to visit LA one of the days. As far as yarn goes, there's a few shops scattered throughout, i may(or may not) be visiting them. I am however, in the process of choosing what projects i'll be taking with me. :)

I also mentioned the book Amigurumi Toy Box!! I'm working on a horse inspired by Epona from the Legend of Zelda games. I'm super excited about this one...it will be awesome when complete!! I also musn't forget my hand-spun. It was enjoyable yet a challenge all at the same time. I'm really thinking(and re-thinking) the purchase of a spinning wheel, and if i could justify the grand purchase.

Yarn Organization Before & After

I have finally finished organizing most of my yarn stash. I must admit there's a few skeins still floating freely here and there, which tends to happen when there are WIPs to account for, but the majority now has a set place. It took a weekend of work overall, but was well worth it! If you have seen my previous yarn stash videos then this one pretty much says it all.... however i'm posting a few more pics here for your enjoyment. 

 These is my before and after. It began with a chaotic mess. Skeins where stashed places simply because they fit, with no sense of belonging at all. Having two layers to each cube didn't help either, since once a yarn was stashed behind the others it was more than likely forgotten... :(

Before it came to organizing i had to empty everything out and i decided it to sort it by types of fiber...and then by colors(somewhat..). It made me realize what i actually had, which is A LOT, and most of it is good quality yarns. Why or how did i come to get this stash? I don't know, but because i 'found' so much i decided to go on a yarn diet until November, Thanksgiving season(i can't see myself passing up black Friday deals). I also found i had more than enough in my library, specially when it comes down to knitting. Add ravelry and/or free patterns online and it's totally endless. I'm including books/mags in my 'diet', of course.


I found i have a lot of cotton which isn't my preferred type of yarn. All though i never worked with it much honestly, i now have plenty to work with. I'm unsure if cotton yarn stretches or shrinks. I remember reading about it before(not very lately thou) and i got mixed reviews. The safest thing to do is make a swatch and see for myself i suppose. Not to mention the large amount of acrylic and acrylic blends. Red Heart is by far the most used yarn in my stash, but once i learned how to knit i've acquired a taste for the finer(and softer) ones.

I know there's a saying that goes somewhere along the lines of 'Life's too short to use acrylic'... and i think they're right! Even though nowadays acrylic isn't all bad, there are some very soft and amazing yarns which i would definetly keep on using. More recently i found that Vanna's Choice and Michael's Loops and Threads brands are some of my favorites. I also have a lot of colorways which are only 'one skein'. There's so many things that would only take that amount, yet the yardage(or lack of) does limit you somewhat. I can only make so many cowls or hats, right?

Mushroom Blanket & Back to Spinning!

Surprise surprise, it's a vid update! I did say i would do once a month, yet i kind of missed the weekly vids. So, perhaps i'll be making them biweekly instead... :)

This month has started off pretty well i think. I've been trying to really put some time into the mushroom blanket which i admit, is looking awesome... Not to mention it's reversible and looks exactly the same on the other side. All i gotta say is that crochet is amazing! It truly lends itself to so many things.

Talking about mushrooms, i'm still working on the Nintendo inspired knit panel that will hopefully become my future banner(or part of it). That's the plan anyway.... regardless i think i already know what it will become... which is a cover for my sewing machine. It will be pretty awesome once complete. I did a row of mushrooms, am about halfway done with the row of 'Boos'(aka ghosts lol), i'm a little torn as
far as what character i want to do next. To stay in theme, probably something Super Mario Brother related; i'm kind of leaning towards Goombas(one of my favorite baddies).

I also finished a couple of misc. projects, like the cute baby hat which i love in the Lion Brand Amazing yarn. The cowl i did with left over yarn of previous projects which worked out so great 'cause i got to use every little bit. I also started on the Linus shawl; i'm using sock yarn and love the stripes. The only thing i'm a little concerned about is when it gets to a certain point the stripes won't be stripes anymore, i'm unsure as to how they will muddle together as it grows bigger. Because of that, it may be on the smaller side... just have to see how it goes.

Shopping from my stash...i finally did!! I only got 3  projects picked out so far but as i browse through my books and mags(and ravelry) i'll be picking others out. These will come handy when i'm done with something and don't know what to make next, or perhaps i'm just in the mood to start something new.

Last but not least, this week i finally broke down and took out my drop spindle! I'm working on a 2 ply yarn, one ply will be white/natural color(which you see here) and the other will be a dark blue. Overall i can't wait to see how it turnes out. Will keep you guys updated! :)

Lion Brand - Envelope Flatware Holder Tutorial

It's finally complete! The pattern is super easy and super quick. It's also pretty easy to adjust the size of your project as well as change up the stitches(if you don't happen to like single crochet). The pattern calls for a G hook(4mm) and Vanna's Choice(worsted weight yarn), but any type will do...great stash buster!

I made a few, including a super small one and it turned out adorable! The concept of the pattern is very simple; all you're really making is a square(which you then fold up into an envelope) so really, any yarn or stitch regardless how big or small will work as long as you end up with a square piece of fabric.

If you check out the projects on ravelry for this pattern,  you'll also find many other different closures others have done. The heart is a very cute idea, however i would suggest taking a browse there to get more awesome ideas.

Check out my pics...am i right?! They're pretty cute! You can find the pattern on the Lion Brand website here: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80017AD.html 

Another Yarn and Book Haul!!

This is the last one in a good long while...or so i promised myself. I have to work on downsizing the stash!! All these new books & mags only means i have plenty of patterns to use it up, just got to get to it. I think a post about that would actually be ideal....This been a holiday weekend(July 4th in the states)
 it would be the perfect time to shop from my stash(go through your stash and pull out yarn rather than purchasing for specific patterns). Gives me something to look forward to; how exciting!

Now for the haul, i purchased a number of yarns - various skeins per colorway. Enough to make a project(i told myself), all though i didn't have anything specific picked out for any. Ideally the place i purchased from also had a special going on - spend $50 and they throw in a goodie bag. It wasn't my main reason for purchasing, but it was definitely an incentive. Was it 'worth' it? Hm, perhaps?

During my last haul i listed all the books/mags along with links for those interested. I didn't purchase quite so many this time but i think i'll do the same. Here ya go!

Fabulous Felted Hand-Knits
Knit Simple - Winter 2012
Knit Simple - Holiday 2011
Knit Simple - Holiday 2012
Knit Simple - Holiday 2010
Creative Knitting - Fall 2009(wasn't able to find this one :( ..)
Itty Bitty Nursery 
New Knits on the Block

Yarn Book Haul

So, it's happened again. Another yarn related book haul to expand the library....not that i don't have enough XD. I'm sharing them with you via my latest Yarn Addiction update, and am including a list at the bottom with links via Amazon if you're looking to purchase any of these. Enjoy!

This Haul consist of:

Big Girl Knits
Fitted Knits
Mission Falls Goes Crochet (wasn't able to find this one in Amazon)
Alterknits
The Natural Knitter
Son of Stitch & Bitch
Baby Knits
Curvy Knits Cambride
Knitted Gifts
Shibori Knitted Felt
Not Another Teen Knitting Book
Araucania Designer Mini Knits - Book 4
The Knitter's Year
Knit.1 - Fall 2007 (magazine)
Noro Kids
Twinkle's Town & Country Knits
Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines

Envelopes & WIPS

This week i worked on some cute envelopes that i'm in the process of making a vid tutorial for. This is a free Lion Brand pattern(available on their website). I made some knitted versions as well, which i may or may not throw in there someplace(or make a separate one? hm...). I also started working on a crochet shirt which i totally frogged....BUT, instead of ripping it away i made it into a bag. Not only did it take time to crochet that piece, but it was also the result of my wonky calculations and wanted to avoid even further shame(lol). It's not lined yet nor did i finish the bows but i think it will be one cute bag once done. I'm also playing around with the idea of adding a zipper, and perhaps even pockets.

I also started on another baby blanket inspired by Nintendo's mushroom. No pictures yet since it's
really at the beginning stages, but i'll keep tabs on that for you. Blankets aren't my thing usually, but small baby-sized ones are a decent size to do without it being overkill. This one will be all half-double crochet, and yes it will be pixelated(hopefully this works out).

That shirt which gave birth to the bag.....i'm actually still making that. Due to the hick-up it's not as far along as it should be, but there's no rush. It's an easy enough pattern from the book Contemporary Crochet: 37 European Designs . Wish me luck! I'm not sure if i'll be cheating and counting this as my 2nd sweater(one of my yearly goals was to make 2), but who knows, maybe i'll get lazy starting on another actual sweater and make it happen.

I've also spent a bit of time updating my website(malonsshop.com) and made small changes on my blog here(specially the left hand column, if you couldn't tell). I'm still not 100% aware of all the capabilities this site has to offer, nor WordPress for that matter(it's what i'm building my website with), so if anyone has ideas or tips they'd like to share that would be great. If you're good at all this and want to tutor me, that would be amazing...

Plenty of FO's....and a couple of WIP's!

So, it's time to bring you up to speed!! I was pretty  productive these last couple of weeks i must say...specially since i finally finished the sweater!! It's a little bigger than i'd like, but that just teaches me that swatching is essential(i've heard that here and there). I can deal with the slightly bigger sweater, not to mention i also made quite a few other mistakes, yet it's my first and i'm just glad i got through it!

For those not familiar, if you're making something where size is important(anything you would wear for example since it has to fit you) it's suggested to make a gauge swatch(aka a small piece of fabric using the needles/hook and yarn you'll be usin
g for this project) which is used to measure the stitches per inch which in turn lets you adjust accordingly depending on the size you're going for.

I got a couple of hats done as well; my favorite is inspired by the character Pascal from Animal Crossing(once again lol)! He's a sea otter that trades you furniture for a scallop(in New Leaf)... <3  The other hat i did didn't end up looking quite like the pattern's pictures. Perhaps it was that i didn't block it and/or shaped it and i skipped adding the tassel...somehow i was not impressed. It did help me realize that i hate garter stitch and that i'm not the biggest fan of short rows.

You guys remember the gorgeous hand-spun from shespins.com? Well i finally casted on and i'm about 80% done with this project. I wanted something where i could use up all the yarn and something that would showcase the colors. Didn't quite find what i wanted anywhere so i opted to make up a pattern for a simple... doily? Place-mat? Table runner? Not sure what the correct term for it is, but it will sit on my table or nightstand probably under my misc trinkets and such. It's a very simple knit, maybe i'll write up a pattern in the near future. Love it!

Talking about patterns, i've yet to make any tutorials from Lion Brand's free list. Just haven't found the time! But, i think i know what my first one would be, hence this little cute(and quick) crochet envelope. I may even do a knit version since the concept is so simple....we'll see!

I've also spent quite a few hours working on my website which you can view right now! Check it out here - malonsshop.com. As i've mentioned before i'm a real newbie and editing while learning takes me a long time! Lol. There's still a lot of tweaking to do as far as the content and plugins/feeds, not to mention the lack of pictures and the like(it's a little boring right now). But, at least i got both shops linked in and it's on it's way.

Amigurumis & Lion Brand Tutorial Updates

Animal Crossing! I've been doing most things AC recently...and it probably has to do that it's one of my fave game series of all time. This week it's not totally my fault though; i had a custom order to get done. This time i made a pair of pigs(lol), Hugh and Gala. I think they turned out pretty adorable :).

The rest of my week was taken over by life; not much time for yarn. I'm still working on a couple of WIPs, the purple shawl as well as the sweater. I'm so close to finishing that i can't wait, in the meantime i tell myself that i'm 'SOOOO' close, i have time to work on another project and still be able to finish it by the end of the month. I think secretly, i may not want it to be complete...>.> Oh and the socks....man those socks...who knows when they'll get done(if ever). I actually got somewhat stuck when thinking of what kind of heel i wanted to do since i'm doing them toe-up. Not being a sock knitter, i'm not very familiar with all the types and all of that(yet).

I did get some awesome news however, from Lion Brand. My request to make tutorials/videos using their free online patterns has been approved so that has me pretty psyched! Of course, i haven't started yet all thought i have a couple in mind i wouldn't mind starting off with. I've used them often enough i think where i can say they're pretty good(in a general sense lol). Definitely looking forward to that!

This week i plan to finish the shawl, hopefully get halfway done with my sweater sleeve(at the least), and brainstorm what pattern(s) will be featured in tutorial form first. Not to mention my website (malonsshop.com).... that's a huge can of worms... and it has been opened probably without fully realizing what it may mean. I'm a newbie when it comes to that and at this point i feel somewhat overwhelmed, however i know it's doable. I'm just sort of dreading putting in the work. To have something to look forward to, i have made Delaquan's awesome yarn into a cake which is ready for knitting. I've yet to pick a pattern, but that's half the fun. Check her out at shespins.com!