Sunday, December 20, 2015

And The Winner Is...

I almost forgot that I needed to randomly select the winner of this book


So without making you wait any longer, the winner is...

Emma Haughton

Congrats Emma! I really hope you like the book and find something you would like to crochet.
Just send me your contact information and address and I'll put it in the mail this week.
My preferred email address is sunshine75t@gmail.com

For the next post, I have another pattern book to share, but I haven't taken any photos yet. 

For now, I will share my most recent finished project. It's a Christmas tree skirt. 


I actually made two. Of course Ireland wanted one for her tree. I didn't mind since I messed up the first one and made it small with a tiny opening. That worked well for her artificial 4 ft tree. We have a live 9 ft tree in the living room, so the opening for the stand had to be a lot larger. I was inspired by Cherry Heart blog.

This is Ireland's

Anyway, I'll be back in a few days to tell you about another book. I'm not sure if I'll do a giveaway for that one yet. I only have one copy of it for now. I just might decide to do one though. Kind of like a celebration for each published project.

Have a great week and holiday!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Big Hook Rag Crochet Give away

A few weeks ago I mentioned a give away. I am giving away a copy of this


Big Hook Rag Crochet includes one of my patterns... a basket. Inside you will also find other patterns for projects using different types of fabric. I made the basket using T shirts.



I took a few photos of the contents pages so you could see a little preview of the other patterns included




If you would like to receive this book for free, then just leave me a comment. You don't have to say a whole lot or share on Facebook, Instagram or any other site. Easy!


I'll randomly select the winner in one week (next Sunday). See you then!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SAFF

On October 31st and November 1st we attended the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) in Fletcher, NC. 


This is an annual event that I've always wanted to attend.


It's a huge event with hundreds of vendors. I was overwhelmed with the amount and variety of fiber available. 



We loved seeing the alpacas, sheep, goats, and llamas. There were competitions and shows.






The first day was Halloween, so Ireland had fun getting candy.


There were soooo many vendors... I was amazed and in a daze





The artwork ...


And yarn bowls... (This one is mine)


And baskets... (This one is mine)



Ireland's


More at the fair


And fiber arts... This lady is amazing with needle felting


I took a beginner spinning class and my very first skein of handspun wool is the one on the left of course. 


Here is a pic of most of the things I bought. Michael surprised me with the Gerschubie yarn. I was yarn drunk, and by the second day still had not bought any. I just couldn't make up my mind. I guess he was tired of me walking around in circles so he walked around by himself and showed up with the yarn. 


I also bought a drop spindle and some roving


We all had a lot of fun... even Michael. We stayed in Asheville (which is one of my favorite places), and took Ireland trick or treating in the country club neighborhood. Michael even offered to buy me a spinning wheel.  I just might get one.

I will definitely return to SAFF again. 

Enjoy your Sunday✌️

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Big Hook Rag Crochet

I'm excited to share some news about what I've been working on lately. It's a new pattern included in a new crochet book called Big Hook Rag Crochet.



The book was released this week and I was so happy to receive a copy in the mail today.


Here's a photo I took of the actual basket before it was sent for the photo shoot


I know it looks similar to the original Ombre Basket, but it's actually a totally different pattern. The whole concept is different. I used t-shirts to make this. The whole idea for the book is described in the title.


I love the book, which includes designs by various crocheters. It's so nice to see this in print. I've been working on more projects this year that will be included in a couple other books.

But to celebrate this one I'll be having a giveaway. So stay in touch to find out more. I know I've been slack lately, but these types of projects and deadlines have kept me busy. This weekend I'll be attending the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) in Fletcher, NC (near Asheville). It will be my first time at SAFF and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm even taking a spin class.

Come back in a few days to see pictures of SAFF and to find out more about the upcoming giveaway.
If you would like to purchase your own copy of the new book, just click on this link.

Have a great weekend!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Colorful Stripey Projects

I'm working on a few colorful projects. One is finished. I'm calling it the Colorful Stripey Hanging Basket

When I started it, my intentions were for it to be a bag with handles for carrying small WIPs. But the plan changed. I decided I wanted a hanging basket to go in the craft room. 

The instructions are super basic and simple, so posting it shouldn't take me too long. 

I know this post is short and sweet but I wanted to share a little bit of my WIPs.

Have a great weekend✌️


Monday, July 20, 2015

DIY Dining Table

I know I haven't been around lately. I am really behind on my blogging and blog reading. DIY projects have consumed me. I've crocheted some, but not a lot. I do have a couple completed projects, but I can't share just yet. Today I'm sharing a DIY project that Michael, Ireland and I finished on Saturday.

A dining table


We have a large empty space in the living area and I thought a table would be perfect.


I found something I liked on Pinterest and went from there. Michael works with a guy that has a saw mill, so we got the wood from him. Thursday, Michael came home with several 7' long pine boards that are about 7-8" wide.


About a week ago I ordered raw steel hairpin legs from hairpinlegs.com and Michael went to Lowes and bought several 2x4s, sandpaper and #10 size screws. 

Friday morning Michael built the frame using the 2x4s and I went to Lowes to get clear coat for the legs. I scrubbed the raw steel legs and sprayed them with a matte clear coat to protect them from rusting. While I worked on the legs, Michael placed the top boards upside down and screwed the frame to the boards. About 10pm we started sanding and by 11pm we were ready to put a coat of Minwax Spar Poly on the table top. I didn't get regular Minwax Poly because Spar Poly is better for use with dining tables to prevent water rings and food from staining the wood. Basically it seals better and is durable. The regular poly is for furniture like end tables, coffee tables, etc.


We finished the first coat of poly by midnight. That's why my photos are so bad.


Saturday morning we flipped the top over and screwed the legs on... and voila!


It's no where near perfect, but that's why I like it so much.  I love these legs (and really anything mid century modern).

Finished measurements:
78" in length
36" in width
2.5" thickness or depth

Materials:
Wood for the top (we used five 7-8" boards)
2x4s for the frame
#10 screws (2" in length since our top with frame measured 2.5")
sandpaper
four 28" hairpin legs (3 prong) 28" is standard table height
MinWax Spar Poly
Matte clear coat interior/exterior (to coat legs)

Tools used:
green scrubbing pads (to scrub the legs)
sander
sandpaper (various grit)
saw (we used Miter saw)
Drill
and a tape measure of course

We still need to sand and put one more coat of poly on the top. We are planning on buying three Eames chairs for one side of the table and making a bench with hairpin legs for the other side.

I'm hoping my next post will be about a crochet project that I haven't been able to share yet. Today I'll ask permission and see how long I need to wait. I'm sooo excited to share it with you, but I just have to be patient.

Have a great week!

Monday, May 4, 2015

My Finished Zoe Shawl

I finished my Zoe shawl a couple weeks ago, but just today took the pics


I don't like my photos, Noro is hard to photograph accurately


This is not the typical shawl size. It's pretty small. I'm not sure if I would even call it a shawlette, but I did leave off the ruffle which would have made it a tad bit bigger. I only used one skein of Noro and didn't want to use more... me being lazy and wanting to finish.



I do like the colors, and this Noro is much easier to work with. It's the Silk Garden Sock.

I found the pattern on Ravelry of course. Click here if you're interested in making one.

Now I'm working on something crocheted, but I can't share what it is just yet. I have a deadline that's way too close... so I need to get to it.

Have a great week!