Hey Everybody!

Lets face it. Controlling ends is a challenge.  No matter if they're split ends, loose ends or yarn ends.  The one thing that they all have in common (other than needing to be tamed and their overall messiness) is if you're willing to spend the money, someone has developed a product that is guaranteed to keep your ends in line. 

Even your yarn ends.

Now I'm all for free enterprise, but we live on a budget and spending money on frivolous conveniences is frowned upon. Hair gel, by the way, is neither frivilous nor a convenience when you have very long, very curly hair.  Especially when it's been in the 80s and 90s for weeks and the relative humidity flirts with 100% daily.  Sorry, where was I?? Oh right, saving money.  Anyway, I was flipping through a yarn catalog that the nice mailman brought me, not looking for anything in particular when I came across Yarn Wraps.   Smart idea.  For $4.99 plus shipping I can buy 3.  Closer inspection reveals that this particular brand are really no more than pieces of stretchy nylon fabric stitched into tubes. Huh.  I can do that.

I'd like to say that I was so motivated to get organized and save us money that I set to making my own yarn wraps that moment.  That's not what happened.  Instead I stored the idea away.  You could say I pinned it to the big board of things I want to do someday that lives in my brain.

A couple of months later I was doing a lot of thread work.  And even though I store the balls of thread in a big bin, when I'm using them I usually just toss them in a basket.  It was getting pretty messy so I decided it was time to make some wraps.  My first idea was to dig out a pair of pantyhose.  They would work perfectly. I hesitated though, because as far as I'm concerned they are an evil invention and I avoid wearing them at all costs.  No good can come from squeezing my Rubenesque figure into those sausage casings. In the end, I cast that idea aside since I don't even like handling them.  Something about the feel of that material just gives me the heeby jeebies.  Then I remembered the cotton/spandex leggings that were packed away to go to Goodwill.  Why not give them a try? In no time at all I had a pile of free and easy wraps ready to keep my thread from becoming a tangled, unusable mess!  I also considered using old gym sock (tube socks), or the arms from a cotton/spandex shirt.   If you don't share my pantyhose phobia I'd say they're the best choice, but if it's tubular and stretchy it probably will do the job.

I was able to keep the organizational momentum moving forward when my hubby came home with this adorable set of shelves later that week.  It turns out one of our neighbors was moving and put this treasure out with the trash!!  For ages I'd been telling him that I want shelves next to my chair in the living room to hold my ever growing collection of WIPs, yarn and books.  I'll admit that "Little Girls Room" doesn't exactly fit with the rest of our decor, but it's sturdy and clean and since we're pretty eclectic in general it's working out just fine.

So there you have it!  Any easy way to keep your yarn or thread from coming undone without spending a dime or having to touch the horrid pantyhose!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

It was truly a moment of unexpected inspiration.  I was looking for the right materials to make a display rack for my earrings.  Since John has gotten bitten by the beading bug I have earrings and bracelets to match every outfit in my wardrobe - and then some. Believe me I am not complaining, but they need a proper home instead of laying all over my dresser waiting for kitty to decide they would make great toys.  My plan is to take a picture frame, pull out the glass and cover the back with fabric or a decorative paper.  Then I'll run rows of yarn across giving me a nice place to hang all the little gems.

Yesterday I was rooting around and I found a frame.  Since most of the fabric that I have is scraps and small squares I rummaged through the closet looking for volunteers.  If you're like me you have plenty of clothes in the closet that you haven't worn in 10 or even 20 years and most likely will never wear again (can anyone say miniskirt?? how about leather miniskirt??!).  I grabbed a few likely candidates and headed to the dining room table.  That's when the doily caught my eye.  It's actually the first one I ever made and it's been hanging out on the table (under stacks of books, mostly out of sight).  I was considering using it as part of the earring hanger project when it dawned on me that it's round body fit perfectly in that square frame.  And holy cow, wouldn't that just look pretty smart hanging above the table where I do most of my writing?!

I quickly abandon the earring project and got busy creating my own framed work of art!  All it took was  a roll of heavy duty packing tape, my scissors, a ruler, some vinegar and water to clean the glass, a piece of cardboard to cover the messy edges and a label to record the details.  In less than an hour my masterpiece was hanging proudly.

It's so exciting when a project just springs to life like this one did.  Of course I've seen and admired framed crochet pieces.  And I've even thought what a great idea it is, but I never actually set about doing it.

Sometimes when I think to hard on something, I think all the fun right out of it.  It's easy for me to get consumed with the planning and trying to make sure that I have just the right ingredients to make it come out perfectly. 

This however was purely a spur of the moment event, and I know that I couldn't have planned it any better!


That's all for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me.
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

Greetings!The warm weather has arrived in New England, and that means it's time for me to break out the ankle socks. (Do any of you call them Peds?  I always have, but I'm not sure if that's a brand name, a regional thing, or just old fashioned).  Anyway, I'm a sneaker girl. Don't get me wrong, I love shoes: heels, sandals, boots you name it.  I've just learned that no matter how cute they look in the store, I won't wear them. Ever. I didn't figure this out overnight!  It's been a long, expensive lesson.  I'm finally willing to admit that comfort is way more important to me than fashion.
But that doesn't mean that I have to forgo style!  That's where the little lace socks come in.  You see, not only do I always wear sneakers, but in order to keep my feet the happiest they can be I usually wear white cotton socks.   Kind of plain and boring I know...  I've looked for alternatives, but never with great success.  And then it struck me!  Why not add a little lace to the socks I have?!  It can't be that hard, and then I can make them as colorful and frilly as I want.  Brilliant!

So I headed for the sock basket, found a matching pair, and got to it.

This is a very flexible and forgiving project.  Rather than give you an exact, stitch my stitch pattern, think of this as a guide. Here's what I did:
I knew that the fan pattern I wanted to use works in multiples of 4 plus 1.
Using my favorite steel hook (no pre-poking holes required!), I attached the thread at the back of the sock and did a round of sc.  I stretched the ribbing open and put one stitch between each rib.  How much you stretch and how close together you put your stitches is up to you.  Just remember if you don't stretch before stitching the sock won't fit, and to count the number of stitches you put in the first sock, so you can make the second one the same! Seems like common sense doesn't it? Alas. I speak from experience (head slap)!
Next, I did a round of (ch5, skip 3, sc) to make a base for the fans.  Then I did 5dc in each ch5 around.
That's it!  Next time I do these little fans I'll make the base smaller (ch4) and the fan bigger (ch7).  I think that will give it a fuller look. And I'll make sure to count my stitches!

I was looking through my magazine collection and there are so many edging patterns that you can adapt to your socks.  And with all the amazing colors of thread that are available you can create one of a kind designs that will make everyone take notice!  My next pair will be pink, purple and green I think, or maybe I'll do little flowers hanging off a vine.... No matter what, I know my feet are going to be happy!!

I wore my lacy little socks yesterday and they're perfect!  So I ask you, who needs a closet full of shoes that make your feet hurt, when with a little thread your comfy white socks will turn your sneakers into the cutest shoes ever!

That's all for today!
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

For these I didn't bother to add a SC border, and since I didn't have matching lilac thread I used the crochet thread.  I cut a piece to length and pulled it apart so I could use just one of the plies.  It worked like a charm!

Well folks, I hope that today's tutorial has been helpful and that you might even be inspired to give this type of applique a try.  You can use this technique on so many different things.  On blue jeans, and denim jackets, shirt collars and pockets, pillow cases and sheets, curtains, tote bags - if you can imagine it, you can do it!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me.
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

The invisible join is an easy to master technique that will give your crochet pieces the smooth finish they deserve.  I'll admit that I avoided it for a long time.  I thought, why bother with threading the needle and "sewing" my stitches together when a slip stitch/finish off does the job quickly and efficiently? I finally decided to give it a try last year when I was doing a lot of thread crochet.  After working so hard to create even, perfect squares I was frustrated by the obvious lump the slip stitch left behind.  Like everything, it takes a bit of practice, but once you've done it a few times you'll wonder why you procrastinated for so long!

I don't always use the invisible join. When I'm making grannies I only use it on the last round, since you don't see the others.  I've found it works well with most yarns and is ideal with thread.  Along with being smooth and well, invisible on finishing rounds, the other place I like to use it is when you have to count stitches to make a border come out right.  There's no fudging or trying to cram the hook into the joining stitch.

To help you on your way I created this tutorial.  Lots of the instructions I've seen try to show you in two or three steps. While that may be ok for some folks I prefer to see how-to in as much detail as possible. Including how to weave in the end to ensure a secure join. (That's the part no one shows you!!)  Are you ready?

That's all there is to it!  While it's not necessary for every join, it's nice to have an alternative that gives your crochet project a smooth, even finish. Enjoy!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

Let's face it.  Attaching new yarn is a pain.  When I started crocheting I did my best to avoid it.  Unfortunately that lead to  some small, plain projects.  Eventually I faced my fear and made a striped hat.  It's not real pretty, but it helped me get the hang of adding color to my world.  The hardest part was having faith that I didn't need to tie a knot.  I worried that everything was too loose.  I realized that after working a few rows the join tightened up on its own.  Hooray!  It took practice, but now I don't panic when I get to the end of a ball of yarn, or avoid patterns that have more than one color. Then I started knitting.  Now I have to learn how to attach new yarn all over again!  There are different techniques depending on what kind of needles you use.  It's challenging because it's new, but I'm sure that with practice it will get easier.  There is one thing that's the same - the loose ends.  No matter what you do or how you do it there are going to be ends that need to be woven in. This is my least favorite part of knitting and crochet.  I procrastinate and leave it until the end, and I always worry that it's going to come undone and my hard work will unravel right before my eyes.  I don't think I'm alone in this - am I?

Then I heard about the Russian Join.  It sounded really difficult, like it involved weaving and grafting and maybe even a little magic.  It also seemed too good to be true.  A clean join with no ends to weave in? Nonsense!  So for a long time I steered clear.  Until a few months ago when I stumbled across this post and decided to give it a try.  It was so easy, the results were beautiful and you know the best part - no ends to weave in!!  It's not appropriate in every situation, but now whenever possible this is my go to method.  Even if you don't think you'll like it, I encourage you to give this a try.  Just once, and see if it doesn't become a favorite in your bag of tricks!

Pretty nifty isn't it?  Once your yarns are joined and stitched into the fabric it's nearly impossible to tell where the breaks are.  Take a look at this fingerless mitt.  I actually had to mark where the join was after I did it

to knit straight through.  Now there are no lumps in the bottom of the sock and the only ends that need to be woven in are from when I cast on and after I bind off.

That's it friends!  I sure hope you'll take a few minutes to give it a try.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the instructions.  My goal is to make them as clear as possible - so your feedback is important.  I'd also love to hear from anyone who uses this type of join.  Your tips and pointers are always welcome, so don't be shy!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me.
Until next time,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

Greetings Friends!

I recently posted a pictorial how-to on crocheting the cluster shell stitch.  While taking the pictures for the post I decided to shoot a few short videos as well, because sometimes it helps to see someone go through the motions.  Without further ado I give you my video debut!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Hope you found the videos helpful.  I had fun making and editing them, so perhaps there are more in the future... Look out YouTube!
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

Greetings!
Today I want to tell you about the shell stitch.  It's one of my favorites and is so easy that anyone can do it.  Really.  If you know the basics (chain (ch), single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), etc.) than you have the skills you need.  Even if you're a beginner refining your technique, working the shell is excellent practice that will build your confidence and add an interesting new element to your repertoire.

So what is the shell stitch?  Well, it's a group of individual stitches that are all worked into the same stitch together. Sometimes it's called the fan stitch.  There's a very clear description on About.com that you can check out for details on the most common configurations.  I hear so many crocheters say, "I can't do that." I always tell them, if you can do a sc and a dc you can do most anything.  All you have to do is try.  Just relax and take it one step at a time.  You'll be amazed at what happens!

Once you understand the technique, you can combine stitches in a variety of ways to create all kinds of different fabrics.  They can be open and lacy or closed and dense.  Of course the yarn you choose has a big impact on the end result.  Shells are also commonly used as decorative edgings on everything from afghans to lace hankies. Here are a few examples.  All of these are made with worsted acrylic and an H/5.00 mm hook (I think).

When working with a pattern that uses a shell stitch you will usually find the instructions written out at the beginning often under a heading like Special Stitches.  In the body of the pattern it will tell you when to use the "shell" and how many you should have at the end of the row.  Let's take a look at the Cluster Shell.  Each shell is made up of  (sc, ch1, dc) worked into the (same) indicated stitch or space.  Remember, the parentheses mean that you work all of the stitches together.  Easy right?  To work the shell in a pattern you need a foundation chain that is (3 chs +5). Which means that your chain needs to be a multiple of 3 plus 5.  So a chain of say 38 will give you 11 shells (each shell is made up of 3 stitches and 11x3=33) plus your starting/turning chain 5 (33+5=38).

Here's how you get started:
Make your foundation chain (let's use the ch38)
Row 1: Shell (sc,ch1,dc) in the 5th ch from hook, *sk next 2 ch, shell in next ch: repeat from * across to last 3 ch, sk next 2 ch, sc in last ch. Turn. (11 shells made)
Row 2: Ch 3, shell in each ch-1 sp across, sc in top of turning ch. Turn. (11 shells made)
Repeat Row 2 for shell pattern.

That's it.  That's all there is to it.  It's easy to memorize and doesn't require anything more than 3 simple stitches.  The end result is a beautiful fabric that is quite sturdy and has a unique texture.  It's also reversible making it perfect for blankets and scarves.

So there you have it!  I hope that this shell story has given you some new information and maybe even inspired you to give it a try.  Whether it's this pattern or another I think the key to being successful is taking it one step at a time.  Pattern instructions can seem intimidating and confusing.  But when you break them down to the individual stitches that make them up, you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me.
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!