Tatamy from Kraemer Yarns

You know the only thing I love as much as working with an old favorite yarn is working with a new delicious yarn. I'll give you two guesses what I have been doing... that's right I found a new delicious yarn, Tatamy from Kraemer Yarns. You are going to want to set your needles down and listen to me rave about this yummy yarn.

I have worked with both cotton and acrylic, and a myriad of various blend with each, but I don't think I have ever felt a cotton blend that was as soft and beautiful to work with as Tatamy. This is a DK weight, 45/cotton - 55/acrylic blend from Kraemer Yarns. As soon as I gave it the squeeze test I knew a shawl project was born. I love a soft shawl. I worked in Pearl and Navy, which when combined gave a lovely nautical look, as you can see. 

What I really want to stress is how nice this was to work with. As I mentioned it was very soft, and it didn't leave the little yarn trail line on my guiding finger as cotton blends often do. The yarn glides effortlessly on the needles and I didn't have any splitting issues. There were no knots, and no uneven sections. It has been a joy to work with. You can see from the work in progress, which is unblocked and still on needles that the stitches are even and the lay is gorgeous! I can't wait to see how it blocks out. It is going to be stunning.

Tatamy DK is available in 8 pastels, and 16 Tatamy Tweed colors as solids. While you are on their website make sure you browse all of the quality yarns available and stay connected on Facebook and Ravelry so you never miss a new shade, blend or special.

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Spring Collection from Louet

My lovely knitters, I have something fabulous to tell you about. You know I love to create shawls and I am always looking the next level. When I saw the Spring Collection from Louet, which is filled with beautiful patterns, I had to make a shawl.

Louet generously sent me the Zambra pattern and my choice of Euroflax colors to knit the pattern. I selected Angelfish Blue, Orchid and Cream. Zambra is two shawl patterns by Susanna IC.  The first is a crescent shawl that is knit using three colors, three skeins, one of each color. The second is a rectangular stole knit using similar pattern stitches and two skeins of one color.  

I decided to knit the beautiful crescent version. Since things are warming up here, I was looking for a unique and light shawl and this one is just perfect. However, after how much I enjoyed working with the yarn and the pattern, I will also be making the stole. It's stunning as well; all of the patterns in the collection are.

The pattern itself is very easy to follow with a mix of written instructions and charts. It was my very first time making wrap and turn short rows but it wasn't hard at all and the result was stunning. I am also not a pro at lace, but the pattern was written so well that I was able to easily make the beautiful, lacy edges.

Speaking of firsts, this was also my first experience with linen. It was a dream to work with. It is a little stiff which actually served to help me manage the stitches. I didn't have any issues at all working with it. It felt good in my hands, good across my fingers and moved effortlessly across my needles. I found it didn't have any splitting issues either. After a wash and dry it has a beautiful drape and is much softer.

You can find the collection on Ravelry HERE, and on the Louet site HERE. There are 12 patterns in the collection. 11 are knit, and one is crochet.

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Lace Shawls From Doris Chan

You all know I love shawls, I love lace, and I love everything girly. Of course, when I saw Amazing Crochet Lace from one of the best designers, so I heard, I had to try it! 

First, I want to say the patterns inside were all totally stunning, there is no denying that. That said, I made two and both of them where so riddled with error I had to use the charts to figure out what was going on. I am a total novice at reading charts so it made it super hard and took all of the fun out of it. Unless you read charts, or are a great crocheter that can look at something and figure it out, I would say stay away from this book.

The first one I did was off the cover, I used Caron Eco and it took almost three skeins. I really loved the way it turned out. I gave this one as a gift but now that I have my pattern correction notes, I might make one for myself. 

Up next, I wanted to do a pineapple one because I had heard they were challenging and I wanted to test my skills. I think it was challenging because the pattern was a hot mess and not because of the pineapples. Either way, I love the shawl and will be making more pineapple patterns very soon. 

While the end result is lovely, I must say buyer beware on the book as it is full of errors. I wish I had read the reviews on Amazon before getting the book myself.  

Shawls!

Yep, more shawls. I love shawls and these won't be the last shawls you see me make either!! 

This first is one called the road trip scarf which is easy enough to make into a shawl you just keep going with the pattern, which you can easily find for free if you google it. I edged it with some sparkly special yarn to give it am extra fun touch.

This shawl was from a chart in Russian so it may not even be right since my chart reading skills are less than ... well lets just say it was all guesswork. I think it came out awesome though and it was my favorite shawl this past Fall. 

The shawl below is a reading shawl I found in a library book and made for my dearest friend. Every time she wears it she gets asked requests to make it! I love that she loves it and so does every one who sees it. 

More Hats For the Kids!

Making and sending hats is so much fun! There is just no end to how creative you can be!! 

In the next care package there were three...

The one for My daughter was a lot of fun and made in three parts. First the hat, and then the horns which are stuffed to stand up better and last the beard which took as long and even more yarn than the hat did. 
  

Next, was a fun little monkey for my grandson. It actually has a stuffed nose to give it great dimension.

And last .. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea??? LOL I had so much fun with this one and use several patterns to get the complete look I wanted... bonus it is actually square. 

GL-Sail Fine Art Oil Colored Pencils

By now, you guys should know that I like to color. It is one of my favorite ways to relax! Of course, coloring is much more enjoyable when you have some good quality pencils in your hand. I recently got the chance to try out the GL-Sail Fine Art Oil Colored Pencils and I really like them. First off, they came packaged in a box, rather than the roll and I really appreciate that. It ensured that my pencils arrived safely. 

The roll that is included is absolutely adorable! I love the colorful, tribal design; it is perfect for the set. The 48 pencils are all numbered, which is great so you can easily keep them in order in your roll. The flap at the top of the roll protects your pencils and also keeps them from falling out or marking on anything else, which is really nice.

The colors are super saturated and can be used lightly, or heavily, to give you an even wider variety of shades. They also glide very easily over your paper and feel nice in your hand. Blending them is a breeze as well, which is really nice.

This set of GL-Sail Fine Art Oil Colored Pencils is awesome and I can easily recommend them! They are very high quality pencils and come in a sturdy, durable roll. The price point is great as well! You can pick up a set for yourself, or the artist in your life, on Amazon!


Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Smart Art Box

I have reviewed a lot of subscription boxes so it takes a lot to really "wow" me. I recently got the chance to try out the Smart Art Box and I am really, really impressed with it! This box is truly in a class of it's own! For $49.95, you get a new artistic medium sent straight to your door every month. Included in the price, are shipping and everything you need to fully manipulate the medium. You also get a pamphlet with some history on the medium and a step-by-step guide for a project.

This month the medium was acrylic paint. In the box, we got a Creative Inspirations 6 piece acrylic paint set (120ml bottles; very generous), a 3 piece Simply Simmons Oil and Acrylic brush set and wallet, a 4oz Mona Lisa Pink Soap, a Creative Mark All Edge Media Cotton Canvas (8"x10"), and a 10-well plastic palette. These are all wonderful quality supplies and would easily cost over the subscription cost if bought separately.

My boyfriend is the artist in the family so he was super excited to get a chance to play with a new medium. Usually, he works with pens, pencils, and charcoals so paint was new for him. He really enjoyed playing with the different brush strokes and colors. He followed the step-by-step guide easily and created this beautiful painting!

If you are an artist, or have an artist close to you, I think a Smart Art Box subscription would be a great gift! Playing with a new medium every month is fun, educational, and inspirational. Visit the Smart Art Box wesbite to learn more! Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter to never miss any news!

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Tranquilogy Adult Coloring Books: Volume 1

I love to color. It is one of those things that I have never grown out of. I think it is so relaxing and a great way to completely clear your mind for a period of time; I love it! Usually, since my boyfriend is an artist, I color his drawings for him. Of course, that is always fun, but it is more nerve-racking than relaxing because I don't want to ruin this image that he just worked so hard to create. That being said, it was really nice to color a picture and not have to worry about messing it up, or shading and shadowing!

I got to try out a copy of Tranquilogy: Volume 1 and I love the images included! There are 45 different images ranging from really complicated to really simple which is nice. There are also little inspirational quotes on the back of the pages, which is a nice feature. My only complaints are that the paper isn't very thick, which is okay for me since my preferred medium is color pencils, but someone who prefers a wetter medium may not like that. Also, the pages aren't perforated. 

Despite these little issues, I do really enjoy this book and the images included. I love the quotes and the range of pictures with varying difficulty. There is something for everyone and every mood. If you would like to try out this adult coloring book for yourself, which I really recommend, you can purchase it on Amazon for a great price!


Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Crochet Refresher by Sharon Silverman

One thing I hear a lot when I am out and about with my crochet is that someone used to crochet and would love to start again. I understand because when I put it down, sometimes longer than I like, I need a little refresher myself. If you find yourself in need of some projects that will help you find your love for crochet again, and brush up your skills, look no further than Crochet Refresher by Sharon Silverman.

The best part for me is that this isn't just a stitch guide. While it has instructions for the stitches, it is more than that. In addition to providing you with the basic instructions for the stitches that are used throughout the guide, you will find a few more complicated stitch refreshers and techniques. While you are brushing up you are making projects for babies, and you know we as crocheters are always making baby things. These projects are just adorable! I mean seriously adorable. 

The projects start out very basic with a washcloth that uses very easy stitches. I like that the most basic is a small project because I like to progress quickly. Plus, washcloths are so useful and make great gifts to stuff in baby shower gift baskets. I can honestly say that, so far, every time I learn a new stitch or technique I start with either a washcloth or a scarf. 

You will also find several blankets that are just adorable and look way more complicated than they are. And did you see the hat? I included a picture of the most adorable hat! I will need to make several of these for the holidays. All of these patterns are clearly written and easy to follow but if you struggle, you will find that there are video resources to help you along.

Take some time to browse Leisure Arts' great selection and make sure you also connect with Leisure Arts on Facebook and Twitter so that you never miss a special or new pattern! Also, if you sign up for their knitting or crochet newsletters, you get a free pattern on Fridays!

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Trendz Afgahn Hooks from Knitters pride

Hello crafters! I hope you have been up to something creative and beautiful. You may recall me telling you about the Trendz knitting needles set a little while back, which was fabulous, or perhaps the double ended crochet hooks, also fabulous. Since you know how I feel about the materials used in Trendz, it should come as no surprise that when I needed afghan hooks I wanted Trendz.


As with the other hooks, the Trendz Afghan Hooks are designed by crafters, so they know what we are looking for in a hook. They feel good in your hand and actually seem to warm up as you use them. They give a little grab on the yarn which is wonderful for slippy yarns, which I always struggle with, or tricky stitches. They do have a little flexibility as well, which I find that I love.

The tips slip easily into my stitches and don't catch, split or snag any of the yarns I use. Since they are afghan hooks, you will notice they have a metal bottom that looks different to a traditional hook and that is so you can attach cords to hold on more stitches if you are working on a large Tunisian project.

They are available in sizes five to twelve millimeter, which is great because I do love to work with chunky yarns. I so enjoyed making the reflective scarf for my sister that as soon as these hooks arrived, I started one for myself done in HDC in the back loops to give that awesome ridged look.

You can find details about these and their other great products offered by Knitter's Pride on their website and stay in touch with them on Facebook as well. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers. 

Knitter's Pride Marblz Interchangeable Deluxe Set

When it comes to knitting, you know I love a good quality set of needles, and you also know that I love Knitter's Pride. I had been eyeing the lovely Marblz needles because they are just stunning to look at, of course, but also because of my experience with Knitter's Pride, I knew they would be a pleasure to knit with.

I had to get the Marblz Interchangeable Deluxe Set. As I said the first thing that drew me in was the beauty. These are hand-crafted colors and the patterns have been developed in a special way so that each needle appears exclusive and different than the other. Seriously, who doesn't want a set of one-a-kind pieces of functional art?

Not that I will ever grow tried of admiring them, but I want to pause on that and talk about the functionality. The needles have a bit of grab and that makes working with more delicate and slippy yarns so much easier. I am a stitch dropper so I really appreciate a grabby needle. It is also very helpful when you are doing stitches that take fiddling, as they tend to slip off when you are maneuvering, well, for me anyways.

They have gradually tapered points that easily go into stitches, even my more stressed out and tighter stitches. The weight is light and they are a little flexible, both of which makes the time I can knit longer as it helps to slow down hand fatigue.

The set comes with 18 Marblz Interchangeable Circular Needles (9 sizes – 2 needle tips in each size US 4 (3.5mm) to US 11 (8.0mm)) packed in attractive Black & White faux leather case with see through vinyl. The case it really handy. It has a spot for all the needles as well as a place to keep the 4 Cords (to make 24", 40" & 2 of 32"), 8 End caps, 4 Cord keys, and 1 Set of cord connectors that come with the set as well.

This is my very favorite set now and I can't begin to tell you how nice they are to knit with. You need to get a set and fall in love with them yourself. You can find details about these and their other great products offered by Knitter's Pride on their website and stay in touch with them on Facebook as well. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers. 

Learn to Knook Value Pack from Leisure Arts

I'd like to chat with my crocheters today. Perhaps, like me, you have looked at the dense knitted fabrics and thought, "Wow, I wish I could do that". I can knit, but I have made no secret that my knitting often takes forever and way too often ends ups getting pulled out in frustration. 

What if I told you there is a really fun and easy way to get the same look with a crochet hook? The Knook will have you making beautiful, knitted looking fabrics in no time. I found my Knook at Leisure Arts where I purchased the Learn to Knook Value Pack. 

Included in the value pack is the Expanded Beginner Set which uses light, medium, and bulky weight yarns to make small, medium, and large projects, including full-size afghans, which you know are my favorite. The set has five bamboo Knooks in sizes E-3.5 mm, G-4.0 mm, H-5.0 mm, I-5.5 mm, and J-6.0 mm; 5 cords in two 36" lengths, two 72", and one 120"; 3 cord clips; 3 yarn needles; and a complete how-to book with 24 pages of step-by-step beginner instructions for both right- and left-handed users.

The book also includes three easy projects--a cowl, baby blanket, and lap robe. You will find that the pictures are wonderfully illustrative and if you need more guidance, there are free how-to videos and more patterns at www.LeisureArts.com. 

Also included, was the Learn to Knook book which is a guidebook that gives you more instructions, as well as projects to get you started. It has instructions that will increase on what you learned in the booklet that came with the set so that you can learn how to do decreases and increases, finish seams, change colors, make cables, knit in the round, and more.

These feel like my regular bamboo hook except these crochet hooks have a hole in one end for a cord to hold your stitches as you create true knitted fabric. Once you get down the basics, you will be pretty amazed at how easy it is to do. I liked the feel of the hooks and found they glide easy with the yarns I used. 

Have you tried Knooking? I'd love to hear about what you have made. If you haven't yet, you will find it on a fifty percent sale right now, so it is the perfect time to learn how to use this cool tool!

Take some time to browse Leisure Arts' great selection and make sure you also connect with Leisure Arts on Facebook and Twitter so that you never miss a special or new pattern! Also, if you sign up for their knitting or crochet newsletters, you get a free pattern on Fridays!

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Karbonz Interchangeable Deluxe Set from Knitter's Pride

If you are like me, when you find a brand that works for you, you stick with it. Knitter's Pride is my brand for both crochet and knitting tools. I get really excited each time I see something new added to their website.

Last time I was browsing the site, the Karbonz Interchangeable Deluxe Set caught my attention immediately. I was curious to see how they would feel since I have never used a anything made with carbon fiber. When they arrived I immediately cast on and the first thing I noticed was that I liked the amount of flexibility. They are ridged enough to give you perfect, even stitches with the slightest amount of give, that I often need as I stitch tight. 

The tips are tapered, smooth, brass and glide easily into my stitches; even my stressed out stitches. I found them to be very light weight and easy to knit with. The weight made them perfect for longer knitting sessions, which if you are like me, often happens on the weekend. I also noticed they were warm in my hands also adding to the length of time I could knit.

This set of nine includes US sizes: 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. There are four cords that allow you to make lengths from 24" to 40" and there are also size marker end caps and cord keys. All of this comes in a beautiful grey and black fabric, zippered case that has a clear vinyl front and will easily fit in my purse for easy travel since it lays flat. The set really has everything you will need and the needle sizes cover all of the patterns I have wanted to start.

When it comes to quality, I have always been with Knitter's Pride and I have a lot of sets in their various materials. This set also feels to be made of the highest quality materials and I trust I will be knitting with them for a long time to come. I would highly recommend these if you are looking for a new needle set.

You can find details about these and their other great products offered by Knitter's Pride on their website and stay in touch with them on Facebook as well. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers. 

Easyloop Fauxchet Available at Leisure Arts

I have a multi-use tool for all my fiber artists. Maybe you are a knitter who struggles with the hook or a hooker who wants a denser knitted look to their fabrics. In either case, the Fauxchet that I picked up from Leisure Arts can help. I am always game when it comes to new ways to play with yarn, so I was pretty excited to get to try one. 

In addition to giving a denser looking fabric that is a cross between knit and crochet, you can also use the tool to do beading, seaming, edging, or to do top & loop stitching. It can also be used on canvas projects including those cool canvas rug designs. The tool itself is very lightweight plastic with three metal tips that look like the eye end of a needle. The eyes are pretty large and easy to thread as it is designed to be used with worsted or bulky weight yarns. 

I took the Easyloop tool with me on a short road trip to past time; as you know I don't travel well. I practiced the chain stitch, which my crocheters know is very important to master before moving on. At first, I definitely struggled with consistency but by the end of my trip I had a nice chain and I feel like I am ready to move on to learning stitches.   

With the tool came a little booklet that had two patterns for easy scarves using the basic tools and also a link to the website where you can find useful videos as well as free PDF. You can also find more resources on the Leisure Arts website as well.

Are you ready to learn a new way to do yarn crafts? If so, I think you will find the Easyloop Fauxchet is the most versatile tool available. I love how many different things you an do with it! Head over and take some time to browse Leisure Arts' great selection and make sure you also connect with Leisure Arts on Facebook and Twitter so that you never miss a special or new pattern! Also, if you sign up for their knitting or crochet newsletters, you get a free pattern on Fridays!

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.