I’m working on some baby hats and booties for a local charity, and I need just a few more skeins to finish up some booties. Though I cringe at the thought of going to Walmart, it really has had the best prices on yarn in general and definitely Bernat baby yarn, which is my first choice for making crochet baby items. So today, I figured I’d stop by and just get a few skeins and be on my way home after school.

Low and behold, what do I find? Bernat Baby Softee in pink, yellow, and blue on clearance, $2 a skein. These are normally $3.28 at Walmart. For some reason the same type in purple and mint were $2.50. The Bernat Baby Jacquards were marked down to $3.

I quickly checked my wallet to see how much cash I had, and filled my arms up! However, I had the nagging feeling. Does this yarn clearance mean the end of Bernat yarn at Walmart? I posted the sale on a Yahoo crochet list, and ga-zing, I received a number of emails back that yes, indeed, other yarn crafters had heard that Walmart was planning on axing its yarn products!

So the good news is, more than likely you can score some great yarn deals at your local Walmart. The bad news is, this may be the beginning of the end of yarn at Walmart.

Crochet It. Love It. Wear It., a new book that takes crochet to the level of true fashion, is out for early ordering on Amazon.com! The Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky, has really outdone himself with this new book that showcases some of the most elegant clothes I’ve ever seen in a craft book. I watched via Facebook as he uploaded photos of each design onto Flickr, so you can get a good close up over there.

One of the criticisms often made about crochet, especially when compared to its sister stitch knitting, is that crocheted clothing has no drape, that it is often bulky and unattractive. Perhaps this is true sometimes. I have attempted to make a few sweaters myself, which not only didn’t turn out that great (mainly because of the chick behind the hook not necessarily the pattern) but resulted in a thick, clunky piece I would not want to wear in public.

Obviously, it takes a master designer to come up with techniques that work with crochet. Yeah, Drew!

This is Rocky Boo-Boo Powley giving you his googlie-eyed look. He is also silently testifying that pet blankets are much more snuggly buggly when they are made out of baby yarn.

While this blanket has a few, shall we say, well, it’s been “tasted” a few times, it has stood up much longer than another blanket I made for him and his bro (Jasper). I think between the holes (it was a granny square) and acrylic (OMG!), it just did not cut the puppy mustard (or ketchup) in our house! However, this first blanket (which I originally made to give away to babies in need but it didn’t turn out that great so I gave it to our “boys”) has been enjoyed daily. I guess the babies in need lived in my own house, and I just didn’t realize it.

Obviously, this has me pondering the notion of making dog blanket number 3, this time using baby yarn scraps. Oh, and double crochet will be used this time versus granny square.

The site Crochet Me has a free e-book available. You have to be a member of the site, but membership is free. Once you sign up, you can download the book which is pdf format. It includes 6 crochet patterns for babies: a stuffed toy, toddler poncho, shell and posies stitch dress, matching dress and hat, cardigan, and a nursing wrap.

After tonight, my summer break officially starts (for real). Tonight is the college’s commencement ceremony, which means faculty and administrators get dressed up in the old gown and funky hat. As I ironed out the wrinkles in my scholar get-up yesterday, I still felt a great deal of pride when I pulled out my hood. It’s the silky thing that goes around your neck and hangs back over the gown and has the colors of your college on it. In my case, they are gold and royal blue. Let me tell you, I worked hard for that hood, and it just reminds me again and again that hard work and determination does pay off.

Believe it or not, some of the hardest working folks I know are professional craft designers. Projects can take a lot of time to perfect. Getting your work published or landing a paying craft job takes time and can often lead to rejection after rejection before the stars align and you finally hear a “yes.” So I’m very proud to offer you some wonderful links today from my fellow pro-crafters.

The Artful Crafter
How to navigate the sea of digital file extensions.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa shows you how to make Fontalicious Wall Art that is bold, graphic, and fun! And definitely cheap and easy to do!

About Family Crafts
Let’s celebrate Half-Way to Halloween! Some people may think that it is too early to think about Halloween, but actually, Halloween seems to top the of list of people’s favorite crafting holidays.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside’s got a great tutorial on how to paint on fusible web, a photo of a beautiful Roman Stripe quilt from the book-The Quilt, fun photos from a bee field trip with author Kim Flottum and a “Mean Girl” Logo from the book Letterhead & Logo Design 10.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge reviews Jean Campbell’s gorgeous new book Steampunk Style Jewelry.

Cross Stitch at About.com
One of Connie’s friends says the free When This You See pattern looks like a brain. Connie was inspired by the pocketbook plant. No matter what you see, the abstract design with traditional saying will be a fun stitch.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Linda cut out the pieces for another of her Grandma Paper Doll quilts. Check out Violet’s design.

Mixed Media Artist
A wonderful quote by Dorothy Day inspired Cyndi to make a little canvas board assemblage.

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Paper Jewelry inspired by The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques by Vannetta Seecharran.

Crochet Dude
Drew has just released the names and addies of the Michaels test stores nationwide that will be carrying his new line of crochet tools and kits - starting THIS weekend!

Here is the gift I made for my mom last year; it includes a crocheted bath mitt, hand-made soap (which I bought), and card. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out, so I thought it was extra cool that I got to show it off not only here on my blog last year, but this year I am showing it off at the Lion Brand web site also.

They have a blog post asking readers to show off their Mother’s Day crochet projects. You can upload it directly to the site. The deadline is May 12th, and then they will select some favorite photos to publish in their newsletters, blog, and Facebook page.

I posted this photo in one of my Facebook albums but thought it would be fun to share here as well. After taking this picture of “THE” most comfortable cat in the whole wide world, I realized that he is lounging on items that I made a long time ago.

The blue crocheted blanket and the pinkish one across from him were afghans that sort of ran amok. The pillow in the center I also made. I purchased the pillow insert from a fabric store, and I used a pillow case, cut it down to fit around this smaller insert, and stitched it closed. Additionally, the curtains behind him (which I need to replace with new ones) were a sheet that I cut to fit the window and added a casing at the top to fit over a push rod.

As you can see, they all make for a very comfortable spot in front of a window. It feels good to be appreciated.

I just signed up for a new (and free!) crochet newsletter published by the Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky. This is a new endeavor of Drew’s, and I have no doubt it will be a success! You can sign up by going to his web site and scrolling down to the blue linked icon or here is also a direct link to his newsletter sign-up page.

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
How to make a button covered headband with a recycled t-shirt inspired by a project from the book The Paper Bride by Esther K. Smith

The Artful Crafter
Do you dream of designing and making your own jewelry? Here are some tips from Eileen to help you get started.

The Crochet Dude
Drew offers up a great review on the new Debbie Stoller line of yarns “Stitch Nation”.

About Family Crafts
Need an easy, last-minute Valentine’s Day gift or card? Sherri has some great ideas for you!

Aileen’s Musings
Aileen’s offering some whimsical freebie postcards for you to download and send to a friend!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside is in love with a free tattoo style Valentine graphic from the book Design Parts Sourcebook: Rock and Street Culture, a how-to on making a freeform monoprint, dresses folded from maps, and a lovebird puppet.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Since Connie can’t crochet, she decided to create some Cross Stitch Doilies simple enough for beginning stitchers.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Valentine’s Day is looming and Madge shares a swell idea for a combo pin/card your teen can whip up for Mom or Grandmom. These would be cute anytime of year!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi’s “question of the month” is what’s your top ten list of mixed media art blogs to read regularly?

Here is a picture of one of the Christmas projects I managed to finish recently. It is just s simple single and double crochet scarf, but the yarn I used made it extra special: Spa Bamboo Blend from NaturallyCaron.com. This yarn so so soft and silky, it was a dream to run through my fingers! It is a blend of acrylic and rayon from bamboo. My only issue is that it is 3-ply versus 4-ply, which is what I’m used to working with. Plus, many of the patterns I have for stuff like hats ask for 4-ply. Now, if I was a more experienced crochet person, I could probably adapt the patterns, but I’m not. This is why I played it safe with a simple scarf. Hopefully, the recipient will find that it feels wonderful around her neck.