The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

February 12, 2015
by Tammy
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Knit Even, Learning a New Crafting Language!



If you have watched any of my video podcasts, then you know what I’m working on, and you probably have seen bits and pieces of this little knitted baby kimono I’m making for my grandniece, Crystal Jewel. It is a free Lion Brand pattern called “Comfy Kimono,” and I am using Lion Brand’s Baby Soft yarn in the Circus Print colorway. I have one more sleeve to knit, and then it will be time to stitch it all together. I’m so happy with how it’s turning out!

Making this project has been a learning experience for sure! My latest lesson was on the knitting term “work even.” Yup. I was zipping along fairly well with the back and front pieces. Then when I was about half way through the sleeve, the instructions said “work 3 rows even.” Er, what? Was I working uneven before?

According to the Lion Brand web site, “work even” means to “continue in the established pattern without increasing or decreasing,” which in this particular case meant to keep doing stockinette. Why not just say that? Good question, but hey, it is one of the many little lessons I learn as I continue to learn to knit.

February 8, 2015
by Tammy
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Gemstones, Paints, Beads

A Bead A Day
Have you ever received a gift of healing through gemstones? Lisa shares her story and is on the lookout for a special finding.

Art Bead Scene
Check out what happened on Ema’s snow day!

Any Occasion Low Cost Gift Ideas to Make in Minutes
When you have a bunch of gifts to hand out and don’t want to break the bank, think of something clever, funny, or thoughtful which will fit in a handmade envelope. Here are Eileen’s Valentines for guy and girlfriends.

Paintings That Recharge the Spirit
Cherie works on paintings to help recharge her soul.

Beading Arts
Cyndi shares her first Bead Journal Project piece of the new year, along with a tutorial! She’s working on 3D forms this year.

February 7, 2015
by Tammy
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Valentine Crafting, Resin Molds, & Bright Ideas

A Bead A Day
Looking for a bright pop of color on a gray winter day? Lisa’s sharing her latest bead stash…hello NEON!

Winners & Frogging!
Winners are announced for the Crafty Princess Diaries Podcast, and there is some sad frogging news as well.

I Love Resin
If you would like to see a fabulous mold making project inspired by Paris, you will need to view part one and two of this post.

Art Bead Scene
Take a peek inside the Tesori Trovati Studio with Erin, and see where her fallow season has been leading her…into the world of mixed-media art!

Handmade valentine Gifts Galore
Eileen has gathered up her favorite handmade Valentine crafts, which have been created and published on The Artful Crafter over the past ten years.

Beading Arts
Cyndi shares the steps to making one of her free-form bead embroidered necklaces.

Here Comes the Bride
Cherie starts a series of paintings with brides.

February 3, 2015
by Tammy
1 Comment

Episode 14: Winners Announced & Epic Frogging

Welcome to my 14the podcast episode where I announce the winners of the January 2015 Craft Supply Giveaway and discuss crochet, knitting, and bead embroidery, including the saga of some epic frogging I’ve experienced recently.


I have a brief introduction, and then winners are announced at the beginning!

Join the Ravelry group and subscribe to my YouTube channel:

Crafty Princess Diaries Blog/Podcast Ravelry Group

My Youtube Channel

Thank you to tinyknit.com for donating a giftable pattern for my giveaway!

This episode’s tip starts at 3:40.

Finished Objects start at 7:02 and ends around 13:00.

Baby hat patterns are from the Craftsy.com “Circular Knit Lab: Hats Four Ways” class.

M. Richard the Whale

Fan Shawl from Totally Simple Crochet: Over 30 Easy Projects for the Home and to Wear

Works in Progress start around 14:00.

Little Woollie Blog and Jammade.com

Lion Brand Baby Kimono Pattern #L10465

Beaded Embroidery Glass Cab Face: DeeDleBeads and Beadshop.com

Purple and green colored chain is from Dazzle-It.

Future projects at this point is probably more amigurumi.

Craft-Along Info starts at 27:30. Join us & enter to win a $5 giftable Ravelry pattern of your choice!

Photo Montage starts around 29 minutes.

Thanks for watching!

January 26, 2015
by Tammy
3 Comments

Scrap Cat in Progress

I have an accumulation of yarn scraps piling up, and I need to get on making some stuffed toys for the club’s boutique that will be held in a month or so. My thoughts were, then, to figure out a way to combine the scraps into at least one or two toys.

As I was browsing through my collection of amigurmi and toy patterns, I found an adorable cat on the Little Woollie blog that I had downloaded some time ago. As the blogger admits in her description of this project, her “pattern” is sketchy, but I am figuring out, attempting to re-engineer it as necessary, starting with the square, which I could never find the size it should be. I’m going with about 6 inches, and instead of doing a granny type square (because the stuffing would come out), I’m going with a simple single crochet square using an assortment of brightly colored yarn scraps. (And, yes, that is a Younique makeup bag in the background, which I have discovered hold small balls of yarn perfectly for a project like this.)


I have one side finished and have started side number two. I’m not sure how I’m feeling about the ears at this point. Again, the original instructions were kind of…um…not easy for me to follow, so I ended up just making a row of single crochet and then stitching two stitches together on each end of a section to help create a kind of triangular shape.

I will keep you posted on my progress, and of course, I will show my work as I go and hopefully finish soon through my video podcast.

January 26, 2015
by Tammy
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Book Review: Beading All-Stars


Beading All-Stars: 20 Jewelry Projects from Your Favorite Designers (Lark Jewelry & Beading) is published by Lark and came out in September 2014, so it’s relatively new. Retail cost in the US is $27.95 and in Canada $30.95. It is called “all-stars” because the publisher selected what they consider to be “superstar” beaders (not surprisingly who have been published by Lark as well) to design the 20 jewelry projects in the book. Experienced bead weavers will recognize names such as Sherry Serafini, Jamie Cloud Eakin, and Amy Katz for example.

The book is organized with a section for each designer, and in these sections are projects followed by a mini-gallery of her work. The instructions for the projects are very detailed and include colored illustrations, photographs of the finished jewelry pieces, and in some cases design variations. In the back of the book is a nine page techniques section that covers stitch instructions and lots of basic information.

Most of the projects are fairly complex. However, you could easily take parts of some of the projects and use them in different ways. For example, you could take a beaded focal point from a bracelet or necklace and turn it into a pendant and just add a chain or bead strung necklace strand.

For seasoned bead weavers, there is a lot to offer here, and most will be able to settle right into the projects. Adventurous intermediate beaders, I think, will also be able to work through most of the projects. Complete newbies will be inspired by the intricate and beautiful beadwork, but I would hesitate to suggest this as a first-timer’s introduction to bead weaving. It will definitely be something to aspire to though!

January 25, 2015
by Tammy
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TinyKnit Pattern Donation Giveaway Thank You

I have mentioned this a few podcasts, but I wanted to give another shout out and thank you to Linda Browning of TinyKnit.com for offering up one of her knitting patterns as a prize in my January 2015 Giveaway.

For information on how you can enter to win this or a number of other wonderful crafting prizes, read the full details at this link. Along with this great prize for one lucky knitter, other crafters will have a change to win all types of crafting supplies.

Hurry up and enter if you haven’t already. There is only 1 week left of this month!

January 25, 2015
by Tammy
0 comments

Bracelets, Beads, Hearts, & More

The Plans He Has for Us
Cherie ponders a favorite Bible verse in her creation of art this week.

Beads, Knitting, and Cuteness
Lots of crafting in the latest Crafty Princess Diaries Podcast, including bead weaving, knitting, crochet, ending with a cute photo montage of finished objects.

I Love Resin!
This step by step shows you how to make big buttons new pendants with resin.

Ornaments aren’t Just for Christmas Anymore
Eileen made a bunch of decoupaged wooden hearts and hung them on a Valentine’s tree.

Beading Arts
Cyndi explores using extra wide ribbon as a canvas for simple bead embroidery…and ends up with a cute bracelet!

January 24, 2015
by Tammy
4 Comments

Book Review: Nicky Epstein Knitting Block by Block



Nicky Epstein Knitting Block by Block came out in 2010 and is published by Potter Craft. It is a chunky hardback book of 240 pages and retails for $29.99 in the US and $34.00 in Canada. The concept of the book is that you can design and create various types of finished knits by simply arranging and stitching knitted blocks.

The book includes 150 block patterns, so there is a lot of technique-type information provided, including graphs and step by step instructions for each block pattern. In the back, there is also a visual glossary of all the blocks with the idea that you could copy the page, cut out the block photos, and arrange them to help you create your own designs. At the very least, you could obviously use the blocks to create a wide assortment of afghan patterns. However, there are projects as well for those who may not be ready to design.

The first few pages of the book include a photo gallery of projects, and then the instructions for thirteen projects are in the last portion of the book. While there are some projects for blankets, the projects also include scarves, sweaters, a tote, and even a few cute toys. Most of the projects are a little on the bulky side, perfect for very cold weather, but I have to admit I was disappointed to see one project, Winter Solstice Hooded Scarf, use yarn fur, real fur, not faux. As I am anti-fur, this bothered me.

Experienced knitters and those who either design already or are thinking of trying to design will find the technical section, which makes up  the majority of the text, interesting and helpful.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.