The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

June 11, 2014
by Tammy
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Another Baby Ghan Off the Hook!



Along with full skeins of baby yarn, I had an assortment of large yarn scraps, so I decided to put them all together and make this 30×30 inch granny square style baby afghan. It’s always nice to work on a simple project like this during the evenings while watching TV, and they work up so fast. Plus, since I plan to do some baby yarn destashing and my niece is pregnant and will be getting lots of baby knits from me, I decided to participate in The Knit Grillls‘ Stash Dash 2014, a yearly event hosted by these podcasters as a way for yarn crafters to clear out their yarn stash, so of course, they can acquire more yarn!

So far, I’m up to 1512 yards, which means I have 3956 yards to go before I reach the 5k requirement or 5468 yards of yarn. Once I get my Fan Afghan done, I will have a lot more yardage to add to my total and a lot less yarn in the stash. I am past the half way point on it. While I am concentrating on my Knit Lab class too, I’m still crocheting when I need some yarn fun where I don’t have to think so much, and the fan stitch is super fast and easy to do.

June 10, 2014
by Tammy
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Starting 2nd Knit Lab Scarf



The second project for the Craftsy.com Knit Lab class I’m taking is yet another scarf (le sigh), but as with the first scarf project for the class, this one also provides a way to learn new stitches and techniques. The project is called the Seed Stitch Cambridge Scarf, and it is made up of seed stitch and basket stitch. Both require that you toggle back and forth between knit and purl stitches, so to say that my brain is bruised is an understatement. This is one of those projects that I have to totally focus on or it’s toast with just one wrong stitch!

To top it off, it took me awhile to pick the right yarn. I have some wonderful City Tweed in the Blue Blood colorway and already have a hat made out of it so thought this would be perfect to make a scarf to go with the hat.




This combined with aluminum needles just didn’t work. I could not see the stitches clearly enough as I was working, and as I said, that’s super important because if you do a purl instead of a knit, you are pretty much screwed.

Then I got the brilliant idea of using smaller bamboo needles since my aluminum ones are super long and going back and forth from knit to purl was really awkward feeling. I went with a different yarn too, some beautiful blue (the Tranquil colorway 80% superwash Merino wool, 10% nylon, and 10% cashmere) that I had left over from a pair of fingerless gloves I made for the hubby. The stitch definition was much better, but then as I worked away I realized (duh!) the pattern was written to use size 7 US needles, so this yarn, which was sock weight, was way too thin. I would have a really small scarf if I kept going.

Finally, I went with size 6 bamboo needles and some 2-ply (sort of a worsted weight) yarn I had picked up on a sale from Morehouse awhile back. It is in the Soft Pink colorway, and as you can see from the top photo, you can really see the stitches nicely. After two previous attempts, I finally have accomplished some progress and gotten the seed stitch portion completed. Next is the basket stitch section.

June 9, 2014
by Tammy
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Making Molds, Free Templates, Jewelry Inspirations

Fluttering Monarch Butterfly Flies Out to Meet Card Recipient
You’ll find the directions and downloadable template on The Artful Crafter. Be sure not to miss the video of the butterfly in flight!

A Bead A Day
Sometimes you just gotta resort to smiley faces! Lisa shares how she started off her week with a smiley face bracelet packed with personality!

Mixing Jewelry and Drawing
Andrew brings together his training as a fine artist and a jewelry-maker to create these fun “drawing brooches.”

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Jean reviews the fun-loving and chic jewelry design book, STYLISH JEWELRY MADE SIMPLE !

Resin Crafts Blog
Did you know you can make a mold in 25 minutes? Really, what are you waiting for?

June 7, 2014
by Tammy
2 Comments

Fan Afghan Begins



I’m starting another baby afghan. This one has a designated home for sure. My niece is expecting, and she likes bright colors, specifically yellow, turquoise, green, and orange. I had about 3 skeins of Vanna’s Choice Baby yarn in the Sweet Pea colorway in my baby yarn stash, and I ordered some additional Knit Picks Brava yarn in Canary. Because Knit Picks tends to be a little thinner than most yarns, I went with bulky for this, and it’s working.



See here I started adding the yellow yarn, super bright and cheerful! I found the stitch, called Fan Stitch, in a stitch dictionary, and I plan to make 10 rows of each color. I’m using a size J hook, and I started with about 120 chain stitches. The stitch is very addicting, and so I hope to whip this afghan out really fast.

June 5, 2014
by Tammy
1 Comment

Free Crochet Craftsy.com Class



I’m taking a brief break from my Knit Lab Craftsy class while I finish up another baby afghan so decided to watch a new class I signed up for called “Amazing Crochet Textures.” It is a free class offered by Craftsy and is taught by Drew Emborsky (aka The Crochet Dude). The class includes five lessons (I’m about half way through them so far) and covers elements for creating textures with yarn stitches like the cables and post stitches. Like most classes from Craftsy, it centers around a project, so you actually make something while you learn various techniques. For this class, the project is a 34 x 42 inch afghan. Written and charted instructions are provided in a downloadable pdf file.

Drew is a wonderful instructor and gives very clear explanations and helpful tips as he goes through each part of the process. I like that this class is for someone that has a little crochet experience but is not necessarily an expert. I think you should be able to do chain stitch, single crochet, and double crochet before taking this class, but that’s about all you need to know, and those are pretty simple stitches most beginners learn right away.

So other than it’s a great class, hey, this is a free class! Go sign up for it now, seriously! Did I saw it was free? Hopefully, we will see more of Drew on Craftsy as well as more crochet classes. I love that there are lots of knitting classes, but we crochters need more choices over there too.

June 2, 2014
by Tammy
3 Comments

Put a Fork in It: 1st Knitted Craftsy Project



Here it is blocked, tails woven in, all done, my first Knit Lab project! I already knew garter stitch fairly well before taking this class, and I had a little bit of a handle on purling. However, along with covering those stitches, this project taught me how to knit two stitches together, yarn over, and steam block. And I kind of like the finished project because it’s small and relatively fast to make.

The yarn is from Drew Emborsky’s Decades line of yarns in the Iconic blend and Fer Sure colorway. I used size 7 needles, just some very old aluminum Boyes my mom gave me from her old knitting stash, as she no longer knits.

The next project in the class is another scarf (le sigh….really tired of scarves I have to admit), but I’m pressing on and hope to finish this class before my summer break is over.

June 1, 2014
by Tammy
2 Comments

ChiagoGoo Goodness and a Chunk O’Yarn



Since I happened to be in the area near a favorite yarn store of mine this weekend (Knit and Stitch Boutique), I decided to go ahead and get supplies for the Circular Knit Lab Craftsy class I plan to complete after I finish the current Knit Lab class I’m taking. The projects for this next class require double pointed needles and circular needles. I am still finding my way through knitting so hoped the knowledgeable people at the shop could help me, and they did. They are always so nice and friendly there.



I ended up with this huge cake of Marble Chunky yarn in the blue/violet colorway. Believe it or not, it’s acrylic, but I loved the color mix, and hey, washable is always a good thing. Plus, it was $15. Some of the other yarn I was fondling was going to run a lot more, and while I do believe in using good materials even when you are starting out, I was not up for making a $50 hat just yet.



The lady in the shop who was helping me suggested ChiaoGoo needles. Since I have not heard anything bad about this brand and have really no basis for comparison, I went with her suggestion. The tube connecting the circulars feels very flexible, and the bamboo parts have really nice points on them. Of course, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that to make 1 hat I need all these needles, but luckily I didn’t spend a ton on my purchase, just a tad over $30, which is a record low for me in this shop.

June 1, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Ornaments, Beads, Earrings, and Yarn Goodness

Mixed Media Artist
Will this be the summer that you add altered books and handmade journals to your repertoire?

Beachy Souvenir Copper Coin Earrings
These drop earrings were made using souvenir pressed coins from Busch Gardens and Sea World in San Diego. Pressing them through the machine is fun, but then you get home and wonder, “What am I ever going to do with these?” Here’s one solution!

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Jean has some free and very cool project tutorials, including one she created herself! These include a variety of cool techniques–sure to appeal to all creative people!

Of Faces and Fairies
Charlene finds some gorgeous handmade fairy face pendants and charms she just has to share.

Learn to Knit
Yippy – doo – dah – day! With the help up the Knit Lab Craftsy class, the Craftsy Princess is learning to knit, for real!

Art Bead Scene
Check out Claire Lockwood’s neat tutorial for using flower bud beads to create some beautiful earrings.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
A sleepless night results in some cool, Day of the Dead Sugar Skull ornaments.

Carmi’s Art/Life World
I have a new necklace featuring small pendants created from vintage french brocade ribbon.

Resin Crafts Blog
Wondering what else can be done with Washi tape? Try embedding it in resin, it looks amazing!

May 29, 2014
by Tammy
2 Comments

Another Star Afghan & More Stash Busting!



Because I was so close to finishing this baby afghan, I set my knitting aside today and finished this up. It’s another star afghan. With this one, I made it larger using 2 skeins of Bernat Softee Baby in pink and about 1 plus skeins of the same brand of yarn in Baby Denim Marl.

The center pink is 10 rows, then the blue is 10 rows, then the next pink section is 9 rows, and then after that I trimmed it with the blue yarn, one row of single crochet followed by one row of half-double crochet. It ended to be about 45 inches.

This made a good dent in the baby yarn stash, but I still have a fair amount of various blues, so I think I will whip up a granny square style one. I like baby afghans that start from the center and work out because that way I don’t have to worry about the end size so much. I really don’t want to have to go out and buy yarn to finish up a project when I’m trying to destash!