The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

July 4, 2012
by Tammy
2 Comments

Knitting Up Kits from Morehouse Farm

After blabbing about getting the knitting bug here, word is out that I’m now a knitter (though still a newb at it), and I was asked by a rep of Morehouse Farm to try out a few knitting kits. Here is a photo of the Bow Tie Scarf kit, which includes a skein of merino and knitting instructions for the scarf.

Here is the skein that’s inside and behind the instructions included in the package. The colorway is called Fantasea, and it is variegated with shades of green, blues, and a sort of berry color. It is 100% merino, three strand ply, which the instructions also says is worsted weight, 145 yards or about 2 ounces.

To say this yarn is soft I think is an understatement; it’s luscious! I was really surprised at how soft a wool yarn could be. As I cast on, I realized this was not the same kind of wool or even merino I’ve used in the past. It kind of has a silky feel to it.

The kit instructions are pretty basic, but this is a beginning level project so it is not complicated in the sense that there is a lot to explain. So far, I am having great success and love working with this yarn.

The kit sells for $14.60, and it includes the skein and instructions for the scarf. The yarn purchased on its own is $11.40.

Morehouse Farm also sent me this Merino Hat kit ($13.50). It also includes a skein of merino yarn, and these instructions are a little more involved since the project is more advanced than the scarf kit. The instructions are for adult, child regular, adult small, or child small, and explain how to make it either knit flat or knit in the round.

Like I said, I’m now a big fan of the yarn. As far as the kits, I think they are good place for beginners to start or for someone who wants an all in one kind of package; for example they’d make a nice gift if you know some who knits.

July 3, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments

Craft Wars, Another Battle Tuesday 7/3!

From what I read on Twitter and Facebook, the first episode of Craft Wars got some wonderful reviews. Yeah for all use crafters! Hail to the glue gun! Crafting is finally back on TV, and I know crafters will continue to watch. This second episode airs Tuesday 7/3 at 9pm central/10pm eastern, and like the first episode, there will be three crafters competing for $10,000.

I have to say I was pretty amazed about last week’s Master Craft Challenge, but that is nothing compared to what they are asked to do in the second episode. They are given beach gear like beach balls, towels, and surf boards and asked to make a patio set. Yes, “set,” as in more than one thing! Sure, they have 5 hours and some assistants to help them, but they are still scrambling like crazy to finish this huge project. Here are some video highlights:

Remember to watch tonight (Tuesday 7/3) on TLC for more Craft Wars!

July 2, 2012
by Tammy
5 Comments

Crochet Crown Toy Donations

For July, the Crochlist is having a toy donation drive, and I thought it was the perfect excuse to try an adorable crochet crown pattern I found at Stitch 11. I made four crowns, two large (like the one pictured above) and two small (see pictured below). I used Knit Picks Brava in Rouge and a G hook, though the pattern calls for an F.

For the smaller version, I started with 56 chains (instead of 76). In step 4, I slip stitched 20 instead of 24 stitches. Then I ended after the ninth step.

The pattern was a breeze to follow and super fast. After making the first larger crown, it took me way less than an hour to make the other three, and that is with interruptions. This is a great stash buster project, and the toys are going to be donated to Big Hearts with Helping Hands, which is a non-profit group that makes and donates toys to disadvantaged children.

I have these packed and ready to mail out this week. Hopefully, I will squeeze out a few more toys before the end of the month too, but since these were ready to go, I wanted to get them sent.

July 1, 2012
by Tammy
55 Comments

Jewelry Books Big Give-Away!

Lark Crafts recently sent me four books from its 30-Minute series: 30-Minute Earrings, 30-Minute Bracelets, 30-Minute Rings, and 30-Minute Necklaces. I have actually written book reviews for a number of these over at the About.com Jewelry Making site (the earrings book, the necklaces book, and the rings book). The basic premise for all the books is that a group of jewelry designers are asked to create a piece of jewelry that can be made in 30 minutes or less. Since I can’t do any kind of contest of give-away at the About.com site, I thought I would run one over here on my personal blog.

So for the month of July 2012, I will run the give-away. Comment once only any time up to July 31, 2012 midnight eastern time. Then during the first few days in August 2012, I will randomly pick four winners, one for each book. Make sure to include your email address when commenting. I will email the winners who will have 5 days after the drawing to reply back with a mailing address. Anyone who does not reply after 5 days will no longer be eligible to win, and I will draw a new winner.

I’m asking my readers to comment on these prompts:

What piece of jewelry is your favorite to wear, as in you would feel weird if you walked out the door without this on, earrings, necklace, bracelet, or ring? For those who make jewelry, also tell me your favorite type of jewelry to make (again earrings, necklace, bracelet, or ring) and why?

Good luck to everyone, and please feel free to give this post some social networking love!

July 1, 2012
by Tammy
1 Comment

Taffy Mitts Done!

Woot! Hubby’s fingerless mitts are done! And they turned out pretty darn good. I think I have this pattern (which you can find free on Lion Brand here) nailed down. I plan to make another pair soon. This next pair will be for a gal pal of mine, so I will make them a little shorter. (For the guy’s version, I added an extra inch on the end.) Hers will be made out of this recent purchase from Knit Picks.

June 30, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments

Your Weekly Craft Links

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a recipe for roasted red pepper pasta, tutorials on how to draw and paint clouds with a watercolor mixing tip, and a fun idea for using sewing hook and eyes in a mixed media collage.

Eileen – The Artful Crafter
Sneak a peek into Eileen’s Creativity at Sea journal.

Cherie Burbach
Cherie makes a glass sculpture out of darker green glass.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi moves forward with her lava-inspired quilt, but is still not quite sure where she’ll end up!

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Check out Stef’s latest creation: a recycled wood and furniture cabinet.

Aileen Musings
Aileen struck gold finding Vintage tins at a garage sale…check out some of her altered tin creations and get inspired!

Carmi’s Art/Life World
Carmi is giving away ONE free spot in Claudine Hellmuth’s next Big Picture online class “Composition for Collage.”

June 30, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments

Guy Fingerless Gloves No. 2


I am having some major success with my second attempt (see first attempt here) at making a pair of fingerless gloves for guys. This time, I’m using a G size hook instead of an F size, and they are coming out better and are way easier to stitch too. I’m using a colorway called Taffy, which is a mix of dark blues and a little brown, and the yarn is again Sock-Ease from Lion Brand.

I have one finished and one on the hook. Life is getting busier now that summer school has started for me, but I’m hoping to finish this next pair in the next week or so.

June 28, 2012
by Tammy
3 Comments

More on Knitting and Ribbing and Frogging and Frogging

Here is more photographic evidence that I can sometimes manage to do knitted ribbing. I says sometimes because I get about this far, a few inches, and then I screw it up! Though I drop a stitch sometimes, more often I’m adding stitches. Yes, and I’m not even sure how.

One issue with knitting versus crochet is that you can fake stuff so much easier with crochet. If I were to have an extra stitch in a crochet scarf (I was attempting to make a scarf here), I would just decrease to remove a stitch some place and all would be well. Or at least, no one would really be able to notice the flaw unless they really, really looked for it. But with knitting, nope, you can’t fake it.

I know there are different ways to fix stuff, and my Knitfreedom e-book does show how, but right now, I’m just frogging and frogging and frogging some more. I will say that I’m becoming an expert at casting on though. I don’t think I will ever forget how to do a long tail cast on. I can almost do it blind folded by now!

June 27, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments

Knit Picks Order Arrived

I’m a fairly new shopper at Knit Picks. I purchased some Brava acrylic recently for a baby hat I made for a friend, and about 2 days after I ordered it, I got an email about a sale they had going on as well as an offer that if you made a purchase (of anything) you got a free skein of Brava. ERRrr….yah…kind of bummed me out since I had just ordered some of that! It would have been nice to be given the skein when I had made the purchase! But, timing is everything, right? And I have heard so much about this company and its yarn, I went over to take a look at the sale. I was really impressed with some of prices, and I am still trying to expand my yarn horizons, and oh, yeah, I have a thing for baby alpaca now, so I caved and ordered (after doing some yarn research of Ravelry).


First I went for some more baby alpaca, Tidepool Heather Andean Treasure. I got a bunch of this because it was about half the cost of what I had paid at the not so local yarn store, and I had dreams of making a super soft shawl out of it. Now that it is here and I’ve touched it, I’m not so sure. It is soft, but compared to the other alpaca yarn (from Casade), it is not thrilling me. It is soft. It just isn’t “angels are singing” soft when I touch it. I guess maybe you get what your pay for.


My other yarn acquisition included some fingering weight Chroma in a colorway called Guppy. I may need to see a shrink for ordering such thin yarn, but I’m imagining a light, bright, and lacey shawl that might be gifted if I live long enough to make it.


Here is some more Chroma yarn, also in fingering, in a colorway called Fossil. This allocated in my mind for a shawl, this time for me, possibly something I could leave in my office at school.

This is some sock yarn I plan to use for making fingerless gloves for a friend of mine who loves red. It’s called Cochineal Felici, whatever that means. I’m doing pretty well in the fingerless gloves category right now, so I don’t think I’m delusional imagining this project.

Finally, here is the “freebie” (ha ha) that I got in Rouge. I plan to use this for making some toy crowns for next month’s Crochetlist donation drive.

I’m not sure if I’m a Knit Picks convert yet. My experience so far with customer service was not so great. I won’t give details because so many people rave about this company, and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that my experience was an anomaly. As far as the yarn, I was disappointed in the quality of the alpaca compared to my previous alpaca purchase at a yarn store, but I’ve learned a valuable lesson that not all alpaca is the same. In fact, since then I’ve read on the Ravelry boards that some can even be itchy…yikes! I’m hoping that once I actually start to use some of this yarn, especially the Chroma which I love the colors of, that my opinion will change.