A while back, I asked Star if she'd be up for a personal trade with me. I'd never really done one before, although I have sent off surprise packages before (and I owe another to Shirley, sorry girl!) Anyway, she agreed and asked me for a patchwork purse in return. Little did I know though, just how much she was going to spoil me! (I haven't sent to her yet, because of my nasty cold the last few weeks. Didn't want to send a Pandora's box-o-cold germs! LOL)Not only did I get the handspun yarn of my dreams, but she included 2 beautiful knit sweaters for my Blythe dolls, along with 2 hats, a shoulder/headwrap, a really cute little dress made by Atsuko, roving, more roving and more roving! LOL I actually bought some of this from her Etsy store, but I'm glad I did, cuz I'm still really a beginner spinner. Please excuse the harsh shadows in these pics, I really wanted to capture the color. The aqua batts have holographic thread, and the pink is so soft & lovely with 15% mohair. She also sent some lovely brocade fabric, Kool-Aid in flavors I haven't tried before, and some really cute doll accessories. I doubt the sunglasses will fit, LOL! Blythe heads are huge!
Josie and her (unnamed still!) sister couldn't wait to try on their new stuff! Don't the knits go great with Josie's new Squeaky Monkey jeans? LOL Even her bra straps match, how cool is that?!?! Star even sent some Blythe-sized knitting! I wish their hands were a little more poseable, though. It can be tough to make them "hold" things for photos. Unnamed Violet went straight for the dress Atsuko made, I think it goes well with the Noro Silk Garden Lite hat.
Thank you SOOOO much for everything, Star! I promise I'll try to finish your purse up soon!!! I only have the handles to make, so it should be this week or next! (Thanks for being patient with me, while I was feeling so crummy!)
I first found Star's blog through her Fiber Friday posts on Craftster. When she posted her Tiffany handspun with pearls, I knew I had to get in contact with her! She also had some amazing yarn with sea shells spun into it! I knew they'd sell fast, (and they did!) so I wanted to see if she'd be interested in a personal trade with me. And she was! We're actually working on items for each other right now, but I knew I wanted to feature her blog her on mine! Her handspun is gorgeous, and she also has an awesome Etsy store. I'm in awe every Friday, and each Friday she has something new!
Consistency has been a real focus of mine over the last couple of months, and I really admire how consistent Star is with her craft. It's hard to do anything over and over again, consistently I think. You go girl! LOL I also really love how much she plays around with different things. Colors, textures, bits & bobs to add in, there's always something new on her blog! I love how much fun her yarns are, and I'm so glad we decided to swap with each other. I can only hope she likes what I'm making as much!
I've really enjoyed featuring different blogs every week, but I'm not sure if I've accomplished what I set out to, in that I wanted to share my favorite blogs, in the hope that you might too! But, I haven't gotten that many links to new blogs (or ones I already read,) so I'm not sure how long I will continue with it. Got an opinion? I'd LOVE to hear it! I wish I had more time to look for new blogs and bloggers, but starting a new store is very time consuming, and I just don't have the same amount of time to surf around that I used to. Pretty please leave a link to your favorite blog, or yours! Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top???
I was first introduced to Fuzzy Bunny handspun yarn in the Sweat Shoppe Swap (rnd2, on Craftster) last year. I was lucky enough to get not 1, but 2 skeins! One in lovely watercolor blues & purples, and one in a super fun southwest colorway, with blues pink & oranges. I knew I had to have more, and my Mom's birthday was coming up. So I ordered 2 skeins of custom handspun in pinks & oranges to match the knitting needle roll I made. The price was great for the yardage, and the communication was as well. I got exactly what I wanted, and she even wrote me a sweet little card! After I tried spinning for myself, I have a new respect for those that have a talent for it! It's tricky!There isn't yarn in her store right now*, but if you're looking for quality handspun - email or "convo" her for custom quotes. You won't be disappointed! She does have cold process soap, lip balm and duct tape wallets available now, though. I love the paper she wraps the soaps in! Oh, and shipping's FREE! Gotta love free shipping! Maybe I'll have to think about that for my store!
*Edited to Add - YES, she does have yarn in her shop now! Go and buy it! LOL
Well Happy Bloggerversary to me! I've been blogging for a whole year today, and I can barely believe it! It's gone so fast, and seemed so short! In a good way, but it seems a little surreal. I'd struggled for days trying to pick out a name for my baby blog and Etsy shop. I consider myself quite creative, but I really wanted a name that could house all of my crafty endeavors; even though I knew I wanted to focus on kanzashi flowers initially. I'm kind of craft ADD - I like to try all sorts of crafts and do all sorts of different things, and I didn't want to pigeon-hole myself with a name like Sew Insane or Kanzashi Kari. I like both sewing and kanzashi flowers, but knew I'd be doing more. It's funny though, I never would have guessed I'd try (and enjoy!) spinning*; it seemed so time consuming I wondered why anyone would bother. But now I know why; and it's for the same reason that I like to make things for myself. It's that I have total control when I make things. Design differences, functional differences, or just changing my mind mid-project are all completely up to me! And sometimes the options can be daunting, but I know what will work best for me, and I get to serve that interest every day. I know, I'm really lucky; and it's mostly because of my husband, Jamie. He works very hard so I can find my bliss, and I'm very lucky to have him too! As well as the opportunities he helps to open for me. Thanks Sweetheart!
*There's been a few other surprises, like diving into Blythe ownership, wanting more items off Etsy than I'll ever sell (LOL!) and finally finding some peace amidst the chaos I happen to call my life. Color me surprised! I can't wait to see what'll happen this year!
I received some awesome gifts this holiday season, and had to share! Shirley sent me a beautiful hat, gorgeous crochet earrings, an adorable tape measure and a to-DIE-for skein of Fiesta La Luz Multi silk yarn (in Alaska colorway, a lovely blend of purples and turquoise.) She also sent some chocolate goodies and some fruit leather; thanks again Shirley!
From my sister came a set of Knit Picks Options interchangeable circular knitting needles. I LOVE these! They've sped up my knitting considerably! She also picked up a couple of the chunkier needles and a larger cable. She also gave me a copy of Scarf Style, by Pam Allen. I love the turtleneck shrug/scarf on the cover, it's so funky & fun! It has the Lady Eleanor wrap pattern, too; which I've been itching to try for a few weeks!
She also got me 1/2 lb of roving; half from Fun With Yarn in awesome jewel tones. The second 4 oz is a pretty pastel blue, and I love them both! Thanks Jenn! She also spoiled me with a killer felted bag for my birthday - out of Malabrigo! It's a wide bag, so I'll need to add a little support to the sides to keep them from flopping in or out. I have a few ideas, I'm just working out what will be the most subtle option.
My Mom gave me a bunch of knitting magazines, Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting and SelvEDGE; as well as an awesome Japanese beading book, and pretty aqua beads! She also gave me 5 balls of Knit Picks Suri Dream (in Ocean,) which I'm planning on using for a Squiggle shawl. Some non-crafty gifts included a pair of lovely Christmas ornaments, a super-soft (& strangely thin) scarf, and a lovely journal. Thanks Mom!
I'm excited to report that I'm learning how to spin yarn with a drop spindle! My sister's been a great help, showing me how spindle & wheel spinning works. Actually, I've already spun myself out of roving! LOL Saturday night I sat down and spun everything I had… so I'll just have to buy more! The merino Jenn donated was a little easier to draft than the wool (of unnamed content) I received in a recent swap, and softer. Most of it's overspun, and twists on itself a ton, but I figure everybody's got to start somewhere, right?Also, I'm happily moving along with the silk slip. It's a little trickier than first imagined, but it was somewhat expected, I picked a nice slinky silk, and it's shifty! I knew I didn't want to use poly-satin, though; synthetics don't breathe, and especially because it's a slip, I wanted something with nice drape to it. Cross my fingers, I'll have it done soon, and be able to show off my Craft: skirt without flashing everyone my underwear!
The tiny ball is the merino, the stuff on the spindle is the wool-of-unnamed-content. I need to get more roving ASAP!!!
