No-One on the corner has(crafty) swagger like us!

*peeks from under quilt* Is it over? The holiday season, I mean. SweetShoppers, I was not even remotely prepared for the maelstrom that was this past Christmas season. I did no decorating. No Christmas crafting. No Christmas cards. Precious little celebrating. No, beautiful people, what I did was Christmas cooking, and Christmas eating, and Christmas (night job) working, and Christmas studying. Bah humbug.

But, that is all past, and I have no problem reaping the benefits of January sale. See below...

I know it doesn't look like much, but there are 5 skeins of yarn in that plastic bag in the rear of the pic, courtesy of Abakhan's 10% off sale. It's mostly Robin Acrylic Double Knit, but there is a nice skein of black woolen worsted and some sparkly lavender double knit in there as well.

In the front of the pic you'll see a hilarious crochet hook that I got at Fred Aldous in Manchester city centre, simply because it is large and traffic cone orange. I think it's a sign of obsession(or worse) that I find that crochet hook as funny as I do. There's also a gorgeous wooden 6.50 mm hook that I splurged on at Purl City Yarns as a treat--it's a gorgeous bamboo hook. I've never really crocheted with wooden hooks before, but I've always wanted to try, and this one happens to be my favorite size AND tie-dyed.  Like I said. obsession. Maybe worse.

Rounding out my Purl City haul is a handful of checkered and spotted covered buttons that I got for a pound. I have no idea what I'm going to use them for. But they were cute, and I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Total cost for all this future crafty goodness; 13.70, or thereabouts. God bless the January sales.

Speaking of sales, I'd be amiss if I didn't mention that SweetShop Creations, my very own etsy shop, is having one RIGHT NOW! Like huge. Major percentages off of everything. Check it out. Help me pay for my next yarn haul. *g*

Peace!

P.S. Not pictured is a copy of Stitch N' Bitch knitting I scored on Amazon for 3.50 or something like that. I'm not picturing it because every time I try to learn to knit, I embarrass myself. I'm mentioning it because, hey, humility is good, right?

New Item: Estonian Earwarmer!

Hello SweetShoppers! So do you remember last week's yarn of the moment? I'm happy to say it's been turned into this:

The Estonian Earwarmer!! 

Basically, it's a thick basketwoven headband in a neutral multicolored yarn that goes with everything.

To find out more about this item and order one for your very own, click HERE and visit the etsy shop!

Yarn of the Moment: Estonian Veljesta Pöllö

So when I was in Estonia last month, I saw quite a lot of knitwear and some pretty cool yarn. Applaud my self-control, fellow crafters...I only brought back two skeins. One was for my good friend Knitella, and the other was this lovely Veljesta Pöllö. I picked them both up for about 6 Euros. 

According to the all-knowing oracle that is Google Translate, "Veljesta Pöllö" means "owl wheels"...makes sense, since there's an owl on the label(which has, unfortunately and inappropriately, gone the way of the buffalo...so no pics). I don't know why it's called that, but I do know this...I LOVE the colorway of this yarn...it's sort of a muted neutral pallette of brown and cream and tan, with speck of blue and green. It's 75% wool and 25% acrylic but feels more like acrylic than wool so far.

The project you see on my hook is an eventual earwarmer...although it's since been frogged since I thought it'd be prettier in a basketweave stitch rather than a ribbed one. 

Is anybody using any interesting yarn lately? If so, drop me a line in the comments box and tell me what it is!

Peace!

Yarn of the Moment: Mystery Thrift Yarn

Not a great picture, but this is my current favorite yarn...I got it for 50p (about 75 cents) from a friend who held a massive sale to clear out her cellar full of yarn. I got two giant cones of this type of yarn(the other cone is blue flecked with brown and orange). I have no idea what brand it is or even what it's made of(probably cotton or acrylic), but it's a great sport weight yarn and VERY versatile.

Yes, that thing in the background is a half-finished sweater. Is there really any other kind?

Yarn of the Moment: Berroco Cotton Twist

It's too hot for most wools and acrylics, and I'm trying to use up my stash yarn. About 2 years ago I bought 3 skeins of Berroco Cotton Twist and I'm *finally* using it to make a cute shell pattern summer tunic. I just hope I have enough...Berroco discontinued this yarn a while ago, and an ebay search doesn't show anybody clearing it out of their stash just yet.

As cotton yarns go, it's not amazing. It's not very tightly spun so it's easy to split stitches and the skeins--even though they're from the same dye lot--have some color irregularity. Still, I originally bought it because it's a beautiful milky summer white, it has a little rayon blended in for durability, and at $5.00 a skein, the price was ok.

What's your favorite summer yarn? What's your favorite cotton?

New Items: check the shop!

Hello SweetShoppers! Once again, we have more items in the etsy shop for you to check out!

2 Way Cowl

Cute Blue Beanie

Click HERE to visit SweetShop Creations at etsy and find out more about these items and place an order!

Peace!