WIP Wednesday - Union Jack Tea Cosy (Halfway there!)

I've finished one half of my Union Jack Tea Cosy! I am so happy with it...

....but man-o-man is intarsia messy! Look at all of those ends!!! Ugh!

I've started the second half and it's coming along even faster than the first! Next, I need to knit the two lining sections, sew it up, and I will be done!

The greatest thing I have learned during my adventures with intarsia is the importance of yarn butterflies. It makes keeping up with all of the different strands so much easier, even though the picture above slightly contradicts that statement. Check out this video to learn how to make yarn butterflies like these.

Stylish Blogger Award

I received a Stylish Blogger Award from the lovely blog Crafting Birds. She also has an Etsy shop filled with soaps, perfumes, bath salts and more!

*Stylish Blogger Award Rules*
-Thank the person who awarded it to you.
-Post seven facts about yourself.
-Pass the award to other bloggers and let them know they were chosen.

1. I don't enjoy talking about myself. My face turns red most of the time.

red framed shy bunny ceramic tile from the storybook rabbit

2. I would rather walk than drive.

(source)

3. I'm a hermit.

(source)

4. My favorite magazines are Vogue, Vanity Fair, and InStyle.

(source)

5. My iPod is filled with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole

6. Sometimes confidence is difficult to find.

Penelope the Petite Peddler - print by Pop Pop Portraits

7. I desperately want a husky! I will name him Leopold!

(source)

Now I pass this award along to these great blogs!

janelle haskin
ordinary mommy
Sophie Makes Things
The Little Fox

Knitting Inspiration...fit for a queen.

1. Kate and Wills gloves from Donna Wilson

2. 'Pip and Pen' pair of restored vintage dining chairs

I've been in a bit of a british state of mind lately. I went searching for some british inspired knits while I am working on the union jack tea cosy. Don't you think the Wills and Kate gloves are clever? And vintage chairs covered in individually knit panels? Perfect. I'm loving all of these England-themed posts, mostly because I know my dad reads my blog everyday and he can see how desperate I am to travel across the pond! *Hint! Hint!*

Happy Monday everyone! 

WIP Wednesday - Union Jack Tea Cosy

During spring break last week, I felt the urge to start a knitting project for myself. I wanted to try something small and learn a new skill at the same time. This Union Jack Tea Cosy pattern from Ravelry is just what I needed! 

In order to knit this british beauty, I needed to teach myself intarsia. Haha, easy right? Wrong. On my first attempt I spent a minimum of four hours knitting away, only to realize that my yarns were tangled and I was doing it completely wrong. I couldn't even salvage the twisted mess...so into the garbage it went. *sigh*

I think I was having difficulty for two main reasons:

1. This pattern is done in garter stitch, not in the traditional stockinette, so I got confused when twisting the strands on the wrong side. 

2. Intarsia is HARD!

Thanks to the lovely forums on Ravelry I found some great resources, like this site explaining how to knit intarsia with a garter stitch. I also used these YouTube videos found here and here.

I finally got the hang of it and it is coming along nicely!

Do you think Wills and Kate would like it as a wedding present? ;-)

Knitting Inspiration - Knit Rope Lace-up Sandals

How amazing are these sandals from Olive Shoppe? I love that you can twist up the knitted ropes into any style that suits your fancy.

knit rope lace-up sandals from Olive Shoppe

(all pictures from the Olive Shoppe website) 

From now on, I'm going to try and start off my week with something that inspires me in the world of knitting. It will definitely get my creativity flowing for the week ahead, and hopefully yours as well! 

I Heart Etsy Dallas x 50

For the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash all of the members contribute 50 little trinkets for the coveted bash bags.  The bags go to the first 50 people in line and are filled to the brim with goodies and discounts from the sellers at the bash. 

My freebie is a little knit heart. Even though they are tiny, they can be pretty tedious to make so I decided to make them in a rainbow of colors to keep things interesting. 

I'm almost done with the yellow hearts and then I will move on to green, blue and purple! I love these bright and cheerful colors!

But what should become of these little hearts? Should I leave them alone as their cute, plushy selves or should I make them into something more? I thought about adding a crochet loop to the hearts to make them an ornament. What do you think? 

Let me know if you like/don't like the loop and if you have any other ideas! 

(Also, do you like the new look to the blog? I have minimal experience with html, but I'm pretty proud of the results!)

Technology is Draining (and giveaway winner announced...)

Before I started selling on Etsy, the only form of social media that I used on a regular basis was Facebook. Now, I feel the need to keep up with Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest. All of this constant use of technology is really draining my creativity and desire to knit. I assumed when I started my little business that some sort of online presence was necessary, but I didn't realize how intensely addictive it would become. As of today I have wasted 5,000 hours on social media use. :-) Ok maybe not that much...but I have definitely squandered away a lot of knitting time. Social media loses its usefulness when I do nothing and have nothing to say.

I also get way to worked up about silly little things. When I lose a follower I get really sad and say, "What did I do wrong??" I also put way too much thought into what to tweet and what not tweet. That's almost Shakespearean.

My goal is to find a balance. I need to know when it is time to lock anything and everything with an internet connection in my closet and just walk away.

Why isn't this blog included in my ravenous social media addiction? Because I am truly passionate about blogging and developing this one into something great. I know I am new to all of this, and don't post as often as I should, but I have some big changes in store for the blog. I will finally have some time to blog during my spring break next week. (I seriously know how to party). Plus I am planning a total blog makeover. I have some tutorials and weekly themed posts up my sleeve so stay tuned.

AND we have a winner for last week's giveaway! The random number generator has spoken...

Congratulations Kristin!

Thank you everyone for entering!