What's in My Yarn Bag?

At the end of last year, I really enjoyed sharing different photos and interviews for my "What's in my yarn bag?" series. I love getting a sneak peek inside of other yarn crafters yarn bags! I will have new interviews starting again next month but I thought I would start the year off by sharing an updated look inside my own yarn bag. You know, while it is relatively clean and gum wrapper free. ;)

When I carry my knitting with me, my yarn bag acts as my purse so I keep standard things like my wallet, keys, and gum tucked inside. Everything else is what I like to have nearby while yarn crafting or dreaming up new ideas. Here is what I usually carry with me:

- My bag - This bag from Jordana Paige is so great! I love all of the pockets and that it looks just like a regular purse.
- Yarn, needles, and hooks - That is the second sleeve from my never-ending sweater project. Maybe one day I will finally wear it...maybe. Haha.
- Planner - This is where I keep track of upcoming project due dates, blog posts, and my to-do list.
- iPad - I keep my iPad handy for reading craft magazines and finding inspiration on Pinterest.
- iPhone
- Notebook - This notebook is for sketching designs and writing down ideas.
- Pens - I always lose my pens so I've learned that if I want to be able to write something down, I need to keep three or more in my bag at one time just in case.
- Lotion, lip balm, etc.
- Accessories bag - This is where I store my scissors, stitch markers, stitch counter, extra crochet hooks, and other small items.

If only there was a little extra room in this bag for my camera! However, it would probably be way too heavy if I tried to turn this into a yarn/camera bag.

What do you usually keep in your yarn bag? When do you like to carry it?

I hope you have a great last day of January! :)

Sponsor One Sheepish Girl in February!

My desk, notebook, and brain are currently overflowing with way too many yarny ideas. There is no off-switch for my yarn obsessed brain and I don't mind a bit. I am excited to share these projects and new inspirations here with you in the months ahead! I also plan on hosting another yarn bombing day in the next few weeks. February is going to be great!

I have large, medium, and small ad spaces available at this time. You can now purchase your ad directly on my sponsor page, upload your ad image to the Passionfruit site, and if your ad is approved, it will go live on my blog immediately. If the space you are interested in is full, it will be put in line and go live on the next available date. Also, I now offer three month ad bundles at a discounted rate. You can find all of this information and my newly updated blog statistics here.

Thank you so much for your continued support! Please email sheepishknitcrochet(at)gmail(dot)com if you have any questions.

I hope you are having a great day! I finally set up my Ravelry account and I am already addicted. :)

Crochet Edge Calendar

The first month of the new year is almost over and it was just last week when I finally took down my 2012 calendar, with December Christmas trees still displayed, and replaced it with this 2013 free download from Emma Magazine. The organized desk objects and glasses grabbed me immediately. It reminds me of my Weekend Plans photos. :) I usually get the calendars that you flip over for a new design each month, but seeing the whole year in front of me is a nice change.

It looked like it was missing something when I taped the piece of paper to my wall. What was missing? Yarn, of course. What doesn't need a little yarn? I used my crochet edge on paper tutorial and made this calendar my own. I added a crochet chain so I could hang it up and now it looks like a piece of framed art! I love the cheerful yellow yarn and the scallop edge. This was a really simple weekend craft that will be nice to look at all year long!

Have you tried crocheting on paper? Last year I made handmade crochet cards out of recycled paper for Valentine's Day and they were a big hit!

The Blush List - Clean & Bright

Knitting // Studio Meez's 365 knitting project using the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern is such a great idea!

Crochet // I love this bold and colorful harlequin crochet pillow design by Wood Wool & Stool. Her clean desk area looks like a great place to work.

Etsy // It's hard to pick a favorite design from Vert Cerise's custom paper notebooks.

Style // This whole look from Fossil is so cheerful.

Art // A sweet teacup trio by Josie Portillo.

Food // I recently discovered the food blog Top With Cinnamon. I love her beautiful photography and use of animated gifs. This two ingredient pancake recipe sounds incredible!

A few clean and bright finds on a cloudy afternoon.

Thanks to a quiet weekend I am feeling much better than I was feeling on Friday. My head is still a little stuffy but the combination of rest, medicine, tea, and craft time worked wonders. Oh, and a homemade blueberry scone treat didn't hurt either. :)

I can hardly believe that it is already the last week of January. 2013 is definitely under way! I am looking forward to upcoming projects in February, like another group yarn bombing day and possibly a new sweater makeover.

Also, congratulations Jackeline! You won the Bottega Vintage Maison gift card giveaway. I will contact you soon with the details.

I hope you are having a great Sunday! How was your weekend?

Weekend Plans 1/25 - 1/27

Hooray for Friday!

Thank you for all of your kind words about my newly organized workspace! I am really happy with it and excited to finally have a space for all of my crafty ideas. It is already getting messy though...haha. That's ok. It just means a lot of creative things are happening!

Unfortunately, I think I am coming down with the cold that is going around right now. I thought I would avoid it all together, but I know so many people who have been coughing and sneezing lately. It looks like it is my turn to have a scratchy throat. So, this weekend I will work on a few things and try to get over this cold. Here's what I have planned...

- The calendar I downloaded last week is going to get a makeover tonight. I will share pictures soon!

- I am finally going to read the free sample of Simply Crochet on my iPad. It looks like a really great magazine! Have you checked it out yet?

- More writing, project planning, and sketching. These beginning stages are really exciting. So many possibilities!

- I've heard so many good things about the Wildwood series. I was in search of a fun book to read, so I thought I would pick it up and see how I like it. Have you read it?

- I love these pretty, spring yarn colors. Perfect for new projects!

- My teacup is standing at the ready. Tea with honey sounds perfect right about now.

I hope you have a great weekend! If you are feeling under the weather I hope you have time to rest this weekend. What do you have planned?

My Little Workspace

Art sources (from left to right) - Oana Befort - The Black Apple - Weather and Noise - Ello Lovey - The Black Apple - Vintage

I like to think that even the smallest spaces can hold the biggest dreams. At least, I hope that is true in my case. Using a mishmash of furniture, art, and organizational supplies that were not getting much use, I finally pieced together a tiny corner where I can work and hopefully bring a few dreams into reality. I wouldn't exactly call it a studio. This space simply consists of a desk and a bookcase. However, I finally have a place to organize and display my cameras, knitting and crochet books, and craft magazines.  I waited far too long to create this little space, hang up my prints, and fully acknowledge the work I put into this blog. Now that I have a temporary workspace, I can't wait to see what comes together in this little corner.

I am excited to work on more freelance opportunities, adding patterns and other new things to my shop, and a few other very exciting projects in the coming months! If you need me, you will find me here, my head buried in a mass of yarn or my fingers quickly typing across the keys. This new space, no matter how small, is already inspiring me to work harder and dream bigger.

Do you have a workspace for your craft or blog? I would love to see photos of your space if you blogged about it recently!

CLOSED - Giveaway // Gift Card & Shop Discount from Bottega Vintage Maison

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am happy to present a giveaway from this month's sponsor, Chaira from Bottega Vintage Maison. Her shop is filled with all kinds of vintage finds for your home. She is offering a $35 gift card to her lovely vintage Etsy shop for one winner to use on their favorite item! She is also offering a 15% off coupon code to all of my readers starting today. Simply type in the code Sheepish at checkout. Here's how you can enter to win...

This giveaway is open to international readers.

1. Visit Bottega Vintage Maison on Etsy. Come back here and leave a comment telling me your favorite item in the shop. Please include your email address in the comment!
2. Tweet about this giveaway! Use the following tweet: "Enter to win a $35 gift card from @BottegaVintage on @sheepishknit blog! http://onesheepishgirl.blogspot.com/2013/01/giveaway-gift-card-shop-discount-from.html" Leave a comment with your email address.
3. Follow @BottegaVintage on Twitter. Leave another comment with your email address.
4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook. Leave another comment with your email address.
5. Post about this giveaway on your blog or Tumblr. Leave another comment with your email address.

There is a maximum of five entries for the giveaway! Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway will end on Saturday, January 26. I will announce the winner on Sunday afternoon. Don't forget to take advantage of the 15% off code, Sheepish, in her shop.

I hope you are having a great day! :)

Instagram Snapshots

I love using Instagram as a way to capture inspiring images and colors. It has been awhile since I shared any on the blog so I thought I would post some of my recent favorites. I think the bright and cheerful colors in these photos reflect my optimistic outlook for 2013!

// 1. An inviting chair outside of The Shabby Sheep // 2. A colorful yarn palette for spring. // 3. Doing some after Christmas shopping. // 4. New crochet stitches. // 5. Vintage handkerchief finds. // 6. Hello weekend. // 7. A random, beautiful, and snowy Tuesday morning. // 8 & 9. A few peeks of my new workspace set up. // 10. My new favorite mug. // 11. A baking adventure. // 12. A finished bow hat. // 13. A free printable 2013 wall calendar found here. //

If you had the day off, I hope you enjoyed this nice three day weekend. I'm excited to share more photos of my workspace this week and tackle some new projects.

Do you use Instagram? You can find my photos under my username sheepishknitcrochet. What do you like to capture with the app?

The Blush List - Knits, Hearts, & Books

Knitting // Beautiful handmade knit lamps from Dutch Dlight. 

Knitting #2 // I love this bright and uniquely patterned knit hat captured by The Sartorialist. 

Etsy // A folded card that looks like a love letter! So sweet. 

Style // Ashley from Fancy Fine looks stunning in these floral trousers.

Art // This Jane Austen print is the perfect representation of my ideal bookshelf. 

Food // A little blueberry pie for one from Always With Butter sounds like the perfect treat on a winter evening.


The combination of the pale purple and bright red in the knit hat above is such a surprisingly lovely combination. I never thought purple and red could look so modern. I will have to experiment with some reds and purples with my own knitting. I hope you enjoy these cheerful finds after a great weekend.

It is strange to feel refreshed and exhausted at the same time. After three days of running around with a group of middle school girls, that is exactly how I feel right now. Despite my droopy eyelids, I had a great weekend at the retreat. The girls were so sweet, funny, and energized! I did my best to keep up, but I am definitely ready for a good night of rest. This week is going to be wonderful!

Happy Sunday to you! What did you do this weekend?

Weekend Plans 1/18 - 1/20

Happy Friday everyone! This week was great, filled with a surprising amount of snow and productivity. I feel so refreshed and reenergized! I finally set up a small workspace with old furniture, shelves, and art that was just collecting dust instead of acting as an inspiring place for creativity. I still have a bit of organizing to do but I already feel so much better finally having a space for working and creating. Hopefully I can share a few photos next week!

I am unplugging a little bit this weekend so I can spend some time with an amazing group of middle school and high school students during a three day retreat. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with a different group of middle school girls every year. It is going to be so much fun! So, I won't be by my computer until Sunday afternoon, but here's what I have planned this weekend...

- When I meet my group of girls tonight, I plan on wearing the Hello sweater I bought myself after Christmas. Who needs "Hello! My name is..." stickers when you have a sweater like this one! ;)

- I need to pack my notebook and planner for writing notes and keeping up with the schedule this weekend. Also, I think I will pack some polish in case my group wants to paint each other's nails at night.

- Even though I will be unplugged from social media, I expect to take a lot of pictures on my phone during the different activities. (I got my new iPhone case from Society6.)

- I will have some catching up to do on Sunday afternoon so there will be lots of knitting, crochet, and craft time as I prepare for upcoming projects.

- Lastly, (well, actually first) I had breakfast with my best friends this morning before preparing for a fun couple of days.

That's about it! I look forward to a refreshing weekend free of distractions as I get ready for a new week.

I hope you have a great weekend! What do you have planned?

A Crochet Cozy for My Planner

To my surprise, this week's Blush List wish for a snow day actually came true! Yesterday morning I woke up to white snow glowing outside my window. I could hardly believe it! What are the chances? Haha. I stayed inside most of the day because I wasn't feeling so well, but used the snow day as an excuse to cover my 2013 planner in crochet.

I love my calendar, but the cover is relatively plain. I decided to make a crochet cozy for it and dress it up a little. I added the pocket to make it more functional and keep pens, sticky notes, and highlighters tucked inside. I love how it turned out! A fun planner will definitely keep me motivated to stay organized this year. I am thinking about sharing this pattern in my shop soon if you are interested. It would include how to size it for your specific planner.

I've said it before, but soon enough everything I own will have it's own sweater. :)

Do you use a planner to stay organized?