Back In Business

Well, I have had a two week absence from blogging, facebook, twitter, and just about everything else. About two weeks ago I ran into major computer trouble, probably stemming from repeated power spikes and outages.
Anyway, I spent about a week trying to recover my computer, until it was clear to me that it was not going to recover. So then I spent about a week waiting for my new computer to arrive in the mail. It got here yesterday and I have been installing updates and software until just now. It works! It works great, in fact. I bought one with Windows Vista so I am getting used to that, had XP before. I bought it from geeks.com (no affiliation), and I have to say they shipped it out really quickly (next morning) and it's exactly as described.
I hope to be back in the full swing of the fiber arts action soon, and am looking forward to making some beautiful treasuries in the next few days.
-Jennifer

Coffee Cup Sleeves- Four Designs to Crochet

I have just listed my newest crochet pattern on Etsy and Ravelry, my coffee cup sleeves (or click here for the Ravelry link). About a year ago, my best friend Heather asked me to make a coffee cup sleeve for her, and so I did. Then I made about 20 more! Of course, some of the ones I came up with don't really work as patterns, and some were knit rather than crochet. I chose these 4 designs for my pattern collection because they are fun and versatile. I used several of them for adult stocking stuffers last Christmas.

To celebrate the new pattern in my store, I am going to release a scrubbie pattern here on my blog for free this coming week, so check back for that.

Right to Left: Frills Sleeve, Baubles Sleeve, Squares Sleeve

Ruffle Sleeves

Right to Left: Squares Sleeve, Baubles Sleeve, Frills Sleeve

Ribbed Knit Sleeve

Back in February, I also posted a free knit cup sleeve pattern here on my blog (shown at right).
-Jennifer

Chrysanthemum Bracelets

I am working on a new line of crocheted jewelry, and I have finished the first design. The line is inspired by Chinese culture, and in this case, the chrysanthemum. I have a lotus and a dragon in the works as well as some bamboo designs. It's really fun working on some new stuff! I am going to make all of these into patterns, but for now, I am offering the finished bracelets in my store. Here is the design in several colors:

-Jennifer

Sunny Day = New Hat Pix

Today is so sunny and beautiful that I decided to take advantage and get some outdoor photos of my hats. I was home alone so there was no one here to bother me but the dog while I was doing it. I think I got some great results. Some people say that full sun photos aren't good because the sun washes out the colors, but I think these turned out ok. Also, I love the spring flowers in my photos!

Woods Hat

Sailing Hat - Baby

Sailing Hat - Grade Schooler

Sailing Hat (Pattern)

'Lil Love Hat (Pattern)

Flower Garden Hat and Purse (Pattern)

-Jennifer

Interview at INW Team's Blog

I've been interviewed by Monti of Glitz N Glass over at the Inland Northwest Etsy Street Team's blog. It was kinda strange to talk about myself like that but I got into it. I mean, we are all our own favorite subject, right? Check it out if you have a chance: http://ewateam.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-jennifer-of.html

Etsy Shop Makeover!

A few days ago, I was lucky enough to win a premade shop set by Sara Rubendall and today I got the new banner and avatar installed in my shop and this very blog! It looks so great and it's such a huge improvement from what I had before. Thank you so much Sara for doing this giveaway and choosing my shop! Sara has an amazing selection and great prices, so check out her shop if you are looking to make a professional impression with your online store.
Here are some of my favorites:

-Jennifer

Easter Nest and Book Review

Well, late Saturday night I finished crocheting my Easter gift for my mom. Hahaha

 At least I got it done in time for Easter. I had intended to finish it about a week earlier but I found that working with rafia really hurt my fingers and I could only do so much in one day. Sadly the eggs are a little too big for the nest. I might crochet some smaller eggs for it, but I am definitely NOT making a bigger nest!

75 Birds, Butterflies & Little Beasts to Knit and Crochet Review

I got the pattern for this nest and for the eggs from the book 75 Birds, Butterflies & Little Beasts to Knit and Crochet by Lesley Stanfield. I thought I would write a little review of it in case anyone is interested in making their own nest.
Let me state that this book was given to me by a friend who is not affiliated with the book's author or publisher in any way.
The first thing I like about the book is that it has BOTH knit and crochet stuff, because I like to mix it up, and it is hard to find patterns to knit little detailed objects. A few of the projects combine knit and crochet, but most of them are either or.
The first section of the book is about techniques and materials. Many of the techniques used in the patterns are pretty advanced, so I felt that section of the book was rather wasted. By the time you are advanced enough to work these patterns you will already know the difference between worsted and DK weight yarn, for example. I think a shorter section with just the most unusual techniques would have saved some paper.

Patterns grouped by theme

The next section has pictures of the finished objects grouped by theme. This was really nice to spark some creative ideas of what to make together. There is also a section in the back with some "project pictures," which is really just some ideas of how to use these crocheted beasties.
The next two sections are the patterns, and they are so creative and cute! There are plenty of fun and inspiring projects from spiders and caterpillars to mushrooms and leaves to wheat and birds. As I mentioned above, many of them are advanced, but there are beginner and intermediate ones too. If you are working on expanding your skills this book might be just the challenge you need.

A few caveats

Overall, I like the book a lot. A LOT. However, I do have a few bones to pick with it. First, although it says the patterns are written in US style, in many places non-standard terminology is used. For example, in the crochet section "miss" is used instead of "skip". This may throw off beginners. I suspect that the book was written English style first and then converted. Second, most of the patterns don't have yarn and needle/hook recommendations. In fact, I don't think ANY of them have needle or hook recommendations and most don't have yarn listed either. I would have liked at least to see what was used in the example photo. When making my nest I had to start over after 6 rounds because I wasn't using a big enough hook. For a non-standard material, I feel the author should have recommended a hook.

Hope this helps and have fun crafting!
-Jennifer