halloween, etc. - pug costume

Happy Halloween! Last year my family's pug, Maeby, wore a crochet yoda/monster costume we bought for her from Handmade Monster on Etsy:

Not sure what she is going as this year, but I bet it will be equally as cute!

anna crochets - hurricane cozy

Stuck inside because of the hurricane? I spent my afternoon whipping up this crochet cup cozy, and now you can too! (Scroll down for pattern)

~ Cup Cozy Pattern ~

I used Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn and an H/8 5.00mm crochet hook.

Round 1: Chain 28, or enough to fit tightly around your cup, and join to the first chain with a slip stitch. Be careful not to twist your chain!
Round 2: Single crochet in each chain around.
Repeat round 2 twelve times, or until cozy is as tall as you desire. End off.

The heart appliqué pattern I used was from the blog Cornflower Blue Studio.** The pattern has easy to follow illustrated instructions and is available for free here!

** (12/10/14) A reader alerted me that the Cornflower Blue Studio pattern is no longer accessible. I found the same pattern with great instructions on another blog, a creative being.  Enjoy!

knitting, etc. - knitting kit

I love this knitting kit from Tickledpink Sheep on Etsy. It is a great idea for a DIY gift for someone who wants to get into knitting. I especially like that it comes in a chinese take out container.

Each kit comes with enough yarn and instructions to make an infinity scarf. 

I may try to put something similar together for Christmas gifts this year!

crochet, etc. - pumpkin bowl

How cute is this crochet pumpkin bowl from the blog One Sheepish Girl?

You can find the free pattern here. I am eager to try it after crocheting this tea cup pincushion, which has a similar pattern. 

anna crochets - tea cup pincushion

Finished my tea cup pincushion! I don't have any pins to put in it, but it is cute to look at.

I used leftover Rowan Cashsoft Yarn from my knit pug project with a 3.75mm hook. 

Here are the pieces before I sewed it all together:

The pattern is a free download from Lion Brand Yarn which you can find via Ravelry here. I was lucky to find a series of youtube videos explaining how to make this project. Here is the first video:

And here is part 2, part 3, and part 4. 

crochet, etc. - tea cup pincushion

I found this free pattern for a Tea Cup Pincushion from Lion Brand Yarn via Ravelry, and I am excited to give it a try.

The only amigurumi, which is a japanese term for a crocheted or knitted stuffed toy, I've ever made was this knitted pug, which I was very happy with.

anna knits - boot topper update 2

I finished my boot topper project today:

I used Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky Yarn in Deep Charcoal which I ordered from Jimmy Beans Wool. It took 1 skein exactly. 

I would model them with boots, but I don't have any that work with boot toppers - I am going to give these away as a gift. You can get an idea of how they will look from this picture via the pattern's creator Addiesma Designs.

I am happy with how they turned out - I hadn't knit cables in years so that was fun - but if I knit this project again I will use a yarn that is a little crisper so the cables are easier to see.

crochet, etc. - granny square snood-scarf

I love this crochet granny square snood-scarf from the blog LuLu Loves. The colors work so well together.

For all who are wondering, a snood is a tubular neck scarf.

It looks like a fun project. Here is a little tutorial from the stie Craft Stylist on how to make granny squares.

anna reads - 2 memoirs

I just finished two memoirs, which were both wonderful in their own ways. The first was My Life in France by Julia Child (and her husband's nephew Alex Prud'Homme), and the second was Into Thin Air by John Krakauer.

          

The first is about Julia Child's time living in France while her husband, Paul, and her journey to write her famed cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. 

The couple’s 1956 Valentine’s Day card. Courtesy of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University.

The second is also about a journey, but in the literal sense of the word.  Into Thin Air chronicles the author's personal assent up Mt. Everest during the infamous 1996 trip that would ultimately end the death of eight of his fellow climbers. 

Anatoli Boukreev, Mike Groom, Jon Krakauer, Andy Harris, and a long line of climbers on the Everest upper Southeast Ridge, with Makalu behind, on May 10, 1996 - Into Thin Air Illustrated Edition (Jon Krakauer) book

While the topics of the two memoirs are exceedingly different, both books are highly informative while also being very fast reads. I recommend both books.

PS: I post whatever I'm reading at the moment on the "Reading Now" tab to the right.

halloween, etc. - crochet viking helmet

I went to the Garment District yesterday to get inspiration for a halloween costume, but I just can't decide what I want to be. I did however happen to come across this crochet viking helmet pattern by Tara Murray on Ravelry. How cute!

photo by Tara Murray

The same designer has a pattern for a mummy costume that is equally awesome:

photo by Tara Murray

The designer has an Etsy store called Mamachee, which you can check out here.

jewelry, etc. - upper finger rings

I saw this post for DIY upper finger rings on the blog a pair and a spare a few weeks ago and I wasn't sure what I thought about it.

They have been showing up everywhere recently and I am growing to like them.

I may have to make some for myself this weekend! What do you think?

art, etc. - earth art @SMFA

I love this new earth art piece by a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, located outside the School. It is a steel sculpture, arranged to look like it is growing out of the earth and covered in dandelions. How creative and beautiful!

The colors and shapes remind me of this gray and neon yellow knitted scarf by the knit kid.

Gray and neon yellow are definitely the colors of the season. Check out my post on the neon trend here.

anna diys - veep debate party signs

Last night my roommate and I had a few friends over to watch the Vice Presidential Debate. In preparation, I made some DIY veep face signs for guests to cheer with.

Here's how I did it - Materials:

• Half-a-page cut outs of veep candidates (I used their official portraits)
• Red and blue straws
• Tape

1. Cut out the heads, 2. Tape the straws to the back 3. Voila! VPOTUS face signs!

The Biden signs got much more use since Biden dominated, but we enjoyed cheering for Ryan when he tried to incorporate weird anecdotes...

We also played TIME’s Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game, which was fun. 

anna knits - boot topper update 1

One boot topper done! I haven't knit with bulky yarn in so long - it is fun!

You can find a link to the pattern on an earlier post I wrote about this project here. On to the next one!

anna knits - extra yarn scarf update 2

My extra yarn scarf is coming along.

I packed it up for my trip to New Haven so that I could knit on the ride. You can read my post about packing a knitting bag for travel here. 

I still have a way to go, because I want it to be very long. Luckily it is a fun project!

anna crochets - yale mug cosy

About a week ago, I crocheted this flower, which was the first time I had crocheted in many years. Since then, I've been looking for another little crochet project. I finally came up with one while in New Haven visiting my boyfriend at school - a crochet mug cosy! Since he goes to Yale, I made him a Yalie cosy.

I had to make it thinner than a normal mug cosy, so it would fit between the handle of my boyfriend's one and only mug. 

I muddled my way through crocheting the Y but I think it came out ok. Next time, though, I'll make the cosy larger, with a big space for the handle (like this).

The pattern is based off of those from The Cosy Project, which I wrote about in an earlier post here. 

I love all of the designs from The Cozy Project. They are so simple but also so cute!

halloween, etc. - crochet skull mask

I saw this crochet skull mask on an Etsy email today - so cool!

It is from the store Dewey Decimal Crafts. 

I love the idea of incorporating knitting/ crochet into my halloween costume. Maybe I can thinking of something by the 31st!

knitting, etc. - triangular scarf

While knitting my extra yarn scarf, I came across this pattern for a triangular scarf from the blog the knit cafe.

      

The yarn is MadelineTosh Merino Light, and I love the color selection. The pattern for the scarf is available for free here. 

anna knits - extra yarn scarf

I have a bunch of extra yarn left over from previous projects, including many different colors of Cascade 220. (You can see all the beautiful colors of Cascade 220 here, available at Jimmy Beans Wool.) I decided to knit a striped scarf with my extra yarn, and it has been fun so far. I haven't knit a scarf in years, and I am finding it relaxing to knit something with no pattern whatsoever.

I decided to go with garter stitch because I wanted a homey look, which I think goes along with the random striping. This is a great project to use up your extra bits and pieces of yarn.

How do you use up extra yarn?