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.