Silk/Camel Hair Scarf

The yarn from the Woolen Rabbit has finally arrived! After having one of those, Why did I even bother to get out of bed this morning?, days it was a pleasant surprise to open my mailbox and find the yarn. I wound the yarn into a ball and started to knit with the pattern that I had chosen. After knitting 10 rows I hated the result, so I chose another pattern. I kept knitting, ripping out and starting over until I finally found a pattern that gave me the results I was looking for. Woolen Rabbit Oasis is a beautiful soft yarn (70% silk and 30% camel). The high silk content gives the yarn a lot of drape which was not suitable for the patterns that I originally chose. I finally settled on a lacy pattern that isn't very open and works well with this yarn.

Woolen Rabbit Oasis yarn-Moroccan Spice color

It's always so hard to come up with unique gifts for family and friends. Two years ago, I decided to give handmade items as gifts (paintings, knitted items). I was really nervous when the recipients opened their presents. Would they like it, what if they don't? The response was overwhelmingly positive. Not only did the recipients like their gifts but they sent thank you cards telling me how much they liked them. Since it's been so cold lately, I plan to give a lot of knitted gifts.

Brittany is living in Connecticut and gets so cold there. She really could use a knitted scarf. Brittany loves camels and has a collection of stuffed camels.  I thought that she might like a camel hair scarf. I found Woolen Rabbit Oasis yarn a blend of silk and camel hair in beautiful custom dyed colors.  I chose the Moroccan Spice, a deep rich Persian red with hints of gold for the scarf. When ordering from Woolen Rabbit, you must consider dye lots (the yarn is dyed for each order) and order enough yarn to complete your project. Oasis yarn has 375 yards to 100 gram skein. I wanted to make the scarf approximately 72 inches long and 7 inches wide, so I ordered 2 skeins of yarn to be one the safe side.

Work in progress.

 Like most of my projects, this one is beginner friendly. Beginners who know how to knit, purl and do yarn overs will be able to knit this scarf with no trouble. Woolen Rabbit Oasis has good yardage, so I only needed one skein of yarn for the scarf.

Marrakesh Scarf Directions:

1 skein Woolen Rabbit Oasis yarn (70% silk/30% camel)-Moroccan Spice

Size 5 knitting needles- I am using Addi Clicks

Gauge: 5 sts = 1 inch/ 20 sts = 4 inches  The gauge doesn't have to be exact since this is a scarf.

Using size 5 knitting needles cast on 38 stitches.

Row 1 (right side of scarf): Knit all stitches.
Row 2 : Purl all stitches
Row 3:  K1 (edge stitch), * K2 together, K2, yarn over, K1, yarn over, K2, slip one stitch knit-wise onto right needle, knit the next stitch on the left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the one that you just knit *; Repeat from * to * to last stitch, K1 (edge stitch).
Row 4:  Purl all stitches
Row 5:  K1 (edge), * K1, K2 together, yarn over, K3, yarn over, slip one stitch, K1 pass slipped stitch over, K1 *; repeat from * to * to last stitch K1 (edge).
Row 6:  Purl all stitches

Repeat rows 1-6 for pattern until desired length. Bind off stitches loosely. Lightly block the scarf with steam.

Note: My finished scarf ended up being 60 inches in length. I used one skein of Woolen Rabbit Oasis and knit until I was almost out of yarn, ending on Row 6 of the pattern.

Decorated Shipping Boxes

Lately I have been doing a lot of shipping. It seems like I am always standing in line at either the Post Office or the UPS store holding a package. I always made sure the contents of the package were attractively wrapped and made a nice presentation but I never thought about the shipping box itself. I always shipped in a plain brown box. I was reading the latest issue of Somerset Studio and there was a call for decorated envelopes and shipping boxes. The magazine staff liked getting letters and art submissions in creatively decorated envelopes and boxes.

I started thinking about it and thought, why not? My philosophy has always been why does something have to be boring and mundane just because it's functional? I was getting ready to send a package of sugar cookies off to Brittany, so why not send them in a decorated box? I could just imagine the look on her face as she saw one of my artistic creations sitting on her doorstep.

I had just finished reading, the recently published, Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals by Carla Sonheim. I drew my rendition of a cat that was featured in the book. I was pleased with the way that the cat turned out and decided to use him to decorate my shipping box. I planned to ship through UPS and they do not allow the outer shipping box to be wrapped so I decided to decorate one side of the box. UPS accepted my decorated box with no problem.

My rendition of the Cat on Page 9.

Work in progress.

Close up of colored cat drawing.

Finished box.

Directions for Decorated Shipping Box:


Brown shipping box
Grey, light purple and dark purple card stock
K&Company Jubilee Printed Paper Pad- dark purple print
Martha Stewart Butterfly paper punch and Tulip paper punch
Cricut Beyond Birthdays cartridge
Stickles Glitter Glue- blue
Decorative edge scissors
Pearlescent chalk
Picture or drawing
Colored Pencils- I used Derwent Studio Colored Pencils

1.  Scan in your drawing or picture. I opened the picture with Microsoft Picture Manager and increased the contrast and the brightness to lighten the pencil shading of the drawing.

2.  Once you are satisfied with the picture, print it on white card stock. I used the wallet size option on a photo printer.

3.  Use colored pencils to color in the image. I chose two shades of blue for the cat and added dark purple for the shading and pupils and lavender for the eye itself. Once you are satisfied with the colors, trim away the excess white card stock.

4.  Cut a piece of dark purple print card stock approximately 1/4 inch larger, on all sides, than the drawing. Glue the drawing to the card stock.

5.  Cut a piece of light grey card stock slighter smaller than the box. Glue the card stock to the box. Glue the drawing to the center of the grey card stock.

6.  Use the Cricut cartridge to cut out "Thinking of You" at 1 inch out of medium blue card stock.  Glue it to the bottom of the drawing.

7.  Punch three dark purple and three light purple butterflies out of card stock, using the Martha Stewart butterfly paper punch. Position the butterflies randomly on each side of the drawing (3 on each side) and glue in place.

8.  Use the decorative scissors to make an edging out of light purple card stock. Apply this edging to the left and right edges of the grey card stock.

9.  Using scraps of card stock and the Martha Stewart Tulip paper punch, punch a green tulip and a lavender tulip. Cut the top of the lavender tulip off and glue it over the top of the green tulip. Glue the tulip that you just made, to the lower left of the "Thinking of You" phrase.

10.  Apply the chalk to the grey card stock panel. Randomly apply blue-violet around the panel. Next apply dark purple and then light purple highlights to the panel.

11.  Apply dots of glitter glue to the butterfly"s body and wings and to the decorative border on the sides of the panel. Let the glitter glue dry completely.

You may want to seal your design to prevent damage. I sealed mine with clear shipping tape.

Update: The UPS driver liked the box and said that it brightened his day. He mentioned that it was nice to see something besides plain shipping boxes.

So Many Yarns, So Little Time

I first started knitting when I was in college. In those days the yarns were limited to wool or acrylic-no silk, cashmere, Alpaca or any other exotic fiber. Times have changed and today's knitter has a variety of yarns available- silks, cashmere, wool and fiber blends. Thank goodness knitting has lost it's stigma as being "uncool and something that only Grannies did" and younger women are beginning to see the value in knitting. It's this renewed interest in knitting that is responsible for the beautiful yarns that we have available today,

I love knitting and am inspired by the current yarns available on the market. While I try to buy from my local yarn shop whenever possible, lately I have had to turn to the internet for yarns that my local shop doesn't stock.
 

Recent yarn acquisitions!

My planned projects include Jared Flood's Rock Island Shawl knit in Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace (silk/wool blend) in Grand Street Ink color, a lacy mohair top from French Girl Knits in Louet's Kid 'n Linen (mohair/ linen blend), Artyarns Cashmere 1 and Ensemble Light (cashmere/silk blend) and two more pairs of socks in Mountain Colors Crazyfoot Sun River (red blend) and Mountain Twilight ( the dark purple, blue, burgundy and brown blend- shown in front left). This yarn is a beautiful dark blend that didn't photograph well.

Fabulous Yarns was the source for Artyarns. I can't say enough good things about this company. They have prompt service (they shipped during Hurricane Sandy), they discount their yarns and they offer free patterns. I found two free shawl patterns that used one skein of yarn making it very affordable to knit with cashmere.The yarns that I purchased are beautiful and luxurious. I can't wait to knit with them. 

I am waiting for one more yarn to arrive- Woolen Rabbit's Oasis , a DK weight wool and camel blend. I am designing a pattern especially for this yarn and can't wait to get started.

Franken Diva

For days those of us who live on the East Coast have been warned of the impending arrival of Hurricane Sandy. My family made the necessary emergency preparations for the arrival of Sandy. We are not near any water sources and our house sits on a hill so we are expecting a lot of rain, high winds and possible power outages. Fortunately we are not in an area where we are forced to evacuate and can wait the storm out at home. While I am waiting out the storm, I decided to head off to my Atelier to work on some projects. While I still have power (although the lights flickered while I am typing this) I fired up the Cricut and cut the necessary shapes. My drafting table faces the window and every time I look up from my work I can see the trees swaying wildly in the wind and rain furiously, pounding on my window.

Just in time for Halloween, Cricut released the Frightful Affair cartridge. The images on this cartridge are a little more sophisticated than the cutesy Halloween cartridge that they previously released. I like both types of cartridges and like have a variety of images. My favorite image on this cartridge is the Bride of Frankenstein. She is not the same old Bride of Frankenstein that one encounters every where but a "Bride" with attitude.  I was looking for a background for my Hello Kitty Halloween project and had the purple paper laying on my desk. The color didn't work for Hello Kitty but it would be perfect for the "Bride". I viewed her as a bit of a diva and decided to work from there.

 Here's the finished card. Oh, did I mention that I love bats and that they are a must for my Halloween cards?



Directions for Franken Diva Halloween Card:

Black, cream, light grey and yellow card stock
K&Company Kelly Panacci Halloween paper- purple with black dots and black with black glitter design
Cricut A Frightful Affair cartridge
Martha Stewart Iron Fence border punch
Stickles glitter glue-Ice Stickles
Recollections self adhesive pearls, Halloween crystals, small clear crystal
Black ribbon with silver spider web design
Sizzix die cutting machine
Sizzix bat die


1.  Fold an 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of light grey card stock in half to make a card.

2.  Cut a piece of black card stock with black glitter design approximately 7 3/4 inches high by by 4 3/4 inches wide. Cut the purple dotted card stock approximately 6 3/4 inches high by 4 1/2 inches wide. Glue the purple dot card stock on top of the black card stock leaving a border of approximately 1/4 on all sides.

3.  Cut nine bats using the Sizzix machine and bat die. If you don't have the Sizzix bat die, you can substitute any bats (Cricut, etc.) You want the bats to be fairly small with long wings and small bodies.

4.  Cut a small round circle out of yellow card stock. I used a circle template just because I had one available, but you can use any small circle shaped object as a template.

5.  Use the Martha Stewart Iron Fence border punch to punch a fence out of black card stock. Trim the fence to fit the purple and black dotted card stock. Glue the fence to the bottom edge of the purple and black dotted card stock.

6.  Using the Cricut Frightful Affair cartridge cut the "Bride" 's dress out of black card stock at 5 1/2 inches. Press the shift and "Bride" key.  Next cut the "Bride" out of light cream card stock by pressing the "Bride" key.  Assemble the "Bride". Use a fine tip red marker to draw in her mouth.

7.  Center the "Bride" on the purple and black dotted card stock and glue her in place slightly above the bottom edge of the fence. Use Ice Stickles to fill in the white streak in the "Bride" 's hair. Add a small self adhesive pearl to the bolt on the side of her head. Apply 3 small pearls to her wrist to make a bracelet. Apply one small clear crystal to her ring finger and apply a golden Halloween crystal to the neckline of her dress.

8.  Apply 2 small and 2 medium purple Halloween crystals to the fence posts.

9.  Glue the yellow circle to the top right corner of the purple and black dotted card stock to make a moon.

10.  Gently fold the bat's wings upward to give them the illusion of flight. Glue 2 bats on the moon and glue the rest of the bats randomly around the top of the card.

11.  Center the black and black glittered card stock base on the light grey card stock and glue it in place.

12.  Tie a small bow out of the black ribbon and glue it to the bottom of the card.

Custom File Folders

In my continuing effort to reorganize my atelier, I purchased two of the Jet Max cubes from Michaels. I decided that a hanging file drawer and the three drawer cubes would give me a lot of useful storage and tuck neatly under my drafting table. The drawer for hanging files was a great idea! I imagined being able to store patterns and drawings from art projects and having them readily available when I needed them. The drawer went together easily and it even came with a package of six hanging file folders. I quickly filled up the six file folders so I reached for a box of standard hanging file folders from the office supply store. Then I discovered that the hanging bars on the file drawer were not standard ( they are wider than standard file drawers). I searched the Internet and ultimately found that the wider file folders could be purchased from Michaels but my Michaels doesn't carry them.

My search for the file folders indicated that a lot of people are still having trouble finding folders to fit the Jet Max file drawer. I decided to post my handmade file folders for those of you who want to make your own. The Jet Max file folders are 1/2 inch wider and three inches higher than the standard office supply store file folders. They are also lighter weight and not as sturdy as the standard file folders. My file folders are sturdier and can be made in any color to match your decor. The only drawback is that you need to use two file folders to make one finished hanging file folder.

Remove hanging bar from second file folder.

Open folder and lay flat with outside facing up.

Use a brayer to help the card stock stick to the file folder.

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Fold the edge of the card stock over the hanging bars.

Score card stock 2 1/2 inches from the end.

Finished hanging file folder.

                                      Directions for Hanging File Folders:

Box of Standard Hanging File Folders- available at Office Supply Stores
X-Acto Knife or other craft knife
Glue or double stick tape- I used the Scotch ATG tape gun
Card stock- I used a blue and yellow print from DCWV Sorbet Stack. You will need 2 pieces of the same color or print to cover one file folder.
Brayer
Hot Glue Gun
Martha Stewart Scoring Board and Bone Folder


1.  Split the top edge of a file folder with the craft knife and remove the metal hanging bar. Repeat on the other edge to remove the other hanging bar.  Remove the hanging bars from the second file folder and carefully peel off the overlapping edge from the inside of the folder. Try not to damage the folder because this is the one that you will cover with card stock.

2.  Open the second file folder and lay it on the desk top with the outside of the folder facing up.

3.  Score a piece of card stock 2 1/2 inches from the edge of the card stock. I used the Martha Stewart Scoring Board to get a perfectly straight scored edge.

4.  Lay the card stock on top of the open file folder and center over the folder. The card stock will be slightly wider (approximately 1/8 inch on each side) than the file folder. Apply tape or glue to the file folder along the edges and across the middle. Align the card stock with the bottom edge of the file folder. center the card stock and press into place. Use a brayer over the card stock to assure that it adheres to the file folder.

5.  Position the metal hanging bars one on top another so that they create a 13 inch long hanging bar. Use the hot glue gun to glue them in place.

6.  Fold the card stock along the scored line and use a bone folder to crease it.

7.  Apply a thin layer of glue, with the hot glue gun, near the folded edge of the card stock. Position the hanging bar, that you just made, close to the folded edge of the card stock (on top of the hot glue) and press in place.

8.  Repeat these steps for the other side of the hanging file folder.

Flapper Birthday Card

It's been quite a while since I have done a Cricut card. I saw the Art Deco cartridge this summer but wasn't sure if it contained enough useful images to justify buying the cartridge. The back of the  box only showed a sample of images from the cartridge and based on that sample there just wasn't enough to entice me to purchase the cartridge. I don't know why Cricut decided to show only a sample of images rather than showing all of the images available on the cartridge but I don't think it's a good marketing practice. In my case they almost lost a sale. Since I really liked the flapper, decorative elements and the Empire State Building, I decided to try to find the cartridge on line to see if I could view all of the images on the cartridge. After viewing all of the images I found quite a few that I really liked ( the Greyhound, bird, other buildings and people).

The past several weeks everything has taken precedence over my art projects. Since I'm in the process of reorganizing my Atelier, it is in a state of disarray and not very inviting. Last night I cleared off the drafting table so that I would have a place to work. Even though I don't like the ambiance I really needed to make a birthday card and the Art Deco cartridge was lying on my drafting table begging to be used. The Flapper is one of my favorite images on this cartridge and I thought that she would make a cute birthday card.

Here's the finished card. I added small stick on pearls to the strand around the Flapper's neck. After all, Is she really a Flapper without her her pearls? It was tedious to stick on each pearl but the result was worth it. When applying the pearls leave a small space between each one to mimic the way real pearls are strung.



Flapper Card Directions:

White, red, black beige and light grey card stock
Me and My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets Animal Print paper- black and white leopard print
Recollections Roses- light and dark grey
Recollections Self Adhesive pearls- small pearls
Peach and dark rose colored pencils
Artist Loft color pencil blender
Fine point black felt tip pen
Tattered Angels Pearl Glimmer Mist
Zots and Foam Dots


1.  Print a card greeting on the front and the inside of the card. Fold the card in half and crease.

2.  Using the Cricut Art Deco cartridge cut the flapper at 5 inches out of beige card stock. Press the Shift and Flapper keys and cut the clothes at 5 inches out of red card stock. Press the Layer and Flapper keys and cut the stockings and pearls out of white card stock. Next press the Layer, Shift and Flapper keys to cut the shoes and belt out of black card stock. Assemble the Flapper.

3.  Apply the self adhesive pearls to the necklace around the Flapper's neck.

4.  Color the Flapper's face and arms with the peach colored pencil. Use the color pencil blender to blend the skin tone. Apply a little dark rose colored pencil to the Flapper's cheek and lips. Use the black felt tip marker to draw her eye.

5.  Lightly spray the image with Pearl Glimmer Mist and let it dry.

6.  Cut a piece of light grey card stock approximately 5 1/4 inches high by 4 inches wide.  Center Flapper on the card stock and attach with small foam dots.

7.  Cut a piece of black and white leopard card stock approximately 6 inches high by 4 3/4 inches wide. Attach Zots to the back of the card stock. Center the card stock on the front of the card below the greeting and press in place. Attach Zots to the back of the grey card stock. Center the card stock on the leopard card stock and press in place.

8.  Glue a dark grey rose to the upper left corner of the leopard card stock and a light grey rose to the bottom right corner of the leopard card stock.

Crazy foot Sock

I bought a copy of Ann Budd's Master Sock Knitting and some yarn while on vacation. I was anxious to start knitting. The book is divided into two parts: one devoted to knitting top down socks and the other section contains patterns for knitting socks from the toe up. I have tried both methods and I definitely prefer knitting from the top down.

 I personally think that the socks knitted this way fit my foot better. Besides I like knitting socks on double pointed needles.  I found knitting socks using two circular needles to be a bit confusing and I didn't like the ladders that were formed at the join of the needles. While buying this yarn, a woman in the yarn store approached me and asked if I had tried knitting from the toe up rather than using double pointed needles? I explained that I have tried both methods and still prefer the double pointed needles. She really loved knitting on two circular needles and tried very hard to convince me that this was the best way because I wouldn't have to "mess with those double pointed needles." I thanked her for her advice and quietly went to retrieve my yarn, which by this time had been wound into balls.

What can I say? I like knitting on double pointed needles so naturally I chose a sock pattern knitted from the top down. Anne Hanson (knitspot.com) is one of my favorite designers so when I saw her lacy sock pattern in the book I just had to knit them. The pattern is well written and easy to follow. I knitted my socks in Mountain Colors Crazyfoot in the Alpine color. This pattern is called a lace pattern but it's not an open lace making it suitable for socks. I'm really happy with the finished result. The Crazyfoot yarn gives the sock a nice cushy feel and the socks fit well with my Birkenstock clogs.

Sock Update: This pattern worked so well with the Crazyfoot yarn that I started knitting another pair in the Winter Sky color (deep blues and purple). I love my socks and wear both pairs on a regular basis. Even after repeated machine washing the socks still look and fit great.