I have been throwing around the idea of doing a learn to knit or crochet series. I would post weekly with new tips and tricks, plus different stitches. I would also post a pattern each week that would pertain to what was taught that week. So like a knitting / crochet class, but online.

I know there are a lot of sites that show the basic stitches, but I would make each lesson more involved than I’ve seen. Plus with weekly patterns to do before the next lesson, it would be a great way to learn how to knit or crochet!

Is there any interest in this? Would you like to see this? Would you find it helpful? Please comment!

ETA:  I removed the poll – not sure why it wasn’t working

Been working on a few things. Thanks for your help with this yarn I just couldn’t do anything but a scarf. I know it’s getting warm here too but it is going to be soo yummy this winter. My winter self will thank my spring self for knitting it.

When I bought this yarn I also picked up this ginormous spool of yarn. I was inspired to make Lucy an Easter dress. And here it is. Good thing I had a plan B. Maybe it will just be a summer time dress

I got the idea to knit this baby rattle for Lucy. I was so excited that it turned out ok. I had an old mitt rattle that was too tight on her hand so I took it out of the fabric and stuck it in this one.

I started with an icord by casting on 7. Then I increased as you would for a raglan sleeve on every stitch and knit in the round. I did the same thing 3 times till i ended up with like 40 stitches give or take a few. Then when I thought it was big enough I started decreasing and stuffing it before I ended up with just 10 stitches that I pulled together at the top. She loves it. Oh, I needed something hard to hold it up, so I broke a piece of a plastic hanger and stuffed it in there. It’s sorta floppy but Lucy loves it! she can hold on to it really well.

I tried to get a picture of her with it but she was just going to town. Here she is wacking her self in the head. too funny!

This is the yummiest acrylic yarn I have found in a while. I was in Florida for my brothers wedding a couple of weeks ago and thought I would look through the craft section at the Walmart there. I was so excited to find this. It was 50 cents a skein!!! It feels a lot like the Angel Hair yarn from Joanne’s. Yeah I pretty much bought every one – I love it! I’m trying to decide what to do with it tho. I mean I can hardly think of anything but a scarf cause it is sooo cozy, but knitting a scarf in April?? Come on! Any ideas?

I was really excited to share with the world my first felted Easter basket. The first of many baskets designed by me that every mom would have to have for their child. But instead I ended up with this: a floppy bag with no shape, that does not curve in, that does not look like a basket! I should not have been as frustrated as I was considering I did not use a pattern, by say, those who have actually successfully made a basket. So Candace and I decided to try and come up with some other uses to salvage this attempt, most involving our favorite models (and me…). Here’s what we came up with:

The mini messenger bag-

A taco holder, to keep your lap clean-

A trough for snacks-

The Easter bonnet- (yes, Candace you can borrow it Sunday, alright!)

The toddler arm sling-

What do you think? Have I cornered a new market with any of these?
Better luck next year!

I wanted to share with you a little project that has changed my knitting life…

My knitting used to look like this:

Sure I have a huge knitting bag with ALL my knitting in it, but what about taking the wip with me somewhere. Oh quick, grab a ziplock.. Sound familiar?

So I came up with this easy drawstring bag. Now I can stuff my knitting in anywhere and the drawstring keeps my yarn coming out nicely from the top. It only has one seam. It is one big piece of fabric folded over and stitched up the side. Tada.. This is a bag I’m working on for my future sister-in-law (apparently I can’t stop knitting bags – help!)
you likes?

I’ve been busy the past couple of weeks with yarn crafts! I found a new love of dying yarn, so I’ve been playing with that a lot. Here are a few of the colorways I’ve dyed up.

The first was my first attempt at kettle dying. It turned out so beautiful, the colors remind me of Easter.

The following are two other attempts I made. These didn’t turn out nearly as well because I didn’t have the water temperature high enough and the colors weren’t being absorbed quickly, causing muddying of the colors. But they aren’t too bad, not as orange as they look in the pictures

This is a soaker I made using the first kettle dye I did. I love how it turned out. Notice how there is no pooling of the colors, that is a huge plus to kettle dying. It is so random and color pooling is minimal. The pattern is a free soaker pattern I found online.

These are some night time shorties that I made from a purchased Belladonna Designs pattern. They are made specifically for night time with a thicker stitch in the crotch, where more absorbency is needed. My daughter wore them last night and they worked perfectly. The yarn is another colorway I dyed, but I didn’t like how it turned out at all. I call it my “dye job gone bad”

The final project is a poncho that I crocheted for my beautiful daughter. The yarn is a cotton linen blend that I received when participating in a “magic yarn ball swap” through a messageboard I’m active on. The pattern was a free one I found online.

And who can resist a picture of a happy girl in her new top?

So there you have it – what I’ve been up to the past couple of weeks Thanks for looking!!

Since felting has taken over my knitting life I am trying to branch out and employ some new effects. This bag was my first attempt at making my usual solids and stripes into plaid. It was both easier and more work than I thought it would be.

I knitted the main color and contrasting color yarn with random stripes. Then I used a big, plastic needle and a double strand of the contrasting color and weaved in and out about every 4 rows vertically. Since I used a new piece of yarn for each vertical stripe I did not tie knots but just ran it through the brown to secure the stripe. I just cut off all the ends after the bag was felted. This was rather time consuming.

One good thing that I also learned about felted wool is that you can cut off your mistakes! I knitted a flap and sewed a washer (like goes on a bolt, ladies) but somehow sewed up the bottom of my bag crooked resulting in a flap that was not centered. Luckily, I cut the entire flap off and you can’t even tell! This is the wonder craft for me!

I think it turned out to be a cute bag but am wondering if the vertical plaid stripes would have popped out more if I had chosen a more contrasting color. I think I will try bright, solid colors for the stripes next time instead of a veriegated yarn too close in color. If any of you have done this I would love to see your successes!

I thought I would share this knitting mistake I made last year. So that you don’t get the wrong idea that everything we make here at Crafty Daisies is “perfect”. I would even like to think that everything I make is incredible. But lets face it, not every project turns out great or even close to great. And that’s a good thing. Because sometimes my head gets big enough to almost fit into the hat you’re about to see. So let this be an example to you of what not to do.
Lesson 1: When knitting a hat, use a pattern or your hat will turn out like this.

“oh no it’s too big, I don’t think it will work. Maybe if I felt it…” she thinks to herself

Lesson 2: never felt wool knitted with acrylic yarn or you’ll get this.

Yes, the knitted pizza. It is flat as a pancake.

Lesson 3: use a freekin’ pattern, Joy!

PS. I’d like to also say, thank you all for your kind comments on our work. You make this fun blog worth while! We love you!!

My fingers have been busy lately! I have become really addicted to felting, which is knitting with wool yarn and washing it to shrink it about 1/3 of its original size. I have posted several times before about the magical mytery of felting and wanted to show off the WIP from a few weeks ago that is finally finished! I can’t stop lately. As soon as I finish one I cast on another. Right now I am working on a gray bag with a pink, puple, ivory, and gray swirly border.

I have an orange bag just like the green one that I often carry and have been encouraged by friends to try and make them to sell so I am excited to try it out. (Anyone interested?)

I am so happy with how they have turned out, which I can’t always say about my work. Felting is magical!