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Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Reviewing The Stanwood Yarn Ball Winder

A Yarn Winder For The Crafter

Using my Stanwood Yarn Ball Winder has made my yarn stash so much easier to live with. If you crochet, knit or do other crafts that require yarn; you know that it doesn't take long before those leftover skeins of yarn start to look messy and are actually hard to store. Try to figure out what brand and color one of those leftovers is and you can just forget about it. You lost the label ages ago so you can't be sure. I now have a tool that helps me keep organized with my yarns.

Stanwood Needlecraft YBW-A Hand-Operated Yarn Ball Winder, 4-Ounce

After decades of crocheting, trust me I have quite the yarn stash! Once I purchased my Stanwood yarn winder, at least it is easier to figure out just what is what. Some of the older skeins are still mysteries as to brand and actual color name because the label is gone but the new yarns are in neat little yarn cakes that I can roll up the label and place in the center for later reference.

Watch this video to see how the yarn ball winder works. After watching Mikey, I bought my first yarn winder and I am so glad that I did.

Funny thing is that when the grandchildren come to visit, they ask if I have any yarn to be wound! They love turning the crank and making those neat little yarn cakes! Yes, I've been known to save a partial skein of scrap yarn for them to wind for me, its just what Grandmas do you know.

One would think that the best selling item would be either yarn or crochet hooks but I have not found that to be the case. Instead my number on best seller is this exact item, the Standwood Yarn Ball Winder.

I know how happy I am that I now don't have those deflated skeins of yarn in my craft room and I have never regretted purchasing this handy little tool. I keep it secured to one of my tables so that it is always ready to go.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Review of a Baby Einstein Caterpillar

The Baby Einstein Caterpillar is part of a wide range of delightful educational and entertaining toys for babies. My favorite is this Baby Einstein Teether-Pillar Toy. It's a colorful and adorable teething ring that is easy to hold and comforts baby. Filled with water, it can quickly be refrigerated.

Baby Einstein Company

The Baby Einstein products are a unique combination of music, art, language (English, French and Spanish), shapes and numbers, and the animals found in nature. They are a world of discovery in the early moments of your baby's life. The Baby Einstein Company was begun about fifteen years ago by a mom who wanted to share her love of the arts, history, the earth and literature with her baby. Today her unique and creative baby products entertain and engage the curiosity of babies. The company's philosophy is to create toys that satisfy the curiosity of children and the wish of parents to nourish it.

products are inspired by a simple and universal idea: the curiosity of young children, and the wish of parents everywhere to nourish it. - See more at: http://www.kidsii.com/brands/baby-einstein/#sthash.nCGUP1UF.dpuf

Colorful Caterpillar in Crochet

Recently, a mother from Canada contacted me through my Etsy Shop about a plush crocheted caterpillar I had made. She wondered if I could create the same caterpillar in the Baby Einstein colors of yellow, blue, purple, red and green as her two-year-old daughter was in love with the Baby Einstein caterpillar and wanted a soft toy one.

The Baby Einstein products were not around when this 'grandma' was raising her children, so I needed to do some research. As a result, I fell in love with the colorful Baby Einstein Caterpillar and this plush version was the result.

The mom sent me a special note when her daughter received her colorful crocheted caterpillar inspired by the Baby Einstein Caterpillar. Her daughter said "my very own caperpillar" (how she says it).

So far caterpillar has gone to bed with her, had lunch with her, jumped on the trampoline with her and played in the basement. It's already had quite an adventure!

Plush Toy Caterpillar in Handmade Crochet

As a result, I was inspired to create another crocheted colorful caterpillar for my shop, Coastal Crochet Crafts, on Etsy. (The pictured caterpillar has sold. Another one will be along soon, or you can request a custom order from my shop). :)

Baby Einstein Caterpillar

The Baby Einstein caterpillar products are a wonderful line of infant toys and baby playtime products and I'm grateful to my Canadian mom customer for introducing me to them, especially since my grandson was born. I can see a few of these unique items as Christmas and birthday presents in my grandsons' future.

Baby Einstein Rollar Pillar Activity Balls

Baby Einstein Review by Wednesday Elf

(c) Article originally written by Wednesday Elf on 6/13/15. Updated on 5/31/2022.

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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Reviewing Around The Corner Crochet Borders

My Favorite Book For Crochet Borders

Do you get stuck when it comes to putting a border on your latest crochet blanket? Perhaps my review of this wonderful book Around the Corner Crochet Borders will help solve your dilemma from now on. It certainly has helped me with my projects! My only problem now is to narrow it down to which lovely border I want to try!

Since I retired from my job, I have taken up the hobby of crocheting again. My husband might say that it is more of an obsession than a hobby but we won't go there today.

What I love About Edie Eckman's book

I don't know about you but I have tried to read many a crochet pattern in my day and some of them just do not make much sense. In Edie Eckman's book Around the Corner Crochet Borders pages are filled with easy to understand directions. She also shows a diagram of each border with the stitches and I love that. Sometimes when the words sound confusing, you can look at the diagram and it suddenly makes sense. At least for me, it does.

There are over 150 borders to choose from and let me tell you, I want to try about 120 or more of them. They are that unique and lovely! Edie also spends time in the front of the book explaining about the math of choosing and creating a border for your piece. Yes, there is a bit of a science to it all! I'm sure that you have probably tried a border and it either bent forward or began to ruffle and that was not the result you wanted. The book will teach you how to get it right every time. By the way, if that border was bending forward you did not have enough stitches for the multiples you needed and if it ruffled you had too many stitches in your border for the width or length of the piece.

The above picture is a border that I made from the book. It is border #20 on pages 64 and 65. Isn't it cute? In the past, I would have just put the old standby of a shell border and honestly, would have been disappointed in it. I like the shells but they are just so ordinary. Oh, another thing, with each border instruction, Edie shares the multiples that are needed to properly fit the border to the measurements of your piece. That helps to narrow your choices down according to the stitch count that your piece has.

I know that I am reviewing the border book but I thought that I would also like to offer a tip on crochet hooks. I love the ergonomic ones like the one below.

Ergonomic Crochet hooks

They are my hook of choice when doing any project because the soft grips are more comfortable to use especially when I am going to crochet for long spans of time.

If you love to crochet and want some extraordinary ideas for borders, I highly recommend Around The Corners Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman. I am thrilled that I purchased it and I plan to purchase other books by the same author. She has written it all in a way that I can understand but more importantly that I can actually use.

I created a sample piece for border #20 that I mentioned above just to make sure that I understand the math and the directions. What will I do with my little sample? As a Grandmother to four little girls, it will be a doll blanket for one of them. I hope you have enjoyed my review of this book, if you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments section below. I know you will enjoy this book if you crochet and if you have been looking for something to give as a gift to someone who crochets; this book Around the Corners Crochet Borders would be treasured by the person you give it to.

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Saturday, March 7, 2015

Crafting in St. Patrick's Day Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Pixabay)

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is honored and celebrated on March 17 each year. The green of the Irish flag is the official color for St. Patrick’s Day. Green is also associated with Ireland's poetic name, the “Emerald Isle”. Creating crafts in green is a fun way to add to the pleasure of St. Patrick's Day.

If you are a yarn crafter like me, grab some green yarn and create anything from a plush animal to whatever

St. Patrick's Day Crocheted Octopus

Plush Baby Octopus in Crochet

This little plush octopus is handmade in crochet in a combination of Irish green and the gold of the 'pot of gold' at the end of the rainbow we sometimes associate with Irish mythology.

This St. Patrick's Day crocheted octopus measures about 2 inches tall and 6 inches across his tentacles. This one is available in my Etsy Shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts. If you crochet and would like to create your own Irish octopus in crochet, I created a free pattern tutorial for you.

What is a Shamrock?

St. Patrick's Day Gnome in a field of Shamrocks

Source: Pixabay

The Shamrock is known as a symbol of Ireland. According to legend, St. Patrick used it as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity.

Shamrock Beverage Coasters

Shamrock Tabletop Coasters

Shamrock designs are popular in any form. These cute beverage coasters handmade in needlepoint on plastic canvas are just the thing to protect your tabletops at your St. Patrick's Day celebrations, which might include 'green' beer or Irish coffee!

These Shamrock Beverage Coasters were created by Pat and are available in her Etsy Shop Coastal Crochet Crafts. Irish drink coasters measure 4 x 4 inches with a design of that Irish clover and stitched in two shades of green with the design outlined in black.

*This set of Shamrock coasters just sold, but I would be glad to create a new set just for you. You can contact me anytime at Coastal Crochet Crafts on Etsy.

A Collection of St. Patrick's Day Crafts

For a large selection of St. Patrick's Day crafts for both children and adults, check out this article The Best St. Patrick's Day Crafts by Loraine Brummer (lbrummer)

Irish Green Plush Penguin

Irish Green Plush Penguin

I crocheted a plush penguin in Irish Green yarn as my way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day. This green penguin is a round and roly-poly 5 x 5 inches and enjoys this March holiday loved by the Irish. He can be found in the Etsy Shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts.

Shamrocks by Kathie

A collage of shamrocks on handmade purses, lanyards and coin purses

Shamrocks on Purses, Coin Purses & Lanyards

A collection of Shamrocks on handmade quilted purses, coin purses, fabric quilted table runners and fabric lanyards created by Kathie in Iowa for her Etsy Shop called CutePurseNalities.

Kathie's beautiful purses and tote bags are outstanding and her fabric lanyards and coin purses are so handy. In addition to St. Patrick's Day Shamrock themes, Kathie creates in many other designs, including animals, nature, other holidays, seasons, foods, shapes and science.

More St. Patrick's Day Craft Ideas

Available on Amazon

As a parent, a teacher, a Scout leader or a child caregiver, have fun with the children you know while telling them about St. Patrick's Day or getting ready for a St. Paddy's Day party.

This book of 12 St. Patrick's Day crafts easy for kids to do is an enjoyable place to begin. The book is available in Amazon's Kindle Store.

If you have any St. Patrick's Day crafts or tutorials to share, please leave the link in the comment section below.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Quick Links:

Article by Wednesday Elf of the crochet blog Crochet - Crafts - Critters.
Wednesday Elf can also be found in her Etsy Shop Coastal Crochet Crafts

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Bernat Blanket Review

I do not consider myself a crafty person typically. But every winter I do find myself sitting and crocheting. And every year I am able to make at least one item for a gift. This year, I have made a very exciting discovery. There is a fairly new line of yarn that has me head-over-heels with crocheting this year. It is the Bernat Blanket Yarn.

Crocheted Cowl by the author

My first project was a cowl that I made for myself. I very loosely followed a different pattern I had found on the internet. The good thing about just winging it was that I ended up with a cowl that I love. The bad part is that I can't replicate it exactly since I didn't count stitches or pay close attention to how many rows. I can tell you that I started with joining a chain in order to make a loop around my neck at what I thought was a desired length. I completed the second row of single stitch. Then I used rows of double stitch, with one row of decreasing.

My second project was an easy scarf pattern. I am making a gift for a child at the school. He has asked me to teach him to crochet and since that first lesson he has been busy making gifts for his family members. I thought he might like to have a scarf of his own. The scarf is 8 single stitches across each row. Easy peasy.

After I finish his scarf, I think my next project will be a throw or blanket. Perhaps the one featured in the following video.

This video is a bit long, but excellent in showing a step-by-step blanket pattern with this yarn. It shows steps from start to finish. Please note, how soft and lush this yarn appears. It feels even better than it looks.

Bernat Blanket Yarn, Mallard Wood - photo by Amazon

Bernat blanket yarn can be found at craft stores as well as online. It is a Gauge 6 - Super Bulky Chenille yarn. It comes in ball size: 300 g/ 10.5 oz, 201 meters/220 yards. It is machine wash and dry. When I bought my first ball, it seemed a bit pricey. But I have made two scarves so far, and haven't gotten to the end of that first ball.

Crochet Hooks for Bulky Yarn - photo by Amazon

I wasn't prepared to crochet with this yarn since it was an impulse purchase. I saw the yarn, touched the yarn, and had to have a ball of it right then. I didn't have a pattern and I had no plans to crochet that weekend. I knew that I didn't have any hooks that were large enough so I did purchase a set of crochet hooks for bulky yarn. I'm happy using the N hook. The size N hook gives me a really nicely sized stitch.

This Bernat Blanket yarn (and I'm sure I'll try the Bernat Baby Blanket yarn soon) is amazing stuff. You can bet that my crocheting this season will not end with just these two scarves. If you like to knit or crochet, I urge you to check out this luxurious yarn.