Stranded Knitting

So I learned to knit with both hands a while ago but I had not really tried Fair Isle knitting, so I decided that a simple 2 strand pattern would be my first foray into color work.  I have to say it was really interesting to try it and the knitting seemed more fun and more intricate.  I used the new Woolspun yarn from Lion Brand and it knits up quick and it feels nice as you're knitting.

The yarn palette and the hat.

I also used a really cool Bernat pom pom that I bought last year, a local Wal-Mart was having this crazy clearance sale and they were $1.97 each, needless to say I bought all the ones they had! :) I really liked this pattern, it was really well written and easy to follow, a perfect beginner pattern for color work.  It's called the Ice Cream Hat and you can find it here on a neat blog called Alaska Knit Nat and it was originally inspired by this pattern.  I decided to try mine with warmer colors since the winter is coming and the Midwest always delivers sub-zero weather.

The end result.

I can't wait to give this to someone as this is part of my holiday knitting, I decided to knit up a matching scarf using simple 2x2 ribbing and it will give me an excuse to use some of my favorite straight needles.

Scarf work in progress.

Until the next time when I'll be going over the September Paper Pumpkin, happy crafting!

Cinch Unboxing

So I thought "Treat yo self!" and I ended up getting a Cinch book binding tool.  As you probably noticed I have no idea where I am actually going to put it, but I thought about all of the cool things I could be making and knew I had to have one.  I thought I could even make people flip calendars for the year using the Cinch and my Cricut Explore, I'll post those projects with instructions once I have completed a few.  

In the meantime, you can see me unboxing my Cinch and going over some basic features in the video below.  I found it to be pretty easy to figure out and the supplies for binding, like the covers and wires, are not that expensive.  I found that to be refreshing since the tool itself is around $100.  I opted to get the round hole version rather than the square punch just because some reviews pointed out that you could put eyelets in the round holes and they'd be relatively easy to find, other than that, the two machines are basically the same except for color, the square one is yellow.  

The Cinch Unboxing

So that covers it, I was able to get it up and operating in under 12 minutes and the instructions are very easy to follow, I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot of use out of this.  So I've been promising a Minc hack, and I will get it together soon.  Happy crafting!

StampinUp Demonstrator Kit and Paper Pumpkin Review!

Yay!!!! My demonstrator kit came and I could not be happier! The inks are so nice, the stamps, card stock, just everything!!! 

My kit selections and promo materials. 

I had no idea that in addition to the items I chose for my kit, I would also receive a Paper Pumpkin kit.  I had never heard of it, so I opened it last.

Cute packaging! 

Card materials, stamps, and coordinating ink! 

Closeup of the card materials. 

I had an order from a customer and put together this Thank You card using this kit and a few things from my demonstrator kit.  

Needless to say, I loved this so much I subscribed immediately! If you want to subscribe, or just preorder one month, go to www.mypaperpumpkin.com to order or go to www.florigami.stampinup.net to get started!

Happy Crafting!