Finished Knitting Projects 2 and 3

I promised you I would update you on my knitting progress, so here we are! I have finished my second and third projects. I completed both without patterns. Right now I am working on making my stitches even and understanding the structure of the fabrics. I am also learning to switch between knitting and purling without dropping stitches or becoming annoyed. The pouch came out...interesting ;) The purple ear warmer came out pretty good in my opinion. Guess what? I even used crochet to border and seam both projects! What do you think?

I guess I'll have to find a new knitting project to work on while I rest my wrist from crochet. What are you working to improve in your crochet and/or knitting?

Friday Focus: Julie Lapalme

Saturday waits. Sunday always comes too late. Friday never hesitates! That's right, it's Friday, and I'm in love. In love with what you ask? With crochet of course. Did you think I meant my husband? (Yeah, I love him, too :p) I am in a rather chipper mood at the moment. The designs of Julie Lapalme and her brand Little Squirrel Designs just have that effect on me. She's today's Friday Focus designer and she has some adorable stuff to show us. Julie's designs are full of life with a touch of sweetness. I'm really excited to share them with you today. Have a look!

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
Originally, I think my mom taught me to crochet when I was about 8. I had ZERO interest in it and thought it was extremely boring. My sister would crochet all these cute butterflies and I wanted to as well, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I later re-taught myself when I was 19. So, I have been crocheting for 11 years now.

Why do you crochet?
When I re-taught myself to crochet, I was sick and was looking for a way to pass time. I discovered that crocheting was actually relaxing and helped me feel less stressed and anxious. Also, in the end I got something really cool and handmade out of it. Then it sort of became an obsession. Who am I kidding. It’s not sort of, it is an obsession!

Crochet Favorites
My favourite hook/hooks are these steel ones that I taught myself to crochet with. I can’t remember the brand, but they are very basic, cheap hooks. But, I LOVE them. I have tried other hooks and always come back to my steel ones. I actually start to panic if one gets misplaced. I need my steel hooks!

My favourite yarn is anything Vanna’s Choice. Since I design and create things mostly for children, I like to use acrylics. They wash easily and you don’t have to worry about all your time and effort crocheting being ruined by a spill. Acrylics can be scratchy and hard, but I find that Vanna’s Choice is squishy and soft. I have never had anyone complain about the feel of it.

Honestly, I don’t really have a favourite crochet book. I do have many books about crochet and techniques, but there isn’t one I am constantly going back to. 

What are you working on right now?
Right now, I am working on making a whole bunch of butterfly wings and turtle backpacks for a craft show I am attending in the fall. I haven’t been able to design anything for a while due to the volume of items I need to create for the craft show. It’s a little frustrating at times crocheting the same thing over and over, but I love when a child wears one of my items and it makes them smile. The possibility of having many children wearing my items and smiling pushes me through yet another pair of wings. But, I really would like to get creative!  Hopefully by November I will be back to designing. 

A few finished objects...
Little Heart Scrapghan: This is my most popular design. The hearts are an easy way to use up any leftover scraps you have hanging around. 

Little Sheep Lovey: I really love this lovey. I get a lot of requests to make these up for new babies. I love the feel of the Lionbrand Thick N’ Quick. This pattern works up really fast.

Little Owl Baby Blanket: This is my second most popular pattern. It is a lot of single crochet, but if you want to challenge yourself with cables, give it a try.

Such cute designs! I have seen several people on r/crochet make that Scrapghan and folks just love it. My favorite of Julie's patterns is her Big Bag with Fawn Applique. That little fawn is just so sweet! You can check out more of what Little Squirrel Designs has to offer on her website, Ravelry, and Facebook. Thank you for taking the time to visit us today, Julie. Have a great weekend everyone!

Heart Garland

When I found myself with some extra red yarn I struggled with what to do with it. I had been looking for a nice heart pattern for a while and thought that my bright red yarn would best be used in a heart themed project. The yarn was called Red Heart after all, ba dum ch. I was overjoyed to find this delightful pattern for a heart garland and set to work right away. Smaller hearts were also included by stopping short of the last round of each heart because I liked the contrast between the two sizes.

Holidays and crochet go so well together. What fun things have you crocheted for holidays in your home? What are your favorite Valentine's Day projects?

Love Letter Sachet

Picture if you will an awkward teen girl in the early 2000's. She was short, brunette, had glasses, and loved to get straight A's. A hopeless romantic, she loved Valentine's Day with a passion. On Valentine's Day she could be found sporting a springy heart headband, a heart-themed outfit, and a huge smile while passing out cards and candy to all of her friends (and on a few lucky occasions, a boyfriend). Maybe she was weird sometimes, maybe she was a bit quiet, and maybe she hadn't quite come into her own yet... but Valentine's Day was her day, the very best day of all. A day of love and happiness and frills!

I'm sure you can guess by now that the little awkward girl was me. Guess what? Valentine's Day is still my very favorite holiday and I'm super excited that it's coming up. This will be Alex and I's ninth Valentine's Day together. I'm a lucky girl! To celebrate, I plan to make caramels, dipped shortbread cookies, and frosted sugar cookies to share with others. Yay!

There's something else I've prepared for the season of love... a brand new pattern! Here's my Love Letter Sachet pattern. Man, do they smell good!

I walked over to Pike's Place to get the lavender that I used to fill the sachets. The sweet little store was located in a warm corner overlooking the water. I would definitely recommend it and I will be returning there for any future lavender needs.

The new pattern is available on Ravelry and Craftsy. xoxo