PATTERN: Heartwood Cardi

Hi everyone!

Gosh it's been a long time - babies really are time sinks... We are all going really well though :) Just look at this little face!

But to today's news! 

Stylecraft is releasing out two new colours of their gorgeous Cabaret yarn today! The new colours are Forest Glade (a mix of glorious greens with gold sparkles) and Underwater Rainbow, and aren't they mutedly gorgeous!? 

To celebrate, I'm finally getting around to publishing my Heartwood Cardi design! You can buy it from Ravelry here: 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heartwood-cardi 

(but keep scrolling down for a discount code and a chance to win the yarn to make it!) 

It's modelled here by my lovely friend Samantha in Cabaret Pink Bloom: 

I previously made Lily Chin's Coming Full Circle Vest for myself, but being on the tubby side, for the cardigan to meet around the front it hung down past my knees at the back! As with most of my design inspiration, my questions were - how can I make this work for me? And if I can make it work for me, can I make it work for others as well? 

I started with a similar octagon shape (adapted to make it actually sit flat in the centre) and then rather than continuing to work all the way around the circle after armholes, I just worked shaped rows back and forth on each side. Then, to get the gorgeous collar and length, I worked more rows at the top and bottom. Ta-dah! 

I've made four of these cardigans now - one each for me and three wonderful friends, so I am confident that the measurement and maths works for a few different body sizes. Whilst it was originally designed for chunky me, as you can see it also works for regular sized ladies as well. For the skinny minnies among us, well, you can make the plain circle cardigans short enough not to be swimming in them :P 

!!!!!WIN YARN!!!!!

Because they are wonderful people, Stylecraft are giving 8 balls of the Cabaret colour of your choice to one lucky winner to make the Cardi! 

All you need to do is purchase the Heartwood Cardi pattern by 11:59pm AEST next Monday 20 August 2018, using the code 

CABARET 

and you'll get 50% off and one entry into the draw! It is open to everyone worldwide - all you need to do is have a valid email address and use the discount code CABARET when you buy the pattern, and you'll go into the draw. 

Winner will be drawn on Tuesday 21 August 2018 - go do the thing and win some lovely lovely yarn! 

Projects, WIPs and UFOs

Hello everyone! 

I can't believe how fast this year has flown by - how can it possibly be June already!? Hopefully after next weekend life can slow down a little bit, and we can get into a bit more of a routine... The fatigue doesn't like an exciting life at all! 

This week I'm going to tell you about some of my projects, WIPs and UFOs, to try and inspire me to get some of them done soon and out of the "to do" pile (and also to try and stop me picking up more new projects for a bit)!

Market Day

It has finally arrived! This Saturday is the Eastwood Uniting Church Annual Market Day, raising money for the Exodus Foundation. I am having a stall at the market, selling scarves and beanies (and hopefully taking some orders for more animals!). 20% of my sales and orders is going to support Exodus, so if you're in Sydney and want to check out my stuff, and get some super cheap toys, jam, cakes, books, clothes and white elephants, come on down!

My cousin Tracey, also a crochet artist, has sent me some very cute wool beanies and headbands to sell as well! You should definitely go check out her work at Cooper's Craft Corner :) 

My amazing Mum has been making me some organza bags for my customers - what do you think? A nice touch?

And, because everything we do is a family effort, my talented sister has made me a new set of tags for my wares. Don't they look good!

So, hopefully that goes well. I've decided if I sell 5 things, it'll be considered a success :) Any more is just a bonus!

Coming Full Circle Cardi

You know how you have those moments sometimes, when you see something and your brain just stops and shouts "WOW! MUST HAVE/DO THAT RIGHT NOW!!" Wandering through Ravelry about a week ago, I stumbled across the Coming Full Circle Vest by Lily Chin, and wow! I had to make it for me, right then. It's published in a book rather than online, but thankfully (?) there were so many errors in the published pattern that the whole thing is in the errata notes on Interweave's website! It feels a bit naughty, but the book is very expensive to buy when I just want the one pattern. 

Using Moda Vera Fayette in Pastel Mix (my favourite self-striping yarn is back in Spotlight! Yay!), I've been happily v-stitching round and round in circles for the last week or so :) It's not quite finished yet in this photo, but I wanted to try it on!

I'm up to the border now. The pattern asks for a shell/picot border, and.. well, after my Sunday Poncho I just don't think I can face more picots just at the moment. After a little Google image search (such a great way to look at lots of pictures!), I think I've decided on this two strand braid. What do you think?

Lily Pond CAL

After a slow start, I'm starting to enjoy the Stylecraft/Jane Crowfoot Lily Pond Blanket CAL. I'm not quite up to date at the moment though! The colours are just beautiful - very reminiscent of a pond. I'm glad I chose to do mostly Stylecraft Special DK with a few Life DK colours thrown in when there wasn't a Special DK to match, as it seems to be lighter and brighter than the original while retaining some deep colours for the deep waters of the pond.

The Order Mountain

I'm slowly working my way through my crochet orders. Fortunately my clients give me lots of notice so I don't have to be stressed about getting things done. Next off the rank is a cute pink and tan hippo, and then some Crocodile Stitch Booties in lovely Moda Vera Fayette Jewel Mix! Just like these ones, but adult sized ;)

Tumbling Blocks Baby Blanket - New Pattern

In between everything else, I've been steadily working on my Tumbling Blocks Baby Blanket Pattern - both writing up the (sometimes very odd) instructions for the squares, and crocheting away on the prototype. It's looking really good so far, if I do say so myself! I'm hoping to get it done and published by the end of July, but that really depends on the order list, work, the fatigue monster and whatever else falls in my lap in the next few months!

Overlay Crochet Purse - "Turkish Doorways" - New Pattern

Somewhere at the bottom of my cotton yarn bag is a half-done, half-written, half considered new pattern for a little coin purse (or pencil case or phone case or clutch - so many options!). I really need to pull it out, get it finished and written up, and then published, to get it out of my hair! 

And... don't even ask me about my cross-stitch. It hasn't been out of the bag in at least a month!

Do you have any projects that just feel like they will never end? 

How do you inspire yourself to finish them off?