Stop. Block. And Roll. Tips for Blocking Your Knits

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Stop. Block. And Roll. Tips for Blocking Your Knits

There is no hard and fast rule on blocking other than this one: You MUST block your knits (and crochet). These tips will help you do it with ease. Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. Read full blog disclosure here. Some materials for this post provided by Eucalan & Knitters Pride.

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Three Great DIY Projects For Holiday Gifts

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My love for handmade is endless. Especially when it comes to gifting. Something about taking time to think about someone, and then put a bit of love into each stitch or hammer swing or paint stroke. It makes the project so special and the giving so magical. Receiving handmade is pretty special too. I mean just knowing someone thought about me enough to take TIME to CREATE something just for me is a little bit of magic.

In that spirit, here are three fun and fabulous projects from three AMAZING artsians you can make. You still have time to make some handmade magic for your holiday gifting.

First up: The Crochet Clock by ChiWei of @1dogwoof.
Ok um excuse me a minute while I literally drool at both the beauty and genius of this project. When Chi Wei initially shared this project on Instagram I was speechless. It is both simplistic and intricate. It never occurred to me to crochet a clock. But why not? I mean really... WHY NOT?

What I love most is the simplicity. In the making and in the design. Ideal for someone with a new home or that friend who loves classic style.

Next Up: The Lovely Star Stitch Pouches by Stephanie of @allaboutami
Stephanie constantly inspires me. What I truly love about these pouches is their simplicity in design. A sewing project that doesn't scare me is rare because sewing is not my strong suit. Stephanie takes you through this step by step and you can whip this up in a flash.

And if you are like me, and sewing is not on your top of fave things to do, you can make just a crochet version and it is still lovely. It can be a make up pouch, notions pouch, beach pouch... uses are endless. A great gift for anyone really.

And Last but not least... This simply fantastic Shave Case from Drew Emborsky, AKA The Crochet Dude.
  Now, let me first say WELCOME BACK to Drew who took a crochet hiatus. It is no secret he helped me get my start of taking my passion for yarn to the next level and I am forever grateful.

But beyond that, he is still the original badass for Why Didn't I Think Of That designs that are awesome. This Shave Case is awesome for the fellas but could easily be a make up brush case for the ladies too. It could be so many things and is not scary to make.  It looks like you slaved for days when really you can whip this baby up in an afternoon. So pick your fave color combo and get to it!

So there you have it. The countdown to the holidays is on but there is still time to hand make some awesome gifts of love.

Wind 'Em Up! My Yarn Winding DIY Swift

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As I started to work with more high end fibers I started to need a better yarn management system. Mostly because they come in hanks not skeins and without winding them I would end up with a mess. I realized very quickly I would need a yarn winder and a yarn swift. But Yarn Swifts are not cheap!

I had always loved the look of wooden Swifts for yarn but couldn't afford one nor did I have the space for one to be mounted. I mean $40-$120 is pretty steep when you are starting out. It also isn't efficient for me space wise. My studio is small. A magnificent swift would have to remain a "someday" not a solution to the current need.

As I started to look around I didn't find anything that fit my studio needs. My studio is lined with cubby shelves (more on that later when we talk storage and workspace efficiency) and since I also use these shelves for my booth at the One Of A Kind Show in Chicago, I couldn't permanently mount a swift to them.

So we took a ride to home Depot and about $12 later I had my very own perfect yarn winder. As time went on and my business grew I upgraded the hand crank to an electric winder I purchased online. But my $12 makeshift swift is still in place and works like a charm. Photos below in case you want to build your own.

If you want to splurge and get a yarn swift, this one from Knit Picks gets rave reviews but I have not personally used it.