Continuing to Practice Bead Crochet Remember a couple weeks ago when I learned bead crochet? I was instantly hooked… so I’ve kept at it! Last time, I made a very small piece, but not a full piece of jewelry. This week, I stepped up to a bracelet project from Bead Crochet Jewelry… and I’m very […]
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Join our Dragon CAL!
Exciting news! The newest FreshStitches Crochet-A-Long is here! This month, we’ll be crocheting a dragon using the Choose Your Own Dragon Adventure pattern… and I’ll be posting helpful tips and techniques blog posts the whole way! The pattern contains instructions for making lots of different pieces… so you can design your own dragon! Check out […]
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Thinking of designing patterns? You’ll want to hear this!
A visit to CraftyPod I was absolutely thrilled when Sister Diane of CraftyPod invited me to be a guest on her podcast to chat about earning a living from the pattern design business. You have to sell quite a few $5 patterns, but with hard work, earning a real wage is possible! You’ll want to […]
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Some of my favorite finished objects…
On Finished Object Friday, I typically show you what I’ve finished that week. The finishing week is the brightest spot in a handmade item’s life: it’s fresh and looks fabulous. But over time, a knitted item falls into one of two categories: it either becomes a well-wearing favorite, or a worn-out looking tragedy. Today, I’m […]
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How to read pdf files
If you’re able to read knitting and crochet patterns in their pdf-format (as opposed to the printed version), you’ll be open to not only a huge variety of available patterns, but also experience benefit from their portability. In this blog post, I’ll talk about the myriad ways to read a pdf. On a computer This […]
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What we can learn from Olympians
If you’ve turned on the TV in the past few days (at least here in the US), you’ve heard the story of Gaby Douglas who moved away from home at 14 years old to train… and worked hard enough to earn a gold metal in the all-around event in Gymnastics. It’s a pretty typical Olympic […]
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Store Spotlight: Lancaster Yarn Shop
store: Lancaster Yarn Shop address: 3519 Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, PA 17534 website: www.lancasteryarnshop.com/ date of visit: July, 2012 I visit a lot of yarn shops. Most of the nice shops have a few things in common: a lovely selection of yarns and notions, friendly staff and a relaxed & peaceful vibe that makes you […]
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Sewing up some project bags…
This Craft School Saturday project has a little bit of story behind it. You see, I’ve been hearing some demand for FreshStitches project bags. It turns out that your usual printing places (CafePress, Vistaprint, etc.) don’t carry the style of bag that would make awesome project bags. So, after much searching, I decided the best […]
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Lookie! I finished knitting rainbow socks!
I’m so stoked… I have two pairs of rainbow socks to show off this week! Tie-dye Socks The first pair is my socks that I knit from yarn that I tie-dyed: Ravelry project page I decided to knit these socks in inverse of each other: on one sock, the red is at the cuff and […]
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Free pattern alert: Frankie the Lobster!
The idea was born… Two years ago, I had an idea for an irresistibly cute amigurumi: a lobster. When I dreamed him up, I knew he had to have that oh-so-lobsteresque tail, big ol’ pinchers and antennae. Here’s what I came up with: Okay, maybe I’m biased, but… isn’t he adorable? That’s my Frankie! Frankie […]
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