Book Review: Crochet One Skein Wonders

Book Title: Crochet One Skein Wonder
Author: Judith Durant

Publisher: Storey Publishing
Format: ebook

Cost: $10.42

Pages: 288

How I got it: Netgalley 

My Rating:★★★★★
Erotica Rating: N/A
Synopsis:

Finally, a One-Skein Wonders book just for crocheters! Edie Eckman and Judith Durant offer 101 great crochet projects--from jewelry and scarves to bags, hats, dresses, and home dec items--that each use just one skein of yarn. Whatever your experience level, you'll find something here to delight you!

My Review:
Hello my name is Aisha and I am a yarn addict.  I love yarn, the feel the smell of fresh wool, I love moving my hook and watching a new project forming. I love creating scarves, hats, baby booties & afghans, crocheting works way faster than knitting (although I love that too).  I have seen so many one skein wonder books, but when I saw one for crocheting I had to jump for it of course.  And I don't regret it, I will have a good ten more projects on the hooks by time I get this book in hardcover.

It has an easily adaptable kindle cover project that I have started on as quickly as I started reading the book.  I am deeply in love with this and can't wait until I purchase more yarn and different varieties so that I can actually make it through the book.  I never realized that there were so many different kinds of yarns, I have gone into a local yarn shop and fell in love and stayed and stayed until she had to kick me out so that she could close. I haven't enjoyed so much yarn and the different textures in forever and I'm now going through my yarn at home and looking at it like "your not worthy to be on my needles, I need REAL yarn" Bamboo silk recycled saris, Goddess I have never been so in love with skeins, hanks and roving oh Goddess the roving, a spinning wheel, and and the wonderful wonderful yarn that flows through your fingers and makes you want to dive into the pile. Yep it's official I am now a yarn addict.

I'm so excited.  Please get a copy if your a yarn lover and crochet fanatic.  It's well worth it.

**FTC regulations require that I state I received this book for free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review**

Buy from Amazon                    Add to Goodreads

***FTC Rules require I state that I received this as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review**** 

It's not easy being Green:

Yeah I said it. Don't gimmie those looks, it isn't easy confessing this mess. When I lived at home, I ate organic, recycled never used plastic bags, heck I even taught several girlfriends all my nifty tricks that helped save the environment and them some serious cash. And who doesn't love keeping green in their pockets??

Well now I have different priorities, paying my bills, keeping a roof over my head those take precedence over purchasing high priced organic over the cheaper stuff, and to be real I kinda just got lazy. It's true, without friends who loved the green lifestyle, or books, or movies, or even tv shows that validated my feelings I begun to fall back into old rhythms. It was easier to just take the bags at the grocers since I would use them as trash bags as well, but eventually even I had to admit defeat beneath the onslaught and back to green bags I went.

©AishaO 

Because I'm a crafter and I would find any excuse to use my yarn stash, I was so excited when I saw a pattern for a market bag in my yarn magazine.  I loved that idea so much that I made small ones to get the fruits and veggies that normally go in a clear plastic bag.  I used Lily Brand Kitchen (cotton) yarn, which is easily washed and reused as often as you need it.  This of course save plastic bags from going into the landfill and the added benefit of some awesome looking groceries.

Here are a few different ideas for y'all to try:
Recycled Plastic Bag,

©Lion's Brand Yarn

Lion's Brand Market Bag

©Sugar n'Cream (Lily Brand Yarn)

Lily Brand Yarn Market Bag

Don't have a crafting bone in your body?? Love your plastic bags too much?? How about saving the bags in a container, like another bag, or a old lysol cleaning bottle like this one:

©Lysol

You can wrap it with your favorite wrapping paper to hide the label. Place plastic bags inside and pull out new bags when you need them. This makes it easy to carry in the grocery store.

Want to get rid of some of those bags?? Don't toss them in the trash, take them with you to the grocery store, many of the larger chains have a recycling bin set up right at the front door, just dump your bags in there and they send them off to recyclers for you.

Many stores also now give you money back for having your own bags, and a few (at least here in CT) are now starting to charge for bags, so save that .05c and bring your own. That adds up fast.

So there, that's how I have started to kick the green slump I have been experiencing.  How do you do green daily?? Share in the comments please.

Happy New Week

21 Days of Yule: Day 11: Making Decorations

I don't know about y'all but this month is just flying by so fast!!. I collected updated addresses from my friends just last week it feels like (it's actually right before American Thanksgiving) and already it's fast approaching Yule. It's crazy in two shakes it will be here. Have you done your decorations yet??? I'm here to confess nope, no I haven't put up all my decorations, because you know what I discovered??? What seems like a lot of decorations in one room?? Doesn't quite stretch to decorations for an entire apartment.

My mother has a massive decoration collection, of course she collected them over a 30 year lifetime of decorating her own home. She has amazing and beaitiful collector pieces from Tiffany, Waterford, Spode & Lenox, as well as small pieces from  no name brands.  We each have pieces that we have contributed, either by making or purchasing when we were little or when we went on vacations, one of my favorites is a snowglobe from Disney with Mickey & m=Minnie inside.  With that as a background I have learned that saving and getting one or two really good pieces is better than buying cheap stuff I'm picky so I have been watching the sales and waiting for the good stuff to go on sale right before Yule and of course the after Christmas sales will be awesome, i'll really stock up then. . Hence no real decorations yet. Luckily for me my yarn stash ?? Is fierce and I decided to make some of my decorations as well. If your like me a can wield a hook or a pair of needles with awesome precision, here are some of my favorite sites to get free patterns as well as some serious ideas  to suuppliment the bought decorations.  One of the things I'm working on i will show you on Wednesday!!

Here's my crafting list:
Red Heart Yarn Pattern Finder:  Sign up for theit email and get 12 weeks of crochet & knitting ideas for christmas. Now all you need is time!!

CrochetPatternCentral  this website is awesome it shares so many different patterns from all over the web. Click on the Holiday tab (which is what I have linked to ) or go the the main page and serach based on pattern idea.

Ravelry if your not on here, your missing out. It's an awesome way to note all your projects, ones on the hooks & needles, & even your stash & needle sizes. It's one fo the best communities for those addicted to yarn.

Lily Sugar & Cream Yarn, this company makes cotton or kitchen yarn as some call it. Their patterns are amazing and of course for their products, but I just love thier differnt holiday ideas including the wine bottle cozy.

Lion Brand Yarn has an amazing website and a great list of patterns to choose from. Make sure to check them out.

Of course one can't forget the woman I learned to crochet from, my mother tried to teach me but it was confusing because she went so fast, I learnt by rewinding and slowing down Teresa's videos. The Art of Crochet by Teresa is an amazing site and has so many amazing ideas.

So there you have it. I will show some of the patterns I have been working on this week and let you know about my decorations.  How are yours coming along?? Share in the comments & I will swing on over.

12 Days of Mithra-Mas: Day 1

 "On the first day of Christmas 

my true love gave to me, 

a partridge in a pear tree"

--18th century Christmas Carol

December 26

According to the original version of the song the lyrics are in French, and instead of the word "pear" it's Perdrix actually said "perdee" which is french for partridge, the belief is that the writer simply copied the song down wrong which changed the line to it's current phrasing.  

There are many animals of the Solstice birds seem to be the biggest ones represented. Let's start with the one found in the first lyric:
" On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, A Partridge in a Pear Tree..."

There are many meanings of Partridge within each cultural and religious context. for some it can symbolise: Fertility, Community, Mobility, femininity, invisibility, holding ones ground in a tight spot. Knowing when to remain silent. 

While the Pear tree symbolises:  Immortality, female symbol. 

Perdix, "Lord of the Pear Trees", was one of Athens most sacred kings, when he was cast into the sea to die, his goddess, Athena, carried him to Olympus, in the form of a Partridge.

- When the legend of "The Partridge in a Pear Tree", was made into a Christmas Carol, the symbol of Christ was substituted for Lord Perdix.

In Greek and Roman mythology, pears are sacred to three goddesses: Hera (Juno to the Romans), Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans), and Pomona, a Roman goddess of gardens and trees.

In Europe, it was customary to plant a fruit tree at a wedding. The longevity and fruitfulness of the trees were thought to give strength to the marriage and children. As each child arrived, an apple tree was planted for every boy, and a pear tree for each girl.

In Russia, pears were used as protective charms for cows.

The ancient Chinese, believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality. (Pear trees live for a long time.) In Chinese the word "li", means both "pear" and "separation". For this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide a pear.
How you can incorporate the theme:

• Wood Burn the pattern much like the picture from the Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Symbols.
• You can print the image and simply colour it and frame it, hang it as a symbol for Athena
• You can create a small pear tree, using twigs with few made leaves, then create a pear, and even a partridge you can place it on the dining table as a centrepiece. 
• Crochet Pattern: from Coats and Clark

Resources
Perdix and Pear Meaning
Partridge meaning

Happy First Day of Mithramas!!!

Your A Winner

YAYAYAYYAY

The Blog Giveaway ended yesterday, and the winners are to be announced.......well Right now actually

The First Winner is FAERIESAGE!!!!! YAYAYAYAY Congratulations, get back to me as soon as possible to pick your prize.

Our Second Faboulous Winner is: ISADORA!!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Congratulations. Lisa choose the purple Tarot Bag.

Next Month there will be even more prizes so be on the look out for the Full Moon Giveaway.
Be Blessed

Blog Giveaway

Welcome to the Full Moon Giveaway

Today is your lucky day, I am giving away a few things, trinkets and baubles.  There are several items that a person can win, and like most giveaways there are a few rules.

The Rules:

Rules:
1) You must be a subscriber of my blog or youtube channel.
2) Fill out an entry in the Mr Linky section with your name.
3) Have a legit blog name or screen name where I can email you for the prize (Open Id, blogger name, etc)
4) You can gain extra chances to win by Blogging, Tweeting,share on FB about the giveaway, comeback and share the link in the comment section 
 
Limit 1 Mr. Linky entry per person. Each comment counts as 1 extra entry. Entry must be submitted by August 22, 2011 at midnight. Winners will be announced on August 23,2011.  This prizes are open to all. An entry in no way guarantees a winning submission, No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

The Prizes:
1) Purple Crochet Tarot Bag

2) Blue Crochet Tarot Bag

3) Black Crochet Tarot Bag

4)Yellow Goddess Symbol

5) An assortment of herbs, inc: local Mugwort, Organic St. John's Wort, Peppermint (from my garden), Rosemary (from my garden)

6) A Wish Upon a Spell Dvd

Good luck and Blessed Be

101 Things Update

You must be wondering what this is about, I'm trying to find a new way to knock out the Bucket list, since I'm relocating to a new town which is a lot more fun than the one I live in right now, so I will be able to complete more than I have been previously able to.  I have done three different things from my 101 list which is listed on the side bar. And it's not even 10 days!!

I got my moving boxes from here, yes I know you can get boxes for free from craigslist or even freecycle, or hell just going to the store, but i like supporting small businesses and this is a pretty cool idea, you choose a size and they send you a variety of boxes, all of which are previously used and they are in pretty good condition. I only purchased one set and have used them up already. Check them out instead of purchasing new boxes which used virgin materials please.

I completed coasters as well, I decided to do some crocheting because I have the yarn, it's cheaper and I get to have something personal in my home, something I created, not just purchased. It's also greener, no new materials were used just what i had on hand, some of it reclaimed yarn that was pulled from older projects that didn't quite work out, here are the images.

I also completed the placemats!! I go the pattern here, a link I found through CrochetpatternCentral.com i'm also thinking of doing coasters and napkin rings to go along with them.

I made these pretty qucikly and have enjoyed creating something for my new home which I will be able to use and display and didn't even have to puchase because I had the yarn already sitting around waiting to be used.

I am working on the sponges, and will be doing a ton more of those, because they are easy to work up.  I have already have ten, now I won't have to purchase any sponges to clean at all. It's all nice and green!!!

I want to make potholders, but I only have one color cotton yarn which doesn't match the kitchen scheme, so I will be purchasing new yarn for that any excuse to feed the addiction.  Many of the patterns state that acrylic will melt under the heat and I don't which to test that theory at all, so cotton it will be.

That's as much as can be done for now from the list. See you on the next check up