Wonderful Gifts for Creating!

Now that January is almost over, I'm finally getting around to showing off some of the wonderful gifts I received this Christmas.

Everything I got was awesome but since this is a crafting blog I'm going to focus on the crafting gifts. My mom made me this crafting bag, complete with pockets and matching holders for knitting needles, crochet hooks, scissors, sunglasses, gift cards, tissues, and even a coffee cup sleeve. Now I can organize all my stuff in style!

My best friend got me this adorable Star Wars Amigurmi book. I can't wait to make all the characters!

My mom-in-law got me this gorgeous wool when she found out I that I was getting into spinning. This will make such beautiful yarn! She also got me a lotion bar that is very nice for  keeping my hands from drying out and snagging my yarn. 

And last but not least, I got about 16 skeins of this lovely, cozy yarn. This is what I am using for my current project, which you will see soon!

So that's a pretty good sneak peak at what my next few projects might entail. I hope you are all avoiding the bugs that are going around and that it's not too cold where you are!

-Assunta

No post today

I haven't prelared a post today because I am recovering from the flu. I will have something cool to show you by next week!

-Assunta

Mermaid Shawl Pattern for sale!

I finally finished the pattern for my Lace Mermaid Shawl! This shawl is worked in Solomon’s Knot or Lover’s Knot, giving it an open, netlike feel while the long, shapely tail is reminiscent of a mermaid’s fins. Perfect for a walk on the beach or dreaming of life under the sea! It is available as a pdf download on Etsy and Ravelry. 

The Hook I used was US size K. The yarn is Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable, in the color Echo. This is a one-size-fits most pattern. The dress size of the form shown in the photograph is a size 6. Its height is adjusted for an approximately 5’4” tall person. If desired, you could easily increase or decrease the size by changing the number of repetitions that you begin with.

Back View

Side View

Front View

It's not quite swimming season right now, but this shawl could easily be made in time for spring!

Happy swimming,

Assunta

A Little Black Dress and Instagram

Happy 2016! Sorry for my lack of posts throughout December. Between work, preparing for the holidays, being sick for a week, and traveling, I couldn't quite pull enough energy together to write blog posts. I am happy to say that regular posts resume...now!

I've been wanting to sew a dress for awhile. I think the last one I made was my wedding dress so it's about time! I wanted to make something in a classic style and color that would work for holiday parties, a friend's wedding, and many uses to come. So I thought, what's more classic than a little black dress?

I got the pattern and some black satin-y fabric at Joann's and this is the result:

The only thing I wasn't very happy with was the belt buckle, which kept coming undone until I gave up and put the belt in my purse for the rest of the evening.

I forgot to get a good picture of myself while wearing the dress to any events so here I  am right after I finished sewing. I was too lazy to take my Cuddl Duds off before I tried it on, so that's why it appears to have sleeves.

I actually had to open up the side seems to fix the shape a bit after I thought I had finished it. See how baggy the top is in the picture below? Yikes! I almost gave up on it but luckily it didn't take too much re-shaping to fit better.

And here is my slightly better picture:

My other news is that I am now on Instagram and you can follow me there if you would like to see more pictures of projects and other fun things like beautiful places I have visited or funny cloud shapes! My username is Assuntadreamdesign.

I hope your New Year is off to a fantastic start!

-Assunta