Rapunzel Cowl

Some of you may remember that last year for Christmas I recieved some gorgeous merino wool from my sweet and thoughtful in-laws.

After a couple trial runs with other wools on my drop spindle, I felt comfortable trying to turn it into yarn.

I came up with a 2-ply DK weight, and the colors in the yarn reminded me a lot of Rapunzel's dress in the movie Tangled.

After several more months of thinking about what the perfect crochet or knit project for this yarn might be, I finally settled on this modern re-telling of Rapunzel's outfit: a cowl in the shape of a thick braid like the one she sometimes wears in her hair!

I chose a button with a sun-like shape because the symbol of Rapunzel's kindom in the movie is the sun.

What do you think? Is is fit for a modern Princess?

-Assunta

PS- If you would like to knit a version of this cowl, the pattern is now available in my Etsy and Ravelry shops! 

Tour de Fleece Day 10 and a Cactus Pattern

Yesterday was Day 10 of Tour de Fleece and my yarn has come quite a long way since you saw it last week! In fact, I now have 126 yards of 2-ply purple goodness soaking and almost ready to knit!

This is after spinning all of the wool into a single strand of yarn.

And this is after plying it all.

Here it is stretched out on the niddy-noddy my friend Jill made for me out of PVC. That's right, I have a noddy-noddy now!

Now it's soaking to help set the color and the twist. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Also, for anyone interested in crocheting their own potted cactus, my pattern is now available on Etsy and Ravelry for $5.

Just keep spinning!

-Assunta

Cinderella Doll Pattern

Remember this little beauty?  I first showed her to you in this blog post back in September. She is now living happily every after at my parents' house. My mom even made her a beautiful box to sleep in, which you can see in her blog Laughing Cat Creative Enterprises!

You can now get the pattern for this doll on Etsy and Ravelry. Don't ask me how to make the box, though, you'll have to ask Momma Cat!

-Assunta

Welcome to November

The next couple of months are looking pretty busy with work and with making holiday gifts for family and friends! I would like to make a few new things for Etsy and keep up with this blog as well, but I have promised not to overwhelm myself with holiday stuff to the point that it isn't fun anymore. For this reason, my blog posts will probably be pretty short through the holidays, and I might even take a break altogether if I feel like I need it. Another reason is that while most of my creative efforts are going toward Christmas gifts I can't really post them online, lest the wrong person see them! 

This week I'll just show you a couple of little fun holiday decorations I have been making, and where to get the patterns for them. I apologize for the blurry cell phone pictures.

These pretty crochet snowflakes by Lion Brand are super easy to make and the pattern is free here!

And this adorable knit reindeer pattern by Linda Regel is available on Raverly for a very reasonable price!

Well, these are some of the things I have been working on. I can't wait to see what other fun ideas come up for the holidays this year! 

-Assunta

My DREAMING GIRL DOLL PATTERN is finally ready!

The doll pattern I have been promising for weeks is finally done! It took longer than most because of the multiple video tutorials I decided to include with it, namely the wire armature and latchook menthod doll hair tutorials. The pattern is now available on Ravelry and Etsy! I also have a new doll in the works (adapted from this pattern) that will hopefully appear in a blog post in a couple of weeks. 

This sleeping doll is a beautiful dream all by herself! This pattern includes written and illlustrated instructions for this exquisitely detailed, fully posable doll. Worked in fine crochet thread she stands 6.5'' tall. Links to video tutorials are included for additional help. 

Sweet dreams and pretty dolls,

Assunta