cherishables

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Gardening - Insect Repelling Plants

I live in NJ. Some would say Mosquito Capital of the World. So, I'm always looking for better ways to control these bugs. Ideally, I would like to have chickens, but hubby says no. We do spray the yard before parties and picnics and offer a variety of chemical & non-chemical repellents. I'm always looking for a better, less expensive, and less chemical alternative.

Last year I had a single citronella plant in a pot. It worked pretty well and smelled nice. This year I'm thinking a lot more plants on the deck and planting some around the deck as well. Here's a link to a great article about plants that repel mosquitoes.

Picture by Awesome Home Pins

Non-toxic and pretty. What more could I ask for?!?

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Getting Ready for Summer

Now that Spring is finally here (we'll pretend it's not back down to 46 degrees today!) I've got my sights set on warmer weather & Saturday night cocktail parties.

These fruit coasters are the perfect accompaniment to a fruity summer libations.

Get the free pattern from Repeat Crafter Me.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Friday, April 12, 2013

Neon Yarn

I see that Lion Brand has recently released neon colors of their very popular Hometown USA yarn. Have any of you tried neon colored yarns recently? I would love to hear your experiences.

The closest I've come is making a ruffled scarf in the Starbella Yarn color "Go Fly a Kite." Here's a picture:

Personally, I love the colors of this yarn. I find them very fun to look at and I loved watching the colors come together while I was making the yarn.

I found this example on Pinterest:

This beautiful work is by anri knits.

I love the idea of tempering neon with neutral. I believe the neon is hand-dyed yarn, so I don't know if you can find this lighter weight yarn "out in the world." If you do see it, please let me know. I would love to try & I'm definitely keeping my eye out.

As always, if you've tried some of these new colors I would love to hear your experiences. If you're so inclined, I would be happy to share your work on this site. You're welcome to email me at cherishablesnj <at symbol> gmail <dot> com.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Finishing Techniques - Blocking a Granny Square

Hi Everyone!

As part of my vow to be a better blogger, I wanted to share some things I've found on the interwebs that I thought might be helpful to others. Usually I "pin" these kinds of things on Pinterest (you're welcome to follow me there -- there should be a button on the right) and I also wanted to add them to my blog for easy access and tagging.

If you make granny squares, and they have become very popular lately, then you'll love this tip on spray blocking a granny square, originally published by Crochet Me. If you've blocked before, you're probably used to wetting an item & pinning it. The big difference here is pinning before wetting the item. I like this technique because the squares don't get as wet as they normally would so, theoretically, they shouldn't take very long to dry.

I would love to hear your experiences with this technique or any other blocking technique. Looking forward to reading your comments.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

To Pay or Not To Pay -- That is the question

I love to try new patterns and I'm always on the look-out for the next thing to make. While I do use a fair number of free patterns, I've been known to scroll through pages & pages of patterns on pay sites like Ravelry & Etsy. Some of my favorite patterns are ones I've paid for.

I'm interested to know if people pay for patterns or get most patterns for free and I hope this sparks a discussion. A little later on, I'll list some of my favorite sites for patterns.

Happy crafting!
Cherish

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Going Granny

I confess. I like granny squares. I know, I know. In my defense, I always strive to keep crochet moving forward. I'm all about "not your grandmother's crochet" crochet.

So, how do you make a granny square fresh & interesting? This was my attempt last year:

This bag was made for my Mom and each square was carefully planned out. Too bad I messed up the square alignment on the sides. Oh well. Only I would really know and it's still pretty.

Here are some ideas I pinned from the interwebs to keep those grannies fashion forward.

How about one big square turned into a purse?

From La ventana azul

Lots of pretty hex grannies make a fun purse or afghan.

From Facile Cecile

This is a pretty idea. Fancy grannies, each one different, but in a single color yarn. Lovely!

By Mit Hand und Herz

I'm really loving the first & last options. Which one to try first????

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Going International

I'm a bad blogger. I know and I'm sorry. I will make a better effort to blog at least once a week and my goal is to get to every other day.

Part of it is because there are only so many hours in a day and it's just me trying to make a go of this business. But that's a really bad excuse. There's no reason I can't find a few minutes to talk to you each day.

Here's part of the reason I've been so busy.

Pattern by kristinaskrochet.50webs.com.

I just love making this bag! Let's take a look at it up close, shall we?

Here's a close-up of the wooden button and button loop. You can also get an idea of the stitches. I think the button coordinates perfectly with the off-white yarn.

Here's a closer look at the handles. Don't they go well with the button & the overall look of the purse?

I just love the lining I selected for this bag. It's bold and fun, but on a light background so the purse contents are easy to find. I saw this fabric during a weekend trip to the fabric store and had to buy it!

This picture shows how I attach the lining.

If you turn the purse inside-out & the lining right-side out, then you can sew it easier. Once the lining is in place, turn the whole thing inside-out & voila! Perfectly placed lining. Isn't this fabric the cat's pajamas? Dreamy. /sigh

Here's one last look at the finished purse.

It's now on it's way to Greece (that's how the title ties in) and I really hope it's new owner loves her as much as I loved making her.

If you would like to commission your own basketweave purse, take a look at my Etsy listing where you can check out the colors & handle options.

Thanks for looking and....

Happy Crafting!
Cherish