Ready For Spring

Most of the winter I have been crocheting for my shop, Morning Sky Creations, using deep, dark and neutral colors.  Enough!  We've been having a long winter here in the Northeastern US and I'm tired of it.

Last week I was in the store yarn shopping and these colors caught my eye. I couldn't decide which I liked best so I ended up with all three.

This was the end result and I love it.  So happy to see some bright, fresh colors in my shop.

A New Crochet Technique

I had tried crocheting with wire some time ago, but I didn't like the results. When my local craft store started carrying silver plated Artistic Wire I thought I would give it another try. This time I was much happier with the results. 

These bracelets are made by first string on the beads then crocheting chains. When I have the number of chains that I need I braid them together to form a fun, contemporary bracelet.

The bracelets in the first 2 photos are made with non tarnish silver plated wire and the bottom one is made from black coated wire.

Kindle Ereader Case

I received a Kindle ereader for Christmas this year. I love it!! I wanted to bring it to work with me so I could read on my break, but I was afraid that it would get scratched in my bag The answer - crochet a Kindle cozy to keep my Kindle safe and secure. I used a self patterning yarn and loved the result so much that I decided to make another and list it in my Etsy shop, Morning Sky Creations. That one, pictured below, sold the day after it was listed.



This is the one that is for sale now. It is also made from self patterning yarn and is composed of a variety of colors. If you look closely you will see tan, black, gray, lilac and a dark blue-green. Instead of using a flap with a buttonhole to close these cases I use a loop closure with a handcrafted button. This way if you want to charge your Kindle you simply put it in the case upside down and plug in your power cord.





The next one that I made was from a fun bright pink yarn that I came across. The picture doesn't do it justice. This yarn has pieces of metallic bright pink thread woven through. It is a fun cozy that is super soft. This case closes with a loop and button also, but the button is not handcrafted. I found a bright pink button with sparkles that I feel complements the case very well.

I also have added matching pouches to my shop that can be used to carry business cards, credit cards, rewards cards or whatever else you would like.

New Item

Here is something new that I have added to my Artfire shop. This little pouch is perfect for carrying all your reward cards, credit cards or business cards.

June Featured Etsy Blogger

This month's featured Etsy Blogger is Tricia from Lazy T Crochet. If you frequent the forums on Etsy then I am sure that you recognize the name. Not only does Tricia do lovely crochet work, but she also give excellent advice and also seems willing to help someone out.

While all her work is beautiful, the bright green on the Cloche Hat and Net Scarf grabbed my attention right away.

I Was Featured

A few week's ago I was featured on Angie's blog. It was very exciting for me and she wrote a very nice review of my shop. You can find it here if you would like to read it.

Of course I then had to go and check out Angie's shop, Handmade by Angie. I was totally blown away by what a talented lady she is. Not only does Angie have crocheting and cards, she also has ceramics. Here are my favorite picks from each of the 3 categories.

Three Pointed Bowl

Congratulations Card

Copper Patina Wool Scarf

Go check out Angie's shop; she truly has something for everyone.

Fingerless Gloves

I've just completed my second crocheting project, sort of. I decided to make fingerless glove and went in search of a pattern. Most of the patterns were out of my understanding and with my crocheting friend away for the weekend I was on my own. After looking at many I realized that crocheting a rectangle and sewing up the side, leaving a space for the thumb, would work just fine. And it did as you can see from the photos below. Now that my friend is back I might have her show me how to add some rows by the thumb hole.

I'm Learning To Crochet

My mother taught me to knit many, many years ago, but I never learned how to crochet. She had tried to teach me, but I never caught on. Last week I was talking with a friend who crochets beautifully and she convinced me to give it another try. Well, I found some step by step instructions online and I LOVE it!



Here is my first try. Please don't look too closely. I know that I have a long way to go.

Bead Crochet

Black & White Bangle

I started doing bead crochet about 2 years ago with no knowledge of how to crochet at all. My mother, who was very crafty, tried to teach my on many occasions, but I was never really interested. So, when I decided I wanted to learn bead crochet - off to the wonderful worldwide web I did go. And I found tons of information. The website that helped me the most was Ann Benson's online
tutorial .It's animated, very clear and easy to follow. She also has a great book with many great ideas for anyone interested in bead crochet. It is called Bead Crochet Designs .

Another great source for tips is Beadwrangler's Site. Lots of great tips on bead crochet and crochet in general.

Last, but not least, I gathered a great deal of information on the forum at Beadwork at About.com.

One of my favorite things about bead crochet is that because you string all your beads before you begin, it travels very well. I just throw it all in a bag and go.

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Peacock Bracelet

Beading Daily

So, I was on the Beading Daily website and they were looking for people who did bead crochet. So I submitted my name and the link to my Etsy store. About a week later I received an e-mail newsletter that they had an article about bead crochet, so I went to have a look. When I clicked on the gallery link - lo and behold - there was my Denim Crochet Bracelet. Next to it was a clickable link of my name (not my shop name), so of course I clicked. It let to Etsy and.....AN ERROR MESSAGE! I sent them an e-mail, but at 11:00 on a Friday night I don't know how much of a response I should hope for. I'm very disappointed. It was going to be my first promotion outside of Etsy. Oh, well - at least I saw it.