Lavender: Oh! How I Love Thee

For Valentine's Day I knit a little heart shaped sachet filled with lavender buds for my husband to keep at work..that way he can engage in a little aromatherapy whenever things get chaotic.  I decided to make one for myself to keep in my bag.  Using lavender is a great trick to relieve tension or anxiety.

For this project I use size 8 double-pointed needles and a crochet hook (for "stitching") size H8, some left over worsted weight yarn with two strands held together and about two tablespoons of dried lavender buds.

This sachet is pretty easy and can be done in about an hour.  Knit up 2 hearts and use a crochet hook to slip stitch around the edge to join the two pieces.  Just before you finish stitching add the dried lavender then finish off the edging.  I cut a long tail to make a loop for hanging.  When you need to, pull out the sachet, take a deep breath and feel your stress float away! 

I purchased a pound of dried lavender from http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ for $10! The wonderful thing about lavender is that the smell never goes away!  All you have to do is crunch it once or twice to release the smell!  Lavender sachets are great to use in a drawer, keep one on your desk, or throw one in the dryer in place of fabric sheets!

I grow lavender in my yard and use it in as much household stuff as I can!  The easiest thing to do is to cut a handful of it and put it in a decorative jar.  I also use a ton of essential oil:  put about 10 drops of lavender oil in a hot bath, get in and pull the curtain shut..it's like having your very own Turkish spa! 10 drops of lavender oil in 16oz of witch hazel makes a refreshing facial toner that helps fight wrinkles!  

I also make a lavender sheet spray by mixing 2 tablespoons of vodka with 2 teaspoons of lavender oil in an 8oz cobalt blue spritzer (the blue color keeps light from penetrating the bottle which will deteriorate the potency of the oil).  Top off the mixture with distilled water, replace cap, shake and spray on you sheets just before you go to bed! It's lovely! 

I could go on and on about my love of lavender, it is an essential in my life! Take a deep breath and relax!  Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Amy L.

Adventures in Candyland

Today was a great day!  Not only was it sunny and 45 degrees in February but my cousin Lisa and I spent the day indulging in yarn and fiber goodness!!  We drove out to a wonderful yarn and fiber shop in Taylor's Falls, MN (http://www.eweyarns.com/).  The shop offers a wonderful selection of bare and dyed, pure or blended roving and batts.

 

For us, and any fiber enthusiast, to stand at the foot of a table filled with such colorful fibers is equal if not greater to being in a candy store.  The solid colors perfectly showcase the fibers potential to be spun into a showy, bold, statement yarn! 

The creamy blends of the 100% hand dyed merino wool made the desire to buy a few ounces of everything  hard to resist!  The funnest part of spinning with a blended color fiber is that you really don't know what you will end up with.  Usually with my knitting I am meticulous to the very last detail.  Everything is planned and I have a specific vision of the end product.  Every once in a while, however, it is fun to let the yarn lead you.

More and more I am seeing new novelty yarns that are spun with tinsel, beads, sequins, and/or ribbon.  These batts were a blend of hand dyed merino wool and silver tinsel.  Batts are nice and airy.  They draft out very easily which can be a nice alternative to using roving, especially if you are wanting to spin a single-ply lace weight yarn.

This beautiful ball of roving is one of my purchases.  It is hand painted, 100% merino wool.  I bought a little over 12 ounces.  It was my biggest purchase of the day but what can I say?  I am a sucker for green and this blend of colors was absolutely irresistible to me!  I picture this as a worsted weight yarn knit into an over sized cowl that can be wrapped several times around my neck and double as a hood.  

This fiber was equally irresistible to me!  It is 4 ounces of hand painted merino wool and silk.  It is so soft that when I picked it up I knew instantly I would not be putting it back on the shelf!  This would make a wonderful sock yarn. The thought of a wool/silk sock snugly fit to my foot makes me almost wish we weren't coming into spring.  Almost.  

With as much fun as it was today to travel to different fiber stores, touch all of the different fiber blends and to be catapulted into the creative process makes me wish everyday could be as inspiring!

I'm feeling nostalgic and would like to give a nod to the two who undoubtedly passed down their creative genes to Lisa and me.  Our grandparents John and Alice spent many years creating together and selling at craft shows.  She would crochet blankets and doll dresses as well as paint ceramics and grandpa would make jewelry. They will always inspire and will forever be missed!!  Thanks for reading.

Cheers, 

Amy L.  

Accessorize Your Accessories

I just fell in love with a simple yet functional winter accessory:  boot cuffs!  They are knit up on size 13 needles with a bulky yarn in about an hour!  With all of the orders that I have to fill (which is a good problem to have) it is nice to have an item I can cast on and finish quickly...almost like a meditation break.

The possibilities with these little gems are pretty much endless!  You can choose any color, any fiber, any pattern you want.  Cabled patterns would work well on boot cuffs because they offer great structure, but you could also knit these with a DK alpaca in a lace pattern for something more delicate...insert creative idea here.  

With knee high boots being an accessory of their own worn with jeans, leggings, skirts or dresses a boot cuff adds an accessory for your accessory!  If you choose to wear a dress with bare legs these cuffs will help fill in the gap between leg and boot, giving you a little extra warmth.  They could be as long or short as you prefer, this pair in particular is about 7" long but could easily be converted to an ankle-to-knee leg warmer.  

I love finding new things to knit that offer me creative flexibility and boot cuffs definitely fit the criteria!  Hopefully this trend will be around for winters to come!  Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Amy L.