Sunlit Grotto

Sunlit Grotto is the name of the color of a beautiful skein of Classic Elite Yarns Silky Alpaca Lace that happened to “fall” into my stash. Yarn has a way of doing that sometimes.

I turned it into a shawlette, using the popular Citron pattern.

The Sunlit Grotto Citron Shawlette

Having already made two Citron shawlettes for myself, I decided to donate this one to the silent auction at the school where my kids went from preschool through 8th grade. The auction was in March, and the colors of this shawlette would be perfect for someone to wear on an upcoming chilly Spring evening or on Easter.

I was thrilled to hear that my shawlette went for $80 at the silent auction. A nice contribution to the cause!

 

Twists of Ribbon

After seeing some beautiful knitted cord necklaces on Pinterest, I decided to try my hand at designing one. Just such a necklace would be perfect for a silent auction.

Instead of a traditional wool yarn, I chose a ribbon yarn. I felt the ribbon would create a more elegant finished product than wool, plus it would feel silkier on the neck. I also purchased some large charms that I could slip onto the cords to dress up the necklace.

Next, I dove in and started making cords, which are super easy to knit. I made some thin cords and some wider ones, and I played around with braiding and twisting them. After some experimentation, I felt I had a great necklace. Well, almost. There was still work to be done on the closure, which I wanted to look professional. I visited a few bead shops and craft stores before finding the perfect findings: metallic cones to hide the knots that held the cords together, fold-over cord ends to crimp the ribbon ends and keep them from fraying, and a magnetic clasp.

Once I was satisfied with the finishing of the necklace, I wrote the instructions into a pattern.

I also made this second necklace to test the pattern:

Now I have two to donate to an upcoming silent auction. I wonder how much they will raise?

If you make one of these necklaces, please let me know. I’d love to see photos!

–Karen

Inspired by wool beads

My friend Liz recently gave me a gorgeous necklace, handmade in Italy from felted wool balls and metallic beads and links. I was thrilled to have a new necklace, but I have to admit that I was equally thrilled to figure out how to make my own version of it!

After just a few minutes of searching on the web, I found two basic approaches to making felted beads. One way is “needle felting” where you take a sharp barb, or needle, and peck at your roving as you form a ball. The other is “wet felting” where you vigorously roll the roving into a ball under hot water. I decided to try a combination approach, where you needle felt it first and then finish it by wet felting. (Many thanks to Craftevolution for posting instructions for making needle felted beads on her blog.)

In total, I made five felted beads and attached them to some sculpted wire beads that I purchased at a craft store.

To attach the felted beads, I strung a short length of 26 gauge wire through the middle of each one and then used a crimping bead to close the ends into a loops. I then used a jump ring to connect the loop of one felted bead to the purchased wire bead.

While I will most likely give this necklace to someone special, I think it could be a fantastic silent auction item. Perhaps I will need to make another one!

White-on-white necklace

Each time I wear my Desert Meets Sea necklace, I get so many compliments. Recently, I wore it to a performance at my son’s school, and another mom asked if I would make one for her with all white beads. I loved her idea, and offered to make one if she would make a donation to the 8th grade scholarship drive for the Hamlin Midwife College. She generously agreed. (Thank you, Dianne!)

To make an all-white version, I chose the same freshwater pearls I used in the Desert Meets Sea necklace, as well as two sizes of round white beads carved from shell. Here are the beads I used:

I’m thrilled with the results! I am also experimenting with other color combinations for the Desert Meets Sea necklace, including reds, pinks, and purples. It is proving to be a versatile pattern.

What is your favorite color combination? I would love to hear from you!

Impressive Bracelet Auction Results!

This past weekend, my son’s 8th grade class held a silent auction to raise donations for a scholarship to the Hamlin Midwife College in Ethiopia. In a recent blog post, I shared that my son knit some Show Stopper Bracelets for this auction. The bracelets were a big hit! The bidding started at $30, and they ended up going for between $35 and $75 each. In total, the bracelets contributed $335 to the auction. Plus, a parent who lost out to a higher bidder asked my son if he would make an additional bracelet, which will result in another donation to the cause.

Needless to say, my son is thrilled that he raised so much with these bracelets. He also auctioned his services as a car washer. I’ll have to remember to ask him which is more fun: knitting bracelets or washing cars. I know which one I would choose.