the sari scarf

A few days ago, I told you about my new sari silk yarn.  I was so ready to get started on making a scarf for the fall (what else would I do on a day when it was 106 F, right)  After attempting to knit this fiber, I knew it wasn't going to work for me.   I wanted something fairly loose so that the loveliness of these two silks were really shown off.  I saw a photo of on scarf that was "drop stitched" and it looked amazing, but I had no idea how to do that.

I decided to just use my largest crochet hook and crocheted both types of silk together at one.  This made it thick, and loose, and lovely.

Before:

After:

I seriously love the way that it turned out!
Plus it was super easy.  I had Adam pick out a skein of yarn so that I could knit him up a scarf next!

Now, we are ready for fall :)

xo

janel

cozy

I am a reader.

Like hard core.

I love to read,

One of my guilty pleasures though are these book series called "Cozy Mysteries."

These books usually combine murder mystery and CRAFTS!

I mean seriously, how could I not love them right?

I love that they are a "fun" read but that they also keep my thinking and trying to work out the mysteries.

So far I have read :

*  an embroidery series

*  a cake making aeries

*  a Sudoku Series

and I have just finished reading

*  a knitting series

So while reading the knitting series, they begin to talk about this yarn that is spun from deconstructed vintage saris.  Just reading about it, I knew that I had to find this amazing sounding yarn.  I did a quick google search which led me to this site.

I ordered this yarn and this one immediately and it was at my door in no time.   I love the texture of this yarn, the fact that it's recycled and that deep down there is a story behind each fiber in this skein.

Plus, the woman who owns this HUGE site, gives you her home phone number to call if you have any knitting questions?!  How cool is that?

Anyway, I am really excited to start making up a lovely scarf for the fall.

xo

janel

Being Productive.

This has been a very productive weekend over here:)

I have been crocheting granny squares like a fool.  This is such a peaceful task and it's also really fulfilling too when you see the outcome of them all laying out like this.

I still have two more colors to make granny squares with and then I can start crocheting all of these squares together to make an afghan like this one!!

I have also made some progress on my cross-stitched blanket for A.  I don't have a photo of everything that I have done but I have specifically been working on this little teddy bear this weekend.  Again, a tedious project but relaxing and rewarding :)

Today, my sister (who is sooo adorably pregnant these days) came over to make burp cloths for her little soon-to-be Jack!!
I LOVE the ones that I had made for Amelia.  They are seriously the best burp cloths that we have, better than any of the store bought ones.
Nicole loved them too and wanted to learn to make some for Jack before he gets here (NEXT month!!!)

Seriously didn't she bring the cutest fabrics?  I especially love the Thor one :)  Her dog's name is Thor so it's even more perfect. I  can't wait for my little nephew to get here!

And speaking of how cute my sister is, check out her "Hospital Checklist" that she made.  

I totally wish that I had something like this when I was getting ready to go the hospital for Amelia's birth.  I was soooo unprepared.  Like, I had my purse and my phone and then a ton of stuff for the baby.  I had nothing for myself or Adam.  This list is not only helpful and serves a purpose, but it's super cute.  love it.

Like I said, I was able to get a lot done this weekend.  Plus, tomorrow is the LAST day of school for this school year and I will have two whole months to get my craft on.  I can't wait!!

xo

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

projects!

This blanket is so gorgeous and it combinestwo of my favorite things, crochet and patchwork.  I am FINALLY a semi-pro at making granny squares.  If you have read my blog for awhile you know that granny squares and I have a love / hate relationship :)

We also know that I need another blanket like I need a hole in the head.

(examples: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten and those are only the ones that I have personally made!)  The collection of blankets is pretty ridiculous but one day soon there will be plenty of fort-making days with the little one and they will be needed.
So yeah, I decided that making this blanket would be a must.  I love BIG projects so much.
After a trip to JoAnn's I came home and started my granny squares immediately.

Those are the colors...I am so excited.
I also picked up a baby blanket Cross-stitch kit.  I haven't ever tried my hand at cross-stitch really but my mom had made me one while she was pregnant with me and I decided that Amelia would need one too.
The pattern is definitely not my style but it's cute and it's classic and it was the cutest of all of the kits they had so...that's that.
Here is what I have so far.

So far, I am really enjoying cross-stitching!  It is so relaxing and peaceful and it looks really pretty. 

I also picked up all of the supplies I need to make these and these!!

It's going to be a very productive couple of weeks!!

xo

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Isaboo Designs Giveaway

Let's give a big Hello to one of our lovely partners this month, Isaboo Designs.  As soon as she emailed me, and I checked out her shop and blog, I knew that she would be a perfect fit for Run With Scissors this month :)  Her designs and creations are stunning and unique.

You can see for yourself by checking them out:

Blog 
Etsy Shop
Twitter
Facebook

Isaboo Designs is also offering up one of their gorgeous crocheted banners for one lucky Run With Scissors Reader this month :)

 Isn't it lovely?

For a chance to win, all you can do any and ALL of the following:

1.  Visit the Isaboo Designs Etsy shop, and leave a comment on this blog post telling me which item is your fave :)

2.  "Like" Isaboo Designs  on Facebook

3. Be a follower of Run With Scissors.

4.  Tweet the following @janelrws is hosting an awesome giveaway from Isaboo Desings on her blog!

There you go! You have four ways to enter this giveaway!

You can enter every day too! Just make sure to leave separate comments for each entry.

This giveaway will end on New Year's Eve December 31.

Good Luck!

xo

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Donna's Decembers giveaway!

Please help me in welcoming Donna's Decembers this month :)  I am so excited to be partnering with Liz this month!  Her blog and shop are super cute and inspiring.  Check her out:

Tell us a bit about your blog/shop and what makes it unique:

My shop, Donna's Decembers, is the home of luxe crochet items designed for men, women, and the home. I love making modern crochet items that are wearable and warm, but can also serve as your seasonal statement pieces. There's nothing better than getting a high quality item that you will wear nearly every day for an affordable price!

What is a current project you are working on?

I'm currently working on a top secret project to give to special friends as a wedding gift ;). They're getting married later this autumn and I truly believe a warm crochet home accessory will be perfect for them. That's what I love about crochet-it's such a functional art!

What are some of your fall traditions:

My husband and I just celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary in July, so we're still beginning to establish traditions! We always visit our local pumpkin patch at least once and drink a ridiculous amount of warm apple cider after long days in the classroom. This year we're making a point to go on more walks around our neighborhood and town to soak in all the colorful leaves and trees. The best thing about fall: low maintenance fun!

And this is where you can find her:

Blog

Etsy 

Facebook

Twitter:

@donnasdecembers

Alright, and here comes the amazing giveaway!!!

Liz is also offering up  One of her newly designed Puff Cowls in the color of the winner's choice!

This is definitely a giveaway I wish that I could enter myself :)


There are many ways to enter this giveaway:
*  leave a comment below with your email address
*  check out Liz's etsy shop and tell me what your favorite item is
*  Be a follower of this blog with GFC (on the side bar)
*  Be a follower of Liz's blog
*   tweet about this giveaway


That is 5 ways to enter :)
Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!  


Cross your fingers!
xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

an afghan

Like so many others, I was bitten by the Missoni bug :)  I wrote all about my Target scores.  And I still check the section each time I go to Target :)

One of my most exciting purchases was my Missoni throw...yes, the coveted throw.

It was lovely.

I had a comment from a reader who was looking for the throw like crazy because she had the perfect spot for it in her home.  I, on the other hand, had no place to put mine.  After three days of it sitting on my dresser, I decided to send the throw to my new blog friend.

Needless to say, when I saw this tutorial,  I was beyond excited :)  I loved the colors, I loved the fact that I would be able to try (and fail) at reading a crochet pattern, and I loved her finished product.

I ran out to JoAnn's, and purchased this lovely yarn, and began :)

I have only worked on this afghan for a few hours here and there and it's already gotten really far.  I love that. 

My afghan has some flaws, and I am pretty sure I am not using the pattern correctly AT ALL.  I have no idea what some of these stitches are supposed to look like.  I am kind of making it up as I go along :)

BUT...it has zig-zags!

And the yarn is wonderful and soft and the colors are perfection.

I am happy :)

Plus, now our soon to be baby will have ANOTHER hand made blanket from her mamma!

win win.

I better get back to it.

xo

janel

missoni

I kind of think it's so funny that everyone has their own little "Missoni" story. I'm not sure Target even knew how HUGE the Missoni line was going to be.

Anyway, I thought I would share mine here too :)

** Monday night I drove to Target in hopes of them putting things out early...that was a no go but I did get all of my grocery shopping done.

**  Starting at midnight, I was checking the Target site, refreshing for about 30 minutes until I saw the tweet saying that things wouldn't be ready to shop until the morning.

** 6:00 am I was on the site, shopping like crazy.  I get my things in my cart online, enter my billing information, check out, and BAM the site crashes mid checking out.  The site told me that since it crashed, I would need to try back later.  My assumption was that I didn't get anything that I wanted so my next stop was the local store.

(BTW- apparently they more order did go through AND they charged my card twice!)

** Left for my store at 7:30 and waited outside (in a line) for the store to open at 8:00.  This is so my scene.  I made so many cute friends in line, running around the store together, and throwing everything in their carts.

Here is a photo of one of my new friends with all of her Missoni swag :)

Love it!  She was so cute.

I had to be at work at 8:30 am so I shopped very quickly.

Here is what I scored...

 *  this throw was my MUST have item :)

 * love my little knit baby blanket for the soon to be.

And then I had my sister scope out her Target, later that day and pick me two more things for the little one :)  

So yeah, a fun little adventure, new friends, and cute stuff.

It was so crazy to see that the fashionistas of the world crashed the Target server for over 16 hours!!  I love it.

I also think it's crazy how much things are selling for on Ebay because of how fast they sold out of things in the stores and online.

Fun times.

Now I want to try my hand at this Missoni inspired Baby Blanket...

I need to get my crochet on!!

xo

janel

laziest day ever...

Today included:

* sleeping in super late 

* an hour bath

* reading in bed

* snuggling with Picasso on the couch for hours

*  cutting out more snowflakes

* making more paper chains

* Toy Story 3

*  Eat, Pray, Love

*  Harry Potter marathon

*  Lindt chocolates

Oh yes.

That is it.

I seriously can't tell you the last time I have had an entire day to do absolutely nothing.

Oh and  by the way... I finished my afghan last night!!

I am absolutely in love with it.

Picasso loves it too :)

What do you think??

Now all I need, is a little baby girl to snuggle with it :)

"I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me."
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

xo

janel