kalurah

let's see......what, oh what could i do?????

if only i had something [...]]]> CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!!

WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED TUESDAY MORNING.

wow! it hardly seems possible! tuesday, i reached my one thousandth etsy sale! where did the time go???

if only i could think of some way to celebrate such a hallmark??????

let's see......what, oh what could i do?????

if only i had something that i could giveaway!!!???

like maybe an elegant neck warmer.

or a sweet beret.

or a lovely pair of romantic gauntlets.

or a gorgeous shawl!

hmmmmmmm....... how about all four????
a perfect fall/winter wardrobe, each piece in Winter white.

now, does that sound like a proper way to celebrate this hallmark, or what!
i wish i could make a set for ALL of you but alas, time just doesn't permit.
nor do i have little worker elves at my beckon call.

so, i will have to settle for a drawing!
if you would love to win all of this hand made goodness, just leave a sweet little comment on this post!
as always, if you blog, tweet, facebook, text, "shout from the rooftops" about the giveaway,
you will receive 2 additional entries!!!

fine print (in bold print!) ::

~you MUST supply your email address in order to enter! (you can also email me your entry instead of in the comments)

~entries are warmly welcomed from ANYWHERE in the world.

~ if you do blog, etc about the giveaway, please let me know so right away!

~prize package includes all four items listed above (worth $240!!!)

~everything in package is custom handmade pieces, so winner will be asked for their sizes and
the complete gift package will be ready to ship within 2 weeks. pieces will only be made in Winter white colour.

<strike>~giveaway is open to entries until sunday, november 15th (midnight pst), so there is plenty of time to spread the word!
one winner will be randomly selected and announced the next day, monday november 16th.</strike>

now, go and do your thing! leave a comment, leave your email, then share the goodness with all of your friends!
have a very happy thursday, everyone!   

~kalurah

Kalurah

Crochet Rose Pattern

This pattern is easy, quick and of course the finished product is very pretty! The rose, however, [...]]]> Yay!!! My very FIRST knitting pattern EVER!

UPDATE :: Thanks to ALL of you for volunteering your knitting skills to test out this pattern.
I have met my full quota!! THANKS, again!

This pattern is easy, quick and of course the finished product is very pretty! The rose, however, is crocheted and for those of you Knitters who have never crocheted before, I have all of the crochet stitches very well explained. I also have an online website linked for fabulous online tutorials of every crochet stitch you will need to know for this flower.

That being said, over the next week, I will be working on getting all of these stitches filmed and made into video tutorials! I will have them available on my blog and linked from the finished pattern.

Now, I would like to invite any and all Knitters to test out my pattern for FREE. Just leave me a comment INCLUDING your email address and I will send you the PDF. I can’t tell you how many times people ask me for patterns to test and don’t remember to give me their email address!!!

Let me know of any mis-wordings, discrepancies or typos, etc. Also, keeping in mind that this is my FIRST knit pattern, PLEASE be kind with your critique!

For those of you who crochet, let me know if you would like to test out the Rose pattern and I will email you a copy!!!

Everyone have a happy Monday!

Congratulations, Green Girl in Wisconsin!!!

The adorable Love Letters Set will be mailed out to you TODAY!(Luckily, I already have your address from when you won the last Giveaway that you won!)Boy, you sure have a knack for winning things.

Thanks [...]]]>

L-O-V-E letters tucked inside of a small crocheted envelope.

And of course, sealed with a “Kiss”.

NOTE: If you happen [...]]]>

P.S. What are your luxury splurges? ]]> I spent $100 at the local yarn shoppe today.

It goes without saying….adding buttons to your crocheted garments gives them the finishing touch. A simple piece of work can instantly come to life with the addition of a few adorable buttons!

I like using vintage buttons best. If you have a local thrift store or even an antique store, you’ll find buttons are [...]]]>

It goes without saying….adding buttons to your crocheted garments gives them the finishing touch. A simple piece of work can instantly come to life with the addition of a few adorable buttons!

I like using vintage buttons best. If you have a local thrift store or even an antique store, you’ll find buttons are actually cheaper there than at your run-of-the-mill fabric supply venue.

When it comes to crocheted garments, as opposed to knit ones, you’ll find that there is alot more bulk to get in the way when it comes down to the business of adding buttons to the equation.

Alot of pulling, tugging and stretching of the garment when you button and un-button leads to a misshapen garment in no time flat.

This tutorial will show you the easiest way to add buttons to your piece and keep it in it’s best shape possible.

Step 1: Mark your button placements with safety pins. Push the pin down at the bottom of the button hole and bring the pin back up at the top of the button hole.

Step 2: Unbutton. Leave safety pins in place.

Step 3: The safety pin acts as a guide for your sewing needle. As you sew on the button, be sure to sew over the safety pin as well. This adds just enough slack in the thread after the button has been sewn on and the pin has been removed.

Pay careful attention NOT to remove the saftey pins until AFTER you’ve finished sewing on the buttons and you’ve already tied off the thread.

Step 4: Knot the thread and trim. (If you prefer, you can weave both ends of thread into the garment until they disappear.)

Step 5: NOW, remove the safety pins.

After 4 hours of counting stitches, unraveling and RE-counting stitches, jotting down this, scratching out that….

And let me just add, if you are working on a pattern that requires [...]]]>
This pattern-writing business is tricky stuff! I’ve been tweaking here and tweaking there, and I think I finally have the pattern where I want it.

After 4 hours of counting stitches, unraveling and RE-counting stitches, jotting down this, scratching out that….

And let me just add, if you are working on a pattern that requires counting your stitches, DO NOT attempt to watch your dearly beloved Baseball team at the same time.

Can you just visualize me sitting there on the couch, hook in hand, weaving away, whispering numbers, as the WGN Announcer spouts out,

“It’s 2 and 3 here in the top of the 4th….”
Or better yet, “… Zambrano has given up 2 or fewer runs in 8 of his 12 starts. He hasn’t lost a decision since April 11th. He’s 7-1 with a 2.33 ERA….”
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New rule: No Baseball while crocheting!

On the plus side, all of this retooling has left me with a dud still-very cute prototype that I can sell.

I took the hat that I showed you on Tuesday and I added some red trim and replaced the green ribbon with red.

I’m really liking this color combo……very Strawberries and Cream!

As far as the floppiness factor of the final Prototype……yes. It is floppy.
It is going to stay floppy!

I do like the idea of a summer hat that has a huge, wide brim that flares straight out to the sides but I finally came to terms with the fact that, you know what? You can’t do that with yarn. At least not yarn that isn’t made out of metal. Or straw. Or bricks!

Okay……I do want to know what you all think, though. I really thrive on your feedback, positive or not. As much as I do enjoy a good ego-stroking, I need the cold, hard truth when it comes to these things.
People will be paying me to give them something pretty, after all. I cannot fail them!

Pretty is as pretty does.
Pretty much!