Love Ravelry - Swaps & Gold Jewels!

I have been loving Ravelry.  How could I not?  It's simply the best social network out there, and better than that, it lets me organize all of my myriad yarn projects.  I have to say- the readers of Art, Like Bread only get a small sampling of my crafty endeavors.  I wanted to share a couple of cool collages that I made with the Picasa Photo Editor, which is available free from Google. 

The first is a swap package that I received as part of the Lion Brand Swaps Group on Ravelry (free login required to access group).  I was lucky enough to be paired with a pro swapper, Deniseworld of Voie de Vie Blog.  Boy, did she ever spoil me!  Here's a picture of all that was included in my package.

I'm lucky, right?

It was great to see the Windmill Bag of Crochet! Magazine up close and personal.  Denise did a great job and the bag is really useful.  Lucky me! I received a copy of the very magazine containing that pattern (Ravelry link) at the CHA show! 

For each swap, we choose a theme and this one was all about color.  I requested a natural color palette, and Denise kept it earthy for me.  :)  Very pretty.

The other thing I wanted to show you is part of my Halloween costume.  Maybe after seeing this, you can guess who I am going to be.  Needless to say, people, I'm taking it back & kickin' it old school. 

fresh!

I got the pattern for the chunky chain and the earrings from who else but Afya Ibomu, the brilliant author of Get Your Crochet On! Fly Tops and Funky Flavas.  I wish she'd come out with a third crochet book, but we'll see.  :)  The gold jewelry was a quick and fun project.  I think I can use them after Halloween, but we'll see.  I think the chunky chain needs a very special outfit to look current. 

Anatomy of a Swap

Hey there, everyone. I've always wanted to participate in a swap, and I finally signed up for real in Ravelry's Lion Brand Swaps group (free login required to access link). It's been a ton of fun putting my partner's package together, and it's also been fun seeing what everyone else has been getting.

The packages (valued at $20.00 USD) needed to include: a handmade item from at least one (1) skein of Lion Brand yarn and/or using a Lion Brand pattern, and any random summertime patterns, yarn, books, local items, etc.

Here's the thing- $20.00 USD can buy you a LOT more stuff here in Mexico than it can in the US, if you know where to shop. My swap partner said she liked bold colors and bright pastels, would like local yarn, and would enjoy any kind of useful crafty items, especially Tunisian hooks.
Strategy: 1. Attack the handmade item first. Since Lion Brand isn't so easy to come by here, I decided on a Lion Brand Pattern. On my third try, I ended up with the Greenmarket Lunch Tote (modified version). But I had a ball with my other tries!

2. Find the yarn next. I went to La Rueca, a local yarn store, and selected a yarn from Spain, in what I would consider to be a bright pastel.

3. Use up the remaining $20.00 at Telas Parisina. In case you are not familiar, Telas Parisina is a nation-wide fabric retailer in Mexico. They have all kinds of stuff at great prices. Sister Diane of Craftypod did a great review of the store on her blog. I had about 60 pesos to spend, and that goes a LONG way in notions at Parisina.

4. Provide suggestions for what to do with this random stuff! The package does look a little bit like a hodge-podge, but I'm proud of it. I'm sending some project suggestions, just in case!

The final swap package looked like this!

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my package!

Lollipops Dispensed

I made this bag from a free pattern by Lion Brand. You will need to log in to access the pattern.

I jazzed up the bottom & handle after I ran out of white yarn.

I like the results.

The book is there to show you how HUGE this bag is.

Lion Brand has other, smaller versions of the same basic bag, too. Try the Golightly Tote or the Green Market Lunch Bag for a quicker, smaller project.

edit: By the way, I got the inspiration for the name of this bag from Fiona Wallice, the online psychologist as portrayed by Lisa Kudrow on Web Therapy. Click here for the hilarious episode!