Hoot Are You?

A funky winter hat anyone? This crocheted cutie is from James Coviello for Anna Sui. I'm not big on animal hats myself, but I do think that they make a great gift.  (To be honest, when I first saw this I thought it was a bear, not an owl. And I still think it looks like a bear, even after reading the description. It's the eyes and ears that are all wrong. Apparently, someone forgot just how an owl looks.Take note children- this is why it is always a good idea to have a picture nearby for reference when doing a project like this.)

Anna Sui Crocheted Embellished Owl Hat

Crochet this owl for an adult or child and please feel free to embellish and bling this baby out. 

Owl Earflap Hat by Adrienne Engar

May I suggest some yarn choices for you:

Martha Stewart Glitter Eyelash Yarn

Red Heart With Wool Yarn

Vanna White Glamour Yarn

If you were an animal, (other than human), what animal would you be?

Fur for Fall

The Fall 2013 ready-to-wear collections are starting to roll into the stores. I love Fall and Winter because to me they are the seasons for accessories. One of my favorites is fur scarf. The fur scarf has been showing up in all different colors these last few seasons and this year is no exception.

Today's offering comes from the Banana Republic. They offer this nice length magenta keyhole fur that would look good with a faded leather jacket or over a fitted trench coat.

Banana Republic Scarf Fall 2013

Here is a quick knit to get the look in whatever color tickles your fancy. The Pattern: This keyhole scarf by Kim Haesemeyer. It is an easy knit for beginners and a quick knit for the more experienced.

Easy Keyhole Scarf by Kim Haesemeyer

Now, there are plenty of lash and faux fur yarns out there to choose from, so please be my guest and pick what you like. I choose Premier yarns for its choice of funky colors and the low price of course!

 I'm thinking you could just knit the whole scarf in stockinette stitch to create the 'one-sided' look and get the edges to naturally curl. Consider backing the whole thing with a piece of matching satin fabric stitched around the edges and you got yourself a scarf to make the other soccer moms green with envy.

Premier Lash Lux Yarn 

What Fall or Winter look would you like to knit? If you see something you want to knit, let me know and it just might become the topic of tomorrow's post.

Phoenix Rising

I'm loving my ever-growing collection of knitwear that has now grown into a large enough collection that it requires its own plastic bin. (My Boy Toy mentioned to me lately that I have so many bins under the bed that if the bed rails ever gave out we wouldn't notice for months.) Despite the ever decreasing space under the bed, the work that I'm producing lately has been uplifting and continues to drive me forward.

I'm taking a cue from my brother-in-law to not be afraid to reinvent myself. He went from working in a lonely cubical in some really bad remake of "Office Space", to being a chef at Disney. I've learned from him that it's okay, in fact its downright healthy to be a Phoenix and be born again from the ashes of your previous life.

So, with that thought in mind I present to you my ode to the Phoenix in this cowl called the Phoenix Tail.

[caption id="attachment_1335" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Phoenix Tail Cowl"][/caption]