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Pattern and Yarn Review: Scarfie and the Iris Cowl

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Sorry for the hiatus. I’m really adept at keeping my Facebook page up to date, but my blog oftentimes gets forgotten. Today’s review is two fold. One a new pattern, and two a new yarn for me. Pattern: Iris Cowl (original pattern:  https://www.leftinknots.com/home/crochet-iris-cowl-free-pattern     This pattern was very easy to follow and works up fast. One alteration I made is that instead of the chaining the original chain, I started with a half double crochet foundation chain. If you are unfamiliar with this stitch, this is a great tutorial:  https://www.mooglyblog.com/foundation-half-double-crochet/ . I find when I have to do a project that involves joining the chain to work in the round, if the yarn allows it, working the foundation stitch makes that first round and joining so much easier. If you want an easy, fast, warm cowl to whip up, this pattern is all of that. It’s also simply beautiful. Yarn: Lion Brand Scarfie ( http://www.lionbrand.com/scarfie-yarn.html )  
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Review Cozy Coed Cardigan

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Pattern Specifications and Links: Adult sizes (S-4XL, regular and tall) is a paid pattern:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cozy-coed-cardigan Children sizes (3 months-16 boys) is a free pattern:  https://hearthookhome.com/cozy-classroom-cardigan-size-1416-youth-large/     Follow the link and scroll down for other sizes. There will be the following links:  Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Personal Experience: I’ve worked two of these sweaters to near completion, just waiting on some buttons I ordered to finish them up, and am currently working on a third. One was the 14/16 boys size. The other two are adult men’s, sizes S and L Tall. I used Kartopu yarn, alpaca polo and elite wool. Both of these were found in a local yarn shop located in Old Town Sarajevo. The company does have their own website as well:  http://www.kartopu.com.tr/?lang=en . If one is interested in jumping in to clothing making with their crochet, this is definitely a great pattern to begin with. M
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A Little Background

How this endeavor began: When we moved overseas and after having my fifth child, I wanted desperately to have something to do. I had learned to crochet when I was 22, and while I made many blankets, I never really tried to push past basic stitches. That worked while I stayed at home and raised my four oldest children. When the youngest of those went to school full time, I went to work outside of the home. This was something I LOVED. I worked for two years, and then found myself pregnant again. While I wouldn’t change having my youngest for anything in the world, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go back to work after she was born. I wanted to. I had planned to, but holding her in my arms and looking at the price of daycare in the states, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. There I was back at home, being a full time mom again. Now don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom. I love being there at home with my kids when they are little, but I also desperately missed working. You know, actua
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Let’s Begin Again

I know I have let the blog go. Frustration can be demoralizing. I went into this endeavor with the hope of selling my items. While I produce a variety of items for sale, selling them is difficult in a world where people can buy similar mass produced items for less. It’s truly frustrating. To me, working on crochet projects are art in action. While I must put a price on that, I live by cost times two. In other words, I take the cost of the supplies to make an item, and then I double it to price it. Yes, this means that it might cost more than mass produced items, but just think about this. Depending on the amount of time an item takes to create, I am in essence paying myself pennies and hour to produce an item that while similar to mass produce, is not. It is solely unique, because it was made by hand. I researched patterns, either choosing to follow it or use it only as a baseline, then I find the materials need, following that is the actual work. Depending on the difficulty of su
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What Am I?

In the Know Whether you need a blanket to cover you or a scarf and/or hat to warm you, Brenna Blanket Design has it for you. Hats are primarily stitched on a loom knitter with a general e-stitch. Differences are noted on their individual tags. They are sized from infants to adults. They are generally bennies, some with Pom Pom’s at the top. Solids, to mixes, to a mixture of both. I have two signatures: the roll brim and the crochet brim. The roll is completed by stitching several rows, then rolling it back on itself. In adult hats, the roll is done twice for a thicker “brim.” The infant hats with the roll, are only rolled once. Crochet “brims” are started on a hook crochet needle. Generally, one to three rows of double or single crochet are completed and then the “brim” is transferred to the loom where the hat is completed. Blankets are sized from infants to Queen sized. I only currently have one blanket completed in queen size, as this particular blanket takes a large a
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