Author: beverly

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The Anidi Cowl

The Anidi Cowl. A textured cowl from designbcb.The Anidi Cowl is my latest creation! The physical product is available at designbcb and the pattern is ready to go as well.

The pattern in my head was going to be one way and the needles went another way and I just went with it. I love how it turned out and I love the yarn with it. The yarn is Jarbo Cookie from Hobii. I will do a yarn review on it but for right now, look at the color: that rich, neutral and look at the texture from the definition. This was a fun yarn to work with. And I have some of it left. I have two or three skeins of it; different colors. YEAH!

It was a very quick knit and the pattern is beginner friendly.  You can start it in the morning and with some focus have it done that very day.

I am beginning to appreciate my own work in the practical sense. There is an urge to make another one of these to actually wear. I used one of my cowls last winter and it did what it was supposed to do and it also got some compliments. That’s everything I want for my customers: a product that works well and looks good on them while doing it. 

 

 

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It’s Not What You Think

box of skein tone yarn packsIt’s not what you think….OK, it is what you think but not why you think it. This is one of, I don’t know, three packages of Lion Brand Skein Tones.

Michael’s has them on sale for $5.99/pack of 3. I ended up with about 30 – 35  packs. If they are still on sale – or they haven’t sold out – there may be more still coming. I will do a yarn review on them and there’s no doubt they’re being discontinued but if you’re going to hoard them as I am, a review will still come in handy.

Bottom line is, I like this yarn a lot and having a bunch of it on hand in a season where neutrals are going to be trending is a smart business move. Y’all saw the blanket I was working on. I want to make another one of those and I want to make one of squares – my Bachelor blanket for the store on Goimagine. The yarn works up beautifully and feels great. Now you know how the yarn review is gonna go.

I tried my hand at yarn wall art and I was not displeased with the results. I will show them off a little later. There are things to improve on and I ordered some macrame cord in different colors to try my hand some more.

Clouds digital wallpaper at abbey and lincolnThere’s a new sticker pack at Abbey & Lincoln. The Clouds collection uses a specific color palette and three designs. There’s more than 80 wallpapers to choose from. There’s also a new digital design on the boards.

Creativity abounds! Good thing there’s no option for running out of yarn or digital workspaces.

This just in:

I have been accepted at the Trinity TrollMarket Craft Fair. It’s in October. Now it’s on! I have to pray on what to make and to start. This is an expensive show and it’s 30 miles from home. It needs to be worth it. I’m so excited!

 

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A Yarn Giveaway

I’m doing a yarn giveaway! I’ve told you before, I have more than 1000 balls of yarn. There is no doubt I need to cull the herd. The best way to do that is a give away!

 

Here are the rules:

Follow me on TikTok now. The winnter will be drawn October 1 and then comment. 

For every item I make between now and September 30, I will add a ball of yarn to the give away. I’ve already made 2 items. 

My ultimate goal is to have all my yarn fit into the closet. It can hold about 30 containers – I have twice that amount. If this goes will, I will do it again at the end of they year.

There will be regular updates about the yarns so you know what to expect. What we have so far:

1 skein Feza Opera acrylic/wool blend Black Bulky

1 hank Knit Picks Bare Merino Wool Fingering Weight

The winner will be chosen by a comment picker. I hope to do it live so everyone can see. I was thinking of limiting to the 50 states but I think not. Open to everyone.

I was thrilled when I sorted myyarn and got it organized. I still am but now it is beginning to look junky even though I have kept it up and haven’t moved it. It is difficult to realize there may be too much; especially since I am on yarn sites daily looking to see what is out there. To my credit, I am only purchasing things I have a need to purchase. They will be used shortly for items going on sale at designbcb/BoHo on Go Imagine.

So, if you want some yarn and you love a mystery box (well, you know what will be in it) head on over to TikTok and join the fun!

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Today Years Old

I was today years old when I owned a ball winder. I have done without one for decades when I knew I had to have one. A ball winder was given away at the Crochet A Thon. I didn’t win it but someone at my table did and they let me use it and it changed my life. So, I got on the inter web and the mighty Amazon dropped one off at the house for under 20 bucks.

I am well aware the photo shows me caking a cake. I am slicing the cake in two pieces. (Actually, ended up being into 3 pieces.) It’s Jarbo Cookie from Hobbii. Very soft and easy to work with. The color is Flowery. I’m using it to design a cowl. Design being what it is, I had an idea of what I wanted to make but it’s doing something else on its own. Only hope I can keep up with it.

The idea is to keep it attached to the table as it is a pain to remove and attach. Also, took me a little bit to learn how to thread it. Don’t know why I just can stick it through the middle. Gonna try that next time and see what happens.

 

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A June Giveaway

Let’s do a June Giveaway!

Sometimes the world is just too peopley; the only thing to do is to lean into that and deal with it the best way possible. So, I thought I would bring some of the peace I need into the world. 

If you click the image to the left, it will open an svg that you can use for your very own. No restrictions, you can even try and sell it if want. Place it on mugs, shirts or tote bags. 

Today is Loving Day. The Supreme Court said the following about interracial marriage: ‘The freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the state.’

The last miscengenation law was removed from Alabama law in 2000. A mere 23 years ago. If you do not know the story of Mildred and Richard Loving, it is worth taking a look and even watching the interview with them. 

There is current legislation in the works which would make interracial marriage illegal. It is in the same legislation banning same sex marriage. It’s just not being talked about as loudly.

 My sister and her husband have been married for 50 years. They lived in states with those laws on the books. I can’t imagine one day waking up to find my marriage is no longer legal in all 50 states. God brought Mr. Honey and I together. Men with legislative power think they know better.

Hands off our marriages, please. In the meantime, celebrate love and enjoy using the SVG.

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Happy 4th of Halloween!

 Happy 4th of Halloween! Wait, what?

You read it here first, Happy 4th of Halloween! I’m not as crazy as you may think. June is a transition month for people who sell things. We can finally put away Mother’s Day things, Valentines and New Years is gone. Easter is over and it’s going into Ordinary time.

We don’t really have to worry that much about Fathers’ Day. Sorry, Dads but let’s not pretend. The only thing coming up is 4th of July and then after that, you’re gonna start seeing pumpkins before the last of the charcoal is gone. 

Makers are getting ready for fall. My mind is already thinking about what will be new in this shop and this one. I’m exploring new patterns and getting inspiration from all across the interweb. 

In the works right now:

A new sticker pack that fits in with the holiday/holy days season.

A new bulky scarf

The Amity Blanket in a regular and custom version

The pattern for the scarf.

There will also be some new yarn reviews.

I don’t want you to think I won’t be enjoying my sunner. I will. What’s new for me is ny blood is thinner; thanks to the blood thinner and my new insides. Where 80 degree temps would have me sweltering, I now think of it as a little warm. I mean, it’s 70 degrees outside and I have on a sweater. How cool is that? See what I did there?

I’m excited about what’s coming and equally excited to show it to you when it’s ready. I have to go finish the last few rows of the Amity blanket – ok last 20 rows or so. Will show it when I’m done. I friggin’ love it!

 

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Starting Over

Decided to  Ismithy Blanket WIP’m starting over. The Amity Blanket. The one that is due to the owner on Monday. That one. I started it over.

This is how it originally went. I was crocheting away until I decided I didn’t like how the colors were.

The order wasn’t exactly right so I started it again. No problem. Due in seven days? I’ll just crochet 7 inches a day and then we will be good to go. I picked up some more skeins of the Skein Tones Yarn and off I go.

I like them both. This one will be finished and taken. I think I can still deliver it on Monday. We shall see what we shall see.

In other news, not knit related. I know, I can hardly believe such a thing exists. I started a book then couldn’t remember if I finished it. Decided to look  it up to find I did not finish it. Now I have to. The book is called Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel by Judith Keim. I also purchased a book my life coach recommended to the group on self sabotage. Haven’t gotten around to it yet. My coach would have a field day with that. He and Freud.

 

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The Amity Blanket

There’s a story behind the Amity Blanket.

Mr. Honey and I went house hunting 3 years ago. Zillow hooked us up with a terrific real estate agent, Tony Mathews. Tony dealt with Mr. Honey and me with patience. The condo we are in was the 3rd choice on my list. It was owned by an elderly woman in her 90’s who was blind, hard of hearing and didn’t speak English. She had to move to go into assisted living. 

I gave her a prayer shawl when we bought the condo. I gave her real estate agent a scarf. And Tony? Tony got nuthin’. Not that I didn’t want to give him anything but the job was only half done. He got us a new place but he needed to sell the house.

Because Mr. Honey wanted to do some work on the house, it took a year before the house was ready to go on the market. Yep, he stood by us for a year.

He took over the sale of the house and we got more than 20 offers and took the one that was 40K above asking. He sold the house less than a week after it was on the market.

That was two years ago. When I did a revamp of the business and decided to do blankets again, I came up with the Amity Blanket. I decided to use gray because that was in front of me from the blanket I started for Tony years before. When I finished the sample, I knew it had to go to Tony. So, I gave it to him. He now has it. It’s a perfect size for his daughter to cuddle up in. It’s more of a throw. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

It’s available here for a custom make. This is an OOAK cuz the yarn is Caron Big Cakes in Peppercream and Caron One Pound in medium gray. The cakes color is discontinued. Unique in all the world. The pattern will be available in the second release coming soon. 

I have two more blankets on the hooks. One is a special order from someone in Tony’s office. It is gorgeous wait til you see. The other is equally stunning and is the first Divine Nine variation. Can’t wait to show you.

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New Kids on the Block

Did you see the new kids on the block? At the top of the page there are two new links: Shop and Free Knitting Patterns. So now, it’s easier to get the goods.

Both pages are works in progress and will be updated on the regular. The Shop page will have the latest promos and deals and links directly to the page where they can be ordered. The Free Patterns page goes to Ravelry. 

I’m excited to expand the site where it can be a blog and also connect the other aspects. This is an exciting time for the nature of the business that is my business.

 In other news, we went on a vacation! Kinda sorta. No, it was a vacation. My sisters live in Oregon and Washington – Portland and Seattle to be more exact. We visited Seattle but never Portland. The Portland sister is renovating her house. (Let me tell you, it looks nothing like what you see on the t and v. The house is tore up from the floor up.) They are doing a lot of the work themselves. Painting the rooms is one of those things. My sister told me they were starting the painting and I reminded her Mr. Honey loved that kind of thing. So one brother-in-law called the other brother-in-law and made arrangements for us to come out so Mr. Honey could help paint. 

He loves this kind of thing. He loves the order and the routine and the planning and the execution. And my brother-in-law was happy to let him manage it. We were there for 10 days. My sister and I left the boys on their own for a couple of days and took a train to Seattle to see the other sister and the daughter/niece.

On the day we were supposed to leave (noticed I said supposed to) we took a trip to Mt. Hood and the Bonneville Dam.We had lunch at Timerline Lodge. The only thing they offer is a buffet and I don’t know how much it cost because my sis and bro-law took the bil, but it was worth it. All I really had was fruit and bread but the melons tasted like melons. Cantaloupe and honeydew haven’t tasted good for years.

 

Folks were actually skiing up there and it was snowing as we went up the mountain. We watched the temperature drop in 5 degree increments the higher we went. Of course, there were also people wearing shorts and flip-flops in the snow because – well, why not?

We went to the dam to watch the salmon but the water in the obseration windows was realy murky and you couldn’t really see them unless they came really close to the window. Why would a salmon want to come close to the window? I don’t think they want to look in as much as we want to look out. But on the observation deck above, there were some grand views. To far away to see the fish but the wonder of man and nature could be appreciated.

Mr. Honey bought me a hoodie. I got it a few sizes too small and now I have an incentive. I came home 5 lbs lighter and noted I ate a lot of fruit and ate twice a day. That’s something to remember and incorporate back here. I also didn’t step on a scale the whole time I was there and I didn’t freak out.

Did I tell you I signed up for a class right before I left? I am freaking out about that. Tell you more about it later. There’s an order to get out and I am still working on the Amity blanket. Liking how it’s looking!

 

 

 

 

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Where God Tests the Weather

Chicago is the place where God tests the weather.
Last week in my beloved city we had 80 degrees, 70 degrees, 30 degrees with snow on the ground and a frost advisory. All in the  same week. An angel comes up to God and says, “I have an idea for a new cloud formation.” God says, “Fly it over Chicago.” I’m sure that’s how the conversation goes.

It was cold in the yarn room and instead of turning on my heater, I opened the window. Who knew that would make it warmer? But it did.  The downside is we live on a busy street and every place across the street is a business and we’re less than a mile from the railroad crossing. So there’s noise. On this side of the street are residences; a mixture of apartments and condos with houses. Lots of people with lots of dogs. (There’s an animal hospital two doors down.) Noise of all kinds. We also live street level. I’ve walked by when the shades were up. Can see straight through.
But it’s love. It’s a crazy kind of love  But love it is. And through it all – there was knitting.

The headbands are here. Some of them have made it into the shop. There are more to come. More to be created and more that are created and need to be listed. The cool thing is I finally put them up!

I also added a new pattern to my Ravelry page. And, of course, the stickers in Abbey and Lincoln. I am also working on a new blanket for the Go Imagine shop. In case you missed it, I added something to the yarn review page. More to come with that along with a new page on hooks and needle reviews.

Hey, I’m warming up with the weather. Hopefully, my heat spell will last longer!