I heart the day when the Spring Knitting Magazines arrive!!!

Today was a crazy day! The first day back after vacation is always a bit crazy. So when I arrived home, my husband took one look at me and said how about we go out for dinner (we are trying to not eat out) but we packed up the family and went to Bobby’s Burger Palace at the mall! Our trip to the mall always includes a trip to Barnes and Nobles to play with the trains! It am absolute must for our two year old daughter, Caitlyn! After a crazy day I was starting to unwind. My husband told me to go take a walk through the knitting magazines… I definitely don’t want to know what I looked like by then but off I went! On my way downstairs,I said God it would be a blessing if the spring knitting mags were out and….
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCORE!!!!!!!!! Both Interweave Knits AND Vogue were out!!!!!

Elated, I started flipping through them and both were too good to pass up!!!! I brought them both home with me!!!!

In Interweave, one of my favorite fibers was reviewed. It is Tencel! Which is actually made from wood pulp! It is super soft and super Eco friendly! The best part of the article is that Green Mountain Spinnery’s Sylvan Spirit was chosen to be reviewed! I have knit and designed with it! It is a great fiber and the colors they have available are awesome as well. Check out my Wolcott Tree Hugger Pattern on my Etsy site for a great pattern using this yarn http://www.eastendhomearts.etsy.com . You can buy this yarn at http://www.spinnery.com !

The other great article they had was on the longevity of a great designer Mari Lynn Patrick! Her designs have spanned decades and her designs are still timeless. I took an intense class with her at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC. And the article is true to her warm personality, passion for design and great professionalism!

Tomorrow, the Spring Issue of Vogue Knitting!!!

So go out and get your spring knitting fix! Nothing better to help pluck you out of the winter doldrums!

Sock Lollipop- Fun Valentine Day gift and craft!

In a search for something new and different to make for Valentine’s day, I thought of what food item could be mimicked in a crafty way. My thoughts were drawn to lollipops and cupcakes. Do you remember those huge lollipops on the wooden sticks that you used to get as a kid if you were lucky? I sure do. They were “old fashioned” lollipops and on Long Island you could find them on many of your field trips to the local historical places. Two distinct times I remember them was at Old Bethpage Village Restoration at Long Island Fair time. Everything was dressed for the period and when you went to the candy maker there were the very colorful lollipops just asking to be purchased. Also at Teddy Roosevelt’s house on Sagamore Hill, they sold them at the gift shop but those looked more like unicorn horns.
When I stopped at my local Joann’s craft store with my daughter I saw an awesome stock of fun Valentine’s day socks. What fun I thought to myself my sister in laws would love these socks !!!! I bought them and went to work creating. I made the socks into lollipops and packaged them just right for a perfect Valentine’s day gift and you too can make them!

How to make sock pops!
Materials:
• Pair of really cool socks
• Clear pony tail holders
• Ribbon for a bow
• Clear cellophane for packaging
• Very sturdy lollipop stick or cookie pop stick
• Pin or two to secure the swirl
1) Find a really colorful and comfortable pair of socks
2) Get the invisible pony tail holders ( the really small ones)
3) Fold the heel of the sock so that it is flush to the body of the sock. Roll them length wise so that you are left with a long tube
4) Place 4 ponytail rubberbands at approximately 2 in intervals on the sock to secure the roll
5) Take the tube and roll into a swirl pattern.
6) You may need to secure the swirl with a quilting pin to hold the shape of the pop.
7) Take a sturdy lollipop stick and insert it through from bottom to top through the rolls
8) Place a valentines day candy of choice in the center to hide the pop
9) Wrap in clear cellophane and secure with a pony tail holder
10) Tie a bow at the bottom of the cellophane
11) Give to your favorite valentine !

Valentines Day Sock Cupcake

In a search for something new and different to make for Valentine’s day, I thought of what food item could be mimicked in a crafty way. My thoughts were drawn to lollipops and cupcakes. Everyone loves a good cupcake. The newest craze is red velvet but my favorite is a good old chocolate cupcake filled with marshmallow cream and topped with chocolate gnache. Inspired by the cute look of all the cupcakes and the awesome packaging, I decided to make a Valentine’s day treat look like the decadent yumminess that is cupcakes.
When I stopped at my local Joann’s craft store with my daughter I saw an awesome stock of fun Valentine’s day socks. What fun I thought to myself my sister in laws would love these socks !!!! I bought them and went to work creating. I made the socks into lollipops and packaged them just right for a perfect Valentine’s day gift and you too can make them!

How to make sock cupcakes
Materials:
• Pair of really cool socks
• Clear pony tail holders
• Ribbon for a bow
• Clear cellophane for packaging
• Cupcake liner
1) Find a really colorful and comfortable pair of socks
2) Get the invisible pony tail holders ( the really small ones)
3) Fold the heel of the sock so that it is flush to the body of the sock. Fold the sock in half and roll to make a bulky cake like structure.
4) Place 1 ponytail rubberbands at approximately ½ way down the sock to secure the roll
5) Take the cake and place in a cup cake liner
6) Place a valentines day candy of choice in the center to be the frosting.
7) Wrap in clear cellophane and secure with a pony tail holder
8) Tie a bow at the bottom of the cellophane
9) Give to your favorite valentine !

Valentines Day Sock Cupcake

In a search for something new and different to make for Valentine’s day, I thought of what food item could be mimicked in a crafty way. My thoughts were drawn to lollipops and cupcakes. Everyone loves a good cupcake. The newest craze is red velvet but my favorite is a good old chocolate cupcake filled with marshmallow cream and topped with chocolate gnache. Inspired by the cute look of all the cupcakes and the awesome packaging, I decided to make a Valentine’s day treat look like the decadent yumminess that is cupcakes.
When I stopped at my local Joann’s craft store with my daughter I saw an awesome stock of fun Valentine’s day socks. What fun I thought to myself my sister in laws would love these socks !!!! I bought them and went to work creating. I made the socks into lollipops and packaged them just right for a perfect Valentine’s day gift and you too can make them!

How to make sock cupcakes
Materials:
• Pair of really cool socks
• Clear pony tail holders
• Ribbon for a bow
• Clear cellophane for packaging
• Cupcake liner
1) Find a really colorful and comfortable pair of socks
2) Get the invisible pony tail holders ( the really small ones)
3) Fold the heel of the sock so that it is flush to the body of the sock. Fold the sock in half and roll to make a bulky cake like structure.
4) Place 1 ponytail rubberbands at approximately ½ way down the sock to secure the roll
5) Take the cake and place in a cup cake liner
6) Place a valentines day candy of choice in the center to be the frosting.
7) Wrap in clear cellophane and secure with a pony tail holder
8) Tie a bow at the bottom of the cellophane
9) Give to your favorite valentine !

Sock Lollipop- Fun Valentine Day gift and craft!

In a search for something new and different to make for Valentine’s day, I thought of what food item could be mimicked in a crafty way. My thoughts were drawn to lollipops and cupcakes. Do you remember those huge lollipops on the wooden sticks that you used to get as a kid if you were lucky? I sure do. They were “old fashioned” lollipops and on Long Island you could find them on many of your field trips to the local historical places. Two distinct times I remember them was at Old Bethpage Village Restoration at Long Island Fair time. Everything was dressed for the period and when you went to the candy maker there were the very colorful lollipops just asking to be purchased. Also at Teddy Roosevelt’s house on Sagamore Hill, they sold them at the gift shop but those looked more like unicorn horns.
When I stopped at my local Joann’s craft store with my daughter I saw an awesome stock of fun Valentine’s day socks. What fun I thought to myself my sister in laws would love these socks !!!! I bought them and went to work creating. I made the socks into lollipops and packaged them just right for a perfect Valentine’s day gift and you too can make them!

How to make sock pops!
Materials:
• Pair of really cool socks
• Clear pony tail holders
• Ribbon for a bow
• Clear cellophane for packaging
• Very sturdy lollipop stick or cookie pop stick
• Pin or two to secure the swirl
1) Find a really colorful and comfortable pair of socks
2) Get the invisible pony tail holders ( the really small ones)
3) Fold the heel of the sock so that it is flush to the body of the sock. Roll them length wise so that you are left with a long tube
4) Place 4 ponytail rubberbands at approximately 2 in intervals on the sock to secure the roll
5) Take the tube and roll into a swirl pattern.
6) You may need to secure the swirl with a quilting pin to hold the shape of the pop.
7) Take a sturdy lollipop stick and insert it through from bottom to top through the rolls
8) Place a valentines day candy of choice in the center to hide the pop
9) Wrap in clear cellophane and secure with a pony tail holder
10) Tie a bow at the bottom of the cellophane
11) Give to your favorite valentine !