The Wonderful World of Yarn

Do you ever have trouble deciding what yarn to choose for a project when
going to the store, standing in an isle full of many yarn variations and colors?







I must admit that I'm a creature of habit and I tend to stick with using the same brand/type of yarn for a good amount of time.  When I first started crocheting (many, many moons ago)  I only made afghans and because I was only 10 when I started, I used what was the least expensive which was Red Heart Super Saver yarn. 

Free Petal Stitch Afghan pattern

I really like this yarn for afghans because it is warm and easy to work with and has such a huge variety of colors.

As I started designing baby clothing, I didn't want such a think yarn and fell in love with Caron Simply Soft yarn.  It is so nice to use something that I don't have to worry about it itching the baby's skin.  The ONLY thing that I don't like about Simply Soft is that the threads of the yarn can split often and make it slightly more difficult to work with at times.  It does have some beautiful colors to choose from and I love making baby afghans with it too!

 Butterfly Afghan and Overlay pattern

  We can't forget about the fun Boutique Sashay yarn!  I thought the scarves were really pretty that everyone was making with it - but I HAD to try something different with it!!  I absolutely love how these dresses turned out and my girls are still wearing theirs often and still get compliments every time.

 Princess Britt Infant pattern

Princess Britt Toddler pattern

Then Summertime came and I needed to use something that would not be to hot to wear and I tried out.  I had tried Cotton at one point, but it seemed really stiff to me and hurt my shoulder to work with...Utill I tried Red Heart's Creme de la Creme.  It is available locally and is easy to work with.  It has such fun verigated colors to choose from and is reasonably priced. 

 Stars & Stripes Infant Sundress pattern

Now, I'm on to a new yarn...Red Heart Soft.  It is pretty comparable to Simply Soft, but it doesn't seem to split like Simply Soft does.  The plus side to this is that it is available in my local store also and Simply Soft is not.  I am a huge fan of the deeper colors such as Burgandy, Navy Blue and so on.  The shades available in this yarn are great and I will be using it more! 

Ribbon Candy Infant pattern 

So,  How do you choose which yarn you want to use?

What's today? It's National Pie Day!

Oh my goodness!  I LOVE pie.  I'm not sure I have an actual favorite because there are so many that I like. Peach, Apple, Pumpkin, Lemon Meringue, Banana Cream, Coconut Cream, Chocolate...yep, I'm hungry just thinking about it. 
One of the best parts about Thanksgiving is my mom making her homemade pies. AND - I love to take the pie crust dough and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar and just bake strips of them to much on.  Mmm Mmmm good!
Lemon Cream Pie Recipe  is one that I've tried and is really good :)

So, in honor of National Pie Day, I've also found some cute crochet patterns for pies
Lemon Mmeringue pie


Cherry pie
Pumpkin pie
Chocolate Pie
Pecan pies




Now, have yourself a piece of pie and enjoy your day my friends!

New Release: Ribbon Candy Infant Dress Crochet Pattern

It's finally ready and I'm so excited to make a new dress for my little baby.  I've started Kensley's Easter dress in pink and white using the Ribbon Candy pattern and it is so cute!  Lucky for me, Easter is still a ways away since I've put it down to finish designing a few different items to add to this collection.  A great big thank you goes out to Ashlee Parkinson Photography for such a darling photo :)

 I started this design out with the idea of focusing on the big bow.  As I kept making more dresses to write down the instructions for each size, I decided it needed a 2nd option.  To play off the "ribbon" pattern of the skirt, I wrote up a pattern for the flower with curly ribbon.  I think it is so fun!  Both options are part of this pattern and the flower pattern with curls will also be available for free on Crafting Friends Designs website.

You can get the infant pattern at a sale price through January 25th by clicking the website link above.  All patterns are instant download, so there's no need to wait for me to send them out.  If you are a Raveler and like to keep your patterns in your Ravelry library, feel free to send me an email at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com OR use the contact form on my site letting me know the email address you made your purchase with and I will gift the pattern to that email through Ravelry.

Don't you just love seeing all the color combos that my testers come up with? A HUGE Thank you to Stacy and Nancy for sharing photos of such darling babies in their dresses!

Stacy Blass

Nancy Creek of Live, Laugh, Love Crochet

 

Becky Cannon

Angela Henson

Jennifer from Little Luvies Shop

Noelle Christensen