I spent a long Sunday (off!) making these crochet-covered tape measures, and I absolutely love them. I may write up a pattern for these later, but the basic idea is to crochet 2 circles that are roughly the size of your measuring tape and whip stitch them together over the tape, leaving about 3 stitches un-sewn where the tape spits out. Then, crochet a flower and sew it to the cover along with a button. Actually, if you’re smart, you’ll embellish the cover BEFORE you sew it to the tape, ask me how I know! No matter, it’s just a  bit more fussy but totally doable. I also made tiny leaves to sew to the end of the measuring tape for extra  cutenes, and to prevent the end from ever sliding under the cover. I was totally inspired by the adorable measuring tapes from Lantern Moon, but by making them myself using yarn and buttons I already had kept the costs very low. I used Amy Butler’s Belle Organic DK for the yarn, in case you’re wondering. It’s a great wool cotton blend, and of course I like the colors.

I also flexed my beading muscle (long languishing, that one!) by making stitch markers using flexible stringing wire from Beadalon. Fold the strand in half over a knitting needle (I used size 10.5) to size the loop and slide on a crimp bead. Crimp the bead to secure the loop, then add some light weight beads and another crimp bead. Trim the tails and voila! Simple, but time consuming. A perfect project for sitting in front of the TV, I think.  I love these markers for knitting (and had the foresight to make some for moi!) because they won’t snag. As lovely as many stitch markers are, I worry about them snagging my work, and I don’t think these will. It was much fun to put colors together that I might even whip up a few sets for the store…right after I write the tape measure pattern, finish the deadlines swirling around in my head, relax for the holidays and take the dog for a walk.

I think the coolest thing about our swap is that without saying anything to each other about it, many of us decided to make our gifts this year. I got a beautiful tatted bracelet from Wendy and a hand woven spa cloth and handmade soap from Debbi. I love that we all used our special skills–it is SO rare that I get a handmade gift, and I neither tat nor weave (though I hope to one day!), so it was extra cool to get gifts made using those techniques. Thanks ladies!

I have been getting a lot of mail lately, but was especially excited to receive my contributor copies of Bead Simple yesterday. Susan has been working on this book for quite a while, and it came out so great! What I love about it is that each design is shown in 3 different renditions– each with different beads and findings, which can help you visualize a project that’s just your style. It also makes it easy to think about YOUR supplies and not necessarily having to buy the exact items used in the projects, which makes it a winner in my book! Plus it is lots of fun to see what all of the guest designers made. There’s also an extensive techniques section with illustrations and clearly written instructions, so even if you’re a beginner, you can follow along.

Here’s my filigree necklace on page 97. I wanted to do something totally different but still use the same basic technique (tiers, in this case).  At the time I didn’t think this was a necklace that I would personally wear (too fancy), but now that I have it back it’s actually quite nice with a slightly-dressy top. I could use a little more glamour in my life. I’ve been bored in general with my jewelry lately, so hopefully this book will isnpire me to craft some new pieces. The book will officially be released on March 25th, but you can pre-order on Amazon if you like.

I also got a copy of this new book from Chronicle: The Pillow Book by Shannon Okey. It’s a lovely book chock full of your pillow basics, but then there are also some really fun and useful projects like pet beds, ottomans, and seat covers, too. It’s definitely a good choice if you’re trying to do some redecorating or re-energize your couch. And the best part, which seems to be included with all of the new Chronicle books, is that the patterns are all included at full size in a separate envelope on the front of the book.

Paul and his friends have a running joke that the difference between the apartments of men and women is the amount of pillows on their couches. I hate to admit it, but it’s true! Of course, my couch is currently covered in projects. Some day, pillow book. Some day!

This weekend I continued to make more stuff for my local craft fair. I think I may be going a little overboard, but it’s always better to have too much stuff than not enough, right? I’ve wired at least 20 button necklaces– here are some of my favorites:

I also made some quick journals that I’m either selling or gifting. I haven’t quite decided. The felt flowers are from American Crafts (I love them!).

And I worked on a fun placecard project for Thanksgiving, which I’ll post later this week. For now, enjoy this weekend vignette: me sewing labels into hats between scrabble turns. They finally came from namemaker, and I have to say, I’m pretty disappointed. For the cost (about $70 for 100), they aren’t super high quality (they weren’t even cut!), and I also had no idea they’d turn out so long. They tell you they’ll make the length as long as your type mandates, but I guess I didn’t have a good idea of the font size (my last labels were the same height and about half as long). Needless to say, once I run out of these I’ll be taking my business elsewhere. But hey, at least I am winning this scrabble game –for now!