Review: Red Heart Soft and Boutique Sashay Sequins

March 25, 2015 by ·

Review: Red Heart Soft Yarn and Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sequins

We used two different yarns from Red Heart for the Twins Face Off Shrug
Design Challenge this month. We thought we’d share with you our thoughts on both Soft and Boutique Sashay Sequins.

Review: Red Heart Soft Yarn

Review Red Heart Soft Yarn

We loved working with Red Heart Soft…we’ll just say that right off the bat. It deserves it’s name because it really is soft. It glides through your fingers and across the hook so smooth you’d think it was silk. Coarser yarn can chafe the tension finger, but this soft yarn does not irritate the skin. It also has really nice drape which is surprising for a worsted weight yarn. That makes it great for garments like scarves and sweaters, or in this case, shrugs. Not only is it gentle on the tension finger, as a finished project, it also feels soft and smooth.

Red Heart Soft also has a shiny sheen. That makes the finish item vibrant. The color is stronger and richer as a result.

This yarn can split a bit when working with it. Not too much, but enough to comment on it. If you run into this problem, you might want to try using an inline hook like Susan Bates which will minimize the snagging.

Red Heart Soft Yarn is delightful to work with. We don’t use it as often as we’d like because the color selection is limited. As of today, there isn’t a yellow in the mix. You don’t notice how often you use yellow until it’s not available! The colors that are available, however, are rich and vibrant. We love them all!

Red Heart Soft Pros:

  • Soft and comfortable to work with
  • Beautiful drape
  • Nice shiney sheen making colors vibrant

Red Heart Soft Cons:

  • Splits a little bit
  • Limited color selection

Review: Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sequins

Review Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sequins

Though lace and ruffles aren’t our usual style, we have to give two thumbs up to Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sequins for being a great yarn to work with. Working with lace does take a little extra time because you have to open it up and spread out the lace to find your next loop. Once we slowed down and realized this wasn’t a timed contest, we were able to enjoy the process of working with the lace. The Boutique Sashay Sequins opens easy and stays open so you can find the loops you want to work with. It really was a delight to incorporate into our shrugs.

Of course, the Boutique Sashay Sequins is probably most notable for it’s drape. It makes a beautiful ruffle. The lace part of the yarn is very holey, which allows for the crocheter to skip holes to create a more curly ruffle. Likewise, you can create more or less of a ruffle by crocheting more or less rounds with the lace. We like that the fabric gives us some control over how big the ruffles will be.

We crocheted the Sashay right into the project with the Red Heart Soft yarn. Imagine doing a single or double crochet with the Soft yarn. To incorporate the Sashay, we simply inserted the hook into the Sashay before inserting the hook in the next stitch of the project. Finish the single or double crochet with the Soft yarn and the Sashay is locked in.

The only thing we didn’t like about working with Boutique Sashay Sequins was so minimal it’s hardly worth mentioning. But for those who are curious, we did find it a little annoying that the yarn twists a bit as it comes off the skein. So you’ll have to stop and rotate the skein to get rid of the twist. But really, that’s to be expected on this type of yarn. See, we shouldn’t have even mentioned it!

Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sequins Pros:

  • Makes beautiful ruffles
  • Easy to open
  • Lots of options for making small or large ruffles
  • It has sequins…always fun in a yarn!

Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sequins Cons:

  • Twists as it comes off the skein

So, as you may have noticed, the pros totally outweight the cons! We enjoyed working with both yarns and know you will too.

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Review: Cafe Press Water Bottle

March 18, 2015 by ·

Review: Cafe Press Water Bottle

When Deborah and I opened our Cafe Press shop, we selected items that we would want to use. I was excited to see that a 1 liter metal water bottle was an option for plastering fun crochet and knitting sayings on, cause I drink a lot of water. I love it!

Cafe Press Water Bottle

I bring this bottle to my office while I work on crochet patterns. Here’s my review of my new Cafe Press Water Bottle:

Pro:

  • Holds 1 liter
  • Has gasket to prevent leaks
  • Has a hole in lid should I want to tie a string through the lid and around the neck of the bottle
  • Has easy grip bumps on the lid for easy opening
  • Wide mouth for putting ice cubes in
  • Stainless steel, no toxins like BPA

Cons:

  • Hand wash only
  • Bottle takes on the temperature of the liquid inside
  • Can’t tip head back too fast when drinking directly from it because water pours out quickly

My husband and I joke about how I drink. When most people ask for a sip, they are asking for a taste of something. I use the word a bit more loosely. I could want a taste, but more likely I want a good healthy drink…one that makes you say “ahhh” at the end.

With this water bottle, I need to tip it back a bit slower than I’m use to. But I think it’s worth it. I love the convenience of it. It’s the perfect amount of water for short hikes in the park, for taking with me to crochet group or just keeping near me while I work.

Of course, the best part is that it showcases my love of crochet!

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Review: Crochet Stitch Directory by Sarah Hazell

March 4, 2015 by ·

Review: “Crochet Stitch Directory” by Sarah Hazell

Crochet Stitch DictionaryLove this book. I, Dana, just have to say that right up front. Most of the crochet dictionaries in my collection (I only have a few, mind you) leave me uninspired. But not Crochet Stitch Dictionary. This book is the first one I pull out when I’m looking to create something with texture like a baby blanket.

10 Things I Love about “Crochet Stitch Dictionary”

  • 200 Stitches. My hat’s off to Sarah Hazell for fitting 200 designs into a 192 page book.
  • There are no patterns, just swatches. I prefer my dictionaries to be just that…dictionaries. I don’t want valuable pages wasted with random patterns I’m never going to crochet. Thankfully this book is packed with swatches.
  • There are step-by-step photos. For stitches that have multiple steps, there are photos! Very helpful.
  • There are charts for every design. And they are color coded making them easier to read as you move from one row to the next.
  • Colorful yarns are used throughout. The swatches are shown in lots of colors. I like that they aren’t all just crocheted in white yarn. The book feels cheerful as you flip from page to page.
  • Basic stitches are included. I like that standard stitches are included like single and double, and also Star, V and Chevron, etc.
  • Lots of advanced stitches are included. There are lots of patterns with cluster stitches, post work and crossed stitches.
  • Packed full of new stitches. Maybe it’s just me but I’ve never heard of the Berry Stitch or Granule. But I love them now that I see them in the book! I so want to make something with the unique stitches I’ve only seen in this book.
  • Lots of swatches using multiple colors, beads and loop stitch are included. I love that the swatches address other items that change the way a swatch looks such as beads, loops and color changes.
  • Tunisian Crochet is not included. Tunisian is such a different technique, I’m glad it’s not covered in this book. When I want to work Tunisian, I’d rather pull out a book that deals only with that.

So, although I adore this book, it’s not perfect. New crocheters will probably find it challenging because it’s condensed. Although there are step-by-step photos, there aren’t a ton. And if a new crocheter tries an advanced stitch, they’ll be frustrated. I haven’t kept track, but I think I’ve seen a typo or two in some of the written directions. But with the charts being right next to the directions, that takes care of any confusion.

The book doesn’t have any edging, which I find a pro, while others may feel a con. I actually designed a baby blanket using two different stitches from the book, one stitch as the center panel and another I modified and used as edging.

As I said, this is my #1 go to stitch dictionary. If you are looking to buy just one, this has my vote (so far).

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Review: Artists & Makers Magazine

February 18, 2015 by ·

Review: Artists & Makers Magazine

Artists and Makers MagazineWhen a friend gave me a copy of Artists & Makers magazine Winter 2015, I was thrilled. I secretly love art but most people don’t know it. I rarely go to art shows and I don’t read up on anything other than crochet. So this was a treasure. One that I wanted to savor and read while undisturbed. So when I had the house to myself, I fixed myself a drink, settled comfortably on the couch and cracked open the magazine.

It was, in a word, delightful. I received a glimpse into the lives of lots of creative people who shared both their successes and struggles. There were book reviews, tips for the business side of art and snapshots of a wide variety of art forms from letterpress to painting to woodworking, etc. There was even a small story about a yarn company!

My favorite section was “Essentials”, a review of products, supplies or organizational tools that artists might like. This 2 page spread made me laugh out loud! It reminded me of the Seinfeld episodes where Elaine works for J Peterman and writes catalog copy that is more story than actual description/review of products. After reading Essentials, I was tempted to buy one of everything. Ok, I exaggerate. I wasn’t tempted to buy anything, but this section alone makes the magazine a must read!

The quality of the magazine is top notch. It has a nice thick cover with beautiful glossy layouts. The artists highlighted are diverse in textiles and in personalities which I really appreciated. There were a lot of practical tips that all artists can use regardless of art form. When I finished reading the magazine, I was encouraged and my spirit uplifted. I was energized.

I would recommend this magazine to creative people who are passionate about their art and have an entrepreneurial spirit. Though it may be geared more for people who want to make a full or part time living with art, anyone who sees arts and/or crafts as a form of expression will enjoy this magazine.

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