A Yarny Fairy Tale

I really like this yarn. It's (the now discontinued) Rowan Polar, in a color called "Silver Lining." In a fit of unrestrained shopping, I bought enough to make myself a coat. Do I need a coat in Arizona? Well not right now... but I will in a month or two! Plus, it will last me a lifetime and my future generations lifetimes and so on. Can anyone tell that I am justifying here?

Anyway, I have always wanted a coat similar to the one Kate Hudson wears in Almost Famous. Something sort of like this:

There's a picture of Kate Hudson wearing it here. I would probably use less fur around the collar, and add fur to the edges along the bottom. I think that style is called Shearling?

For the trim, I really liked Jaeger Fur. It is sort of a novelty fur, except it's made of wool and mohair. I love me some natural fibers! I was going back and forth considering the price of this luxurious furry fur. It's the perfect compliment to the coat, it's soft, it's long haired, bulky, and beautiful, and it has a price to match all of those great qualities. Then I found out the name of the color that I liked:

The color is called Polar. Get it? Rowan Polar, Polar colored fur? It was meant to be, and I bought it all.

The End.

By the way, I didn't take any of these pictures and I can't take credit for them. The pictures came from here, here, and here.

Photo Stitch Marker Tutorial

A lot of people have been asking me how to make the photo stitch markers that I made for Ei and Michelle. Here is my humble answer...

I got all the supplies at Michael's. If you don't have one in your area, it's just a general craft store. I'd bet you can find this stuff online too.

20 gauge artist wire
Pliers with wire cutter
Glass Beads
Toggle Clasp Rings (they are necklace closures)
Shrinky Dinks Shrinkable Plastic for Computer Inkjet Printers (It is very tempting to buy the kind that you write on, because it is half the price, but make sure you get the one for computer printers)

 Find some pictures on your computer and lighten them by using the brightness control on your photo editing software. The colors should look light and washed out compared to the original picture:

 Arrange the pictures on an 8 x 10 page. I use power point, and I make the pictures into a slide.Also, resize if necessary. That's another reason I use powerpoint- It has a ruler on the edges. If you can't see the ruler, you can go to the "view" menu at the top and select "ruler" and the ruler will show up. I make the pictures about 2-3 inches square.

 Print on the shrinky dink paper. There is a right and wrong side. Slobber on your finger and touch the paper. If it sticks, it's the right side. Then make sure you print onto that side.

Cut out the pictures. Don't leave jagged edges or square edges- they'll catch on your yarn. I round the edges of rectangles just in case.

 Punch holes in the top using a regular paper hole puncher. You can even use those shaped hole punchers that scrapbookers use.

Arrange your shrinky dinks on a paper bag (weird, I know) and then put the paper bag on a cookie sheet.
Bake them! Every oven is different. Mine takes 10 minutes at 300 degrees F.

WORD OF CAUTION: If you don't let them finish baking, they will curl up:

 If they curl up, you didn't mess up. They curl for the same reason stockinette stitch curls. The middle is bigger than the edges. Since the edges bake first, the edges shrink first. If they are curling, just leave 'em in there for a while longer. You will know that the shrinky dinks are ready to remove from the oven if they are laying flat.

 (the Noro wrapper is for size comparison)
Once they lay flat and look like little charms, take them out. Immediately put a piece of paper on top of them, and push down for 15 seconds. If you think you might burn yourself, use an oven mitt. This step ensures that your charms remain flat.
Now you have charms! If you have your own way of making stitch markers, then go for it. Here's what I do:
Cut a piece of wire about 3 and a half to 4 inches long.

Loop one end of the wire around the smaller hole of the toggle clasp

 Bead a couple of glass beads onto the other end of the wire, and then put the shrinky dink charm on there. Loop the other end of the wire around the shrinky dink. Voila!!! Now you can PM and mark the beginning of rounds!!