Oh hey, I nearly forgot to blog about my first published guest column, in Simply Crochet Magazine, Issue 52! Simply Crochet is based out of the UK, so I just downloaded my electronic copy via iTunes. Here’s a picture of the front cover and a lil peek at my column:

Simply Crochet basically gave me free rein to write about whatever, so we decided I’d write about getting inspired in 2017. At the time of writing the article, I was in Japan with IggyStarpup, snapping photos of all the things I thought were cute and amazing. This was the perfect opportunity for me to personally gather some international inspiration while also gathering snaps for this article! I hope you check it out and enjoy it! I may be writing more guest columns for Simply Crochet soon, so if there are crochet topics you’d like me to talk about, just let me know!  Oh, don’t forget about my cute cupcake pencil-topper pattern from Issue 51!

Happy New Year! I’ve been wanting to do something champagne-bottle themed for a long time. I’m gonna say right up front, that I don’t think a scarf made out of these champagne bottle motifs would be the greatest scarf, because the thin portion along the neck of the bottle would be a weak and stretchy point, also with a tendency to twist. HOWEVER, I could not help myself but try! I am running out of time this year to complete a full scarf, but these little bottles were so cute, that I wanted to share them with you anyway.

#HhookForScale

My buddy Candace pointed out that you could also make a cute garland out of this motif. And champagne isn’t just for NYE. You could make a scarf or garland for any kind of celebratory occasion, and you can put whatever words you like on the labels with surface crochet, felt letters, or puffy paint.

I fully intend to complete my scarf and shoot non-phone-cam pics. Until then, this pattern will be free on my blog. When I get the chance to convert it into an actual scarf pattern, I might pull it from here and add it to my Etsy shop. Not sure yet!

What ever your plans are tonight, stay safe and stay warm. I think 2017 is going to be a really weird year for me (maybe more on that later), but I hope for all of us to be happy and healthy. Cheers!

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I don’t know what it is I like so much about anthropomorphic plants from movies (baby Groot, anyone?), but after I saw Fantastic Beasts, I definitely wanted my own Bowtruckle, which is described on Pottermore as a “small, twig-like creature that guards wand-wood trees.”

In my first attempt to crochet him, I tried to stay very true to Pickett in the movie images, and I wanted his long, thin limbs to be posable with wiring. However, he kept looking kind of weird and creepy to me while I was crocheting him, so I decided to shorten his body and limbs and make him cute, stumpy, and little! (Here’s an animated gif of my rough sketches.)

I hope you enjoy making your lil plant babies! He’s also a good size for a brooch, so you can easily keep him on your coat for all your adventures!

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Ankit sent me some fun items to show you guys, and I kept waiting for the perfect lighting to take photos, but you know what? Sometimes you just gotta roll with what ya got! I live by the ocean, and the light is terrible in my house. It tends to be kinda gloomy around here, and this bums me out when it comes to taking photos of outfits or products. But to be honest, the items that Ankit sent me are perfect for staying in when it’s rainy and for creating a cozy, magical spot in your house.

If you pop over to the Ankit store, you’ll notice they have a ton of fun goodies to accessorize your home, like mugs, string lights, throw pillows, the cutest contact lens cases, wall tapestries, and a heck of a lot more. They sent me some pretty floral headphones, a pink kitty coffee mug (currently sold out!), a gorgeous iridescent white sequin throw pillow, and some adorable kitty cat LED string lights!

Did they totally know what my color scheme already was, because the random items they sent are so perfect for my bedroom!

They are in the middle of a “12 Days of Christmas” promo, and every day there is a deep discount on a particular kind of item. So click over to Ankit and see what’s going on!

(Thanks to Ankit for providing items for this post! I loved them, especially the kitty mug! Please note that these are indeed affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage if you make a purchase from my blog.)

I finally put my crocheted bento box buddies in my Etsy shop, and they even have their own shop category! If you recall, I created these for Renegade Craft Fair in July (photos of the bento bar here). Now you guys can create your own bento boxes online! Or, if you don’t want to put together an entire box, you can buy a buddy or two and turn him into a pin or a magnet. Lots of options! Some people already put in their orders and have assembled full boxes, and I can’t wait to put them together and take photos! I’m excited!

And yes, for those asking, I am planning on releasing patterns for these. I think I will have 2 different options for electronic/pdf patterns: 1) the meats/proteins and 2) the fruits/veggies. I’m playing with the idea of printing mini books that carry all of the patterns, but I’m still pricing that out and seeing if that’s a smart move for me or not. Regardless, you will have them electronically! I just need time to take a lot of step-out photos and make samples! Until then, shop away! I also added some ready-to-ship tissue box cozies, scarves, a tv dinner tablet cozy, and I’m working on editing photos for garlands :).