How to: Outdoor water fountain

I have made a few small indoor water fountains in the past, but I found them to be a bit irritating rather than soothing. They splashed too much and the sound of it water made me think I had left the water on outside. So, I decided that this is an item better left outside.

I just came across this nice DIY Bubbling Water Urn over at Gardener's World. It looks really easy and fairly inexpensive to make.

New Online Knitting Magazine

I just stumbled upon Knotions, a new online magazine with free knitting patterns. Yea!

New Knitting Patterns at Berroco

Although LA has had record breaking heat the last two days and it is almost unbearable to even look at knitting, I am smitten with this new sweater pattern, Crotona, over at Berroco. It is knit in Cuzco which has a gorgeous color pallete. If I do get a chance to make it, I would probably shorten it to hip length. This pattern and a few other amazing patterns can be found in Berroco's Booklet #281.

The Cutest Cupcake Contest Winners

A while back, there was a Cutest Cupcake contest over at Martha Stewart. They have a whole photo album up of the finalists and winners. There were a ton of entries, so judging must have been pretty hard. I really liked this labor intensive one that made it to the finals by Just_Maryam.

Flower Pot Desserts

The Pioneer Woman Cooks has a tutorial up for these cute desserts that are made to look like a potted plant.

Garden Decor: Tipsy Pots

Gardens and Crafts has a great tutorial up for making this pretty garden flower pot display.

Amazing Felt Brooches

I am loving this collection of wool felt brooches by Canadian based artist Woolly Fabulous that I came across over at Flickr. A number of them are available at her etsy store.

Links are back

When I updated this blog a while back, the links went away. I have just updated the list and they are now back in the sidebar.

I-Cord Knitting Machine

I have just purchased an Embellish Knit i-cord knitting machine. I have been wanting one ever since I saw Betz White use one during her pincushion tutorial on the Martha Stewart show. I opened the packet and, after a few cranks on the handle, got it going fairly easily. I made this pile of i-cord with the yarn provided, which would have taken a few hours if hand knit, in just a few minuets.

One thing I noticed is that the tension of my cord is a bit uneven in a few places. I think this is because I waited a while to move the weight up the cord. This is not a major issue and I will be sure to remember to change the position of the weight more frequently.

This little machine only has four stitches and uses sport weight yarn or thinner. I think I may get one of theses little machines or possibly this one too. I think they will be a great help for making knitted toys.

DIY Vingear from Leftover Wine

I was listening to one of my favorite food podcasts, The Splendid Table, and one of the guests was talking about making your own vinegar from leftover wine. They have a tutorial written up over at their website, Gang of Pour. It sounds delicious.

DIY Upholstery Tutorial

Pie Knits, who has some super cute knitting patterns, has just posted a tutorial for DIY upholstery. She did an amazing job re-vamping this settee. I did a similar, but smaller scale, project once and it just about killed my wrists and hands. I love the result though.

Free Pattern: Sewn Bird

I just stumbled across this adorable free pattern for a plush birdie over at Spool. They made a bird mobile out of a bunch of them for a baby room. I love all the colorful patterned fabrics they used.

Tutorial: Knitted Dish Scrubbie

I just came across this tutorial for a Knitted Dish Scrubby written up by Berlin's Whimsy. She uses tulle fabric combined with yarn for good scrubbing action. What a great idea and cute too!

Knitted Car Cover

I came across this photo of an amazing knitted Volvo car cover over in the flickr's The Knitting Club photo pool by secretagentmartens. You can read more about the Manifest festival that the art car was created for here.

New Knittng Pattern Love: Praying Mantis

I totally adore the creature knitting patterns of Seattle based artist Hansigrumi. They are completely cute and a little creepy at the same time. She has just completed a new knitted toy, a Praying Manits, which I love. Her work is so detailed and well crafted. I will have to make one of her patterns soon. You can purchase her knitting patterns at her etsy store.

Sewing Pattern: Twist-It-Up Bandeaua Top

I just came across the pattern for the cardi-wrap in an hour that I wrote about a while back and thought I should visit the Threads website again. They have a free pattern up right now for a super cute Twist-It-Up Bandeau Top that can be worn several ways. The pattern looks really easy and should be a fun thing to wear out on a summer evening.

They have a few other cute patterns up right now too in addition to this great sewing tips & tricks guide.

New Knitting Pattern: Sparkle Beetle

Metallic beetles fascinate me. Their beautiful colors and body structure are striking and sometimes creepy. I wanted to create a toy that captured that glitter and form, but also had a sense of humor. So, the Sparkle Beetle knitting pattern is born.

This knitting pattern uses 4 balls of Shine Worsted yarn by Knit Picks where a thin metallic yarn is held together with this soft cotton yarn so the beetle sparkles.

The beetle measures 12” long x 11” wide, from leg to leg.

The pattern is available in my etsy store, ansleybleu.etsy.com

Softie Awards Winners Announced

The 2nd Annual Softie Award winners have been announced. The Knit Carrot & Mandarin did not win in the picnic food category, but who could resist those cute mice! Thanks to everyone who voted for me.

Voting for the Softie Awards is now open!

Softies Central is hosting another Softie Awards competition and I am honored to announce that my Knit Carrot & Mandarin have made it to the finals in the Picnic Food Category. This time there are five categories with five finalists each.

Voting is open now through Tuesday, May 6th at 8pm PST and winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 7th. Voting is taking place here.

New Knitting Pattern: Carrot & Mandarin

There have been so many babies amongst my family and friends lately that I decided to design a few knitting patterns that could become baby gifts.

This cute pattern is for a knit Carrot and Mandarin is a really versatile project that can be made into a baby rattle, sachet, or pincushion. It is a quick and inexpensive gift to make. I used one skein of orange and green Lamb's Pride yarn to make both toys with yarn to spare.


This pattern and the Rolled Brim Baby Hat with Stripes are both available in my etsy store.