Basha is back from the happiest place on earth…Anaheim, California and is recovering from creative, visual and social overload of three days of fun in the sun and seeing what’s new in the world of crafts….! Lot’s of great new needlework abounded at the show. Here is an image of one of our favorite Kooler Design baby ensembles, produced by PLAID Enterprises, displayed lovingly at their booth. ~Basha

KDS baby ensemble at the PLAID booth

Little Ozzie loves to be the center of attention. My knitting box is a favorite place to nap. He likes the finished fabrics best of all. Especially the ones that are being worked on at the time. But he won’t wear the sweaters I have made for him. He passed them on to “little sister” Lily, a chihuahua mix. She’s always cold without a sweater.

Mr. Ozzie

Friendly Forest Chart

This charming nature motif reminds us of the furry creatures of the evening that are just waiting to take a peek into our world.

It is so easy to enter this giveaway. To be eligible to win, just post a comment on the blog about how much you’d like to win these charts!  Be sure to include your email so we can contact you if you are a winner.

The winners (three will be selected using random.org) will be chosen on the first and third Wednesday of the month. The winners will be notified by email which will include the PDF Download for the chart. It’s so simple you won’t want to miss this opportunity to win!

Help us spread the word – share about the giveaway on Twitter and Facebook too with a link to our blog! If you do so, post an extra comment to let us know about it for an additional entry into the giveaway.

With Christmas over and all of the rush to get my handmade gifts finished and mailed is behind me, I find myself looking for a fresh new project. While I wait, I’m going to knit an afghan using my leftover yarn. The idea is to find coordinating colors and knit sections of alternating colors and types of yarn in columns. It’s like knitting a scarf about 6 – 8 inches wide and about 65″ long. When you have 8 or 10 of these “scarves” you sew them together for a lovely random patchwork blanket. It’s a great way to use up yarn because there is no limit to how small or big the patches need to be. Some are as long as 2 feet and others 2 inches. Be creative and have fun!

  One way to reuse an item you have on hand and to display your needlework is to make this charming little tea cup cozy using a favorite cup and saucer.  You can make one in no time at all. Give it to someone special or display it in your china cabinet. This motif is one of the charts in the Valentine Collection on our website in the chart store.

Select the design you want to stitch being sure that it will fit in the cup without overlapping the rim. Cut a circle about the size of the saucer around the finished stitching. Take a running stitch 1/4″ around the circle. Stuff it with some batting and pull up the thread to form a ball shape.

Stuff the ball with batting to the desired fullness and tie off the thread ends. You may place the piece in the cup or glue it in if you desire.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a winter greenhouse? To enjoy all the lushness of the foliage juxtaposed with the snowy winter scene outside? Well, in this design by Linda Gillum, you can stitch just that scene. Isn’t it gorgeous? And since it is a pdf download, you can order it it up and be stitching it in no time at all! Learn More…

This scarf was knit using the Entrelac Pattern that is printed in our Encyclopedia of Knitting. It’s published in both editions. The yarn really does the work that makes the pattern stand out. The knitting was actually quite easy if you know how to decrease and increase. The directions are very straight-forward.

Entrelac Knit Pattern

I used Bernat Mosaic yarn that I bought at Michael’s, however, I think any “striping” yarn would work. This yarn is a worsted weight and I used 3 skeins. The fringe was made using the leftover yarn and pulling out enough to get the whole rainbow of colors to use in the fringe. My knitting skills are on the early intermediate level so I found that if I completed one section at a time before putting away the project I wasn’t trying to figure out where I had left off. This is knit in “short rows” of 10 stitches on regular straight needles.

Merry Christmas! And a special Happy Christmas to our 12 Days of Christmas Snowdome Download winners -

Lily
Kim R.
Emily C.
Mary Mac
Cathy H.
Denise
Becky P S
Kathryn
Terry
Holly
Belinda
Susana

You will be receiving an email with your download chart soon!  Congratulations.

Watch for more giveaways coming in the new year from KDS!

We have had such a good response to our KDS 12 Days Giveaway! that instead of giving away just 3 of the Snow Domes Ornament Downloads, we will be giving away 12. Yes, you read that correctly – 12!!! So, be sure to share about the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and anywhere else you can think of! Add your comments to be entered on THIS BLOG POST. Winners will be selected on December 24th! Good luck!

The twelve Christmas ornaments I make for my family have been stitched and framed. They are all ready to be mailed. All of the motifs are KDS designs; however, I chose most of them from our Mini Ornaments booklet on our website. http://www.koolerdesign.com/shopproductdetail.aspx?ProductID=804&StoreSect=Books The frames are from Michael’s.

These are great last-minute gifts to have on hand when you need a small, but thoughtful gift for a friend or family member.

Stitched Heirloom Ornaments