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Toe Up Socks

Hi all, Kris here (one half of the LSFY squishy team). It’s my 50th birthday today and I’ve gone “full granny” and cast on my first pair of toe up knit socks. Eeek!

I decided yesterday as part of the cruise fest that is my birthday this year I’d have a crack at knitting toe up socks using our Lang Yarns Twin Soxx yarn, which is a beautiful 4ply sock yarn that comes in a huge array of colours (10 of which are in stock in our shop). From one gorgeous ball you can knit up one pair of socks! In my book that’s a big bonus.

It was a bit difficult but I chose a bright celebration colour and caked it yesterday in preparation for today. How bloody scrumptious does it look caked up?! That’s one very low calorie birthday cake! Yuuuuuuum!!!!

So far I’m about 6 or so rows in and I’m doing okay. There’s a couple of different patterns coming into play with this project. I’m using the “Seam free rounded toe for toe up sock – recipe by Lynne Ashton” found it here on ravelry thanks to Janna (gosh I do hope I’ve spelt her name correctly) from Purl Together who has fantastic and easy to follow tutorials on her YouTube channel for making Customisable Toe Up Socks. Links to her channel and pattern can be found on her pattern page on her website.

As a first attempt it looks okay.

I have no idea how the gauge will work out as I’m using a 3mm needle – Yarn and Colors interchangeable with 40cm cable – found them on our website – naturally 😉 – and I didn’t do a gauge swatch – because I’m a rebel. If it doesn’t work I’ll rip it out grab another needle or actually do a gauge swatch and have another crack at it. Messing around to learn something new is fun so I don’t mind. Oh and did I mention I’m doing this crazy magic loop with the circular needle – all these new techniques!!! I’m on fire 🙂

Anyway I’m off to walk 3 of the four legged LSFY team(Nelly, DJ and Lucy) before getting ready for dinner with my brother and SIL at the local RSL. My dear hubby is away working but did send me a beautiful bouquet of flowers along with chocolates and wine so he get’s mega brownie points for that.

Ciao fellow yarn addicts xoxo

Follow us on instagram and facebook for updates on my Toe Up Sock adventure!

Mr Yarners gets maximum brownie points for these gorgeous blooms

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Something New

We at Yarners HQ are excited to bring a new yarn into our selection of gorgeous squish and this time we have chosen a colourful, versatile, easy care fingering weight 4ply yarn. Perfect for socks, scarves and garments it is sure to bring the colour into your life. We will be stocking four colourways of this beautiful 50/50 wool/acrylic yarn and will build the selection over the coming months.

I won’t tell you what it is, but you can see a sneak peek pictured and you’ll have to keep your eye on our facebook and instagram to find out when it has landed.

In other news this coming Saturday we are once again throwing open the warehouse doors so you can shop till you drop. With any luck (weather and postal service allowing) the above mentioned delicious fingering weight 4ply yarn will be ready for squishing too!

Venue: 4 Chapple Lane, Gympie
When: Saturday, 21 May 2022
Time: 10am – 4pm

Get your voting done, grab your democracy sausage and then come on in and get some squishy joy in your life.

Yours in yarn,
Kris & Deb

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Neighbour Day and a Simple Daisy Bookmark

Crochet simple daisy bookmark resting on all creatures great and small by james herriot

Recently the Gympie Bone Museum hosted a neighbour day event sponsored by LSFY and funded by a grant from the Gympie Regional Council and Relationships Australia. There was loads of delicious cakes made by our lovely local CWA Gympie ladies and salads from the Bullseye Food Truck. The chocolate “bark” that Deb made was an absolute hit and I’m sure if we hound her enough she’ll get the recipe up on the blog asap.

Even though it rained a little – which is not ideal for a mostly outdoor event – a most fabulous time was had and we got our picture in the local paper 🙂

Kris and Deb get their photo in the local paper. Gympie Today.

We met all sorts of lovely people who dropped by to meet the ladies from our local CWA Gympie and the Gympie Spinners, Weavers and Crafters group. Much knitting, crochet, spinning, fibre arts and chit chat was had and Kris ran a small workshop to make a “Simple Daisy Bookmark”. It is super cute and very easy to crochet. Look below for the recipe.

Photo of the simple daisy bookmark tucked into the book all creatures great and small by author james herriot

~ Simple Daisy Bookmark ~

Ingredients:
Scrap yarn
Hook to match
(I used DK/8ply cotton yarn and a 4mm crochet hook)

Method:
Ch4
SS into 4th ch from hook to form a ring
*Ch8
SS into ring*
Repeat method btwn * and * 6 more times
(you should have 7 petals)
Chain 50
SS into 2nd ch from the hook
SS into each ch till you arrive back at your daisy
SS into original ring
Weave in ends.

Slip your daisy bookmark into your current read and enjoy with a cup of tea 😉

And that’s how to crochet a simple daisy bookmark.


I had so much fun making this ever so simple pattern and even made a double daisy bookmark
just because. Now I’m off to the library to pick up my next read.

Examples of different colours of the crochet simple daisy bookmark
Have fun making your own Simple Daisy Bookmarks.
So many colours to make them in 🙂

~THE END ~

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Tiny Projects for Yarn & Colors Must Have Minis

All the fruits!

So you’ve seen the Yarn and Colors Must Have Minis in our webstore and have wondered what to make with these fabulously colourful wee balls of squish. Well we have the answer for you!

The crew at Yarn and Colors have release two Mini CAL’s this year that you can get your hands on for free on the blog on their website.

Click on the photo to the left to got to the introduction to their Fruity Mini CAL and below you will find a list of all the bits you will need to make these scrumptious looking fruity delights.

All the colours (except 102 marble – we recommend substituting 001 white) are available in our webstore:

here, here and here. Make one or make them all, but most of all make sure you have fun!

Materials

Yarn and Colors Must-Have Minis in colours:

006 Taupe  

007 Cigar

010 Vanilla  

012 Lemon  

014 Sunflower

016 Cantaloupe

030 Red Wine

031 Cardinal

033 Raspberry

034 Deep Cerise

042 Peach

043 Pearl

051 Plum

059 Dark Blue

060 Navy Blue

078 Bottle

082 Grass

083 Peridot

087 Amazon

102 Marble (substitute 001 white)

Stuffing 250 gr.

2.5 mm crochet hook

Darning needle

Scissors

Stitch marker

Optional: dark brown marker pen, pink blush

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International crochet day 2021

Happy International Crochet Day, Little Shoppers! We almost missed it but thankfully one of the Mr Yarners reminded us just in time.

Get hooked on crochet

There’s never been a better time to pick up a hook and learn to crochet if you’ve never done it before. Video tutorials are popping up all over the internet. Patterns are freely available or very cheap on sites like Etsy and Ravelry. And there are endless inspo posts on Instagram.

Lots of people, including me, find crochet to be very soothing and even a bit therapeutic. If I sit down in the evening with Himself and a show on the TV I can crochet away and it keeps my mind and hands occupied. This helps me enormously in managing my depression and anxiety. I find the mathematical components soothing and learning new stitches satisfying. My mind is on the project, not on all the real and imagined disasters out there in the real world.

Hook up on social

If you are looking for a tribe then look no further! There are countless groups, communities, events and crochet-alongs out there if you’re social and looking for friends. It’s a great way for beginners to get help when they need it, too. Before you know it you’ll be the one showing the newbies your tips and tricks. We’re looking forward to running some casual meetups in local cafes soon.

Let us hook you up

If you’re an absolute beginner or picking up a hook again after a long time then I would recommend this 4mm hook from Yarn and Colors. You can’t go wrong with a 4mm hook. Most projects from a basic granny square to a colourful coaster or a cute little amigurumi will suit a 4mm hook. It’s a great all rounder and the ergonomic handle on these is so comfortable. And you’ll quickly get hooked on this Budgetyarn cotton. It comes in a huge range of bright, beautiful colours and is only $2 a ball. It’s recommended for a smaller hook but for beginners it’s just right for the 4mm and you can make absolutely anything out of 100% machine washable cotton.

So, what are you waiting for? There’s no better time to get hooked on crochet than international crochet day!