I used a space-dyed red yarn that I got last year from a Ravelry swap. I really like the way it came out. For whatever reason, it seems to have made the sweater look more “real”. Perhaps its the contrast with the regular yarn of the dog’s body. I used blanket stitch embroidery around his eye patch to make it stand out. I finished him off with an egglplant-colored scarf. He looks so cozy.

Knitting Pretty: Simple Instructions for 30 Fabulous Projects by Kris Percival

Hip to Knit: 18 Contemporary Projects for Today’s Knitter by Judith L. Swartz

The Urban Knitter: A New Generation of Contemporary Designs and Creative Inspiration by Lily M. Chin

I have a new listing in my Etsy shop for the collection of three books; they’ll be sent via USPS Media Mail. Due to postal restrictions, US buyers only, please.

Enter the Treasury, Etsy’s hidden gem. The Treasury is a Flash-based application that allows Etsy members (site registration is free) to create their own favorites lists and share them with everyone else. Etsy calls these volunteers “curators”, a very apropos title. A quick inspection of the Treasury immediately suggests a boutique experience: each item has been hand-selected by a caring, human editor. The results are stunning: the Treasury is a visual feast. Item photographs are sumptuous and artfully arranged. The Treasury is often organized around a color or theme, so selections relate beautifully to each other. It’s a pleasure to simply browse through the Treasury listings, realizing that the true treasure lies in the discovery of gorgeous items that would otherwise have been buried in the depths of the category pages.

The finest Treasuries are selected by the editorial staff at Etsy for promotion to the site’s home page, guaranteeing precious pageviews for the selected items. Many regard appearing on the front page of Etsy to be the highest honor for a shopowner and display “I made it to the front page on Etsy!” badges next to their featured items.

The next time you’re in the mood to browse through the best of the best of the handmade world, check out the Treasury on Etsy. You may find that you’ve uncovered something truly special.

If you’d like to try this pattern, it’s available on my Etsy store for just $3! All digital patterns ship FREE of charge.

The good news is that Left Bank really isn’t too far afield from what I do with AmyGurumi. My latest collection, Objet Trouvé, uses vintage buttons, ribbons, trims and beads, mainly European in origin. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love fabric and all of the things that go along with it. Now I have a way to express that both with crochet and jewelry. I’m happy.

Take advantage of this now so that you’ll have plenty of time to make these up for holiday gifts. They’re super quick and easy, so you’ll be able to stuff everyone’s stockings with time to spare.

Branching is an easy and useful technique. There are two ways to create a branching effect: add a branch to the current round by crocheting in the back loop only or separating the current round into two branches. I used both methods for this project.

To create the little nub branch (where the blossom sits in the picture, simply decide how large of a branch you want to create. For example, let’s say you have a round of 24 stitches, and you’d like to make a branch that is 6 stitches in circumference. Crochet along until you get to where you’d like the branch to sit. Place a stitch marker into the next stitch. Crochet in the back loop only (the loop farthest from you) of this stitch and the following 5 stitches (6 sts total). Then crochet into the first of the 6 stitches (the stitch with the marker you just placed). Continue around this new mini-round until your branch reaches its desired size. To resume the main body, begin again by putting a loop on your hook with a slip stitch, then inserting your hook into the front loop where you began your little nub branch. Continue in the front loop for the next 5 stitches, then resume working in both stitches for the rest of the round.

To create the larger branch, you’ll divide the round. For example, let’s say you have a round of 24 stitches and you’d like to split it evenly into 2 branches of 12 stitches each. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round, and crochet into that stitch and the following 11 (12 stitches total). Make your next crochet into the first stitch of the round (where you just placed the stitch marker). Continue around this new mini-round until your branch reaches its desired size. Put a loop on your hook with a slip stitch, then insert the hook into the first stitch of the remaining 12 stitches and repeat. You now have 2 equal branches.

This second technique is commonly used for making the legs of a doll branch from its body, but you can also use it to create uneven branches (as illustrated with my tree branch above). Enjoy!