Stash Bust Update – Feb. 2013 Stash Busting for Hope

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Stash Busting for Hope, Update – Feb. 2013

Kissy! Kissy! Fish Face Hat.

Kissy! Kissy! Fish Face Hat.

This month I have one hat to share in my Stash Bust Challenge-the Kissy! Kissy! Fish Face Hat.  This is a new pattern of mine.  I was able to make one this month with my CottonTots weighing in at 2.75 ounces putting my total yarn usage to 1 1/4 pounds.  (I promise to have more to share next month as I have 4 hats about 90% complete.)  This cutie pie will be donated to Halos of Hope for their Stitches South Under the Sea for the Kids in Atlanta collection.

If interested, you can find the Kissy! Kissy! Fish Face Hat on Etsy, Ravelry and Craftsy!

Totally Free Crochet and Craft Books

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How to get TOTALLY FREE Crochet and Craft Books

swagbucksSound too good to be true? It’s not. You can earn free craft books just by searching the internet with Swagbucks, seriously. Swagbucks is a search engine that randomly issues points for searches. Collect 450 points and you can turn them in for a $5 Amazon gift card. Get $25 in gift cards and you get free shipping on most of Amazon’s books. And if Amazon isn’t your favorite, there’s gift cards for Walmart, Target, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks and a ton more. Magazines and eBooks are available with points, You can also “buy” tangible goods with your points-a Conair hair straightener is 2,625 points or you can save for an Apple iPad Mini for 41,250 points! Or donate your points to a charity.

It’s that easy.

I found out about Swagbucks in January 2009 and have been using it ever since. To date I have earned 28,974 points or 64 gift cards for $320.  I tried to do a screen shot of my recent activity.  It didn’t come out great but hopefully you can see all my redemptions. There are more ways to earn points than just searching the internet. You can also earn points by using coupons-the same coupons you get from coupons.com, just thru their link. You can earn points by shopping at Walmart.com or Target.com just by going thru their links. If you download and use their toolbar, you’ll get 1 point a day. If you have the time (I don’t) you can complete surveys and watch videos and earn points. It’s really amazing. So WHAT IS THE CATCH?? None really. I don’t receive soliciting emails from them-at all. I might get one or two a month telling me about a new SwagEvent, but that’s it. However, there are ad links on the search results and the search engine isn’t the most comprehensive. But it does serve for most of my searches. If I can’t find it with Swagbucks, then I pull up Google and look there. So if you want to try it out, click the link. If you decide to sign up and try it out, I’d REALLY APPRECIATE if you used my link as I do receive referral points.

Search & Win

If you haven’t started using Swagbucks to search the internet, it’s time to start.

Duct tape and Crochet

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P1010809 (750x530)Duct tape really can fix just about anything.

I recently switched from Boye crochet hooks to Clover Soft Touch hooks. I’ve been having problems on and off with my right arm and I found having to have a tighter grip on the Boye hooks (thinner handle) contributing to the problem. The Clover hooks aren’t cheap so I’ve only purchased a few when I had coupons to help reduce the price. A couple weeks ago I found myself in a crochet pickle-I needed a 4.25mm hook to get gauge. My Clover G is a 4.00mm and I was short on gauge. Using my Boye G which is a 4.25mm, I was able to get gauge but my arm started hurting after just a couple of rounds. So what is a crochet addict to do….DUCT TAPE!

I placed a pencil grip on the hook and then covered it with duct tape. I wasn’t long enough so I added some poly fiberfill and then covered it in some more duct tape. The result is great! I was able to crochet for an extended period of time without my arm aching!

Although this worked in a pinch and I was able to finish my hat, I still prefer the Clover hooks as the Boye seemed to “catch” a lot on the yarn. I’m not sure why; I’ve used them for years without a problem. Maybe I’m just used to the weight and balance of the Clover hooks now. I’ll probably continue to purchase a couple more of the sizes I use often but this was a great, inexpensive fix.