Don't Get Pinched This St. Patrick's Day! Make This Rockin' Knit Shamrock to Wear!

Austin Craft Mafia member, Vickie Howell, shares this crafty little project perfect for St. Patrick's Day! If green really isn't your color, then why not make one of these cute little shamrocks to wear on March 17th. You can sew them to a t-shirt or glue a pin to the back and wear on a sweater or jacket. Visit her blog for the original tutorial and check out all her other great patterns and how-to's!

MATERIALS
Scraps of Green, Sock Yarn

Size US 2 (2.75mm) Needles

Tapestry Needle

Tulip Cordless Heat Setting Tool

Tulip Glam-it Up! Iron-On Crystals

SHAMROCK SIZES

Large = 3 1/2" tall

Small = 2 1/2" tall

How to Knit:

MITERED LEAVES (Make 3..or 4, if you're feeling lucky!)
CO 18 (20) sts.

Larger Size Only
Row 1: K8, ssk, k2tog, k8.

Rows 2,4,6,8: Knit

Both Sizes (for smaller size, treat Row 3 as 1)

Row 3: K7, ssk, k2tog, k7.
Row 5: K6, ssk, k2tog, k6.
Row 7: K5, ssk, k2tog, k5.
Row 9: k4:ssk, k2tog, k4
Row 10: Ssk, BO to last 2 sts (you’ll still have one st on the RH needle as well), ssk, BO remaining sts.

Using a tapestry needle, sew leaves together.

Pick up 3 sts at base of shamrock and knit a 1 1/2"-2" i-cord stem (for an i-cord refresher, see my how-to video). BO.

Curve stem with your fingers. Weave in ends.

How to BeJewell:

1. Use a heatproof surface such as a ceramic tile to rest heat tool on between applications and while cooling. Set slightly away from work area to prevent burns.
2. Move button to ON position and hold button down to heat. Press tip on tissue or paper. When ready, a scorched spot will appear.
3. Hold tool straight up and touch top of embellishment. Hard pressure is not needed, heat will melt glue. Too much pressure will cause tip to slip and burn your knitted piece!
4. Allow tool to heat up again if laid down or finger is removed from button.

Ideas for What to Do with Your Shamrock:

• Hot glue or sew a pin to the back, and wear it as a "Don't Pinch Me" brooch.
• Use a little Tacky Glue to paste it on a card front, for a one-of-a-kind St. Patty's Day greeting.
• Use as an applique by hand tacking or using decorative embroidery to sew your "shams" onto a tote bag, pillow, t-shirt, onsie, and more!
• Make neck garland by knitting a whole slew of shamrocks and attaching them to a long piece of ribbon or crochet chain. See my Love Rocks garland for inspiration.

For more crafty inspiration, visit Vickie Howell online at - vickiehowell.com & vickiehowell.blogspot.com

Apply to the Spring Line Up! Last chance for discounted rates!

APPLY NOW - The Spring Line Up at the North Park Festival of the Arts! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR DISCOUNTED RATES! The best part about having a booth in our section is that you can share a 10x10 spot for a steal. Every year, we get tons of traffic and we're usually buy the beer tents, always a good thing. You don't need to find a partner to share a space, either. We'll be happy to match you up with someone for you.

We are proud to be hosting our 4th Annual Spring Line Up event at the North Park Festival of the Arts! Our section of vendors will be for artists/crafters who sell handmade items they create. This is a huge event in North Park and a great opportunity for thousands of people to see what great products you make! The vendor application is now up! Please read through that and let us know if you need any additional information. We hope you will join us!

Download the Vendor Application! (Get your completed application postmarked by Feb. 28th & qualify for the "early bird discount"!)

Sunday, May 15th, 2011
The Spring Line Up at the North Park Festival of the Arts
University Ave. at 30th St. - 92104
10am - 6pm

We are getting so excited for this year's Spring Line Up!

The North Park Festival of the Arts is already a super fun event to attend, but when you throw the Craft Mafia and their uber creative friends into the mix with a whole section of 'gotta have' shopping fun, you have a day to remember!!!

Each year we do this event, we meet all sorts of cool people! Artists, crafters, musicians, families, foodies and drinkers all come out to enjoy the weather and the good times! And we have a blast hangin out with our fellow vendors too!, who always bring their coolest handcrafted items to show the world! Or at least to show all of North Park!

This year we expect to have even more fun with new products, new vendors, and our great, newest addition to the North Park Craft Mafia team; Artista Muerta! www.etsy.com/artistamuerta

If you are interested in vending this event and spending the day with yours truly, then apply now! Download the application, read the FAQ page and send in your completed application with payment! You get a great discount too if your application is postmarked by February 28th! So don't procrastinate my crafty friends!

I'm already working on some new accessories and fashions to have for sale this year! It's gonna be a good one! And we hope to see you there!

Crafty Love,
meagan rae
Proud member of the North Park Craft Mafia!

Voodoo Anti Valentines

Are you afraid of Voodoo? Well you should be! Especially if you deserve a Voodoo Anti-Valentine from our Valentine's Gift Bazaar! We will have a table of do it yourself Valentines. Nice ones or Mean ones, really is the question.

There will be blank voodoo Valentines to make for those ex's that deserve a needle through their heart, or in their ______, you fill it in. ;-)

Really it's all in good fun, a lot of people really enjoy this part of our Valentine's event.

We will have 12 vendors of the best handpicked just for your shopping pleasure vendors who have been really excited about being apart of this event. We even have a local artist who just made the cover of CityBeat's first ever Sex Issue! Congrats Andrea! http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-8739-andrea-zuill.html

Info about the event:
Come shop for your hunny or your bunny at our Valentine's Gift Bazaar. We will have a Valentine and Anti-Valentine making station. El Take It Easy will have Free Tosti-Locos and an all nite happy hour. Drink specials will be $3.50 craft beers, $4.50 micheladas, $5 red wine. There will be an assortment of vendors selling all sorts of cool wares. Do us a favor and shop local!

Here's the list of the vendors who will be at the event:
Craft Mafia Members:
Belle Pepper Couture http://www.bellepeppercouture.com /
Artista Muerta http://www.artistamuerta.com/

Friends of the Craft Mafia:
BUDDY BRACELETS
Naughty Blonde Redux http://www.naughtyblonderedux.com/
Glassimo http://www.etsy.com/shop/Glassimo
Jodi Favish Crochet
Emily Grace Goodrich http://www.emilygracesuitcase.com/
Attic 802 http://www.attic802.etsy.com/
Sasswatch http://www.sasswatch.com/
RPriestEllgyCo http://www.RPriestEllgyCo.Artfire.com/
Andrea Zuile http://www.badbird.etsy.com/
PenguinBot http://www.penguinbot.com/
Rae Wolf Designs & Dans MFG http://www.raewolfdesigns.com/

Here's links for info about the event:
http://sandiegonorthparkcraftmafia.com/events.html
http://www.yelp.com/events/san-diego-north-park-craft-mafias-3rd-annual-valentines-gift-bazaar
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161605017220096&ref=mf
http://www.myspace.com/events/View/9849561/Valentines-Gift-Bazaar

Please come, enjoy the environment, it's going to be a blast! We will be there from 6pm-10pm tomorrow, that's Thursday 2/10/2011 at El Take It Easy. http://www.eltakeiteasy.com See you soon! Stop by and say hi to Belle Pepper Couture and Artista Muerta, the two members of the Craft Mafia that will be attending.

Valentine's Gift Bazaar, February 10, 2011 6pm-10pm

Hello All. Here's some info about our Valentine's Gift shopping event at El Take It Easy.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, The San Diego North Park Craft Mafia proudlypresents their 3rd Annual Valentine’s Gift Bazaar. This all ages, free shopping experience will be a great chance to get gifts foryour valentines. Sources say that the Craft Mafia will bring back the popular Anti-Valentine’s to Make and Take home they may also have a few more make and takes. This Valentines gift bazaar will take place Thursday, February 10, 2011 from 6pm-10pm at El Take It Easy, 3926 30th St, San Diego, 92104. There will be an assortment of artisans that have made all of their wares. Items range from Jewelry, to Pet Products. El Take It Easy will be offering free sampling of their famous tosti-locos & happy hour during the event. Drink specials will be $3.50 craft beers, $4.50 micheladas, $5 red wine. More information about this event and the SDNPCM http://www.sdnpcm.com

El Take It Easy
3926 30th St
San Diego, 92104
http://www.eltakeiteasy.com

Craft Mafia Members:
Belle Pepper Couture http://www.bellepeppercouture.com /
Artista Muerta http://www.artistamuerta.com/

Friends of the Craft Mafia:
BUDDY BRACELETS
Naughty Blonde Redux http://www.naughtyblonderedux.com/
Glassimo http://www.etsy.com/shop/Glassimo
Jodi Favish Crochet
Emily Grace Goodrich http://www.emilygracesuitcase.com/
Attic 802 http://www.attic802.etsy.com/
Sasswatch http://www.sasswatch.com/
RPriestEllgyCo http://www.RPriestEllgyCo.Artfire.com/
Andrea Zuile http://www.badbird.etsy.com/
PenguinBot http://www.penguinbot.com/
Rae Wolf Designs & Dans MFG http://www.raewolfdesigns.com/

Spring is Coming - Time to Get Ready for Our 4th Annual Spring Line Up!

Happy Groundhog Day! It's official! Spring is on its way and the Craft Mafia crew is getting ready for our 4th Annual "Spring Line Up" event! What's the Spring Line Up (SLU)? It's our annual show which takes place within the North Park Festival of the Arts in North Park. This year's event will be happening on Sunday, May 15th from 10 am to 6 pm along University Ave. between 30th and 32nd Streets. The SLU is our own section of vendors who will be selling some fantastic crafty items. All SLU vendors are artists and crafters who take pride in the things they create. Each year we try to bring together a variety of vendors with an assortment of creative products. The NP Festival of the Arts is always a lot of fun with something for everyone. Entertainment will include live music, dance performances, a food court, kids zone, hand-on art booths, and a beer and food tasting court! Admission to the event is FREE (you will need to purchase a ticket for the beer/food tasting) and parking is available in the 30th St. parking structure. This is a great event for the whole family and a great opportunity for crafty vendors to show their wares!

Interested in applying for a vendor booth in the Spring Line Up section? The vendor application has been posted! Simply download, read all the info, and send in your completed application and payment. Space is limited, so don't delay! Applications postmarked by February 28th are eligible for an early bird discount! We hope you will join us!

Download the vendor application here! (PDF)