Crochet Wash Cloth #etsycraftparty

If you ever plan to give a gift of pretty soaps, lotions, shower gels or other body care products, the handmade washcloths would be a lovely addition to the gift package. 

This tutorial is a part of our virtual etsy craft party and is offered by goodweather shop. Please enjoy!

You will need:

size H/8-5.00 mm crochet hook 

Cotton worsted yarn

Make 30 chain stitches (cs)

Yarn over. Skip first 2 cs 

Insert hook in the center of the 3rd chain from the hook.

Yarn over...

Draw through 3 loops on hook
(one half double crochet complete)

Repeat across to end of foundation chain.

You need to turn your work to start Row 2. 

Chain 2 (ch 2) and yarn over the hook (yo). 

Skipping the first stitch of the row directly below the turning chain, insert your hook in the next stitch. 

Interview with a Star, Albina from GoodWeather

Recycling is a great way to give a new life to the things people don't want anymore. Albina from GoodWeather shop on Etsy is sharing her own vision of this with us.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself

I think the ideas of recycling are in my blood. My father is good at inventing things that are practical. He made a wash stand for their garden out of 2-liter plastic soda bottles. He also made a sauna oven out of metal barrel and built a green house out of old window frames.

I use “soft” materials for my crafts such as old sweaters. I know that unwanted sweaters can have several new lives.

Some of the things you can do with sweaters is unravel them to get some yarn for your new projects and make something from it like this handbag:

Also I often felt sweaters and make lots of cool stuff out of sweater! I love to make gadgets like this smiling cat iPhone sleeve:

Since I love to make jewelry I also use felt in it!

Do you use only recycled materials to create your beautiful items?

I use both used and new materials to make my products. Things like my cup cozies or knitted iPone sleeves are made from new materials only.

Do you take custom orders?

I love custom orders! Once, I had an order for 9 owls. I made all of them look a little different and I enjoyed making them. 

What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?

I appreciate all the feedback I get from my customers, even if it is short and simple like “Thank you”. One I really like that I got for this brooch, "I love this so much! I attached it to my sweater coat and I have gotten tons of compliments on it already! Thank you so much for such fast shipping! You rock!"

Holiday Greeting Card

Tutorial by Albina (GoodWeather)

This step by step tutorial will demonstrate how to make a personalized zig-zag greeting card.


You will need hard white paper, stamps with inscriptions and ink for them, colored paper, glue and scissors (or trimmer).

Cut a 20 x15 cm rectangle (long square) out of hard paper and fold it by half. You now have a blank 10 x 15 cm card. If you wish, you can change the card’s dimensions according to your preference.

Now create a background pattern and add the greeting phrase on the front of the card with stamps and ink. In this case snowflakes and “Merry Christmas” stamps were used. The paper should be stamped in such a way that one picture does not push into another.


The card is almost ready. If you do not have much time, this could be your finished project:)


If your are not in a hurry, there are more things to be done with the card.
Cut strips of paper 5-6 mm wide out of colored paper sheets. I also put stamp pattern on some paper. Moreover, I cut the gold colored paper in even thinner strips:). The strips are 15 cm long.


Put a layer of glue on a 5 х 15 cm thin white paper sheet and stick strips of colored paper on it following a pattern. If you prefer things to look chaotic and unpredictable, you could stick them with no pattern in mind at all.


Take another sheet of thin paper 5 cm wide. Keep in mind that all dimensions mentioned are optional. Glue the striped sheet of paper to it under the angle of 45*.



Turn over the sheet and cut the striped parts that are sticking out on both sides.

Glue the segments that had been cut to create zig-zag effect.


Cut any sticking out pieces to get a rectangle.


Glue the zig-zaged rectangle to a background sheet and then to the stamped greeting card.
It is also possible to glue thin ribbons or thread in addition to the stripes of paper.

Your new card is ready!



Translated by Anastasia (Lightkeeping)

Vegetable Turkey

This recipe is not new, but maybe some people have not seen or tried it before.


A dip has to be prepared a couple of days or at least an hour in advance.
For the dip you will need:
~ 400 grams of cream cheese
~ 4 table spoons of sour cream
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
1/4 tea spoon of black or white grinded pepper
2 tea spoons of grinded lemon zest

*Cover the bottom of 10-12 cm wide bowl with cling film. Cling film has to be firmly attached to the sides of the dish.
* Mix cream cheese and sour cream in a blender until the consistency is smooth. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge some time in advance, as mixing warm cheese is easier.
* Add the lemon zest, parsley and pepper to the mixture. 3-4 table spoons of Tabasco can be added if you prefer spicy food. Mix in a blender again.
* Put the prepared mixture into the bowl covered with cling film. Carefully bend the corners and cover the cheese dip.
Put the dip into the fridge. It has to be used over 3 days.
Now let’s prepare vegetables for the turkey. You will need:
- celery
- baby-carrot
- parsley
- 1-2 cucumbers
- red and yellow bell peppers
- lettuce
- broccoli
- radish
- 1 small tomato
- ½ cup of pecans or walnuts

* Evenly distribute lettuce leaves on the top half of a round plate or a tray. Then put bell peppers cut in long stripes on top of the lettuce leaves alternating the colors.


* Afterwards lay 2-3 rows of rounds of cucumber. It is possible to stick short branches of parsley between the rows of bell peppers and cucumbers. Carefully place the dip on the lower side of the plate by overturning the bowl with caution. Remove the bowl and take off the cling film.



It’s time to form the turkey’s "body ".
*On the top side of the dip lay a row of baby carrots slightly pressing them into the soft dip by one side. Then place small leaves of celery on top of the carrots.
*Make the turkey’s "neck" from a celery stem, slightly pushing it into the "body". The bird’s claws can be made of carrots and don’t forget the "head" – place a tomato on top of the neck


*"Feathers" will be made from pecans. Start laying them from bottom progressing towards the top.
* Place broccoli on both sides of the turkey on the remaining empty space on the plate.

* Draw eyes and bleak with sour cream or mayonnaise, and the bird is ready. Bon appetite!

PS. I also had radish, so I used it too (see the first photograph).
It is not necessary to use exactly the vegetables mentioned for the turkey. Use your imagination and use other vegetables if you wish to experiment. Your relatives and guests will be surprised that it is possible to make a "bird" from vegetables.

Recipe by Albina (GoodWeather)