A New Home

Shane and I will be moving into our new home (yay!), so I'll be taking a short blogging break. Miss you already!

from Stevens Happy Accidents

Baby Stuff for Minjo

Minjo, a member of Ravelry's Knitters for Obama group, is having a wee one. To celebrate, bunch of us are holding an online baby shower for her. Basically, we're all knitting/making her something and then sending it to her. We'll take pics of what we made and post them on our board, and then one of the members (a close friend of Minjo's) will be there when she opens them. I've never met Minjo in person, but who doesn't love giving baby stuff?

I will admit that I cheated a little. I made this for my Etsy shop before I stopped selling things. With getting ready to move and a busy summer, I didn't have time to make anything new. But I hope she loves them just as much.

Baby booties.

Baby blue bird.

The Perfect Greeting Cards

You know when you're looking through the greeting card aisle and you just can't find the card that has the right words in it? (And if you're like me, it's at that point that find you have to pee REALLY bad, but you're bound and determined to find a card first...oh wait, that doesn't happen to you? Err... moving on.) Well look no more! My pal, Miss Meagan, sent me a link to PigSpigot, and now I'm sharing it with you. I'm swell like that.

Lolly's Back!

Lolly of LollyChops took the summer off (and yay for her!), but now she's back with her bad crafting self. Head on over and say hi!

I Need a Treat

I don't have children, but I am familiar with needing a little extra incentive do things every now and again. Babalisme created these sweet treat coupons for those times when kids need a good kick in the....I mean, need a little oomph. I'm in a funky mood today, so maybe I'll send these to Shane and he can give me one for ice cream, or a free ride to the knitting store (plus money for yarn), or a massage, or a drink, or maybe just all of the above. =)

Girlknits RAK pattern #6...Last Day!

(If you didn't catch Day 1, go here first.)

I can't tell you how lucky and blessed I feel to have been given so many wonderful patterns for no reason. I hope you've enjoyed seeing them all this week. Thanks for letting me share them with you...and for letting them fill the void of my inabiltiy to get much crafting done. =)

Last, but certainly not least, is Alhambra by Anne Hanson. This pattern's construction reminds me of the Upstairs Shawl that I just finished, but this one seems to have a more curled approach to the diaganols. Oh, lace. I love you so.

Girlknits RAK pattern #5

(If you didn't catch Day 1, go here first.)

Day 5 brings Ysolda Teague's Snow White. I love this sweater because the lines are so interesting. It looks like a camisole and a shrug were fused into one. And the body of the sweater is ribbed, but the directions change to flatter a woman's figure.

Last day of the RAK patterns is tomorrow!

Girlknits RAK pattern #4

(If you didn't catch Day 1, go here first.)

Here is the lovely Hillflowers by Anne Hanson. As you'll notice again, it's lace. I told you, I'm hooked. It's my new crack (well, not that I had old crack ... you know what I mean).

I think this pattern looks similar to the feather and fan pattern I did for Shane's aunt. I'm hoping the pattern is as easy to understand and remember. I very much enjoyed working on that project.

I love the color change in the yarn that was used for this picture. It's very delicate, but gives a lot of depth.

Again, I hope I can wear this well (or maybe it will be a gift....hmm.)

Come back tomorrow for #5!

Girlknits RAK pattern #3

(If you missed Day 1, go here.)

Day 3 brings us Sylvi by Mari Muinonen. This is another design featured in Twist Collective's Winter 2008 designs. I've probably been admiring this one for the longest time of any of the patterns I received from girlknits but have been too intimidated to actually give it a go. Now that I own the pattern, I guess I don't have much excuse left. Yikes! =)

I love a good sweater coat in the fall!

Cables and flower...yum!

Thankfully the detail is just on the back so that I get a bit of a break on the front.

Look at it how swings.

The detail is amazing.

Come back tomorrow for #4!

Girlknits RAK pattern #2

(If you didn't catch Day 1, go here first.)

Next up: Maplewing by Anne Hanson. If August is anything like July, then fall will be here before we know it! I hate seeing summer go, but fall is by far my most favorite season of all, and this lace shawl completely captures the autumn feel.

I think I'm a lace junkie now. I've done three lace projects now (one that will be posted after it is gifted), and I'm hooked. I have no clue if I can handle this pattern, but I'm going to give it my best try.

This yarn color is amazing, too. I love how the orange and pink comes together to make it's own special color.

Gorgeous.

I love how this shawl is styled here. I hope I can pull off a look like that.

Come back tomorrow for pattern #3!

A Week of RAK Patterns...#1

I forgot to tell you all about the other RAKs I got about a week or so ago, thanks to the wonderful "girlknits" on Ravelry. She sent me SIX...count 'em--six!...knitting patterns that I've been admiring from afar. All this week, I'll be showing you the fun patterns I got. (This is partly because I'm in the middle of packing to move and won't be doing much creative stuff. And partly to get you inspired to do more creative stuff in my creativity absense!)

First up, Broderie, by Connie Chang Chinchio. It was featured in Twist Collective's Winter 2008 designs.

So lovely, ....

... and delicate, ...

... and detailed, ...

... and intricate. I hope I can handle it!

Come back tomorrow to see pattern #2!

Miss Tiffany, You're Tops!

It's amazing how something can turn your whole morning around. This has been a long week for me: I've been running around busy at work, I got randomly sick in the middle of it all (feeling better now though), I've been stressed out about moving to our new house in two weeks while not having our apartment sublet yet, and I still need to start packing. All of that...plus having to come to work today...makes for a very hazy morning.

And then...a happy ray of sunshine comes beaming from my work mailbox. A completely unexpected package from Miss Tiffany over at Peanut Blossom. (Quick backstory: Tiffany knows my work address because she used to work at the same place before I started here. She left to move back to my hometown--two hours away. We met because I did some freelance work for the company she was working from home for. It was kind of like meeting in the middle. Crazy little world we live in.)


Wait...is that...no, it couldn't be a digital camera? But, alas, it is! Miss Tiff sent me the cutest little digital camera to tide me over until I get a real one. I'm completely blown away by this random act of kindness!

Tiffany, you're simply awesome! And I promise, one of these days, I'm coming down to take Lil' Peanut out for the day so that you can have your full day on the couch with Audrey Hepburn! Thank you immensely! You truly brightened my day! xoxo

My Free Fabric Quilt

Remember the free fabric I was given? Well, I've been using it to start a new quilt. All of the colorful pieces are from the free fabric bundle, and then the white/ivory is just muslin. I'm not sure if muslin is good for quilting, but it was worth a try...and inexpensive.

This is just the top. I've yet to start the actual quilting process. It's been folded up and could use a good pressing again.

This is a complicated looking block, but alas, it's all trickery! Head over to the Moda Bake Shop for the coolest instructions ever on how to make it. (Keep in mind that I'm new to quilting, so maybe everyone already knows this. But I didn't!) And the sweet yellow diamond there? That was appliqued on top as a last minute, Cr@p! I screwed something very major up. I think it was a good fix. Again...still learning!

The middle square is just four of the other squares sewn together.

And here were some flowers near where I was taking pictures that were too pretty just to pass by and not take notice.

Tag! I'm it.

Sweet Ning from Babalisme has tagged me, which means it's my turn to show you six things that make me smile. Here are the official rule:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
   
2. List six little things that make you happy.
3. Tag six bloggers and let them know they’re “it”.

The first one is done...so check. Now let's get this party started:

Knitting! That's not really any surprise if you know me or have read my blog. Knitting makes me very happy, helps relax me (well, most of the time), and allows me to be creative AND watch TV at the same time. =) I also love pictures of people knitting. The showgirls knitting above just make me laugh.

Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art. I love that the Day of the Dead celebrates those who have passed--making them eternally remembered. But the best are the sugar skulls and statues that go along with the day. I love how happy the skeletons are and how full of life they are. It makes me feel like life goes on even after we're gone.

Bullies! How can you not love the sweet pushed in face of a bulldog. And these dogs are such clowns. You're bound to smile when you hear one snort. I hope to have one soon!

The Volkswagon Thing. This is my dream car! Someday it will be mine.

Classic movies. Forget special effects and loud noises; classic movies are about the story--something that I feel has slipped away from most current movies. A perfect day for me would definitely include at least one black-and-white movie.

Vintage home decor. I love the colors and styles of the 1940s. Everything is so vibrant and fresh. Definitely makes me smile.

Well, I guess that's it. Of course, there is so much more, and I could've filled this whole post with pictures of my friends and family, because they make me smile like no other. But I figured what's above might be more of an interesting read for the rest of the world. Now it's time to tag six people: Carol, Jessica, Tiffany, Lolly (except she might still be on hiatus), Caryl, and Melissa.

Yay for Lace!

Well after many, many patterns, I finally found one that was right for this yarn! The Upstairs Shawl pattern was a lot of fun to do and was easy to remember once I got into it. I'm really pleased with how this turned out. I think I'm going to save it to give as a birthday gift, but that's only if I don't get tempted to wear it first. =)

Here's a close up of the actual pattern. I love how wavy it turned out.

And here she is all laid out. It turned out to be about 60 inches. I did 11 repeats of the pattern instead of 10 (for those who want to knit this, too).

A Ravelry Sale

Ravelry is having a sale on a bunch of their items, but their ad made me laugh so much that I figured even non-knitters/crocheters would enjoy.

Buy one item and get the second item for 20% off. Sale ends August 10. Here's what's on my wishlist:

If I Ever Get a Craft Room...

I'm making one of these! Craftynest always has the best repurposing ideas. And this one, using what looks to be a crib piece, is the ultimate in organization. I love it!