I'm sensing a theme here...

Apparently this blog has become a catalog of craft projects, at least for now... I'm ok with that! It helps keep me accountable, and gives me that extra push I need to work on projects after work in the evenings (honestly, I'd rather sit on the couch and do nothing sometimes. Good thing knitting is portable!).

First up, another soap sack, by request. This yarn isn't my favorite to knit with, but it works great for the finished product!

Pattern: His 'n' Hers Shower Soap Holders by Cathy Carron
Yarn: Lion Brand Martha Stewart Crafts Cotton Hemp, Picnic Green colorway
Ravelry project page here

An adorable little hat. The construction was really unique, using short rows to knit it flat instead of in the round:

Pattern: Poppy by Justine Turner
Yarn: CEY's Liberty Wool Light, in the Sonic Lavender colorway
Ravelry project page here

Then there's another Honey Cowl, this time for my dear friend Sarah. She lives in Chicago and needs something to keep her warm during the winter. This über squishy, wool cowl should do the trick! I love the color she picked out... it's got autumn written all over it.

Pattern: Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Tonal, in the Harvest Tonal colorway (2 hanks)
Ravelry project page here

I had a bit of leftover yarn from Sarah's cowl, so I made these Honey Cowl-inspired coffee cozies. They were super quick to knit up, I got them done in the car on our epic Chicago weekend adventure. I personally prefer the ones with the ribbed edge, instead of the rolled one.

Pattern: Honey Coffee Cozies (mine, based on Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland)
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Tonal, Harvest Tonal colorway
Ravelry project page here

In my never-ending quest to use up the stash (hey, I think it's working!!), I dug out some cotton I've had for a few years. This color reminded me of Valentine's Day, and I wanted to make something sweet with it. Trusty dishcloths are always near-instant gratification projects, but I needed a bit of a challenge. I found this round dishcloth pattern and absolutely love the way it's striping! (And scones. YUM.)

Pattern: Round Dishcloth by Amy Carpenter
Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream in the Damask Ombre colorway
Ravelry project page here

Noticing a pattern here?? That fabric (along with a few others) became these over the weekend. Love both of them, apparently I'm in the mood for green and polka dots:

Pattern : (No Guts!) Boxie Pouch

SoChick! Handbags & Embroidery {Melissa Strong} (looks like she took down the link to the pattern. sorry, folks.)

More crafting in the works... no surprises there!

an adventure in sock knitting

Our knitting group is doing a sock knit-a-long during February. We're having lots of fun with this adventure, and are excited to see how they all turn out. From a knitting perspective, socks have intimidated me for a long time, but they're not as challenging as I thought! Tonight I got through turning the heel. We'll see if I'm feeling adventurous enough to conquer the gusset this week, or if I'll just wait until next week's gathering.

In other (non-shocking) news, I am so done with winter and ready for spring. The weather today was sunny and in the 40s... it was glorious. I almost didn't need a coat when I left knit night. They're predicting 60s later this week... yippee!

Christmas Break Plans

Tomorrow marks the fourth week in Advent. Advent. Such a busy time, but one of my favorites for the whole year. A time of preparation, planning, anticipation, and hope. A time for reflection, renewal, and comfort. A time for longing, peace, and joy.

Now that I'm officially on Christmas break (and an extended one at that!), it seems that, in a microcosmic way, much of this preparation, planning, longing, anticipation, and hope has been fulfilled. I now have time to reflect, renew, be filled with peace, comfort, and joy. What a blessing to have this time off and enjoy it with family and friends.

I can't wait to get started on all my crafting plans for the next few weeks...

• I've got plans to meet up with some friends for some quality girlfriend coffee bonding time.
• I've got plans to meet up with some friends for some quality girlfriend crafting bonding time.
• I've got plans for working on inventory for my Etsy shop to finally get it up off the ground!
• I've got Christmas presents to finish knitting and crafting, and need to get those out in the post.
• I've got sewing plans, movie watching plans, copious amounts of coffee and tea drinking plans, and enjoying my Christmas present plans (D and I decided to go in on one big gift to ourselves this year, so I already know what I'm getting and it's on its way!).
• I've got RELAXING plans. Oh, sweet relaxing, I've been waiting all year for these few weeks.

We've got a nasty-sounding wintry mix storm going on this weekend. This morning we woke up to a nice thick layer of ice covering the stairs and car. It should hopefully melt off this afternoon, just in time for more ice and snow tonight. I'm so thankful I don't have to go to work next week so I can just stay inside and work on projects.

Pardon me while I go look for my comfy pants and pour myself another cup of coffee.

A Christmas Carol Cup of Tea Swap

 

This holiday season, I participated in a swap on Ravelry based on the legendary Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol." The three categories were (you guessed it!): past, present, future. Our mission was to include tea, yarn/knitting-related, and other goodies based on these three times in our life and our swap partner's life. 

Look at all the wonderful treats waiting for me!

Past:
- a family recipe for Hermits, which are a type of chewy, spicy cookie/bar. Yum! Can't wait to try them.
- Sleepytime tea, which is one of my swap partner's (and my) favorites
- Tea pot stitch markers

Present:
- Earl Grey tea, because seriously, you can't go wrong with it!
- knitted necklace/bracelet. Have a few outfits in mind already, and the button on it is so pretty.
- Embroidered tea towel, so precious. How did she know that was perfect for me?!

Future:
- Vanilla caramel tea- can't wait to try this out, sounds so perfectly mellow and desserty
- Yarn that my swap partner hand dyed. The colors are absolutely gorgeous and remind me of the magical fall season where the leaves are so rich and colorful.

She also included some tea candies, a soap, candy canes, Yule Ale, and a cute Christmas spatula. I'm also getting a pattern of my choosing. An excuse for shopping? Haha, doesn't get much better than that!

I'm so tickled by all the wonderful goodies my swap partner Cait decided to include. Thank you, Cait, and happy swapping!

thoughts on a saturday...

- i've got my lovely new cowl soaking in some wool wash. blocking later tonight and hopefully that means i'll be able to seam it up at knit night on monday.

- i currently want to cast on all the things. this is dangerous.

- cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 is the best movie i've seen in a long time. i liked it even better than the first movie, which is saying something. chock full of cheesy humor, it was right up my alley and probably the best down time i've had in a good, long time.

- husbands are wonderful. especially mine. see previous thought.

- it finally feels like fall outside! this is the best news concerning my favorite season.

- found out on friday that we get three unexpected, extra paid holidays at work this year. so excited i'll have the day before thanksgiving off! even though it means we won't be able to see family any sooner, i'll love having that extra time to clean and pack.

- pot roast in the crockpot for supper, along with mashed potatoes and green beans? yes please!

- knitting for my niece is becoming super addicting. so far, i've got a hat, some legwarmers on the needles, and her christmas present? well, let's just say it's going to be adorable.

Bath time

Finally getting this cowl I knit for the church auction into the bath. Can't wait to see the post-blocking transformation!

crafty goodness overload

I currently want to knit.all.the.things, sew.all.the.things, and craft.all.the.things.

Making plans for this weekend:
- 5 custom boxy bag orders (and one more on its way)
- curtains for my coworker's open storage shelving here at work
- resurrecting the languishing vest I was knitting for hubby last year (I'm determined to have it finished for the cool weather this year)
- having a blocking and weaving-in-of-the-ends party for this year's church auction items


I think that's enough, don't you?

Hoping we'll also have time to make it down to the Cole Camp fair at some point this weekend! So much for relaxing weekends... ours always seem busy. Enjoyable, but busy.

Welcoming my Niece...

My little niece (but really, she's not so little!) was born over a month ago. I'd been planning and crafting since we found out my sister-in-law was expecting, and I finally finished up the last few things and got it sent off recently.

I've been waiting to post pictures of her awesome presents until I was sure the box arrived, and now I finally can post them!

I'm convincing myself I didn't go overboard, but seriously, how can you pass up all the cute fabrics and patterns out there for babies? I just couldn't...

Baby Surprise Jacket! My knitting group did this as a knit-a-long this past winter, and I had knit this with the intent of sending it for my niece to wear and enjoy the first few months after she was born. Ten pound newborns don't exactly fit in typical newborn clothing, but I wanted to send it anyway as a keepsake. And honestly, those crayon buttons are just the cutest thing ever. :)

Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Ravelry Project Page here.
Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Sport Self Striping, Boutique colorway

Then, there was the fabric buying spree. The animal ABC print was turned into a baby blanket, and the others became burp cloths. All of them were lined with various pastel flannel for extra softness.

Here's the finished burp cloths. Each of the cotton fabrics is lined with one of three colors: pink, purple, and yellow. You can never have enough burp cloths.

Meet Elijah. He's adorable, isn't he? I bought this yarn specifically for this pattern, and absolutely love the way it turned out! The pattern itself was pretty fiddly to knit, but you can't argue with the results!

Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Ravelry Project Page here.
Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards, Berries & Cream colorway

 And finally, a photo of all the goodies sent to E. I found a cute elephant outfit to coordinate with her new stuffed toy, and it should fit her all summer long. The cookie monster bib was too cute to pass up. But one of my favorite parts of the entire box is the book. During our annual Children's Literature Festival, I had the pleasure of hearing one of the book's authors speak. I had purchased a copy of the book, and after Marie Smith's talk, asked her to autograph the book for my niece. She was delighted to do so, and I hope E comes to love the book as she gets older.

Welcome to the world, E. Can't wait to finally meet you!

Birthday Presents!

Now that both of my family members have received their birthday presents this month, I'm excited to show them off!

Mom had requested some warm mittens sometime this winter. I had the perfect yarn in the perfect color, and even have enough left over to make myself a headband! Alpaca mittens are sure to keep your hands warm even on the coldest days. She loves them, as I knew she would. :)
Raveled here: Some Birthday Mittens for Mom

She also got this pair of earrings I made out of some leftover beads used for stitch markers.

Don't they remind you of Easter eggs?

She claims it was overkill, but I think she deserves it for being the best mom ever!

D's birthday present was a fairly easy project to put together, and I didn't even need a pattern! (O.K., so I used one to reference material yardage, but after that, I just used one of our old pillowcases as a template.) Seriously, from cutting out the fabric to ripping out seams to sewing up the final seams, it took maybe an hour. I'm quite pleased with the result, even if I don't approve of his team choice! ;)

Mostly, I love how well those two fabrics coordinate. :)

He loves them, and I love that he doesn't think it's lame or dorky at all to get new Vikings pillowcases for his birthday.

My sewing machine has seen quite a bit of use during these snow days. (Seriously, because of all this snow that's been dumped on the midwest, I've worked 1 day during the past week! Crazy!) I'll have more sewing projects to share next month...

Monday Moods

I'm in one of those moods today where I want to KNIT ALL THE THINGS!

This could be possible.... I have the day off work. But. Yes, there is always a but. I have chores to finish. Mostly putting away all the Christmas decorations (what? Our tree's still up... no big deal!), and straightening up, and cooking crockpot lasagna. Which means going to the store and buying frozen spinach. And finishing Brother-the-Younger's Christmas present, so I can finally put all the supplies away.... (of course, only to bring them back out in about a month to finish up some other presents!)

I always seem to do this to myself. Plan too much for any sane person to accomplish in one day, then bust my butt trying to get it all done anyway. And why be productive when I can have fun?

Happy Monday!

A few finished objects...

Playing catch up from all the things I've finished the past few months and haven't posted here:

A Vite Cowl for myself.
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in White.
Ravelry project page here

Kindling for Trish (part of her Secret Santa presents!)

Yarn: leftover Crystal Palace Mochi Plus in colorway Fern Rainbow

Raveled Here

Calorimetry for Trish (the main part of the handmade portion of her gift)

Yarn: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus in colorway Fern Rainbow

Ravelry Project Page

Isn't she a pretty model? :)

A running hat for Brother-the-Youngest (Christmas gift)

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Chunky in colorway Cast Iron

Ravelry Project Page

Please excuse the awful quality of the photo. Cell phone and bad hotel lighting...

And of course, the biggest FO of my life (to date)! Graduation!!!

Masters in Library and Information Science, summa cum laude

Baby Shower Gifts!

A few finished items that I've finally sent to the recipient...

A little Owl Sleep Sack for Gunnar...

Aren't those owl cables just adorable?!

 And of course, some Big Sister gifts for the girls... these little owl hair clips are sooooo cute! And super easy to make. It only took a few hours from starting the cables to gluing them onto the hair clips.

Everyone was happy to receive their gifts, and I can't wait to meet little Gunnar!

D and I also contributed the altar flowers a few Sundays ago in honor of my father-in-law's birthday. I enjoyed putting the arrangement together, and think it turned out pretty well. Being the first Sunday in Advent, our chancel was awash in beautiful blues, and I wanted to incorporate some of that blue, but not overwhelm everything else. I think they turned out rather nice, don't you?

I've been busy decorating for Christmas, and I think it's time to finally put the tree up! Sounds like a perfect afternoon for some hot chocolate, too. :)

Swap Packages!

A few months ago, I signed up to participate in a swap on Ravelry. I always enjoy participating in these, and it's always a fun and exciting adventure. Shopping for someone you've never met on a pre-determined budget, trying to make things as fun, useful, unusual, and/or practical as you like.... and then getting a mystery package in return!

This swap was a small, simple 6x9 padded envelope swap. Basically, what you can fit into the envelope is fair game. We had to include a recipe and a handmade item, plus whatever else fit the budget and the envelope.

I had so much fun shopping for my assigned partner. Here's what I came up with, which I sent off to my new friend, Cati:

Halloween stickers, stamps, and notepads, fall teas, hot cocoas and ciders, some chocolate, lotion, mock cable mug cozy, and a recipe for caramel apple cookies. I was amazed at how much stuff I could find for under $10 total!

Mock Cable Mug Cozy. I never did a proper finished object post on this one...

Today, I received my surprise package in the mail. Such fun things awaited me inside that envelope!

A handmade jar opener!! I'm always having trouble opening jars and constantly asking D to open them for me, so this will definitely come in handy. Why have I never thought of making them before?!

Cute bicycle themed recipe cards! Perfect for writing down Tasty Thursday creations, or sharing recipes with friends.

Pretty notecards, which are perfect for all those times I want to send snail mail to my dear college friends.... and perfect to add to my notecard collection!

A recipe for Pumpkin Curried Soup! Yum! It sounds tasty, and I can't wait to try it out on one of these cool, fall nights. I bet it would be great for a dinner party, too.

And finally, two skeins of recycled sari silk yarn! In the prettiest fall color-- reddish orange! I've got project ideas floating around already... but clearly this is license to spend time on Rav looking up more patterns. :)

Thanks so much for the awesome swap package, Peg/LadyLisetta!!

{Also, I just realized that November 6 was officially 4 years since I've joined Rav. Many, many thanks to M and Nicole for convincing me it wasn't just a Twilight-themed fan club and that my life was not complete until I joined. They couldn't have been more correct.}

Finished Object: Fall Hat

I've never been one to wear many hats, literally. Figuratively? Oh, absolutely. But not literally. This year, I decided to change that, and what better time to start than in the fall? I'm constantly finding lovely, cute, and adorable hat patterns on Ravelry, and this one happened to fall perfectly into my lap. I had some yarn that wanted to become a hat, this pattern has been made countless times with that exact yarn, and the pattern is both cute and functional. Better yet? It's a free pattern. Perfect on all accounts!

Behold....

Star Crossed Oktoberfest!

Original pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, by Natalie Larson

My Pattern Page: Star Crossed Oktoberfest

I followed the pattern, although I could have gone down another needle size on the ribbing. It still fits, though, so I'm happy with the result. This was such a fun pattern to knit, relatively quick and painless, and the end result is a dream. It's soft, squishy, and the perfect addition to my fall wardrobe (wool, alpaca, and silk.... yum!). Can't wait for Oktoberfest in a few weeks to show it off even more!

Finished Object: Trekkie Pot Holders

{Trekkie Pot Holders}

Pattern: Star Trek Pot Holders by Ilana MacDonald
Made for: Laura K.
Ravelry Project Page Here


I'm so excited to finally share this project with you! I wanted to wait until my dear friend Laura K. received them in the mail, so as not to spoil her surprise. These were a fun little knit, and turned out warm and ... trekkie. Just the way they should. :)

This was also my first time double knitting, and after finding a few tutorials on youtube and practicing a bit, it was smooth sailing (for the most part. Occasionally I'd forget to you know, follow the pattern because I was laughing too much while watching Big Bang Theory...).

Live Long and Prosper!

Cooler Weather!

We've finally been having some cooler weather and RAIN this past weekend! {Thank you, God!} I've celebrated by enjoying a few cups of coffee and knitting away on my shawl. I didn't complete it in time to qualify for a Ravellenics medal, but I am on the last chart! Too tricky to bring to Knit Night tonight, but I'm really excited for the progress. :) This shawl is making me look forward to autumn even more, and I'm finally starting to think about planning my fall knitting [coincidentally, fall is also my favorite season].

Do you have any fall knitting, crafting, or other activities planned?

Lately...

Lately, we've been enduring drought and ridiculously hot weather. I've been hiding inside as much as possible, but still enjoying life. 

Here's some photos of what I've been up to lately:

I finished the towel and dishcloths for the auction basket I put together. I think it turned out really cute, and the pattern was oh, so easy. [The basket included this hand towel, two dishcloths, a pot scrubby, pan scraper, two bottles of hand soap, some recipe cards, a wooden spoon, and spatulas.] Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the baskets once I had put them all together! [I also donated a tea basket, including a mug, tea caddy, and sampling of different teas.] Definitely planning on making more of these towels -- these make great gifts and don't take too long to knit.

A dear sister in Christ and I celebrated our birthdays (hers is only a few days after mine) with our college girlfriends. We enjoyed dinner at a winery, complete with fabulous company, delicious wine and food, and free birthday dessert!

  

We "kidnapped" the seniors in our youth group as a last farewell before college starts this fall. After visiting the Science Center, we made a quick stop by the Seminary before dinner at Seamus McDaniel's. What a fun day in St. Louis!

     In the kitchen: We had a few cooler days this past week, and I really wanted pizza but was looking for something a bit healthier and cheaper than purchasing it from a pizza chain. Behold: homemade pizza, complete with bacon, pepperoni, peppers, onion, and yummy cheese. Of course it was accompanied by a quality Lutheran beverage, in the form of Sam Adams' East-West Kölsch.

Tonight, I needed a little extra freezer space from my recent stock-up of meat, and had some mashed bananas in the freezer that needed to be used up. Chocolate chip banana bread smells so good, and I love this recipe I got out of my favorite church cookbook! North Dakotans definitely know how to cook!

On the needles: My Wisteria Lace Shawl (this year's Ravellenic Games project) has been progressing fairly well. I've only had to fix a few mistakes so far, but I'm further behind than I had hoped by this point. My goal for tonight is to finish Chart A. [We're ignoring the fact that the goal has remained the same for a few days now...]

D's Vest has been my go-to knitting for Knit Nights lately. 17 inches of stockinette is pretty hard to mess up, and as with most Knit Nights, we enjoy knitting almost as much as talking. :) At this pace, his vest may actually be completed by the time cooler weather finally arrives.