Holiday Making, Part 2

Knitting/Yarn!

A few projects to share in a category I shall call "Yarn."

First up, a little yarn project that was inspired by a plethora of wreaths.

Please excuse the terrible picture. Dark wood, dark hallway, etc. Mine is a bit simpler than a lot of wreaths out there, but I like it. Also I had a little felt reindeer to put on it, but it felt excessive.

Next, a little commission from a friend for his sister as a Christmas present. Say that three times fast.

This is a pattern I made up. Raveled here.

For my sister's graduation, I put together a little granny square afghan, made out of random balls of yarn. I had quite a few different weights of yarn in colors that I thought went together well, so I used them together in a stash-busting afghan, a la this.

Last and most challenging, I made two mini Swallowtail shawls. I used modifications from MOONSTITCHES to make them a bit smaller. They were gifted to my great aunt and her sister, my grandmother. Yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, "Socks that Rock." In October I knit a lace shrug for a friend's wedding. Ever since then, I have been excited about knitting lace. It's much more interesting knitting.

Ok, only one more installment of holiday projects - I promise. It'll be worth it! There are lots of cute things to come!

Byyyyeeeee!

First FO of 2010!

Huzzah!

It's here! The first completely finished knitting project of 2010. Pattern is "Felicity" from Knitology. Yarn is Lion Brand Microspun in "Cherry Red." I was in need of a plain-ish hat that would completely cover my head and ears. This is actually the second hat that I knit from this pattern, and I highly recommend it. I did cast on 7 extra stitches, because my head is laaarrge. Then I just followed the increases as per usual.

I do have two other knitting projects in the works: one which will be finished after someone >ahem<>

In conclusion - it is difficult to take a picture of your own head.

Holiday Making, Part 1

I love to give gifts. I love picking out the perfect something for someone to open. I love it when I get it right, and I can tell they are delighted. I love it when I give a silly gift, and it really hits home for the giftee. I love giving personalized gifts, and I love giving handmade gifts.

This past holiday season, I did a pretty good job of planning ahead and was able to make a lot of handmade gifts. I'll share them over the next few days, starting with this:

My college roommate, Erik, got married on January 2nd. Although I like wedding registries and I think they are very helpful, it didn't feel right for me to gift Erik something that did not come from me.

I knew I wanted to make them a sampler, something they could hang in their home that would include their names and the date of the wedding. But what remained was the design. If there's one thing I know about Erik, it's that he has great hair. Tiffany, too, so it just sort of worked itself out. I drew the design out on paper, and then transferred it onto the fabric. I filled in the large areas with colored pencil and embroidered the rest! The frame is a thrift store frame, re-used. Ah! The quote! That was part of a quote they used on their wedding invites, so I thought it was fitting.

All around, it turned out to be a great wedding gift that I hope they'll keep around for awhile.

Gloomy Day...

Today is the epitome of January in Chicago - dark, dank, dreary. Gloomy & glum. It is an unseasonal 47 degrees, which means it is raining rather than snowing. I guess that could be considered an "up side." I think the photo to the right is much prettier than Chicago, but it captures the essence.

My plan was to share some thrift store finds with you today, but the light for taking pictures is just horrible.

So here's just a little bit to tide you over. Look how dark that photo is! Last week I found three nice pieces of green glass ware. I have a pretty good collection going of green and milky white glassware. I recently moved into a new apartment with a lot more room to display pretty glass pieces, so I am on the hunt.
There a few rules:
1. Must be green or white, unless part of a set
2. Must be able to actually hold something, even if it is just a candle
3. No fruit motifs
Last Friday I found those three at two different thrift stores. I will share more of my collection with you sometime soon.

ps. I added a fun list of blogs I love to the right!

A New Year's Resolution

Welcome. This year I made quite a few New Years Resolutions, which I will share with you in turn. But the first, my friends, was to make a blog. So consider this checked off the list. Consider this the beginning.

This will be a blog about my life, which contains some sewing, some knitting, some crafting, some theatre, a lot of fabric and a lot of friends. Come join me!

ps. The picture is from NYE 2007. Seems like forever ago.