thinking about crochet and spring

It's not quite warm in Chicago yet, but that hasn't stopped me from dreaming about warm-weather clothes. I've been thinking about making a flowy spring top with a crochet yolk. With the magic of Ravelry, I found this: 

The pattern is Floral Motif Yolk Top from Crochet Adorned. How cute would that top be with a rustic leather belt?

The neckline is a bit square for me, though, and I don't like the thick straps. So I turned to ModCloth for some research/inspiration. 

I love the collar shape on this one.

A lacy racer back! A racy lacer back! 

But this:

This one is my favorite. I love the combination of the warm rose print with the cream-colored lace. I think I could use circular motifs laid out in a nice pleasing half-moon shape and then add a scalloped edging. I'm not going for a super lacy look, so I think it will work out!

Patchwork Spring Wreath

This weekend, while Chris made chili, I made this new spring wreath! 

Last spring I made this yarn wreath, and while it was nice or whatever, I never really loved it. A few months ago I patched together some scraps into a little something-or-other that needed a purpose. Two "meh" projects on their own - so I put them together!

To begin, I pulled all the red flowers off, and squared up my patchwork into one long rectangle that was a bit bigger than the circumference of the wreath. 

After that, I loosely pinned the fabric around the wreath and whip stitched it in place.

Finished with a bow and much more spring-time than before! 

Huzzah!

I'm back!

That's me, my dad and my little brother, Patrick, by Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom. Although I brought my digital camera, I only ended up using 10 of my Fuji Instax photos. I'll share those with you tomorrow.

When I came back on Wednesday afternoon, the weather was absolutely terrible. I went from 80 degrees and sun in Florida to 40 degrees and rain in Chicago. However, today it is absolutely beautiful out, so I took the opportunity to take a lovely outdoor photo of my travel project:

Doesn't this little pin cushion look so spring-y in the grass? I have seen this design all over the web, and Leanda from One Loop Short has a version for sale. I must admit, however, that I did not buy it. It is simply 8 of my favorite hexagon motifs, crocheted with a 1.25mm hook and DMC Perle Cotton thread, and then joined together in a creative way. I stuffed it with some leftover white muslin, since the holes are pretty big, and I wanted it to have some weight. It was so easy to travel with, and I had half of it done after the first day of travel. On the way to Orlando, I sat next to a very friendly Southwest pilot who said "That is the smallest knitting I have ever seen!"

Ok, hopefully I'm off for a bike ride!