Feeling a bit crafty!

Well, I've found a bit of my crafty spirit! :) I made this fun fall bow for Joy! She has a candy corn shirt and it makes such a fun accessory!

I've also been feeling a bit of knitting inspiration!! I fell in love with this pin a while back, and since I've yet to finish a hat for Joy (so sad, I know!) I decided she needed a fun hat from mommy before the cold weather sets in! This hat has gone very quickly, I'm already on the decreases! And it IS fun to knit something other than dishcloths! :)

 

So thank you, ladies, for your encouragement! It's fun to feel the knitting spirit again! I'm not sure if I'll start a whole bunch more projects, but this sure has been a fun one to get back into the groove for a bit! :) 

Book Review: Knockout Knits (And a question for fellow knitters/crafters!)

I claim to be a knitter. Truth be known, I think I've finished one dishcloth in the past year. Shame on me!! I do have a fairly valid excuse, someone else keeps my hands pretty busy. But then, we always find time for the things we put in priority don't we? I WANT to knit more, and after looking at this book and drooling at all the eye candy, it really gets me in the mood to pick up my knitting again.

Knockout Knits is a beautiful book to just look at! The pictures of knitted projects are certainly drool-worthy! I haven't knitted anything from it, yet, but I love that the projects are from small quick knits, such as cuffs or hand warmers all the way to more detailed shawls or shrugs. There are plenty of beautiful hat patterns as well.

I love how the book is set up. Each chapter introduces a new technique, such as chart reading, then starts with a very simple and quick project to help the knitter get a bit of practice. But the book isn't only for beginners, each chapter goes on to more detailed and advanced projects, building on previous knowledge.

I know some of you that read my blog are knitters as well. Question for you... do you, over time, lose a bit of excitement for that craft? Or maybe lose it for a time, but then it comes back to you? I do know that when I have a lot going on, or I'm feeling stressed, my creativity is the first thing out the window! (Thus the drop off in Finished Object Fridays as well...) And a certain little one does take up a bit of time... I wouldn't trade her for the world though!!! She is at a wonderful, fun age and is so much fun to be with!! (Provided she's had her naps...) ;) I'm just hoping that my exuberance for all things crafty will return at some point...


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Book provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Days of Christmas: Day 14 and Finished Object Friday

I finished the Christmas star ornament!! :) It was a very quick knit.... you, know... when I actually took the time to do it! :) I used this pattern, and only went to row 9 - I think... after a year of resting, I wasn't sure WHAT row I was on! :) But I'm really glad I stopped when I did, because it was quite big enough already.

I wasn't sure about the "stiffening." I've never used that much starch before, but it turned out really cute!! Hmmm... maybe I should make more of these! ;) I did use some pins to block it nicely. (Instead of just doing it by hand. The yarn has a little sparkle to it... it shows up a little better in the picture below:

Ok, it's your turn! Any little holiday projects that you have been working on??

Days of Christmas: Day 12

Just a little bit of Christmas knitting!! I've hardly knitted at all recently. When I picked it up this evening, it felt so relaxing! I wondered what was keeping me from it?? :) This is a little project I started last year (see, I told you I haven't been knitting much!). It is a small star ornament for an aunt that hosts a family dinner every year. Shhhh... Don't spoil the surprise! (Hmmm... I don't THINK she reads my blog....) ;)

Finished Object Friday - Another Bonnet

Happy Friday!! As promised here is our Monthly Finished Object Friday! I've made several little things, but (shame, shame) this blogger hasn't taken pictures of everything. This is my biggest project recently though, and I DID get a picture taken of it. :)

A couple of weeks ago I attended a babyshower for one of my coworkers. Hannah is a sweetie and rather "crafty" herself, so I knew she would appreciate a handmade gift.



I really do love this pattern. This is my third one to knit. (here's my post on the first one) It's a fun pattern with easy repeats and minimal finishing. And so sweet!

Here I am with the new Mommy and baby (in her tummy!)


The news is little one was born Thursday! Welcome to our world, Sweet Girl!

Now it's your turn!! I've heard rumors of some projects... so I can't wait to see what you all have to share!!

Finished Object Friday - The OTHER hand...

Well, I have been knitting something for my sister for *ahem* quite a while now... :) I gave her the first mitt for Christmas LAST year! :)

Now she will have TWO! She just needs to come get them! :) We are looking forward to having her home for Christmas!

(This project is on Ravelry with a link to the pattern.) I'm glad to finally have finished them, and I'm sure Angie will be too when she gets them. They are quite warm! :)

Do you have a project to share?

In my kitchen...

...next to my refridgerator with lots of cute pictures, I have a closet:

in my (newly re-organized) closet I have a mop (because now that it is organized, I have ROOM for my mop!) :)

 

I posted a while back (a couple of years!) about getting a Swiffer. Then I shared the cover I made for it. Unfortunately, I've hardly used my Swiffer. I didn't particularly like the cleaner you have to use with it. So when I saw a magazine(?) advertisement for the new Freedom mop, I was intrigued. I thought I would love using my own cleaner (Mrs. Meyers, anyone?) on my floors. So when I found it for a good price, I bought it:

The good news is, besides being able to use and refill the cleaner, the pad that it comes with is washable. The BETTER news is that the cover I made for my Swiffer fits this just as well!

And because I like the smell of the cleaner (and the actual cleaner!)... and because it is now very handy... I find myself reaching for the Freedom quite often.

What new handy tools have you found around the house? Anyone else tried this mop yet?
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PS- None of these companies even know I exists, except for the fact that I am only one of many consumers who bought their product. I didn't even get my rebate into Libman on time. This is not a paid advertisement, just a "public/housewife service announcement!" :)

the end.

Finished Object Friday

I love knitting baby things! For one thing, baby things are tiny and so fast to knit. (oops. Now my secret is out!) :) But really, I think it's special for little ones to have something created especially for them.

So when my friend Brittany found out she was having a boy, I started brainstorming - with a little input from her.   (Crazy me forgot to take any pictures of the finished hats....Thank you, Brittany, for sending the pictures!) :)

The blue hat was the first one I made. As you can see, it is just a tad bit big! This was one of my inspiration patterns. It turned out pretty cute otherwise, and I think he will be able to wear it this winter. (Or NEXT winter... *ahem*) But my guage was off and the brim isn't very stretchy - maybe it's just the wrong yarn.I love the pom-poms, though! I bought some pom-pom makers and had a blast making these!

When the first hat didn't turn out quite as good as I wished (and a little too big...) I thought I would make another smaller hat that he could wear now. So I thought. Hmm... yeah. Not so much. I loved this pattern and it was super quick to make. (I'll be using it again!) I love the little knot on top! It did work well with the yarn, I'm just not sure why my baby hats keep turning out so big! Oh. well. :)  (You knitters out there, any ideas on how I can knit an infant hat that actually fits?? If you are on Ravelry, both hats are on my project page.)

Oh, dear! It looks like Weston is missing his Auntie Chari really bad!!

Either that, or he's really hungry. again...

I couldn't resist sharing this one! ;)

Now it's your turn!! What have you all been up to? Link to your project below, and be sure to visit other linkers! :)  To find out what FOF is all about, read about it here. :) 

Finished Object Friday

Ok, so, yes... It's actually SATURDAY... but by the time Blogger got it's act together it was a bit late for a Finished Object Friday post. :)

I'm really excited about this one. For one reason, I've been working on it since October 29! (Ravelry is a wonderful way to keep track of those things...) You may even remember me blogging about it last fall - it's at the bottom of this post.This is my "Hope" blanket for our (hopefully fairly soon!) to be adopted little sweetheart!

It's not super big - about 2 1/2 feet across, but perfect for a carseat blanket. And so soft! I love Cottontots yarn! This one is my favorite colorway - Confetti - which I just figured out has been discontinued! BOOOO!! anyway... back to regular programing.


It wasn't too hard of a pattern. After finishing the star in the middle, the rest was pretty much just mindless knitting - great for doing while watching a dvd! :) Here is the link to the original star pattern. I just continued with increases to make it into a blanket. Love it! :)


For those wondering, our adoption process has been rather stuck for the past few months, but we finally have a date for our first meeting - then bring on the paperwork!! :) After that, it's time for another meeting and then the homestudy - and at last more waiting. We will then be put on a list for birthmothers to choose from. Such an exciting time, and a little scary too! :) So we are "expecting" we just don't know the "due" date! :)

Now it's on to other knitting... :) So, any projects from y'all? (Even if this post is a day late...) Happy weekend, everyone!

Finished Object Friday

Happy Snow Day, everyone!! :)  Some of you may not be enjoying it so much, but it's still a novelty down here. ... and it's nice to be "stuck" at home!

Time for Finished Object Friday... and I do have something to share! I'm pretty excited about this...

(and I love that it's a SNOW picture!)  :)


So you may be wondering (or not) :) how I got from this:

to the above finished skein....

First I spun the roving into "singles:"


When I finished two spools of singles, I then plied them together. (Here is a link to a video, showing how plying is done, if you're interested...) :)

After  plying, I wound the yarn onto a niddy-noddy.

From there, I tied it off really good (to keep it from tangling...)


And then it was time for the yarn to take a bath!

Washing the yarn helps to set the twist, and keeps it nice for when I am ready to knit with it! After it is nice and dry I wind it into a skein, and it's ready to go!

So what have you been crafting recently? Any valentine's projects?

(hmm... looks like Linky Tools isn't a free service... I may be redoing how we share projects on FOF... just found out.) :) (ETA: I mean, this is the last time I can use it as a free service... I think I've found another free link hosting site, though. But I will miss the pictures!) :)

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1. Cute Girly Bows

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Enjoying Winter

There's a saying about Texas.... "We have winter here, last year it was on a Tuesday." :)  That's about right some years! This week, however, it's been very cold and started off with a nice snow on Sunday... snow that's still around in spots! Each time I glance out of the window, it's like getting a little surprise! I forget in my daily tasks that there is still snow on the ground. It's amazing that it's lasted this long, usually it's gone by the next day!

Here is my view Sunday afternoon from the living room window:


We didn't build a snowman this year...not quite as much snow as we had last year. But we did enjoy watching it coming down and I did make some snow ice cream! YUM! :)  I also made some three bean chili and Mexican cornbread to warm our insides on that cozy Sunday afternoon! :)


It was pretty yummy!! and the fresh cilantro really added a nice flavor.

I've also done a bit of this:


I still feel sooo blessed to have this wheel! I remember looking at taking a spinning class or two, just hoping I would know how to make my own yarn! I have been given such a wonderful gift!! I'm hoping to ply my first skein soon! :)

I hope each of you is having a wonderful week so far! Did you get any snow? (of course, those of you farther north may be happy to send us what you got!) :)

Randomness....

What? You mean you don't have a random ball of yarn on your dusty window sill??  :)  you know, sitting next to your hospitality book?

Oh, and there's a giveaway in this post too... :)  I've actually been planning to do a giveaway for quite a while. Now I figure I'd better do it before fall is over! :)  Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks!

I am thankful for all my bloggy "buddies!" I have enjoyed getting to know each one of you - I consider you my friends! So as a little friendship gift, I will send this to one of you:

The giveaway includes the following:
Two fall dishtowels
One leaf cookie cutter
One "Welcome" pumpkin
A votive candle and holder
A package of notecards
A Mary Engelbreit "Autumn" book (The inspiration for the giveaway...)
And a vintage(?) biscuit cover.

You see, the longer I waited to do the giveaway, the bigger it got!! :)  So here's the deal, just leave me a comment, and I'll pick a winner this coming Tuesday evening. For fun, share something completely random lying some odd spot in your house! :) 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Finished Object Friday

Happy Friday!! I hope everyone has had a good week - full of put-together pumpkin bread! :)  My pumpkin bread is all gone, so I guess I shouldn't complain much. It was quite tasty! :)

Whew. I don't know about you, but my last couple of weeks have been very busy!! I haven't had much spare time for crafting. I did want to share a project I finished a while back for my Dad.

I made this dishcloth with a Texas motif on our trip to Tennessee in August.

Do you see Texas? It shows up a little better in this picture:

It was a fun, quick little knit! I also finished that Entralac dishcloth, but I need to finish up the ends - weaving and trimming... :)

I really have wanted to knit more, it's just the problem of finding the time and energy. I also baked a cake Thursday night, and I will be decorating it soon.... :)  So, I guess it hasn't been the most inspiring FOF... but I'm looking forward to visiting you and seeing your projects! :)

Happy Linking!

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1. Fall Photo Shoot 2. Nikki (Little Boy's Blanket)

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Excursions in Entrelac

I know I have a few knitting friends that like to visit me here. Then there are those that don't knit, but maybe someday... :)  I haven't been knitting quite as much as I used to, but I still enjoy trying different things. Knitting is a great stress reliever. For a while now, I've been wanting to try knitting an entrelac pattern. Last week I got started on a dishcloth. (Ravelry link and pattern link)

It is a lot of fun! The knitting goes in two directions! :) Here it is with the needle out so you can get a better idea of how it works.

What really helped me was watching this video. (Which is also where I got the pattern link.)

I love learning new things! But isn't that the fun of the journey? :)  And it's almost fall... time for me to wear my new socks (although they are a little big.... maybe after a couple of washings they'll fit better!) :)


Later this week.... what I've been working on around the house! :)

Finished Object Friday

For some strange reason, recently I have developed a liking for sheep. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I love natural fibers, wool is a natural fiber and sheep grow wool. Hmmm... :) Lorie is heading up our Sunday School class this "term" and our theme is Psalm 23/sheep.

One of the crafts the kids did was so much fun, I had to make one myself!! :)



I had actually seen them here a while back and wanted to make them. We just used a black marker for the "feet" and faces instead of paint. I may add something else later - ears or ribbon or bell. But I am enjoying him! I used Lion Homespun yarn - which I can't stand knitting with anymore, but it makes a great sheep! :)

Here are the kids finished sheep:


Isn't that the cutest little flock?

I hope you enjoyed this fun little FOF!! I am excited to see what you all will share. :) If you are new to FOF, see this post to find out what it is all about.

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1. Pink Parsonage 2. Pipers Pillow

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A little knitting

It's been a while since I shared an actual knitting project. I haven't been knitting much recently. I haven't had quite as much time and the main project that I have been working on took so much concentration I couldn't do anything while knitting.

My mom and my aunt both have birthdays in May. So my cousin, Jennifer and I, while she and her family were down visiting this spring, decided to knit the same pattern as birthday gifts for our moms. Jennifer is way ahead of me, and actually finished her project around the birthday time. I however, got stuck.

It's a doily, knit with teeny tiny yarn. (think thread almost)


It's really hard to see the pattern scrunched up on my circular needles. It's very pretty - but getting all those yarn overs can be kindof tricky. I haven't done much lace knitting. You can see my Ravelry project page here. Here is a link to the pattern.

But here's why I'm stuck now. The pattern as written is HUGE! Jennifer sent me a picture of her finished doily, and her little girl is sitting in the middle with LOTS of room around her. :) Mom didn't want her's quite that big, so I'm ready to stop. The problem is, I don't know how to finish it off. I'm not real good at improvising the pattern. Fellow knitters, HELP! :)

My other current project is quite a bit easier, and much more relaxing. :)

As you can see, there's not much to it yet. Oh, well. It's a cowl. Kindof lacy, but very repetitive and an easy pattern to memorize. I love the color too. :) Here's my Rav page and the pattern link. The pattern link has pictures of the finished pattern, so you can see what it's supposed to be! :)

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my projects! What have you been working on recently?

Here's the Wind-up!

But no pitch... unless I start throwing yarn! :) Along with the spinning wheels, fiber and books I got several weeks ago, there were also a couple of these skein winders. I finally got them out to try today.

It was so fun and relaxing to wind a few balls of yarn. (I was trying to clear off some spools for one of the spinning wheels.)

It's a pretty knifty little tool! :) (Ok. I know you don't spell "nifty" with a "k"... but as a knitter, it just LOOKS right!) :)

The skeins even pull from the center!

Isn't this some cool looking yarn? It looks like it would make something really fun! :)

See you Friday for a fun (and quick) FOF! :)