knitting, crocheting & a family vacation

We are getting ready to go on a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains! My dad, step-mom-to-be (she’s been a step-mom-to-be for over 10 years now– time to get married Jenn!), little brother & sister and nephew will be joining us at the cabin. I am very much so looking forward to it! Our cabin has the best view. Photos do it absolutely no justice. The kids are excited as well and are eager to get going. This will be our third time staying there. It’s become sort of like a home away from home.

I was hoping to have finished a Spring Shirt for each of the girls to wear while we were there, but that didn’t happen. I finished one of them and I’m not too crazy about how it turned out. Looks like I’m going to frog it, again. Yes, again!! It will be the second time. It’s just not fitting Emma right. Arg.

I was also hoping to have finished two hooded capelets, but again, only finished one. The pattern calls for self striping sock yarn and I got a great deal on sock yarn at Joann’s. The yarn is originally $6 a skein and I got it for $2.50! I’m really happy with how it turned out and will definitely be posting some action shots soon.

I’m going to make this post short and sweet. I really need to get back to packing!

Mountains– here we come!

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autumn wheat chevron blanket :: in action

Today I am braving the shave! We are heading over to my in-laws and taking the kids to Chuck E Cheese. I figure that’ll keep me busy all day until it’s time to head on over to  Bald in the Boro, our local event for the St. Baldrick”s Foundation.

I will make sure to post before and after photo’s tomorrow, but until then I have something else to share with you. I was going through old blog posts and came across this post (I also blogged about it here as well) about my chevron blanket. I’ve since finished it and thought I’d share some photos of it in action.

 Pattern (Free) :: Ravelry Notes ::  And this photo inspired my choice of colors.

As you can see, this blanket sure does get a lot of love! I am so happy with how it turned out.  I definitely see another ripple blanket it my future…

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my cheating heart

I love crocheting. I really, honestly do. If my hands ever have a spare moment, I like nothing more that to hold a hook and yarn in them. It relaxes me and takes me to my happy place. But recently I’ve been itching to knit. And I feel as if I’m cheating on my hooks.

Yes, it’s true. Silly. But true.

You see, I just love the look of knitted clothing. Over the last couple of years I’ve been collecting some beginner knitting books and purchasing a few patterns online here and there. I’ve even made a garter stitch scarf for Emma a few Christmases ago. It was awful, but I made it nonetheless.

I have a problem that when I first learn something I want to be PERFECT at it immediately. I want it to come easy. And that is not always the case.

I remember five years ago when my Nanny first taught me to crochet when Jacob was only a month or so old. I got so frustrated at times and wanted to just give up. But I didn’t. I kept going. And eventually I got pretty good at it.

I just need to remind myself of this as I am trying to teach myself to knit. Practice really does make perfect. And eventually, if I keep at it, I will get better.

I’ve successfully knitted quite a few things lately. As soon as one things comes off the needles, I immediately cast on another project. And quite often, I have quite a few projects going at once.  Oh, yes.

So what I have I been working on lately? I’ll show you!

Pattern: Pebble Vest   My Ravelry Notes

Pattern: Plain Vest (Size 12 months pattern is  free, additional sizes available to purchase)   My Ravelry Notes

Pattern: in-threes: a baby cardigan   My Ravelry Notes

Pattern: in-threes: a baby cardigan   My Ravelry Notes

As you can see in the pictures I have slowly got a little bit better. There is still a lot that I need to work on. But if you are a newbie knitter looking for some simple garment patterns, I really suggest the patterns above. Any questions that I had regarding the patterns were quickly answered by doing a simple youtube search. (Oh, google and youtube— where would I be without you?!)

I’ve mad e a few other things too that I haven’t got around to photographing. But I’ll be sure to share them as soon as I do. One of those finished projects may even be for me. Would you believe it?

I have something else very personal to share with you tomorrow. See you then!

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walking & [inspired] bear cub beanie

Well, hello there!

As you can tell, I’ve been absent from blogging… yet again. Lots going on. Busy times ’round here I tell ya.

Miss Sophia is on the go. She has even started walking these past few weeks. At 9 months! Can you believe it?

She took a total of 13 steps two weeks ago. What an exciting thing to watch! We really are having a lot of fun with her. Watching her grow and develop her own little personality. Definitely one of my favorite things about being a mommy.

Jacob has been doing well in preschool. He really enjoys the two days a week that he goes. He comes home with all sorts of crafty things. His art work is really starting to grow. His drawings are becoming more clear, he is using more colors when coloring (he used to use one color for a project), and he’s just becoming all around more artistic. Love it!

His funny and sweet comments never end. This little boy has me wrapped I tell ya. Last night as we were snuggling in bed he told me, “Mommy, your hair is so beautiful. You are gorgeous! I love you the best!” He sure knows what to say to make my heart melt.

Emma is still two. And she has been pushing our buttons more than ever lately. (Three, how long away are you?!) But she is still her lovey, snuggly self deep down. She has been having so much fun playing with her BFF, Maisie. From the moment she wakes up she asks for her.

Emma: Mommy, I want to play with Maisie.
me: Not right now, maybe a little later.
Emma: But I love her!

Pure cuteness. Those girls, though two and attitudey at times, really are two peas in a pod. I can’t wait to watch them grow up together.

On to my newest craft project! I came across this bear hat on flickr the other day. I fell in love with it and knew instantly that I had to make one.

Source: flickr.com via Valerie on Pinterest

 

I put my own little spin on it and came up with this:

I have to say that it is by far my favorite thing I have ever made. I’ve made plenty of bear hats over the years, but this one takes the cake! I’m just so sad that this cooler weather won’t be lasting much longer. Believe me, Sophie will be wearing this every chance we get until it is just too hot to wear anymore.

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confessions of a yarn junkie :: yarn storage

If you were to come to my house and rob us (which I hope you won’t), you would be better off breaking into my office where I stash my yarn, rather than my jewelry box, as I have much more money invested in yarn. I’m dead serious.

Now first, let me start of by saying I used to make a ‘living’ (and I use that term lightly since I made nowhere near close enough money to be ‘living’ off of) crocheting hats with some of said yarn.

unfortunately, I am no longer making hats. So a lot of the yarn that I have is leftovers from when I did. I love looking at it though. And it makes me sad when I finish a skein and don’t have one to replace it with. Hoarder? It’s quite possible. And my husband sure does think so.

(I also have a fabric addiction, too. And I have the same mind-set as with the yarn that I don’t ‘waste’ it. I want to save it for the perfect project. One that never seems comes around. And so it just sits. And yard by yard, I add to my collection. But that is a whole other story…)

Back to the yarn… When my shop was up and running I purchased a lot of yarn in bulk that I used a lot of. It just sat in boxes on our office floor. I HAD to figure out a way to get it out of the box and store it nicely. I got the idea for my yarn storage system from small yarn shops. Most of them seemed to store their yarn in small square cubby units.

In Jacob’s room we have a cubby unit that we use to store toys and books, which turns out to be the perfect thing to store your yarn in also! We made a trip to Target and purchased the same exact one in black to match our bookshelves that are also in the office. I was so excited to put all of my yarn in each cubby, and it looked SO much nicer than in a box.

The yarn that doesn’t quite fit in it is stored nicely in two baskets and whatever you’d like to call that black storage thing in the middle. My scraps are stored here and there in different baskets and drawers all over the room…

I would eventually like to get another cubby unit that I could possibly mount on a wall. Our office is the tiniest room in the house. And it holds a lot of things: computer desk, a printer desk, two big bookshelves, my yarn organizer, and a smaller plastic drawer set that holds different odds & ends– something that I’d just love to get rid of… So I figure it would be beneficial to utilize some of our vertical space.

Maybe if I ever get into the hat business again I’ll make it happen… We’ll see. How do you store your yarn??

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flower granny pillow

Again, here is another project that I have been working on for months now. Well I shouldn’t say ‘working on for months’, because technically, that’s not the truth. The truth is, I started working on it months ago, was really into in months ago, worked on it for a couple of days months ago, then put it down months ago and haven’t picked it up since. I have a big problem with starting a project and not finishing it, if you haven’t noticed.

I need to complete three more squares to finish the front and figure out something to do with the back. I have idea, I just need to figure it out. This too will find its new home in the girls’ room. The plan is to get them matching twin size beds and skip the whole toddler bed thing. Which would mean that if all goes well with this one, and I ever complete it, a new one will be in the works too!

I originally found the pattern while browsing through ravelry. It’s by Beata Basik  and available on her ravelry page  or through her blog, rose hip.

 Although I have another granny blanket in the process, (again, one I haven’t picked up in months) this is my first time actually joining granny squares. I think I did an OK job… definitely could use some work though.

In other news, I did add a significant amount to my chevron stripes blanket. I would have added more, but upon finishing my last row I noticed I made an error somewhere in the row before. So I tucked it away for the day and hopefully tonight I will find some quiet time to try to figure out where I went wrong. That’s always fun… 🙂

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sophia’s vintage cardigan :: in action

Is it just here in Tennessee, or has this Winter weather been pretty crazy where you live too? I am the first to admit that I am not a fan of the cold. I am a true Floridian through and through. Ever since moving up here 4 years ago now, I dread this time of year and become quite the homebody and only go outdoors whenever it is absolutely needed.

This past week we’ve had some pretty warm temperatures. Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT complaining! I am actually loving it! Minus the tornadoes.

I took full advantage of the weather and went ahead and dressed Sophia in her vintage cardigan (pattern info and yarn blogged here). The photos I took of her in action were pant-less, but I promise before we left the house I put some on her 😉

ps. please excuse the blurry-ness of the photos. this little lady just won’t sit still!

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20:366 ripples

I started this blanket back in October. At the rate I’ve been going I should have it done by next year…

We’ll be spending the day with my in-laws tomorrow (well today, it’s past midnight as I’m writing this). So things will be pretty quiet here on the blog. Hoping to at least get my 366 photo project post in. Until next time!

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bella’s hat

Oh yes. I went there. I totally made the hat that Bella wears in the first Twilight movie when she visits La Push. And you know what? I actually like it. A lot! I wore it today while dropping Jacob off at school, and I am still wearing while typing this post.

If you know me, I love the Twilight book series. Although I am not a huge fan of the movies, I own the first three dvds and still watch them on occasion when I’m up late crocheting and there is nothing else interesting on TV. I don’t know why I continue to watch them, but I do. And I most certainly am not a huge fan of how Bella’s character is depicted. Maybe it’s just the actress portraying her. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s it.

Anyhow, I made the hat. And you can too! The free pattern can be found here on craftster. I ended up using some scrap yarn that my grandmother-in-law gave me. I’m pretty sure it’s a wool or wool blend worsted weight. And lucky me, it was even in a similar dark gray!

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for some new lovely ladies

It seems like everyone I know is either pregnant with a girl or has had one within the last year (including me!). So to celebrate all of these lovely ladies, I spent a couple of days making itty bitty pretty hats.

I made a few of my ‘regulars’…

(courtesy of Jamie Lynn Photography— photos taken for my old Etsy shop)

And some of these– which I didn’t have photographed yet:

Some of the hats I made doubles of, bringing the total hat count to seven. I love making newborn hats. They’re so cute and they work up really fast. instant gratification!

I’d like to give a special thanks to Emma’s dollies, Alana & June, for modeling some hats for me. As a thank you gift I think some doll hats are in order. 🙂

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