Blooming Progress

I'm working on a pillow for Valentines Day. I love all those felt flowery wreaths you see online and I thought it would look pretty on a pillow.  A huge heart for Valentines Day seemed just the thing.  More pictures when I'm all done!

Greyhaven Cowl

Yay - a finished object!  I've had the urge to knit alot lately, mostly since the weather has cooled down a bit.  Winter in Florida is not the winter I've experienced in DC, but it gets cooler during the days and downright chilly at night.  Snuggling up on my comfy couch under a quilt with some knitting in my lap seems like just the thing!  I wanted to knit a gift for a dear friend of mine, and I thought a lacey cowl would be nice.  I found Grayhaven on Ravelry and dove into the stash.

I used Misti Alpaca in Cream and boy do I love this yarn.  Its soft and cozy and knits up beautifully.  The lace pattern on this cowl is really lovely, and she created it with a larger edge on the bottom, so it drapes nicely on your neck.  I think this is a perfect size to keep your neck warm and I think I might make another for another friend.  Or maybe for me!

My only modification to the pattern was using a US8 needle all the way through because I couldn't find my US7.  I had some difficulty with the purl cast off, but I got the hang of it towards the end.  I tend to be tight with a knit cast off, so I'll consider this in future projects.  The cast off here is still a little tight, but I think I can fix it.  I won't see my friend for a couple weeks, so I can re-finish it.  No models were available, so I took a shot of the cowl resting on an upside down flower pot. 

Do you find you knit more during cold weather?  Or maybe hand quilting or embroidery?

Keeping an Easy Resolution

One of my New Years resolutions is to burn more candles and enjoy them instead of just letting them take up space in a closet.  As I was unpacking when I moved, I was astonished at the quantity of candles I have stockpiled.

Let's not talk about my resolution to go running three times a week!

How are you doing with your New Years resolutions?

Last Minute Mary

My mom used to always call either me or my sister Last Minute Mary. We generally work best under pressure, and getting ready for Christmas is no exception.  I'm working on a quick beret for someone on my gift list.  This is called Brambles, from Knitty.com Deep Fall 2010. Loving the pattern so far!   (also enjoying blogging from my phone!)

Little Project, Big Goal

My sweet niece has asked for Barbie clothes for Christmas, so I'm making time for some knitting.  I found the cutest little suitcase to put them in and I'm hoping to get it filled with lots of cute outfits from Knits for Barbie by Nicky Epstein.

Skinny little yarn, skinny little needles, skinny little swatch looking thing that will soon become a dress!

Stockings for Kids Charity Event

Have you been to Purple Panda Quilts blog? She's one of the quilters in my circle for do. Good Stitches and she does beautiful work! You can tell she also has a really good heart, because she works with foster kids.  This fall, she's organizing a Stockings for Kids drive - all the info is on that link there.  She's hoping to get 50 stockings, and I'm hoping she gets even more!  There will even be prizes, donated by some great fabric shops.
She's got a tutorial on her blog for a cute stocking that will hold alot of goodies, and I'm going to try one soon.  Her instructions look easy to follow, which is great for some of us 'advanced beginners.'  You'll want to follow her blog too, because there will be a free stocking tutorial every Tuesday from now until the end of the drive.  Stockings are due by December 1st.

Hop on over to her blog to learn more, and get then sewing!  There is a flickr group too, so you can see everyone's work.

September do Good Stitches Blocks

Do you ever think the end of the month sneaks up on you?  That happened to me in September with my do. Good Stitches blocks.  The lovely Bijou Lovely was our hostess this month, and this was her inspiration for our color scheme.

 

Great color combo!  Orange, a plum purple, grey and white.  She requested square in a square blocks with random sizing and a white border.  I finally finished on Monday, an embarassing 3 days into October. 

These were fun to pull together.  Kind of unplanned but with a goal in mind.  I started in the center and built my way to the outside with what was available in my stash.  Looking at the other photos in our Flickr group, I think this will be a great quilt!