“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”… “It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden Time to open the windows and let the spring air in.  Well, it’s still a tad bit nippy to do this for extended periods of time.  But it’s here :: spring! Bright green shoots are everywhere. Buds are reaching towards the sun and I’m thinking of casting on for a… Read more »

Impulse yarn purchases – knitters always make them!  I’m not much of a sock knitter, but I can’t help resisting a skein of sock yarn every now and then.  Especially when it is jewel-toned and gorgeous like this one. I felt like it would be perfect for a scarf and thought I’d do a quick pattern rummage into the treasure trove that is Ravelry!  Hitchhiker was the pattern that showed up number 1 on my list.  But I wanted to keep looking for “that… Read more »

I showed you this picture last time… Now these are the remnants. Which can mean only one thing :: I finished my Color Affection Shawl, yaa-hoo! I definitely learned a few things about combining colors with this project. See how vibrant that yellow-gold yarn looked in the yarn cake?  In the finished shawl, the blue makes the yellow appear quite muted.  You can’t tell with these pictures because they are closeups and your eyes are drawn to the yellow.  But from a distance, meh! All that science behind… Read more »

Time to put away the warm woolies and dig out the gardening tools, spring is here!  I’ve made several trips to the garden center this past week.  It’s time to brighten things up and usher in some color! Spring is indoors too with this cute knitted bunny that I recently finished. It took me a whole day of seaming and stuffing all of the little bunny pieces.  I should have followed the instructions and stuffed and seamed as I went… Read more »

Meet Dottie, my bunny.  Don’t you think she’s just pinch-those-cheeks cute! Yeah, once I knitted that dress, I knew her name had to be Dottie. Stripey tights and shoes with little french knots “snaps” that go on the side  Love! So, there is a bit of finishing involved.  This bunny is knit in pieces and stuffed and seamed and joined together in increments. However, this means that you can really shape the bunny’s face and tummy to look quite bunny-like…. Read more »

Suddenly, it’s the last day of February! I don’t have much crafting progress for show-and-tell since I’m sort of stuck with the dreaded SSS (second sock syndrome).  However, I’m determined to be monogamous with this project and see it through to completion.  The socks I’m talking about is this pair of Business Casuals. If you’ve been reading this blog for sometime, you will notice that I’m not much of a sock knitter.  That being said, when Kelly announced that she… Read more »

I almost forgot to share finished pictures of this project.  I knit a little baby sweater for another soon-to-arrive bebe using the Baby Sophisticate pattern and Malabrigo (swoon!) yarn. My favorite part about this pattern was the little shawl collar, definitely the “Sophisticate” part of this sweater! I added the different colored buttons for a bit of whimsy and fun.  This pattern was such a quick knit and I’m definitely going to be knitting it again.  I went up a… Read more »

Isn’t this little sweater just adorable?  This pattern is from one of my favorite designers, Alana Dakos.  Hot off the needles is Wee Wildflower… I think it turned out super cute despite the fact that there is seaming involved (set-in sleeves anyone!)  If I had to knit this pattern again in a small size, I would definitely convert this to a seamless garment, especially the sleeves.  And even though the pockets are darling, I’d convert them to faux pockets because… Read more »

With school resuming for the kids tomorrow, it’s time to get back to my usual routine :: crafting, blogging and otherwise. Many of our friends are expecting babies this year and while store-bought baby stuff is adorable, I’d like to put my knitting needles (and stash) to work and churn out a bunch of pint-sized gifts.  I’ve finished the Baby Sophisticate Jacket which is just waiting for some cute buttons to be totally complete. My favorite part of this whole… Read more »

First day of Winter?  Yes! Shortest day of the year?  Yes again!! And life goes on… I’ve got a pile of knitting things to keep my fingers busy. Keeping it real with a peek into my knitting basket, folks! In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that this isn’t the half of it!  I’ve got other projects in various stages of progress stuffed into my work-in-progress-bin.  Some of them haven’t seen the light of day in two years…. Read more »