Christmas Wreath

I figured I needed to get this posted seeing as Christmas is next week and after that it won't be valid anymore. This was the only thing on my giant list of Christmas crafting for the house that got done. But I'm so thrilled with it, that I'm okay with that fact.

I've been drooling over this wreath by knockknocking (the goddess of yarn wreaths) for quite awhile. I just couldn't scrape up the funds to make it mine so I decided to try my hand at making one. I had most of the supplies and just needed to buy the wreath form and a few extra doo-dads. I only spent about $10.That little green bird makes me terribly happy and I've been looking for an excuse to use those extra large buttons for ages. I adore it in all it's kitschy glory. I'm thinking I may have to redecorate my living room permanently in red and green so that it can stay up all year long. Or maybe, I'll just have to make another one. Darn, I'd have to get the hot glue gun out again.

When you have a chance check out the knockknocking etsy shop. She's makes such beautiful wreaths!

Knitting Labels

The sun peaked out just long enough for me to snap a picture of these today. The holiday knitting season has officially begun and finances being the way they are this year, there's going to be a lot of it. I plan on not buying any yarn for gifts, only using what I have stashed. I'll get to pare down my stash so I can buy more yarn in the future as well as save some money on Christmas this year. So I whipped up these cute little tags to sew into knitted gifts to make them just a tad more special, using some twill tape and t-shirt iron-ons. I seriously think that printable iron-ons are something every crafter has to have on hand at all times. It's the workhorse of crafting and has gotten me out of many a pinch. I've been any ironing-on maniac the last week making shirts for the kids labels and even some new baby gifts. I can't proclaim my love enough.

Umbilical Cord Hat and Booties

Here's the first of many finished projects I'm finally getting around to writing about and just to warn you the first of many many baby hats that I've knit. They're just so addicting... So portable, so fast and so darn cute! These I knit before Miss Mabel was born. The hat and booties took just 1/3 of a skein of Misti Alpaca. I don't have the band anymore so I'm not sure of the weight but I'm pretty sure it's a sport weight. The color is the palest of pink and so incredibly soft. These will be a "go-to" for gift knitting because they require so little time and yarn and are such a luxury. The hat pattern is of course from the first "Stitch 'n Bitch" book. The bootie pattern is a great match to the hat, here's the ravelry link. The only changes I made were to omit the ribbing at the top to create a rolled cuff, mimicking the brim on the hat. I also omitted the eyelet section because I didn't want to include the ribbon on this pair.

I've Been Busy...

With this sweet, sweet baby. I haven't gotten much done due to excessive cuddling, rocking and kissing those perfect little toes. This week however was my first week back to work, so I'm slowly getting back into a "normal" routine. Although normal for us is still a bit nuts. 

I have so many backlogged projects to share, so my goal is to post at least once if not twice a week... If I can pull myself away from those pudgy toes!

Simple Yet Effective

An appropriately named project. Simple, mindless knitting with gorgeous yarn... Does it get much better? This is JUST what I needed. I have probably a dozen completed projects both sewn and knitted that need photographed and blogged but my brain is just too full of baby right now to do it. There's FIVE different socks that need mates knitted and a baby sweater that needs the ends woven-in and blocked. For some reason I just can't face them right now... I needed something to keep my hands busy and my mind clear. No thinking, no counting, just repetitive movement. Listening to the clicking of the needles, feeling the yarn travel through my fingers and watching the stripes come together...complete relaxation. Nine days until this baby girl is due to enter the world and this project has been such a calming influence. All the other stuff can wait.

Junebaby is 5!

I can't believe my Junebaby is 5. Happy Birthday sweetheart! Where in the heck does the time go? I whipped up this little sundress for her last weekend just in time for her party. I completely underestimated the lengths those little legs have grown to so shorts are a must underneath. I can't say enough for this fabric, it's absolute heaven. The weight is just perfect for summery things and the print is adorable to boot. It was super simple to sew, basically just a tube with the smocking at the top. Which, I have to say was a blast to do. It was so neat to see it start scrunching up after a few rows. When it was done I wetted the top down and used a steam iron to get it to "smock" even more. It's so deliciously soft, I really want one in my size. I used every inch of the half yard that I purchased, not a single scrap remained. And B loves it, so mission accomplished!

And no, I haven't started cutting for the color wheel quilt yet. Baby sewing, knitting and nesting in general has kind of taken over, so it'll probably be awhile!

Washed and Pressed

Two years ago for Christmas I received the fabric bundle set from Purl to make the gorgeous Color Wheel Quilt from Last-Minutes Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.

Ever since the fabric has sat on my office shelves looking beautiful with me too terrified to touch it. I've gotten a few quilts under my belt in the interim and I think I'm finally about ready to tackle this one. Last weekend I washed and pressed all of the fabric and I'm hoping this weekend I'll be able to make the leap of faith and start cutting. Wish me luck!