Monday, May 30, 2011

Two FOs!

Last week I said I was going to try and post a WIP and an FO each week, well this week I managed to finish up two projects! This first one is a scarf that I was actually done knitting a while back, but I never got around to sewing the buttons on it. I got this pattern from "60 Quick Knits" and it was a nice and fast knit and my boyfriend really likes it. I made the buttons myself using Shrinky-Dink paper and they are perfect for this project!


My next FO is a bike basket from the new issue of "Knitting Today" magazine. I bought a bike a couple of weeks ago and I have been looking for a basket for it, and I couldn't find one that I liked. Then when I saw the pattern for this one in the magazine it was just too perfect. A great quick knit that was easy enough not to be frustrating but interesting enough that I didn't get bored making it.


So it's been a pretty productive week and I have some ideas for what I'm going to make this week.

Happy Knitting!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

A Little Typography Fun

I



 thought I would share with you a great website that I have come across. Daily Drop Cap goes through the alphabet one letter at a time and provides a great image of each one. This is a great site to find inspiration and they are so fun to look at!

Y



ou can search by alphabet or by letter, making it easy to find exactly what you need, or you can just browse and let your creativity take over!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Halloween Costumes... yes.. Halloween!

Every year I try to put together a cute Halloween costume that is inexpensive and different, and I like to start ahead of time to make sure I have enough time to make it. Last year I decided to be a ghost, and I found a great idea that put a twist on the traditional sheet over the head with two eye holes cut out of it. I found a great tutorial over on Sugar Bee Crafts that gave step by step instructions. I loved the results and everyone else loved it too!
This year I have already found two great ideas that I really like, and I'm not sure which one I want to do.
The first one is an owl costume that I found over on Prudent Baby , I love the idea of making myself wings and an eye mask and becoming an owl. Or, the Child's Lamb Costume knitting pattern that's available as a free Ravelry download. I could easily change it up to fit me and I think it would be perfect.
I don't know which one I want to do, but they are both so cute!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Almost Too Cute to Function!


I thought I would give you guys your daily dose of cuteness! This is my little Tequila taking a nap. This picture made me smile, so I thought I would share it with you!

Clockbuster!


I like to browse through my favorite blogs because I always find something fun to look at, How About Orange had a great post about a fun game.
I just had a blast playing this movie quiz with my boyfriend. I'm horrible at remembering movie titles, but he is amazing at it! On the original game we got 40/50 and 36/50 on the sequel. Clockbusters is a great way to waste some time and have some fun! Let me know what your score was.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Some more great free patterns

I always say that if I win the lottery, I will open up a yarn shop and sit in there all day and knit all the things I never had time to do. There are so many amazing patterns out there, and I want to share a few of my favorites with you! Here are a few additions to my wish list.



The clever construction of this Sweetheart hat makes it look so elegant and vintage! Beautiful work! It is available as a free Ravelry download.



This beautiful Summer Flies shawl is available as a free Ravelry download. Great for those colder summer nights!!



I love Portal2 and this is the perfect pattern from Nerdigurumi is so great!



This Ski Skulls hat is the first thing I want to knit for next winter! It's so perfect for cold winters and it just looks so good!




Sunday, May 22, 2011

WIP/ FO

I want to try posting something on a regular basis; every week I would like to post a picture of one of my work's in progress, and a picture of something that I have finished (hopefully I will have finished something that week). I don't know if it will be every Sunday, but I will try to keep it on the same day.

My finished project today is something that I shared with you recently. I had not completed every block yet, but I finished the whole afghan now and I want to show you what it looks like finished! I absolutely love the colors and the yarn, it turned out better then I imagined. It's the perfect size to keep me warm when I'm curled up on the couch. In case you did not see the previous post about this project, the pattern is from Knitting Today magazine (they give the pattern for 4 blocks in each issue and at the end you have all 20 blocks that make up the afghan). They even have the first 4 blocks available on their website.


My work in project is actually 2 things. I have been working on these bookmarks for some time now, but never seem to have the time to finish them. The animals design is from the Cross-Stitch magazine from their motif library section. They are so adorable!! The second bookmark is a mishmash of different designs. I was just picking out some of my favorite designs and putting them on there. I'm almost done this one, I just haven't found the time to finish!

That's all I've got for you guys today, but later on this week I will be posting some links to some of my favorite free patterns!

Happy knitting!!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Some great free patterns!

I am always looking through the pattern pages of Ravelry trying to find some cool and unusual projects. I thought I could share a few of my finds with you!!!

Voodoo Doll Pincushions. I love these, I would probably stick some pins in them and leave them on display!

This gargoyle was knitted for my dad as a Christmas pattern. The pattern can be found at Devon Monk.

This sushi scarf is a stroke of brilliance. I love the ingenuity of it! So clever and has been made available as a free Ravelry download by The Mermaid's Creations.

This last pattern that I'm sharing with you is one that I have wanted to knit for a long time, but never got around to doing. I love the design of the piece and it is so original, I have never seen anything like it. The October is for Spinners PDF file can be downloaded from Hanks Yarn and Fiber.


Of course, all these patterns can be found on Ravelry. These designs are great, and I wish I had unlimited amounts of time to knit them all up, I will just have to put them on my to-do list!!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Some new items for the shop

I've been busy knitting things for my Etsy shop these past few weeks and I came up with two crochet scarves, two pair of knitted gloves and a pink hat. I love these items and I want to keep them for myself, but I have too much stuff already!

A heart in the palm of your hand.

Purple heart.

Pink ribbed hat.

Pretty crochet scarf.

Number 2.

So if you're interested in any of these items, head on over to my store and check them out!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A collection of shawls

Last summer my obsession was socks, this time around it is shawls/shawlettes. It started off when I fell in love with the 'Joyeux Shawlette' from Phydeaux Designs. My wonderful parents got me the kit for Christmas and I knit it up in no time. I absolutely love it, the design is great, the yarn is fantastic, the end result is perfect!



My next project was the Holden Shawlette (a free ravelry download!). I used Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn that was originally intended for a pair of socks, but I did not like the way the first sock came out, so I frogged it and made it into this shawl instead. I'm so glad I did, it turned out beautifully (the picture does not do it justice).



My latest shawl is a pattern from the book 'Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences' called Bison Shawlette. I used some unknown yarn from my stash and it turned out great! I would definitely recommend this book for everyone's library, it has great patterns that can be used for those lone beautiful skeins of yarn that you don't know what to do with!



I will be putting up some new listings in my Etsy shop soon. I hope to have some pictures to share with you by the weekend. Make sure to keep visiting!

Happy Knitting!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!!!



My mom asked for this great giraffe stuffed toy when she looked though my 'Itty-Bitty Toys' book. He is absolutely adorable and I got him ready just in time to send him to my mom for Mother's Day. He looks adorable from the front, but then from the back he is even better!



There are a lot of pieces to put together and I got pretty frustrated at times, but I would just put it to the side and start again when I was feeling a bit calmer. He was definitely worth it in the end, and I hope my mom enjoys him just as much as I did.

I love you mom!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

I've been on a sort of a blogging hiatus for a bit (well, more then just a bit...) I was finishing up with school and taking a break, but now I have decided that I would like to keep up a more regular blogging schedule.





For my first post back I wanted to start by sharing some pictures of the beginning of an afghan that I am working on. The pattern is from the 'Knitting Today' magazine. In each issue they give the instructions for 4 squares, until you have all 20 patterns that will make up the finished blanket. I have finished the first 4 sets of squares and I am anxiously waiting the next issue (out next week) to finish up this beautiful blanket.
I used the recommended yarn, Full o' Sheep from the Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller collection. The colours are Little Lamb, Aquamarine, Passionfruit and Black Sheep. I am in love with this yarn, the colours are so rich and bright!






I have been having a great time making this project. Usually with a big piece I have a hard time motivating myself to finish it, but with this one, there is enough time between each batch that my attention is re-captured every time I get the new magazine.

I would definitely recommend this afghan pattern to everyone, and it is especially great for beginners who want to learn new techniques (I've done lace, cables, different colours and slipped stitches so far!). It has even made me more confident in my knitting. If you are interested in starting this blanket, you can get the first 4 squares (the lace) on their website here.

Happy Knitting!