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Mail Day!

An exceptional mail day today! A package from Sarah, LadyDanio on Ravelry/Etsy, arrived! Take a look:




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It's arrived!

Such excitement over a phone...but yes, that little iPhone box was quite fun to open!


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Is this not the most beautiful globe lamp? Happened across it just last night on the Apartment Therapy website and I think it's just incredibly beautiful...you have to check the post from Shannon South, the designer of this...there is an awesome "lit" photo that captures the doily shadows floating across the walls and ceiling...love it! I do think I will have to try this on a smaller scale...make a frame and build upon it with doilies...

Random surfing...

Happened upon this clip on another ROD'er's blog...I've never seen this sprite of a girl...have you? Love her style!

The best class in the world!

Remains of the Day
Way back in October I signed up for the Remains of the Day class with Mary Ann Moss...an online class with oodles of videos, and an overflowing cornucopia of creativity...I spent many nights glued to the videos, absorbing, sifting, contemplating my journal...
Soon I was putting together pages and pages, layering this and that, adding embellishments and so on...
Then the usual happened...the need to do chores, go to work, sleep...and then: the Holidays were upon me...
But now!!! Yes, now, with the arrival of 2011 there will be time, yes indeedy...

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Happy 2011 !!!

Looking forward to a year of peace, contentment and good health.


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*Sigh*
Could it really be all this time since I've posted??? So much has gone on...but nevermind...we will start anew and possibly with a smattering of pics from the past year...but soon, yes, soon, an updated post with the current projects and delights.

I've just updated my Etsy shop by deactivating a Snippet Bloom and sending it over to the HeartsForHaiti Etsy shop...I've been keeping an eye on that shop, buying up from various Etsy donators and now giving one of my blooms for listing. I think it will take a day or so before it's listed...I hope it sells quickly and adds much needed dollars to the cause. My little sweet Savannah's birthday is today, and I can't help but be overwhelmed, thinking how much we have in our life here...and how little they have in Haiti. I have been donating here and there, when I can, since the earthquake...and I know many of you have as well...but we need to keep donating...so please, do your part, as you can...this will take time, money and thoughts of goodwill and prayer.

Here we are...almost the end of January 2010 already! I have oodles of pics to share, projects done recently and not-so-recently, stretching back to Halloween. So, here's the update for January:

While skipping merrily along in blogland, came across a few pics/posts referencing button bouquets...what an addiction this is proving to be! Here's a first-run trial of a little Valentine's Day Button Bouquet...going to add this to my Valentine's Day tree with some others...quick, easy, inexpensive, so many uses! Could use the sweet little bouquets on packages, tied around a greeting card, adorning headbands, well, you get the idea...have a go at it, you'll love them! Many, many references and tutorials on the web, check it out!





Just a sampling of packaging, I love to try new ideas out, and this little gift was for my hairdresser...(contents: Snippets Bloom, available on my Etsy)


January 24, cast on for a scrap-yarn blanket...working with an anything-goes palette...different fibers, different colors...from a Ravelry pattern find "Sediment Scraps Blanket".

Up-close, a new spin, various fibers, and sequins...I love sequins!

Super sweet baby sweater! Buttons are still not attached, as I'm still deciding on which buttons to use...I don't have immediate plans for the sweater, so I'll probably let it be until I have a baby gift deadline.


And! Finally I'm updating with pics of Halloween costume extravaganza! Picture of the headpiece...


and of my sweet Winter Fairy...

Holiday preparations have begun...this little village (more pics to follow) complete with sketched Santa and his helper :-)

To start with, some October delights...



Lovely isn't it? Zig and Zag Blanket using sock yarn scraps...ahhhhhhh....



October. Already. So much that I want to accomplish. I need to make a list...next post I'll start in on that. For now, a couple pictures to share from this week...

This weekend ventured out to a small Fiber Festival outside of Marshall, MI...and met Dani (of Pumpkinhaus) and Emily (of Bricolage Studio)...from Dani's booth I picked up one of her lovely little yellow spindles, and two delicious handspun yarns...

from Emily's booth I treated myself to a pair of fabulous little ear ornaments and also a cute little crocheted basket to hang from my spinning wheel...

I also had purchased an e-book from Lee Meredith of Leethal (on Ravelry)...here's the link to her e-book Game Knitting. And let me tell you, I'm having such fun with this! I started last night using Desperate Housewives as my gameshow of choice...and I need to start lists for others I watch...should I intermingle my shows with my projects or have a designated project for each show??? Hmmmmmmm......without further delay, here's my DH project...



In betwen knitting I've just gotten started on the Halloween 09 costume for Savvy...can you guess what she will be this year?

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Well, isn't this neat??? Found it on GardenBell's Flickr pics...just a photo manipulation using my pretty little Zig and Zag Blanket photo...

Silly me...while scrolling thru my blog I realized I had never posted photos from my Milkweed Shawl! I am so very pleased with it...there was a lot of new techniques in this shawl for me...lace, yes, I did it!, blocking with wires and pins!, knitting with sock yarn on larger needles (a'la lace style)...and I did it all! Quite impressed with myself :-)



Okay, now I see why I never posted a pic...I don't have a shot of it off the blocking wires...I'll take care of that in the next few days...lovely it is!

And, I have a couple other spindle yarn photos to share:

This one just started on my new spindle addition, a Trindle...



This delightful spin...



from these two single plys...

Wow! Hard to believe that it's been about 6 weeks since last post! Must get up to speed...the h-o-l-i-d-a-y-s will be here before we know it...yikes!

Current works:



*Spinning, spinning, 2 spindles in progress and wheel spins...I am so pleased with my handspun collection...growing by leaps and bounds!



*Zig and Zag Blanket...ah, this is such a treat to work on! Each and every color change is so invigorating! Very difficult to put it down...keep wanting to knit one more row and get to another color...

*Learning to make pom-poms! Followed this post here...

*Halloween costume in the making...pics of supplies soon, then you guess what it will be!

*Recycling a wool sweater...then over-dyeing it...can't wait to see what happens...destined to become a hat.

*Snippets...more in the making...new colors, new trimmings...soon to go to Etsy.

Some projects getting done. Yes, a lot of little things needed finishing, and one by one, it's happening. I'm glad. I've finished up a garden of Snippet Blooms.
Here's one of the blooms...



Two are sold, 4 are/will be added to Etsy. I really enjoy the process of doing them, manipulating bits and pieces of fabrics, one of my loves.

Some knitting coming along too. The Milkweed Shawl is currently on hold. I really want to get back to it, but it's a tough knit for me...the lace pattern is no longer repetitive, it changes every couple rows, so it requires much concentration from me...not always able to concentrate like that, at least til everyone's in bed for the night. So, I needed something that wasn't so restrictive for a bit: started the Aestlight Shawl KAL (via The Backwards Loop/Ravelry)...in a Miss Babs sock weight yarn, Ironweed Days colorway, purchased from a fellow Raveler's stash...now I'm almost (4 rows away) from being done with the inner garter stitch triangle section. Ah, I will be glad to be done with that portion and move to the first border section. I'm going to have to figure out how far I can go with my skein of yarn...before switching out to a complimentary color (awaiting Miss Babs' word on that one). Oh! And I have blocking wires now! Had ordered them from KnitPicks when the Milkweed Shawl was started...so they'll be used eventually anyway!

Beginnings of Aestlight Shawl...

I am so entranced by this:



I've longed for a Blythe doll for many years now...just could never justify a doll and clothing collection in my ummm...*later* years... but now, well I must give in to the need! She is on her way to me and I should have her in my hands this next week! Possibly crazy/silly of me, I know, but exciting!

I had to have her though, and now I have my sweet granddaughter to share her with...she'll be very well dressed and much loved I'm sure.

A little trial from BigHugeLabs...mosaic maker...

Wednesday's update on my current work, a custom Snippet Bloom:

Bloom in progress:

A better evening last night, making up some Snippet Blooms for my Etsy shop...I (hooray!) sold a custom bloom a couple days ago and am making up a few for my customer to choose from. I'm having some trouble sending out messages via etsy with clickable pics though...very frustrating, but I've inquired on a few etsy forums so I'm sure it'll be figured out one way or another...In the meantime, I'm posting the two Snippet Blooms here...

Hectic, stressful past few days. I came home from work today and the house was quiet but I really needed to de-stress a bit...so headed up to my spinning wheel and did a quick little spin. I love the state of being I can get into when I'm not overly concerned about fiber thickness...just kinda let my hands do the work and let my mind recover from the past few days...
This is about 60 yds, and I have more of the roving to spin...but I needed to spin and ply, just needed the end result to calm my soul.

Time just goes by so quickly in the summertime doesn't it? I think it's been only a few days since I've posted, and wham! Days and days have gone by!
Here's a sneak peek at a project I start tomorrow! The Milkweed Shawl KAL is beginning July 15...and I bought some lovely yarn from Stef at The Backwards Loop...take a look:



I am planning on the extensive use of lifelongs along the way...I just cannot "unknit" lace patterns...no way, no how...I'd have to rip the whole thing out...so, luckily I found a fab way for using lifelines...a fellow Ravelers hint...

So for now I'm off to wind the yarn for this, get my needles out and ready to cast on. I'm about half done with a little shrug for my granddaughter, pics to come of that soon.

My "miraculous" Mara shawl is all but done! And I love it...I have a few ends to weave in and then I'll do a nice blocking this weekend...but I do love it...so soft and squishy! I only call it miraculous because I think if I would've been doing this alone I would have given up in frustration and frogged it long ago. I don't know why, just had a lot of issues with the yarn-overs...I think maybe because of course being a shawl, the triangular nature of the pattern, along with the yarn-overs maybe compounded the problem. But because I did this via a knit-a-long on Ravelry, well, that saved me...so nice to have the online knitting community to bounce questions off of, what a difference it makes! Ah well, all is good now, I'm so happy to have the shawl off the needles...so without further ado here is my Mara shawl...



now I'm awaiting my yarn for the next KAL I've joined...this time the Milkweed Shawl by Laura Chau...can't wait!

What an awesome mail day today!!! The mailman brought a large box to the door...and I thought, no, not my basket already! But, yes!!! Indeed it was my package from Jennie (sosorosey)! I had to do a quick photo shoot of it since the presentation was just so cute! Tied up with fabric strips from my basket...and her card on top tied with a darling little silver heart that says "made with love". I didn't even open the project keeper til just now to see the other little crochet bowl I had ordered and it is darling! Pics of that to follow tomorrow :-) Jennie also included a little magnet and a sweet little gift...Thanks so very much Jennie, you are awesome Etsy seller! The very best to work with...I am just thrilled and will be back for more!

Something new for today, and it's just for me! I came across any etsy seller, sosorosey, who took custom orders for Lidded Project Keepers...now, I always need somewhere to stash my projects, so the name certainly spoke volumes to me! Jennie of sosorosey was a dream to work with online...she patiently chose combinations from her recycled fabric goodies and sent me fabric selection possibilities from which to choose...then sent "in progress" photos while she crocheted the keeper! A totally awesome experience, great fun! My keeper is complete and is shipping to me tomorrow! Here's a photo of the top of the keeper...



Lovely isn't it??? And now I've asked for a custom keeper that'll be given as a holiday gift for a certain someone...can't say here...shhhhhhh

*edit 11:30am - I've completed the rose brooch...let me know what you think!



A few project photos to share...
So far I've gotten just a few rows of the first ribbing done on the Mara shawl. This yarn really is beautiful to knit with, I've enjoyed the process of this one...



Part of a swap on Ravelry...I made a few cards and am sending out one of my fabric roses too...the roses will be intro'd to my Etsy shop soon.




And this is my Jane Market Bag, pattern by Alicia Paulson...I had fun making this, though adding the little top-stitched corner edges made me nervous! All in all it was a very straight-forward pattern, I had no trouble interpreting it, no problem at all. I am thinking of making a couple for Christmas gifts this year. Christmas already??? Yep, gotta start thinking about it...I'd love to be able to make the majority of my gifts this year.

Thinking, thinking, thinking...I really want to start up my Etsy shop. Just trying to get things in order around the house before I do though, seems only right I think. I don't want too much going on at once, and I really need to simplify my household, decluttering being the first thing that I need to do. I know I'd feel a huge weight lift off me if I can just simplify. Yes, that's what I've been trying to do this week and what I will continue with over the weekend.

Two swaps to mail out on Saturday. One baby jacket to sew buttons on. One pair of lovely little Savvy-size fingerless mitts to knit the thumbs onto. One little crochet hat to stitch in a larger size. The list goes on...how about your list? Do you have one? Or are you a start-to-finish type person?

And for my downtime, I need to pick out a book for my Kindle...have lots of samples on there, just need to decide. Any good reads lately?

I'm trying to finish up and post pics, really I am...I'll be starting a 3 12-hour days stretch though, so hopefully I can squeeze in a bit of at-home computer time to unwind.

I'm finishing up the little Paxton test knit...awwww! So darn cute!

And, once again, I've been sidetracked by a new-to-me knitting book. It's Knit One and Embellish Too, and I'm loving it! Love the patterns in it and the first part of the book deals with recycling of yarn to expand your color collection of wools and wool mixes for the projects...truly inspiring. I'm going to be collecting and trying to recycle some too...I have visions of lots of little hats and mitts this winter. Can't believe I'm thinking that way, it's barely the start of the warm weather and I'm already thinking ahead...but they'll be quick little projects, not cumbersome to knit in the summer. And! I bought the book itself, but while looking it up on Amazon initially, I noticed it's available in Kindle!!! What??? A real knitting book? I sent myself the sample and have to admit, I haven't looked at it yet...my sister sent the sample to her Kindle and she said it just was the beginning of the book, the narrative portion. Darn! We had both hoped it would show a partial pattern so we could see the formatting on our Kindles...ah well...

So, it's off to pack up a work bag for tomorrow...I always try to tuck a little project away in case there is a wee bit of downtime...we'll see!

A bit of a lapse here in posting all the photos...never could seem to remember the camera batteries when I was out and about. But now...here's a smattering of photos...take a look!

First off, my lovely Kindle cover! Beautiful, just beautiful...I wasn't sure how I'd like it, and it is kind of pricey, but oh, it is gorgeous! This is the Avenue of Trees design in Fern color, and attached is the little Tree of Life charm (freebie)...inside is my sleeping Kindle :-)



Next off, wanted to share the blooms from my garden...this is the first year bloom for the clematis.



Here's a coiled yarn attempt (first time) using a single spun from a TerraBellaSpun Party batt...lots of fun, slow going, but the results are lovely I think...I've named it Gypsy...



And lastly, photos of yarns I'm using this week...Madelinetosh yarn, from Stef of The Backwards Loop, in the Fig colorway for the Mara shawl KAL on Ravelry (on The Backwards Loop forum) and also a DK weight hand-dyed yarn I bought for test knitting a little preemie jacket...I'm thinking this yarn will be oh-so-cute, so we'll see!

for Mara shawl:


for Paxton Preemie Jacket:


Ooops, don't want to forget this cute little crochet pot I made, pattern from Ravelry...link to follow...