Milet mittens

These gorgeous mittens and kit were a Christmas present to myself. I LOVE how these turned out. As with most of my mittens, I lined these with cashmere from a thrifted sweater. They are perfect for the 10-25F degree days we've been having this winter. It's been comparatively mild so far this winter.

Glenfidditch Hat

I needed a quick project that was challenging, cute and quick. The Glenfidditch Hat kit by Barrett Wool Company fit the bill.

Sun Salutations Quilt Top

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ETA (2/8/20)

What an absolutely lovely quilt. I am so happy with how this one turned out - and it came back to me in February, right when we need some respite from the gray and white snowscapes all around us.

The quilting was done by the extremely talented Heather of Blue Turtle Quilting.

Flannel Quilt

I surprised myself with some extra time this holiday break and cut and sewed another quilt top! This one is made of mostly blue flannels and was a joy to cut and assemble.

This is another quilt kit - my preferred way to sew quilt tops these days - this time from Bluprint (Craftsy). It is the Marcus Fabrics Blue Boxes Flannel Quilt Kit.

I was a bit nervous after reading some of the reviews. Lots of folks talked about crooked prints and running out of fabric. I had just enough and not much to spare (I didn't run out) and I also wasn't too bothered by prints not lining up exactly. I can see how this might annoy some quilters, but I am not a perfectionist. I am more of the 'let's see if we can even pull this off' kind of sewer - so I was thrilled with the final result.

The finished top, batting, backing, and binding is already with Heather at Blue Turtle Quilting. She thinks this one might be done by mid-February!

Owl Mittens

A fun WIP that I will get back to someday this winter...

Spring Flowers

Finished in time for the spring and summer blossoms. Now to frame it...

And yes. It is another lovely design from Posie by Alicia Paulson.

Sweet Home and Six Completed Sets!

I think I can probably admit myself to the Alicia Paulson fan club.  Just yesterday I put the last stitch in the 18th of her 18 holiday ornaments when I completed her "Sweet Home" kit.

[Even though we don't have a blue door, or stone archway, my youngest daughter suggested putting our house numbers above the door.  I love this special touch!]

I have process photos here, here and here, but I don't have full photos of each of the ornaments.  There are three that slipped by without being photographed (snowflake, deer and cabin w/red door)

Instead, I have the following photos of the 18 completed ornaments below. They run up our banister and hang from some fake garland with safety pins.  I know that someday - when the kids all move out and on to having their own trees - our tree will feel bare.  And we'll be able to put these ornaments on our tree when those years arrive.  Until then, they can hang in the hallway for us to enjoy all season long.

They are a bit out of order since the kids help hang them up, but you can see all the kits and/or pattern sets here:

Snowy Day

Night Before Christmas

Winter Cabin

Sweet Home

Ice Skating Afternoon

Walk in the Woods

Night Creatures

For my birthday my girls gave me some yarn to make these fantastic Night Creatures mittens.  I was inspired by one of the color combinations I saw in ravelry and went for it with a great red accent.

The pattern calls for a knit lining, but I've had pretty good luck with upcycled mittens and decided to make a quick cashmere lining instead.

I made a quick trace of the mittens, machine sewed them to fit my hand, pinked the edges and then hand sewed them in place. 

Baa-ble Hat

Each holiday season we spend time with my husbands family during the days following Christmas.  This year I started a hat kit that I purchased at the WI Sheep and Wool Festival.  My nieces watched me cast on for the project and challenged me to knit it on one day.  And I almost made it!  I didn't in a million years think that I would knit as much as I did so I didn't bring my double-points along with me.  The last bit of the top of the hat had to wait, but I got about 90% finished in one day.  Yeah for some selfish holiday knitting time!

I left the babble off the hat for now.  I've never been very good at making pom-poms so thought I would leave this one be for now.  Pretty cute, huh?

Shawl

It's slow going on this shawl, but the result will be worth it!

Handmade Halloween

This years Halloween was pretty fun.  I returned to my favorite mask designer, Oxeyedaisey, on Etsy and purchased her fox and skull mask patterns and went to town.  I made all the masks from wool felt this year, and purchased pieces from Prairie Woolens - what an amazing selection they provide!

I stayed with a traditional skull for my husband but worked embroidery into my mask and turned it into a Catrina theme with flowers and a veil.

The pirate designed and developed her own costume from the (sadly) increasingly neglected dress-up box.  My three woodland creatures took a bit of help from me.

The fox was straightforward and we added an improvised tail from flannel and fake fur.  The hedgehog mask was purchased from on The Masked Menagerie on Etsy.  I self-designed the body suit with lots of inspiration and a tutorial from Alida Makes.  The whitetail deer was improvised off the base pattern from the fox, with inspiration for coloration and details from Magical Attic on Etsy.

Overall the costumes turned out great and the masks will be heirlooms in our costume closet.  Indeed, this holiday I loaned out our wolf, rooster and hen masks to friends for Halloween fun!

"Who" knows what next year will bring...maybe a family of wise owls?!

FO: Hitofude

I finished up Hitofude and just love it.  The color and lace work are amazing and the yarn feels great against my skin.  

We just got a new puppy so I don't have a lot of opportunity to wear it (or any of my handknits, really) but it is a great addition to my collection.  

The pattern is really ingenious and I love telling people about the construction of the sweater.  It is so different from others that I have knit, or western patterns in general. 

I highly recommend this pattern for people that have some passing experience with lacework and are ready to take it to the next level.  The pattern is very well explained and I didn't lose my place, not even one time.  The fit is flattering and forgiving and I think the styling suits a wide variety of wardrobe preferences.

As always...details on my ravelry page.

Pattern Test: The Messenger Bag

I am one lucky girl.  This past month I was able to test sew a pattern for my friend Melissa Q. from a happy stitch.   I am not an accomplished sewer - very much still a beginner - but I am keen on adding new skills and giving this messenger bag a test run was a great experience. 

Overall it took under 4.5 hours to cut, prepare, assemble and sew the bag - not bad for something so incredibly functional, unique and awesome.  My favorite feature - aside from the slender, compact size and customized strap length - are the inside pockets.  Perfect for a phone, lip gloss, pens and your headphones.

As a beginning sewer I was a bit nervous about how it all might come together, but following Melissa's photos and clear directions made it very easy to pull off.  She provides lots of helpful hints along the way.

It is quite a professional looking bag and I have gotten lots of compliments on it already.  The lining looks wonderful and fits well.  The bag is also reinforced with interfacing, giving it the right amount of body and structure without any additional bulk.

The biggest compliment of all is that one of my older daughters (9yo) desperately wants to have this. "Mom, messenger bags are WAY cooler than backpacks," she says.  I have to agree with her on that.  Especially when it is this messenger bag we're talking about!

The pattern for this bag should be available in Melissa's Etsy store starting today.  Go pick up the pattern, find some fantastic fabric and sew yourself one.  You won't be sorry you did.