Christmas Stitching

I've had to edit my Christmas stitching list down to only a very few items for lack of time, but I'm happy to say I finished three of them recently. The puppet scarf (pattern via Red Heart Yarns) is for my niece















...and the hat/scarf set is for her little brother.















I used my loom for the hat and made it in less than an hour. The coordinating scarf took a bit longer, but both were the products of a rare and wonderfully quiet Sunday parked in a rocking chair next to the heater.

Four Months' Worth of Posts...All Rolled into One

I came here to find those old Airstream links (still in love with Loobylu's afghans in campers photo set), and it hit me that I haven't posted in ages. Here's what I've been busy with...

Crocheted fingerless gloves for Susan:














Stitched an "RB" monogram onto a linen towel for Gina:














Made a hat for Deuce's trip to Latvia:














Finally turned my HomeSweet fabric into a pillow for the living room:














Hosted a 40th Anniversary dinner for Mom and Dad:


















Made a happy discovery:


















Adopted a handsome betta fish:














Got my own baby chicks!














And grew a corgi. Zeke will be 1 year old next week.

Hooking

If you're on my Christmas list, be prepared to receive a scarf this year. I've been turning them out like crazy. I love the Stitch & Bitch Crochet One-Skein Scarf pattern and found some other great patterns on Ravelry.

This cowl is the Martha Cowl Scarf by Little Thingies.














Here's one of many One-Skein Scarves piling up in my sewing room.


















And I love-love-love this soft wool yarn from Italy.

Welcoming Baby Boys

We've been busy welcoming baby boys to the world. I made the Beatles outfit for baby Julien, and Snoopy for baby Jordan. The crocheted cotton caps are another pattern from Polka Dot Posh, and the pants are Made by Rae's Big Butt Baby Pants.

Booties

I'm in love with every single pattern at Polka Dot Posh. Fortunately I've needed gift ideas for several babies lately. These little green booties were my first PDP project.














The covered buttons match the fabric in the onesie.

What happened?

It appears I needed all of January to get my blogging act back together after the holidays and a trip to Disney World. I don't know how an entire month flew by just like that, but so it did.

Last night I finished a quilt for my nephew. I've also spent the past few weeks crocheting a couple hats; starting and then unravelling a pair of crocheted socks (I've yet to find the perfect pattern for that); and making crock after crock of homemade soup--one of my favorite comfort foods for the winter months.

Here's Milo's quilt. It's quite late (he'll be 2 in June) but hopefully he won't hold it against me.

Crocheted kaleidoscope

These little potholders have been making me so happy. I bought this pattern last summer and have been carrying a bag of cotton yarn around with me ever since.















Also I've completed three more caps and will finally be shipping them all off to Bean tomorrow.

Cleaning and Crocheting

This may not look like much to you, but believe me when I say it makes me want to dance a happy jig. My sewing room has been such an overwhelming mess that I had to close the door on it for the past few weeks. Finally I got to spend a couple hours of cleaning and organizing last night. Now I can't wait to get back in there and mess it up again!














Since there was no room to sew in the sewing room, I've been crocheting all over the rest of the house. Here's a wool scarf for my little brother, who’s turning 38 this week.

Fun with yarn

Bean is planning her second annual "Warm Heads, Happy Hearts" hat distribution, so I've been crocheting hats to send her way.

This one is the Basic Bucket Hat from Angel's Crochet.














And these are the Woman's Granny Hat from Suzie's Stuff.


























I'm pleased to say I learned a new stitch for the edging on those last two: the reverse single crochet, or crab stitch. Who knew crocheting backwards could be so much fun? Next up: a couple of Boy Beanies.

Waiting for Chilly Weather

I crocheted this raspberry beret and ruffle scarf last month, but Mavis is the only one willing to wear them in our 90-degree September weather. The beret is from Get Lucky Designs (the pattern is available here), and the scarf is a modified version of one in Funky Chunky Crocheted Accessories.


















Thanks, Gina, for the styling tip!

Sunflower Potholder

I started this on a camping trip and finished it in bed one night. Last week I sent it off to North Carolina, along with a tangerine Fiesta Ware baking dish, for my friend Eliz's birthday. The vintage pattern is from Denise Crochets.

Hostess gift

Tomorrow morning we're flying out to the Midwest to spend a long weekend with some friends. For the hostess gift, I made another set of bird towels and crocheted some cotton washcloths to match.































I'd hoped that Olivia and I would get a chance to make our own soap for the package, but you know how that goes...so I substituted a set from Colonial Williamsburg.

Pillow Plans

It's been eight years since we bought our sofa and loveseat, but we're still using the throw pillows that came with them. Result: a total overdose of green. In an effort to give the living room a teensy bit more character, I've been making plans for new pillows.

This fabulous block-printed fabric is from HomeSweet. I'm picturing a simple pillow that highlights the lovely print, like this one.














A few months ago I fell head over heels for this faux bois crochet pattern from Crochet Today. I had great fun making it, but the result is pretty wonky. I'm hoping I can block the heck out of it and finish it up one day soon.














Finally, I have some pretty brown linen that's been waiting patiently for the addition of an embroidered Mountain Bluebird (courtesy of an old Martha magazine).

It's all about the cats.

This post was going to be about a new afghan I've started, but Sunshine (Violet's sister) was determined to steal the show.

Working on...nothing

I'm in a slump. I've had a cold for a week. I recently finished everything on my "to-make" list and as I sit around on the sofa with a stuffy nose and empty hands, I'm frustrated to be lacking the energy to decide what to make next. Sure hope this doesn't last much longer; I'm bored!

Here are photos of the Valentine gifts we gave O's teachers. Crocheted cotton washcloths and homemade glycerine soaps.

Mountain Streams

I made 20 Christmas gifts this year. I enjoyed every project, but this was my favorite: an afghan for my mother, who has had a rough year. When I'm feeling blue, my favorite thing to do is snuggle under a homemade afghan or quilt and nap or read a book. I'm hoping this afghan brings some comfort to my Mom, who takes such good care of her family. I named it "Mountain Streams" because it reminds me of the beautiful property on my parents' farm here in the Blue Ridge.














The pattern is Lion Brand Yarn's Motif Afghan. I increased the width and length by a couple of rows/columns.

Meet Mavis, Deirdre, and Tom

A few weeks ago I commented that I'd like to get my hands on a styrofoam head for modeling hats. Turns out Santa was listening.











Poor Mavis is still a little chilly. Deirdre is modeling my latest Urban Chunky Newsboy Cap. And Tom is wearing the Boy Beanie I tucked into Jeff's Christmas stocking.

Thanks so much, John and Deuce! And a merry Christmas to all.

Hat Joy

I've discovered an amazingly gratifying project: crocheting hats. I made these two recently for Bean's Winter Warm-Up Drive. The pattern is the "Boy Beanie," originally published in Stitch & Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker (an awesome book!) but also available for free on the Open Source Crochet Project. I added a couple of extra rows to make it warmer.














And this one came together while we watched the delightful Kit Kittredge movie this afternoon. The pattern is the Crazy Easy Urban Chunky Newsboy Cap by Nutella Dreams Late Night Crafts.














I really need one of those styrofoam hat models!

Another Afghan in the Works

I've been carrying this cheerful orange bag around with me everywhere, and the segments of a new afghan are starting to pile up.














The growing stacks, sorted by size and color, make my inner Virgo very happy.

Afghan Adventures

Gina, who received the soy afghan blogged last week, sent me this photo of her sweet dog, Pilot. She wrote, "Pilot is strictly forbidden to be anywhere near the afghan, but a special 2-second exception was made when he saw Violet snuggled on top of it on your blog! Notice him licking his lips: did someone say 'soy'?"