Work(s) In Progress

It's been awhile since I have done a "crafty" post and showed you all what I'm currently working on. While I promise I have plenty more DIY tutorials up my sleeve for the future, I figured I'd share a little of what I've been working on as of late.

It's kind of funny really, I generally tend to do so much more knitting and crocheting in the cooler months. I feel like the two go hand in hand with cold days spent cuddled up under a quilt while sipping on a good cup of hot cocoa (spiked with some Bailey's better yet), but lately I've really been in a non-stop knitting and crocheting mode. As much as I enjoy time spent sitting at my sewing machine and sprawling out with the many other craft projects I like to take on, there is just something about the portability of yarn and needles/hooks. This comes in especially handy when you have 2 little ones who don't like to stay in one place for very long.

 I recently finished this hand knit tote bag, or "market" bag, as I like to call it. I found some inspiration on Pinterest, and then began mentally planning out a pattern for it since I couldn't find any that I liked after searching the internet. 

I'm really happy with the way it came out, and now I can't stop coming up with different color combinations and designs for it. I'm thinking I will be listing them in my Etsy shop in the near future.

I've hopped on the hexi craze bandwagon and can't get enough of working up This little pattern over the last few days. They're so quick to create, and the color combination possibilities are endless. I'm working on an afgan for my living room that will match these pillows... Although I'm willing to bet that by the time I finish the blanket, I will have bought new pillows. Story of my life.

I also recently finished this chunky knit heart blanket. I have been trying to work out a pattern/idea for some baby blankets, and this was the result of my first attempt. I still have a few kinks to work out, but it's getting there.

Otherwise, we've been enjoying the summer by spending lots of time outside, going for long walks, playing in the water, and grilling... Max makes a great hamburger!

Hope you're all enjoying your summer and taking the time to do things you enjoy!

-J

Weekly Project Round Up

Perhaps you could call it a form of nesting, but I have been on a bit of a roll lately for starting... and actually finishing projects. Normally, I am notorious for starting things and not finishing them. Just ask my husband.

I have visions; I get lots of ideas, and I am always so excited to get started on these endeavors, but before I can complete something, it seems something else has come along and distracted me.

Not lately though. Lately, I have been getting. stuff. done.

It might be the 3rd trimester discomfort, or the toddler who is getting his 2 year molars. Maybe it's the dog, who can no longer seem to wait until morning to go out and relieve himself. Either way, the lack of sleep I have been getting is certainly preparing me for having a newborn again, and in the meantime, it seems have given me an "I can get by on just a few hours of sleep" mentality. Rather than sneaking in a cat nap of my own during Max's afternoon nap, I have been taking full advantage of the child-free time.
I wanted to share a few of my latest completed projects and where I found the inspiration for some of them!

I got the idea for this adorable shamrock garland, when I saw the pattern for the sweet little crocheted clovers on Everything Etsy.  I'm a huge sucker for a holiday themed garland, so when I saw the link on Pinterest, I just knew I had to make one!

My next project is more of a "work in progress".  I have always adored the look of a handmade granny square blanket, and due to the over abundance of yarn I have recently accumulated, now seemed like as good a time as any to get started on one. These simple squares whip up super fast, and the pattern is so mindless, that I got a handful of them done one evening while watching Modern Family, Mommy's guilty pleasure (one of them anyways!).

I wish I could credit the source for this pattern, but over the 15 years or so that I have been knitting and crocheting, I have acquired a collection of patterns that I have scribbled down and tucked into a binder, and this just happens to be one of them.

Simple Granny Square:

Chain 5, join with sl st to form a ring

Rnd 1:

Chain 3 into center of ring, then 2 dc

*Chain 2, 3 dc into ring, repeat from * twice, chain 2, join with a sl st in top of beg chain 3.

Sl st across the next 2 stitches into corner space

Rnd 2:

Chain 3, 2 dc into corner space, chain 2, work 3 dc into same space, *chain 1, work 3 dc, chain 2, 3 dc into next space, repeat from * twice, chain 1, join with a sl st in top of beg chain 3.

Sl st across the next 2 stitches into corner space.

Rnd 3:

Chain 3, work 2 dc into corner space, chain 2, work 3 dc into same space, * chain 1, work 3 dc into chain 1 space, chain 1, work 3 dc, chain 2, 3 dc into next corner space, repeat from * twice, chain 1, work 3 dc into chain 1 space, chain 1, join with a sl st into top of beg chain 3.

Sl st across the next 2 stitches into corner space.

From here, you should get the idea. You can make these as many rounds as you would like, and even switch colors each round. I've made an entire baby sized blanket before, by just continuing with the rounds. The ones pictured here are each 4 rounds of various colors, and then they are framed with a fifth round of white.

This knitted baby blanket that I talked about in a past post, is currently one of my proudest accomplishments.  I found the pattern for this Super Easy Baby Blanket, over on purlbee.com.  It is the simplest of patterns (perfect for a beginner), works up pretty quickly, and is beautiful and so, so soft when it is done. At first, I thought the blanket was going to be rather small when completed, but it is actually a really nice size.  My excitement over this blanket was reignited every time I added a new color of yarn... 7 times to be exact.

I couldn't love it any more if I tried!

I crocheted this little "rosette top knot beanie", as I have been lovingly referring to it, for our baby girl, who is due next month.  I used Blue Sky Alpaca's organic cotton yarn, and you can't even believe how soft it is.  I am still working out some details with this pattern, but I hope to share it in the future.  I also plan on listing them in my Etsy shop.

Currently, I am working on this patchwork quilt for our daughter's nursery.  I have decided to go with a vintage-y decor, and have fallen in love with an aqua, peachy-pink, and hints-of-gold color palette (more on that in a future post).

Anyhow, originally, I really wanted to be a bit more creative with this quilt, but I adored the fabrics that I chose for it so much, that the thought of cutting them too small to see the detail saddened me.  I decided to go with a simple patchwork design that uses 5.5 inch squares.  When complete, it should measure approximately 45x60 inches.  Seriously though, how sweet are these fabrics?

In addition to all of my other "kicks", I am also currently on a big accessory kick, now that I am about to have a little girl. So, I decided to give these no-sew felt bows a try the other day, after looking at a few tutorials on Pinterest.  In the end, I came up with my own little pattern to achieve the size I wanted for the bows, but I found a great tutorial here. I plan on using some as clips, and turning some into headbands! So many possibilities here.

Last, but not least, I am thrilled to share a new item that will soon be available in my Etsy Shop... A ton of these jersey knit headbands are currently in the works, in a number of fun prints.  

The best thing about these headbands, besides the fact that they are too cute for words, is that they are adjustable. Due to the stretch of the fabric, and depending on where you tie them, they will fit newborns, all the way up through girl's sizes.

I am so excited about these, and can't wait to list them in the shop!

I think that pretty much covers everything for now.  I'm going to keep plugging along until our little lady decides to arrive, and then I get the feeling things will slow down a bit while I adjust to life as a mother of 2!  I get anxiety just thinking about it!!!

-J

Full Disclosure

I think it's time to come to terms with the fact that I may have a bit of a problem.  Not only do I have, what I like to refer to as a severe case of project/craft ADD, but now it seems as though I have developed a bit of a yarn hoarding habit as well.

I'll ask for your forgiveness in advance for the fact that this blog post is going to seem a bit all over the place, but I really felt the need to share some of the projects I am currently working on or have recently completed and even a few recipes we've tried lately and really enjoyed.

If my blogging seems scatterbrained, you can't even imagine the things running through my head on a normal day. My hands just can't seem to move fast enough to keep up with my feverishly racing mind! Perhaps it's nesting, but maybe if I spent a little less time looking for new ideas/projects, I'd actually complete more of them, and put a dent in my ever growing yarn collection.

I just finished, in record time (for me), mind you, this baby afghan for our little princess on the way. I have been crushing on this pattern from Attic24 for a long time now, and it felt so good to get it done with 2 whole months to spare before her arrival. Attic 24 is a brilliant blog, and the woman who writes it, shares the most gorgeous, and free, crochet patterns on her site. If you crochet, it is definitely worth checking out.

I adore this color palette, and how squishy soft the afghan turned out. Now I just can't wait to wrap her up in it and hold her in my arms.

So, it's on to the next project. Yet another baby blanket with a pattern that I have been eyeing for quite some time. I am absolutely obsessed with pretty much everything Purl Soho does. I find myself spending endless hours in the middle of the night (when I can't sleep due to the reoccuring gymnastics routine in my belly every evening), stalking their website or projects with their hashtag on Instagram.

Their Super Easy Baby Blanket is such a simple pattern, but it yields the most lovely results. I am currently on color number 3 of 7 (one color is missing from the photo, because thanks to "pregnancy brain", I forgot it at the yarn store)... And I am already thrilled with how it looks. Seriously, if you're new to knitting, but want to make a blanket, this pattern is perfection.

These baby blankets have been great for something mindless to work on in between the orders I've been getting from my Etsy shop. I've been super busy working on things for lots of little impending bundles of joy, and am feeling so blessed to be able to do something I enjoy so much while also helping contribute to the family income.

These owl hats have been in high demand, apparently they are hugely popular.

As promised, I also wanted to share a few recipes that we've tried lately and really enjoyed. I apologize that in the glutinous moments when I was stuffing these delicious meals into my almost 8-months-pregnant mouth, I neglected to photograph them myself, however the photos from the site are probably much more pleasing to the eyes then mine would have been.

Anyhow, I'm not sure why I never thought to look on the Williams-Sonoma blog before for dinner ideas, but I stumbled across some of their recipes on Pinterest and every single one we have tried, has not only been easy to prepare, but they have all been delicious and used healthy and simple ingredients. The links for all of them can be found here:

Sauteed Chicken Breast with Warm Tomato Salad

Chicken with Mustard and Walnut Coating

Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce

In case you couldn't tell... we like chicken! Enjoy!

-J