So Many New Babies, So Little Time!

Is anyone else experiencing a baby boom? Perhaps its my age group. I tend to do things a bit ahead of schedule. Anywho, the joy of so many babies is the opportunity for so much creativity. I made this onesie dress for a baby girl soon to arrive. She also received a trio of burpies and a Tiramisu Baby Blanket. I just loved the Tiramisu pattern. So simple yet so sophisticated looking. The mama of this baby girl loved it too. That is a pattern I will use again for sure!

The flower was made using this great tutorial. It was much easier than some of the fabric flowers I have attempted...and failed at. This went swimmingly the first try. Score!

Here is a photo of the whole gift. The mama-to-be sent this photo to me in her thank you card. I was completely touched that she incorporated my gifts into her sweet princess' room and sent me a photo to see. So thoughtful. Not often that the thank you includes such a nice gift!

A Granny a Day

I few weeks back I ran into the lovely blog of a woman with a deep love for crochet. She makes gorgeous things, inspires with photos of gorgeous things and says gorgeous things. My fave, "Things seem a little bit better after a granny square". I nearly fell out of my chair. I totally agree!! What is it about those little squares? They are quick. They are easy. You can make them bold and colorful or simple and monotone. You can express your creativity in a matter of minutes and call it complete. Then, after a couple dozen are finished, you sew them together and have a work of art that adorns your home and warms your family. Perfection!

I saw a button on Anna's sidebar and knew immediately that I was all in! A Granny a Day is the challenge. All us crazy granny-makers can link up and find each other. I have a few projects in the works and very little spare time so one a day is probably not going to happen but the rules clearly state that there are no rules...even better! Love this granny-along and I can't wait to meet some fellow granny lovers!

My first installments: A Big and a Little

And this little collection of crochet goodness is for a project that goes with the following photo.


A sneak peek at a very exciting development. I will devulge as soon as I can finish the project. Here's a hint, it's a redecorating project that makes me smile everyday!

Crochet Ornaments

I used a motif from this book. If you are looking for a great gift for a fiber artist, this is one. This book has brilliant motifs that become almost anything...like ornaments:)

Completed Armwarmers and a Gift for Baby

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I adore small knitting and crochet projects. Knitting is very time consuming and given my short attention span and limited crafting time, small = ideal.

Here are the completed armwarmers I made using the lovely yarn I posted about earlier. The color is wonderful and bright and these puppies are super soft and cozy. Not sure if I will gift these or if I must simply keep them for myself. Regardless, this pattern will be used again for sure!
Pattern: Irish Hiking Scarf Armwarmers (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: Hand-dyed wool from farmers market.


Here is my current project. A new baby boy has been born and he must have a crochet blanket, right? I will be working on some other things for him as well.

Life has been crazy. I have been with my kids 24/7 for the last 2 weeks with no time to shop and very little time to craft. Hopefully that will change very soon!

Little Blue Bird

This is the first toy I made for my kids. Not sure what possessed me to do it but one Saturday a few months ago, I sat down and made this. I guess I was inspired by a Ravelry friend of mine who makes tons a goreous toys for her kidlet. I never thought my kids would like a handmade stuffed animal. They have a million stuffed animals that never get played with.

Much to my surprise and delight, they LOVED this little blue bird. It was made months ago and someone carries it with them nearly every day. Don't look too closely cause blue bird is a little dirty from all that love. I promised Grace and Sam that I would make friends for this blue bird. I am thinking a cardinal and a robin. Then we all could have tweetin' good time and the fights would be at a minimum.

This pattern came from my Corchet Today magazine. Not sure which issue but if anyone is interested, I would be happy to go look it up.

The Roselette

I started this sweater right before Christmas for my niece Vaughan. It ended up being far too big for her but it fit my girls just right. The majority of this sweater was complete in one day. I ran into a little snag when I ran out of yarn.

I picked it back up a few days ago and I just love it! Super quick and easy pattern. I used stash again, woohoo! Widdling down that dreaded craft store stash slow but sure.

Cute covered buttons that match the corduroys I made last fall. It will be a great outfit when the pants make it out of the laundry pile over my head.

I added a little fower belli. Not sure I love this particular flower but its on the barrette so not permanent:)

Pattern: The Roselette

A Doug Doll for Sammy

Sam has been begging me to make him a crochet toy since I made a little blue bird for Ella about a week ago. I never thought to make toys for the kids before. I met a gal on ravelry who makes the most wonderful toys and I guess that was my inspiration. That and the fact that I really need to use up some of the stash I have accumulated. I just can't justify buying more until I reduce the current stock.

I have been crocheting my fingers to the bone trying to get this finished before 6am tomorrow morning. You see, my sweet little boy is going in for adenoid surgery and I wanted to give him this friend to hug when he wakes up. Well, mommy gets the first hug but Doug can come in a close second.

Pattern: Gordo and Doug Dolls

What am I Up to?

I have been in a craft frenzy lately. Mostly knitting but some other fun stuff too. I have been such a bum for while so a little movement in this department feels good.

I had this order to fill. The new baby was born two days ago so I am just in time!

Last night I cast on this child's cabled jumper. This will be my first go at cables so wish me luck!

Last week, I started a poncho for the girls. I am using a skein from my stash and I onyl had one on hand. Since it is a craft store yarn I didn't worry about getting more. Well I have finished the first skein and, what do you know, Joann put all of their yarn on sale and sold out of this one. Bummer!! Not sure how long this will have to wait but I will share when it's finished.

I stopped into my local yarn store yesterday to get some needles and I stumbled upon this magazine. It had me at hello. I fell in love with the sweater on the front. It is next in line.

Ahhhhh, Completion

I have been in a bit of a funk lately. I feel scattered and ineffective. I have not been able to get a handle on anything it seems. I set the goal of "finishing" the current, and ever-growing, laundry pile everyday this week and all I could muster was a load or two. The house looks like a bomb went off but no matter how long I spend picking up, it just never looks any better. The day before yesterday I decided that it was time to take back control. My way of doing that was to hunker down and finish something. Here it is:

I am in love with this bag. It is perfect for the fall and I adore the color of the yarn. I used the Stitch and Bitch pattern but changed out the ring handles for these vintage wood ones. You may remember my good fortune of acquiring these handles. They make me happy just looking at them. They are chunky and heavy and feel good in your hand. If you ask me, they are a huge improvement over the cheap-o bamboo rings I originally bought for this project.

Half of the fun was choosing the broach that compliments it best. I have quite a collection now and I had such a ball sorting through them, trying them all on and selecting one. I'm a huge dork, I know, my hubby just reminded me of that. Good thing he loves me anyway!

Since deciding to kick the funk to the curb, I have managed to finish my book, finish the laundry and get the house reasonably clean. Sometimes you just have to muscle through and say NO to the cloudy funk. Its amazing how great I feel today. I think I may head to my local yarn shop for some group knitting tonight. What has gotten into me??

Pattern: fat bottom bag

Really Missing the Nook

I am embarrassed to reveal that the Crafty Nook looks like this, though I find it strangely liberating exposing my mess. Obviously there is not a whole lot of creating going on in this disaster.

No fabric cutting has happened on this table is quite a while. I am in sewing withdrawal. I am dieing to get the second bloomer/tank set done but there is just no time lately.

I am making some progress on the baby blanket. I would like to have it done by early next week. Not likely since my hubby just informed me that he is working Saturday and we are going to visit his dad for father's day on Sunday.

But here is what I have been up to. Princess Vaughan has begun her two day a week outing to Aunt Shanny's. I have 5 kids at home with 4 under 5 years old now. Its a lot of work but totally worth it! I am just going to have to learn to stay up later if I want to get back into the Nook. I can do it!

Yeah, totally worth it.

Purple Water Lily

A Birthday Gift

A sweet friend of mine turned 30 a couple of weeks ago so I had to make her something. I thought she would really enjoy a bobble stitch pouch with a vintage broach. I decided to line this bag and include a couple of credit card slots and a cell phone pocket so that she can use it as a little clutch if she'd like. I am in love with this rosy pink color and I think the broach compliments it nicely.





Happy birthday my friend!

Back in the Crafting Saddle

I have been home nearly a week from a family vacation to Phoenix. We had such a wonderful time and seeing my extended family was great! I must admit that I have been in a bit of a funk. The funk sapped all of my creative energy for a while. I think its just a matter of readjusting to life as usual.

Today I finally felt up to venturing into the Crafty Nook for a little creative expression. Here is what came of my couple hours of quiet time.

I used one of the sheets that I thrifted with some fabric scraps and made the girls a skirt with pockets. I am happy with the finished product and so was my little Ella Belle.

I bought this book at Jo Ann a couple of weeks ago. It is full of incredible motif patterns. I am not sure what I am going to do with these but I just love them, especially the pansy. I'm sure I will come up with something.

Busy Little Bee

I got the itch to make some stuff again. I guess house keeping has lost its appeal...not that it ever really had any. I have actually been a bit better at time management. Amazing how you can get a whole lot done when you budget time for it.

Here are 2 diaper pouches (one fabric and one crochet) and a little cosmetic pouch. I have to say that these diaper pouches are super handy! My girls are 2 now so I don't carry a diaper bag anymore. I just keep a pouch with diapers and wipes in my car and it is adorable, contained and really convenient!

I adore this little bag. Its bobble stitch again. I added one of the vintage broaches I bought at the flea market.

This is my first ever zipper. As usual, I screwed it up the first time but after a quick undoing, I think I got it. I am going to make another for myself. Such a great size to hold all of my lip glosses (I'm a gloss nut!).

Hopefully these little gifts will make for some happy recipients!

The diaper pouches are of my own creation but the cosmetic pouch pattern came from here.

Latest Project

I have decided that my new favorite project is bags. No woman can have too many and one in every color of the rainbow is certainly in order, I think. Here is a little clutch with a removeable flower. I simply love the lining fabric. I think I may try and get some more and use it in my house somewhere. What do you think?






Of course I should give credit where credit is due. The pattern for this bag came from here.

Happiness Comes in a Box From Amazon!

I joined the knit and crochet community, Ravelry, and fell in love instantly. There is so much inspiration to be had on this site that I was really overwhelmed! A cool part of the site is seeing other people's projects and where the pattern came from. I immediately got on Amazon and ordered a couple of crochet books that were referenced on Ravelry. I needed to reach a certain amount to qualify for free shipping so I decided to finally get a couple of Amy Butler books too. I have been so impressed with your projects, Katie and Melissa, that I had to see where these great things came from.

I also bought two books from Jo Ann this weekend, The Impatient Embroiderer and a book on appliques. My craft library is getting a little out of control seeing that I have not even attempted much of what is in these books. It is time that I quit buying and start creating! I guess I just want to be prepared for anything!

This is my latest project. It is a full-size ripple afghan for the family room. I just love this simple pattern and I have wanted an afghan for me for a long time. I have been scared to start such a big project worried that I would give up in the middle but I am 2 days in and making pretty good progress. I am hoping to have this completed in a couple of weeks.

We are Ready for the Beach!

I finally booked our week at the lake this summer. It has been tough finding a place that has everything we want and is in budget but I think I found just the place. It is in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. It is on the beach and sleeps all 12 of us (Ry and Jay and family, Lindsey and Mom are joining us). Historically we have gone to the Michigan side of the lake but my dad suggested we check out Wisconsin and it seems like a pretty good deal. I'll report back after our trip!


I honor of this exciting vacation development, I went to work on a summer hat for the girls. Here is what I came up with. It is really light and airy. That was a concern because I want Ella and Grace to keep them on while in the sun. I, of course, had to add a little strawberry Belli to match the edging. Ella graciously agreed to model for me so here it is.




And the Belli is a barrette so here Ella is wearing it on a headband. So fun!

Crochet Bag: Completed

Its not perfect but I am happy with my first bag. I think the next one will flow quite easily. It is a sweet little summer bag!

Yay...More Handles!

Here is the second set. A little bit different shape and a chunkier feel than the others. I love them both!!

The girls and I popped into JoAnn this morning and I grabbed a couple of fabric options for the lining. Can't wait to get this done but I will not lie, I am nervous about the assembly. Oh well, so much of learning can only be done through experience. I'm off to crochet and watch a little boob-tube while the kiddos nap. Toodles!