WIP : Cotton Sweater

I'm knitting a new sweater for Little M out of Manos Cotton Stria that hopefully will be done by the end of summer if not before so he can begin wearing it as soon as it is a little cool. I love the chocolate brown color and so far the pattern is very easy to follow. It is called Lillie's Little Sweater from Cottage Creations. The portion you see here is the beginning of the hood.

woodland elf

I made the woodland elf hat from Amy's new book. It is constructed from one of Mick's old sweaters that he accidently shrunk and then I felted last winter. The material is quite heavy so I was nervous about sewing it on the machine and decided to do it by hand. It took longer but, I didn't mind. It's very cute and I think he will be able to wear it for several years.
Last year we wanted to dress up Little M as a garden gnome for Halloween but, went with a spider instead so, if we go with garden gnome this year I've now got the perfect hat. I think he will be more excited about wearing it once it's not 90 degrees...getting a picture was a bit tricky.

cuffs + buttons

By now, you may know that I love vintage buttons and use them in various ways throughout my crafted, sewn and knitted items. I especially love the ones with rhinestone centers like some of them pictured here.
I have been making handknit cuffs for longer then I can remember. I have gifted them to friends and made several pairs for myself. They are a simple item to wear and a lovely touch to any outfit. I have a few pairs in the shop and am considering making more for the upcoming fall/winter.
I also plan to make some mittens for the shop and do some embroidery on them.

a bonny bonnet

I knit up this baby bonnet as I had leftover Rowan Kid Classic (76% lambswool, 26% kid mohair, 4% nylon) from the Jess Hutch Bunny I did earlier this year. I would love to do this again with the contrast color tie as shown in the photograph and perhaps in a more neutral color scheme although I do love this shade of blue on either boys or girls. I really like the color scheme in the photograph which is described as lending an Early American look but, would also love to see it in a neutral shade with a red tie or even a red bonnet with a cream colored tie. It is sized for 6-24 months which is quite a large size range for baby items and the pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I do like this pattern and will definitely knit it again.
Next up from this book will be the angora baby booties once I go out and purchase the needles.

sea green & purple hydrangea

I first spoke about this here when I was all psyched to dedicate June to working on house projects. I must admit I fell short with my plans there. I had planned a lot more sewing projects and some organizing and cleaning out but, my energies and lack of focus took me elsewhere. However, I did make some useful kitchen items and I did finish these knit placemats this week.
I wanted to make something pretty for the table to encourage myself to slow down and enjoy a meal leisurely at the table. I realize this might mean waiting for a move when the dining room is not next to Little M's and eating quite late at night but, that is fine I will wait for that day and revel in it when it arrives.
Oh, and the beautiful purple hydrangea is from our common yard out back of our building...so pretty and lush.

red mary jane's

I've been in a knitting way. I know some people who don't like to knit in the summer but, not me, I like it year round. I love the rhythm, the feel of the yarn passing through my fingers, the chance it gives me to sit down and relax a little...something I don't allow myself all the time but, actually need to do once in a while.
Plus, when one bangs their toe against the foot of their blanket chest and ends up with a swollen and black and blue pinky toe it is a good thing to do to pass the time. Yup, that would be me...it's on the mend now. I thought it appropriate to show you this finished project that is made for tiny toes because I know you don't want to see a picture of my tiny toe.

I will show you more knitted projects over the next few posts.

red, white and blue crafts

Here are tiny pin cushions and thumbtacks I made in a red white and blue scheme (not actually with the 4th of July in mind) but, a good excuse to show them.
These crafts were made following tutorials over at how about orange which is a fun blog to check out. They are super easy and I had all the supplies on hand except for the right buttons but, they were around $2 so, no big expense.
FYI-I used Vintage seltzer bottle caps for the pincushions and they worked out just fine. We are not big soda drinkers...I'm more of a spritzer girl. My favorite beverage is seltzer mixed with cranberry/raspberry juice or cranberry/pomegranate.
A decaf latte would be second. Hmmm...what would be third? I'll have to think about that one.
Have a happy 4th of July.

xx