christmas decorating and some knitting projects

I haven't been here very much lately because I have been so busy but, I thought I'd pop in to say hello and show you some of our Christmas decor and a few knitting projects I have on on the go.



The purple one is a shawl and I'm about to start the lace section. It's Flukra and I'm knitting it with Sanguine Gryphon yarn. Flukra means "snow falling gently in large flakes." So beautiful.

The brown is another Peaks Island Hood in Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair. It was so fun to knit the first one and I had yarn for another.

-I learned about the Japanese art of Ikebana this week at my garden club meeting. It was a very interesting look at flower arrangement.

Enjoy your weekend.

xx

spool of thread necklace

While browsing around pinterest one night I spotted this sweet necklace and decided to try it out myself. I used some wire and buttons on either end of the spool. Beads could also be used in place of buttons. Since I didn't have a chain long enough I used embroidery floss for stringing it. I have a few more spools picked out to use- a silvery purple and a vibrant green. These spools came from my Mother's sewing basket which I raided a few years ago.If you want to try this out a pair of jewelry pliers are helpful for bending the wire.

Unrelated:
My daughter fell in love with a giant unicorn the other day. Dare I a purchase something so crazy as a giant stuffed animal because um... I am not making one.

tweed toast

I finished up a pair of toast for a Christmas gift. I knit them on smaller needles then the pattern called for- using a size 5 and Rowan Tweed . I want to make the kids some mittens but am knitting them fox scarves first.

I am devoting some time each day to work on my quilt which is coming together little by little. I can almost see an end. A bit of embroidery on two samplers takes place now and then and reading too.

December is upon us and we just brought in the Christmas tree. I am looking forward to decorating it tomorrow.

Have a lovely weekend friends..

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing

I purchased The Liberty Book of Home Sewing recently and am pretty in love with many designs in the book.



I chose the Rose Corsage first because I had all the materials on hand and thought it was pretty. Though I have made quite a few fabric flowers over the years what I liked about this one was that it involved fusing two Liberty prints together so that although it is not reversible there is another print on the backside. This provided it with a sculptural quality which allows for moving the petals a bit and giving them more shape and structure.

Hand sewing this was fun though a bit difficult because although I did use a strong needle getting it to push through all of the fabrics required some leverage a few times. Still, I want to make more. I think I might try the book covers next.

Here a few of my favorites in the book:






Another review here.

felt bead necklaces

I love the simplicity and the dash of color that these wool felt bead necklaces bring to any outfit.
More color choices are available if you have one in mind let me know.
These two shown are in my Big Cartel shop.

Happy Thanksgiving

chocolate bar coasters

The cold weather is arriving and drinking warm beverages is one of the best things about this time of year. I recently remembered seeing a tutorial on the Purl Bee last year for chocolate bar coasters and decided to knit some up. The pattern drew me in because it is a nice textured pattern, one that is easy to wind down with at the end of the night and it included the magic word - chocolate - in the title.

Hot Chocolate is a treat I indulge in a few times a week and believe it or not I don't take mine with marshmallows. I like it most rich like drinking chocolate or chocolate soup but sometimes a good old fashioned milk chocolate cocoa or one with spices or mint is what I crave. I really like the Jacques Torres and MarieBelle blends. Do you have any favorites? I'd love to hear about them.

I think these coasters would make an excellent resting spot and they are made from machine washable wool so no worries and since I made more then my fair share I think it would be safe to say someone will be seeing these under their tree this year.

Odds and Ends:

*We had a birthday last week- Matthew is SIX.
*I opened up a Big Cartel store and the link is on the right. I will be adding more items (only two right now) soon so please check back.
*My childhood desk made it's way to my home over the weekend. This desk was also my Mom's as a child so it's pretty special and I really needed extra storage for all my crafty odds and ends. It makes me happy to have this piece in my home. I remember all my Little Women dolls lined up on one shelf and a little Native American doll on the other but, I can't remember who was next to her. I remember writing in my diary and doing my homework here.
*I am working away on my quilt.