Been absent, but busy!!!

So my last post here was almost a year ago... yikes! I have not given up my crafting, although I did have to take a short break due to a couple of knitting-related injuries- stabbing my finger with a very sharp size 2 needle, and then a bout of knitter's elbow. But, I have been very productive since recovering! I've worked on several scrapbooks, sewed a couple of things, and knitted a lot! Take a look:


These were part of our Christmas gifts for family and friends. I actually made more, but had already given them away!

A couple of close ups and break outs...

All the grandma's favorite pattern cloths:


Diagonal Ripple discloths:


"Tea" dishcloth with the other cloths included in Aunt Peg's gift. I found the pattern on ravelry.


Christmas tree cloth I designed... but, of course, did not write down the pattern. Could probably figure it out by looking at it, but I already gave it away. I'll just be sure to write it up if I try the pattern again!


Illusion "C" cloth I also designed... and sorta have the pattern to.


And, my new favorite pattern... Diagonal Chinese Waves cloth! I found the stitch pattern, but changed it to be worked as a diagonal cloth. I do have the pattern for this one, and will post it here shortly!

Chocolate Box Cloth

Our 1st Feb KAL cloth is this cute Chocolate Box Cloth. It had me guessing until day 4 of the pattern! I used P&C cotton in red and size 7 needles. Here's the knit side,

And the purl side. I think they each show the pattern well.

I'm sending it to my mom for her Valentine's Day gift. That is, unless DD1 hides it on me again! I finished it on the 6th, and gave it to her to admire. Later that evening I wanted to take a pic and post it, but couldn't find the cloth! DD1 was already in bed, and after my fairly thorough search of her toys yielded nothing, I decided I'd have to wait until the morning to ask her.

"Where's momma's red cloth?"
"Uhhhh..."


"In here, momma!"

And now, the rest of the story...

As promised, here is the complete story of the 2nd Jan KAL cloth.

Since I had started the 1st Jan KAL late, I knitted it all at once. So, I was determined to knit the 2nd Jan KAL each day as the pattern was released. (Why it matters to me, I'm not sure. It's just one of the idiosyncracies of my personality. Somehow knitting the cloth "when you're supposed to" makes it more perfect???) I was very anxious to start, but didn't have any variegated yarn. I was in a quandry. Until I remembered this:

Someone (who shall remain unnamed) sent this when DD1 was born 2+ years ago. I had 40 or so bibs for her- all gifts and hand me downs- that were pink and girly, so I never used it. Then DD2 was born, and the pink continued its reign. So this darling bib, well made and sturdy, has been tucked away in our basement for some time now. I figured now was the time to put it to use! I enlisted some help...

DD1 was a willing and eager participant in our excursion to the frog pond. Her reward was her own balls of yarn- saved from the neck straps. While I know this wasn't the intended purpose for the beautiful bib, it finally has a purpose in our house.

Current project

Now that I'm done with the first February KAL, I'm returning my focus to my Liesel scarf. Once I figure out how to link in my posts, I'll link to the pattern, but I found it on ravelry. I'm using Bernat Softee Baby yarn in white with size 6 needles. I know, it's not lace yarn, and white is boring, but I'm still in practice mode. I do like the softness of the yarn and thought maybe I could dye the yarn once I'm done??? I've completed 8 repeats of the pattern so far, and it measures about 9 inches, so I guess I'm about 1/4 to 1/6 completed--not sure how long I want it to be yet.

New Finished Objects!

I joined a Knitalong group this year and have been having a lot of fun knitting some really cute cloths. The challenge is to knit 24 cloths during the year- 2 each month- and so far, I'm right on track! Unfortunately, with the whole computer fiasco, I have not been able to post any pictures of them yet! But, here they are!

The first January cloth was this football- I finished it while watching the Pats beat the Chargers. (I don't even want to talk about the Superbowl.) I used white P&C yarn and size 7 needles. A quick and easy cloth to get me back into knitting- and only my 5th knitted FO ever!



I'll post the whole story about the second January cloth later, but here's a pic of the finished object anyway.
I used some yarn I had- see future post for details- and size 5 needles because I wanted a tight, small cloth and needed to make sure I had enough yarn to make it all. I think the pooling is interesting, but it does obscure the pattern some.



I did the first February cloth, a wicked cute chocolate box in P&C red, but I gave it to my 2 year old to admire, and cannot find it to photograph it now! So instead, enjoy my new favorite cloth- "radiating hearts" in bright pink. I really like the pattern and absolutely love the color! (So would my sil, and it would be a great house warming gift for her, but I don't know that I can part with it-- knitting the ssks was fine, but the k2togs gave my fingers wicked cramps!)


I did finish LIly's crochet sweater and one for her doll- and took a pic of them- but the pic disappeared from my camera and I've given the sweaters to her already. I think it had something to do with my 2 yr old again! Hopefully I'll have pics of that soon.

Scrapbook swap page

I made this page for my Creative Memories team's annual page swap. I love it so much I almost didn't give it away!



I used the Petal Multi-maker, Heart Maker, Square Maker, Shades of Pink Taffy paper, mini tape runner, and Precision Point Glue pen. The "stitches" were made using punched petals. It was a bit tedious, but well worth the effort. Since I have girls, I used pink, but you could use another color for a different theme. The design is fairly universal; How about a page to celebrate a special quilt or quilter? Maybe a child and their security blanket? Or perhaps for a family, with a title like "stitched together with love"?

It must be in my blood

I want to thank my grandmothers and mother for instilling in me a love of crafting. From my first needlepoint, a cute french-knotted strawberry, to my treasured nap blanket and crocheted Christmas slippers, I've been raised to appreciate handmade crafts. Now that I am creating these lovely traditional works of art myself, I have a desire to share my appreciation, and inspire a similar affection, not only in the hearts of my own children, but also in everyone I meet. As I share my journeys in crafting, I pray you will see the meticulous skill and care I use in creating my pieces as a base reflection of God's incredible handiwork in all of creation.