granny square afghan

I finished up this granny afghan that I started last April just in time to give to my friend and her new little baby boy.

I'm pretty sure this is one of my oldest wips. I'm very happy to be able to cross it off the never-ending crafting to do list. And, this just goes to show that starting projects without a recipient in mind will almost always become useful in the long run!

The afghan is 38 inches square and is made with a combination of Red Heart Soft Yarn and Bernat Satin Solids. See all the details on ravelry here.

pincushion swap

I participated in a pincushion (+other goodies) swap on one of the Ravelry sewing boards a few weeks ago. For the swap, I made a pear pincushion from Heather Bailey’s pincushion pattern set for Stacey. I had a fun time playing with fabric combos and ended up using the woodgrain because my swap partner’s husband is a woodworker and has just started building their dream home.

I received this lovely package from Vicky. She put together a wonderfully themed package on spring gardening with lots of flower, spring and bee hive related goodies. Isn’t this flower pot and bee hive pincushion set adorable?

Nine patch a day Quilt Along

I got off to a rough start with Amanda's One a Day Quilt Along, but after cutting out a bazillion squares, I was able to catch up and move a bit ahead last night.

Here are my completed blocks so far:

Ribbed Vest

I ran into this pattern on ravelry last week and stopped by my local yarn store to pick up the yarn and pattern to make one for myself. I knit it up in four days with a little break in there to help Jon with his office floor.

The vest is actually knit flat and then folded in half and sewn up the sides to make the arm holes. It's reversible and the pattern is one size fits all with a nice thick, bulky yarn, so it was a fun and quick knit.

Pattern: Baby Alpaca Grande Vest N026
by Sarah Punderson

Yarn: Berroco Peruvia Quick (4 skeins)
Color: 9117 Charcoal Grey
Needles: 13
Rav link: craftr's ribbed vest

Dashing mitts

Earlier this year, Carissa and I set up a crafting swap…my knitting for her needlepoint. We’re both tapped out on the hobbies and have an ever increasing selection of our own crafts displayed in our homes, so this was a great way to swap projects without having to invest in or learn a new craft.

I made up these Dashing hand warmers for her. Because this is a men’s pattern and the previous pair that I made for myself came out a little bit too big, I made a few adjustments to the pattern to size it down a bit.

Pattern: Dashing Mits (from Knitty.com)
Yarn: Berroco Pure Merino
Color: Pesto Genovese (perfect because Carissa is a foodie!)
Needles: Size 5 for a smaller gauge
Adjustments: Reduced thumb length to 6 rows and reduced thumb to knuckle length from 18 rows to 14 rows
Rav link: Dashing

New Etsy finds

I've become a tad bit obsessed with etsy lately....here are my latest purchases:

...a repurposed coffee sack bag. This bag is so roomy and sturdy and I love how the hummingbird is positioned on the front.
Store: BeckyBean

...some Carnelian drop earrings from Carissa's new shop. She even included this super cute credit card wallet with a needlepoint design because I was her first customer. (I did not have much luck photographing my own ears, so here's the picture of the earrings in the bag)

Store: Pidoodle

...a messenger bag that's great for mini knitting projects. I first saw this store on Priscilla's blog for a giveaway and then I had to buy my own once I saw it.
Store: Bayanhippo

Weekend Project: New floor

After living with a carpeted office for two years, Jon finally ripped it out and we converted it to IKEA laminate flooring. This new floor is much better suited to life with two kitties with minds of their own!

The whole process was fairly painless. We managed to get the floor all laid out within two hours.

Then we had to make an emergency trip to Lowe's for some new quarter round molding because of gaps next to the wall.

Jon finished up the project yesterday afternoon and now we're waiting for the custom door to be built before we can call this room finished!