Christmas 2008 Projects

Last Christmas, my mother-in-law bought me a book about knitting. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to pick up. I know sometimes if you start with one yarn craft, you can find the other one to be difficult. I'm blessed enough to find both within my abilities and have found that I might enjoy knitting just a bit more. It doesn't take me as long to complete projects and I can find more patterns that I like. I'm not forsaking crochet. In fact, I am working on an afghan for my little one on the way. However, I have been busy with knitting.

Heirloom Stockings:

My sister and her husband celebrated their first Christmas as a married couple. I decided to mark the occassion with a set of stockings. The pattern is from Holiday Knits by Allison Isaacs. My brother-in-law was super excited because it was his first stocking ever. I used Cascade Pastaza which had the perfect fuzziness and I learned how to do a kitchener stitch and a Turkish heel.

Fingerless Mitts & Mobius Cowl:

For my youngest sister, I made a pair of fingerless mitts and a mobius cowl in a grey mohair I picked up once at a going out of business sale. Only I find out that it is generally advised not to wear mohair close to the skin. She suggested she could wear gloves underneath the mitts to protect her skin from the itchiness. She was wearing black gloves and people kept commenting that it looked like ape hands.

Dragon Scale Mitts:



A friend requested that I make these fingerless mitts for her from the purlbee blog. They pattern was a lot of fun, though I did run into some problems with dropped stitches. I used Blue Sky Sport Alpaca which the pattern request and it is a nice yarn to work with. I liked them so much that I want to make a pair of mitts for me. Though, I will probably use a different pattern so my friend and I don't match.

I also finished a scarf with Malabrigo Aquarella in Solis. Pictures coming soon. I love how it looks with my coat. I should have plenty of baby projects to post here in the near future. I think I queued too many baby projects on Ravelry.

Relisted

For those who haven't heard, I am expecting my first child. I am 19 weeks along and can say pregnancy is tough work, hence my inactivity on this blog and in my shop.

I finally found some time to relist my expired items at reduced prices. Head over to the shop to check out hats, capelets, scarves and more for the upcoming season. As always, a portion of your purchase will go to fight human trafficking.

There is life on this blog

I don't have any pictures of finished projects. I seem to have picked several projects which are monotonous and thus, taking me awhile to finish. I also have a few project that are complete, but just need a few finishing touches (weave in ends, block, etc.) Why is this always so hard to do? Haha.

I do want to show you my new office. I turned a corner of my bedroom into a little cubicle for myself to work and organize my things. I used mostly Ikea furniture and then picked up different organization items here and there. Here are the pictures:

the office

the desk


clean desktop, for now

ikea clock, ikea lamp, eco green notepads, coffee mug as pencil holder

cyma grocery bags for WIPs
(works in progress, for those who don't know)

ikea shelf

wine gift box for needles, plastic tubs for yarn


wire basket for odds and ends,
green home logic basket for projects that need finishing,
ikea vases for yarn and thread

ikea boxes, sterilite tub for yarn, eco green portable filer

ikea boxes and magazine organizers

Checking in.

It's been awhile since I posted. I started some projects that are taking awhile. I also took a bit of a break from making things. I have been busy with several things, some include working on other aspects of the business. Here is the business card that I designed:



I hope to get together a plan for some type of regular post so that I am updating at least once a week. I just want to say thanks to those who have stuck around through my infrequent updates.

Newly listed items

A view at what was recently added to the Finely Wrought store:

Warm Embrace Capelet—This turtleneck capelet is made with Malabrigo's Merino Wool Yarn. I love the rich colors of Malabrigo's yarns.

Dahlia Darling Cloche—This is the first time I have used cotton yarn. I really like how smooth and soft it is. The lace pattern is the same from the Shaking Like A Leaf Cloche.

Showing love with crochet

My sister was here to visit this past week. While she was here, I made a few pieces for her.

Royal Blue Mobius

Sky High Society Vest

Doing the vest a second time was a great way to work out some of the kinks. She was pleased with how it turned out.

I also taught her to crochet while she was here!

I'm finishing up a few more items for the store. I took a short break while my sister was here, but now I am back and ready to crank out some more designs. I woke up planning a design. Haha.

Some more treats.

1. Shaking Like a Leaf Cloche-A cloche worked in a leafy lace pattern
   
   
   
   
   
2. Button It! Neck Warmer-This neck warmer was crocheted with two yarns on the hook at the same time. Navy buttons add the finishing touch.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Making Me Blush Caplet-Two layers of gorgeous Solomon's knot make this caplet look as light as strawberry whipped cream. The cinched front makes it simply adorable.
   
   
   
   
4. Sweet Tooth Candy Cap-This cap is crocheted with confetti-like yarn and adorned with a bright green yarn ribbon.