Look Familiar?

I followed through and made Zack his very own pair of knit slippers. My sister saw mine and started laughing. "I haven't seen slippers like that since we were little kids!" She may just find herself with a pair of "kid" slippers for Christmas.

Crocheted Spider Pattern

As I was browsing online yesterday, I found a pattern for this hat by Girl In Air. It was too cute not to make. Instead of putting a flower, I designed a spider to put on mine. My husband was surprised and a bit impressed (which is a good thing if he doesn't know everything about me after 7 years, right?). I also learned the magic circle technique, which I LOVE! How did I not know this before? I have linked it in to the spider pattern and it can also be found as a link from the hat pattern. I thought about putting googly eyes on my spider, but decided against it for this particular project. Here is my finished hat, followed by directions to make your own spider.

Crocheted Spider

Using size F hook, create a magic circle using 6 sc, or ch 4, join to form ring, ch 1 and sc 6 in ring. Join with slip stitch to first ch. ch 1. sc in each back loop around. Join to first ch with slip stitch. ch 1. 2 sc in each sc around. Join to first ch with slip stitch. Finish off.

Legs: (Make 8) Ch 6. On what would be the 7th ch, fasten off.

Attach legs to body. Stitch down to hat, or whatever you would like.

*Note: If you linked here from the Tea Rose Home Link Party, thanks for stopping by! The return button is on the left sidebar.

Mummy Dearest

Here is my latest project. Or, rather, this is the 3rd version of this project. These mummies are so simple and quick to make. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with
this one. Some lucky person will get it. I have a few people in mind but haven't decided on anyone yet.

You say "Witch" Like it's a Bad Thing

Blog Give Away gift number 2 has been given. Amy was the lucky recipient of this adorable witch. The pattern may be found in the September/October issue of Fons' and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. I'm not allowed to have cute Halloween decorations, so I am glad that it went to a good home.

UFO No More

A few weeks ago while I was thinking of a new project, my husband made the comment thay maybe I should finish a project instead of starting a new one. A challenge for me, given my prove-you-wrong disposition. I had recently been given a quilt top that I had tied and needed binding. I put the binding on and told him that I had finished a project, to which he replied, "Yes, but you didn't start it." Men.

So, last night I pulled out my oldest UFO. I began these slippers at least 15 years ago and they have been sitting in my closet ever since, with only the second slipper needing about 10 rows to be finished. In less than an hour they were finished and I was laughing hysterically. My husband could not understand what was funny. Finally, I tried to explain to him how silly the second slipper looked. I really had no idea what I was doing 15 years ago and my mother had me do the knitting and then she sewed the seams on the slipper. That, coupled with 15 years of my little memory, was my downfall. The second slipper is finished, but looks ridiculous and is not nearly as comfortable as the one my mother stitched. My husband didn't see why it was funny. Really, I suppose it isn't, but sometimes in life isn't it better to just laugh? I thought about undoing it and trying again, but I figured this was more memorable. I will wear them around the house until they wear out and perhaps try again (my knitting knowledge is far superior to what it was 15 years ago). My son thought they were something special, though, so I think I will knit him a pair. Yet another new project for my husband to give me the raised eyebrow over.

Top 10 Patterns for Crochet Sweaters

As I was checking my email this morning, I opened up the newsletter from Interweave. Mostly it was updates from a recent conference and examples of how crochet is so versatile. Then, at the bottom of the email, there it was. An introduction to their new e-book.

Can you tell which sweater(s) caught my eye?? Which ones catch your eye? Oh! I fell in love with pattern 3 immediately. It was love at first sight. Is it possible to create a sweater that smooth with crochet? The answer must be yes, for there it is in the book of crochet patterns. (I also like patterns 2, 7, 8 & 10)

I immediately clicked the link to purchase the book. Then I sat back in excitement, wondering how long it would be until it appeared in my mailbox and I could paw through the pages. I decided to blog about it to share my excitement and returned to the email for the picture, only to notice the words "e-book." E-BOOK?! You mean I can have it NOW?!! I rushed back to Interweave and found that it was true. My book was ready to download and is now saved on my hard drive. Now for the matter of purchasing yarn for my beautiful sweater. . .

Crocheted Dishcloth

*If you are looking for the blessing gown post, it is below this one.*

This is a pattern for some very easy, very quick dishcloths.

Materials: Crochet hook size G
Sugar and Cream yarn (I use a cone, so I don't know an exact yardage. I'm sure one
ball would be enough, probably with leftovers)
Yarn needle

Ch 35.
Row 1: dc in 4th chain from hook and in each ch across. Ch 1.
Row 2: sc in next dc and in each dc across. Ch 3.
Row 3: skip first sc, dc in next sc and in each sc across. Ch 1.
Rows 4-end: Repeat rows 2-3 until dishcloth is square, ending on a Row 3. DO NOT CUT OFF.
Border: ch 1. *sc in same dc and in each dc across. 3 sc in corner dc. Working in sides of rows, 1 sc in each sc and 2 sc in each dc.* Repeat from * to * once. sc in dc (making 3 sc in beginning dc) and sl to beginning ch. Fasten off.

Using the yarn needle, weave ends of yarn in to dishcloth.

Blessing Gown

My latest project has been a blessing gown for my niece, Phoebe. It was definitely a learning experience. I spent more time on the skirt than on the bodice! Does that ever happen?! Here is the completed dress with a few pictures centered on details.
I also made a matching headband using leftover lace, satin, and a rosette. I looked everywhere in town for a white satin headband with nothing on it and couldn't find one. It wasn't hard to make and it was nice to know it would fit her head, since I could use her measurement for it.

Receiving Blankets

My sister had a baby last Friday and I have a good friend having a baby in September. I sat down and made them each a receiving blanket and matching burp cloth. These are fairly popular gifts and you can never have too many of them. I found that most of the ones I was given ended up going crazy in the wash. Most people simply crochet the edges (or serge the edges) and call it good. This leads to the fabric not staying put in the wash, and you end up with the fabric winding its way over the edge. The blanket that my grandmother made was the exception to this event. What did she do differently? She simply sewed a circle in the center and another closer to the blanket's edge. I tend to be more of a more is better person, so I have made it a practice to do concentric circles about 3 inches apart on my blankets ever since. I also stitch extra on the burp cloths, for the same purpose. Here is a picture to illustrate, followed by pictures of the finished, folded blankets. I love the fabrics! (The polka dot is a mint green with brown dots. My niece has red hair, like both of her parents)I also have been crocheting some dish cloths lately. I just can't seem to keep myself stocked in this area. I'm hoping to post an easy crochet pattern for a dishcloth soon.

Flowers for Lena

Yesterday, Sarah and I made these flowers for her to glue onto hair clips for Lena. Sarah's flowers

My flowers

They are super easy (if you can thread a needle & push it through fabric, you have the sewing skills required) and fast to make! They don't require many materials, either. We made these from fabric scraps that Mom had, since it was an impromptu project. I hate to post a tutorial for them, since I don't know who to give credit to-- one of my students taught me how to make them, but she learned from someone else and I know others who make the same type. If you happen to be interested in making your own, I would be happy to email you instructions.

Still Looking for a Mother's Day Gift?

Are you still searching for that Mother's Day gift? I found this a few weeks ago and knew it would be perfect for my mother-in-law. She LOVES pink, she loves flowers, and she LOVES her little grandson. These felt Dahlias have pins so they work as brooches, and they have a hidden pocket on the back for a special note or picture (of a favorite grandson, perhaps?).

My favorite thing about these, besides the fact that they are beautiful, is that they are inexpensive and EASY to make! There's still time to make them today for your special mother tomorrow! Here's a picture of my finished product (hopefully mom-in-law doesn't get on to read blogs before she gets it). As mentioned before, I don't love my camera. You can't see the detail of the center very well, and it looks red when it is really hot pink. Yes, Jenn, I did try the macro and super macro settings on the camera this time.

Want to make one of your own? The original tutorial is found at holidash, but don't forget to check out not martha's notes on what she learned for some better methods! I made mine before the notes, so I used heavy saucepans as suggested in the tutorial. The fabritac ended up sticking to my pans a bit, but I was able to pull the petals off without damage and without leaving felt on my pans. The pictures on not martha are also much better than mine, so you can see the actual details of the dahlias.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there, and happy crafting!

Needlepunch

I'm not sure what possessed me, but I decided that I needed to do some needlepunch, which I haven't done in years. If you're looking for a fast, easy project, try needlepunch. I had a hard time finding a pattern and thought about designing my own, but I was not feeling very creative. I dropped by Red Rooster (what a treat!) where Zack HAD to drag me upstairs. I was glad he was there when I discovered their only needlepunch patterns on clearance up there. I finished this piece for Jenn's birthday gift. It didn't turn out quite how I had envisioned, but it's the latest project I've completed.
I dropped by Grandma's house and borrowed her light box so I can transfer an embroidery pattern to fabric. The girls and I have a date set for a Mile a Minute quilt with Grandma in May, so hopefully I will have more projects up and finished soon!

Flamingo

Flamingo: a shade of pink for Bernat's Satin yarn (very soft!).

I found this book while wandering Hobby Lobby, waiting for the jeep to have the windshield replaced at Techniglass. I love that Techniglass is in the same parking lot as Hobby Lobby. Very convenient.
I don't typically use the same yarn/colors as patterns. However, this afghan jumped out to me and screamed to be made. Ally needed a blog give-a-way gift, she is expecting a girl, and she's been talking about hot pink gerber daisies (loves them & has a long history with them, even). After ordering the yarn in, I ran out of flamingo with about 4 inches to go. Thus, the drama & inquiries made about flamingo. I finally received the flamingo and finished the afghan, shipped it off, and Ally received it yesterday (thus, the wait for the post, since I didn't want to give the surprise away). Here is the final product. Ignore the bad pictures. I need a better camera.

Now, what to do with the leftovers?

As if In Response

. . . to my last rant, there was a link on Craft Gossip today for Daily Knitter. Hooray! They use yarns that are easily and readily found. The yarns can be found on sale even and I can use coupons to buy them at local craft stores! Aaaaahhhhhh. . . I must have done something right this week. I can continue learning to knit.

Pompous Knitting Rant

I've crocheted for 14 years now. Mom started to teach me how to knit years ago (before I learned to crochet) with a pair of slippers. I completed one slipper, have the second at least 2/3 finished, and gave it up. Somewhere in my crafty clutter I have those slippers in that same condition. One day I'll pick them up again and figure out how to finish that last slipper, which will probably not fit my foot now.

While we lived in Tennesse, I had a difficult time finding crochet patterns but found oodles of knit patterns. I stocked up. When my sister announced I would be getting a niece 2 years ago, I used one of those patterns and completed my first knitting project: a cardigan for my niece, Lena. The pattern called for cashmere yarn, which, of course, costs a lot of money! I debated back and forth about it, knowing from experience that baby clothes get everything gross thrown/spilled/oozed/etc. on them. I gave in and bought the yarn, thinking that at some point in her life she ought to have a cashmere sweater. Note: my brother-in-law is a penny pincher, and my sister isn't picky about fashion, so I knew it would never come from them. Second note: I am still waiting for MY cashmere sweater, since I can't justify paying the price for one for myself. I will probably never have one for me, but it just seems like something lovely that every girl should have at least once.

Now that I have knit a bit more and want to continue knitting, I am noticing a pattern: knitters are a bit stuck up. Nearly every pattern I find that I love calls for expensive yarns. Nearly every blog I read or knitter I associate with uses only these expensive yarns. People who crochet, however, openly admit that they purchase the less expensive yarns-- often the cheaper the better. That is not to say that they do not use the more expensive yarns on occassion, but it doesn't seem to be required to participate in the craft.

I am experienced enough with crocheting to feel comfortable switching yarns and know the resulting product will be to my satisfaction. However, every time I attempt a knit pattern with a yarn other than what the pattern suggests, things fall to pieces. The gauge is too small, but if I switch to larger needles then it becomes too large. . . things curl. . . things stretch where they shouldn't. . .

On the one hand, crocheting works up very quickly and is mostly a no-brainer for me; knitting takes much more time and more thought, as I am probably still a beginner. I think that I should be able to justify buying a more expensive yarn for something that will take me longer. Then I think about cost of time. Doesn't that account for enough extra money spent? Shouldn't that reduce the cost of the yarn? Not to mention the fact that there is one store within driving distance that sells these "nicer," more expensive yarns, and they haven't had the type of yarn that I've wanted. Should I use these yarns, I end up having to pay the extra cost for shipping and I have to wait until it arrives to start my project. I have this nagging at the back of my mind (in my grandmother's voice, so I know it's true) that tells me that expensive does not mean quality. You can find less expensive yarns that work up just as nicely for most projects.

I am also tired of buying knitting patterns at shops, only to find that they carry none of the yarns mentioned in the patterns and none of the sales associates know enough to help me select a similar yarn. If you don't carry the materials I will need for a project, don't sell the pattern and get me excited to make it!

So please, genius knit-pattern-designers (who I really AM thankful for, since I was not blessed with the ingenuity required for creating patterns and designs), would you use some less expensive, more accessible yarns for me? My budget just does not include spending lots of money to feel successful at this new craft.

One Million Pillowcases

Do you want to learn to sew? Do you want to help people? This may be the place for you! All People Quilt is trying to have 1 million pillowcases donated to various charities (women's shelters, natural disaster victims, homeless shelters, Ronald McDonald House, etc.).

They have patterns on their website to help you in this cause. Their basic pillowcase pattern would make a good beginning sewing project. It doesn't take much fabric, so it would also be inexpensive.

You know you want to. Learn to sew and help someone else at the same time!

Mock Me No More

I know you've all seen these before. I've had this pattern pinned up on my wall for (insert crazy amount of time here). The pattern has stared me down, silently mocking me when I've felt at a loss of what needs to be done to organize my sewing/crafting area. Today, I finally broke down and made the darn thing. The pattern only has pockets on one side, but that wouldn't be enough pockets to hold all of my knitting needles, so I improvised. I have a few pairs in various project bags. One day, I will finish those projects and have a home to return my needles to.

Darn pattern. You are no longer in the front position of my wall pin-ups. Mock me no more.

No More Excuses!

If you read our family blog, you already know about the tire adventure I went through today. As part of my reward, I've been catching up on my craft blogs. I know, I should be working on my project that my new yarn is creating, but I miss out on so many great things if I don't check the craft blogs every so often.

Anyhow, I was rewarded by finding this tutorial for a reversible car seat cover. While I don't particularly love everything about this one, it provides the basic idea so that I can adjust the fabric/look (don't care much for the pieced look).

I've been meaning to make at least one more carseat cover for Zack. He gets carsick and it seemed like such a great idea to have an extra one on hand. Currently, I have a towel in our "carsick kit" that he sits on so he doesn't have to sit on bare plastic when he gets sick and I have to throw the cover in a bag til we arrive at our destination. I haven't found the time because I figured it would be a lot of time for me to figure out how to make one. So glad I don't have to do all the figuring out, now. So glad people are willing to share their ideas and knowledge!

Finally Here!

My yarn finally arrived today! Hopefully I will get this project whipped up fairly quickly. I've been so anxious to start it! Cross your fingers for a new post with a finished project soon. The end of the term is Friday, so Monday is a no-school day for me! (ARRA funding-- I can go and get paid if I attend training that consists of poorly done videos that will somehow make me a better teacher, or I can not go and not get paid. Last term I stayed home in my pajamas, had my grades done by noon when the other teachers there were sitting in the training, texting me to complain about the training, and then I had time to play with Zack and get my house cleaned. An extra day at home is definitely worth missing out on only 75% of my normal day's pay. Darn legislators who think teachers don't need a day for grading & getting ready for a new trimester. Now they've gone and hacked up our retirement, too. How do these idiots keep getting put in office?!) Wow. What a rant. I intended to end with, "Monday is a no-school day for me, so I plan on making the most of my time with my yarn."

A Few Completions

When Sarah lived in Richmond, she and I used to get together once a week to craft. Sometimes we ended up just going shopping or browsing (much to Aaron's & Rich's chagrin), sometimes we ended up just talking, we have a few projects that we started and have yet to finish. . . all in all, we always had fun. When Aaron called me in early January and said Sarah missed me and wanted to craft (perhaps he's feeling a bit too rich?? ha. ha. ha.), I jumped on it and we set the date. Jenn joined us in the fun and we made some baby projects to stash away (Sarah is expecting little Pheobe in July, so her projects won't be stashed for long).

We had all planned on making sleepers. This is my finished product. Not the best craftmanship, but without an official pattern, I'd say it turned out ok. I learned a lot making it and would do things much differently if I do another one. It has a zipper on the side to help put baby in and out easier. Since I was still figuring out how to make the sleepers, no one else started one.

In my online wanderings a few weeks ago, my attention was caught by the question "Do you carry your car seat up in the bend of your elbow? Or on your forearm? Does the handle pinch and twist your skin and drive you crazy?" I remember that I hated the pinching when I had to carry Zack around in it. I snatched up this tutorial and made myself one of these covers. It wasn't hard and didn't take much time at all.

These carseat tents are the latest craze up in Cache Valley. I was a bit dismayed to not find any "boy" cotton fabric that I loved in red. I did find some flannels, so I will probably make up a boy version from the flannel. However, I love, LOVE, LOVE this girly fabric!! I think I may go buy some more to make something else out of it. A girl that lives near me made some GORGEOUS fabric flowers to go on her carseat tent ties. I'm thinking about making a few of my own for a finishing touch. I've also seen them with bows and some with large buttons on them. Very versatile and easy to make your own rendition. The project wasn't difficult, either. Jenn is close to having 4 complete (she can't make up her mind of what she will want, plus she doesn't have a carseat yet, she wants one that Allen will carry without feeling demasculated-- U of U-- and it's always a good idea to have an extra on hand so you can throw one in the wash), and Sarah also completed hers.

I like that they just flip up over the handle so that you can see baby without having to take it off everytime. Ignore my boring backing fabric-- I couldn't find anything I loved enough to go with that luscious red fabric on the top! Zack, of course, thanked me for making him a cave. Of course, now that I love this so much, I will probably end up with only boys.

Finally, the creme de la creme. I've been working since New Year's on this project in my snippets of time. Oh, how I long for more time to crochet & craft than I can squeeze in around school & home duties! It was a 2009 blog giveaway for Sarah and I finally finished it up just before she arrived Monday morning to craft. I didn't anticipate learning anything new with this project, since I've been crocheting for years, but I did! The border was crocheted separate from the afghan and then stitched on. It took 2 attempts to get the spacing correct on the border (the second time I was smart enough to tack the corners on first, counting out the correct amount of shells for each side, before stitching it on). Ignore the matress in the pictures-- I was trying to avoid getting dog fur on the afghan and the sheets were in the wash.

With my grades completed, I was hoping that my Herrschners order would have arrived today so that I can begin my next project (remember the yarn drama?). No such luck. I guess I enjoyed my weekend and I need to devote my night to cleaning my neglected house.

Part Two's and some Frustrating News

As of yet, I don't have any real crafts posted on this "craft" blog. *sigh* Not to worry-- that will soon be at an end. I have been working hard for about 2 months with my snippets of time on a project that I had hopes of finishing last night. All that remains is stitching on a border. Attempt one failed, but attempt two WILL be successful today!

Unfortunately, I MUST get grades in today, so attempt number two must wait until that is finished. All morning I've been procrastinating, catching up on my craft blogs because I haven't been online much this week. I must say that I am very unmotivated to grade papers when I have so many projects waiting my attention. June cannot arrive quick enough for me!

Since Monday is a holiday, the girls are getting together for part two of our "baby" craft day. I will wrap up a few more projects there. Come Tuesday (or Monday night, depending on time) I will finally have some completed projects to post.

I have been patiently waiting to buy yarn for a new project. I finally went to purchase the yarn yesterday, only to find that Michael's (the only store in Cache Valley that carries the particular yarn) did not have the colors I wanted. *sigh* I returned home and put an order in online. I am so anxious and excited to start this project! I want the yarn NOW! I don't want to have to wait! I suppose I should be grateful that we have technology and I can get the yarn via the internet. Wait until you see this project! Hopefully it will be finished shortly after the yarn arrives. I want to have it done before March is finished-- hopefully early in March. We'll see how quickly the package arrives.

Self-Indulgence

After a particularly long week at school, I thought I would enjoy some self-indulgence tonight. I arrived home to find *gasp!* my order from Keepsake's had arrived! I am so excited to begin working on those projects (I ordered 2 purse patterns for myself. . . which one to make??? plus a book full of patterns for little kiddie fun). It was all I could do to not rush upstairs and dig into my stash to find fabric to begin. I MUST finish the two projects that have been sitting in my living room for weeks now before beginning anything new. sigh. I keep them in my living room so that I will think to work on them when I have a few snippets of time. I took out my mindless reading book (currently Pride and Prejudice. I skipped reading it in high school), but when I sat down to read, the computer caught my eye and I thought I would devote an hour to catching up on craft blogs. What fun! I can't wait until May is over and I have time to work on my ever growing list of projects. For now, those purses will sit in waiting as I scrape together snippets of time for crafting.

Of course, my self-indulgence resulted in Zack crunching an entire bag of popcorn on my living room floor by driving his trains over them. Now it's time to go back to being a mom and vacuum up kernels.

Framing, Reframing, and Still Not Happy

I have a problem. A few years ago I stained all of my picture frames that hung on the same wall to match. I only had 8x10's so I used mats and I loved the way it looked. This year, I printed off an 11x14 of one of my favorites, hoping the size variation would be more pleasing to the eye.
This picture definitely needs a different frame. I've never loved this frame to begin with and I HATE the glass that's in it (I know, I know, just get a new piece of glass. It just is never the thing that's on my mind at the right time), but it was what I had. I've bought 2 other frames, trying to get one I will be happier with. This is the newest of the 2 frames. I didn't even bother hanging it up for 5 minutes when all was said and done. It looked terrible with the other frames. It is more bronze-y than the picture shows. I took this picture and its mat from the above frame, put it in this frame, and I like it much better on the wall it's on-- away from the "matching" frames.
This is the first frame I bought. It is a deep mahogany stain. I love it. The trouble is, it looks more black when it's hanging on the wall than I want. Especially on the wall with the "matching" frames. So, I took the mat from the bronze-y frame, put it in this frame with this picture, and I LOVE the results!
Now the only trouble is, what on earth will I do to make myself happy about the picture I was trying to frame in the first place?

Bobble Head No More

This is a fast, easy project. I've been thinking I should buy a toddler/baby neck pillow for Zack for years. Everytime we go on long drives (or sometimes not so long drives) and Zack falls asleep, his head wobbles back and forth, or he ends up with it in some crazy position that does not look comfortable at all. I found a tutorial for this on Make it & Love it. I'm pretty sure that's my new favorite blog. I want to make everything on it.

Anyways, start to finish this only took me about 30 minutes. She (Make it & Love it girl) doesn't give you precise measurements, so I'm not 100% happy with mine. Some of the gaps between Zack's neck & the pillow are larger than I want, and the pillow itself I wish was a bit larger. I may end up making a new one. I let him choose the fabric from my stash, and he had to have the "letter stars." They were a bit big for the neck pillow, but it made him happy. He LOVES the pillow. We'll be going to Bluffdale on Martin Luther King Day, so we will see if it functions as desired. If it does, I'll keep it. If not, I will make a new one now that I have some idea about sizing. In the meantime, I've completed this project, which allows me to look at my inspiration sites. : ) I've also finished tying one quilt-- no pictures now because I have a few more to go to finish off the entire project it is for.

Standing Still

I have been so excited about crafting the last while but I have this nagging thought that I have no time. I decide to settle on browsing the blogs and one link leads to another, which leads to another, and yet another and so on. Finally I look up and realize I've whiled away at least an hour (YIKES! My previous internet time was 15 minutes or less, unless I was doing grades) dreaming about projects and finding more and more that I would like to do. How much could I have accomplished in that hour+?! To make matters worse, poor Rich came home for dinner to find a very distracted wife sitting at the computer and no dinner to be had. I will finish at least one project before I hop on again. Grit my teeth, grin, and bear it!

Possible Project??

On the way home from work I was tempted to drop in at Village Dry Goods in Brigham City for a new pattern. Just what this new pattern was to be, I had no idea. I just knew that it's been years since I was in that store and I am a pattern junky.

I was running on zero sleep (I believe I actually got 2 hours last night) and after spending 8 hours with 150 teenagers who were crazy with holiday hype, I was ready to give in and have a few me minutes before getting home. The zero sleep factor came into play, as well as the fact that I have oodles of untouched projects at home, and I settled for dropping in at McDonalds for a large $1 Mr. Pibb before heading through the canyon.

To satisfy my craft craving, I indulged myself by looking through the various sites on craftgossip and came across this project in the knitting section. It happens to be crochet-- which I prefer, or at least am more comfortable doing right now, being fairly new to the knitting scene. I agree with the craft gossiper-- I love the pattern but would have no occassion to wear something like this. Should I get around to making this project (a selfish one, so it probably won't get done. Me projects tend to never get finished, if they are ever begun), I plan to modify the pattern so that it is a cardigan rather than a duster. Wouldn't that be pretty? We'll see if it comes to fruition. The best parts? 1) I happen to have this yarn already (in a light blue) from a project that was planned and never happened years ago, and 2) the pattern is free! Here is the link should any of you be interested in trying it for yourself.

http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/ss_duster.html

Check me out! I figured out how to make a link. Check that one off my list! Wasn't hard and didn't have to wait for summer after all.

I do have some projects nearing completion. I was hoping to finish at least one to post before I had to return to work, but it didn't quite come to pass. Hopefully before January is over I will have the two on the front burner finished and up for you to see.