Ink Quilt + Piles of Books

A baby girl was born to a lovely lady who loves matching colors. She's a sweetheart, so I sent her a drawing showing a "matchy-matchy" girly quilt with her little one's stats.



Really, what is faster than making a quilt? Drawing and painting one. Plus, you can make up whatever fabric patterns you wish!



I've been enjoying the extra sunlight, and our reading nook in my studio. His and her book piles are quickly growing. Most of my current pile were borrowed from the library, so I'm trying to finish. Especially The Hakawati novel that is due soon, which resulted in my reading it on the treadmill today!



I also blocked and called it quits on my Frankenblanket. Finito. It's huge, stretched out, ugly / fun, and I'm done working on it, and about out of yarn. Now onto the few crafty projects Mike and I are tackling for our July wedding. More to come once we start!



Ah, and thank goodness for the time change. The older I get, the more closely my mood is tied to light after work. Exercise helps bust it, as do these gorgeous views from our apartment each night.



Hope you're all well! xo, M

The Final Countdown

It's the finish line that I hope I have enough yarn for. I restrained myself and placed minimal beads (for me) on the garter edging. This is my first time knitting with beads, and now that I know how easy it is, I'm predicting many more in the future. If you ever find yourself knitting with beads, I recommend the crochet hook method.



This edging is garter stitched side to side perpendicularly to the edge of the circular shawl, demonstrated below. This is why I ran out of yarn eighteen times, Mom.



I spent Saturday with the Degenerate Knitters starting the edging, worked through the weekend and am almost done. Fingers crossed!

Lazy August

I have no drive to do any major projects this month. Instead, I relaxed, and let myself sit on the couch this weekend, while watching movies, platform diving and enjoying a thunderstorm. I also crocheted my little heart out.

We're talking about approximately 10 square feet of crochet! (Maybe)



I'm loving it. For someone who has a tendency to get bored easily, the quick change of colors each row perks me right up. I tried not to feel guilty about not being "productive", and just enjoy my laid back August. Does anyone else have problems getting things done in late summer?

Here's a photo to give you an idea of scale on this blanket. I can use it as an escape ladder from the second floor the next time a neighbor has a grease fire...

I am running out of scrap yarn. This may just have to be a work in progress, for the next few years, while I obtain more stash. I'm hesitant to use any of my Koigu mill ends, which are slated for Charlotte's Web, but I did cheat a bit...

Elisa's Nest Tote

Ah, progress! I finished the second of two market bags I started in July.

This is my variation of Elisa's Nest Tote, a free pattern from the Purl Bee. I knit the bag the same, but crocheted the top and handles instead of doing a knitted i-cord. I attempted to do the i-cord, but gave up in favor of crochet. Perhaps the next one will adhere exactly to the pattern.

Here is my finished bag.

These bags stretch tremendously. I recommend making the length of the bag on the shorter side.

I also recommend putting some honeycrisp apples into your bag, and then taking them home and eating them!

Baby Shower Thank You Cards

I've finally finished baby shower cards I designed for my friend, Nicole. She doesn't know what she's having, so I tried to make the colors unisex.

These were a lot of fun to make, and I think they're pretty adorable. I have about 15 extra cards, which I'm selling in my etsy shop here.



I learned to make a granny square finally, thanks to my friend, Clara. I always had a block against granny squares and crochet stitches, (besides the single crochet my grandma taught me at age six). Thanks to a lunch date and quick tutorial, I'm over the wall.



I must say, I'm usually not a granny square person, but have you seen the gorgeous hexagonal squares around? You should click this link, you'll be so inspired... I also checked out Simple Crochet by Erika Knight from the library. Her projects are very contemporary, simple and gorgeous.

For those who asked, I had a great time at my high school reunion. There were some people who I genuinely wanted to catch up with, and was pleased to hear about their lives. Here's one shot of Heather and myself, obviously not having any fun at all...



Enjoy the remaining hours of this beautiful weekend!