My First "Official" Design

So, I've gotten brave lately. I've written patterns before, but I've never shared them and they've always been for simple things like stockinette stitch hats.

It's a diaper case that will fit small to large size cloth diapers or multiple disposables for when you're on the go. I'm really into the leaf motif lately so I added a center panel of leafs on both side of the case.

The pattern will be available for sale on Ravelry as soon as I get a chance to upload the pattern. Hope you enjoy it!

Purple Leaf

I've developed a great love for shawls, shawlettes, wraps, and stoles. I think they are the perfect accessory for any outfit, you can throw them on at the last second and it instantly dresses up and stylizes whatever you are wearing.

At first I was leery of trying lace knitting, it always seemed so complicated. I would lurk in lace knitting forums on Ravelry and marvel at the gorgeous creations people were making. Then one day, after I had finished knitting a lot of baby hats for my local hospital I decided that I needed to suck it up and try knitting a shawl.

My first shawl was a disaster. I read the chart completely wrong and had to rip the entire thing out and start over. Eventually I finished it, and I'm pleased with the end product. I decided I could graduate onto other patterns.

A friend had gifted me with Cedar Leaf Shawlette by Alana Dakos and I had the yarn to do it. I cast on using Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Velvet Grapes colourway, and away I went. The crescent shape and the short row construction was easy and quick. I was at the leaf part of the pattern in no time, and they flew by. I quickly finished the shawlette, and was blocking it out as fast as I could so I would have a snazzy new accessory to wear for Easter weekend.

I loved wearing this shawlette around the town on the weekend, even showing it off at the local yarn store there. It really is gorgeous, and the pattern is simple. Buy the pattern and give it a try!

Happy knitting.

Why Do You Craft?

I was always a very crafty child. I loved to draw, colour, and play music. As I got older and life got busier with school and work, everything else just got put on the backburner because I just did not have time to be creative. When I decided to start working from home, I suddenly had some more free time on my hands. I tried getting back into sewing and quilting, but it just did not hold my attention the same way that it used to.

I started to make some new friends through an online forum, and one of them happened to knit. I have very fond memories of my Mom knitting me hats and mittens for winter, and I regretted never asking her to teach me how to knit. She had moved to Southern Ontario and wasn't available to teach me anymore.

My friend suggested using Youtube and Knitting Help videos to get my started. I picked up a set of knitting needles and some dishcloth cotton and never looked back. I've been knitting since January 2010, and I love it. It's my new obsession, probably going to be a long lasting one. It keeps me entertained and has introduced me to so many new wonderful people.

I love creating handmade gifts for friends and family. Over my short year and a half of knitting I've created baby sweaters, many hats, socks, and recently lace shawls. There's alway something new to try and to learn. Knitting has saved my sanity more than once, and I am never bored anymore as I can just pick it up and knit away.

I don't know if knitting is the only craft I'll ever participate in again. I would love to get into soap and button making. But I'm taking baby steps, and not limiting myself.

So, I want to know. Are you creative? What do you make? Do you have a store?

Baby Bird Mobile

About a month or so ago, I joined a group on Ravelry that did swaps among its members. I decided to join, and the first "swap" that came up was for everyone to knit a gift for a current member that was pregnant. I love to knit for babies, so I joined right away not really concerned that I was not going to receive anything in return. Especially considering I needed an excuse to knit more of my stash, since it seems to be growing exponentially.

At first I did not know what I wanted to make. This being a group of knitters, I didn't want to make the typical baby gifts (hats, sweaters, booties, etc) not that there is anything wrong with that but I was sure that some of the others would be making them as well. I stumbled across this pattern on Knitty Flock By: Meg Bakewell and thought it would be perfect!

I got off to a false start on it when my lovely spouse accidently cut the dowels the wrong length that required a trip back to the hardware store. Then I knit diligently on this project for the space of a month, and taught myself to crochet a chain and the provisional crochet cast-on (which I love). Honestly, it would not take that long to knit but I have a horrible habit of having many projects on the go at once. I also finished a baby kimono (for another friend), a shawl, and started another shawl while I was knitting this.

Baby Birds

I did take some liberties with the pattern, I decreased the amount of leaves to 16 instead of 24. I didn't knit each bird with as many colours as I didn't know what her decorating scheme for the nursery would be and didn't want it to be too "busy". I painted the eyes on the birds with black puff paint instead of embroidering them on, but I like the way it looks. Who knows maybe I'll convince myself to make another one of these for my own home!

I sure hope she likes it.

Starting Over

Well some of you may know that I previously had another blog that I was using. However, life happened and I was not a faithful blogger and felt like it was too much to keep up with.

As I have gotten more into "crafting" and I've decided that I may want to start selling some of my wares and would like to gear this blog more towards that side of my life. I will still have a weekly recipe, gardening, fishing, outdoors post but will be concentrating mostly on the crafting side of things.

I hope this does not put you off, and I apologize if it does. People grow and change, and I'm just trying to keep up with myself! Happy reading.