Little Flower Bookmark (new pattern!)

Hello again! Since mother's day is coming up I decided to remake one of my favorite knitting gifts and write up a pattern for it. It's these adorable little flower bookmarks!

Super cute, right? They are also easy and quick to make, although I do make them a bit more complicated by sewing a felt backing with embroidery onto the leaf. Either way though, you can easily finish one in a day--perfect if you are scrambling for a nice present!

Patchwork Sewing Kit

This pattern is one that I admired for a long time before making it, being uncertain of my patchwork and quilting skills. But after making a small quilt for my dog a while back, I decided I should give it a shot!

Flannel napkins

Continuing the new apartment theme of this summer, I recently made a set of flannel napkins. I was inspired by this pattern--I think that flannel napkins are possibly one of the coziest ideas out there. But I did my own slightly more perfectionist-y process for the mitered corners.

patchwork key fob (+ pattern)

My younger sister was staying in some dorms for a summer program recently, and requested a key fob. So I decided to make one, of course! This key fob has a key ring on one side, and a clasp on the other, so that it can be both clipped inside a bag and folded to fit around your wrist. I'm keeping this one, but another is in the works for her. These would make wonderful gifts, as they are small and quick to make, but very practical.

Tea Cosy

One of my perhaps lesser-known addictions is tea. I love trying different types, drinking it while doing research, and when just relaxing with a nice book. And of course, I love collecting various tea-related paraphernalia. :)

Because of my hoarding instincts, I have a few different teapots. But right now, my 2-cup Price and Kensington is getting the most use, so I figured I'd make a few tea cosys for it. And since both turned out pretty cute (at least in my opinion!) I figured I'd also share the patterns with any other knitters who'd like tiny tea cosys for their equally adorable tiny teapots. Here is the first one:

This tea cosy requires minimal knitting skills, as it is knit flat and then seamed up. And it's a great project for beginners, as it is knit entirely in seed stitch with some minimal decreasing at the top.

It is also super easy to whip up in a few hours--so it'd make a wonderful gift (perhaps with a matching teapot) to a recent graduate or as housewarming present. :)

I hope you enjoy, and I will be posting the pattern shortly--look for it in a day or two!

handkerchiefs!

Some of my favorite things to hand sew are handkerchiefs. Although they aren't perhaps the most practical, they are very relaxing to sew, and I always feel a bit charmingly old-fashioned doing so.

The usual contents of my purse--wallet, sunglasses, handkerchief!

Birthday Present!!

So my friend Claire finally finished her Ravenclaw HP scarf, and decided that it was still missing an embroidered house patch. :) Guess who got requested to make one for her birthday present?

I told her I would try, but embroidery is not a skill of mine. Still, I'm giving it my best shot! So far it's going pretty well, but I did start with the easiest part. If nothing else, I'm sure this project will help improve my satin stitch!

Spinning adventures

So I have been enjoying my summer so far--soon I will have to start studying for placement exams for the fall, but for now I've been occupying myself with knitting, crocheting, embroidering, and spinning!! Spinning is a highly addicting hobby. I keep falling even deeper into it.

For instance, here is my first fleece-cleaning adventure:

New Pattern on Ravelry!

Hi everyone,

I have been very busy attempting to get into grad school for next year, but I managed to post the pattern for my Solidarity Mittens today. These mittens are the ones I knit for my mom last christmas. They were inspired by the WI capitol protests in February 2011.

This is a picture of my mom and I protesting together. :)

Christmas Present

Well, Christmas is over and I finished a lot of handmade christmas presents!

For my grandmother, I knit some mini christmas stocking ornaments. I loved this gift, as I just knit them throughout the year whenever I wanted a small, easily finished project. And I think they turned out adorable!

[ravelry]

Thread Bags

Recently I've been having a lot of fun making a few bags out of thread--DMC perle cotton, to be precise. I love to knit and crochet with thread, but these bags have been extra fun!

[ravelry]

First Ever Quilt!

I made my first quilt! It's quite small, about 2.5' x 3' and intended for my dog and kitty. They both adore blankets and I figured this way if it turned out super bad it'd still be okay, because animals tend not to be too picky.

The quilt is hand-pieced and hand-quilted, and made entirely from my cotton-prints-I-found-in-the-remnants-bin collection. It's backed with a plaid flannel that I think is especially sweet because it matches both my black and white dog and my black and white kitty!

Here is a pic of my puppy, Maggie on her new quilt:

Baby Presents!

One of my cousins had her first baby, so I made her some presents and thought I'd share.

First I knit her this pink blanket:

[ravelry]

I made it with Plymouth Encore yarn, so it could be machine washed. I think it turned out well!