Lent

Source: On the Way Home Blog

Lent started over a week ago on Ash Wednesday.  Check out this great video that explains Ash Wednesday and Lent in two minutes if you're not sure what it's all about or would like a quick reminder.

I usually get out my small pile of Easter decorations some time during this period, but this year I remembered something I found on Pinterest (above) that was a better fit for this more somber season.  Inspired by this pin and decorations I've seen online and in church, I pulled out my large vase, dug out my purple candles from my Advent wreath, found a twig outside, and purchased a bag of river rocks at the dollar store.  Here's the final product, and I only spent a buck on it.

I hope you have a very blessed Lent!

Recent Knit Gifts

I missed my friend's baby shower at the beginning of February and didn't want to post the knit set for Baby Nathaniel until I had gifted it.  His parents are both teachers, so the school bus button is adorably appropriate.

Bib and burpcloth set in Sugar 'n Cream "Aquarius Ombre"

The dishcloths were my project during the Olympics.  My buddy Kristine had been not so subtly hinting that she wanted dishcloths, she wanted them bigger than the ones I normally make, and she wanted them to be white. So I cast on 50 stitches (instead of my normal 40) in the closest-to-white cotton yarn I owned, and I knit a pair of box stitch dishcloths for her. Maybe now she'll stop bothering me about the scarf and the hat she wants me to knit...

Large dishcloths in Sugar 'n Cream "Summer Prints"

Finished and gifted to Kristine at IHOP stitch night!

February's Finished Project

Thanks to Pinterest, I was dead-set on sewing some tiny teabags for my niece's 3rd birthday as soon as I saw the tea set on her wish list. Unfortunately, one of my two favorite Pinspirations was in French, and the other had no pattern. With the help of Crafty Mommy, I spent an afternoon making disgruntled noises at a sewing machine and bonding with a seam ripper. But finally, I had four cute little teabags to go with her cute little tea set and a new book, Bunnies for Tea!

Source #1

Source #2

Trial and error all the way through...

I think she likes it!

Between the rainbow tutu and the rainbow cake,
I think my sister-in-law gets the Pin-Win award this time!

Postage Increase

Due to postage going up again after this weekend, I motivated myself to get a few knit projects finished, washed, and mailed this week!

The scarf was a lot of fun since I've been in a scarf mood lately.  The co-worker in charge of the office's sponsored family for Christmas loved the scarves I made for the family and asked if I could make one for her daughter in dark purple.  It's my first "commissioned" piece, and her daughter has already asked for an infinity scarf in hot pink!  Maybe now is a good time to revisit the idea of starting my own Etsy shop since the temp job ended January 16th...

A friend and a cousin both had baby boys two weeks ago, and on the second knit set, I tried a new bib strap based on this bib I found on Pinterest.  I think I may like knitting the single-strap bib even more than the original pattern I've been knitting for 5+ years that came out of Mason-Dixon Knitting.

Yarn Bee: Haute Fur in "Vineyard" knit together with
Red Heart: Multicolor in "Plum Pudding"

Lily: Sugar 'n Cream in "Hippi Ombre"
for baby Cooper with a double-strap bib

Lily: Sugar 'n Cream in "Tie Dye Stripes"
for baby Simon with a single-strap bib

Tea Station

It's so nice to have my computer back!  The power supply died earlier in the week, and I've had five days to experience how a smartphone is not a good substitute for a good old-fashioned desktop.  Thank you to my BIL for helping Dave get it back up and running!  While the computer has been out of commission, I received a belated Christmas present from my best friend in California.  Pretty awesome for her first counted cross stitch project, don't you think?  I know exactly where I'm going to hang it, but the problem is, we don't have that space in our current living accommodations.

I found this image of a coffee station on Pinterest a while ago and decided we would make space for a tea station in our next house.  Instead of a Keurig, we'll have our electric kettle, and all of those baskets will be filled with tea.  Heather's cross stitch definitely fits in with this plan--picture it on the top shelf with several of our fancy bed & breakfast mugs!

Original Source: For the Love of Coffee

New Year, Old Projects

I finished weaving in ends on my stack of "to finish" knits at IHOP last Thursday.  I had one last bib, two burpcloths, and a dishrag made of these same pink and pastel remnants (not pictured because I then gave it to one of my fellow stitchers to take home and use).  Now I need to sew buttons onto all of the bibs, but that's something to procrastinate another day.  I actually worked on some cross stitch when I was done with the knits.  The bunny project I started four or five months ago would have been done already if I didn't put it down for several months between stitching sessions... but such is my habit.  Maybe he'll be done in time for Easter since it falls so late this year!

End of the Season

So I didn't blog for the last two weeks of the Bears 2013 season.  I'll blame it on two painful losses that ended their season without a ticket to the playoffs.

Between the holidays and two weeks not spent at Bobby's knitting during the Bears game, I didn't knit much.  However, I did weave in the ends of a nice stack of projects knit during football season.  As soon as the bibs are finished with buttons sewn on, and both bib and burpcloth are washed, I'll post final pictures.  In the meantime, here's the stack of completions from last Saturday's stitch group meeting!