Knitting Sandwich

cross stitching mania

a couple weeks ago lily expressed some interest in learning to cross stitch.  she had a very specific design in mind: a bear and a bunny with bff on top.  

i gave her a piece of graph paper and she drew out her design and then we worked together to turn it into a cross stitch pattern.

she finished it a week or so ago at knitnight!

(thanks to my friend lisa for the pictures!)

after success with her own pattern on the plastic grid she graduated to someone else's pattern on 14 count aida cloth!

this sweet mermaid pattern came from dance needle shop on etsy.

i didn't want to be left out of the fun, so i'm working on an adorable folk art squirrel pattern, also from dance needle.

it's been ages since i did counted cross stitch!  it's really fun to get back into it, there are so many cute patterns on etsy right now, i have my eye on this one for my next project.

-melissa

cameras for the couple

when i first got word of their engagement i started right off with the handcrafting.  (because that is how i show my love, with the handcrafts.)

through a bit of serendipitous scheduling i was able to deliver the towels in person to claire and georg whilst they were visiting her parents in racine.

it was such a treat to get to meet georg, to see him and claire together, and to be able to share in their joy for a couple of days.

-melissa

handiwork for the brothers

one of my brothers just purchased his very first house!  in honor of this momentous occasion i volunteered to deck out his kitchen with handmade goodness.

in back we have a circle cloth, morse code cloth, and playful plaid.  up front is a cloth i created using the chart by christina danathar.  it's the browncoat emblem from joss whedon's fantastic, but sadly short-lived, television series firefly.

up next - the embroidered kitchen towels. 

we have the dire wolf of house stark, the lion of house lannister, and the crowned stag of house baratheon - all from the incredible epic saga by geroge rr martin - a song of ice and fire.  i still have one more towel to finish, hopefully i'll be able to share that one soon.

big things are in the works for my other brother as well - he and his girlfriend moved in together this past weekend.  not wanting them to feel left out i made up a dishcloth to commemorate the occasion.

-melissa

halloween craft frenzy

it's no holiday sweatshop (i'm sure that's on its way) but we are definitely in the midst of a halloween craft frenzy in these parts.

i think i've employed almost every crafty skill i possess this week: sewing, embroidery, knitting, not to mention general problem solving skills. (what does one use to be a diaper cover for a baby doll pretending to be a monkey?)  

lily also has a birthday party to attend this weekend, so i quick made up another little birthday bag.

the doll is, as always, from the fabulous etsy shop princess nimble thimble.

stay tuned this weekend for some finished halloween costumes!

-melissa

ps - and if you're wondering, you use a bandanna to make a baby doll monkey diaper cover.  thank goodness for my friend eva whose creative brain was still working when mine was worn out.

from typo to tea towel

i embroidered these up for a dear friend who one time when emailing me meant to write, "enjoy your day!" and instead wrote, "enjoy our day!"

needless to say it has become the official sign-off for all our correspondence.  how could i not then whip her up a commemorative set of tea towels?

 

-melissa

i've spent over 15 years waiting for lindsey to be pregnant...

... just so i could make these for her sweet babe-to-be.

in college (and even to this day) lindsey was alway very liberal with the over-the-top-adorable terms of endearment, as well as a rather notoriously bad speller.  so without further ado i present to you ...

the smootchbun, 

and my personal favorite, the sweat pea.

i love you lindsey, and know that you will make the best, most loving and caring mother a child has ever been lucky enough to know!

-melissa

love for baby henry, phase one

for those of you sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting for april's top five, i regret to tell you that claire's having some computer issues and so we're waiting for the apple people to fix her up so we can post all together.

in the mean time, i'm here to distract you.... my sister's pregnant!!  hooray!!  my sister meghan is pregnant with her second child, a boy to be named henry william who's due june 2nd.  i have all sorts of knitted goodness up my sleeve for this most anticipated new nephew.  here is phase one:

it's the seamless baby shrug pattern by stitchy mama (rav link).  i figure it's the perfect snuggly garment to keep a june baby warm if the ac is up too high.  it's knit out of i love this cotton! so it is just as soft as butter.  perfect for being next to new baby skin.

the onesie was designed by lily, that's her fancy lettering and everything, and embroidered by me.  this was our first foray into embroidering lily's drawings and we had such a good time collaborating that you can expect to see many more embroidered lily art projects in the future.

-melissa

craft hope for haiti

when the amazingly talented jenny b. harris of allsorts donated a new pretty little maids pattern to the craft hope for haiti etsy shop i didn't even stop to think.  i ordered myself one and got to stitching as soon as i had printed out the pattern.

the pattern is available in the patterns and printables section if any of you are interested in doing a little embroidery.

-melissa

from squares to blanket, part 2

last night i put the finishing touches on the second blanket for the bundles of joy group.

all these squares came from korin who generously gifted me with her entire stash of blanket squares.  she had been making a blanket for her grandmother when she passed away, and i thought about that quite a bit as i pieced all these beautifully handcrafted squares together.

these squares were originally intended for someone at the end of their life and now will find their way to someone at the very beginning of their life.  

it was a sentiment that made me more thoughtful, putting intention and love into each stitch, sending out love to a sweet baby i will never actually meet.

lest you think things are getting too sentimental over here - here's a shot of a little guy who was keeping an eye on me while i was wading through the snow in my backyard taking pictures.

-melissa

it's quittin' time at ye old holiday sweatshop

phew.  i am officially closing down the holiday sweatshop for the year.  here's the final products to roll off the assembly line:

a daffodil face cloth (pattern or rav link) for my mother-in-law's stocking (she collects daffodils).

i embroidered this set of tea towels for brian's grandparents.  they liked the ones i made them last year so much that they asked for more (who doesn't love when that happens)!  the design is based on the blue ridge pottery pattern that they collected for and then gifted to brian.  

this is a rock with a hat.  

it comes with a little story: for at least a month lily has been peppering me with questions about what she's getting for christmas.  here's a sample of how the conversation would go:

l: what are you getting me for christmas?

m: a rock.

l: no you're not you silly mom!!

m: oh yes i am, you're too good of a girl to get coal, so i'm getting you a rock.

l: but i don't want a rock.

m: oh but this rock is special - i knit it a hat!

we've been having variants of this conversation over and over and over.  to the point where i decided there was no way i couldn't get her a rock with a hat.  so here it is, and i think i'm going to be a stinker and arrange for it to be the first present she opens.  heh heh.  

now there is still one present left that i haven't finished, brian's socks.  but i have decided to close down the sweatshop anyway - he knows they're coming (i had to ruin  the surprise because i wanted him to try them on) and he won't be upset if they're not done before christmas.  i decided to knit them with leisure instead of in sweatshop mode so i would have more time to enjoy the build up to the holidays.

plus this is only as far as i am, i really doubt i could finish them before the 25th at this point anyway (unlike a certain british knitting kitty who is cranking out a pair of socks at record pace!).  they are the paul atwood socks (pattern or rav link) a very cool pattern, and if i ever finish them they will be awesome socks!

i hope you are all finishing up your holiday crafting as well!

-melissa