Knitting Sandwich

keep coming back

i think it was inevitable that at some point during my hiatus from blogland i would consider not coming back, talking with lindsey and claire and just letting the knitting sandwich quietly slip off into internet oblivion.

this beautiful blanket is a tangible example of all the reasons i did not do that.  

a little over a year ago kathy contacted kate and i and asked if we would like to work together on a blanket for rachel.

 we came together from two countries (kate is from canada) and across an ocean (kathy was living in hawaii at the time) to create a handknit gift for a dear friend that none of us have ever met in person.

 what an amazing thing.  and it never would have happened without the wonderful world of the knitting blogs.  

 i think of all of you, the friends i've made on this 7+ year journey, and i want to continue to be a part of your community.  i want to marvel at your talent and creativity, help celebrate your joys and mourn your losses, watch your kids (or cats) grow and change, drool over the gorgeous yarn you received in a swap, be inspired to try something new because of your example...

 this one blog, that started as a way for lindsey, claire, and i to keep track of each others creative projects, has grown into a web of people and friendships.  a few of you i have had the pleasure of meeting in person, most of you i will probably never meet face to face,  yet the bond is still there.

 so thank you to all of you, from those of you who have forged a close connection to those of you who have never left a comment, and everyone in between.  thank you for making up such an amazing community of which i am proud to call myself a member.

 -melissa

and three years later... apron!

three years ago in october melinda came to visit me.  we started a joint sewing project that weekend, and she left it with me to finish.  *ahem*  you can just guess how well that went...

fast forward to november 2013 when i was in dc visiting melinda... she had me bring the project and *she* finished it for me.  because she is awesome.

so without further ado, i present to you the mel-mel apron:

 all of the fabrics were from melinda's stash with the exception of the blue fabric which i inherited when my grandma passed away.  i love this fabric so much and i'm so happy that it is a part of this project and i will get to see it every day in my kitchen!

 thank you so so much dear melinda for all your work at making this apron a reality. i love it!

 -melissa

getting by with a little help from my friend

after weeks of crafting ennui, inspiration had finally found me:

i was all set to cast on but for one thing: i couldn't find any of my us7 circular needles.  not a single one... not anywhere... what's a poor knitter to do?

enter the hero of this tale, my friend blair!!  she had not one, but two us7 circular needles she was happy to loan me.  and to top it all off... they're color coordinated with my yarn!

now i can knit to my heart's content!  

thank you blair!  you saved the day!!

-melissa

put a cat on it!

look at this fantastic bag that lindsey made me!  (she also made one for claire that is brown with a green pocket, she is both generous and talented.)

it's the perfect size for a knitting project bag and has lots of pockets, both inside and out!  that big brown pocket on the front was calling to me... it was telling me it wanted to be the home of my cat scout patch i got from my friend michelle's etsy shop!

i'm putting this next photo up so you can see how awesome the patch is up close... (not so you can see how craptastic my sewing job is...)

ha!  i am apparently not good at sewing machine right now!  please don't be offended by what i did to your lovely bag linds, just look at how cute the cat is!

meow!

-melissa

prizes are surprises!!

i seem to be on the lucky receiving end of the prize train this past week!  up first is a set of key chains that both claire and i won (claire, if you respond quickly i'll let you pick which one i send you) after we solved a thrifty mystery over at my friend blair's blog mcmaven haven.

then just today my mailman delivered me a package from canada!  imagine my joy at discovering that i won kate's 1000th post giveaway over at her blog rocks, waves, beach!

the photo of the blue heron was taken by kate's 13 year old son, and the dishcloth (which is a new to me pattern that i'm going to have to add to my queue) was knit up by kate herself!

i'm feeling quite inspired by everyone else's generosity and i want to play along!  SO...if you too want to win a prize leave a comment on this post and in one week i'll draw a winner.

what will you win?  i have no idea!  that's part of the fun!!  prizes are surprises!!  yay!

-melissa

a texas-sized housewarming gift!

let me just say that i have THE most talented, generous, wonderful friends ever!  when i returned from my trip to omaha i had a package from lindsey waiting for me.  i tore it open and much to my surprise (and absolute joy) she had made me a quilt as a housewarming present!

don't you just love it!?!?  i do!  i love the colors, the shapes, everything about it!  i am so completely amazed and blown away by the skills of my dear friend who has only been quilting for less than 6 months!  you have so much talent lindsey, thank you for sharing it with me and my family.

even the back has a fun little splash of color.

the minute i saw it i knew exactly where it was going to live - on the back of our poor old couch that used to live in our basement at our old plaec but now has been upgraded to first floor living space again.  

it fits perfectly!  and the weather has pleasantly taken a turn for the cooler temps so sooner than later i'll be trying it out, snuggling away under my perfectly amazing lindsey quilt!

thank you lindsey - i couldn't possibly love you or the quilt more!

-melissa

ein glückliches einweihungsparty

i received the most delightful housewarming package from claire yesterday!  i now own two charming bavarian fellas:

three lovely house dishcloths:

and the sweetest little knit house ever!

it even smells like lavender.

thank you clairey!  you certainly know how to make a house feel like a home.  i love you!
-melissa 

passing down childhood memories

when rachel sent me an email a month or so ago saying she had been going through some stuff and found a few things she thought lily might like and would it be alright if she sent her a little package, i had no idea she meant to send lily her entire childhood's collection of stickers.

i mean look at them!  complete and total early-80's rainbow unicorn childhood memories awesome!!  the package arrived while melinda was visiting and i think she and i might have had even more fun than lily going through the box of stickers, it was like a trip back in time to second grade sticker collecting.

you'll be proud to know that i reigned in my excitement and lily has full use of all the stickers.  and i'm a proud mama to say that she is very generous with her treasures and often lets me have a rainbow unicorn to wear on my shirt.

now not only did rachel send a package chock-full of vintage stickery goodness, she also included stationary sets from her childhood!

again with the overly excited melissa - does anyone else remember having some of that cuddly critters stationary?!?!?!  but, ahem, enough about me lallygagging down memory lane, this package was for lily.  

she was thrilled with all the stationary.  i think it made her feel very grown up and important to have so much stationary in her possession.  she has been inspired on a number of occasions to sit down a write someone a letter, which warms my heart immensely.

there were also a few other items in the package, including this book about horse applique.  between the book and all the quilt blocks melinda made while she was at my house, the first thing lily did was sit down and make herself a horse block.

so thank you thank you rach, for sending your amazing box of childhood memories to lily.  know that they have found a very happy new home where they will be treasured and used while another child creates a lifetime of memories.

-melissa

longterm bunny love

hey clairey - remember that bunny you knit for lily almost seven years ago?

well it's still being loved and played with to this very day....

i'd say that makes it one very successful and well-loved gift!  thank you!!

-melissa

the call of the blankie

i started to hear the call when i read about claire's blankie's big milestone, the call got louder when i received a sweet little package of mini skeins in the mail from claire for my birthday.  

those beautiful little gems of yarn have been calling to me ever since, louder and louder, making me twitchier and twitchier.... until finally today, when i needed to grab something to knit during lily's ballet class, i couldn't resist any longer and took blankie with me.

oh dear blankie... how i love your sweet tiny garter stitches and your rainbow of colors.

but really quit tempting me - i have a few crafting deadlines coming up and i can't afford any more distractions!

-melissa