I'm REALLY sorry.  I know it's been a VERY long time since I last posted.  Much has been going on in my personal life lately.  My youngest son moved out and hubby and I became empty nesters (again).  That same son has since become engaged AND gave hubby and I our very first granddaughter, Natalie Grace.  When they told us they were having a girl, I was beside myself with joy and the creative juices started flowing full force.  I had to knit.  I had to sew.  I had to quilt.  I had to make sure this little girl would have everything she needed.  Over the next few days I will share some photos of the things I made for my little princess, but for now, I will leave you with a photo of my little princess in the coming home outfit I made for her.

The Daily Progress on my Client's Shrug

A friend of mine saw the last shrug I made and asked me to make one just like it for her.  It's been rather slow going...hitting a few roadblocks along the way...not having a circular needle that the yarn worked well with...searching all over the place for a circular needle that would work...realizing that going from small, dense stitching to larger, looser stitching would not work so well on circs and that I should've bought a set of double-points in the larger size if I didn't want to sew seams.  All hurdles that I've managed to get past without pulling out my hair.  Sadly, I will still have to sew sleeve seams on this shrug, but I have learned  a few lessons and won't have to do seams on any future shrugs.  This is the progress each day.

The first and second day I got the cuff and a small amount of the sleeve done.

This second photo is the progress for the third day....not too shabby...more than doubled the work of the first two days.

This third photo is the progress for the fourth day....the first sleeve is nearly done...safe to say I'm in the home stretch now!  lol

My Shrug is Finally Done! :D

Well, I finished stitching my shrug...gotta say my least favourite part of it was the sleeve seams.  Other than that, it was a super easy vintage pattern, given new life with newer yarn available on the market.  I used Bernat Mosaic, Strange Magic for this one.  Well, I posted the pics below on my facebook account two days ago and wouldn't you know it, I was contacted by somebody who wants one...same colours and all!  I've decided I'm NOT doing the seams this time....tweaked the pattern a little and decided to go with my good ol' double points and circs for this one!

Heather's Slipper Socks Are Done! :D

Well, it's been a long journey, but my son's girlfriend's slipper socks are finally finished!  Now I am rewarding myself with a nice hot cup of chai latte and some Beatles 1 on the stereo!  Below are photos taken as the work progressed from start to finish.  Now on to my Mosaic yarn shrug!  I intend to have it done before tomorrow night...it would be nice to wear it out when hubby and I go for our Valentine's dinner & movie night!  :D

My Day is Off to a Productive Start

Well, today has gotten off to a productive start.  As you can see in the photo, I got the stitching done on the first of my son's girlfriend's slipper socks and just need to stitch the seams and also got a good start on the mate.  

This morning I went to the post office and sent off two parcels for Yarn Angels.  What is Yarn Angels, you may ask?  It is a wonderful program set up by two equally wonderful ladies where people who can help less fortunate knitters/crocheters by sending them yarn and/or accessories, supplies, patterns, etc.  I have sent my recipients each a nice box full of specialty yarns with two crochet hooks.  Why did I chose to send specialty yarn?  I don't know the situation of each recipient, but kept in mind that they weren't as well off and maybe they would like to try stitching a ruffle scarf, or a pair of socks or something along that line, but couldn't really afford the ruffle yarn or a skein of sock yarn as these types of yarn are normally a little more costly than your regular worsted.  If they can make something with this yarn, maybe even sell it and then be able to buy themselves more yarn, then my job is done and has been successful!  Honestly though, I'm not sure who benefits more from this program...the people receiving the yarn they wouldn't have otherwise, or myself with the good feeling I got for helping somebody else!  I guess we all benefit.  I am a HUGE supporter of the whole "pay it forward" movement...it's directly connected with Karma...what goes around, comes around...you never know when you are going to be hit with a need that somebody else can help you with.

On that note, I am going to get some housework done so I can get down to some serious guilt-free stitching!

Had a Little Chat With my Stitching Coach

Those who know me, know that when I am stitching, my faithful companion Amigo, also known as my stitching coach isn't too far away...usually resting his head on my lap.  Well, today I wasn't feeling the urge to stitch, but I know that I won't be able to start working on my shrug until I've finished my son's girlfriend's slipper socks...a restriction I have set out for myself.  So, I sat down with Amigo and had a little talk with him.  I told him that he wasn't doing a very good job of being motivational and that I would have to take on that role myself today.  Well, I guess even stitching coaches of the canine kind don't like getting lectured...he sighed, jumped up on the couch beside me and rested his head on my lap...and thus, the stitching began.  I am now only a few ridges away from starting the toe decrease and then it's on to the mate for this slipper sock and then...THE SHRUG!!!!

This is the first slipper sock, or at least as far as I've gotten on it so far.  It's a denser fabric with this pair than the ones I made for my son in the reversed colours.  I made his on larger needles to accommodate the width and size of his feet.  This is a rather old pattern from the 60's...you could even call it vintage.  I just can't help myself...there's something about the older "classic" patterns that just calls to me to have new life stitched into it with the newer yarns that are available on the market these days, and the older patterns just never seem to be outdated really.  I guess, thanks to the creative geniuses in yarn manufacturing, I will never grow tired of these patterns...each different yarn I use will give them a whole different look and feel!

My First EVER Design I've Actually Written Out! :D

My oldest son's roommate asked me for a hat for Christmas...that's all she wanted.  I searched the internet and didn't find a pattern that spoke to me, so I sat down and made a hat of my own creation, without a written pattern.  I have never done that before, unless it was something REALLY basic, like a scarf or something like that.  When I was done the hat, I decided to write out the pattern I created so I could make it again somewhere down the like.  It's a basket weave beanie, but could be made into a slouchy hat quite easily.  You can download the pattern here.