Baby Molly!

   So I just wanted to add some of the most amazing baby photos that I took recently of my cousins first child! Here she is Ms. Molly...I offered to create a baby announcement for her and here are some of my favorite shots! Of course when I found out that she was having a girl I had to start crocheting cute things for her! Below is a newborn nest that I crocheted. Since babies grow so fast the nest was a tad bit small but the picture turned out perfect!

  We then moved little Molly onto her stomach and I caught her at the right moment! She could barely lift her tiny head up and with my magical photography skills I got the shot! She is so innocent & adorable.

"Special Delivery!"

   The hat that she is wearing below was the second thing that I ever knit! The peach colored pom pom hat is her mommies favorite hat, so of course I have to make more!

More cuteness!

Here is the final birth announcement...

I am interested to hear some of your opinions...I would greatly appreciate any & all comments that you have! I am thinking about bringing photography back into my life again, maybe even starting to make a little profit off my photography experience. I have been looking into purchasing an SLR digital camera to start creating photography or graphic designs for friends & family. If you have any projects that you want done please let me know. Maybe even some crochet or knit items for photography props...I am open for business!

Summer is ending soon!

   Well here we are in August & I am already seeing "back to school" ads....CRAZY! I do have to say that my Summer has been a great! My husband and I went to the West Coast, we went to Las Vegas and California.
  
   Before we left for vacation we celebrated Bob's 29th birthday. I purchased the most delicious cake from Simmas Bakery in Wauwatosa. The cake was chocolate ganache frosted, marble cake with espresso mousse! By far the best birthday cake I have ever bought! I look forward to going to Simmas again for a cup of coffee & pastry with a friend.
  

   After celebrating Bob's birthday we were off to Vegas! We stayed at the New York, New York hotel which was GREAT! There are so many different things to do & eat! I have to recommend going with Expedia! We purchased our flight and hotel through Expedia and we received a free "buffet a day" so that definitely saved us money! We went to see two Cirque du Solei shows the first one was Elvis at the Aria hotel & casino. The second show was Ka at the MGM Grand hotel & casino. They both were great but I liked Ka better because it was more theatrical!

   Towards the end of our Vegas stay we visited Lake Mead/ The Hoover Dam for a day. We got to swim in Lake Mead and bake in the HOT sun! You can say that Bob & I truly enjoyed Las Vegas!

   After our 3 night we checked out of our Vegas hotel to pick up our rental car to head to Thousand Oaks, CA. There we stayed with some friends that went to college with Bob. They sure did show us a good time in California, we went to the beach paddleboarding, went to Malibu vineyards to taste wine and of course sunbathed by the pool/hot tub at his parents luscious backyard!

  From there we set off for our last California journey! We drove 6 hours to Mammoth Lake, CA a gorgeous cabin-like hotel and is surrounded by lush snow covered mountains! Yes there was still snow on all or most of the caps in June! After spending one night in Mammoth Lake we drove 3 more hours to Yosemite! The drive to Mammoth & Yosemite was scary and way too long!

   By the end of the trip we were seriously ready to get back home but we were very happy that we could take the time off to have an awesome vacation! Bob and I decided that our next vacation will be a tropical, all inclusive destination! We are looking forward to it!

Headed to Las Vegas!

Hey there! I just wanted to send a quick update on some exciting news! My husband and I will be heading to Las Vegas for 3 nights we will be staying at the New York, New York hotel and we will be seeing a couple of the Cirq du Soleil shows which ones you ask...The Beatles Love at the Mirage and also Viva Elvis at Aria! I will bring you some reviews of the shows and some great food!

I love traveling so I will keep in posted and share some of my experiences while I visit Vegas! I have never been to Vegas before so it should be amazing! We will also be driving from Vegas to the Hoover Dam and then ending our vacation in California. We are staying with a couple of friends who live just North of Los Angeles, they will show us California's great attributes! Can't wait!

Past Gifted Projects & Soon To Be Gifted

Day Four: 31st March. Where are they now?

Whatever happened to your __________?

Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.

When crocheting a hat and cowl for my mother, I thought she would use it all winter long right....I was wrong. The hat was a bit too big for her head so she really only attempted to wear it once and then the cowl...the cowl went to me! She thought a cowl was too small and when I went to visit her with a cold I took it with me because it soothed my throat and chest on a very cold day. I must say that I use and love the cowl to this day.

  I crocheted the cutest baby hat w/ bear ears for a co-worker but I gave it to her a little too late because the newborn size of the hat was too tight for the baby. I was very disappointed I think I have start making baby things at a bigger size so that the gift actually gets used.

  I am very excited to give my cousin who is having a Summer baby her summer flower granny square baby blanket at her baby shower May 1st. The granny squares are very airy so that the baby blanket can be used throughout the Summer and it’s got different colors like pink, purple, green & cream. I am also crocheting her a “newborn nest” with felting yarn for her baby announcements! So exciting! Of course I will be posting pictures of all of these.  

Tote Bags Hold My Yarn Stash

Day Three: 30th March. Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels.

My stash is collected in three different tote bags, I feel that keeping my stash in bags helps disguise how much yarn I truly have from my husband. If my husband only knew how much yarn I have in my possession he might flip BUT I have promised myself that I will not be buying anymore yarn until next winter! Although I am very organized with my Crochet hooks and Knitting needles this is because I just bought a hook & needle organizer which helps me keep them in one spot. Also my hard copy patterns and Crochet stitch instructions are neatly organized in a folder so that I can always refer back to them when I need them. Photos will be posted within the next few days, sorry.

Skill + 1UP

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

Actually this time last year I wasn’t even introduced to the fiber arts at all! I really have only been Crocheting for 4 months now. And I have barely only been knitting for a week now. I do have to say that I seemed to have more patience learning Crochet than I have for Knitting. (Knitting is tough, maybe it’s because there are two needles rather than one hook and the tension is tricky to grab at first.) Below is my second attempt of stockinette stitch and it is turning out very well don't you think?

I wouldn’t call these new Crochet skills but instead would say that my level knowledge with Crochet has move to Intermediate. I have moved from just creating small accessories like hats & cowls to SHAWLS! I dream to create a sweater! Below are the two ways you can wear the shawl.

Also very excited to even start learning how to Knit! So far I am starting small making a ear warmer/head band and embellishing it with a Crocheted flower! Now I have started making a Stockinette stitch newborn baby hat and I am going to embellish it with pom poms. Now I can knit something and embellish with crochet! I've got the best of both worlds!

 

I feel very happy that I know how to both Crochet & Knit this year and I feel blessed knowing that I have found a peaceful & tranquil hobby that can be shared to younger and older generations. Which reminds me that I recently enjoyed teaching both my mother and aunt the basics of Crochet. Also my mom has finished one scarf already and has bought more yarn to create another scarf! Now I can share my hobby with my mother and we can “Stitch & Bitch” together!

A Tale of Two Yarns and a couple more!

Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

   One on the yarns that I really appreciate using is  Sugar'n Cream 100% Cotton Yarn by Lily Yarns mainly because of the “put together” look & feel of the finished fiber. I really don’t think you can ever go wrong with 100% cotton yarn. Whenever I decide to make any Amigurumi object my first choice is always Sugar’n Cream 100% Cotton Yarn. The price is just right for the amount of yarn especially for the size of the project, which Amigurumi is normally small scale for me. When it comes to  stuffing the Amigurumi the 100% Cotton yarn helps keep the stuffing hidden within, there is no peek through and your end project looks crisp and clean! Below is the head of a puppy Amigurumi that I am working on completing with 100% Cotton Yarn by Lily Yarns.

  Another yarn that I absolutely love which is still on the 100% cotton aspect is Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton yarn! I just started knitting an ear warmer in stockinette and I am loving the feel of it! I look forward to using it next Winter because the stockinette seems like it is going to keep my ears really warm! I have crocheted a hat in Nature’s Choice for myself and it really kept my head warm in the brutal Wisconsin winter, but unfortunately I have seemed to misplaced the hat, boo hoo! I love the colors, warmth the fiber provides and the look of Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton yarn.

  One yarn that I do not appreciate is  Lion Brand Homesupun yarn. I found that Homespun is hard to work with, the actual fiber slips/ splits off the foundation thread when working on a project, which then causes bunching/a knot like pool of thread. The slight positives  about Homespun are the colors and also the softness of the yarn.

   In the future I am looking forward to using natural fibers like Alpaca & Wool. I think that this year since I am only a beginner I have stuck to using man made yarns and I want to break away from the beginner projects and move to more experienced patterns such as garments and large afghans with cables!

Beginning a New Craft!

Last night I started knitting! 

  To catch you up on my past craft experiences I will let you know that I am a very creative person, heck my day job is in Graphic Design! So my very first craft that I started off with was Scrapbooking. I found a liking for scrapbooking after I got married, last summer 2010. After buying a Cricut which I absolutely love! I created two complete scrapbooks, then came the Fall season well that is when I picked up a magic bottle of Mod Podge & Folk Art acrylic paints and started repurposing accent decor! 

  Then came Christmas and was absolutely in love with a friends' love of Knitting and my love for Crochet sprang up. Starting off learning through online videos and of course picking up TONS of books on Crochet at the West Allis Public Library my first creation has a (green) hat for myself to wear to a Green Bay Packer football game. I also was creating a yellow cowl to wear to the game but could only finish the hat. (By the way my friend Megan will never let me live down the fact that I finished crocheting the hat in the car going to the game! That is her favorite memory from that game.) I have crocheted Hats, cowls, granny squares, amigurumi. It is crazy because I have found myself and my drawers stocked with yarn and until this week I have promised myself that I need to finish off all the yarn in my possession! The last trip I made to Michael's I saw the knitting needles on sale and decided to purchase three sets. So last night I learned how to cast on & garter stitch. Tonight I will learn how to do a purl stitch and my ultimate goal is to knit a cable scarf!

  

 Now that I read over this blog post I notice that I have severe ADHD when it comes to crafts! What do you think is this normal for creative people? I am seriously looking forward to adding crafts in my next day job. Such as creating & maintaining a yarn/craft companies catalog/website/social media network accounts! 

  

 Recently I have been adding more posts to my blog and I have finally decided to join other crochet/knit heads in the "Knitting & Crochet Blog Week" 

What is Knitting and Crochet Blog Week?

This is a week of blogging for knitters and crocheters, where individual bloggers will all simultaneously post about the same topics over the course of seven days, so that for one week readers might be able to read from blog to blog and enjoy a community of bloggers all talking about elements of their craft in their own unique way.

~I am looking forward to adding photos of finished knitted swatches of my new craft! And totally looking forward to blogging during blog week!~ Till next time!

 

December, January & February

     Sorry I haven't posted anything for the past month & a half the holidays can make us all super busy! I have to tell you about my favorite hobby that I recently picked up! Crochet! I was inspired by a good (knit) friend Abi Polzin who works with my husband as an Emergency Medicine resident. I was amazed when she showed me all the cute things she was knitting especially for babies. I am in that stage of life where now slowly all of the people in my life are starting their families so I thought wouldn't it be great to make handmade gifts for the incoming babies. So I started off with a tons of hats big & small, then cowls and scarfs now I am on to (summer granny square) blanket. I seem to have faded out of scrapbooking and into crocheting! (Don't worry I will get back into the scrapbooking fad again!)

     December was a fast moving month for me, from recovering from Thanksgiving holiday to Christmas shopping, Christmas cookie making w/my mother-in-law, Crocheting gifts and then finishing up with the BIG New Year's Eve party that we had at our house! I enjoyed every minute of December and realized how lucky I am to be blessed with the family members in my life! The relationship I have with my husband  is growing stronger and stronger with every year, I am so thankful to have found such a caring and loving husband. We are getting closer & closer to starting a family ourselves but we want to make sure things are in order with us as a couple before we bring another human being into our lives. We have talked about it and we both think that before Bob's residency is over we should start a family. This would mean a max. of 2 1/2 years till the end of his residency but we are loving the life we have now and I believe we should enjoy it!

February has past us by and I do have to admit that I enjoyed the Valentine dinner Bob prepared for me! Steak, Shrimp Scampi, Baked Potato, Rolls and a 2 pound box of chocolate!

It seems like this winter has been pushing back the nice spring weather and barely within the week in March we will get to feel the temperature in the 60's. I am looking forward to this Summer because I am in my cousins wedding in June and I love all the pre-wedding events! Plus my other cousin is having her first baby and then in October another cousin of mine is getting married! I will be posting pictures of all my finished crochet projects and talk about how I came about making them!

Please check back with me soon! Here was my first Crochet hat that I made for myself!