Twirling Yarn in the Park

While the children played in the splash park. I decided to take advantage of their distraction.

There is nothing more satisfying than teaching a sibling to love something you love. While I crocheted a doily, she continued to knit a wash rag for her children's bathroom.

The weather was beautiful under the protection of these trees.

I have to admit my "to-knit" list is getting deliciously long. Ah the afternoons I will spend enjoying the company of my needles while I kindle the fire of my yarn love-affair.

Good Morning

"Really, handknitting is a dreamy activity, built into many people's thumbs and fingers by genes already there, itching to display their skills and achievement possibilities."

- Elizabeth Zimmermann

Is there a better way to start the day?

Lost Battle

I want to turn this neck warmer into a table runner by doubling it and then making it long enough for a table.... Who knows if I will ever be able to do it!

I have attempted this pattern several times. Seeing it was one of the reason I got back into knitting. For the life of me I cannot seem to get my hands to do it right without messing it up! 

I did however manage to get further than I did before. I succeeded at making one leaf and leaving a giant hole on the other half. I won't show you the hole- that is slightly embarrassing. Once again I will remove this from my needles and find another project until I get brave enough to tackle this one again. 

I splurged on some FUN

I have to admit cabling intimidates me, but my goal is to learn! Buying fun new needles by Lantern Moon is a good way to start!

I have been wanting a new needle case because mine was just a tiny crochet hook zip case that was unbelievably stuffed full of all my "stuff"so this impressive piece is not only gorgeous, but completely functional as well.

I am also growing into my new hair do. I keep reminding myself that I. Am. Not. My. Hair. I am still the same beautiful girl I was before. God has shown me that I can be a beautiful person no matter what my outer appearance may be because it truly is what is inside that counts!

Finishing a Doily, Blocking.

When it comes to blocking a doily there are probably as many different ways to do it as there are people crocheting. So here is how I do it. You need something to pin your doily to- I used a piece of foam poster board because it is super inexpensive and easy to replace. I took some clear scotch packing tape and covered the whole front side of it for a bit of waterproofing. 

Then you need starch- I used a spray can.

You also need safety pins

I draw a circle on my board so that I have a general idea of where to pin. Next you want to wash your doily. When it is still wet you start pinning the doily down. I have to angle my pins because I pull so hard.

 Once you are satisfied that your doily is pulled tight and pinned evenly just spray it down with the starch && let her dry.

 Of course if you are anything like me you will be in your bedroom with a blow dryer drying it as fast as you can. After several hours of straight crocheting, I am ready to admire my masterpiece! :)

Once it has completely dried you are free to unpin your doily and fall in love with it all over again!

My Favorite Tool

I think every person who has a hobby has a favorite tool. Mine is kind of lame to many people and I didn't grow to love it until I started doing projects with more counting involved. My stitch counter is simple, inexpensive, and makes my crafting a breeze. With two small children running rampant through my home, there is no way I could keep track of where I am in a pattern without my stitch counter. 

What is your favorite tool?

Bridesmaid Dress

So here is the dress. It looks great laying here on the bed, but feels a little too poofy for my style. I'm debating taking it all apart and taking some off the skirt. But I don't know if I have the motivation to basically spend another day taking this apart and putting it back together...

If I decide to wear this in the wedding I will definitely take it apart and remove some of the fabric from the skirt part. My friend has a grey dress that I haven't seen yet and she said I can wear it if I want to. Maybe I will do that and save this for a date night?