Drifting pleats finished

I am loving this book! It is full of unique techniques and I have lots of yarn that if just enough for a scarf, so I plan to work through lots of these designs. Here is my first--the Drifting Pleats scarf. It took 130 grams of Horstia Maulbeerseide-Schurwolle in 50% silk/50% wool. I love the sheen and the buttery softness. The pattern was fun to work and easy to remember after the first little bit.

Coming soon: Look for a sock monkey blanket!

A Flirty Ribbon Purse

This was a quick little number that I hope to line, fill with girly little purse items, and give to a niece for Christmas. I'm happy because (a) I think she'll really like it and (b) I finally figured out what to do with my "great deal" on ribbon yarn!

My first swap!

I participated in my very first swap on Ravelry (kinda like Facebook for fiber junkies for you uninitiated). For this particular swap, we were only supposed to swap from what was in our stashes and a homemade item. I feel overwhelmed with the beautiful things sent to me by my swap partner. A felted bag personalized with my name held a sachet, a soap, some lotion and homemade stitch markers. In addition, there were 3 skeins of alpaca yarn and 1 skein of linen/rayon yarn AND and knitted scarf. My swap partner went way above and beyond the call of duty!

Quick scarf

This is a scarf made from 100g of Feza Fanatic. No pattern, I just cast on 150 stitches and knit end to end until I ran out. I ended with about 4 inches of yarn left! If I did it again, I might cast on a few more stitches for a longer, narrower scarf. Regardless, I like it.

Swap Partner knitting

I knit these for a stash-only-swap that I participated in. They are the Anklets pattern from The Ultimate Sock Book by Vogue Knitting. I used 1 50 g. ball of Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Fun. They were quick, easy and used only 1 ball! They were also a hit with my swap partner! I also decreased my stash by 56 grams of cashmere, given to my stash partner.

New way to play...

After attending the Maker Faire in May and trying my hand with handheld looms, I thought that I would see about ordering one for myself. Well, it turned out that they were more cash than I wanted to part with right now, so I turned to more resourceful means, and with Mark's help, fashioned a functional (though less beautiful) loom for $1. The loom makes 4" self finishing squares like you see above. Though I could stitch them together to make something larger, right now I am content just to admire the resourcefulness of these little squares in using up last little bits of yarn. They are acting as coasters right now...

A gift from the fabric stash

So, introducing an apron that I designed and made for my niece, Corrie, for her 6th birthday. She loves all things "princess-like" and she loves to cook. When we were visiting in February, she kept asking, "Aunt Lisa, did you make this for me?" as she brought things to me from her room. I decided I had better make the girl something as I had to keep answering "no." So, happy birthday to Corrie. I hope she enjoys many hours in the kitchen with her new, girly apron by Aunt Lisa.