Harvest Monday - Feb 2014

It's February. All I can show you is the state of my garden beds:

Yeah, that's a whole lot of window screen. Sorry about that. But you can see my beds and trellis are just shrouded with show. It's beautiful. No good for planting and harvesting, though. We received one foot last week, 7 inches another week, 8 inches in the week before that, and 6.5 inches in the week before that. Tomorrow, we get three inches. 

Instead, I try to harvest other things in winter. Ongoing creative projects, my relationships with others, and probably even more importantly with all the hours indoors, my relationship with myself. 

Creative projects include crochet, knitting, jewelry making, embroidery, weaving, sketching, and writing.

I crocheted a set of fingerless gloves using soft, warm angora wool. 

I have another project on the loom. 

Let's not forget the bounty of food. This is a wheat berry and pinto bean soup made with the last of the potatoes from the garden, and a homemade peasant bread. Though I have started growing parsley indoors, this fresh bunch is purchased from my local Trader Joe's. 

This week I will start some onion and cole crop seedlings, and I am looking forward to it. Pretty soon, my Harvest Mondays will have more green.

WIP Wednesday - Fingerless Gloves

In honor of WIP Wednesday, here's a sneak peek at my very simple, very warm, angora fingerless gloves:




This, soft, beautiful yarn has a shining blue strand:




It gives the gloves just a hint of sparkle within the halo of angora fur. I really think they're lovely, and I will soon finish the second glove!

Feel free to share any works you may be crafting/arting in the comments!

For the Nephew

Fiance's sister is having her second baby boy in two or three weeks.


I made this hat using the Bulky Baby Hat pattern, and then appliqued the chick.


Here it is with the Done in a Jiffy baby blanket I whipped up for the new arrival. While the hat was simple to make, I did have to unravel the first hat I made as it was too big. The recommended size crochet hook in the pattern contributed to the size, so I went a full mm down in crochet hooks. This hat is perfect for a newborn.



The blanket was a really simple pattern, but the yarn I used, Lion Brand's "Baby's First Yarn" (in honeybee, which is NOT showing its real color here - it's a warm and buttery yellow), has a tendency to fray. I'm going to go over the frays with Alene's, but I'll test it in the washing machine before I give it to mom.


And here's the stitch up close - I think it's really lovely.


So, that's one for the nephew, and one for the niece! The next blanket coming up is for a cousin's baby. So many babies this year!

Spring Crochet

Oh my gosh! Spring is almost here! I am so excited!

I've also been working on three different crochet projects between work, class, homework, and garden prep. Here's a sneak peek:







A new baby blanket! Don't you love these colors? It's Martha Stewart Extra Soft Wool Blend in Buttermilk, Lemon Chiffon, Gray Pearl, and Gerbera Daisy. Choosing the right colors took three weeks of hemming and hawing - I was originally stuck on shades of blue, and while they were beautiful, I wanted something brighter!

I also am crocheting a pair of baby converse, and another hat. I expect to be done with it all by the end of the month! Then I will move on to a light, spring scarf. Can't wait!

Any creative projects that you're working on?

For the Niece

As I mentioned before, my brother got married. He and his wife are expecting a baby girl this May! I decided this was the opportunity to get out the crochet hook and try out that old hobby. I used this pattern from Aesthetic Nest for the baby afghan.

It took two and a half skeins each of Encore Chunky pale blue and Encore Chunky pale pink. I also used two skeins of Encore Worsted fuschia. The pattern is super chunky and warm. I crocheted one blanket over a couple nights, and then I unraveled it, and crocheted it again in one day! (I felt the first attempt wasn't quite put together as well.)

 I had plenty of extra yarn, so I made a hat using the Best Baby Cloche pattern. It was a challenge to start the ring, but I unraveled it several times and kept at it until I got it right.

The back:

Then, I still had more yarn, so using this pattern, I made baby booties!

Aren't they sweet? I think they are kind of my favorite. Crocheting has been a great way to relax and decompress. A single baby bootie took me less than an hour to create, so it certainly helps to give me a sense of accomplishment also! These patterns were all great as beginner projects, so it was a fantastic way to get back into the swing of this craft.

I think the whole package is darling, and that my new little niece will be quite comfortable. Don't you?

Inventorying All the Things

As I look through many patterns for bags, cowls, and baby sweaters, I wondered just how much yarn, needles, and hooks I had actually acquired over the years.

Garden planning is on the horizon, and I have bins filled with packets and bottles of seeds. I am trying not to buy anything new, though I may be out of some favorites and will need to order again. But I won't know for sure until I look through everything!

So, with my three day weekend in which I also enjoyed many social activities, I found time to pull boxes out of the basement. I used Ravelry's "stash" system to list all the yarn, needles, and hooks. Turns out I have many, many crochet hooks and multiples of 14" knitting needles. I am bringing all of my extras to the next Stitch'n'Bitch to give out to anyone who wants them. Yarn got stowed away in drawers, and implements into another drawer, all set for a rainy day and a new project.

(If you haven't been on Ravelry.com, check it out! Tons of free patterns, and with all the old yarn I have without a project for, I can check their database for patterns used with that same yarn.)

Then I pulled out the bins of seeds. Believe it or not, I have an excel spreadsheet with vegetable, variety, sowing depth, spacing, height, fertilizer needs, and notes of each seed I keep. It helps me decide what to order and what to plant from year to year. Seeds lose their viability over the years, but most can keep for up to three years at a good rate, while some can go for even more.

So, tell me, how do you plan and prepare?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Crochet Obsession

Today was fantastic. I made blueberry pancakes with a special "made with Maine blueberries" mix gifted to me by my brother and his new wife. They went with our "suburban-fresh" eggs and sliced banana.

They've discovered they are having a girl, and so I have started a baby blanket. The yarn is soft and machine washable, and the colors are baby blue, pale pink, and fuchsia. I'm using a pattern that is super chunky and warm. I think I'll have enough fuchsia leftover to make a baby hat and maybe even a pair of matching booties.



I love knitting, but for these projects I am bringing back crochet. I haven't done it in YEARS, so it took some finagling to get the kinesthetic memory in my hands going. Now I'm on fire!



I wish I had taken pictures of all the projects I have finished in the past and given away. I just never seem to remember to do it! I'm going to be better about it now, because I have definitely done some beautiful patterns that deserve to be highlighted.

The pattern for the above baby blanket can be found here, for anyone looking to begin crocheting (it's definitely a great project for a beginner), or to hook up a really quick and easy blanket for a new little human. I LOVE the colors she used for her blanket.

You can also take a look at my Pinterest board Needlecraft for some more ideas on yarn and sewing!