What's old is new again

See all of those?  They are a fraction of the past year's handmade cards that I have received from other stampers.  They were residing in a shoe box (decorated at least!) in my closet when they were not chosen for display.

Until now that is.  This week I've decided to start upcycling and reusing the tops of the cards.  It's a shame to let them sit.  And honestly, the month of January disappeared and I still have mountains to do for the shower.  It's win-win for me - I get to declutter the card box and give these beauties another life.  Off to work, but I'll be looking for new base card colors for these later tonight.

The hat's new digs

This little gem arrived in the mail from my pen pal Sharon - isn't it cheery?!

It's magnetic closure reminds me a bit of slap bracelets :) and I love the colors & inside pockets.

Thank you!  You certainly cheered up a dull winter day!

PS - The mayrose hat is almost done!

Invitation Assembly

I was out of town over the weekend bridesmaid dress shopping for my friend K's wedding in June.  We're all wearing different black dresses, and I would say that our shopping trip was 50% successful.  I'm holding K's Illinois bridal shower in mid-March, so the invitations need to go out this week. 

 

Now that I'm back, I'm in full invitation assembly mode.  I'll post a picture when they're done, but her evening outdoor wedding will feature mason jars, so I thought I would incorporate them into the shower invitation.  It's part of SU's Perfectly Preserved set, and I've made 40 of these little guys!

This only leaves the table decorations, final menu choices, favors, and final cake decisions....it's kind of like planning an whole other 'mini' wedding....

Pen pals

I received this little gem of a letter from a pen pal last week.  I've been admiring it propped up on my kitchen table and just realized that the stamp was never canceled.  I thought about reusing it, but the recycled envelope is too cute to rip apart...

Mittens and Stockings, Oh My

Last year Stampin' Up created a small stocking punch and I didn't think it could get cuter, but it did.  This year they introduced a tiny mitten punch and, as a knitter, how could I resist?  Using the 2011-2013 In Colors, I whipped these cards up to mail out to my knitting friends. 

Uses Make a Mitten, Stitched Stockings, and Hand Knit stamp sets as well as the 2011-2013 In Colors.

Bayard Hat

Last night I finished the decreases on the hat to match my sky scarf.  I finally have a hat and scarf set that matches!

The pattern is Bayard by Bristol Ivy.  I used leftovers from the Sky Scarf to complete: Cerulean Blue and White from The Loopy Ewe's Solid Series.  The hat took approximately 114 yards of the blue and 84 yards of the white on US 3 needles. 

 

Not many modifications - I knit fewer rounds of ribbing at the beginning and went up two needles sizes to a US 3 from the recommended US 2.  With all of my curly hair, I prefer my hats to be a little looser and more beret-like.  It's a clever design - the slipped stitch section helps to hide the row color changes and a great way to use up sock yarn leftovers. 

 

Next on the needles - the Mayrose hat by Woolly Wormhead.  I've pulled some hand spun cormo from the stash to knit it.

 

 

The best part?  It's going to match the Shaelyn Shawl.

Close to home

The middle of winter is central Illinois is normally a little bleak - cold, windy, and lacking in the green fields I've come to adore and appreciate. Occasionally sunny days help, but living in a rural area, sometimes you want to jump ship. To counteract some of the winter gloom, a few friends decided to put together a mini retreat close to home. So, this weekend, I grabbed my knitting and headed out the door...to here:

Isn't it lovely?  Okay, wait.  Before you start to wonder, this is no normal Midwestern barn.  It's amazing - brand new building and outfitted to entertain!

See what I mean?  A full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, plenty of comfy seating, a sleeping loft, and a roaring fire kept us warm all day.

When you needed a break, you could take a brief stroll outside or bird watch through the windows.

 

I worked on my Bayard Hat and would have made more progress, but the conversation was  entertaining and friendly.  In the meantime, I'm back to work and hope to finish the hat tonight or tomorrow evening.  Until then, here's a WIP shot:

 

 

Unique Snowflake

We have had a few days of snow recently - enough to cover the lawns and put that magical feeling into the air.  My cards this week reflect those days when you can curl up with a good book and watch the flurries fly. 

I used the retired Northern Hearts set to add some snow magic to the mail.  I've become a fan of the blue/red color combinations and came up with a few cards that use the same color theme (and it also appeared on my holiday cards this year).  The dazzling details in Cherry Cobbler brought sparkle to liven it up and went well with the Baja Breeze.

And a hat to match

This...

 

needs a hat to match. 

 

 

Don't you think?  Started the Bayard Hat.

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

It's that time again - the time of the year when everyone is invigorated with goals and new to-do lists for the incoming year.  The crafting goals though - those just keep getting better and better. 

Before I take a look at this year's, I think it is time to revisit the 2012 goals.  They were:

1. Finish the Adeline blanket.
• Finished!  The Adeline Blanket wrapped up in April 2012 and I couldn't be happier with it.  It's currently residing on my couch and is a perfect size to cover your lap while watching TV.
2. Complete the Sky Scarf project.
• Completed!  On December 31, 2012, I knit the last few stitches and wove in the ends.  The yearlong progress on the scarf seemed slow at times but in the end, it was worth it.
3. Continue my self imposed sock club.
• Completed!  While not on time for every project, I did complete all 12 months.  Whew.
4. Knit more items that I've had marked for years! I keep post-it noting, printing, and storing the patterns.
• This was kind of....a fail.  I organized, cleaned, destashed a bit, and got most of my crafting life physically in order this year, but failed to use many of the patterns that I earmarked on my "To Do" list.  Since they didn't make the cut, I must not have wanted to knit or crochet them that badly. 
5. Try to knit more patterned socks.
• Another fail.  I didn't knit a single pair of patterned socks!
6. And finally....Knit/Crochet/Weave 12,000 yards in 2012. Any type of project as long as there are 12,000 yards at the end of the year.
• Completed and a success!  All added up, I knit, crochet, and wove 12,514 yards this year.

Overall, I think I did well.  The Adeline Blanket and the Sky scarf were both lengthy projects spaced out in between smaller ones.

For 2013, I have a simpler, more streamlined set of crafting goals.  For the past several years, I made extensive lists for everything - craft goals, personal goals, work goals - you name it, I bet you I had a list for it.  This year, I'm forcing my type A personality to take a break from the comprehensive list of previous years.  As my brother (type B personality) would have said, "Just chill."  As a result, this year's crafting goals are flexible and will allow me to craft whatever I want whenever I want. 

In 2013, I'm aiming to:

1. Participate in the 13 Finished Plucky Objects in 2013 (13Plucky2013, Ravelry link).  During 2013, I will aim to complete 13 different finished objects using yarn from The Plucky Knitter.  This will give me the chance to use some of my club colorways.
2. Stashdown!  I was originally going to set a specific number of skeins, but I felt that would tie me down too much.  Instead, my target is a 20% stash reduction by the end of the year.  I'm going to use the numbers in my Ravelry stash to help guide me.  I think it is doable and not too far out of my reach combined with my first goal. (Last year was a very good stashdown year too, I'm hoping to continue the streak).

After college and graduate school, when I had the chance to get back to crafting, I was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of crafter.  When I saw a pattern or project I liked, I gathered materials and started it.  I miss that instant inspiration and spontaneity in my crafting and I would like to get back to that.  I'm going to skip the personal sock club projects every month too and I imagine that I'll come pretty close to the same output with the stashdown goal. 

So, that's it - just two goals this year.  How about you?  Do you have goals or resolutions for 2013?