Daphne and Delilah

I had quite the shock last week to find out that the baby knit I was working on - the Daphne and Delilah monsters - needed to be complete this week.  I have no idea how these things sneak up on me so quickly.  It was time to get cracking this weekend.  The Colorado weather helped - it was cooooold with a little snow.  Truly a lock yourself indoors with the fire on type of a weekend.  Hmm perfect.  (Well, not entirely perfect - seems some bug is working its way around the family so we've all been a little ugh!)

But, in the words of Dora the Explorer "I did it!"  (Erm, yes this was the type of show that was on the box.  Not in my top 10 choices, but an under-the-weather girly was soothed by this, so who am I to complain :)

Proudly presenting the quite festive Daphne and Delilah pair:



I'm learning that my choice in colour can often be influenced by the season.  I hadn't intentionally picked the colours, but I am pleased that it does feel a little Christmassy.

Pattern:  Daphne and Delilah by Rebecca Danger
Yarn:  Lion Brand Cotton Ease  (I did not use the yarn doubled as the pattern suggests, but did go down 2 needle sizes)
Needles:  US 6 dpns
Mods:  I use felt for the eyes and teeth, and blanket stitch these onto the monsters.



I had some yarn left and was able to whip out another hat for Project Love.



But now I shift my attention to Bertie's Blankets:  the 3 blankets that I'd like to put together for Trinity Hospice in memory of my Dad.  Thanks to all who offered to help.  You can follow the progress over at http://BertiesBlankets.blogspot.com.  I started the coastal-coloured afghan:



Mum, if you are reading this, I am still working on your quilt too :)))  All the squares have been made for the quilt top, I'm now in the process of assembling them (while trying to ensure that I keep the layout intact).  Getting close now xxx



Hope you had a lovely weekend,
Sam
xxx

Get crafty to help the hospice

Hello my dear crafty Friends,

I received the following article from my mum this morning:  Trinity hospice is in need of blankets to bring comfort and warmth to the folks that they are caring for.  This is where my Dad was looked after in his final days, and I can tell you wholeheartedly that these blankets do make a difference and are thoroughly appreciated.  The only requirement is that the blankets need to be machine washable. 

I would like to put together 3 blankets for Trinity Hospice.  Would you be willing to contribute a square, or 2, to this very worthwhile cause?

I've suggested patterns and colours below for folks looking for guidance.  But I'll take any square that you would be willing to donate.  Thank you.

Option 1:  Afghan Sampler Blanket

• Knit using afghan/worsted weight yarn
• US8 needles
• Final square to measure 9" x 9"
• Use a stitch pattern of your choosing, or if you'd like to follow a published pattern, please check out this Lion Brand sampler blanket pattern L0563 (you can login to the site for free)
• A great way to use those 40-60% off vouchers at the big box yarn stores... and looking at the pattern it looks like you can get 2 squares out of one skein of a lion brand ball of yarn
• Since Trinity Hospice is located in a coastal town, lets use the colours of the sea on this one (throw in some white for the 'surf' and this would be a really soothing colour scheme of shades of blue and white):

Image courtesey of design seeds:  http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/crashing-tones1

Option 2:  Scrappy Sock Yarn Blanket

• Do you have lots of leftover scraps of sock yarn.  A lot of this stuff is machine washable!  Let's put it to good use with this really simple pattern: Kraft-Tanken-Patches (free Ravelry download)
• The squares are 15cm x 15 cm (6" x 6") and are a simple knit on the diagonal
• The pattern recommends a US1-3 needle, depending upon gauge
• As for colour scheme, anything goes - let's send a bright happy rainbow of colours with this one :)

Option 3:  Wonky log cabin Quilt

• There are some wonderful wonky log cabin quilts out in blogland.  Another great way to put your leftover bits and pieces of fabric to good use. 
• I'll be making squares that are 9" by 9" out of my fabric scraps
• My thoughts are to use brights or pastels that are complimented with soothing neutrals like beige and cream
• Here's a great tutorial for the type of wonky log cabin block that I was thinking about: http://www.quiltdad.com/2009/09/quilt-along-3-wonky-log-cabin-block.html 
• The colours are also similar to what I had in mind, with brights + pastels + some cream/neutral (I'll be adding a cream border to each of the 9"x9" wonky squares that you send me, so that this will help tie them altogether into one coordinated blanket)

I can't tell you how much this means to me.  I've been thinking about doing something like this since the day Dad was admitted.  Could this be the beginning of Bertie's Blankets?  :)  I'm glad that this article gave me the push, and the wonderful response I got from my fb knitter friends spurred me on.  Thank you.
I'll collect the squares and assemble them, and then ship to Trinity.

Much love and big hugs,
Sam xxx

White Tornado Weekend: My new craft room

Did you have a good weekend?

Mine was very rewarding.  I'd been toying with the idea of carving out some space at home that could be my craft room, or 'The Creation station' as we jokingly call it.  This weekend I put a lot of time and effort into organizing my new space in our loft.  It's not completely finished yet, but it is orderly.  And as you can tell from my previous post, this makes me a happy girl. 



The shelving unit is an old metal swim locker.  Unfortunately it didn't come with a full complement of baskets and so this weekend I picked up those brown boxes from Ikea and I think they work perfectly, and at an affordable price point too.  Everything now has a home.  Aaah :)   But erm, ahem, yes, 2013 could be the year for some serious stashbusting.

I'll be popping the lids on the basket, but for the photo it was fun to see all the colours of the yarn poking out.  (Reminds me of standing on the ground floor of the Guggenheim and looking up to see glimpses of the colorful artwork between the swirling white walls).

I'm trying to find a site where I can print cute or funky labels for each of the boxes.  I really wish I had nicer handwriting, but alas no.  So printing the labels in an interesting font seems like the best way to go.  Any suggestions?



I was able use the rocker from Naomi's nursery as a knitting and reading chair.  I think it works really well in here.  She now has a princess room with her own hidey hole tent and reading chair so no longer had need for this... more on this below.



And because the room is in our loft, I am close to Naomi's room in the evening, but still near Joe if he is on the computer, or able to chat if he is downstairs watching TV.  (Oh and you can see on the first piccie that my furry entourage approve of the new space :)

Hope you had a lovely, and productive, weekend too,
Sam

Beautiful Blogger Award

I was tickled pink to receive a Beautiful Blogger Award from Ginx Craft.  Thank you so much :)

The condition of the award is that you nominate 7 blogs that you enjoy, and share 7 random facts.

Here goes, for 7 lovely blogs:

1. My Sister's Knitter:  Love socks and shawls?  This is the blog for you.  In addition to great projects there are also links to other fabulous blogs, fun videos and tempting new purchases from Indie dyers.
2. Short Story Long:  Check out these photos - stunning!  Ooh yes, and she's a wizard with the needles. 
3. Yarny Days:  Some of the prettiest crochet blankets I have laid my eyes on. 
4. Knitspiring Odyssey:  Frequently updated, fun and friendly - a blog where you feel like family, or "Ohana"
5. Oiyi's Crafts:  A talented designer who shares her creations, latest crafty endeavours and links to useful resources
6. Joli House:  Home of Lily Kate designs, a fabulous and beautiful young designer from my part of the world.  Everything is beautifully photographed and makes me think of 'home'
7. Savannah Chik Knits, Sews and Cooks:  A very talented knitter who provides details and resource links for her projects.

As for the 7 random facts, here goes:

1.  My husband calls me the 'White Tornado':  Occasionally I get the urge to whip through the house clearing out everything in sight.

2.  Following from #1, I do not like clutter or too much stuff.  But you'd never know that by looking at my yarn and fabric stash.
3.  My favourite colour is red.  Bright happy postbox red.  Although all bright colours make me happy
4.  Being productive also lifts my spirits.  If I'm in a funk, I find nothing picks me up better than feeling like I have accomplished something e.g. clearing out the kitchen.  Erm yes, back to #1 again!
5.  I come from a coastal tourist town called Blackpool.  I love going back and being close to the sea.  I also love that the town is a stone's throw from the country.

6.  Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands.  I spent 5-6 wonderful years living in Amsterdam.
7.  I came to the US on a business trip.  I met my husband and never left :)  He is my best friend.  (Aww :)))
 


Hope you are having a wonderful weekend,
Sam
xxx