Yarn Along: A Finished Whale

Joining along with Ginny at Small things for the Yarn Along.

I finally finished knitting the whale I have been working on since February. Whew! It was a long project mostly because every row was different and I needed full concentration to focus on the pattern. Meaning my kids had to be asleep in bed. It was a brilliantly written knitting pattern. I found the project on Ravelry it is called Hazel the Humpback Whale.

 I brought it along for my Mother's Day trip to the ocean for a photo shoot. Maybe I should have set her free while I was there?

Now I am looking forward to knitting something colorful and easy.

Fun little hair clips...

 

I am totally addicted to making these cute hair clips. I just wish I could make them as fast Nalah can lose them. She has some crazy bangs that are always hanging in her little face, but rips out ponytails and clips as soon as I put them in. I considered cutting her bangs a few weeks ago until I started making these. I have a ton of eco felt so I used that but once my embroidery skills improve and Nalah stops ripping them out and throwing them I will be ordering some wool.
This would be a fun craft-a-long party to do with other Mama's with little girls. Super quick and easy.  I love how portable this project is, no sitting in front of the sewing machine and you can even take a few supplies outside in your yard and craft in the sunshine.There are so many tutorials out there and I can find the specific one I used for the rose clip but if you just Google it there are ton of ideas out there! I found the rose tutorial on line and just made up the rest. I have a lot more ideas...

With the hot weather I have been trying to find new ways of getting my hair out of the way. My hair is literally down to my butt and it is too hot to wear down on super hot days. I am getting tired of the same old pigtail braids and pony tail so I have been finding some fun hairstyle ideas on Pinterest and Youtube.

Here is a braided side bun I tried last weekend. It turned out pretty well and lasted all day even after a pretty long hike. Know of any tutorials for super long hairstyles? Please share.

 

Needle felting...

I have been wanting to try my hand at needle felting for several years. I put it off to focus more on knitting and sewing clothing and costumes for my Etsy store. My husband  would always kind of  roll his eyes and say that I didn't need another crafty hobby when I would mention it. After all, the crafty possibilities are endless, did I mention I would love to try spinning my own yarn, and learning the art of stained glass, how about woodworking, and basket weaving, and quilting? Yes, I want to try them all.I will be a very busy old woman some day, hopefully.
So here is my bluebird, my first attempt at needle felting. I gave it to Sophie as part of her Birthday gifts but I think Nalah needs one too as she has grown very fond of it, and loves all creatures dearly.

 

Searching for crafty folks.....

Do you have a blog and an Etsy shop or a website where you sell your handmade creations? Would you like some free advertising for the Holiday Season?I am looking for interested people to be part of a Handmade Holiday link. I will link up all interested folks to the button above and we can then all put them on our blogs to help advertise each other for the holidays.

This idea will only work if I can find other interested artists, but who wouldn't like a little free advertising, right?

I will be the one to link the button to your shop and add new folks as they come. All you have to do if interested is send me your e-mail and a link to your shop. Lets support Handmade and help each other this holiday season!
Please leave a comment if you are interested, I am eager to hear from you!

Knitted Gnome

Just wanted to share my knitted gnome from the Craftalong. The pattern as with all the other projects are from The Children's Year By Cooper, Fynes-Clinon, and Rowling on page 84.
It was made up of several knit squares sewn together to make the gnome. It was fun to see it all come together. There is a little bell a the top of the gnomes hat that I cropped off accidentally in the photo. This will be a cute stocking stuffer for my little guy.....

Craftalong project#1 Needle Case

I am participating in a craftalong using the lovely book, The Children's Year by Cooper,Fynes-clinton and Rowling.Please click on the link(craftalong 2010) on my sidebar for more information on the craftalong.
I am a little behind for the first project for January. I just purchased the book yesterday at a cute local Waldorf shop, but I got started right away and after a few hours (in between dinner and bedtimes) it was finished!
This project was so much fun and almost instant gratification. I can see this needle case coming in handy for traveling .....maybe for a weekend yurt camping at the coast.
I modified the pattern a little adding a loop and button closure rather than the ties. The yarn is a bit of Noro leftover from Solomons Birthday present.