bits and bobbins

how did almost another month slip by without me posting anything?

whoopsie.

oh well!

i’ve been busy…amongst other things, i have mostly rabidly working on what you see above:

-a granny square blanket using scraps from my yarn stash (will probably go on our bed, we shall see), edged with white…

-a garter patch throw blanket, also using yarn from my stash (i have a LOT of scraps, ok? it’s pretty extreme!)…

-and seen in the center, a liberated “log cabin” (very loosely defined!) quilt, a la gwen marston, using all solids.

the patchwork work mostly gets done during the day (to take advantage of the daylight coming into my studio), and the knitting and crocheting fills many of my nights. i may start doing more patchwork stuff at night, as i now have a wonderful set of powerful tracklights in the studio, thanks to a local electrician.

i’ve been checking into the interwebs daily, but mostly, i’m just continuing to take a rest and i’m going through a period where i am mostly observing, rather than doing much contributing. i want to come back, but at the same time, i feel like i still need and want this time to step back, to just be in the background for a while, whilst i figure everything out.

calling all knitters & crocheters who happen to read this here blog!

what’s your favorite way of using up your random ends of yarn? particularly your worsted weight yarns? can you recommend a favorite pattern or several patterns that are just the ticket for yarn oddments?

i have a gazillion little leftover bits of wool and wool blend yarns, the remainder from the myriad of projects i’ve completed over the last six (!!!) years. they are up there in the photo above. and that’s only a small fraction of what i have…it’s merely the tip of the remnant yarn iceberg, if you will.

so far, i’ve put them to use as a wavy crocheted blanket, numerous cowls, a random stripey kids sweater, and a few more things…

i can think of a few more ways i might want to use it: to make striped legwarmers, striped mittens (for me and maybe a bunch of other folks!), more cowls, a top-down raglan fitted cardi for moi, a granny square or circle blanket for p., and, hrm…i’m still thinking ha!

anyway, i’m putting a call out to you, to ask for help for genius ideas to do with all this yarn. can you help??

maybe it will help more than just me!

do share!

i know, i know i haven’t posted a lot of handmade things in…quite a while. months, even? i’ve been doing this and that for pay and for personal use (sewing, knitting, crocheting and the like), but have been pretty neglectful about posting the results of such here.

until now! whee!

my latest creative pursuits have been for the baby…who’s coming very, very soon (only 9 more weeks (or so) to go)! yes, these are the first baby things i’ve made for the girl thus far. yes, to some, just doing these kinds of projects now (when i am 31 weeks/in my last trimester!) might seem kind of late.

to those opinionated somebodies who may believe i’m late to the game, i will say in my defense that i had a bit of a superstitious moratorium on making or even buying a lot of baby things until the last month or so. why? well…to be completely candid, and a lot personal, i lost a baby about 6 years ago via a tubal pregnancy. i wanted to feel *really* comfortable with the status of my current pregnancy before i started preparing for my baby’s arrival with any purchases or delving in to any projects for her.

and then…also, to be honest, i got a little lazy, and a little…no, a LOT tired. i am now (somewhat frantically!) trying to catch up.

anyway, w/o any further ado, here are a few of the sweet little results of my recent (fiber-wielding) labors…

i love how this one turned out…i would totally wear this myself! haha! it’s made from super soft malabrigo (100% wool), and this pattern. the button is vintage and crocheted…it was a thrift find from way back.

le baby girl royal will get to rock the bright colors just like her crazy mom! this one’s made from this pattern with cascade 220. the buttons are vintage and are really two different buttons stacked upon one another. the trim is from m&j trim, bought back in my parsons days, when i still lived in the big (old) apple.

i have a few more baby sweaters (and maybe some booties! or a blankie!) i want to make before she gets here. will i have the time? we shall see!

on the positive side, these little sweaters and things are so fun and fast to work up! they become quite addictive…once i made one i felt inspired to make a slew of others. so…stay tuned. who knows, perhaps i’ll post a few more (if fatigue and life doesn’t get the best of me) in the coming weeks! no promises, though…