I think I jinx myself everytime I say I am going to update my blog more often. Gosh I was surprised to log in today and see it's been two months since I last updated. I know I had been thinking of a blog post for a long time, so I suppose that brain of mine just assumed I had done it!
Has Spring come your way yet? I suppose it has here, in that we are experiencing typical Canadian March weather. Sunny skies for days; gloom and rain; below freezing temperatures, and today, snow. Sadly these little daffodils are not gracing my yard, but are a memory of our recent trip.
My kids had their March break last week, so we chucked in the freezing temperatures for what we hoped would be a balmy break. Sadly the weather at our destination was cold and mostly rainy, but at least there was NO snow and we did not have to wear full, outdoor winter kit!
We were able to have some nice walks in the forest;
...and on the beach looking for treasures.
We were commenting that we could be in Ireland...
Not Ireland, but our own beautiful British Columbia. As I look at the snow coming down outside right now it seems like I have never even been away, and yet I was there only last week! Shovelling snow will do that to your brain I guess.
So, crafting. It has been a wooly winter here. I have been having so much fun with the yarn stash reduction challenge. I feel like I have been more creative with my yarn stash, and yet I have been able to hook up a lot of things without having to buy more yarn. Here are some things I have finished since we last talked:
Another linen stitch scarf using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in 'Tidal' and what I think is 'Bistro'. These are so addicting to make!
This cloche was made up with a chunky mystery yarn I got at the thrift store. I had exactly enough for this project.
Baby cardigan made with King Cole Splash. Again, I had just enough of the yarn. How cute are those little bunny buttons?
Not a huge stash buster, but it turned out awfully cute!
This was probably my favourite project: I was about to de-stash this yarn, and when I had them in a pile together I thought they went together perfectly. I couldn't just get rid of it then, I had to use it! Now I have a new rug for the downstairs bath:
I held the ribbon yarn and the cotton together and hooked rows of single crochet. It's very soft, and the other yarn is cotton so it will be washable.
Libby Approved!
You will be happy to know I finished that darn wrap!
I used the darker yarn for one of the edges. I have since taken it out because the wrap was too long for me so I don't miss the length. That part also sits underneath, so you would not notice that both edges are not the same. One down, two to go!
Much prettier than the original cover of stained cotton twill.
Another photo bomb by Libby: I think she suspects I love yarn almost as much as I love her.
This next project was a work in progress for much too long. It started off as the Blossoming Bag by Sandra from Cherry Heart. I wanted to make my flowers to mimic cherry blossoms, and subsequently only felt inspired to work on it when the cherry blossoms were in bloom. We all know how fleeting that time is, so four years later I was only at the half way point. I realized as well that the finished size of the bag would not be practical for me at all, so I had to have another think about what to do. A pillow it is, and ready for this year's cherry blossom time!
In another episode of stash serendipity, I had two balls of a cotton yarn that were an almost exact match for the purple in the blossoms, and just the right amount to make the pillow backing.
Not quite finished, but I have been working away on my Moorland blanket, and am now just beyond the half way point. This is nice to work on as I love the colours and the texture the stitch pattern makes. I am not making so many mistakes so it is moving along much quicker than before.
So you can see the wintery weather has been good for my stash reduction challenge this year! I have lost quite a bit of yarn weight and it has been lovely. I did have to purchase a skein to finish off a project, but that has a purpose so I don't feel badly about it. I also bought some yarn while on vacation, but it is also ear-marked for projects so I didn't just buy it only because I thought it was pretty!
In cross stitch news I don't have much to report: I have been working away on some of my larger WIP's so there isn't anything to show. Here is a rather bad picture of one of them:
I am very close to a finish on one of them so next time there will be something to show. I did pick up a few stitchy things while on vacation and that is helping to motivate me to get stitching!
A few charts, a magazine and some pretty fabrics for finishing. The Violet Fancy chart is an early birthday gift.
Of course I had to sew some more bags for all my crochet projects. These are also very addicting to make, and great for stash busting your fabric stash.
Lastly I will leave you with a picture of the wreath I made for our front door. I hung it up on the first day of Spring, and we promptly had minus 30 degree Celsius temperatures and five inches of snow a few days later. Yes, Spring has definitely arrived in my corner of the world!
xo, Jenn
7 comments:
Your post was definitely worth waiting for! A true feast for the eyes. I love your door wreath, and the bath rug, and your beautiful cherry blossom cushion, in fact everything!
Hi Jenn! What a fun post to read and see! All your yarn projects are gorgeous. I really like the color yarn you used in the first photo with the scarf. The bath rug and tuffet cover are great as is the cherry blossom pillow. Thank you for sharing photos of your trip! What a lovely area! Enjoy your weekend.
Jenn, what a lot of wonderful things you've been making. It's almost too much to take in! I love the colors in your latest linen stitch scarf. And the fringe looks great made with that yarn. I've always been unsure of that. I really need to fringe the next scarves I make with this yarn. And yes... the little bunny buttons look adorable on that sweet little baby sweater. And what a great use of the beautiful blue and green yarns! They are beautiful separately, but together they look inspired and make a pretty rug, too. And the ottoman cover is so pretty! It makes me wish I had an old stained ottoman sitting around waiting for me to figure out how to salvage it. ;^) The cherry blossoms look great made into a pillow. I love the back, too. :) I look forward to seeing all your new pretty cross stitched projects. I recently bought some stamped pillowcases and I need to start embroidering them. They are a simple design, but you're one of my inspirations for wanting to use floss again and I wanted you to know.
BTW, I meant to also say... your vacation pictures are awesome. I'm in awe of having such a beautiful place to visit. I need to take a road trip now, though I don't think anywhere near here could match the beauty you've captured in your pictures. Sigh.
So great to go through this post and see all the eye candy you are showing again.
Your crochet hook must have been smoking as you finished so many crochet projects. And the yarn busting challenge was going great, wasn't it? Absolutely gorgeous what you made - the scarf (must have been very useful at -30°C), the hat, the baby cardigan, the muffin, the bath rug (wonderful colours), the wrap, the stool cover (very colourful), the cherry blossom pillow (I *love* this one) and the blanket. All these things make me want to start crochet myself - I think I say this each time I come to your blog, lol.
Nice progress on your stitching project and wow, lovely new stitchy and fabric stash. And of course you need some new project bags for your crochet projects :)
And it all starts with daffodils and ends with tulips, my favorite spring flowers.
A great post, Jenn.
Always such fun to see a new post from you, Jenn! I am so glad you got to get away for a while. British Columbia looks idyllic--even if the weather was a bit disappointing. It does the heart good to see new parts of the world, doesn't it?
Amazing how much yarn you are using up! I truly love the scarf--oh, those are my colors! And the pretty cloche is darling as well. The ottoman cover is amazing! Can't imagine how long that must have taken you...
Of course, my favorite photo is the blue stitching... Ahhh!! What color of thread are you using in that one?
Love that spring wreath, too. We had to take ours down as the robins had built another nest (no eggs yet) and my husband said, "NO MORE!!" They make such a mess, but they are adorable to watch. Oh well. I have a naked front door this year, I guess :)
Happy Spring!
Wow! You've been busy. Love all the yarn projects, especially. I've been trying to work through my own stash and, I agree, I think it's been forcing me to be more creative than I am usually. It's been a fun exercise. Great job on the Moorland blanket. I followed along (vicariously) while Lucy put hers together, but didn't know you were making one. Love all your pillows - I'm thinking of using some of my stash yarn for pillows, so that bit was especially inspiring to me. And I love the footstool cover. Such pretty colors. Now I'm wishing I had more cotton in my stash so I could do a bath rug. (I appreciated the photo with Libby so I could see the size more clearly ;) ) Such a cute children's sweater (loved the buttons!), and I am determined to make a linen stitch scarf one of these winters. That stitch is so pretty - especially with a variegated yarn. Finally - gorgeous vacation photos. Hope you're seen better weather. It's finally starting to warm up here. Let's hope it continues!
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