Hello Again & Knitting Links #1

I’ve been gone for so long, I feel like I need to reintroduce myself! I have been more than busy this season and I’m going to have to change that. I definitely need to rearrange some priorities. I am determined to include more knitting time. I have so many great knitting links and blogs to share that I’ll just start off with a couple and give you time to enjoy them. Then I’ll list a few more next time. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.


First, check out Brooklyntweed. His name is Jared Flood and he’s on flickr, twitter, blogs and has a website. He teaches knitting but I simply enjoyed looking at his work. His technique is amazing and his color choices seem natural yet subdued and perfectly suited to the pieces he works. Love it! I wish he offered some free patterns but I couldn’t find any. I really enjoyed his circular needles version of the baby pants pictured above.

The original baby pants pattern can be found from Shibui Knits out of Portland. I couldn’t find any free patterns on there site, either, but there is enough eye candy to inspire you for sure!

Link Love & Giveaways for a Rainy Wednesday

It’s a wonderfully rainy day in Houston today and I have lots on my plate. Mainly getting my office straightened up – still – so I thought I’d just share with you some wonderful links including great ideas and giveaways. Hope you enjoy them! They’re from some of my favorite sites to visit when the need for inspiration strikes.

Grosgrain Fabulous always offers the most beautiful creations. Now she’s offering a poppy boutonniere, but even if you don’t win, there’s always the tutorial on how to make the beautiful things. Click on her link and be sure to check out the blue one attached to the pillow – gorgeous!

Dudecraft made a bookshelf from an old ladder – I don’t know how practical this would be with children shaking walls and all but it looks fantastic, doesn’t it? And oh so clever. I love repurposed things.

So I’ve been searching for what to put in my kids’ lunch boxes other than the usual fare and I ran across this idea from Bakerella (isn’t that site wonderful?!): pancake muffins. With chocolate chips. Sounds like something my kids would eat and it’s not quite as sinful as a full-on brownie for lunch. Sometimes you do whatever you can to get calories in a child or they would not eat at all.


If you have thousands of extra dollars, be sure to check out Get Back‘s website full of beautiful vintage chairs, tables, you-name-it. It’s a fun reminiscent kind of thing and the restoration of the items has been just lovely. It would be kind of nice to step back in time…but we probably wouldn’t appreciate it like we don’t appreciate our current design trends. Anyway – it is surely fun to look around the site!

The Long Thread has this adorable little house pouch. I just love this cute design.

Design Sponge has the cutest lunchbox creation. And it actually looks like something I could do! But I’m not sure if it’s something any of my B-O-Y-S would carry to school or use. Maybe if I made a camo lunch box out of other repurposed fabric. But I do love this notebook version.

Wool & Hoop make the cutest crewel-work kits. The only crewel thing about it (ha! I crack myself up!) is that I don’t do crewel work. But the work is just gorgeous, no?

Artist Jeni B. Gochnour makes adorable festive fall and Christmas holiday items, doesn’t she? What great faces these characters have!

Cathe Holden of Something I Just Made created these items from pictures of a cherished quilt. What a great way to remember the quilt in a more permanent fashion.

There. I think that’s enough browsing for today. Hope you enjoyed some of the links!

Great Quilting Ideas!

Blogs continually inspire me. Here are a few great quilting ideas I ran across this morning. I cannot wait to get sewing again – even if I don’t quilt. I just might convert someday. The rag letters are adorable!

This Polka Dot Quilt Tutorial qfrom And Other Silly Things is beautiful!

What a great way to “plan” a random quilt by Oh Fransson.

Whip Up has listed some resources for free quilt patterns.

Oh So Happy Together had a great, easy tutorial for quilted rag letters.

My French Blog Obsession

I have been obsessed with reading French blogs lately. They are so interesting! What is it that makes French women so interesting and beautiful? Here are some of my favorite places to lurk:

1. Claire et Coutures
2. Lili lui
3. Mars Avril Mai
4. Nabe fabric
5. Douceur Temeraires
6. Autour d’Une Tasse de The
7. Trois-Trente
8. 22 Rue
9. Mademoiselle Milou
10. Les Manies de Melanie

That last one makes me want to have my own little French baby named Fleur just so I can knit her a sweater like that!!! Sooooo precious. Hope you enjoy the links as much as I have. I also have to thank Zoelioth – my first French blog place that I lurked.

Cute Candy Buttons from Bake It Pretty

I can vaguely remember having the time to create such cute things! Check out the Bake It Pretty site here and blog here. Frankly, I’m still making more time for exercise. And it’s difficult to fit in! If I make time to make treats, I’ll just have to make time for more exercise. It’s a vicious cycle.

And The Online Giveaway Winner Is…

TeresaB who said, “I just found your site through the City Farmgirls Blog. Fun fun!” Yes, it is fun! I think I like offering giveaways even more than winning (who’d of thunk it – I only wish everybody could win)! We had a peek at her etsy site here and she has some great ideas for your swiffer or sh-mop so be sure to take a look. Prepare yourselves for the next giveaway – it is going to be FANTASTIC and I’ll announce it tomorrow. Really. I-was-gonna-keep-this-one fantastic.