Planning Ahead

Every year I tell myself to plan well in advance for Christmas. Don't be that crazed person who uses all of their December paycheck to buy last minute, cookie cutter gifts. Why is it I never listen to my own advice?!

This year I'm determined to make a change! Over the past few months I've been scouting out various tutorials on some of my favorite sites and come up with some pretty awesome projects. Now its just a matter of making some time to accomplish them...

The Purl Bee :: Spring Napkins
They call them "Spring" but I'm hoping for "All Season" Napkins
Maybe I'll make some in pretty primary colors...

Acornbud's Yarns :: Knitted Kitty
I have 3 kids under the age of two who I should be making things for.
This seems like a baby proof and super cute toy.
Not to mention super quick (I hope!)

funessa :: Recycled Sweater Blanket
I just wish we had a washer in our apartment so the
felting process would be more manageable...

Knit and Tonic :: Rag Quilt (PDF Tutorial)
I've got enough flannel at home currently to make 3 of these quilts!
Lets hope they go as quickly as the tutorial says...

Megan Mills :: Rib Slippers
I'm almost done with one slipper.
It went quickly, the pattern is simple enough,
but I doubt I'll be able to make it more than one pair this year.

Yarnia

At Urban Craft Uprising I have discovered a new favorite thing: Yarnia! They are a yarn shop in Portland, OR, that allows you to pick and choose your own yarn color, weight, material and texture! Here's a fun demo video they made

I'm kind of glad they are 200+ miles away from me, or I'd spend way too much time and money there :)

Weekend Wedding Projects

Here's a list of my projects that I'm hoping to finish this weekend. I'm hoping to take pictures as I go along to document the blood, sweat and tears that are going into my million and one DIY projects for our late September wedding.

Colored Petty Coat
How cute would that be? I found the best tutorial
over at Sugardale's blog. (She's brilliant!)
Plus it's not too expensive for the materials, its just labor intensive...

Cute Capelet
I've got some cheap fabric I'm going do a test run on first,
but I'm really excited about it!
Finish our Invitations
This is an example of what inspired our invitations.
More photos to come!
I'm not looking forward to addressing them all...

Tie Rug

I'm saving this for a future project... and starting a tie collection the next time I visit Goodwill!

New Knittings :: Socks!

2-at-a-time Socks

This has become my bible, my reason for going home after work and inspiration for all 2010 Christmas gifts! I've always wanted to teach myself how to knit and become proficient reading but after years of making up designs that only got half done I set down my foot and told myself I MUST master this hobby! I have since knitted two hats for my fiance and a cute baby hat for his new niece. Finishing all three gave me the confidence that I could tackle more complicated things. I found a book on knitting sweaters, and realized that was a bit of a leap, and decided I needed to start smaller: socks!