on the hook: shaping up.

well. it's been a long time since i kept up with wednesday wip but i have A LOT on my hook right now i thought i'd take a break and share what's going on in my amigurumi world this week....

on the hook: chevron market bag

hi there.
it's wednesday and since i can't share my special order which is currently in process i thought i'd finally start on some cotton crocheting that i've been obsessing over.

wednesday wip: easter swatches + a new underwater friend.

hello friends. 

whew. what. a. wednesday.

today has been a little crazy but why waste time being stressed when there are so many beautiful spring projects on my table just waiting to lift my spirits? 

4th and goal.

weekend wip: finishing up.

hi there!
happy friday!

i'm loving how quick this short week went. it's a little strange to say that because on the one hand i look at little miss and see how she's changing everyday, getting bigger and so much older, and i want time to stand still for a little longer... on the other hand we really look forward to weekends with daddy (he's pretty fun to hang out with ♥).

what i'm working on.

hey there.

checking in.

i'm currently writing (and rewriting) a catch up post... but i thought while i have a tiny bit of time i'd share what i'm currently stitching up over here. 

one of my main goals this year is to really develop my crochet skills. last year i taught myself the basics of how to crochet and completed a few things... mostly in sc, dc, clusters, granny squares, etc. but i've really only scratched the surface. 

so to that end i decided to get some of my fall stash used up and looked for a sampler pattern so i could learn a few more stitch combos... i decided to try this Sampler Throw by Lion Brand because it called for a worsted weight yarn (which is what i had in stash), and i wanted to practice making "popcorn".

i'm taking my time with these squares. i'm trying to work on getting the gauge just right and keeping a consistent tension during the "special" stitches. must. stop. pulling. so. tight. i really like the zig zag surface pattern... it would make a nice texture for a baby blanket. 

i love the colors for this sampler throw. they are all Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted weight yarns in random colors that i picked up over the past year for separate projects. i ended up not using them and together i think they make a really bold color combo. i need one more color because the pattern has 5 different squares, i'm debating between a white-ish that i already have in stash or something else totally new.

i paused on that project this week to work on valentine's stuff. while valentine's day isn't my favorite of holidays... i'll admit that i do, kinda, love each and every holiday in a totally new way since having little miss. really any excuse for me to get her stuff, give her a cupcake, and make her cute things works for me. 

so one of the things i'm working on for her this valentine's day is this little friend...

i don't know her name yet. she's almost finished. i'll post more when she's all done. for now if you'd like to check out the really great and super easy pattern you can find it at Craftsy from designer Stacey Trock (FreshStitches): Nelson the Owl Pattern 

so that's a bit of what i'm working on for the moment... it's nice to be getting back to the blog again!

love.

weekend WIP & etsy shoutouts...

happy friday!

anyone else totally excited for a weekend? as of right now i get a whole day with my joey tomorrow. this is very exciting for a girl who has herself and two sleeping pups to talk to all day. plus, it's totally unexpected this weekend since he was originally supposed to work all weekend. sunday he goes in, but i have a crafting date so i'll be entertained ALL weekend.

crafting dates are exciting in themselves... they are perfect excuses to make cupcakes!

so this weekend i have a couple of projects i'm hoping to finish up, or at least get a big chunk completed on... besides layouts i'm starting on this baby...

i have a few holes to fill but i should be ready to start sewing by later this afternoon. with some of the matching leftover squares i'm planning on making a big floor pillow for the nursery that matches...


it's a little more pink than i thought i would be into but i love it and i'm pretty sure i'll be using this to back it so it will tone down the pink a bit...


with the baby quilt being my main project for the weekend i thought i should share some of the etsy shops i've been buying vintage fabrics from this past week. i can't wait until spring when more flea markets and thrift opportunities open up in the city. if it's not open air nyc thrift really doesn't mesh with my definition of thrift. you mid-westerners are way lucky to have such great places to visit!

so for the meantime i'm using etsy as my main source for vintage fabrics, and i've found a couple of really great sellers so far. i'd love to find more if anyone has any favorites!

*eagerhands*

from Lora i got the pre-cut vintage squares. i'm not against cutting my own in the future and for other projects but when i saw her bundles i couldn't resist. her bundle came really nicely packaged and she even threw in a little gift for the baby. she's really sweet and i can't wait to find more goodies in her shop!

*demcdonough*

got this cute mushroom & butterfly fabric from this shop. came really quick in great condition. it's not assigned to a project yet but it will be!

*cedarbough*

is this not the cutest fabric ever? i absolutely love it and can't wait to get it in. i'm missing this valentine's day with a little one but i'm thinking i'll save it and make her a jumper or dress with this for next year. it's so sweet. i also bought the blue & green fabric that i'm going to use for the backing from this shop. they should be here today! cedarbough has a ton of great vintage textiles... great crocheted throws (going to have to learn how to crochet next) and fabrics. if you aren't into making your own there are some great things made from vintage materials!

*zwizzle*

finally, zwizzle. had the purple and blue one been a little wider i totally would have waited for these to come from australia to back the quilt. oh well. this shop is full of great vintage fabrics. i probably could have grabbed all of her fat quarter bundles but i thought i'd restrain myself for now. the shipping is really reasonable since they are coming from australia and she was super quick to get them out!

so those are the shops i've been using to really get my vintage fabric collection going. check them out if you are interested! there are a few others that i love but haven't purchased from yet, but those we'll leave for another favorite post.

hope everyone has a great weekend!

love.