Perhaps you could call it a form of nesting, but I have been on a bit of a roll lately for starting… and actually finishing projects. Normally, I am notorious for starting things and not finishing them. Just ask my husband.
I have visions; I get lots of ideas, and I am always so excited to get started on these endeavors, but before I can complete something, it seems something else has come along and distracted me.
Not lately though. Lately, I have been getting. stuff. done.
It might be the 3rd trimester discomfort, or the toddler who is getting his 2 year molars. Maybe it’s the dog, who can no longer seem to wait until morning to go out and relieve himself. Either way, the lack of sleep I have been getting is certainly preparing me for having a newborn again, and in the meantime, it seems have given me an “I can get by on just a few hours of sleep” mentality. Rather than sneaking in a cat nap of my own during Max’s afternoon nap, I have been taking full advantage of the child-free time.
I wanted to share a few of my latest completed projects and where I found the inspiration for some of them!
I wanted to share a few of my latest completed projects and where I found the inspiration for some of them!
I got the idea for this adorable shamrock garland, when I saw the pattern for the sweet little crocheted clovers on Everything Etsy. I’m a huge sucker for a holiday themed garland, so when I saw the link on Pinterest, I just knew I had to make one!
My next project is more of a “work in progress”. I have always adored the look of a handmade granny square blanket, and due to the over abundance of yarn I have recently accumulated, now seemed like as good a time as any to get started on one. These simple squares whip up super fast, and the pattern is so mindless, that I got a handful of them done one evening while watching Modern Family, Mommy’s guilty pleasure (one of them anyways!).
I wish I could credit the source for this pattern, but over the 15 years or so that I have been knitting and crocheting, I have acquired a collection of patterns that I have scribbled down and tucked into a binder, and this just happens to be one of them.
Simple Granny Square:
Chain 5, join with sl st to form a ring
Rnd 1:
Chain 3 into center of ring, then 2 dc
*Chain 2, 3 dc into ring, repeat from * twice, chain 2, join with a sl st in top of beg chain 3.
Sl st across the next 2 stitches into corner space
Rnd 2:
Chain 3, 2 dc into corner space, chain 2, work 3 dc into same space, *chain 1, work 3 dc, chain 2, 3 dc into next space, repeat from * twice, chain 1, join with a sl st in top of beg chain 3.
Sl st across the next 2 stitches into corner space.
Rnd 3:
Chain 3, work 2 dc into corner space, chain 2, work 3 dc into same space, * chain 1, work 3 dc into chain 1 space, chain 1, work 3 dc, chain 2, 3 dc into next corner space, repeat from * twice, chain 1, work 3 dc into chain 1 space, chain 1, join with a sl st into top of beg chain 3.
Sl st across the next 2 stitches into corner space.
From here, you should get the idea. You can make these as many rounds as you would like, and even switch colors each round. I’ve made an entire baby sized blanket before, by just continuing with the rounds. The ones pictured here are each 4 rounds of various colors, and then they are framed with a fifth round of white.
This knitted baby blanket that I talked about in a past post, is currently one of my proudest accomplishments. I found the pattern for this Super Easy Baby Blanket, over on purlbee.com. It is the simplest of patterns (perfect for a beginner), works up pretty quickly, and is beautiful and so, so soft when it is done. At first, I thought the blanket was going to be rather small when completed, but it is actually a really nice size. My excitement over this blanket was reignited every time I added a new color of yarn… 7 times to be exact.
I couldn’t love it any more if I tried!
I crocheted this little “rosette top knot beanie”, as I have been lovingly referring to it, for our baby girl, who is due next month. I used Blue Sky Alpaca’s organic cotton yarn, and you can’t even believe how soft it is. I am still working out some details with this pattern, but I hope to share it in the future. I also plan on listing them in my Etsy shop.
Currently, I am working on this patchwork quilt for our daughter’s nursery. I have decided to go with a vintage-y decor, and have fallen in love with an aqua, peachy-pink, and hints-of-gold color palette (more on that in a future post).
Anyhow, originally, I really wanted to be a bit more creative with this quilt, but I adored the fabrics that I chose for it so much, that the thought of cutting them too small to see the detail saddened me. I decided to go with a simple patchwork design that uses 5.5 inch squares. When complete, it should measure approximately 45×60 inches. Seriously though, how sweet are these fabrics?
In addition to all of my other “kicks”, I am also currently on a big accessory kick, now that I am about to have a little girl. So, I decided to give these no-sew felt bows a try the other day, after looking at a few tutorials on Pinterest. In the end, I came up with my own little pattern to achieve the size I wanted for the bows, but I found a great tutorial here. I plan on using some as clips, and turning some into headbands! So many possibilities here.
Last, but not least, I am thrilled to share a new item that will soon be available in my Etsy Shop… A ton of these jersey knit headbands are currently in the works, in a number of fun prints.
The best thing about these headbands, besides the fact that they are too cute for words, is that they are adjustable. Due to the stretch of the fabric, and depending on where you tie them, they will fit newborns, all the way up through girl’s sizes.
I am so excited about these, and can’t wait to list them in the shop!
I think that pretty much covers everything for now. I’m going to keep plugging along until our little lady decides to arrive, and then I get the feeling things will slow down a bit while I adjust to life as a mother of 2! I get anxiety just thinking about it!!!
-J
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