psssssssst......... ~ Melissa (!)

.... she's back ....

more later

baby

steps

♥

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT~ post from Kelli

My sweet friend Carol Harrington bought these personalized labels for me years ago ~  

If you knit it, you may want to tag your name or saying on it?

I don't use them as much as I'd like, I forget about them. 

I especially like to add them if I actually designed the knit, like I did here. I don't see why not to sew them on if not my design. I've done that too. 

You can order these online or maybe Etsy has them~

Maybe  you could surprise your fiber- loving friends with these as a gift?

baya & a basket ~ posted by Melissa

Last year during the holidays my husband, who never asks for anything, came home from work and asked if I would mind making a hat for his coworker's daughter.

 

Silly man ~ of course I don't mind.  A few days later these were on their way to be delivered:

 



 

His coworker, Dre, was thrilled and bought his daughter new outfits to go with each hat.  To hear how much they were appreciated by Dre and loved by his daughter was more than enough thanks for me.  What knitter's heart doesn't melt when something they make is truly loved?

 

This week I cast on Baya ~ a PomPom Magazine shawl that I have been so anxious to get on the needles ( ravelry notes here ).  The same day I cast on, my husband came home with a thank you gift from Dre in return for his daughter's hats.  Oddly enough, it exactly (exactly) matches one of the yarns I had chosen for my shawl:

 

 

How incredible is that?  Want to hear something even more fantastic?

  Of course you do :)

 

Dre has spent the last year making this basket for me...himself...by hand.

 

Dre's heritage is Cheyenne and Nez Perce Native American.  He learned basket making from his grandmother so that he could pass it along to his children.

 

 

I feel so lucky to have such a treasure given to me.  Dre told Jason to tell me that it isn't perfect and I told Jas to tell Dre that yes, indeed it is.  I was speechless when I saw it and have spent much time looking it over in awe.  I think it's wonderful that his daughter will be able to learn this craft from him when she is older, and that he wanted to be able to pass some of her history along to her.

 

 



That's it for now ~ I've got a bunch of stuff I want to post but I really wanted to take the time to share this right now.  I'll be back soon, promise.

Have a great holiday weekend, all!

~Melissa



true blue ~ posted by Melissa

 

 

new friendship

 

unexpected treasures

 

a theme to brighten my day

 

so much thought

 

and care went into this box

 

these gifts I can share with you

 

the sentiments and the words that were enclosed

 

are just for me ~ they are heartfelt and meaningful and I will treasure them always

 

thank you, Mimi ~ you make the world a brighter place

and mine that much better just by being you

 

Melissa

 

edited to add: my friend Will (our blog readers know him as WillyG) just posted a beautiful harp piece that he recorded for his mom ~ he's multitalented and a gem as well ~

here's the link if you'd like to listen ~ it's so worth the 2 minutes!!



here a knitter, there a knitter ~ posted by Melissa

We had a break in our nasty fall weather today so I ran down to Lighthouse Beach in Mukilteo to snap some pictures of this year's Christmas knitting before wrapping everything up.  Met quite a few really nice people...who were knitters, imagine that!  One woman stopped to chat for a few minutes and since it's small business Saturday, wanted to know where 'my shop was' so she could go make a few purchases.  She was shocked when I told her I knit for fun and don't sell what I make.  Unlike a lot of people, though, she totally understands the time that it takes to make something by hand (her mother was a knitter) and said she'd be willing to pay enough for a handmade garment to reimburse a crafter for their time and to get the quality you don't find in most store bought items.  I almost gave her a hug ~ she was awfully sweet.  I also met a college gal named Mae (hello, Mae ~ don't forget everything you saw and heard is TOP SECRET!) who I exchanged contact info with so we could find each other on Ravelry.  She actually approached me to ask if I was taking pictures to post on Rav ~ like I said, knitters...they're everywhere!  I gave her some tips on my favorite shops since she lives in Eastern Washington so she made a list ~ Churchmouse, Weaving Works and Wildfibers ~ all must visits I think!

Hope everyone had a cozy Thanksgiving and is enjoying the long weekend.  I better get ~ I've got lots of wrapping to do! 

happy happy joy joy ~ a post by Melissa

My husband's good friend and his wife are having their first child this September and...it's a girl!  I'm trying to be thriftier at home so I challenged myself to see what I could come up with for gifts using just leftover scraps from other projects.  I cheated and ended up buying buttons so the knits weren't totally cost free but, for about $5 for the buttons, here's what I came up with:

Easy Peasy Newborn Sock Hat ~ a super easy free pattern that knitted up quickly.  The little umbilical cord knot on the crown is adorable!

Then there's this little gem ~ Plain Cardigan ~ another free pattern!  I finished the sweater and dug around and found a bit of purple and crocheted (!) every edge.  I love how it turned out!

And finally, this last bit of sweetness ~ Autumn Leaves ~ and yup, it's a free pattern, also!  I'm always amazed that designers are so generous with their creativity!  I do try to support crafters that are trying to make a living sharing their talents with the rest of us, but there are some free patterns that are too cute to pass up!

I dug out some wooden beads I had pack-ratted away from a broken bracelet and decided to add them to this little sweater.  I love this so much that I'm tempted to see if I can make an XXXL size for me!

I think that's it for the baby clothes...for now.  Too many other things on the needles that got set aside that I need to get back to.  But that's not it for small gifts from this knitwit!  Remember Kelli's little houseguest?  I think I may get to meet Miss Grace Anne this week and I have a surprise for her!  Remember Zoe and Jo and Zoe's holiday sweater I made for her this past Christmas?  Well, I heard that there's a new addition to the Peep family ~ Zoe and Jo have a new cousin named Merrida and Zoe is gifting her little red sweater to Merrida to take home with her and Grace when they leave.

I chose a new button that I thought Grace might like better than the one that was on it before.  I hope Zoe and Jo and Merrida get to have a playdate before the visit is over!  And I hope Kelli pops on and posts a picture of this little red haired cutie pie with the big blue eyes ;)

Sometimes the best things do come in the smallest of packages and I can't wait to wrap this all up and give it away.  That's one of the best parts of knitting to me ~ giving it away!  Hope everyone is having a great week!  ~ Melissa

Dear Kelli ~

Thanks for my very first teakettle (and yes, that's Churchmouse Yarn and Tea tea for those of you with really good eyes!)....

and also for my very first (and greatest ever!) tea cozy.  I'm enjoying a cup with a big spoon of some local wildflower honey while I sit and knit the rest of the day away.  You're awesome ;)      ~ Melissa

she also knit me the breadbasket liner that everything is sitting on ~ it's good to have friends ;)

Vacation ~ Vol 4

With a northern exposure view, we rarely get the brilliant sunsets but last night was an exception.

 

Ran errands this morning, which left me with a sense of accomplishment since I took care of a few things that have been on my to-do list for months.  Went into Edmonds to use the gift certificate I got from my folks for Christmas...last year...to Spin A Yarn.  I didn't bring any yarn home but found a couple of great little leaflets on crocheted edgings and completed my set of KnitPicks Harmony Interchangeable Needles, as well as getting a few other things:

Surprised mom with a drop in visit on the way since I saw she was home ~ thanks for the chat and the goodies above, mom!  I also FINALLY got my new watch sized (can I still call it new even though it was a gift from my husband last year?  I haven't worn it until today!) and had to wait just long enough that I managed to find myself a little trinket that I just had to have:

Isn't it pretty?  It goes so well with the watch that I just had to get it, right?  Anyway, capped off today with the monthly meeting of the Snohomish Knitters Guild. 

Great presentation tonight by Beth Newfeld and Suzanne Tidwell about knitting on a large scale and where their ideas have led them.  Check out Suzanne's website for photos of their first project and also their current project.  It's amazing stuff and truly a labor of love (and there is loads of labor involved!).  I can't wait to check out their artwork in person this summer.  I'm glad that they came to speak to the guild.  It's so interesting every month to hear how someones passion for knitting has led them in all these different directions.  Where will your knitting lead you?  I'm still figuring it out....

Happy Flag Day!  ~ Melissa

little things...

It's a lazy pj's kind of day after a really busy weekend.  Things that made me smile today...

a gift from a friend ~ thanks, Kelli!

just enough lace to make a simple project lovely

the hubby installed my switch plates in the attic

the best pup a girl could have

I hope everyone has a great week and is enjoying this wonderful day ~ Melissa

Finally!!!~What Knitters Will do For Each Other~

Thank you Bev! Finally got the beautiful Fyberspates Nef lace yarn. It's part baby alpaca,silk and cashmere. It's been on quite the journey. We still have hope the other half will been found, somewhere in Atlanta, in the US postal~lost items department. Warm hugs to my friend Bev, who lives in Stafford,England. What lengths she'll go to enable a yarn addict. I can't thank you enough. Now I'll have to find the pefect pattern.~Kelli

My Favorite Pen Pal

look what was on my doorstep when I got home from work tonight....

my best Ravelry buddy Swanski sent me the most awesome 'just because' care package! if you're not drooling already, click on the photo for a better view!

her favorite teas (just what I need to combat the dreary NW weather), handmade soap from her vacation at Cape May in New Jersey, a pen from her local LYS ~ Swisher's Yarn Basket in Danville, Pennsylvania, homemade stitch markers that her sister Canoekey made (thanks, sister!), the cutest felted acorn and 2 HANKS of Nantucket Heather in Merlot from the Times Remembered booth at the Pennsylvania Endless Fiber Festival last weekend (LOVE ALL OF IT!!!), and a sweet beaded knitted pouch that she made herself (which I also LOVE!)

you topped what I sent you by a MILE, Karen!!!! I love that you put so much thought into everything ~ totally made my night! It's nice to have such awesome pals ;)

....now to plot and plan what special thing to make for myself with the 380 yards of wine colored bliss!