chevron maniac

i think i've become addicted... to chevrons!

no, not the gas company (cars and all things associated with them are definitely not one of my things), but rather the cute zig zags that i notice popping up all over the place. 

now, i've always had a obsession with colorful ric-rac. i mean who can resist it's cute factor? there are several spools in a basket just waiting for the perfect project to come along, just haven't found one yet that meets all my crafty dreams... anyways, that's a different tangent, back to the other chevrons that have caught my eye recently.

i started a quilt a while back but didn't like how my first attempt at piecing them came together, so it's nicely packed away in a drawer with some other woulda-coulda projects, maybe i'll dig it out and have another go at it if i find the time. sewing has taken a backseat though lately, other than a few of the up-cycled t-shirt skirts i knocked out over the summer. i find that til i get everything out and lay it in nice organized piles, it doesn't exactly leave me much time to do the actual sewing part. so, i end up spending more time with yarn and needles or hook in hand. the portability factor is key, plus it's nice and quiet which my scattered brain needs after a day of listening to the kids yammer away and the dog's incessant barking at people on the sidewalk  ;)

(just joking kiddos, i'm in no rush for you all to turn into sulky teens that don't speak and instead communicate via text messages!)

ok, back to the chevrons... so i finished a colorful baby blanket last week that i had actually started waaaaaay back in February with some yarn that Ash picked out. the kid was dead-set that he wanted a little snuggly blanket for his birthday in March, then when i was over halfway done with it, he of course decided that instead he wanted a superhero cape. (insert facepalm). not exactly surprising for a 5 yr old boy and so i set the blankie aside and sewed a striped cape instead. then 2 weeks ago while i was cleaning up the studio, low and behold i found the forgotten work-in-progress and pulled it out. the deliciously soft cashmere and merino blend yarn was exactly what my soul needed and the easy repetition of the crochet pattern helped calm me at the end of our hectic back to school preparations. if there's one thing i love about crochet it's how fast it works up in pattern... and holy cow, it's so nice to finish projects when most of the work has already been done! here's pic of it folded:

debbie bliss baby cashmerino blanket in rainbow chevron stripes

well, after that i thought "damn, i really like this. i want something for ME!"  of course i could have probably found something in my stash to use but i really kinda needed some retail yarn therapy and quickly made a bee-line to my local yarn shop.  oh so many colors, i had a hard time narrowing down the choices but finally picked out some Mandarin Petit cotton in a light robin's egg blue and a pale lime green.  chaining 37 stitches on a size B hook, i then began the familiar pattern. currently i'm about not quite halfway done with it, here's a couple of pix to show the progress so far:

why not a close-up too?

did i mention that i've also noticed quite a few chevron friendship bracelets lately? i knew they'd come back eventually! well, of course i had to break out the embroidery floss and a get a quick refresher from the latest issue of Mollie Makes magazine but once i did the first one, it was like riding my old purple banana-seat bike with the white plastic basket on the front. (man, do i wish i knew what happened to that bike....) haven't taken any pictures of the bracelets but rest assured they are zig-zaggy  and rainbow (shocking, i know)

still haven't gotten around to taking some good shots of the knitted headbands i alluded to in my last blog post but i'm hoping to get some later this week and update.

 alright i guess that's enough rambling for today   :)

like wearing a rainbow around my neck

that's how i describe my new necklace. it's soft and colorful, all of my favorite shades and seems to match at least half my wardrobe. made from baby cash-merino wool, it's not only luxurious but also pretty and versatile. it can be worn long or doubled (as shown in photo) and is the perfect accessory for Spring :)


i really love the simplicity of the design and how light it feels against my skin. if i'm gonna wear a chain around my throat it may as well be one made from YARN!

plus it matches my favorite set of felt bracelets!
...and then i realized i can wear it as a pretty headband too, crazy!

now, of course i had to make some more of these as well as some in different colors and yarn blends and they are listed on my  Etsy Shop.

Mushrooms & Beehives

so, i know it's cliche to say that you get inspired by nature, but sometimes you just can't get past the literal truth of it. this past week i've been deep in the Quirky Forest, exploring some of my favorite natural themes and celebrating the simple shapes that i find so beautiful and funky.

mushrooms!

they make me want to dance around amidst the trees and invite

some crazy little forest friends to come out and play. can also be hung on your holiday tree to bring some creativity to your favorite indoor greenery :)





beehives!





what a sweet way to keep long hair up and out of the way
without the icky "hat head syndrome" that you get
with most winter hats. also good for those with dreads.



the Funky Beehive can also be worn as a cowl around the
neck. it stretches up high enough to cover your
mouth and nose on chilly winter mornings too!

fun and funky felt rings

oh felt, in your lovely hues and soft texture, how i do love you...

so, i've been collecting 100% wool felt for a few yrs. bits and pieces have been used in many different projects but i had quite the stash peeking out of a bin in the studio, waiting for just the right project to come along. imagine my excitement then when i came across the cutest pattern for flower rings in issue #3 of Mollie Makes magazine!

here's a couple of pictures of the rings i made in the last 2 days:




i've been experimenting with the pattern, changing the length of the center strips and design of the outer layers, tweaking it slightly for a few different looks. a couple of examples:




all together, i've made an even dozen so far but have a feeling that these might become addictive to make :)