Fun With Mud

A couple weeks ago this was the result of Sofie having a really fun time in the mud at the park. I actually stood her up on the back of our car and stripped her down to her diaper before buckling her into her car seat for the drive home. Both Sofie and her clothes ended up mostly clean after a good scrubbing.

I Made These!

Basically, two different takes on the same pattern. A simple mini-wallet with three pockets. They aren't perfect but making them was good practice with my sewing machine. I used my newly learned needle felting skills to do the flowers on the felt wallet. Yay for making things!

Just in Time For Valentine's Day

I finally completed my first ever original knitting pattern!


This is somewhat of a personal victory for me. As some of you know, I usually refer to myself as a "crafter" not an "artist" because I do not feel like an artist unless I have created something out of my own brain that, as far as I know, is totally unique. Usually when I correct people and make this distinction, they tell me to lighten up and just take pride in my work but it is hard for me to truly take ownership of something when all I have done is use someone else's instructions for what to put where and duplicate their results. I do not deny that there are certain skills necessary to do the crafts I enjoy and I definitely take pride in the fact that I have been able to hone some of those skills, so I do not want you to think I am belittling that. I hold good craftsmanship in high regard. But artistry is in a different category and until I actually took the time to write down this formal knitting pattern for something I used my own knowledge of the craft to create, I did not feel comfortable calling myself an artist. I have by no stretch of the imagination "arrived" as a knitter, but I feel I can now officially be comfortable with the label "artist," at least in regards to knitting.

The pattern is currently up for sale in my etsy store. Just for fun, the following pics show the evolution of the design...