A Lonely Mitten

A lonely, little mitten creature is finally getting his partner.  Righty and Lefty!   I ordered the yarn and pattern online from Morehouse Farm in Red Hook, NY (www.morehousefarm.com), but I'm not thrilled with the pattern instructions or the feel of the yarn.  I started "lefty" this summer, but now I need to finish "righty" for the Mitten Tree.  I also have a pattern for a pair of mittens that look like penguins.  So cute!

That's the trouble with things in pairs (mittens and socks!)  The first one is always fun.  The second one....been there, done that.  How many half-pair of socks have I made in my life?  It's the knitters curse - always something else that you want to start.  Only self-discipline (or a little bit of knitters guilt) makes you finish the pair.

This is an easy knit, so if I stick to it, it might be finished by next year!

Gus and Us

We got an adorable puppy in June.  His name is GUS and he is just the best!  He's smart, very loving, and loves to play with the cats (they, on the other hand, are not so sure)  So?  How does Gus lead to crafting?  Well, I vowed that we will try to give Gus his dignity and not dress him in adorable sweaters, costumes, or other adornments.  I have to admit, that I'm tempted to "gussy" him up, but for now...he's safe!

Gus was so little when we brought him home that he had to wear a cat collar.  (Oh, the shame!)  Being an enthusiastic new pet owner, I spent WAY TOO MUCH MONEY on a fancy-schmancy collar from the pet store until I realized that the lunch bag handles I had been making could easily be converted into a doggie collar with some simple "hardware" from Joanne's fabrics.  There's also a website that sells collar kits (for dogs and cats) called "Creative Designworks" at www.cdwplus.com.  They have all kinds of supplies.

Now, Gus has collars for every holiday.  I didn't make one for Halloween because that was the one I spent too much money on at the pet store.  Next year...for sure!  He looks great no matter what he's wearing!  Maybe a red bow tie for New Year's Eve?  We'll see.

Make It, Take It

Expanding on the lunch bags, I made a casserole carrier to match. Shhh! This is a gift for my sister-in-law,  Kim

This pattern was a tutorial from 2littlehooligans.blogspot.com. 

I'm always amazed with how creative other people are.  I can reproduce their ideas, but don't think I could ever come up with one myself.

What's for lunch?

I rediscovered my crafting fever during the summer. I have always been a "knitter", but starting branching out to sewing crafts quite recently. I haven't sewn anything since my children were small, and even then, it was limited to some Halloween costumes and quick-fixes for play clothes.

My first re-entry to sewing was to make some lunch bags. I hope to give them away to friends as birthday presents or maybe even as Christmas gifts. The pattern is from STITCH Magazine, Fall, 2011 (the design issue). The design is by Rebecca Kemp Brent.

This is the one I made for myself.

And the one I made for my sister-in-law, Barbara.