Little Boy Blue

My best friend is having a baby in April. I'm so excited I can't stand it. She knows it's a boy and while I don't really think you have to do the whole "blue is for boys, pink is for girls" thing, my friend likes blue and so do I. I made her a powder blue scarf for Christmas and she loved it. She even said I should make something for the baby from that same yarn.

Well since she doesn't usually read my blog (and I hope she doesn't start until after the shower!) I thought I'd share some of the things I've started for her.

First, a sweater:



It turned out so well! I seriously have a cramp in my arm from patting myself on the back. I'm not the best at seaming but I took my time and did loads of blocking and am very happy with the results. I still need some buttons and some velvet ribbon trim for the collar but this is 95% done and that's a great start! The pattern is from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss. The projects in this book are to die for. Seriously. The yarn is Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends. It's only 5% cashmere but it's deliciously soft and regularly priced at $4.00 a skein. I used 2 1/2 skeins for the sweater, not bad! Plus I have enough left for a matching hat or booties. :)

Second, a blanket:



I am loving this basket weave pattern! I was skeptical at first, it looked pretty wonky but now I think it's darling. The pattern is from Crocheted Afghans by Donna Kooler and it calls for a border that I think I'll be leaving off. This book is a good source for afghan patterns though some are a bit too old fashioned for my taste. I found my copy at the thrift for only a few dollars and I'm glad I picked it up. The yarn is Bernat Cotton Tots which is one of my favorites for baby stuff. I made an afghan for my cousin from this same book and yarn that I really liked, too. I'm half way done and it's going quickly. Of course I am running out of yarn, sigh.

Third, a little stuffed dinosaur:



Yes, he's green and not blue, but I had to mix it up right? He is from Cute Little Animals by Leisure Arts. I made an elephant from this book and have already given it to my pregnant friend. I have the yarn to make the hippo, too, so she'll have a whole set! Now I just need to figure out eyes for my dino. The pattern calls for beads but that's unsafe. I tried black yarn but no go. Felt is next on my list!

And finally, padded hangers:



I am on the fence about these. I mean, I think they are cute but does anyone else? I have three more baby hangers I can cover. Should I make the rest? The pattern is from Baby Crochet by Lois Daykin. I changed the pattern a bit to fit my hangers and added the polka dots instead of the little car she has in the photos. I may do a little car on the next one, or perhaps stripes? What do you think? Oh and I recently picked up Baby Knits by the same author and it's just as adorable as the crochet version. I highly recommend both of these books for cute, modern and easy to read knit and crochet baby patterns.

So that's what I've been up to. Back to my old stand by of knit and crochet. It seems so appropriate in the cold weather, too. :)

hugs
Rebecca

New & Old

New in The Goodness Shop:



Vintage Sheet Music Packs
Vintage Fun & Games Paper Packs
Vintage Easter Candy Boxes House
Vintage Easter Candy Boxes
Vintage Valentine's Day Candy Boxes
Vintage Crocheted Pot Holders

And more things to come including bakelite buttons, vintage handbags and vintage seam binding cards.

Old - FOREVER ago my friend Jean bought a vintage lace collar and some vintage hankies from the shop to use on a dress she made for her grand daughter Aly:



Isn't she cute? And what a sweet dress! You can see the collar, of course, but look closely at the pockets to see where Jean attached the lace from the hankies. :)

Please visit Jean here and keep a look out for giveaways. She is most generous!

hugs
Rebecca

PS: NEW swap coming over at Sweet Goodness!!

Ornate

Gee, I'm doing REALLY WELL on my resolution to blog more! Yikes! Honestly, I don't have too much to talk about at the moment. But soon, yes very soon, I know I will. I have loads of projects planned and a big rummage sale in February that I'm looking forward to.

So in the meantime I thought I would share some of the GORGEOUS ornaments I received from other bloggers for the holidays. Leigh Ann, Lucy, Heidi and I (aka The Goodness Girls) decided to do an ornament swap between the 4 of us. All I can say is WOW.



Leigh Ann's Sugar Plum Button Fairy!



Heidi's soldered Santa ornament!



Don't you love the back? I love how she put Goodness Girls and the year. I wish I had thought of that! We plan to make this a tradition between us with dates every year. :)



Lucy's hand painted Bless This House Ornament!

I know you guys are jealous. ;) I sent them each one of the paper shadow boxes I made. I'm already thinking about what to make next year.

I also received some sweet surprise ornaments in the mail. How did I get so lucky?



A gorgeous fabric and velvet leaves ball from the Queen herself!!





And these two lovely felt ornaments from my dear friend Sid. Don't you LOVE that wish box? You are supposed to write down a wish, put it in the box and comes true! I'm totality craftnapping that idea. And who doesn't love a little red shoe?

So you see I am SO LUCKY to have such crafty good friends.

I'll be back, as promised. For real this time. Oh and since it's been awhile, how about a gratuitous cute puppy picture, hmm??


That boy loves to nap! I love his little polka dotted feet!

xoxo
Rebecca

and a Happy New Year . . .

Are you as tired as I am??? Wow. The holidays were fast and furious! But fun, of course. :) There were lots of lovely visits with friends and family, parties, presents and yummy meals. 

While I love Christmas and all the hustle and bustle, I look forward to a bright shiny new year. It's my time to get organized. My time to get started on my January list. And it's looooong this year. I have new linens for the bedroom and bathroom (which means a total cleaning first), big plans to overhaul the craft room and office, meal planning and learning a new language to get started on. :) And of course the many projects I want to get started on including many baby items for my expecting best friend.

I also promise to be a better blogger. I'm working on a brand new laptop over here and I'm still learning the differences between Mac and PC. So far, I'm lovin' the Apple. More to come on that. Since I don't have any of my pictures uploaded on here yet how about a shot of one of my favorite hand made gifts from the holidays?

Husband Hats! I showed you a bit of these before and I am thrilled with how they turned out. I ended up making 5 total. They were well received and that makes you feel good. :) I hope to make the guys scarves for next year though I'll need to get started earlier this year I think. :)

I'll be back soon with some new photos and projects and hopefully some new goodies in The Goodness Shop. Now I'm off to start on my New Year's Resolution of keeping up on my blog reading.

fondly,

Rebecca