out on the fringe

I saw this on the Aqua Knit blog... How fab! Now it's got to go on the ever-growing list of "Things to Do After I Get Through This Massive Pile of Pink and White Yarn." Unfortunately it's got to fall behind the Relaxed Cardi and a nifty sweater I found for Daddy-B. But first, I had to get a little fringy.

That's right! After the finishing touch, Candy Kiss is finally complete!

Two blankets left. Whew! I'm pretty excited about this one. I think I'm getting better with the blanket thing. Okay, I'm gonna sign off now and do a few more rows on the cardi before bed. No, I haven't forgotten about the blankets... I just need to find some patterns first. And that, my friends, sounds like a job for the weekend.

the first project

I learned to knit in college. One of my boyfriend's room mates was a terrific knitter, his grandmother had taught him when he was little to get him to sit still while she entertained. I took it up as a way to keep myself from snacking in front of the TV. This advice was also published (under my name) in a Real Simple magazine.

But when my parents accidentally purchased a crochet pattern book for me as a Christmas gift, instead of a knitting pattern book, I thought I'd try to learn that craft as well. It has really come in handy, especially now that I have a little boy to wrap up in the warm, fuzzy blankets that I make. Nothing makes a mom's heart swell with love more than seeing her son snuggled into a thoughtfully handcrafted blankie. This was my first attempt, and now it's one of several blankets that keep my little boy warm at night:

And here is a detail shot:

The original pattern called for blue and white (it was from a Bernat pattern booklet called Little Boy Blue I think, and unoriginally titled Checked Blanket), but I tend to prefer greens. Plus, we didn't know at the time whether we were having a boy, girl, or a lanugo-covered monkey child.

Anyway, this blog is going to be my attempt to keep track of my projects and see what other arts I can try along the way. Hope you enjoy the ride!