~ promises ~

A few weeks ago, I noticed a most wonderful site as I was entering my front door: crocuses; yellow and lavender crocuses. They immediately said promise. I loved this gentle reminder of brighter things to come. We had been having a long span of cold, icy and somewhat snowy weather, and life was being a bit testy; so, I was more than delighted to see these friends of mine.  This visit from old friends reminded me of the promise of spring and the happiness associated with new beginnings, growth and renewal. I love when feel I related to and find signs in nature (my most favorite book).

No sooner than a couple of days after they showed their cheery faces, something very unusual happened. We had a snowfall amount very unusual for this area; nearly 10 inches. My children and I were very excited. We have been craving snow deep enough for sledding and in an amount large enough for a giant snowman. After a day of snowy fun, the crocuses came back to mind. I was worried about them.  I feared the large amount of snow had been too much for the crocuses to handle. Was tomorrow not going to be as bright as the crocuses were?

I soon realized that what I saw the flowers symbolizing was true; however, I was in needing of a tune up. Duh, crocuses are built to withstand snow. Once the snow melted, they came back just as, if not more beautiful than ever. They withstood the storm and are still going strong. My lesson learned was more than I originally thought: the promise of nature always rings true, but we sometimes have to weather a storm or two.

This brings me to my springtime charming cuffs.

They are made using a pattern I have posted on line before; but, like the crocuses took cover for a little while and are ready for showing again. It's a fun quick pattern and the design is another perfect for embellishing. The cuffs keep you warm when the temps are cool but not too warm if it warms up.

I'm working on adding some springy love to some and can't wait to share them with you:
cherry blossoms, dogwood and pansies, oh my!

So what else is in my forecast?

Well I plan to work on a journal I started making. I thought this would be a good time to work on finishing it, as I can fill it with all of the new things I discover this new weather cycle. I know I'll see, learn and reacquaint myself with much. Nature always teaches me something. I can always count on it to learn something about myself. It's promise never fails me.

Heartfully Yours,
Mia

~ sow love, grow love ~

Well I can happily remove another project from my to do list. I love this pattern, it's another that is fun, easy and works up fast. I used Lion Cotton for the scarf. I love this color green. The shade seems perfect for giving a botanical feeling. Once I finished, it reminded me of a stalk of some sorts and I knew I wanted to add something to it. I initially thought of tiny rosettes; but as I retrieved it I thought of tiny hearts. I found a pattern here for little hearts but they turned out to be not little enough so I made the following adjustments to steps 1 and 2 of the original pattern:

1. magic loop, ch1
2. 2hdc, 2sc, ch1, 2sc, 2hdc, ch1 into the ring

I used Sugar & Cream Cotton Solids for them. It took a while to sew them all on but it was fun and I like the result. These both are more tried and true patterns to add to my go to list. Should you decide to give either of them a try, I hope you enjoy one or both of them as much as I did.

Happy Heartful Crafting,
Mia

~ a never ending harvest ~

I think I may be addicted to this stitch that goes by many names. I'm going to call it the half double crochet rib stitch. I first fell in love with  it a couple of years ago. I came across a ravelry hat pattern called the surface braid hat. The name surface braid hat fit it perfectly. It made me remember my early childhood fascination with the knitted stockinette stitch. Such knitted pieces fascinated me because they were just like the "cornrow" hairstyles I used to beg my mom for and sit for hours to have my hair styled into. I would wonder how the stitch was made and used to hope to someday be able to produce it myself.

I never made a surface braid hat; but, have since made many other items using this stitch. My latest crop  includes the extra toppings please boot cuffs and my cottony cowl. I also have something else growing, due to sprout this spring. So if you haven't already given it a try, I think you should add it to your stockpile, I think you'll grow to love it for its versatility, flexibilty and ease to produce.

Happy Heartful Crafting
Mia  

~extra toppings please ~

So, I've been thinking about boot cuffs with a little flair for a while. I was thinking flowers, leaves...something for added texture and color. So when a friend recently requested a couple of pairs with flowers, I wasn't too nervous; but, a little nervous because special requests can sometimes be limiting.

This time the limitation wasn't the design itself but the size of of the design. I had to consider a couple of things. One, the bottom half of the cuff would be totally hidden. Also, the middle might be partially hidden; so, the embellishments couldn't be too bulky nor too large. I came up with a design for a cuff that I think came out great for adding extras.

The design is also great because the stitches used make the cuffs good for fitting a wide range of sizes. Since the color requested was brown tweed, I used Patons Classic Wool in this dark brown dabbled with orange, green and yellow. This color combo immediately said folksy; so, I thought flowers and hearts with some leaves.

After some doodling,

the next decision was how to add the designs to the cuffs. I decided embroidery would work for the flower design. The final design ended up different than my drawing but I like it.

                                     

I like adding embroidery to crochet. I like that little something extra it adds and it encourages me to become better at embroidering and to learn more stitches.

The heart design had me stumped some. Crocheted applique' would be too bulky and I have yet to successfully embroider hearts. After some thinking, I decided on a needle felted design. I remembered being inspired by a great tutorial  by Mrs. Polly Rogers when I was working on a crochet project I wanted to add a heart design to as well. The needle felting was the perfect solution then and now.

I like adding needle felting elements to crocheted and knitted pieces because it is so flexible. Its scale can easily be adjusted to fit projects made of various stitches and projects made in different sizes.

I'm pleased with how the cuffs turned out and wanted to share the pattern, should you have an urge to top a pair toppers yourself.

Oh yes, I haven't forgot about telling you more about the half double crochet ribbing I used for this design and the pieces in my previous post. I'm working on finishing the pattern for my winter romace cowl and cuffs; so, I can share all of the projects using this stitch at once. Until next time...

Happy Heartful Crafting,
Mia

~ tried and true ~

my amaryllis cloche and cuffs...

I finally got around to making the Two Roads Hat; a pattern of decisions. I like the textured pattern that makes up the crown. The original plan was to make Version Two and add a crocheted flower. After about 15 rip backs resulting from me trying to add extra rows to parts of the band, I gave up and opted for a band of half double crochet ribbing. I'll share more about this stitch and my fascination with it next time :)

So, I finished my alternate band (in one try-thank goodness) and then plans changed again. I scratched making a crocheted flower because I thought a needle felted flower would be nice since I had a flat surface to work on.

After all of the changes, I'm still happy with the results and also decided to make a pair of cuffs with the extra yarn.

 

                                 
Oh yeah, the yarn. I almost forgot to tell you. Both came from a local yarn shop. The blue is a somewhat coarse aran weight and the brown a softer and finer sport weight. I figured the blue would be great for warmth and the brown good for warmth too yet soft on the face and ears. I've searched high and low for the labels, but with no luck. I had the skeins wound into balls at the shop, so I'm thinking the labels were lost in transit. The natural I used for the needle felting is the merino roving I told you about and the green is scrap wool yarn I found in my stash.

So if you are like me and like options, this is a great pattern to try. The pattern was easy to follow and has great pictures. It's definitely going in my tried and true, go to file.

Happy Heartful Crafting,
Mia

~ my winter romance ~

I just finished a project with one of the natural yarns I told you about previously and I love it.

I loved creating this pair using textured cotton yarn (Organic Inca Cotton in Natural by Galler Yarns) and back loop half double crochet. 

The yarn was easy on my hands and it added depth and excitement to a repetitive stitch pattern. This particular cotton yarn is also incredibly durable. It was able to withstand multiple rip backs and still looks great (phew).

I also used one of my tried and true go to stitches, the half double crochet rib stitch. I love half double crochet ribbing because of its versatility, texture, and flexibility. 

These two favorites of mine make the perfect pair;                            my ~winter romance~ 

patterns now available: cottony cowl, charming cuffs, rosy heart

Heartfully Yours,
Mia

~ back in bloom ~

Well I took another dig at the pattern for my ~ rosy heart ~

my rosy heart, 

the little heart that opened my heart to my wide world of crafty friends

the little heart that restored my confidence in me

the little heart that grew a deeper love for me and

all of the awesome things and people I love

I had a lot of fun getting my hands dirty again. I forgot how much I enjoy this heart.

I love hearts and I love roses, so I was on a quest to make a crocheted version of the two combined. At first, I searched everywhere for a rose heart pattern. Finally, I took a leap and tried to make what was in my mind myself. I started out with a pattern for a swirly rose I found and kept playing with it until I was satisfied.

When I decided to share it, I was surprised yet delighted with the response I received.

Unfortunately, the first written version, was not too great. I feel good about this sprucing up and hope it is easier to understand. My wish is that you are able to enjoy it as much as I do.

Heartfully Yours,
Mia

~ new year, new blog ~

Welcome My Crafty Friends!

So I've decided to begin the year with a new blog. It was way past time to "clean house" - and the timing seemed just right. The ringing in of a new year seemed to awaken sleeping ideas and the purifying ways of old man winter seemed to put to rest that which needed to be put to rest. It's really reassuring to feel in sync with my surroundings like so.

This cleaning house also led me to my yarn stash. While sorting it (again), I found myself drawn to the variety of natural (ecru) colored yarns and fiber.

First to move from stash to current projects was this Organic Inca Cotton by Galler Yarns. I'm thinking a versatile cowl and matching mitts.

Some had designated projects, like this Fyberspates Scrumptious 4-Ply which was initially intended to become a lacy shrug. I'm thinking about taking a knitting adventure.

Others I just fell in love with. Once I touched this most wonderful Merino roving. I couldn't leave without it.
I'm thinking some needle felted embellishments to start.

I love this color because it's perfect to pair with a wonderful complex stitch pattern or a simple stitch that can later showcase embroidery or some other type of embellishment. Yarns and fiber this color are my perfect little blank canvases, just like a yard filled with fresh snow.

I'm just like I am when it actually is snowy outside. I'm excited just the same.  I keep looking at them. Like I constantly look out of the window when it's snowing.  I secretly wish for plenty just as I hope for mounds of snow.

I have some great ideas in mind. I can't wait to jump into my snowy fiber and spread my wings like an angel. What a heavenly feeling.

I look forward to keeping you posted and sharing more journeys with you. I wish you a new year full of goodness and excitement and love for your crafty endeavors.

Heartfully Yours,
Mia

P.S. Thank you all so much for all of your very kind words. I'm so happy I am going to start blogging again. If not, I would have missed out on the company of such an extraordinary bunch. It is your company that makes a somewhat of a hermit like myself feel extremely lucky and satisfied with sharing myself in such a public arena. You are my family away from family. Much love to you all.