~ 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

~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

~ 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