The other day, I mentioned my love for gnomes. They really are the cutest things. Well, for the last few months, I’ve seen a little type of gnome ornament popping up all over the place… in my facebook feed, in my google ads, and even in actual stores (not that I get to many of them any more… but is has happened).
Naturally, being polycraftual, my first thought was “I can make that!”. My second was… his hat should be knit!
The pattern is free, because making that little hat is pretty simple. Most of you could probably figure it out pretty easy. And those of you that don’t knit could probably wing a sewn or glued felt hat pretty easy. And the rest… the rest is just hot-glue assembly (though instructions for that are included in the pattern as well.
I had so much fun with these little guys, I ended up making six.
I will keep a couple for myself, and the rest will accompany a few other Christmas packages. These little Gnomies are sure to spread holiday cheer wherever they go!
Like the original Rosey Posey, this one uses the dizzy daisy block. It’s from the same fabric line, but with a pretty cream tone-on-tone fabric for the background instead of the solid black. I think I like this one even more than the first. To me it has a very art deco feel.
Just like the first one, this one has the perfect backing. A pretty chunk of flannel with these gorgeous coral flowers. I just love it when fabrics come together!
The other week, Burton and I made our last Blockhead block for the year. There are still a few left, but we were running out of fabric. We had just enough to make some chain blocks to build the quilt out a bit.
I really do love how chain blocks change the look of a quilt! We still have to sew them all together…
But I couldn’t be more thrilled with it! Burton however, has some idea about moving some of those blocks about…
With Rowan’s cardigan off the needles, it was time to get a move on with Paisley’s. You may recall that earlier this year, I dyed up some yarn specifically to make a hoodie for Paisley. It wasn’t the Bogatell hoodie, it was a worsted weight one that should have knit up quicker. But then I realized that the yarn I dyed wasn’t superwash (it was some regular wool Mom had bought for dyeing and felting). I’d really prefer to make her a sweater that is machine washable. And then the more I knit on Rowan’s Bogatell, the more I knew the style was perfect for Paisley too.
I didn’t have any “Paisley” colours in my stash, so … I raided Mom’s!
She kindly let me nab some of her precious Wollmeise. (It helps that’s she’s more focused on quilting than knitting these days). She didn’t have three skeins of any one shade for the main colour, so I grabbed three different (but close) shades of dark grey. I figured I could do each 16 row section of the main colour in a sequence of them. The pink and mauve are for the stripes – I think they have a nice pop with the greys.
As soon as Rowan’s was on the blocking board, I started on Paisley’s and it was going swimmingly. It’s two sizes larger, so it was slower, but still things were chugging right along until…
My beloved Chiao Goo snapped right off the cord. And of course, it’s my only one in this size. It’s the only downside to this brand – they do this eventually (usually after many, many, MANY years of use – this one has to be about 10 years old). I’ve got another one on order, but I’m stuck in a holding pattern until it comes.
And I was doing so well… just one more stripe sequence (about 25 rows) from dividing for the armholes. Hopefully that needle doesn’t take too long to get here!
When working from home, it’s very easy to blur the lines between work time and home time. Luckily, I have a very simple alarm that tells me when its time to step away from the computer for the day…
I’ll let you in on a little secret. While I love sewing quilts, I’m not a fan of sewing much else – bags included. But this pattern didn’t look too difficult.
And it wasn’t. It took a little work and finagling to get that peacock placed just right, but other than that, it went together pretty easy.
And the peacock fabric isn’t just decorative… they are actually pockets – six in total all the way around, making this a very practical bag. The bottom is squared off too, so it sits nicely when you set it down.
The only thing I added to the pattern was to sew a little top stitching line around the top to make sure the batting stayed in place when thrown in the wash.
This one is a nice size for a purse, but also a small knitting project bag. It would be easy enough to up-size it to a tote as well!
I am thrilled to announce that late last week, I finished the first Bogatell cardigan. After several days on the blocking board, I can share it with you!
I will admit, by the time I got to the front bands, I just couldn’t face all those ptbls… so it’s just regular one-one ribbing. But only me, you and experienced knitters will really know that.
Overall – it’s a pretty basic knit – just a top down raglan. The stripes add interest of course, as does the ribbing at the raglans.
That ribbing continues down the side too. Other than that, its nothing fancy. But it is lovely in its simplicity.
Rowan is a bright, cheerful, fun young lady, so I tried to choose colours that match her personality. I really love that green with its limey shades, and pops of turquoise here and there. It’s all Alley Cat, so she throw it in the washer without worry.
To finish it off, I added these Hello Kitty buttons. I bought them years ago, and I know Rowan will get a kick out of them.
Now I’ve got to make one for her sister… with just 25 days to do it!
On Saturday, I was FINALLY able to get Flannel Adventures quilted. I stuck with my usual, simple meander and I’m happy to announce that I can mark this off the gift list!
It’s a nice, manly quilt full of woodsy animal prints.
Moose, deer, beads, eagles, wolves, even a buffalo or two.. they are all there.
As mentioned before, this quilt is 100% flannel – top, back and binding. Piecing it was definitely a challenge, but it is one soft, warm quilt. It was lovely to have in my lap while I sewed the binding down Saturday night.
Because it was a challenge to piece, it’s far from perfect, but I’m still very happy with it! And I know my brother is going to love it!
I am a big believer of taking joy in the little things. So here are some little things making me happy right now.
Little thing#1
I reinvested some of the profits from the quilt sales to get more fabric to make more quilts! I ordered a couple bolts of plain fabric, and a few other goodies from Missouri Star Quilts, and got this adorable unicorn pins as a free gift.
Not only are they sweet – the packaging is cute too! I love it when companies are able to throw in free (but useful) gifts. I did another order (still on it’s way) and it’s coming with a five pack of small scissors… because you can always use another pair of small scissors!
Little thing # 2
You may or may not know that in addition to cats, we also have fish. When Dave and I first started dating, one of our common interests were aquariums. I had always wanted one, and he had a HUGE 90 gallon one in his bedroom. For my birthday that year, he gifted me with a 40 gallon tank for my own room.
Of course, the years went by, we moved in together and merged households. His 90 gallon was too big for our little townhouse (it’s still in storage, awaiting the day we have room for it), but my 40 gallon was just the right size. We keep a variety of fresh water fish, including a pleco, angelfish, gouramis, danios, and clown loaches. Well last summer, one of our gouramis started getting aggressive with his other gourami pal. So while Dave was at work, I dug out one of our spare empty, 5 gallon tanks and set it up in the bedroom on my dresser. I moved the poor abused gourami in there.
And while he was no longer being picked on, he looked a little lonely. So a few days later, I went to the fish store and got him about six guppy friends.
But then fast forward a couple months, and the gourami died. But the guppies had started breeding like… well… guppies!
So now the 5 gallon tank is a “breeder” tank, and every few months or so, I have to scoop a pile of guppies out and transfer them to the big tank downstairs.
It’s hard to get a good picture of the guppies with my phone, but I love having this little tank in the bedroom. Both big and little tanks are planted with live plants – it’s just a little bit of nature indoors for me!
Little thing # 3
As you know, I have a thing for gnomes. And not just in my garden…
Neighbour Krista gave me this little gnomette last Christmas. It’s actually a Christmas tree decoration, but I hung her on one of my spider plants so I can enjoy her all year round.
Little thing # 4
Lockdowns and public health measures can’t stop Squirrelington’s from staying open!
As long as the peanut supply stays strong, we’ll keep our little friends fed!
Wandering Cat Studio 