Knitting: Toddler Zipper Cardigan

My paternal grandmother knit a bunch of zippered cardigans for my siblings and me when we were little. I don't know that I loved mine at the time but I really love them now! Mine was red. My brother had a brown one. I can't remember the other colors. The yarn was wash-and-wear polyester and a pretty chunky weight. Very versatile for having on hand in case of a chill.

I decided I wanted to do something like that for Audrey and found this pattern from Paton's for their Melody yarn on JoAnn's website, which is appropriately chunky but also soft. It looks like something I'd want to wrap myself in.

I really like the ribbing at the hems and around the hood. I had to play with the propportions a bit as the hood seemed a bit small.

I hope Audrey will like wearing this as much as I like the idea of her wearing it--always the challenge!

Crochet: Vintage Looking Crochet Skirt

Contrary to form, I decided to make something for myself. I saw this skirt pattern in a Family Circle Easy Crochet magazine a few years ago--a magazine I bought, tossed a few months later thinking I wasn't going to do anything with the patterns, and then had to rebuy--what was I thinking?! I must have been pregnant when I tossed it. It is a fabulous collection of patterns. I was lucky to find it online.

So, mag in hand, I was able to try this fun skirt. I haven't done much with crochet in the pattern department so it was a fun little challenge. It went much more quickly than I expected. Makes me want to tackle more complication, it seems to make the project go by more quickly.

Luckily I had the perfect brown skirt to wear under this. Otherwise I would have had to whip something up.

I worried a tiny bit that this skirt was over the top. At a minimum it isn't super flattering, wearing a heavily patterned sweater around the hips, but it is really fun to wear! Nice and swingy. And I received compliments from some unlikely places--people who don't really take note of what I'm wearing.

We'll see how much I wear this. I'm thinking it will at least be a fun dress up or Halloween costume down the line for Audrey.

Crochet: Flower Jumper for Audrey

Everything I make is for Audrey...the titles are really a bit redundant. She is my muse. It is unbelievably fun for me to make things for her. I get so excited about it! It's so much more fun than dressing myself! I worry about the day when she won't let me do this for her.

This little brown dress is from a Crochet Today pattern. I decided to embellish it with felted crochet flowers all over the bodice. I wanted it nearly over the top, and I think it's just right. The flowers are crocheted with Moda Dea Cartwheel yarn, and I felted them. I love these flower corsages. I should have made more and made a cardigan for myself--but there's only so much time...no time for me.

Painting: Landscape with Cows

I decided to switch it up a bit last class with a landscape with cows in it. I think I took this photo somewhere near Flaming Gorge. I took a lot of photos of bovine landscapes for a while--I liked the look.

This is another little 8"x10". One thing I've decided is that I don't enjoy a composition with a lot of detail at this size! It is too hard. It drove me crazy trying to get the right amount of detail on these little cows. I don't have small enough brushes and I would rather paint with bigger strokes. It's not that I wanted this to be a detailed miniature but I had a difficult time figuring out the right amount of detail. I should say I haven't figured it out.

My favorite part of the painting are the wispy dark clouds in the upper left. I also like the color palette--the dusty purples and subdued yellows and greens. So that's something at least!