Thanks to you! 20% off

We are spending a long weekend with extended family to celebrate Thanksgiving. There are so many things to be thankful for! I am trying to teach my children to live in Thanksgiving daily. To appreciate the beauty around them, the conveniences of their daily lives, tender mercies, and the people who love and cheer them on. It's interesting how research is surfacing now about gratitude and how important that attitude is for achieving happiness.

I hope you enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with people you love, buoyed by thoughts of your many blessings.

And if you are also turning toward Christmas and shopping I wanted to thank you for reading my blog and supporting my creative endeavors with a 20% discount in both my Etsy shops. Just enter the code THANKS20 ,  This is good through December 6. Thank you!

www.Etsy.com/shop/WeeMuses

www.Etsy.com/shop/AestheticNest

Knitting: Ribbed Knit Maxi Scarf in Pastel Plum (Free Pattern)

It's the right time of year to sit with some knitting, especially if you can whip up something cozy. So I'm sharing this simple pattern for a Maxi Scarf (it's nearly 8 feet long!) in a trendy Fall pastel. I designed this scarf for the Jo-Ann Fall Lookbook, which debuted a couple months ago, and it could honestly take the place of a sweater, or make a big statement with a pastel coat.

I'm loving the Fall pastel trend, aren't you? This dusty lavender is so beautiful. 

Especially in this chunky, "thick and thin," yarn, Patons Cobbles.

To knit this Maxi Scarf you'll Need:

• 5 Skeins Patons "Cobbles" yarn in Frosted Plum
• Circular Knitting Needles in Size 15 (10 mm)

Gauge: 4” is about 6 stitches and 7 rows.

To Make:

Cast on 18 stitches.

Row 1: Purl 3, Knit 2, Purl 3, Knit 2, Purl 3, Knit 2, Purl 3. 

Row 2: Purl the purl stitches and knit the knit stitches (Knit 3, Purl 2, Knit 3, Purl 2, Knit 3, Purl 2, Knit 3. )

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until your scarf measures 94” (or a length you prefer).

Bind off all stitches. Weave in ends.

Wrap up!

Crochet: Triple Strand Earflap Hat Tester Roundup

It's definitely hat weather now! And it's high time to thank my great testers for helping me with the Triple Strand Earflap Hat pattern. It's such a thrill to have hard work validated and I really appreciate their willingness to try out these hats and provide feedback. Click through to see all the variations they came up with, and some really cute faces.

Crochet: Easy Afghans for My Girls

Though we've had unseasonably warm, beautiful weather around here, the temperatures are dropping so it's time to snuggle up!

I love Fall with it's golden colors and chill in the air.

So I made my Easy Baby Afghan in a larger size for Audrey and Scarlett, so they would have one similar to Tess's, which is the original size.

I can't tell you the numbers here but I added about twice the chain stitches (compared to the original pattern) at the beginning and used 6 skeins of the three yarn colors. The nice thing about this pattern is that you can chain until you have the width you would like and then just crochet rows until you get the right length. Pretty easy!

Three girls and three blankets. Sounds just right.

Sewing: Out of Africa for STYLO 03

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. Because the latest issue of STYLO has been released!

I don't mean to exaggerate (though I probably am prone to it), but STYLO is so full of talent and inspiration: awesome patterns, yummy fabric, incredible styling and photography, not to mention cool kids! If you've seen it before I'm sure you share my enthusiasm. (Check out STYLO 01 and STYLO 02 for further proof)

I was thrilled to work again with the Editors in Chief, Celina from Petit a Petit and Family, and Jessica from The Sewing Rabbit. (You can read all about my sewing for STYLO 02 here.) They do amazing work to pull together each issue!

This time I had the assignment to sew inspired by one of my favorite books. I chose Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen. I remember being captivated by the movie version way back when (as was the entire fashion industry--remember the khaki skirts and safari jackets and crisp white blouses?) and had to read more about the Baroness and her circle of friends. West With the Night by Beryl Markham is another great perspective on the adventures and romances set against the African landscape. They tell stories of women who were redefining themselves. Women who could rough it on safari with the boys and still attract all eyes when they dressed for a society event.

I decided to dress my own little women in fabrics and designs inspired by the British ex-pats in Africa around the 1920s. Dresses for adventure and dresses for a party with colors of the rich African landscape.

Tess is wearing a dress sewn from my Angel Sleeve Dress pattern (an oldie but goodie) in stretch crinkle panne velvet in gold. Her boots are Cherokee Dalina from Target.

Scarlett is wearing a dress sewn from BurdaStyle Satin Tunic Pattern 12/2014 #144. The fabric is brown gold speckled peachskin from Fashion Fabrics Club with trim out of hammered polyester charmeuse in turquoise from Michael Levine. I decided to add a little headband made from stretch elastic. 

Audrey is wearing the sleeveless version of the Sophisticate Dress, a Wee Muses Sewing Pattern soon to be released (Ack! I was really aiming to have the release coincide, but....). I love this dress in the Cath Kidston Safari fabric. Audrey's jacket is BurdaStyle Pleated Coat pattern 04/2012 #143. I used Jo-Ann Sew Classics Microsuede in Olive Night. She is wearing Hunter Boots in Orange. 

All set for an adventure: rough or romantic.

Check out all the other amazing spreads in STYLO 03!