Patio Time with Little P

Nora and I have been enjoying "patio time" lately. It sure is nice being able to spend so much time outside :) Nora worked on her coloring and I crocheted a bit. It was really nice spending time together, working side by side. I love days like this with my little girl.

A Little Stroll

March in Cleveland has been unseasonably warm. Sunday we took advantage! Check out these photos of our family stroll :) I could get used to days like these!

Tail end of winter/early spring

I'm still not over my cupcake phase but a much needed break was in order. I've been working on writing some patterns. It's pretty exhausting work. I am switching things up here for a bit. I'm crocheting something simple and fresh. So far it's been quite enjoyable. I found this great pattern over at The Purl Bee. It's one of my favorite blogs and I'm always checking in for inspiration.

I love, love, love the stitch pattern used here but the color combination is what caught my eye. It's sort of a tail end of winter/early spring look (perfect for the month of March). I didn't use the suggested yarn (although I'm sure it works up like a dream). Instead I bought some Patons Classic Wool in Grey Mix and Lemongrass. I'm resizing it a bit to meet my needs. I'm excited to see the finished result but I think the journey there will be just as great :)

Q is for Quilt

It's been a while but we're back to our letter lessons again. Today we learned the letter "Q". Check out Nora's hand drawn "Q's" pictured above. Her penmanship is really improving. I'm impressed!

Today our craft was a hand made quilt. We used some left over fabric squares that have been just lying around. Since I'm not the best at sewing (and since that's a bit advanced for Nora right now anyway) we used fabric glue instead of thread. I was pretty impressed with the results. So far all the squares have stayed together and Isa (the green iguana) seems to be enjoying her brand new blankie.

Of course if you want to learn to make the real deal you will have to ask my great aunt Donna. She is the real quilter in our family tree :) Maybe someday I'll learn to use a sewing machine and make a real one of my own.

Determination

Cupcake Craze

I've been busy making cupcakes! Not out of batter but out of yarn :D They do make me want to make some real ones soon too. I'm having a ton of fun with this pattern. I found it here on Ravelry. It's a pretty easy pattern. I adapted it a bit but not much. 

I'll likely end up crocheting a couple more of these. They are for Nora's birthday. I'm going to make her a little set. I'll likey stick with the Fisherman's Wool and Baby Wool yarns (as seen in the off white cupcake above). I really like the colors and the texture.

 

 I also got motivated to try out a pattern of my own. It was actually much easier to do than I thought. I'm glad I tried it out because I really like the results and I have been wanting a new cozy for my coffee drinks :)

I employed a similar technique using the pattern above to make the ribbed texture of the wrapper. I just used single crochets to make the frosting on top. Then I attached the two pieces together with a row of sc and made some simple ruffles. I will likely make some more of these too and maybe even write the pattern down. I've got a hunch that some friends of mine like cupcakes and coffee as much as I do <3

Thank God for Little Girls :)

...because they give me a great excuse to make cute stuff like this!