Hand Knit Easter Chicks

These are adorable!!!! So fun to make and pretty easy too! I had all the yarn used on hand, it's a great way to use up some scraps too! Who says that they have to be NORMAL colors :) ha!

Anyways, I found this pattern The Purl Bee. It was easy to follow and she has lots of good "how to" photos to help you along the way. There are also two other patterns for a bunny and a lamb.

So far, I have one complete. But I have TWO little boys so I will be knitting the wings and applying the eyes, beak and fuzzy head feathers on chick number two tonight after bedtime. They will be gifted tomorrow :)

buttercup bag

we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday over the weekend. i had decided a few weeks ago that i was going to sew a bag for her. i had intended on making another one of these. i had purchased khaki linen to use as the main color. i had a black fabric with little circles and tiny flowers to use for the pleats and lining. i started to cut the fabric one night, i made a mistake due to tiredness and put it aside for another day. the next day i came across this blog. she had recently posted this free pattern for the buttercup bag. and i was hooked. her pattern was simple to follow, i cut the fabric and sewed it together throughout the day and into the evening, during nap and after bedtime. then i completed the strap the following afternoon. total construction time took maybe 3 hours, maybe....

this is the outcome:

button detail - vintage button purchased at Collection Antiques in Trumansburg, NY - it's black mother of pearl and i have 5 more for other projects

finished bag

i added a few structural items, i added cotton flannel to the inside as a stabelizer and did the same with the strap. i didn't want a completely slouchy bag, i like my bags to have a bit of structure, this helped perfectly. i also completed ironed pleats, next time, i'll only iron the tops so that the pleat bottoms pop out a little more.

i baked

we lost a family member this week, my great aunt Lillian passed away this week, she had been sick for a little while and she was VERY old. so we new her fate was not too far off.... just it's still sad.

i have a lot of memories of her from when i was little. she lived next door to my grandparents (maternal) in upstate new york in a house that my mother spent part of her life growing up in as well. at one point, they all lived together until my grandfather built their home on the property next to Aunt Lillian's. when we would visit my grandparents, i would always look forward to walking over to their house because it just seemed like the reception there was just a little bit more fun... not that my own grandparents weren't a great pair, but Aunt Lillian was just really special. she used to crochet slippers for EVERYONE. i had a pair that were two-toned light and bright violet. i loved them! i remember my mother wearing a pair too. i also remember sitting at her kitchen table while she wrapped christmas gifts complete with curling ribbon and bows. i used to dispense the tape. i remember sitting at her table at the lake too, playing cards and having a ball. she was a hoot and always made ya laugh :)

i remember a lot of things about her, she LOVED looking at old photos and remembering the good old days, her stories of how she worked at the restaurant and how times had changed. when you went to her home, she had to wait on you, she had to make coffee or a sandwich or warm up a piece of pizza or toast some toast. anything... she had she would offer it to her guests even when all we wanted to do was spend time with her and not have her wait on us.

aunt lillian passed away this week, my parents are leaving in the morning to spend time with family and attend services on Monday. i have decided to stay home with the kids, i'm sad about it. i really would like to be there for her and her family. so it goes.....

so, in my absense i'll be sending some baked goods. i made two of these this evening. and i documented with photos. i used chris's (fairly new) cannon g9. my camera has pretty much crapped out... so until we can purchase chris a new g10, i will be "borrowing" the g9. it will become mine on a permanent basis very soon.... i can't wait because if i do say so myself, these photos KICK it! (more crafty photos to follow after the weekend....)














more photos from this session can be found here.