AfricanKelli

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In this case, for his pleasure. (Who says knitting can’t be sexy?) A Malabrigo ribbed scarf in the works as a commissioned gift for a friend’s boyfriend.

I am plotting my holiday projects on an Excel spreadsheet. I’ll be sharing at least one a week until Christmas. I’m certain there will be homemade love that is baked, sewn, knitted, photographed and wrapped in a recycled bow.

Are you planning anything homemade? What are the projects that have you inspired? Please share what you are interested in creating, how you track your gifts and what type of planning you use concerning your time and supplies. I’d love some help!

~K

Yarn cakes, that is. Less fattening of both the hips and the wallet.

~K

I’ve got gobs of sewing I should be doing — finishing a wedding quilt, my Finny/Donk sewing adventure project for the month, birthday gifts — and then there is what I have been sewing: fun, whimsical gifts like these. It’s like having a bowl of ice cream when there is still broccoli on your plate.

~K

I am on a knitting mission — use the yarn I have to create thoughtful holiday gifts.* Yes, I realize we are months away from the holidays. But I am not quick with the knitting needles. I dally, ponder and spend a lot of time watching movies, drinking wine and ripping out rows gone awry as a result.

It’s this slow, plodding repetitive pace that I find comforting and meditative after commuting like a mad woman, racing through a business day and gulping one too many cups of caffeine.

This skein of yarn came as a gift from Shelley when I visited this summer. It is Vero wool from Italy and was delightful to work with. I love the colorway and I take particular joy from creating something with just one skein. It seems so efficient and tidy. I didn’t follow a pattern but simply knit like I cook — but trying a little of this and a little of that until I figured out what I liked.

(Spoiler!) I so enjoyed this project, I think Christmas 2010 may be year of the cowl.

~K

*Use what I have. I must, I must use what I have. Enough shopping for art supplies. Time to go through what I already own!

My friend Sheila’s got a birthday this week and when I was last in Golden visiting her lovely family, she mentioned she liked that beautiful orange three button wrap Tina made for me.

What a great chance to return the kindness loop by knitting one for another! And so, I ordered a box of Arucania organic cotton yarn and spent the next 4 weeks of Netflix knitting stockinette. I am pleased as punch by the results.

I bought a bunch of the same yarn in a dark, ruby red for a Christmas gift I’m planning. I love this pattern, and in the cotton, it is so incredibly soft and warm to wear.

Happy birthday, S!

~K

When Jen asked last week when we could get together, I asked “crafting or dinner?” She responded, “Both,” and promised to bring her hand quilting project. (Stunning work. Truly. If I didn’t already know the girl was southern, I would have thought she was Amish.)

Kara would just have to join us too. I haven’t seen her in ages and the girl needed a creative break from her burdensome work/intern/school schedule.

(Of course, my sewing machine was also apparently invited to the dinner table.)

The menu included pesto pasta, proscuitto and melon, roasted Italian squash, and ice cream with berries for dessert.

I love the grassy, fresh taste of homemade pesto. The farmer’s market this time of year is drowning in basil. I wish I’d purchased more.

Kara even managed to get some sewing in, throwing together a “pencil pouch with a pocket for post-it notes.” Try saying that three times fast with a mouth full of proscuitto, prosecco and pesto. Perfecto!

Time with the girls to craft, gossip and eat well was the therapy I needed after a nutty work week. Fueled with their laughter in my ears, this week promises to be far kinder.

~K

My friend Gracie asked the other day if I’d make her a new work bag. She takes public transportation in Italy and she worries about pick-pockets. Could the bag include zippered pockets?

Well, yes it could. But I’d first have to learn how to do so. Thankfully, Autumn’s tutorial all but literally holds your hand through the process. A few minutes later and Gracie’s Commuter Bag had two deep pockets, with zippers, to adorn the red velvet lining.

It’s going in the post tomorrow. I hope it brings good fortune and keeps shenanigans at bay.

~K

Amy Butler Nappy Bag pattern for Meg, who is expecting baby boy #2 any day.

Can’t wait to meet the little one! I’m already mad for #1.

~K

I spent time this week recharging my creative batteries in the aisle of a giant corporate bookstore, surrounded by newly published guides to knitting, paper craft and sewing. I took many notes, including how to stamp with fabric paint + use iron on decals. These are far from perfect, but I am pleased. The next batch is sure to be better.

~K

I’m working on a wedding quilt for Matt + Mariah. My mom helped get it started when she recently visited. Instead of a traditional wedding registry book, they had guests sign squares we’d cut for the event. Slowly, these squares are transforming into something useful + sentimental.

Doing this kind of work makes me miss my mom — the kind of miss that you carry around in your stomach like a heavy stone.  The nature of our relationship has changed  in the last few years; I desperately wish we lived in the same city for a period of time to quilt, cook, live together.

~K