maybe baby

So here are what I think might be the last of the baby knits for my soon-to-be nephew. Well, the last for now. The Suede Baby Hat and Ugg Bootiesare two of my absolute favorite baby patterns ever. I guess I tend to think of them as one pattern because you just can’t knit one and not the other! The cuteness increases exponentially when the hat and booties are together. I’m not into novelty yarns and I don’t do much faux anything, really, but for some reason, I think these patterns with these yarns make the cutest little baby set. The “suede” and “fur” look totally hip. Plus, they’re always a crowd pleaser at showers…and when I go to a baby shower, I play to win. (ahem.) Anyway…I knit the pattern just as it’s written. Details on Ravelry for hat and booties.

I have only knit one other “softie” in my entire knitting life. It turned out beautifully(if I do say so myself), but the process was so fussy, I doubted whether I’d ever knit another toy. But Ysolda’s Elijah pattern is so adorable, I couldn’t help myself. And if you’re going to knit a stuffed animal, thisis the way to do it! Yes, there are still a lot of little parts to knit, but Ysolda has you picking up stitches instead of seaming—an alternative I’ll take any day! I was very impressed with the clever construction throughout the pattern. All of the shaping is very carefully thought out. I used one-and-a-smidge balls of Rowan Cashsoft DK in lavender on size 2.5 bamboo needles, one of which I snapped in half by knitting so tightly. So maybe aluminum needles next time. I’m saving this gift to give to my nephew the first time I meet him in person. I think he’ll like it. Details on Ravelry.

Speaking of “winning” the baby shower… I think my sister liked the Seed Stitch Baby Jacket…

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Spring SALE!

I have relisted some “oldies, but goodies” in the Small Bird Etsy shop.  They’re discontinued designs, pieces that I still love, but that don’t quite fit with the aesthetic of the new shop. Most of the items are beaded, as I do less beadwork and more metalwork these days, as well as a couple sample rings of specific size. All prices have been reduced, so everything is ON SALE! If you’re in need of some spring bling (yes, I said it), be sure to check it out!

Once these items in the Etsy shop are gone, they’re gone for good, but you can continue to find my new pieces at Small Bird Jewelry.

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for keeps

I have been thinking about making some jewelry pieces with freeform cabochons for quite a while. I think working with the irregular shapes of the sea glass got me all inspired or something. The problem is that creating, shooting, editing, and listing one-of-a-kind pieces is not the most efficient use of my limited jewelry making time. (The shop is really just my “after school job.”) I couldn’t think of a way to produce and sell these pieces in a fashion that wouldn’t drive me completely nuts, and would also keep the price of the piece somewhat reasonable. I almost gave up on making jewelry with these beautiful freeform stones until it dawned on me that I like jewelry. In fact, I like jewelry a whole lot. I could make something for…ME. The stones that I bought arrived this week, and I promptly turned the plume agate cabochon into a necklace. I love it so bad.  I’m wearing it right now.

The plume agate stone is so interesting. The photos don’t quite do it justice.  And it’s nice and large.  The pendant is 1.25″ wide. Too bad I can’t see it while I’m wearing it.

The swirly deep orange clusters are encased in a translucent stone of the very palest blue-purple. This stone has such a unique depth to it. The second stone I bought is more opaque and the blue-purple color is more pronounced. I think it wants to be a ring someday.

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new old chairs

I went garage sale-ing with a friend this weekend and picked up something I needed and something I …”needed.” The thing I really needed was the desk I found to use as a sewing table. It was the perfect size and price and very solid and has a little bookshelf built into the side. It’s not great looking, but it’s not ugly and it actually spent its former life as a sewing table!  Perfect.

The thing I didn’t know I needed until I saw it was this pair of wood folding chairs. The seller didn’t know where they came from but they remind me of theater chairs. Well, maybe “theater” is a bit generous. At the very least, they could have been used as seating in some gymnacafetorium for the school talent show or something. That’s vintage enough for me. I have no idea where I’ll put them, but they called out to me, so I’ll figure out that part later. I just think they’re super cool.

The pillow is from Appetite Home.

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