.I'm back (I hope).

Well, well, well.... I come upon my blog and realize it has been almost a year since my last posting, tisk, tisk. As Facebook and plain old emailing took over my life, I am a little ashamed to see that I haven't updated my blog. Well, now's the time, right?

Another month sabbatical is upon Ben and I as we take our world trekking ambitions to SE Asia. We leave Sunday and are staying around for a month! No plans have been made other than our flights (In and out of Bangkok, with a layover in Tokyo)... and we love it! Adventure here we come!

+.peace.love.travel.+

raspberry (and red) beret.

I guess I have been missing France lately...

Raspberry beret (children's size) - It's just a simple hat pattern, just smaller ;)

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Red pretty puffs slouchy hat (sorry, no close up)

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+.peace.love.Prince.+

shrug.

It all started with this...

and ended up like a real piece of clothing!

This shrug was fun, but I would have definitely made it smaller if I were to do it again. I made the size Medium but it turned out more like a large fit, which happens to be OK since the yarn is a bit chunky... it's warm and bulky, and my first piece of clothing (for adults!) :)

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Detailed sleeve

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Back

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Detail Back

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+.peace.love. shhhhhhrug.+

case your pillows.

I have always wanted to make pillow cases for some of my IKEA pillows that need a face lift. However, I am frugal when it comes to spending money on my crafts, and I do not have any zippers, unless I take apart the current cases the decorative pillows are in.

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If you have ever bought regular pillow cases from IKEA (the ones for your bed) you know that they have an extra pillow flap on the inside to keep the case from coming off.... so I put together a decorative pillow case out of silk fabric scraps with a fold in the opening to keep the pillow in! Eventually when I find a superb deal on buttons or old zippers I will secure it a little better, but for now this works great!

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Side one

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Side two

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Now if I can only get Jude to sleep on a pillow instead of the computer!

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+.peace.love.cat naps.+

baby hoodie.

So, since I made a baby girl sweater a few posts ago, I had to try to make this hoodie. I used a pattern found on the Bernat website. (Baby Hoodie) I guess I have just been so thrilled that I can actually make clothing that I have been going a little overboard. Oh well, a little warmth never hurt anyone (unless you a homeless guy on a corner by a bagel shop, who, when offered a bagel refuses because he doesn't like what's in the bagel)

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Now, I didn't have much for buttons and I was trying to go for a real simple look, so although they are bold, I think it works!

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The pattern I used was for a 12 month old, but the hood turned out to be a bit big.

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When the hood is down, as you can see, the sweater looks a little better. Come to think about it, babies and toddlers do have bigger heads in comparison to their bodies, so it might be a good fit!

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I am not quite sure if the buttons will hold with the loops I made. Trial and error seems to be my way of making things. With this hoodie, I tried a zipper first, only to tear it out and replace it with buttons. When I sent it to my friend, I told her in the note to make any changes if it doesn't work when she puts it on her baby. The only model I have is my cat.... and well.... she doesn't appreciate being dressed, at all.

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On another note... it has been dry all week here and the weather has been shinning down on some lovely sun-filled mornings. It has been perfect for those late morning strolls through the park, but still brisk enough to make you chill a little :)

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+.peace.love.warm sun.+

brimmed hats.

Chilly weather calls for warm noggins. Most of my friends and family are bearing the brutal cold in North Dakota and Minnesota. So to keep their heads warm I have been making some traditional beanies. To add a little city to it, I have been adding brims. These are just single brims so they don't stick out like a baseball cap, but they can help to keep foreheads nice and toasty!

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This one was sent in the mail to someone who has a birthday tomorrow.

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And this one I made for my brother in the coldest part of North Dakota, who may or may not be dreading his hair. (I thought the colors were appropriate!)

+.peace.love.jamaica.+

fingerless gloves.

A set of fingerless gloves I created. I just went with the flow, no pattern. It's a great stash buster!

+.peace.love.warm wrists.+