Recycling old sweaters part 1

This cushion took me half an hour to make, from beginning to end.

Easy, fast, costs $1, 100% cashmere goodness, what else can I ask?

Mamushkas...

My 2 year old loves Russian nesting dolls and she calls them "mamushkas" :). When asked what design she would like on a sweater, she answer without a doubt: "Mamushkas". So this is my first adventure in intarsia designing :)

Her smile when I gave it to her was PRECIOUS.

This is a FREE pattern and you can find it here  and here (Ravelry)

More girly things

I have to say girly things are my inspiration lately. No only they are a pleasure to make, but even little girls appreciate them!!! :) (I love my boys to pieces, but I can't recall them being exited by my knitting garments:) ) LOL

This cardi was based on Swing Thing by Theresa Belville, but I ended up modifying it heavily. I found a wonderful stitch that I wanted to try on the borders and it worked out beautifully.

A little top

Seeing so many "pillow" dresses on Pinterest just gave me the idea of knitting a top for my little one using a very easy "slip stitch" technique for interest.

Basically I knitted a tube in the round, divided it at the armpit level (without working any decreases) and finish both front and back flaps with a 2 in ribbing. This rib is then folded over and sewn inwards to create the casing for the ribbon (I knitted the ribbon, too, but next time I'll use a real ribbon... easier and less boring!!!!! Knitting such a long strip was no fun:))))

New design :)

After being tested, my new design is available..this time I dedicated my full time to crochet, which has always been my first love... I just recently learned to read and write crochet patterns, so it was a challenge to write this down, but it also gave me a lot of satisfaction.

A simple, fast working lace top, with minimum shaping… ideal for the Summer if worked in cotton and for the Fall if worked in a warmer yarn…

The ribbing portion (which has a small negative ease) adds interest and helps make this garment more fitted to the body.

There are easy instructions to customize the garment to any torso length, and to adapt the neck line to your taste.

As always, pattern can be found here in Ravelry and here in Craftsy

My first sewing project!!

I am so happy with this!! It is my first sewing project and I love it!
The instructions for the basic blouse can be found here . Very well explained and for beginners like me!!

I added some details in the front (a little hand stitch accent and a bit of hand smocking)

I hope my little two year  old enjoys it! When I showed it to her today, she said: "Oh, a shirt for me. It's perfect!" That is the most wonderful compliment I ever got :)

Gift cards using Trader Joe's bags

For this project you can actually use any type of card or paper...Even old greeting cards, thank you cards, etc can be recycled in this way. It is also a project you can do with kids, who usually love to punch holes :) or even older kids who know the basics of crochet.

You will need:

Card/paper
Yarn of colour you prefer for the project
Crochet hook
Puncher
Glue
Scissors

These are very basic, but there is so many possibilities!! Cotton white thread on white cardstock could be very pretty for special occasions... especially with a more intrincate lace trimming...