resolution and a knot bag

So is it too late, or maybe too early, for a New Year's resolution? Mine. Is. To. Blog.

I've been so bad. Where has the summer gone? We've had a lot of craziness since move to Chicago and trying to get settled into life here. It's just so amazing how the days seem to melt away...I always have good intentions to post, and then I forget. I promise to try to be better!

This week I've been sewing little bags that are available in my Etsy shop! My initial intent was to make project bags for knitting (I love keeping my knitting projects organized in project bags).

These are Japanese knot bags. One handle is taller than the other...it's meant to slip into the other and form a closure to the bag.

They are great to hold a skein or two of yarn and your needles. They would also be great as a craft bag to hold small goodies, for cosmetics, or even as a little wristlet purse. The possibilities are endless!

The bottom of the bag is flat...this allows it to stand on its own.

Another added bonus is that the bag is fully reversible...cool, huh?!

You NEED one!

knitting for a new friend

The hardest part about moving to a new city is making new friends, especially when I now work from home! I've tried getting invoked in things that will allow me to meet new people...I volunteer for a battered women's shelter, I joined a gym right next to my house, and I go to a knitting group every week (yes, exactly what I said...it's one of my favorite things to do!

I've been fortunate to make a new great friend, Aimee, through knitting! Her birthday was last weekend so I made her cupcakes.



I used a recipe that I found on Pinterest (love Pinterest!), which can be found here. It's a strawberry lemonade cake that I modified for cupcakes. Sooooo yummy! The frosting is the best I've ever had!

I've never really decorated cupcakes before but thought it would be really cute to theme them for our knitting group! I cut strips of pink fondant and added slits to resemble knitting. Then I added toothpicks with little fondant balls to look like knitting needles. I loved how they turned out, especially considering how disastrous it could have been being my first time making them.





I wanted to make a little birthday gift for Aimee to go with her cupcakes so I made a set of gift tags she can use when she gifts her knitted projects.



I made all of the tags using Crumb Cake cardstock and stamped with the "Hand Knit" stamp set (I was so excited to finally get this set). I also used the "knit happens" stamp my favorite retired set "Fashion Statements". I stamped in black, colored each tag with pink and black gel pens and added a fluffy touch with white liquid appliqué.











I made her birthday card by knitting with toothpicks (quite challenging) to make a small knitted project to match the cupcakes.





This inside was stamped using the new happy birthday single stamp...such a great font!


Here's the finished product...






I am pleased with the results...Aimee loved it, which was the best part!

cherry-o

I had to share this cute little hat I knitted up last Saturday...don't you just love it?! I'm so in love with the dangling cherries!


Since I'm new to the Chicagoland area and don't really know anyone, I just joined a knitting circle. I'm meeting so many nice people and getting a lot of knitting done!