What Can You Do with an Old Sweater?

Specially, what can you do with an old

Laura Ashley sweater?

This is one I picked up at a thrift shop

during a visit to Florida last winter.

You can make a really sweet set of

Sweater Pillows.

The larger pillow is from the sweater's back

and the smaller, with the original crocheted 

button band and shell buttons

is made from the front.

And what about the sleeves?

Well, for me,

little sheep ornaments are ALWAYS

an option!

Waste not, want not!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait...

...and wait...and wait.

I have been looking for glass panels

since I moved into this house,

what nine years ago???

Finally, HERE they are!

I wanted them to hang in the two windows on either 

side of the fireplace.

I replaced the windows soon after moving in and

purposely had solid glass installed,

knowing I wanted hanging panels,

but could never find exactly 

what I wanted.

Then last fall, while hanging out on Pinterest,

 I found a look I loved,
in which the artist incorporated
vintage plates.

The pin took me to an Etsy site,

BarbarasStainedGlass

and within a few days,

my order was placed for 

two custom panels.

Within a few weeks a specially made, wooden crate arrived.

Barbara is an expert glass designer and craftsman,

but almost as important,

she KNOWS how to ship glass

and have it arrive intact.

Once the top was off the crate,

there were polystyrene sheets and bubble wrap.

Finally, a first view of my new panels!

Sadly I can never get a nice clear picture of this room,

but I'm sure you can see what an excellent addition

my new panels are to it!

SO happy I waited until I found exactly

what I wanted!

(Thank you Barbara!)

On another note,

but the same theme,

about good things coming to

those who wait,

last summer I fell in love with this fabric.

I had an upholstery fabric that 

coordinated with it

PERFECTLY

 with the chevron as a lining for a knitting tote.

Alas, I don't pay $50.00 a yard

for ANY fabric, no matter how perfect,

no matter how much I'm in love with it!

Can you believe the very same store

had it marked down to $10.00 a yard

for their MLK Day Holiday Sale last week?

Well...

I bought all they had and have 

happily been sewing on it since!

Although the upholstery fabric

I originally planned to pair it with

is now gone,

I never have a lack of 

things to sew!

New this week in my shop

are a great new selection of

hanging needle and crochet hook organizers!

Good things REALLY do come

to those who wait!

My Quilted Pillow Holiday Collection

(Today I am repeating part of a previous post.
It was originally published December 20, 2010.
You can find the original post here.
I'll explain why at the end.)

I adore quilts.

In my "next" life,

I might even become a quilter.

However, knitting is my passion in this life.

Therefore, I don't make quilts.

I have made a couple in the past, so I know what

a major project one is.

Thus, I've contented myself with making quilted

pillows instead of full sized quilts.

I've limited my quilted pillows to Christmas ones.

Several years ago I decided

I would make one new design each year,

then in a few years time,

I would have a lovely collection

to bring out at holiday time.

This is the first one I did.

I always quilted the year the pillow was made

somewhere on it,
so I can tell you without a doubt, 
this one is from 1991.

Here is 1993's pillow.

Unfortunately, I did not continue the tradition to present,

but, I did do it enough years to accrue a nice collection of
Christmas pillows.

This Celtic braid pillow is from 1994.
That was the first year I was part owner in a yarn shop
with four other dear friends.
Each of them got one of these pillows that year.
(That was almost like making a full quilt!)

This is one of my favorites.
You can see the year, 1995,
quilted in the center.

Now,  my reason for reposting...
I love my collection of quilted holiday pillows.
However, these days I am in a smaller house
and find my holiday decorating has
become a bit more streamlined.
These pillows are too special
to keep packed away,
so I have decided to let them go.
So, if you'd like to purchase 
one of them, please visit my
Etsy shop
and read about each one.
Perhaps each one will find
a new home to help decorate
at holiday time! 

Time to Start Thinking About...(dare I say it???) the Holidays!

I mentioned in my previous post that I had 

spent the summer knitting mittens.

Yesterday I listed them in my Etsy Shop.

On the one hand,

it seems incredibly early to start thinking

about the upcoming holiday season.

But, as a "shopkeeper," now is the

time for me to start increasing stock

and thinking about gift items..

This is particularly true

since handmade items have a limited number available.

There are only so many hours in the day

in which to make and knit things.

So, for me,

the holiday season has begun!

My mittens are a wool/mohair blend. 

You will not find a cozier mitten to keep

your hands toasty this winter!

They are available in ten colors.

The intricate Celtic cable on the mitten

matches the cable on my

White Cloche, making a lovely set.

So, think about getting a jump on the season.

Wouldn't it be nice to have all your

gift giving shopping done by

Thanksgiving?

New Needle Cases in a Pretty Blue Ikat Fabric

I have just listed this morning

a complete assortment of

knitting needle cases

in a fresh and pretty new Ikat fabric.

You'll also find a set of my

"Crochet Hooks for Knitters,"

in the same fabric.

This is a handy and pretty set

to add to your knitting bag.

Every knitter needs some crochet hooks!

(Drat those dropped stitches!!!)

Not a knitter?

I have also used the same new fabric

to make Accessory Bags.

These little zippered bags, with vinyl fronts

are handy for jewelry, make up, travel,

sewing and small knitting tools.

I'll bet you can find many more uses for them too!

Happy weekend everyone!

More Sweater Pillows!

I recently posted a tutorial on how to make

what I'm calling, "Sweater Pillows."

I am continuing to make them

and loving it!

I am only limited by the sweaters I can find!

Wouldn't this set be perfect at holiday time?

Or, how about this set?

This pretty moss green set is from a

sweater I hand knit several years ago.

What could be more "right" than

up cycling and re purposing a well loved sweater?

Be sure to visit my Etsy Shop to see more.

Spring Lambing at Buttermilk Cottage



Look what was created today!

Sweet little knitted sheep ornaments,

just in time for Easter,

favors for baby showers,

cottage chic decor,

or a perfect Mother's Day gift!

They come in a set of two

and I made them from an

up cycled, cotton sweater

which was embellished with

embroidered flowers.

How sweet is that?

You can find them in my Etsy shop.

My Needles have been Clicking!



I've recently completed a series of knitted vests,

using my FUSION Yarn.

This red vest has a tab

and stick button for closure.

The green vest  has two wide lapels

which overlap and create a

fold back collar.

The closure is a large coconut button.

I call this colorway "Rain Forest"

because of its vibrant greens.

I particularly like the styling of these vests

because they are knitted sideways.

This gives them vertical lines,

which are very flattering.

Visit my Etsy Shop for

some great holiday shopping!

New Hats!



New this week in my Etsy Shop!

The Daisy Hat

It's a fun, cloche style hat with a

wide fold back brim.

The brim is a blend of 15% mohair and 85% wool.

The crown is knitted in my own boutique yarn,

FUSION

This colorway is "Rain Forest."

This colorway is "Peacock."

Each hat comes with a knitted flower,

attached with a corsage pin. 

(It also looks great on the lapel of a jacket.)

Do you have a stylish, fun hat for this

winter season?