day 4 :: 2009 craft books

2009 craft books :: Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum by Sue Flanders & Janine Kosel

this is a collection of 30 knitting patterns all inspired by traditional knits from the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa.



this was the most interesting 2009 craft book that i read. i learned so much about the Norwegian knitting traditions. the above black & white photo was taken in the 1890s & it shows a traditional 2-color Norwegian sweater, these sweaters worn as underwear, that is how they started out. can you imagine all this beauty & not to mention hard work being hidden for so long? thank goodness today Norwegian sweaters are outerwear today !


it was fun reading all the stories behind the handknits that inspired the knitting patterns in this book... here's one example about Nisse history, a Nisse is a Norwegian folklore elf - easily recognized by his red stocking cap, liked by children, it is mentioned in many Norwegian folk songs & folklore. "The Elves" tapestry shown above was woven by Pauline Fjelde, she along with her sister embroidered the first Minnesota state flag.


i knitted a little Nisse egg hat, it goes on top of a soft boiled egg to keep it nice & toasty warm until it's ready to be eaten. check out the ravelry link for more info.

see you tomorrow for day 5 !

day 3 :: 2009 craft books

2009 craft books :: Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger

i heart vintage, knitting & i have a baby (well, toddler actually) so this was a perfect book for me. be sure to have a look at all the 25 knitting patterns in this book. i wanted to be sure to mention that some of the patterns go all the way up to size 4 years.


hello cute bunny ! such lovely colors throughout the book...


& sweet photos...


from this book i knitted C the Vintage Pixie Cap in pink. here she is wearing it while outside during a gentle snowfall...


& throwing snow !
for more info about this Vintage Pixie Cap check out this ravelry link.

see you tomorrow for day 4 !

day 2 :: 2009 craft books

2009 craft books :: Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

i'm almost positive you've already seen this book & if you haven't, you probably at least have heard about it... yes Weekend Sewing - with over 40 sewing projects & in case you didn't know 2 of the projects are free online: Quick Garden Gloves & Smocked Sundress (which is sizes 12 months to 4 years, but for woman's sizes click here).


so the story goes that my oldest son had a pair of pajama pants (that someone else sewed) & they were getting holes in them. he was begging me to sew him a new pair, so i was very pleased to find the Pajamas for Everyone pattern in Weekend Sewing. i sewed him up a pair using some Transformers fabric & you know what? they turned out too small for him... so they immediately became hand-me-downs to my second son...


here's my second son modeling them while standing on his bed.


looking at these photos i am thinking i cannot believe how tall my second son is, at 6.5 he is as tall as i was at 9.5 ! he's 3 years ahead of me & he's going to hover way over me !

anyway, i still need to sew my oldest son a pair of pajama pants ! we went to a fabric store together & he found some fabric that he really loved & the pieces are already cut out - i just need to sew them up...

see you tomorrow for day 3 !

day 1 :: 2009 craft books

2009 craft books :: Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting by Lorna Miser

what a gorgeous knitting book ! you can view all the 20 knitting patterns at this ravelry link.


such lovely photos & colors, oh the colors !


even the appendix page is beautiful !


i was really inspired by this Charity Hat pattern, they recommended using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease & anyone (in the US at least) can easily buy it at any local craft store. i love Cotton-Ease, it's soft & i had some in my stash, so i quickly knitted one up. it's a hat that is just lacey enough, making it the perfect hat for a chemo patient.


and here's me in the Charity Hat that i knitted, for more info, here is the ravelry link.

see you tomorrow for day 2 !

2009 craft books

i thought it was high time to host a 2009 craft books month over here ---- all during the month of February i'll be posting about my favorite 2009 craft books & what i created from them. 20 crafty books... knitting & sewing & paper crafting, oh my ! some books you already know & maybe some you've never heard of. i did meet 2 of the authors, which 2 authors did i meet? come back & see !

so what were your favorite craft books from 2009? & what did you make from them? would love to hear...

have a great weekend ! see you on Monday !

vintage thingy thursday

some vintage treasures to share... how fabulous are these 3 deer !?! from the 1950's !! at $15, i really should go back & bring them home !


i've never seen a Dualflex IV in real life before & look how great it looks with the flash !


such lovely buttons, the packaging itself is eye candy !


such a lovely blue & yellow tea towel, i want to go back to get it for a future craft project...


such a sweet sheep mold ! think Easter...

TtV :: mourning girl

(TtV photo taken through an Argus 75)

we had a funeral to go to... my mother passed away & my 2 year old daughter didn't have a black dress, so i decided to sew her this dress...



i had just gotten this book: Absolutely A-Line by Wendi Gratz & decided i would use it for her black dress. i bought thick black corduroy & lining fabric & sewed a size 3 dress (the smallest size pattern in the book). my daughter even helped a little - she helped with the pins & i sewed this dress using the sewing machine & sewing table that my mother gave me... these are memories... it was therapeutic, i'm sure you know what i mean --- crafting & creating to help you get through difficult times...