Portland Vacation ~ Part 1

I visited Portland, Oregon, in August. I was invited by a friend, Merry, over a year ago and she had reminded me about the invitation more recently. I have never been there before now and it a beautiful place. There are snow-capped mountains; rivers; seemingly hundreds of waterfalls; amazing azure lakes; wide sandy beaches; and flowers, fresh fruit and forests everywhere we went.

Merry had a ton of things planned for us to do and see and it couldn't have been a more fun-packed trip. She is the ultimate hostess, for sure. Here's a little taste...

Baby Blanket #2

Yes, I've been very neglectful of this blog. However, I have been sewing and knitting and traveling a little and getting a kitten and training for a marathon. I just haven't posted about any of it!

So, I've decided that I need to give myself a mini goal: to post at least twice a week. I'm pretty sure I can manage that.

One of the projects I completed - quite a while ago now - was this baby blanket. It is for Emma. She's not born yet; but her mother is a woman I work with. Emma is due in late November and I thought I had plenty of time to knit this, but someone in our office decided to throw a baby shower last month. I worked constantly to try to finish it but didn't make the day of the party. But, I did finish it about a week later.

The pattern is supposed to take one 16oz ball, but I still had several rows of pattern and the border to do when I ran out and had to buy a second ball.

As you can see by the close-up it's a really simple pattern - garter stitch, seed stitch and stocking stitch - worked on size 8 US / 5mm UK needles.

Emma's parents loved it and were thrilled that this was the first homemade item they had received.

I Won!

Thank you so much to Chicky Chickita - I won two of the prizes at her recent blog giveaway. Yay!

First this Guy Laroche pattern. Pretty darn sexy with that deep V back, huh?

And also this vintage Singer 'Junior Miss' Sewing Machine! How cute is that?!

Chicky Chickita is having a Giveaway!

Chicky Chickita collects vintage sewing machines and patterns. She is having her first giveaway - a pattern for a Guy Laroche gown and a 70's 'toy' sewing machine. If you want to check it out click HERE for giveaway!

Creating a One-of-A-Kind Photo Frame

As I mentioned in my last post I recently visited Portland, Oregon. I stayed with my friend Merry and her daughter. Merry was the most amazing hostess and spent a lot of time and energy showing me the around the Portland area and making me so welcome. So I wanted to send Merry a special 'thank you'.

I decided to create a unique photo frame, using a map of Portland and some Mod Podge.

Step 1: I measured the size of the frame and cut the map into strips.

Step 2: I placed the strips where I wanted them, overlapping the corners. Then I trimmed off the excess.





3. Finally, I Mod Podged the pieces thoroughly, let it dry, and this is the finished result.

I'm really happy with it and think it looks great.

This is so easy. Just take a map from any city or even a country and make a one-of-a-kind photo frame for youself or as a gift.

Let's Get Our Sew On!

My Finishing the Unfinished month is now two months! I was in Portland for a week so I didn't get as much time as I would have liked to tackle some items. I did finish the skirt I was working on as well as knitting up half a baby blanket. And another little project; my first time with Mod Podge! Pictures of all these will follow shortly.

In the meantime, let's celebrate the first day of National Sewing Month! Woohoo!

All Free Knitting 'Stitch London' Giveaway

Stitch London: 20 Kooky Ways to Knit in the City and More

How cute is this book?

Inside you'll find 20 adorable designs including patterns for Big Ben's Tower, Tiny Tower Bridge, the London Police and more.  There is even a pattern for a picnic blanket made entirely of plarn (plastic yarn) that's perfect for an impromptu meal in London's grassy Hyde Park.

All Free Knitting is giving a copy of Stitch London: 20 Kooky Ways to Knit in the City and More to one very lucky winner. To enter the drawing Click Here

Book Details:
Stitch London: 20 Kooky Ways to Knit the City and More
by Lauren O'Farrell
Publisher: David & Charles Publishing
http://www.davidandcharles.co.uk/
ISBN: 0715338676