Smelling Like A Rose

Once again ~ I'm LOVING my new book: "The Chicks with Sticks ~ Guide To Crochet" by Nancy Queen & Mary Ellen O'Connell. I knew the minute I saw these darling washcloths pictured on page 73 that I just HAD to make some. The timing is just perfect for some cute little, quick to make up, Valentine gifts.

The yarn I used is Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton in dusty rose with a dusty teal center. The colors are so pretty and the cotton is so soft and who doesn't love anything Debbie Bliss comes up with?! Her designs and yarns are at the top of my list of favorites. So this morning I'm off to my local yarn shop, Ewenique Yarns, {where not only do I have stalker status, I was actually the very first customer in the door when they opened a few years ago!} to buy another color or two to see what pretty combinations I can come up with. Naturally, I already had 5 skeins of PINK in my stash! Plus there was that partial skein of the teal left over from a cute little baby shrug I knit a couple of years ago.

I really like how puffy these washcloths look on one side. The fun thing though is that they are pretty on both sides. I can just imagine how heavenly it will feel to cleanse your face with one or lather one up with some pretty scented soap and soak in a nice warm bubble bath. Ahh... I can hear that bathtub calling my name.

It's A Wrap!

After yesterday mornings necessary shopping trip to replace the glasses Phoebe ate, I got serious about finishing that poncho. As I started laying out and sewing on the roses with stems and leaves I got more and more excited to see it completed. Adding roses {or any flower} to an item ALWAYS gets my blood flowing!

The pictures make the crocheted poncho appear to be more of a true red than it actually is. The color is labeled "antique rose". Needless to say, I LOVE it. I knit the roses up in a pretty off white and the leaves and I-cord stems are knit from my favorite soft green baby alpaca. I'm pleased with the vintage look this color combination conjures.

Of course, I did require some feline assistance {all doggies were napping at this point}. Mercedes felt that she should oversee the final touches to make sure they were purr~fect!

As for the new glasses ~ they are too cute & I really like them. Sadly, however, they were fresh out of rose colored ones. So, I opted for a soft navy blue to match my baby blues! And really, looking at life through rose colored glasses is a state of mind nobody can take away from me anyway!

Without further ado, here's the finished garment. Hope you all like it. I'm glad it's FINALLY a wrap!

Rosy Pink Slippers

I'm LOVING these rosy pink slippers I just finished knitting! They are warm & toasty and well...

PINK!

~ Plus~ you know I HAD TO make them BLOSSOM with a crocheted rose.

I knit them up using three strands of Cascade 220 wool held together. Then chose the lightest pink to make the sweet little roses. They are fast and fun to make and cozy and pretty to wear!

I feel like Cinderella must have felt wearing her glass slippers to the ball. Except: my feet are much warmer, I can stay up past midnight wearing them while sitting and knitting in my comfy over~stuffed, rose covered chair (with matching tufted ottoman!) and at the end of the night my feet won't hurt like crazy as surely a pair of glass slippers must be excrutiating to endure!

Of course, much of the knitting was accomplished with Jose, my precious 3 pound chihuahua & constant companion, on my lap. He's never been crazy about the tickling experience of yarn running over him, however is now willing to endure ANYTHING to be picked up and safely away from little Miss Phoebe! (who only wants to PLAY... and BITE).

Also, check out another new favorite find:

The yarn is encased in three seperate "Yarn Cake Holders" and look closely at the two crocheted roses sitting by them. One is a solid pink and the other is a variegated pink. They're tape measures. Don't you just LOVE them?! I certainly do!:) They were made by Susan who can be found at: http://www.knitsnthings.etsy.com/

The Yarn Cake Holders (great for keeping yarn tangle free, especially when working with more than one strand) sell for $2.50 each and the tape measures are $7.50 a piece. She does different animals upon request and darlilng cake tape measures. (I just love the creativity of other women). When I discovered her shop and contacted her to ask if she could make mine up in pink roses, she e-mailed me back immediately and said "SURE". She's GREAT to work with. Browse through her crocheted pretties & knitting patterns for sale and enjoy! Tell her Danette sent you.

~ Just A Note~

For anyone who might be interested in making these rosy slippers here's where you can find the free patterns:

www.geocities.com/blossomknitwear/threestrandslippers.html

www.lionbrand.com/patterns/chs-rosettes.html

For the slippers I used size 11 dpn's as called for, but when you get to the point where you connect to work in the round and knit 12 more rounds, I knit 15 more rounds {could just be my gauge ~ I'm loose when I knit/crochet}. This pattern is so easily adjusted to whatever size you need. The pair pictured here fits my size 6 1/2 feet and also both of my daughter's size 8 feet. Wouldn't they be a fun Valentine's Day present to give?! Hmm... maybe I'll even whip some up in a couple of color choices for my Etsy shop. We'll see.

For the crocheted rosettes I used just one strand of yarn and made mine in the size medium {ch 35}.

Happy creating!