I love, love, love to make toys. Unfortunately, the little man doesn’t like soft toys. But I will totally jump at the chance to make one for someone else.

Little Pigtail Girl

This cutie is Little Pigtail Girl, designed by pjcraftsinaustin. (Link to free Ravelry pattern.) I made her for a lovely lady in North Dakota  in exchange for some fabulous corn fibre yarn (yep, there is such a thing). She is crocheted from Bernat Satin and Bernat Baby Jacquards, and her hair is Lion Brand Homespun.

The angle of this picture is a bit bad, so she is much cuter in person. I absolutely want to make another one for myself. I’ll add it to my To Do list. lol!!

Don’t forget – the Ornament SAL check in is next Wednesday! I hope your ornament is going better than mine. I’ll just say two words: rayon floss. Ugh.

Pigtail Girl is a post from Reflections in the Pond

Oh dear, it looks like I broke my promise to myself of not buying a new project. But, I was just so smitten when I saw Victoria Sampler’s Where Stitchers Gather that I couldn’t help myself.

Where Stitchers Gather leaflet and some silk fibres

Rather than buy the fibre pack, I decided to only purchase the three main colours of silk. For the remainder of the fibres, I’ll be raiding my leftovers from other Victoria Sampler projects and also my big pile of oops and mis-dyed silk that I’ve purchased from Dinky Dyes and HDF. I’m fairly certain I should be able to put together my own “kit”, even if I end up having to add some DMC too.

Natural fabric and bright blue thread!!!

To keep myself excited, I cut and serged the fabric this morning. Sorting through fibres to stitch the piece is going to be a big job, but I think that by having the fabric ready to go I’ll keep it in the forefront of my mind.

Stitching a Pocket is a post from Reflections in the Pond

I don’t have too much progress to share this week because I’ve been forced to take another break from stitching and knitting. My tennis elbow is acting up again. I think, perhaps, I’d really better go to physiotherapy this time. :/

Before my arm starting complaining again, I did manage to finish up a couple of pairs of socks.

Top-Down Fleegle Heel Socks

These is my top-down socks with a modified Fleegle heel. I wrote the pattern, but I didn’t invent the heel. I’m hoping to release the pattern for free once my test knitter finishes with the smaller size and I get the pattern cleaned up a little.

The yarn is Schoeller+Stahl Sockina Cotton, a very nice cotton and acrylic blend, in colourway 002. You’ve got to love those inventive colour names.

Next up is my Pussy Willow Stockings, designed by Cat Bordhi and available in the book  Sock Knitting Master Class.

Pussy Willow Stockings

The yarn is On Your Toes Bamboo in colourway Cafe Mocha. To be totally honest, I don’t like these socks. The toe, Cat Bordhi’s moccasin toe, fits very strangely. I imagine that if you have pointy toes it would work while, but I have nicely rounded feet, and so I end up with a weird point somewhere around my big toe. I’ve only worn them once, and I imagine I probably never will again. What a shame.

In other sock knitting news, I’ve had to drop out of Sock Madness. My hand was hurting far too much for me to attempt to knit a pair of socks in just a few days. I”m disappointed that I wasn’t able to make it any further in the competition, but I’m also glad that I did make it to round 4. (I’ve also been watching to see how many people on my team have completed the socks so far, and I’m pretty sure I might have even made it to round 5.)

Tomorrow I’ll share some stitching. My hand is doing better, and I’ve been itching to pick up my needle again.

Taking a Rest is a post from Reflections in the Pond

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are mothers, act as a mother, or have a mother.

Image courtesy VintageHolidayCrafts.com

Happy Mother’s Day is a post from Reflections in the Pond

No, it’s not a new crime show, it is my latest crochet project.

Monk and his lotus

The pattern is Little Monk and His Lotus Flower by Melbangle (available for US$4.50 from both Ravelry and etsy.) The yarn is mostly Bernat Satin in several different colours, and also some Mary Maxim Starlette. You can see complete details on my Ravelry project page.

Monk and Lotus

The pattern is well written, and it was enjoyable to make. But I was so concerned about doing a good job that I let it just sit for so long. I actually started on May 1, 2012. I finally finished him up on May 3, 2013, which is far, far too long to have taken. But, I’m glad I took my time, because I am really pleased with the results.

I have a couple more Melbangle projects to do: a little Buddhist nun and a Venus of Willendorf.

Monk and Lotus is a post from Reflections in the Pond

Yep, I’m another year older and another year wiser (ha!). And it is time to take the wisdom I’ve gained and get started on some big goals.

Please join me over at my new blog, Project 36Five, to learn about what I’m going to be doing and how I hope to do it. I’d love any encouragement you have to offer.

Image courtesy of stock.xchng

Yay! Another Year Older is a post from Reflections in the Pond

It is so hard to think of Christmas when the weather is so hot. But, if I want to get Santa’s Journey Stocking done for Christmas this year, then I have to keep at it.

Santa’s Journey Stocking, designed by Dimensions

So much brown. I’m nearly done the trim on the coat, though. Then I get to move on to very exciting… beige! Wheee! Ah, but it will look nice when it is done.

More of Santa’s Coat is a post from Reflections in the Pond

I’ve recently become a fan of Doctor Who. The new series. (The old series scared the heck out of me as a little girl. Maybe I’ll gather up the courage to watch it one day.) So far I’m working through the specials at the end of season 4 and dreading losing the 10th Doctor. (Please tell me I will like the 11th Doctor!) After watching Partners in Crime back at the beginning of Season 4, I knew I needed to make myself an Adipose baby.

Adipose Baby

The pattern is available for free on Ravelery. I had to search through notes from projects other people had finished to figure out how to do the hands since the pattern is a bit… um, light on the details. But, I still think he turned out really cute.

Not a Doctor Who fan, but still wondering what an Apidose is? Check out this video, narrated by John Barrowman.

Adipose Baby is a post from Reflections in the Pond

Argh, I did it again. I don’t know why I keep forgetting to post. Well, it could be because I’m not stitching too much right now. I’m still having some trouble with pain in my hand, so I’ve been taking it easy. Also, it has been unseasonably hot here and I just don’t feel like doing anything. I did make a little bit of progress on Namaste, though.

Namaste, designed by Ink Circles

Unfortunately, I don’t have any of the third red colour for this motif. So, I’m moving on to the next motif until I can make it out to a shop. Still, I’m really happy with how it is looking.

In other news, I’d like to invite you to check out my new blog Project 36Five. Over the next 12 months I’m going to be working through five big goals, and sharing my progress along the way. Please join me over there and help keep me accountable.

More Namaste is a post from Reflections in the Pond

Finally, about two years after I started it, Lizzie*Kate’s Peace, Love and a Cure is finally done!

Peace, Love and a Cure, designed by Lizzie*Kate

I stitched it on white 28 count linen of some sort. (I’m really bad about labelling things, or taking good notes.) I decided to use the DMC conversion for it since, let’s be honest, I can be cheap. And, I am really pleased with the outcome.

Pink Ribbon Fabric

It will most likely be sewn into a shopping bag using the fabrics above. If you have the pattern, you may have noticed that the fabric on the left is the same one shown on the cover. I looked everywhere for it, and ended up finding it somewhere nearby. (Len’s Mill’s both at the Creativ Festival, for those of you interested it. And, they still stock it!)

Somehow, finishing this gives me a bit more peace. While I worked on it a friend’s sister died of breast cancer and, as I mentioned before, a family member dealt with and overcame another type of cancer. It is silly, I know, but I feel like there is a bit more closure now.

Stitched Cure is a post from Reflections in the Pond