New Year

There is something so exciting about a new year. It always feels like a chance to start new and fresh, to do all the things that you want to do and to dream as big as you can. Its so fashionable nowadays to be above New Years resolutions, all the naysayers out there condemning them because they claim they never work, but not me (surprising considering I am the biggest naysayer of them all, one of my many resolutions that I am working on, must think positive!) I believe whole heartedly that a lot of us need a definitive start date to begin new habits, a day that we can look back and see how far we have come, why not make that day January first? So in light of my many new years resolutions, which I would list but there are just too many that I risk boring you to tears, I am posting some images of a few projects that I just finished. Only 16 days into the new year and I already finished a few crafty things and am brimming with a million more ideas. So here's to a New Year and lots of high hopes!

Above is a purple wool crocheted scarf. I love to take patterns off of the internet and mess them up a little bit. This is Stitch Nations Taffy Pull scarf but I changed the yarn to a chunky and left out a few steps. 

Above is a close-up of a crochet wool vase that I hand felted and then couldnt decide how to decorate. I tried my hand at french knots but that didnt work so I decided to bead it with glass beads in a starburst shape.

 Here is a green blanket that was also inspired by the stitch pattern from the same scarf as above.

Maddie on New Years Eve. She stayed up until about 11pm and then passed out, we did manage to make a lot of noise with our noise makers and wear our crowns before she fell asleep. She didnt take the crown off for about three days. Unfortunately as much as I fight it, she is in love with all things princess and she was convinced it was her princess tiara. Much to Maddie's dislike, I refuse to give into the racket of  mass marketing of princess crap out there and the idealogy behind it. Much to my dislike, Maddie is powerless to its glitzy allure. Hopefully I can steer her away before its too late:) As for New Years, Maddie didnt think it was nearly as exciting as Christmas and somehow she was convinced that New Years somehow involved catching a wild goose and putting a bread bowl on its head, I know very strange, but that is what she said she wanted to do for New Years! Maybe next year we will make that a tradition somehow.

 So much inspiration my head hurts! For both my birthday and christmas this year, I got a plethera of new craft books to oh and ah over. This Simple Crocheting book by Erika Knight is amazing. I just wish I could afford all of the lush yarns that she suggests using in the book.

 Winter in Hamptons Roads has always been crazy, growing up in Virginia Beach usually meant very hot humid summers and rainy damp chilly winters, but lately its been very unseasonably warm. This week the mercury hit over 70 degrees and the flora around here is confused. I have seen buds on trees and shrubs and clumps of this odd grass which has decided to spring up in our backyard. I long for some snow, I have my fingers crossed winter is not over yet!