An FO and a WiP

Today I wanted to share 2 projects that I'm really proud of.  The first is my finished object (FO), my first knit sweater.  It is the Miette cropped cardigan by Andi Satterlund.  The pattern is very well written & easy to follow.  I love the raglan sleeve and the subtle lace detailing around the edging.  I had a little trouble figuring out the button band & neck band, but I got some advice from friends on Ravelry and after that it was a piece of cake.

I used Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted in Silver Sage.  The yarn was very nice to work with and the color is a beautiful grey with a green-ish tinge.  You don't even notice the green leanings unless it's next to another grey.  The buttons are shell buttons that I picked up from the LQS in Douglas.

Goofy picture, I know, but it shows the detail of the sweater nicely

My second "project" is a work in progress (WiP) for another 6 months....

11 weeks, 6 days

Yep, that's right, we're expecting our first child in the beginning on April!!  Yesterday I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time.  I did get to see the little jelly bean dancing on the ultrasound 2 weeks ago, but hearing the heartbeat & movements was very exciting!

Now it's time for me to start making baby things!  :D

Craft Book Month: Birthday Board

When Lindsay with Craft Buds invited me to participate in the Craft Book Month blog hop I was so honored I couldn't possibly pass it up!  I immediately ran to my sewing sanctuary & started flipping through all my books.  

Then I remembered the birthday board in Sweetwater's Simple Home.  For a couple months now I've been thinking that I need a better way to organize friends' & family's birthday because my computer calendar just isn't cutting it.

This was such a quick project!  Even for me, a slow sewist, it only took about an hour from start to finish.  From cutting to hanging on the wall. 

I chose one of my favorite prints, Lizzy House's pearl bracelets, for the pockets & Kona Snow for the background color.  I thought about embroidering the months on each pocket, but I decided instead to use the colors to represent the months.  January is cold & snowy (blue) and July is hot hot hot (yellow - sunshine).  You get the idea!  :) 

I'm not really loving the frame, but I was having a heck of a time finding the right size frame for this project (18" x 14") and found this one on clearance.  Score!  In the next couple weeks I'll probably end up pulling out my mod podge & Lizzy House jewels and make the frame a little less shiny and a lot more fun!

Now to find the perfect scrapbooking cards to slip into the pockets with everyone's birthdays!

In it's new home next to my quilty puzzle & inspiration board

 The big draw of "Simple Home" when I first heard about it was the wonderland they created to show off their designs.  When I look through the pages of this book it makes me want my entire home & world to be handmade and I love having this book as a kicking off point.

 There are projects for every room in the house, including the laundry room and the office!

My next project will be the Large Tie Pillow cover using one of my favorite Tula Pink Prince Charming prints.  It's going to be dreamy!

Thanks for stopping by on this amazing blog hop!  Below is the schedule for the rest of the month.  And be sure to link up your own craft book project at the end of the month.

Week One 

Sunday 9/2: Hopeful Threads / The Jolly Jabber

Monday 9/3: Stitchery Dickory Dock / Me Sew Crazy
Tuesday 9/4: Olive & Ollie / Sew Sweetness
Wednesday 9/5: Fabric Seeds / The Busy Bean
Thursday 9/6: CraftFoxes / Stitched In Color
Friday 9/7: Katie's Korner / A Prairie Sunrise

Week Two
Sunday 9/9: Sweet Diesel Designs / missknitta's studio
Monday 9/10: Sew Tara / Clover and Violet
Tuesday 9/11: Sew Fantastic / amylouwho
Wednesday 9/12: Projektownia Jednoiglec / Two More Seconds
Thursday 9/13: Ellison Lane Quilts / Don't Call Me Betsy
Friday 9/14: Live a Colorful Life / LRstitched

Week Three
Sunday 9/16: Fairy Face Designs / Canoe Ridge Creations
Monday 9/17: Inspire Me Grey / Freshly Pieced
Tuesday 9/18: Lindsay Sews / The Cute Life
Wednesday 9/19: The Littlest Thistle / Sew Crafty Jess
Thursday 9/20: Urban Stitches / imagine gnats
Friday 9/21: Sew Bittersweet Designs / The Plaid Scottie

Week Four

Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from Sept 23-30 from your blog or Flickr account, and enter to win prizes. Winners will be announced on Monday, October, 1!