Sew I See!

One of our family Christmas gatherings was scheduled for last weekend, and I ended up wanting a couple of little "extras" to go in with a gift.  (Doesn't that always seem to happen?!) First, here's my purple  Dumpling Kitty : Pattern:  " Dumpling Kitty ", by Sarah Sloyer (free pattern, available on Ravelry) I always struggle with the embroidered faces... I do think those orange button eyes were a good choice, though!  I could only find two of them, so it worked out perfectly. This pattern is not difficult, but small stuffed toys almost always have some fiddly bits, and this one's no different.  The color changes for the stripes on the back were a nice touch-- and the pattern explains how to change colors, so don't worry if you've never done it before. And then there's this green  cloche-style cap : Pattern:  " Olivia's Butterfly ", by Valerie Whitten (free pattern, available on Ravelry) T

I've woven in the ends on my last two spring-themed sampler afghan blocks!  Just have to find the perfect arrangement ;o) and the perfect join ;o) and then get them all attached!  Seriously though, I'm planning to not nit-pick this too  much.  Though all the blocks have the same stitch-count, some are a bit bigger/smaller than the average, but I'm hopeful that it'll even out when they're joined. Here are the two final blocks... " Spiro Star of Spring ": Pattern:  " Spiro Star ", by Helen Shrimpton (free pattern, available on Ravelry) Some of the project notes I read suggested that it was best to use the photo tutorial version of the pattern (avoiding errors), which I did through the twelfth round.  At that point, I followed a fellow Raveller's rewrite, which is meant to reduce rippling (see my project notes on Ravelry for the person's Ravelry handle).  Following this method, I think it turned out pretty well.  It seems

There are two more blocks (for the spring-themed sampler ) finished and photographed! - - - " Firenze in Spring ": Pattern: " Firenze ", by Julie Yeager (paid pattern, available on Ravelry) This block is easy to crochet, with great graphic appeal.  It's another that can look very different depending on color choice and placement. I changed the last round to sc to match the size of the blocks I've already made for the sampler, but otherwise, I think I stuck to the pattern. My block is skewing/twisting a bit, but I think it'll straighten out once it's joined to the other blocks-- certainly well enough to suit me. - - - " Emmalynn in Spring ": Pattern: " Emmalynn ", by Carolyn Christmas (free pattern, available on Ravelry) This is a pretty, floral pattern with an interesting construction.  Each corner (pale blue and lavender, in my version) is joined and worked separately; this leaves more