Crafty New Year!

First order of business- congratulations to Michele1620 for winning the Felix Hat! I happen to know Michele, and she was admiring the Felix I knit a few weeks ago- so it makes me especially happy knowing that the pattern went to a good home. I also happen to think it will look fabulous on her! Hooray, Michele- you rock!

I have been pretty busy, as usual, which is a pretty good feeling. And now that the holidays are (finally) over, I can show off some of my gift knits...

I finished the Christmas socks for my awesome sister in law, Mary- who LOVES Christmas! For some reason I got a major case of Second Sock Syndrome and it took me so long to finish this project, but it's in the books- they are done and adorable!

I also whipped up a pair of striped socks for Alexa- and since her favorite color is purple, I had to go with the violetastic self striping Felici in the Fanciful colorway (which is already sold out).

I knit them toe up, and started them two at a time to make sure the stripes would line up. I separated them once I completed all the toe increases and then knit them one at a time. The striping sequence on these matched perfectly! And they are so, SOOO soft. I gave them a good soak in the Allure Fiber Wash I picked up at Rhinebeck, and they smelled wonderful! Alexa was really happy with them, and that makes me happy.

I've also started some super neon socks- because one must always have socks on the needles, am I right? These are seriously bright- they practically glow in the dark! I've been taking them with me to work on in the waiting room when I go to my Physical Therapy appointments.

Though I hoped I could finish the pair before the New Year, I'm still working on the second sock. It's alright- these will be the first socks off the needles in 2016!

In other (non sock related) news, lately I've been trying to reignite my sewing mojo- and I'm happy to report that this has been going quite well. I've had the Sew Everything Workshop in my craft library for ages, and I pulled it off my shelf to get back into the groove. I like this book a lot, and it's one of the few books that I refer to regularly when undertaking a sewing project (which makes it far more likely that I actually complete something), so I thought it was as good a place as any to start.

I did a little research and saw that Craftsy had a class with the author, Diana Rupp, as the instructor. It was on sale, and I've had it on my wish list for a while- so I it was worth a shot. Sadly, because of my still recovering knee injury, I can't easily get to my beloved Gather Here for an in-person class (which sucks, because they are super awesome and I can't recommend them enough), so online had to suffice. Also sad, while writing this post, I found that the Sewing Studio class had been retired. Egad! Glad I signed up in time. It's really helped with my sewing self confidence- I've learned so many tricks that I never picked up in other classes- like using a pad of sticky notes as a seam guide! Brilliant!

I've had this very special scarf kit in my stash from La Droguerie for ages. I picked it up during our trip to Paris and have been hoarding for ages. I thought it was adorable, and didn't want to ruin it with wobbly seams. Well, I'm happy to report I finished it and I absolutely adore it!

How cute are those tassels??? I want to make a million of these in different prints- they're perfect for Spring!

Sorry for the delay in posts, crafty friends- It's been a crazy few weeks with my PT schedule and all sorts of appointments. I have lots of things in the works, so stay tuned- I'll definitely be updating more regularly from here on in. Missed you guys! Happy 2016!!!