And who am I not to help those in need of fine, handmade gifts this holiday season? {I’m no elf, but I do try my darnedest!}

I’ve always been a big fan of the stocking stuffers, myself . . . there’s nothing quite like finding a big, bulging sock full of goodies come Christmas morning — and since I’m such a lover of all-things-utilitarian as well, I stocked the shop full of nice little gifties perfect for stuffing stockings! Check out these cute + festive + eco-friendly coffee sleeves . . .

I’ve even got my own travel mug dressed up for the holidays!

. . . Or perhaps some cute little travel tissue holders are more your thing? It’s certainly the time of year when one never seems to have quite enough tissues on hand. Why settle for those sad, resealable plastic bags travel tissues come in? I say give your friends + coworkers a little class for their tissues!

And for your best mates? Perhaps they deserve the ultimate holiday goodie bag . . . a 2008 Winter Survival Kit — this little sack of treats will go a long way toward making the bustle + bluster of this holiday season all the more bearable, so check them out and give a little holiday cheer to someone you love!

Stay warm + toasty, all! A post with some knitting content coming up next!

Catching up on all those knitted items that I haven’t yet shown off . . . this pretty little lacy number was a particularly happy finish! Scarves knit with fingering weight yarn, I suspect, DO tend to evoke happiness upon completion–not so much as they’re being knit, though. This one seemed like it took me a little bit longer then for-EVER, but once I bound off and slung it around my neck, it seemed so, so worth it. I could even imagine knitting the same scarf in the same yarn again.

This lovely is, of course, the Lace Ribbon Scarf, knit using Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks merino/tencel sock yarn, a yarn I would definitely recommend. All in all, I’d chalk this project up to success!

And thank goodness for finished scarves, since it is already FREEZING here in Philadelphia–um . . . can someone please, please tell me me which crack Fall slipped into when I wasn’t looking? Winter is already here, friends. Stay warm!

Hello, all! I’ve been meaning to post a little blurb about some new 100% philistine made products that I’ve recently added to the shop . . . just for all you knitters! Somehow, time has really gotten away from me . . . so how delighted I was to see my products for knitters featured in the new Indie Spotlight section of the winter edition of knotions! I’m absolutely thrilled to be featured in knotions + many great big thank yous to Jodi for including me. And speaking of knotions, have you seen the newest patterns being served up? The winter edition is choc full of some incredible winter accessories that I want to make nownownow, including my personal faves, the Magic Mirror Mittens, the Lakeside Knee Highs, the Isotope Hat, and of course Kelly’s Hanging Vines Socks. I am itching to cast on ALL of them immediatelyNOW! So, after you’ve checked out all of the great new patterns in knotions, come back here and check out all of my fun + happy new fold-over knitting project pouches + notions pouches . . . for those who are like me and have eleventy million projects going simultaneously, there is no such thing as owning too many project pouches!

Speaking of eleventy million projects, startitis has hit me particularly hard recently, so I should have lots of new knits to show off very soon!

Happy Tuesday, all . . . stay warm!

Hello, everyone! Still busy, busy sewing over here . . . I’ve also been busy falling head over heels for Heather Ross’ Mendocino fabrics. They’re adorable, for one thing, and they come in the best color combinations! I saw them + immediately was inspired to turn them into . . . bathmats! And I couldn’t be happier with the results! Aren’t they fantastic? The perfect amount of retro fun for adults + super-colorful fun for kids, alike!

I paired up the Mendocino fabrics with some other really great fabrics to create the patchwork top panel + then backed the top with super-squishy, 100% organic cotton terrycloth backing. This stuff is absolutely dreamy to the touch–and I even added some squares of the terrycloth into the patchwork top panel so that you step onto cushy softness when you hop out of the shower.

And, look! Another great color combination–pretty blush, orange + gold! You can find both of these super-hip, super-fun patchwork bathmats in my shop now!

And you didn’t think I could stop at bathmats, did you? I mean, really, what’s a super-awesome new bathmat without matching washcloths? You can find a handful of patchwork washcloths in my shop, too!

Enjoy! + Happy almost-Friday!

And . . . and! I am always up for a good way to celebrate fall, be it apple-picking, playing in leaves, or sipping hot toddies . . . so I was inspired recently to devise little fall-themed goodie pouches to have a fun, on-the-go way to celebrate the season. These little pouches make perfect surprise gifts for friends or for yourself! Check them out now in the s h o p! I hope you all enjoy them + enjoy the season!

Hi all . . . wow, I didn’t mean to be gone for so long after flaunting my new fall scarflet, but I’ve been a busy bee. I spent most all of this past week cranking out a great big pile of linen dish towel sets, and, I must say, I’m pretty twitterpated with how they’ve turned out! I had so much fun making color sets of the patchwork pincushions that I continued that theme and made up color sets of the linen dish towels, which you can check out for yourself because they’re now available in my s h o p.

The { r e d } set is my favorite of the bunch. Those sweet lil’ acorns? Perfect for infusing this most perfect season into your kitchen.

So go take a peek in the shop and get yourself or a good friend a handmade, sturdy, + eco-friendly gift for fall!

Happy weekend, everyone!

I promised you I’d have something finished next time I posted, and I’d hate to disappoint, so here it is . . . a very finished (even blocked!) perfectly perfect scarflet for fall. My sock knitting mojo is certainly disappearing more + more quickly these days, and I’m newly obsessed with knitting any + all types of neck warmers. Shawls, scarves, cowls, they’re all good. This little scarf was a pleasure to knit . . . an easy, but engaging lace pattern + the most wonderful yarn in a gorgeous, verdant shade of fall. And it only took one skein of yarn to make a wonderful neck wrap, so it took no time at all to knit up! This little number is highly recommended + I can see myself knitting more of these scarflets in the future. The very near future.

Finished: Lace Leaf Scarflet
Pattern: Lace Leaf Scarf from Vogue Knitting (spring/summer ‘05)
Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two sock yarn in ‘Lichen’
Full details on Ravelry
More photos in the Gallery

And speaking of fall, I’ve been hard at work making some new little fall goodies for the s h o p to celebrate the most perfectly perfect time of year! They should be ready very soon + I’ll be sure to let you know when they are! Until then, you can sneak a peek here.

Today I made pincushions. I had never made pincushions before, but I figured if I knew how to make pillows, I knew how to make pincushions. And–lo and behold–my pincushions look a lot like my pillows. Who knew how fun it was to make pincushions? Also, I am officially a firm believer that anyone who has a sewing machine can never have too many pretty pincushions laying in wait to receive pins.

This lil’ bunch of colorful patchwork pincushions are now available in the s h o p, so go and have a look. ‘Specially if you’re in the market for taming your pins + needles!

Next up: a finished knit thing! { hey, don’t look so surprised. }

Finally! The first batch of sling totes is up in the shop! I’m way excited about how they turned out, and if I didn’t think it were completely uncouth to do so, I’d probably admit that I want to keep them ALL for MYSELF! But, well, it might be more advantageous to sell them so’s I can pay rent + not have to become a bum.

I wanted to show off some shots of the sling totes modeled, so that you are able to get an accurate sense of scale. I designed these totes to be ROOMY. I really hate finding that perfect, cute tote in all the best colors and then find out that it is actually only large enough to fit a paperback book into. Not this tote. This ‘un will hold all your junk. and your lunch, to boot.

And the sling! The sling is my bestest friend. I love just about any bag that I can sling across my chest and go. It might have something to do with my overly rounded shoulders {do those exist? or is this all in my imagination?}. I am just no good at keeping U-handle straps to stay on my shoulder. But, I will say, that unless you are a round-shouldered freak like me, even my sling strapped tote will stay up on the shoulder and does not have to be slung to be worn comfortably + stylishly. Anyway, I digress.

So, there ya have it. Six sling totes { some linen, some canvas } are now up in the shop for your perusal. I sure hope you find one that you love, but if you don’t, you can always convo me or check out the listing in the shop for a custom tote.

Hello, all! Just a little note to let you know that I am slowly but surely making progress on the stack of linen + canvas sling totes I’m working on for the shop. But these guys are somewhat fiddly, and since I’m making 10 at once, they’re taking longer than expected. I thought I’d entice y’all with a little peek at how they’re coming along–i am REALLY happy with them! The only thing left to make are the straps–yay! Stay tuned . . .