The blues

My knitting and crochet projects of late have been very blue. I love blue. It is my husband's favorite color. It is my 2nd-favorite color (my first, of course, is purple!). I finally started the Seraphina's Shawl for my mom. Here is what it looked like when I started out:



And here's what it looked like the last time I took a picture of it:



It has grown since then. I hope it will get big enough for my mom by the time her birthday rolls around--I have a little less than a week, but it's progressing quickly. I'm very happy with it. The first 10 or so rows were a pain in the butt, but once I got the hang of the pattern again (this is the second time I've made a Seraphina), it became much easier.

The Lion Homespun was a different story. Homespun, I love you, but every once in a while you give me a bad skein...In this case, 2 bad skeins in a row. Not cool! The bad skeins are the ones in which the yarn gets all bunched up when you try to work with it. I've been using them anyway, because I don't really have a choice, since that's what I have and I don't have the receipt (I bought it at least a year ago!). That's made it much harder to work on this shawl than it was on the last one.

On to my knitting...I'm still working on Wingspan. I'm now on the 5th "triangle," but this pic was taken when I'd just started the 4th:



My cable cast-on for the 5th triangle was not very good. Too loose in places, so it's made my knitting a bit uneven and the shape of the triangle isn't as, well, triangular. But I didn't correct it, I just kept going. This is my first real knitting project and I am in love with it and I will look at it someday and say "Wow, I can knit so much better than that now!"

Wingspan progress, secret and not-so-secret crochet

Well, here I am again. Hello! :) Since my last entry, I've started making that Wingspan scarf/shawlette. I've finished 2 "triangles" so far and am starting on the 3rd (they are all knitted as one piece, but look like separate triangles, and for each one you have to cast on some new stitches). It's a really fun project. Here's a pic I took when I was still working on the first triangle (note the handmade stitch markers! I love my coffee bean and butterfly):



Sorry it gets cut off at the edge there. Please click on the picture if you'd like to get the full effect. I tried to do the cable cast-on after the first triangle, when the pattern says to cast on 16 st. I did it wrong, but it still worked! Anyway, yesterday at S&B, another member very kindly taught me the correct way to do it. I am really glad, and I really hope I remember how to do it when it gets to be time to cast on new stitches for the next triangle!

I caved and bought my own set of interchangeable circular needles. I wound up getting the Trends Acrylic Deluxe Set by Knitter's Pride. I actually got it from an ebay seller so I could get free shipping. I got a really good deal. I am not in love with the needles--I find the acrylic to be a bit "sticky"--but they are fine for my first set. I'll get wooden ones when I can, but for now, these will do.

I lined my Spring Bag with the scarf, as planned. Here it is:



I've been using it as a project bag, and I absolutely love it! The lining is not strong at all, so I have to take care that my needles don't punch through it (I'm using it to hold Wingspan for now).

I have a few secret crochet projects to work on at the moment. I'm itching to blog about them, but won't be able to till...probably June. Shhhh.

The one not-secret crochet project I need to start is a Seraphina's Shawl for my mother, whose birthday is May 30 (!!!). Gotta get going on that. She requested it, hence the not-secretness. ;) I've had the yarn for it for a while (Lion Brand Homespun in Windsor, a pretty blue colorway). I should probably be working on it now, but instead I am blogging. Oy vey.

I bought a lovely sleeveless lavender dress for a friend's rehearsal dinner later this month. I am so excited about it. I really, really want to make a shrug to go with it, but I have neither the time nor the right yarn. I've actually bought 2 black boleros, but one is too big and the other seems a little too informal. I don't know. I'd rather return those and make my own. I wish I had much more time!

I leave you with this photo of gorgeous lilacs blooming in the courtyard of our apartment complex:

Red Granny Square Throw

A dear friend of ours had her bridal shower on March 25. As a gift, I made a Giant Granny Square Afghan in her favorite color, red. Yet another pattern using Lion Homespun! 2 strands held together. Pattern calls for a Q hook, but I used a P to get gauge, and because I didn't want it to be too holey. Here are some pictures.





I am so happy with the way it turned out. It's warm and cuddly and pretty. The bride-to-be and her fiance really like it. Hooray!!!

Here it is all packaged up for the shower, in its huge gift bag:



It was fun to have such a big gift to give! It was saved for last, and everyone "oohed" and "ahhed" and passed it around, and of course I felt really good. :)

This was not a complicated project. I mean, come on, it's a giant granny square. Once you know how to make a basic granny square, you're all set. It took quite a while to make, but it was easy and fun. I really enjoyed seeing it grow! I plan to make another as a wedding gift for another friend, and eventually make one for us as well.

Trip to the Lion Brand Outlet with the S&B group

Today, many of us from the Stitch & Bitch group took a trip to Carlstadt, NJ to go to the Lion Brand Yarn Outlet. We had such a great time! As you can tell from this picture (or maybe you can't--it's not great quality, but it's the best my cell phone could do!), it's quite stunning. Lots of amazing knit and crochet "sculptures," pillows, and yarn-bombed items. Examples below:





Friendly penguins and a yarn-bombed bike!

I would have taken more pictures, but I was too busy gawking at the yarn and talking with my S&B girlfriends. I went there with a mission: to procure as much Lion Brand Homespun yarn as I possibly could, in as many pretty colors as possible, within the budget I'd set for myself. (And also enough in certain colors to make certain things, which will eventually be revealed. But I won't spoil it for you...yet.)  Here's my haul:



Another blurry pic, I know, but you can still make out the colors (though this picture really doesn't do them justice at all). After buying all that, including the 2 pattern books you can barely make out in this photo and a few knitting accessories, I came out $10 under the budget I'd set for myself! WIN! So I went back for more, and here it is:



All in all, I made out like a Lion-Brand-Homespun-obsessed bandit. ;) Afterward, the group of us--12 (I think?) in total, in 3 different cars--headed out in search of lunch. As was inevitable, we all eventually wound up taking different routes and getting totally confused about where to meet up. Next time, we'll be careful to make sure that we have everyone's cell phone numbers! 2 of the 3 cars (including the one I was in) eventually caught up with each other, and we decided to head to a restaurant back in White Plains for lunch. Lunch was great (even though we missed the folks from the other car). We ate well, and celebrated a group member's birthday. There was much talking and laughter involved.

What a great day!


I need to catch up on my blog posting. I have quite a few projects to share.

Knitting? And more FO's...

I can knit! Sort of. Last week at Stitch & Bitch, one of my amazing friends there taught me to knit. Of course, she cast on for me, and all I know how to do so far is the knit stitch. Also, this piece has progressed a little, and now has holes in it where I messed up. Holes! But I will learn how to do this, slowly but surely. I say "slowly" only because I have so many crochet projects to work on right now that the knitting's got to go on the back burner. One project is a top-secret gift, which is almost done. The others are less secret gifts that haven't even been started yet, and one has to be done by the end of the month! Eeps!

Now for the FO's.

I made this Snuggly Scarf for my mother-in-law for her birthday, which was toward the end of last month:



She loves it! I am so happy. It's Lion Brand Homespun in Nouveau, which has a brown base combined with shades of blue, purple, and teal. Very pretty. I picked up another skein so I can eventually make myself one in that colorway!

Also, our Stitch & Bitch group made hats and scarves for veterans for Valentine's Day. I made 2 hats to contribute. Here they are:





And finally, something that's not an FO, but something to laugh at. I started making a baby hat from Lion Brand Velvetspun that I'd had sitting around for a few years. I don't know if the problem was the yarn itself, or the age of the yarn; but wow, this thing was a mess. The pattern didn't really help, either. It's a cute hat with a knot on top, but first you have to make the "cord" to tie into the knot. Hence, this thing:



Some poor purple elephant lost its trunk! ;) This yarn was shedding all over the place, and when I tried to weave in the end so I could tie the "trunk" in a knot, ALL of the fluffiness of the yarn came off and the ends became just thread. Impossible to work with. I gave up, but I had to document it first!

And that's it for now. Have a great weekend!

Chanukah/Grams' 95th birthday gifts!

Oh, there are soooo many pics I want to post right now. We had our family Chanukah party/Grams' 95th birthday party on Saturday night, and it was a blast. Now I can finally post photos of my nephew's surprise gift, and of the gifts with their recipients! Hooray!

First, a picture of my gift to my nephew:

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle beanie! I had kind of an awful time making it, but isn't it awesome?! I am so proud of it. Here's my nephew wearing it and rocking out:

Now I must gripe about the hat. (Skip ahead for more pictures if you don't want to read my complaints!) ;) It should've been simple to make, but the pattern didn't give a gauge (and when I contacted the author, she wouldn't give me one), so I started it out with one size bigger than the recommended hook (G hook was recommended; I was using an H) and it still came out way too small. I frogged it and re-made it with a J hook, and it turned out OK. Also, the hat length measurements from the pattern were all out of whack; the length given for the child's hat was longer than that of my own hat, which just didn't make any sense. So I made it the same length as mine, and that worked out fine.

When it came to the band, I started with the number of chain stitches recommended for the child version (still with the J hook), and it came out barely long enough to go around the hat, much less tie in the back. I wound up using the number of chain stitches for the adult version, which made it long enough to tie and untie in the back. I did the width of the child's version, though, and that looked about right.

Other issues: instructions that just said to sew the band to the hat, without saying how or whether to sew it with thread or yarn or if it mattered; instructions to sew or glue the eyes on, without saying how far apart to make the eyes (mine wound up being too far apart when the hat's being worn) or how/with what to sew them; and instructions to crochet all the way around the band, without instructions on how to do that (I'd never crocheted all the way around anything that wasn't, well, round--I did my best, but I still don't know if I did it right).

This pattern was a pain in the you-know-what. My nephew is so worth it, though!

And now, my beautiful nieces in their ponchos, from oldest to youngest:






And here's my niece wearing her poncho with Grams, who is wearing her Seraphina's Shawl:


We gave Grams the shawl pin, too. It was purchased from a fellow Etsy seller, South4th, and it is really lovely.

The gifts all went over really well! My whole family gave me compliments. My oldest (little) niece (the "real" oldest is the 19-year-old, who wasn't with us that night) wore her poncho to school yesterday. Awww!

So, what am I crocheting now that I'm done with all the gifts? Ummm...nothing. I want to make a Sera Lace Top (pattern by Doris Chan, of course) with the yarn that my in-laws gave me for Chanukah, but I tried to wind some of it the other night, and wound up with a tangled mess after only winding about half a hank into a cake. I need a swift, but we don't have the space for it. My hubby is being very sweet and working on untangling the rest of the hank...We'll see how that goes.

Still trying to figure out what to bring with me to S&B tomorrow!


Now for what I've been up to with beads lately...I made these coffee bean stitch markers the other day:


(This picture makes them look scratched--those aren't scratches on the beads, it's just reflected light.) I haven't listed them yet only because I haven't decided on a price. The beads were expensive, but I don't want to charge more than a customer would be willing to pay for them. Dilemmas, dilemmas. I'll figure it out eventually. (I will list them soon, I promise!)

I sold more Autumn Leaves stitch markers, and finally made more last night and re-listed them. They're popular enough that I decided to make--and list--2 sets.

A close friend of mine gave me a gift certificate to Fire Mountain Gems & Beads for the holidays! I'm so excited about it. I'm going to take my time in deciding what to get, since there are many tempting things on the site. Nothing fair trade that I know of, though I think Karen Hill Tribe silver is a safe bet (I don't think it's technically fair trade unless sold by a certified company, but I am pretty sure all their workers are treated fairly and paid pretty well...I really should look into it more, though). Also, plenty of Swarovski, which is definitely a safe bet, as are Czech beads. And lots of books! And tools and things! Woohoooo!!!

Finished Seraphina, my studio, and a piggy friend

Henceforth, I have decided to combine my crochet blog and my handmade jewelry blog into this blog. It's time to consolidate. Hopefully, those who enjoy reading about my crochet won't mind also reading about my beading endeavors!

First, some crochet goodness: I finished the Seraphina's Shawl for my grandmother!



I am so, so, sooo happy with the way it turned out. What an awesome pattern. I hope she will love it. It's my present for her for both Chanukah and her 95th (!) birthday.

Meanwhile, I've also been hard at work on my beading. I made some new stitch markers - some new Heart Bumpies, and a cute flower design using clear glass "tulip" beads, green seed beads and purple seed beads. The latter aren't listed in the store yet. I'm running out of the beads for the Heart Bumpies and the Butterfly Bumpies; can't seem to find inexpensive, small bumpy beads anywhere. How depressing. So the next 3 or so batches may be the last.

I read somewhere that blog readers might like to see pictures of a crafter's studio. Well, mine consists mostly of our ottoman (and the floor around it)! My bead stash is usually kept in my husband's office, which you don't want to see. Just trust me on this one. Anyway, here is my "studio," complete with our friend Abbey the pig:



Abbey is shown above modeling some earrings that I made the other night. She's such a good model! See below for more proof of her modeling potential:



Here she is wearing one of my polymer clay pig pendants. We just couldn't resist. America's Next Top Piggy, here she comes.

Abbey is one of a bunch of stuffed animals who usually sit next to me on the couch while I'm beading or crocheting. She is a Lubie.

I need to get started on my next poncho! This one will be for my 3-year-old niece, using Lion Homespun (what else?!) in colorway "Antique." It's sort of a dark purplish pink. I hope I will find some time to start it tomorrow.

Seraphina's Shawl - WIP

Seraphina's Shawl - WIP
Originally uploaded by saintlex

I re-started the Seraphina's Shawl I'm making for my grandma. It was coming out all weird! This time around, I'm following the pictures in the original pattern, and it's making a lot more sense. I am getting close to the row where the pattern "ends" and you're just sort of on your own to continue it...I think I'm close to mastering it, though. At least, I hope I am. :)

This is working up a lot more quickly than I'd thought it would, seeing as how I don't get that much time to crochet per day. I would love to take it with me to S&B on Wednesday, but I think it might be too big for me to work on there. I don't know. I'm not used to working on big stuff at all--shawls, blankets, etc. Well, I did make a baby blanket at one point, but I don't think I brought it with me anywhere while I was working on it.

I think I will probably start my third (and last) poncho at the S&B. This one will be for the 3-year-old. It'll also be in Lion Homespun, in colorway "Antique." It's sort of a dark pinky-purple. I hope the girls won't be unhappy that 2 of them are getting blue and one's getting pinkish purple...Knowing them, they'll all want the pinkish purple color, since it says "princess" much more than blue does. Although, Cinderella wears blue, right? So there. :P

We're going to see my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephew for Halloween. My mom and I are going trick-or-treating with them. (They'll collect the candy, we'll take it when they're done. Just kidding!!) Anyway, it should be really fun and really cute.

Finished poncho, Surreybelle Scarf, Seraphina's Shawl, and Noro Taiyo

Time for more photos! :) I finished the poncho for my 4-y/o niece. It looks really nice. I took it to Stitch & Bitch on Wednesday, and everyone seemed to like it. Not the best picture of the poncho, but this'll give you some idea of what it looks like:

It's made from Lion Homespun in colorway "Delft." I really, really like this colorway for my li'l niece; I hope she'll like it, too. I've been told that blue is her favorite color.

For a slight change of pace, I decided to pick up a project that had been hibernating for a while--the Surreybelle Scarf (pattern available as a free download on Ravelry). I brought it to S & B with me. I started working on it again, and quickly realized why it had been in hibernation for so long! First of all, the yarn is a real pain to work with. It's Cherry Tree Hill Zebra Caribe, which is made of a few strands plied together, and it's very, very splitty. Second, I'd been crocheting really tightly when I was working on it before. Like, serious hand-cramp tightness. When I started working on it again, I found that I no longer crochet that tightly--but in order to match my old gauge, I had to. OUCH. It sure is pretty, though:

I just hope I can get myself to finish it!

And finally, I'm trying to make Seraphina's Shawl for my grandmother for her birthday/Chanukah present. It was really, really difficult for me starting out. I printed out the directions from the link above, this version here, and the errata. Good grief. I got very confused. Now I seem to be doing OK, but it's still pretty hard to tell what I'm doing, since I'm using Lion Homespun again (I have so much of that stuff!) and it can be hard to tell if I'm crocheting in the right place (especially when it says to crochet into a ch-1 sp, since it's not always clear where those are!). I've made it through the 4th row:


Also, I tried to crochet some fingerless mitts with the gorgeous Noro Taiyo I have, and was incredibly disappointed in the yarn. I encountered some problems and had to frog, and this yarn is VERY difficult for frogging. It tangled, and it even broke in some places. It was awful. I've checked the projects others have made with it on Ravelry, and they seem to have done OK making all sorts of things...But I may wind up having to do something really simple with it, since I can't do anything with it that I might have to frog, since frogging it might just not work at all! *sigh*

Drool-worthy sheep-free yarn, poncho update, and other thoughts

I created a treasury on Etsy of really nice, non-wool yarn from various sellers, for those who have wool sensitivities or anyone else who's interested. Bamboo, silk, cotton, and more. It's all variegated, and the colors are beautiful. Click here to see.

I finished the poncho for my 4-year-old niece last night! I am so excited. It turned out really nicely. It's almost perfect, except for maybe one mistake which only I know about...Oops, guess the secret's out now. ;) There were a lot of mistakes in the first poncho, but I think it still turned out well, I just hope it'll be OK with wear. (I also hope they'll wear these a lot! But who knows?)

Now, on to the poncho for the 3-year-old. I had planned to make it in a turquoise yarn that I bought that isn't Lion Homespun or bulky weight, but now I'm reconsidering. I'm not very good at modifying patterns (ha, that's an understatement--I've really only done it once, and that wasn't on purpose!). But if I don't modify the pattern with that yarn, it'll come out really weird and possibly won't fit. Meanwhile, I've got some nice dark fuchsia Homespun I could use...I think I'll probably just do that.

I've been thinking about the shawl I'm going to make for my grandmother. I don't know if I should make it in the olive green Homespun that I already have, or buy another color. My goal was originally to use up what I already have, since I have a heck of a lot of Homespun; but that's not working out so well! Anyway, I don't know if she would wear green. But I can figure that out later.

S & B tomorrow! Woohoooo!!! I am going to bring along the poncho I just finished, and maybe I'll bring some of the stitch markers I make just to show off.

Shawls, other gift ideas, and a Renaissance Tunic (?)

I am pretty close to being done with my first poncho. I just need to do the edging and the collar. I was hoping to finish it over the weekend, but I was too busy doing other fun stuff. Oops. ;) It looks like it might not be too large for my 4-yr-old niece, after all. Or at least, not too long. My gauge is weird. I thought it was right on, but it's not. 4 rows in the "block" stitch of the pattern is supposed to be 4"; in mine, it's more like a little over 3 1/4". Whoa. Guess I should switch to a P hook for the next ones? I'll see how this one ends up first.

I am totally waffling about which shawl to make for my grandmother. It's going to be a combination (95th!!!) birthday and Chanukah present, so it's got to be good! I wanted to make a Seraphina's Shawl for her, but it calls for a very large amount of yarn, which makes me worry about a few things. First of all, I only have 2 colors of Homespun in that quantity, and I don't think either of them would look great on her. Second, the shawl is huge, and she is tiny! She is under 5 feet tall and very petite. Third, it looks difficult!

I am also considering Doris Chan's All Shawl. This calls for less yarn and looks easier to make. However, I know my grandmother...She'd take one look and go "It has holes in it!" LOL. This is what she did when I gave her a Snuggly Scarf a few years ago, and the scarf is not particularly hole-y. But the shawl would be warm and cuddly anyway, so...probably a good option. I'd also like to make one of these for my mom for Chanukah, but I kind of doubt I'll have the time, what with all 3 girls' ponchos and a shawl for my grandma. I have been crocheting maybe an hour or so per day when I have time, and I'm not the world's fastest crocheter in the first place.

I am also considering this shawl, but it looks ridiculously easy and ridiculously boring. I have no problem with the pattern actually being easy, I just don't want it to look like it was!

Decisions, decisions. If anyone has any suggestions or opinions on this, please let me know.

I'd like to make something small-ish for my sister for Chanukah, too. I'm thinking about these Dorothea Dishtowels; then I could make it a gift for her and my brother-in-law, since I never know what to get for him. But again, I'll have to see if I have the time.

We went to a Renaissance Fair yesterday. Now I've decided that I really want to make one of these so I'll have a costume to wear to these things. It's for experienced-level crocheters, though. Ummm...Maybe I'd have it finished by Ren Fair 2012 if I started today? ;P Yeah, I think I'm being overly ambitious.

I'm back!

I've finally picked up my crochet habit again. Had to stop for a while (about a year!) due to chronic pain in my neck and shoulders. The pain is still there, but I finally got really sick of not having a creative outlet, and one day last week I found myself on Ravelry again and realized that I wanted to make Martha Stewart "Coming Home" ponchos for my little nieces out of all the Lion Homespun I still have... :)

I'm taking it easy this time around, only crocheting for an hour or less at a time. The first poncho is still coming along quickly, though. My little nieces are ages 3, 4, and 6; the ponchos are sized 2-4, 4-6, and 6-8. I started with a poncho for my 4-year-old niece, and I thought the size 4-6 one would work since, duh, kids grow. However, it seems to be turning out too big for her (and my gauge seems to be right on). I don't know if I should give it to her anyway (she'll grow into it), or give it to her 6-year-old sister instead...My little nieces (I keep calling them "little" because I also have another niece who's quite a bit older than they are) are, well, little. Not so big for their age groups.

If anyone's reading this, what would you do? Give it to the 4-year-old, or the 6-year-old? I'm going to see how the finished product turns out before I make a final decision on this, but any input would be much appreciated!

I've just spent a lot of time updating my queue on Ravelry. I've had to move all the clothing to the back of the line for now, because I've been doing Weight Watchers Online and losing weight! Hooray! I plan to lose about 13 more pounds, and I don't know exactly what size I'll be at that point, so I've got to hold off on making garments for myself.

I have to keep reminding myself to focus on GIFTS. Like, things that aren't for me! I'm such a selfish crocheter most of the time.

On top of the kids' ponchos, I'm hoping to make a shawl for my grandma, a poncho or shawl for my mom, and a bag for my sister. Whether I can get all of this done by Chanukah remains to be seen. I'd like to make some things for my friends, too, but I can get away with giving most of them belated gifts, and they'll still love me (I hope).

Old crochet project news: I am wearing my Abydos vest today for the first time in a while. It fits me again! I'd gained quite a bit of weight since making it, but now I've lost it and then some. It looks good, but the rayon chenille is shedding all over my black outfit. D'oh.

The Java Jammie gets A LOT of use. Here it is in its final form (sorry for the crappy cell phone photo):

Aaaand I still haven't blocked my Queen Anne's Lace scarf. It's difficult to find time and space to block things. I'm hoping to do it this Saturday morning before we go out, because that way it'll have all day to dry.

And that's it for now. If you've read this far, please leave a comment and let me know that you're reading! It means a lot to me.

Ravelry, WsIP

I got my invitation to Ravelry!

*bounce bounce bounce*

Now seems like a good time to stop slacking on the blog front. ;) Sorry I vanished for a while. I have been having health problems, and just haven't felt much like blogging these days. I have been crocheting, though.

Lately, I've made some more baby booties and some scarves that will probably be gifts. Nothing exciting enough for picture-taking. I've started some slightly more ambitious things in the past week or so, though.

I started working on the "Anisette Vest" from Amazing Crochet Lace by Doris Chan. Haven't gotten too far on it just yet, since it takes too much concentration for me to be able to watch TV while I'm doing it. ;P I am making it so I can wear it to my cousin's wedding in late October--I've got an adorable sleeveless black dress that just cries out for something like this. I'm making the vest in Mystical Creation Yarns rayon boucle in Domino, which is a black and white colorway (probably stating the obvious there!). I only have one skein, so I am praying I won't run out of yarn before I'm done!

I've also started up a pair of Fireside Slouch Socks. Don't know who I'm going to give them to yet, but I'm pretty sure they'll be a gift. I plan on making a few pairs to give to some friends and family.

And, last but not least, I've started making a little something for my sweetie. It's a surprise, and I know he checks this blog every once in a while, so I can't say what it is until after I've given it to him for his birthday on 10/19. :D I'm very pleased with the way it's coming out so far, though.

I still haven't finished my first pair of socks. Looks like the Fireside socks may become my first finished pair, instead. I'm not feeling so motivated to finish that first pair--I was never really wild about them. I hope I will do it eventually, though. Even if I don't want them, I'm sure someone will!

I picked up a copy of The Weekend Crafter: Crochet on sale a week or two ago. There's a really cute bag in there that I'd like to make, and a few other projects that look good.

There's a Lion Homespun poncho from an old issue of Crochet Fantasy Magazine that I really want to make for my mom for Chanukah. I have a lot of Homespun Mill Ends, and I don't think the dye lot varies much (if at all) in the yarn I've got that I want to use for it. Also, I may make mittens for my sister's family from one of the patterns on the Lion Brand site, also using Lion Homespun. I have a TON of Homespun! Gotta use it! :)