Well I had one heck of a week.  I got grabbed and beaten by the flu bug.  I rarely get ill so it always takes me by surprise. I even missed work….although I did go in part days most days and in retrospect should have just stayed home and recovered properly!  I was even too ill to knit, although I tried and then had to rip out what I had completed due to mistakes.  Yeah it was one heck of a bug…

But before I got hit I finished my Baa ble hat for the Stash KAL

It was a fun knit.  I used Cascade 220 and some left over Juniper Moon Farm Harriot for the sheep.  It gave them a soft fuzzy look and feel.  Still need to add the Pom Pom.  

Didn’t get too far on my Swedish Spring Shawl.  Just starting the lace pattern.  I love this pattern and will probably make it twice.  It’s fast and actually quite easy.  I love the look the little design element created by the knit three technique creates!  

This shawl is by one of my favorite designers Maria at Stitched in Sweden.  I’m a avid fan of her podcast!  Being new to the wonderful world of knitting podcasts I’ve pigged out on dozens.  I still return to my favorites: Yarngasm, Little Bobbin Knits, Stitched in Sweden, and Knitting Expat.  Knitting podcasts along with Instagram have got to be some of the best uses of technology!  Because of all this inspiration I have actually just put in an order for acid dyes and undyed yarn.  Yup I’m gonna venture into the world of dyeing!  There are so many amazing indie dyers and I thought heck I can do that!!

While on one of my stops at Craft Warehouse I happened upon an amazing sale.  Discontinued batiks on the bolt and a table of fun assorted goodness.  I indulged in a bit of fabric piggerie!  I will use much for my crafting and various sewing/quilting projects.

I immediately made up this just for fun.  It will be shipped off to be turned into a project bag.

If fact many pieces will be used for project bags by my super talented daughter Becca.  Check out her etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchesPlusPurls  Here are a few of her bags.  So stinkin cute! 

I go through withdrawals in the winter when there are no estate or yard sales.  I’m not a fan of Goodwill but decided to make a quick stop there last week as I was having serious withdrawals…..  I did find a few treasures…

$4 for the entire bag.  Plenty for a large afghan!  Loved the colors and even better all the tails were already run in!  Well best of all I didn’t have to crochet it.  I’ve wanted a granny square afghan with the Attic 24 look.  I think this is pretty close! 

I also found a fun frame which I was planning on turning into a chalk or bulletin board.  I’ve become the queen of bulletin boards at work and have taken numerous of our out dated large art pieces and made beautiful linen covered bulletin boards.  But when I found this  fleur de lis fabric panel, well that was that.  See my CRD has a little collection of fleur de lis….so this was perfect for her office!

For work I also painted these fun pieces.  The black was too dark for the area we wanted to display them so out came the paint.  

With the New Year I also decided I need to do a bit of moving around at home.  I like the new look in the family room.  It is much more open and I love my book cases together in one place.

My wee little desk that I rescued from an estate sale and repainted.  Love this piece with alol it’s nooks and crannies.

Buffet I was given free and repurposed into a TV stand.  When we repaint the house we will wall mount the TV.

I will forever have dog kennels in my house.  That’s a given as I can’t imagine life without my babies!  The art on the walls I’ll probably change out, I just wanted something up when we moved in.  The reddish wall will go too when we repaint and the carpet as soon as possible!  I moved the hutch that was in that area to the entry way.

And just for fun the dining room.  Still looking for the perfect hutch and then I will combine and eliminate the corner hutch.  My home is forever a work in progress and that to me is exactly how it should be!  

And that has been how I spent my time.  What have you been up to? 

Patricia