10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 3

Today I am thankful for my ability to create beautiful things.  

Anyone who knows me really well, knows that I don't have much of an artistic bone in my body.  I can be the queen of self-deprecation, and this is a popular topic when employing that humor device.  My childhood craft projects were not fridge-worthy (trust me!!  Just ask my mom!).  I actually HATED art.  Give me numbers or language arts any day.  Scissors, glue, and glitter?  No thank you.

That said, I really should stop proclaiming myself as the most untalented artist ever.  I am actually really good what some may consider an art form - knitting.  I sort of shrug it off as something that isn't an art form because I have to follow a pattern (oh how this math major loves anything involving a pattern!).  But at the end of the day, I create something beautiful.  Knitting was actually an inspiration for my blog title.  Originally I wanted my blog title to be "Knitting Yarns" and I would share my knitting projects and stories of my life - you know, kind of a spin off of "spinning yarns" - except the stories I shared would be honest, of course!  But since Knitting Yarns was taken, I decided on Lisa's Yarns.

I have shared far more personal stories than projects, so now is the time to show you some of the gifts I have made for others - and a project I kept for myself. I love to knit for others - I think one of the best gifts you can give is something that is handmade!  Here are some of my finished projects!

I knit this hat for my niece Anna shortly after she was born (and also a cream hat!)

I made the same hat for Charlie, but in a more boyish green.  And ahem, isn't he ADORABLE?  Quite the perfect little hat model!

A couple of Christmases ago, I made these ornaments - each family member got one!

Here are a couple other miniature ornaments I knit!  These are my favorite - but the most difficult/time consuming so I only made a couple!

Last fall I knit this blanket for my friend Brooke's baby boy, Owen.  Oh my goodness, this one took a long time to complete - I actually didn't finish it until Owen was a couple of weeks old.  For the knittings out there, this was knit on a size 6 needle!!  But it turned out beautifully!

I crocheted this blanket for my friend Heidi's baby girl, Elle.  This also took quite a bit of time to make!  And it was actually my first and last crochet project!  The finished product was beautiful, but the process was difficult for me as I really struggled with crocheting techniques and pattern reading.

Excuse the tiny camera picture...  Here I am wearing a hat I knit for myself (finally, a project I kept!).  I also made this hat for my friend Heidi's 30th birthday (along with a ruffled scarf) in a bright, fun pink!

Lastly, I also made a scarf for my mom, each sister, and each sisters-in-law (for a total of 5 scarves!) a couple of Christmases ago.  I would like to do this again someday and make them mittens or hats, I just need to find the time to do this (and start in like March!  Ha!).  You can see the pictures of their scarves in this post.

A Labor of Love - Part I

Do you all remember that time of your life when it seemed like everyone was getting married? Well, that phase of my life is behind me as most of my close friends are married.

Now I am at the phase of my life where it seems like everyone is pregnant. No joke. I haven't sat down and counted, but I know of at least 8 people, possibly more, that are due within the next 3 months. I have 3 friends and a cousin who are all due within ONE WEEK of each other. Two of my closest friends are due ONE DAY APART in December.

As you can tell if you've read my blog for long, I adore kids so I am excited that so many of my friends are embarking on this new phase in their life!

I love working with yarn and think that handmade gifts are the best. My grandma makes baby blankets for all the great grandchildren and I think it's the coolest gift to receive so I decided to make baby blankets for my 2 close friends who are due in December.

Today I am sharing the blanket I crocheted for my friend that is expecting a little lady in early December. This is actually my first crochet project where I had to follow a pattern, aside from some potholder I tried last year (which were an epic fail, by the way). You would think that if a person struggled to crochet potholder, it would be a bit delusional to make an entire blanket, right?

What can I say? I guess I like a challenge! Here are some photos for the finished product!

Here it is on the floor my condo, right before I boxed it up to send to my friend in Arizona

Here is a close up of the edge/corner details.

Another close up of the edges/corners

My friend had her shower last Saturday - I wish I could have been there when she opened it up but a trip down to Phoenix just wasn't in the budget.

I am still in the process of knitting a blanket for the other friend. I sadly did not finish it in time for her shower 2 weeks ago. :( It's taking me a bit longer to finish it than I thought it would! I am loving how it is turning out so can't wait to share it with you!

Do you ever make gifts? Have you receive a hand made gift that you loved? My grandma made each grandchild an afghan when we graduated from high school and I still have mine. Another 'hand made' gift that I received and loved was a journal that my mom kept of my senior year.

On the Good Things in Life

I've been a bit of a downer Debbie lately - but after reading my sister's post on Saturday, I was inspired to focus on the good things in life! Here are some good things from my weekend!

• Spring is here! It was absolutely gorgeous this weekend - over 60 degrees on Sunday. I love that I was able to have the patio door open all day on Sunday. There is nothing like fresh air and sunlight!
  

• I've successfully taught myself to crochet! My grandma gave me a book with instructions on crocheting and I think I've figured it out. I'm currently working on a blanket - so much for starting on a small project!

• I made some gluten free banana bread this is just delicious. I swear, you can not tell it's made with gluten free flour. Of course the chocolate chips I added sure help! My mom never added chocolate chips when we made banana bread so it feels like such a treat (and more like a dessert) when I add them to my recipe! How do you like your banana bread?
  

• I spent time catching up with friends on Friday & Saturday night and Sunday afternoon and still had plenty of 'me time' to unwind from a busy week. Having some 'me time' each weekend is crucial!

• I'm starting to sort of like biking. I don't like it nearly as much as running, but I do love that I can read while biking! Reading while running is impossible for me. I just don't have the coordination. When I see people reading while running on the treadmill, I am amazed.

• I made Beef in Pomegranate Sauce for dinner on Sunday. My cousin has raved about it and I finally got around to trying it. It was so good. You must try it. I served mine with the ultimate comfort food - mashed potatoes. I adore mashed potatoes. They are so easy to make - every time I make them, I wonder why I don't make them more often! How do you make yours? Do you hand mash them or do you use a hand mixer like I do (I like mine extremely smooth & fluffy)?

What were some 'good things' you enjoyed this weekend?