Spider Web Shrug

Here's my newest item - another recycled piece, this time a shrug in a crochet web pattern. It was so much fun to work I might just make one or two more - but at the moment, I have quite a list of projects on my plate:
- 1 cardigan to finish (for my grandmother-in-law - she knit part of it herself, but doesn't have the time to finish it at the moment, so I'm doing it for her)
- 1 baby blanket (for a friend who's commissioning some of my work to put in her store at the Brooks Museum in Memphis - I'm very excited!)
- 1 pair of black and red striped socks (for Etsy)
- 1 pair of yellow and pink striped socks (for Etsy)
Not to mention, of course, the MBP teddy bears, who are my constant project. :)

Two-Tone Shawl

Just finished and put up a pretty new shawl today. Knitters and crocheters - if you're stuck on the notion that acrylic yarn is stiff, scratchy, and cheap-looking, then you must try James C. Brett Marble Chunky. It's soft, beautiful, inexpensive, and comes in lots of pretty shades. For this shawl, I used the colors Majesty and Berries. Absolutely lovely, delightful to work with.

Back to work

I'm slowly adjusting back to work mode from vacation mode. Though I'm still technically unemployed, I have plenty to keep myself busy between my Etsy endeavors and my job searching. I'm working on expanding the Buddhist of Etsy team, which I'm really enjoying. I was kind of hesitant to agree to be team leader at first because I have this idea that I'm not good at organizing when other people are involved, but the other team members have been so interested and helpful that I'm really excited about where this is going.
Plus, I'm working on a new line - the socks - as well as integrating recycled and upcycled items into my shop. I've had some setbacks with the socks because of sizing issues, but I'll have a pair ready soon. And I've been having fun finding ways to recycle and upcycle old sweaters - my first project being this lovely cat blanket. I made this from a sweater I found in a thrift store and took pity on; though the color and stitch pattern were pretty, it was one of those atrocious early-nineties oversized designs that never looked good on anybody even when they were in style. Time to breathe some new life into it, I thought - so I took it apart, unraveled a bit, and used the loose thread to crochet a border. Voila - a good-as-new, recycled blanket!

There's no place like London...

Which is why my husband and I chose to go there on our honeymoon. Definitely my favorite city, and one of the all-around best in the world. It was an amazing two-week-long trip and we got some fabulous photos!