Baby Basketweave

Just finished another baby blanket! Another one of my friends from grad school & his wife are expecting a baby girl in mid-March.

I knew they were expecting a girl, so I picked up the pink yarn on the Michael's Black Friday sale (which I actually go to at 8pm on Thanksgiving day). It was one of the uber-skeins of Red Heart, and unfortunately I didn't have enough to add a border. Lucky for me, however, that this stitch looks just fine around the edges without it.

I actually found this Basketweave Stitch Tutorial on Pinterest, but it is also available on Ravelry.

If you're not familiar with how to do the FPdc and BPdc sts, check out my tutorial here.

I love the way this works up! Its so warm and comfy, plus the texture looks SO COOL for being such a simple stitch! Plus I found that the little sets of 3 make it pretty brainless and I never lost count. (I HATE it when I am off count at the end of a row and have to figure out where I goofed up.)

Moral of the Story: Cute, Simple, Easy, Fun, and definitely a stitch I'm glad to have in my toolkit!

Random Acts of (Crafty) Kindness

So I have been inspired by this cute post from a fellow blogger. I firmly believe in Random Acts of Kindness, especially when you start to lose faith in the human race. So here's my list, both to inspire you and to remind myself of how easy it is, and how many little things we can do for others. Lets keep the kindness going around to everyone, regardless of their religion, race, or creed.

• Got a craft that you've quit? (Ahem, scrapbooking...) Donate items to a local classroom or mom's group.
• Pick up a piece of trash you see on the ground, its kindness to the planet as well as its inhabitants
• Buy a hot cocoa or latte for Salvation Army bell ringers at the holidays.
• Purchase toys for kids in need
• Tip your waitress an extra $2 on top of your regular tip. Its small to you, but it adds up for her!
• Offer to buy a pack of gum or mints for checkout clerk at grocery store
• Donate Blood (Check out the American Red Cross for locations)
• Bake cookies for the people who serve you. Bank tellers, Landlords, Teachers, Receptionists, anyone!
• Pay for someone else's lunch at the drive-thru
• Collect canned goods for a food pantry
• Participate in Operation Beautiful, by leaving a post-it note of little affirmations for someone else to find.
• Shovel the neighbor's sidewalk after it snows
• At the grocery store, grab a cart from the middle of the parking lot and take it into the store. When you're done shopping, put your cart in the corral. 
• Make a donation to an animal shelter. You can craft something using scraps of yarn/fabric (Cage Covers, Blankets, or beds) or purchase exactly what your shelter needs. (Check out the MI Humane Society Wish List)
• Buy coffee for stranger at Starbucks
• Make a stuffed animal for a child in need (Check out the Mother Bear Project).
• Crochet/Knit a hat for a child with cancer. It only takes scraps! (Check out Knots of Love)
• In the summer, get your car washed by the school groups rather than at the automatic car wash. Remember that they're fund-raising, so throw in an extra few dollars!
• Volunteer to help with a local 5k or 10k race, such as the Race for the Cure. Even if you're not an athlete, volunteers are needed for water stations, registration, and cheering on the participants.
• Call someone you haven't spoken to in a while and tell them you miss them. Something so simple will brighten their day.
• When you spring clean your closet, don't throw everything away. Donate any items that are in good shape to an organization such as Goodwill or Salvation Army. 
• Are you an aspiring photographer? Animal rescue organizations can always use nice photos of the animals to aid with adoptions. Plus you get great shots to add to your portfolio. (Check out HeARTs Speak)
• Let someone cut ahead of you in line. (If you're a saint, do this at the DMV or Secretary of State!)

Please feel free to add on your ideas and keep the kindness going :)

New Projects 2012

So, no, I don't have any new pictures to share. Most of the projects for 2012 are bigger: sweaters, blankets, wraps, etc. They're either finished and not-yet-gifted or they're still WIPs. Its a process people!  I will try to get some more new patterns up this year, but as it stands, I have no idea what those will be :P