goodies galore - yarn & more!

Yarn: Sparrow by Quince and Co. in colorway 204 - Blue Spruce, 100% Organic Linen

it's been a great mail week for me!  so many little goodies, orders and parcels coming my way!  i love it when that happens!  of course i can't not show you some of the new lovelies that have made there way into my home :)  i got the most amazing surprise in the mail from one of my dear online buds hannah (from ummashin).  can you believe she sent me 2 skeins of "sparrow" from my fave quince and co.? seriously! drool worthy 100% organic linen in the most gorgeous colorway - blue spruce! thank you so much hannah! you are such a doll! luv ya!

 i also got some lovely new fabric goodies in the mail from an order i place for an upcoming project.  purdy...purdy...purdy....

1. shade grey stars 2. shade grey ringlets - both from quilt blocks by ellen luckett baker

1. slate kona cotton 2. shade flying geese  by ellen luckett baker

1. outfoxed circles yellow by lizzy house 2. mustard kona cotton

1. denim blue essex linen from michael kaufmann 2. yellow kona cotton

and to top it off my lovely and dear friend jane (janerichmond.com) made me my very own sock knitting project bag and gifted me 2 gorgeous skeins of my absolute fave colorway from knitpicks felici yarn - afternoon.

knitpicks felici fingering self striping sock yarn in colorway afternoon

i swear those colors just scream shannon! i'm obsessed with them! love them! thanks again sweet jane...luvs!


i also could not resist picking up this ombre dot journal from the martha stewart office line at staples. ummm...can we say yum!  i stood in that aisle for a long time and it was very, very hard to walk away with only one! i love it!  i also picked up a new graph paper pad for an upcoming knitting pattern i'm working on.  need those graph sheets for doodling out some new lace designs - fun!

and here she is......my ironing board monster...clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  she's even sporting a fresh new ironing board cover!  and no, i didn't make it...weeee!  i didn't have time..lol.  so thank you debbie travis for making a nice one for me and selling it at canadian tire so i could bring it home. i love it!  and man does it feel AMAZING to fold up the darn thing! seriously...it's been almost 3 years since i could fold up my ironing board!  it's fabulous!!!!  let's hope it stays that way...muahahaha....

i hope you all dont' mind the lack of weekend wishes today.  it just way too hard to keep all these goodies to myself!  and i cannot wait to show you my fat quarter gang project for monday!  it seriously has been a daydream that has come to life.  it's so fun to doodle and dream up a project for months and then finally see it become real!  i hope you all love it as much as i do so stay tuned!

also, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart for your loving bday wishes. you guys rock!!!! it so made my day :)  and to my lovely pals who surprised me on my bday for a fun get together complete with gluten free chocolate cupcakes, whip cream and strawberries - i love you guys!!!  wishing you all a wonderful yummy fabric, scrumptious yarn and creative goodies kind of weekend.  fill it with laughs and family and i'll see you all monday! <3

what are your weekend wishes?  what are you making this weekend?  any new goodies you've spoiled yourself with in the last few weeks? chat m'dears :)

The Fat Quarter Gang & Art Gallery Fabrics!

so excited for today's post everyone! i've been keeping some fun and exciting news and it's been soooo hard to not share all the deets with you!  are you all ready to hear about it? yay!!!!  now before you look at the pic below and laugh your butt off or think i've gone off the deep end hear me out...lol!  you see i'm a huge fan of art gallery fabrics.  i love pat bravo, bari j and all the art gallery fabric lines!  it's pretty hard to make solids look amazing and boy do their fabrics rock!  i am lovin' the pima cotton folks! so when i got asked by them to be part of a new project i of course said "HECK YEAH"!!!!

my fat quarter gang name: Shannon "Scrappucino" Cook!!!

what 's the new project? well they put together a group of some of their favorite bloggers and decided to create what's now called a "fat quarter gang"!  throughout the year some very talented bloggers and i will be sharing a new tutorial each week for a year all using fat quarters from art gallery fabrics!  yeeesssss!  and guess what?  there's lots of fabric up for grabs for you all to win too!  weekly giveaways....peekaboos at new lines coming out, flickr groups, chances for you to post a tutorial of yoru own and the best part of all...new tutes!!! you know i love me a good tutorial!  so in honor of our new obsession with gangsta slang, poses, rap music and more we put together some funny pics and the gals over at art gallery have a great post filling you in on all the deets & introducing the member of our fat quarter gang...so pop on over....and join in!  it seriously is so much fun and we've been having such a blast!

 

 wait...what's that? you want to know about my name?  hahaha...well....you all know how much i love starbucks right?  well i've also got a thing for scraps so when you put scraps and fraps together you got scrappucino!  think of it as my gin & juice..lol! you also wouldn't want to run into my "gangsta" alter ego in a fabric shop during a wicked discount sale either...LMAO!!!  she's gotta temper when it comes to her crafty wares..lol! her pincushion ring is her custom brass knuckle...hahaha! oh my....this is all just way too much fun...it's like halloween times ten..for reals folks!  just wait till you see my fellow gang members.  get ready to bust a gut.  we've had such a riot getting everything ready for you all to see!  and for the record...rachel is seriously the master of gangsta slang...that girl can throw down y'all!

watch for my first tutorial coming up at the end of june brah!  you can find all things art gallery fabrics here:

website  |  blog  |  facebook  |  twitter  |  pinterest  |  youtube

be sure to follow art gallery fabrics on facebook & twitter to stay up to date with all things fat quarter gang!

whatcha think? fun! fun! fun! don't you just love my pincushion ring instead of brass knuckles? lol! hope you all had an awesome long weekend. grab a coffee & let's chat!

moments in the mommyhood - puttering

we had a busy weekend but a good one.  my fave part of the weekend was stocking up on our plants and working on our deck again.  we live in a condo so as much as i'd love to be puttering in my own garden we make the most with the space we've got.  each year we try something new and i think this year may be our best one yet.  we've slowly figured out what grows best where and which plants love living on our balcony. 

and before you ask...why yes, that is a venti starbucks frappucino...don't judge...lol...i didn't drink it alone. the hubs and i shared and it was a coffee light :P  mmmm....i love fraps! and i love fraps on 1/2 price! yesssss!  now shift your eyes to the left see all that plant goodness!  yay!  bring on the tomatoes, herbs and pretty flowers!  oh...and i can't forget the grass that mackenzie is so patiently growing. she started it from seed at preschool and has lovingly watered it and taken care of it for about a month now. it's so cute.  so cute this year we let her pick out her own flowers and potted them alone so she can be in charge of that plant.  she's super excited.  she even pushed her own cart at the garden store and helped choose what we bought.



we're going with a fun color palette this year because i finally, finally, finally found an outdoor rug that i love! i've looked for one for eons as well as a table that fit out on our tiny deck and i found both this year in the same week.  see...it's my deck year!  i'm so excited to get it all done and take finished pics for you all to see.  i think i may even recover my bench cushions and whip up some new throw pillows for out there too.  the girls and i plan on spending a lot of time out there this year due to us being on the top floor and roasting from the heat through our skylights.  it gets hot in here and i mean hot. 



here's the ugly before shot of our deck....ewwww...i hate ripping out the old dead roots and always make the hubs do it.  i like the planting and the freshness of new growth :)  i can't wait to sit out there and knit and watch the girls help me tend to our new "babies".  we've got a new watering can and the girls have some too.

the hubs even brought me home a bouquet of flowers the other day! how sweet is that?  mackenzie told him to buy them for me. now that girl is smart..lol.  he also surprised me last week with a little weekend getaway for me and the kidlets coming up!  we're not going far but we will be in a hotel and i'm one happy momma.  he got to go golfing on the weekend so he's one happy daddy! but now we're back to lots of work for mommy, and studying/working for him.  so there is a lot of this going on and more to come...

that's called being worn out folks.  she fell asleep eating her dinner in her booster seat.  poor little duck.  she's being so stubborn with her naps right now that she wears herself out and then just passes out randomly in weird places....adorable though :)

i hope you all had a great weekend too!  do you like to do balcony gardening?  are you lucky enough to have an awesome yard to work in? what do you like to grow the best?  i LOVE growing tomatoes & herbs. they are my fave because I get to eat them...for free :P  let's chat spring!!!  

Fabric Business Card Holders

i went out of town for the weekend to a fibre festival with some friends and i knew a few of us would definitely need business card holders.  i have a nice big one from moo.com that i received when i ordered my cards but i was in the mood for something lighter that i could easily stash in my yarn bag and pull out when needed.  so on friday i lovingly and painfully cut into some of my lotta jansdotter stash and made these three beauties for myself, jane and rebecca.  both of theirs match their blogs ...yes, i'm silly that way...lol..and mine, well, mine doesn't match but i thought the grey and light purple were pretty and there was no turquoise that i loved :)

1. little florine sarsaparilla 2. lena sweet azalea 3. little florine brass mesh - all by lotta jansdotter

i followed this tutorial to make the business card holders.  only thing i changed was the fact that i cut mine at 5" instead of 5 1/2" because i only had charm pack sized squares of the lotta.  it makes it a tad tight to fit cards in on both sides but they do fit...thankfully :)  but if you make them i recommend using 5 1/2", especially if you have bigger cards like mine.

here's jane's...

1. lena rugged suede & choma golden rod 2. little florine brass mesh all by lotta jansdotter

and this one is rebecca's...

1. little florine sarsparilla 2. florine sarsparilla & ranka sarsparilla all by lotta jansdotter

and this one is mine.

1. lena sweet azelea 2. choma azalea & aneta ironwood all by lotta jansdotter

we had lots of fun using them at the festival and they definitely came in very handy.  my fave part are the buttons.  it takes me forever to choose buttons for projects because i love buttons so much.  i think the are like the icing on the cake :)  aren't they purdy?

what do you guys think?  you likey? it's funny because i look at them and see our personalities...it was fun to pick the colors and fabrics.  do you make your own business card holders?  what pattern do you use?  are you in love with the lotta jansdotter fabrics too?  happy monday!  oh, and don't worry, there are A LOT of pics to come this week of the weekend.  it was soooo fun and i'm sad it's over already.  i'll be sure to fill you all in soon!

Carefree Cowl Knit Along - The Carefree Cowl Tutorial!

this is a bit of a fun post for me today!  i did something i've never done before.  i wrote out a little knitting pattern.  now...first off, i am by no means a knitting designer.  i simply just couldn't find what i was looking for on ravelry after hours of hunting.  i had a skein of the yarn i used for the gap-tastic cowl left over and was dying to whip up another cowl with it.  i wanted something warm, not too long (take flight off the girls..wink wink), but not too short (needed to cover my v-neck top openings) and i wanted texture but a quick knit.  i was also looking for something that had a bit of drape but was also sturdy enough to stand up on it's own.  i sketched out the illustration beside the pattern below and voila, the carefree cowl was born!  i love it and it's rolly polly goodness. my newest cowl was made for our carefree cowl knitalong.

now, none of you may want to make this and that's ok :)  i simply thought hey, i wrote it out while i was knitting it so i could make it again if i liked it and i like it so what's the fun in keeping it to myself...we like to share around the mommyhood here.  so here's the little pattern if you would like to make one for yourself.  i also named it the carefree cowl because i was feeling very carefree when i wrote up the pattern.  it's something i've never done before and i just winged it and boy was it fun!  i hope you guys have fun with it!

Carefree Cowl Pattern

***Copyright 2011 www.luvinthemommyhood.com

All rights reserved. For personal use only. Please do not sell items made from this tutorial unless permission has been given.

* Download pdf now.  Pattern notes and more can be found on the ravelry pattern page here.


Yarn: 1 Skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, 108yds/170grams
Needle: 6.00mm 24"Circular
Gauge:  8sts=4inches
This cowl could be made at more than one gauge.  Switch up the yarn and the needle size, add on more stitches to make a longer cowl that could be worn wrapped as well just take care to make sure you cast on an even number.  I think the stitch pattern could look lovely on all sorts of weights of yarn and needle size.  So get carefree and whip one up to suit your stash and drape preferences.
Finished Measurement: 8.5"H x 27"W (full loop unstretched)
Abbreviations:  YO=Yarn Over K2TOG=Knit 2 stitches together knitwise.

 Cast on  loosely 64sts using the long tail cast on method. Join in the round being careful not to twist stitches.  Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of your round.
Rounds1-4: Knit.
Round 5: Purl.
Rounds 6-8: Knit
Round 9: Purl
Rounds 10-12: Knit
Round 13: Purl
Rounds 14 & 15: Knit
Round 16: YO, K2TOG* repeat to end of round ending with a K2TOG.
Rounds 17 & 18: Knit
Round 19: Purl
Rounds 20-22: Knit
Round 23: Purl
Rounds 24-26: Knit
Round 27: Purl
Rounds 28-30: Knit
Round 31: Purl
Bind off very loosely. Weave in ends and sport your cowl!


so exciting and fun!  i'm having such a wonderful time with this kal and you guys are AHHHHMAZING!  i cannot believe how gorgeous all of your cowls are and how supportive and helpful you have all been to each other.  so much so that a lot of you are on your 3rd and 4th cowls too!  you guys rock!!!!  i'm definitely going to be doing a post showing off all your handiwork on the blog very soon.

for those of you who are wanting to join in our carefree cowl knit along and haven't yet there is still time!  you can join in anytime before the deadline which is november the 9th.  sign up here:

 luvinthemommyhood carefree cowl knit along

and you can follow along with all things "carefree cowl knit along" here:

posts  |  ravelry group thread  |  flickr group

feel free to add any pics you like to the flickr group and the ravelry thread.  we love seeing your progress, yarn pics and finished items! it's been so exciting watching all your lovely cowls being made! happy knitting my dears :)  make sure you head over to my partner in crime - rebecca's blog "nook" to check out her fabulous bandana cowl! so pretty!

and don't forget to pop over and show some love to our carefree cowl knit along sponsor:

jen geigley is the stylish designer behind the "gap-tastic cowl" pattern so many of us love!

and yep, i'm sporting another bun in the pics above...this mama's got bad hair happening daily right now and that's why she's headed to the hairdressers tonight to get fixed up.  i mean, dirty, grown out, filled with baby food hair is just not cool..lol...no matter how you try to style it.  how have your cowls been coming along?  are any of you non knitters out there thinking about joining in?  a cowl is a great beginner project to start with! show off your cowls and link up below!