The Trove

Hi there everybody! I've decided to come on over to the dark side and post what I'm up to project wise on Wednesdays! If you follow me on instagram (coincidentally if you want to follow me, my username is AmethystMermaid) then you know that my account is full of #wip, and I must confess that every time I use that hashtag a certain song pops into my head! I think you all know which song I'm talking about too! (The Devo hit, Whip it)! In fact, when I'm working on a project it is my theme song. Alright, but enough of flashback music that could make me seem a lot older than I really am. Onward to the projects that are in my WIP pile! First off there's this lovely ridicule from Jane Austen Knits: Fall 2012. History lesson: A ridicule is a small bag or purse with a drawstring often used for carrying money, ribbons, and other things that a lady of good breeding would carry in Regency England!  Overall I'm very happy with my progress so far on this project! The col

It's that time of year when we are trying to keep cool. We adorn ourselves in tank tops and shorts, with a Popsicle in hand we head out to the shade tree or pool trying to beat the heat! We aren't usually thinking of things like mittens and cozy hats, let alone knitting... The mere idea of yarn in this Arkansas humidity would be enough to turn most stomachs, but not mine! No! Never! Knitter 4 Life=Me! For me the summertime is the perfect time to catch up on some projects that will be gifted to family and friends later on in the year. Birthdays, Christmas... this is the time to start the stash-busting! Thinking ahead is the way to ensure ultimate gifting bliss (not to mention the lack of hand cramps)! That being said I got a head start some of the gift items for a dear friend's birthday! It's also the perfect time to get my fix of the Mary Tyler Moore show! For as long as I can remember I've always adored MTM. I mean, c'mon, who didn't? She had spunk and

Hello Loverlies! It's time to show you my second completed project for the 2014-2015 YOP! I've affectionately dubbed this the "Mansfield Park Shawl" because of the lush variants of green and blue, not to mention my undying addiction to all things Jane Austen inspired!  I started out with a very basic garter stitch pattern, after casting off there was no denying the simple beauty of this project. But something was missing... so I added some simple stranded color work. The end result is simply stunning! So as promised, here's how you can make your own! Things needed: Size 7 circular needles (3 pair)--- You'll be picking up a lot of stitches for your border! Maintain the calm, don't freak out just yet! 4 skeins of  worsted weight yarn (1 in your contrast color and 3 in your main color) I used Red Heart Supersaver colors in Real Teal and Glow Worm. Tape measure Tapestry needle, crochet hook, or some other way to weave in your ends. Steam Iron

Year of Projects 2014-2015: Paton's Lady Bug Pillow Once a year, every summer I get the great opportunity to visit a place where I am the highly greeted Aunt. Well actually I'm just the cousin who comes bearing gifts of awesome knit and crochet craftiness, but nonetheless I am greeted with the warmest of wishes! The finished Paton's base pattern! Well this year's visit happened to fall very close to Miss Addy's sixth birthday. This left a small dilemma what birthday present to make for a little girl who absolutely loves all things ladybug affiliated? So I clicked in to my ravelry account and checked out a few ladybug ideas. I found this pattern from Paton's Yarn for a pillow that looked pretty promising. Here's what it ended up looking like. A relatively cute pattern, minus the legs which I did not feel like doing one more row in stockinette stitch.(Seriously, after a few hours I was bored to tears with all the stockinette stitch.) But still it wa