The birds are tweeting pretty loudly, the air is sort of warming up, my allergies are attacking my face, and we’ve made the pleasant discovery that our yard is made up of mutant grass that has to be mowed twice a week.  In other words, spring is here!

I’ve been itching to add some spring to our house, and I considered for 2.8 seconds planting some flowers outside.  But I’m about 90% positive that I’ve inherited my mother’s pitch black thumb.  (Don’t hate me, Mom.  But you know it’s true.  Ha!)

So I’ve decided to add spring to our door by switching out our wintery wreath for a bright, floral happy one.  I’m pretty much in love with all of these wreaths:

from A Continual Feast on Etsy

from Alessandra Hayden on Ravelry

from Bustle & Sew

from Attic 24 (tutorials included!!)

But in case you all didn’t know, I’m married to a manly man.  And the boy just doesn’t get florals.  I’ve tried.  But then I remembered that I like his manly ways.  And I would be concerned if he loved my flowers.  So the goal is to make a floral wreath that doesn’t necessarily scream FLORAL.  Maybe I’ll knit a little Ninja Turtle guy and stick him on there to up the manliness?  Ha!

What about you guys?  Anyone adding some fresh, bright decorations to their home to celebrate spring?  Do you all change your wreaths seasonally?  Any suggestions for making a gigantic floral wreath look manly?  I’m all ears.

~Whitney

Okay, that title was maybe a leeetle bit of an exaggeration.  Okay, maybe a lot a bit.  But it might have won me the best sister of the year award, and I don’t take winning lightly.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you may know that my 14-year-old brother has been begging me to knit him a bearded hat for a while.  And I finally came through.

Feast your eyes on that.  Beard. Camo. Puffy vest.  Duck Dynasty has nothing on David.

Ha!  Knitting this beard was interesting.  I had another pattern picked out, but a sweet reader left a comment that directed me to this pattern.  (Thanks, Rebekah!)  I just modified the mustache to make it thinner.  Weird sentence.  David asked me to make the hat the same pattern as his other one, and it’s quickly becoming my favorite hat pattern!

For the facial addition, you knit the mustache and beard separately and then sew them together.  My bro can rock the stache!  I tried to talk him into letting me make the beard detachable so he could get some actual use out of the hat, but he refused.

He then proceeded to wear the hat all night long as he and my husband played X-Box.  It kept startling me to walk into the basement and spy a lumberjack on the couch.

Of course, Timothy and I had to get in on the “fun.”

You guys.  You have to see Timothy in this.  He has never looked more Indian in his life.  His family is Punjabi, and the men have beards and mustaches.  Timothy put this hat on and started speaking Punjabi, and it was like we were in India.  Ha!

I didn’t quite pull it off as well.  Which I am not mad at.

I felt like my only option was to take an overexposed shot of the duck face in the dynasty hat.  Frizzy hair came as a sweet bonus.

I love making gifts for friends and family, and it was such a fun process to choose the pattern and yarn with my brother.  He kept giving me suggestions along the way, which was really sweet.  All of my other knit gifts have been a surprise, so I loved knowing that he was getting exactly what he wanted.

While this may not be the most chic thing I’ve ever made, it sure did make the recipient happy.  So in that regard?  It’s one of my favorite creations.

~Whitney

p.s. You know those churches where the men grow beards so they can play a realistic Jesus in the Easter play?  I’m thinking that’s my new market.  So call me for all your beard needs.

p.p.s. That was a joke.

p.p.p.s Unless you’re serious. In that case, I’ll hook you up.  I need money for my Easter dress.  Ha!

I was an only child for ten years, and then my brother came along as a sweet, sweet surprise.  Well, surprise isn’t even the word to describe it.  My parents were told from many doctors that they would never be able to have children.  And then I was born.   And then ten years later my brother was born.  Surprise, indeed.

We have always had such a close connection.  Sometimes I have felt more like a mom than a sister.  It must have been felt both directions because after Timothy and I first got married, David stayed at our house often and would say that we were like his “other parents.”  But as we both get older, my brother and I are developing more of a brother/sister friendship.  And I love that little giant boy fiercely.

The other day David called me after he got out of school and asked if he could take me to a late lunch.  No special occasion, he just wanted to treat me.  He’s really learned from my Dad (and now Timothy!) and is going to make someone the best husband some day.  He is thoughtful, kind, and loves to spoil people.  Check, check, and check!  Ha!

We had a great time, and D wore his hat that I had knit him for Christmas.  He had been asking for one for a long time and I was so happy to give it to him!  Sources say that after Christmas he didn’t take it off for like a week – he even slept in it!  Niiiiiiice.

I would highly recommend this hat pattern.  If you’re interested, you can find the pattern and details on my Ravelry page.

It was my second attempt of a hat for him – the first one was so unfortunate.  Timothy said it looked like a flowerpot.  Ouch.  Sadly, or not so sadly, I have no pictures of that gorgeous creation for you.

Well, this week I received another request from my favorite fourteen-year-old:

Umm, yeah.  So this is actually going to happen.  I don’t understand it.  I don’t know if I like it.  I don’t know how D talked our mother into allowing him to have one.  But I’m going to do it.  Ha!  I found this Garter Stitch Beard pattern  that looks like it may work.  It’s just a beard and you choose your own hat pattern.

Lovely.  I’m thinking about making the beard detachable so the hat is wearable when you’re not in beard mode.  Buttons were my first choice, but I think cute little buttons may take away from the “manliness” of the hat.  Now I’m thinking hook and eye closures?  We’ll see.  I’m taking him today after school to go pick out yarn for it.  You know, we need to find a beard color to match his hair.  Ha!

When Timothy found out about it, he begged me to make one for him and his brother in college.  Say whaaaaaa?!  Timothy says they’re all the rage and he’s seen several people with one.  Again, whaaaaa?!

Is this a trend I missed?  Are you going to think less of me for knitting a bearded hat?  What if it explodes and becomes a Pinterest sensation and I become known as the beard lady?  (That is definitely sarcasm.  Pinterest is not ready for a bearded hat.)  Have any of you ever seen anyone wear one?  Would you knit one?  Help a girl out here.

~Whitney

Is it just me, or does anyone else have crafting ADD?  I want to crochet something!  No, knit it!  Maybe paint it?  I should buy a boat!  (Corky Romano, anyone?)

I’ve decided to stop fighting it.  Who says you have to finish things?  I’m going for the whole half-finished vibe in my craft room.  It’s got flair.  Ha!

But moving on, I’ve recently been working on this cross-stitch iPhone case.  My parents gave it to me for my birthday, and my mom gave me full reign of her embroidery floss.  Ohhhh yeahhh.  This is my first cross-stitch project, and I really like it!  But this project isn’t for the faint of heart.  The plastic mesh doesn’t have any give, and it takes a loooong time.  As my grandmother has remarked twice.  It’s the perfect project to work on while watching a good movie.

Recently I tried out finger knitting.  It was really awkward at first, but once I got the hang of it I was addicted!  I would probably still be finger knitting right now if I could decide on a project to make with it.  A garland?  Put it on a pillow?  Make a rug with it?  Knit a scarf with it?  What do you do with finger knit yarn?

We’re having a ladies craft night at our church tonight (best church activity idea ever!), and I was asked to knit or crochet a door prize.  I’ve crocheted smaller roses before for a baby hat and really liked them, so I thought I’d make a bigger one to wear as a pin.  I mean, what’s a church lady without a big flower pin?  Ha!  I really like this particular pattern – the design was almost too pretty to sew together into a flower.

Who has two thumbs and adores fair isle triangles?  This girl.  I made a triangle cowl for my dad last year and have been itching to make one for myself.  I think knitting color work is my all time favorite craft.  Until tomorrow.  Then I might like something else better.

This last one isn’t a craft per se, but it has been going on a lot lately at the Gothra residence.  So far we’ve painted the kitchen, living room, and sections of the basement.  And a black wall may or may not have snuck in there.

So what have you all been up to?  What are your crafty goings on?

~Whitney

This winter I fell in love with mittens.  Specifically hand knit mittens.  Mittens made with love and yarn.  Mittens, mittens, mittens.

Last year I made my first pair of mittens and they turned out just ok.  This Christmas I scoured Ravelry and Pinterest and finally decided to make a modified pair of Bella’s Mittens for my sweet mother-in-law.  They were so much fun to knit!

The original pattern has cuffs that go up the arm.  That seemed a tad bit impractical, so I made a modified version of it.  You can find out all the specifics at my Ravelry page.

The pattern is a dream to knit up.  I was a little sad when I finished them, so I quickly started a pair for myself.  Ha!

I was never a mitten person until I started knitting.  Now it’s give me mittens or give me death!  Or, you know, cold fingers.

For you knitters out there, what are some of your favorite mitten patterns?  And you non-knitters, do you like mittens?  Are they a party for your fingers, too?

~Whitney