More Ladybugs! Just in time for Spring and Valentine's Day

Since I am just working away on that pair of socks I started and don't really have any new projects going on, I thought I would share some more LADYBUG patterns I found lately. Maybe somebody will be inspired for Valentine's Day.

Here is an absolutely adorable ladybug cardigan for a little girl on Petite Purls:

Another cardigan:

Little Bug Cardigan by Laurel Young

published on her blog Strings and Rings

 

  

  

 

by QuirkyLaurel Flickr

view QuirkyLaurel's Ladybug Set

by QuirkyLaurel Flickr

And if you want to knit something even smaller.
How about these Ladybird Shoes by Zoë Mellor.

The pattern is in her
spiral-bound book
50 Baby Bootees to Knit
on Amazon.com.

Next I have a really cute ladybug scene with flower:

 

The pattern is from

Susanne Fågelberg

and available on Ravelry. 

She also sells the patterns to her creations on Etsy under: Tilda and Filur.

Another cute ladybug also sold on Etsy:

  

This one is also crocheted and then felted.

  

Adorable, isn't it?!

 

copyright © Vicky Lewis

And crawling right along:

copyright © paparazzimama

by craftyshanna Flickr

crafty-shanna is kindly sharing her patterns, including this one, on her LiFEJOURNAL Thanks for sharing!

Okay, so the next one is not technically a ladybug pattern. These car seat belt covers just have the cutest ladybug buttons. The "Carseat Shoulder Strap Covers" pattern by Sylvia Schuchardt is available for free on her website hook candy.

by sylver Flickr

.

Back to real ladybug patterns. Here is a cute blanket:

Ladybug Afghan and Pillow PA273 by Maggie Weldon

by MaggieWeldon Flickr

How about a ladybug coaster?

Found on Ravelry. 

Available on 

The Crocheting Commuter.

A cute little hat and bootee combo:

"Ladybugs Bring Good Luck" Beanie and Booties

by Mary Triplett

 

  

by ClickClick Flickr

 

Found on Ravelry, does not seem to have a website, but gives her email address.

Last one for today. Also technically not a ladybug pattern but it's called

 

"Ladybug" by Jennifer Lippman-Bruno

I am going to include it, because it's just too cute!!! 

 
Is that a doll or a baby?

Precious!!!!

I don't know what I like more, the hat or the baby!!!

Available on knowknits.

Hope you enjoyed our little trip down ladybug lane...

Super funky chunky VEST

First I made another one of those funky bags with leftover yarn:




I love how all those little pockets look, outside and inside (okay, so it just looks like a black hole, but really, there are two pockets on the inside!):




No pockets on the back. The overall color theme on this one is more green-brown tones, whereas the previous bag was brighter colors.



When I realized that these bags don't even make a dent in my leftover yarn stash, I tried to come up with a "bigger" project and decided to make a vest:



I really like all the weird color and texture combinations. It was a fun process, knitting and picking the next yarn or yarn combination.



However, the vest came out not just funky, but also really chunky :( and is not very flattering to wear. At least not for someone who "needs" flattering :). It's warm, though.

My husband really likes it and thinks I should add it to my "stash" and sell all that stuff at a booth next holiday season. He even wants to "man" the booth :).




It was great actually using up a lot of yarn. Oh, by the way, our foster dogs also helped with that. I woke up one morning to a huge yarn mess in the living room. They had had a ball over night. Fortunately for me, no work in progress was destroyed. Unfortunately for my daughter, she was not as lucky :( ...

Anyway, here is the "left over" leftover stash:


This does, of course, not include the stash of "new" yarns. Yarns are like books. It's hard to resist them in the store, but once you have them at home, they keep staring at you...

Anyway, next project: another pair of socks. Basic stand-by: toe-up. Yarn: Patons Stretch Socks, Mineral:



Three-stitch, two-row pattern:
Row 1: k, k, p
Row 2: k, p, k
repeat


I knit a lot during the bus commute to work. And socks are easy to take along...

Replenishing the depleted stash

Survived Christmas. One more little "craft" gift to show off. I received one of these many years ago and have always wanted to make some. And this year I finally did:



I don't think this is legible, but here is what it says:

This is a very special gift that you can never see. The reason it's so precious is it's just for you from me. Whenever you are lonely, or ever feeling blue, you only have to hold this gift, and know that I love you. You never can unwrap it, please leave the ribbon tied. Just hold the box close to your heart, it's filled with love inside.




Okay, enough with the mushy...

I also finished another pair of short socks (this time for myself!):



Quick toe-up socks. Made with Knit Picks Bare yarn. Very cute and easy to work with. I have found that making a new stitch every fourth stitch in the second to last row gives me enough stretch to get the socks on easily.




Being off for two weeks, and not going anywhere, there is a lot of time for movies and knitting. My goal, aside from replenishing my "gift stash," which has been depleted for Christmas, is to use up my boxes of remnents:





I started out with this artsy purse/bag:



Just a plain front and back purse with three looped cords braided together for a handle.



And pockets sewn on in different places. One around the side, one around the bottom, and one even on the inside.




A pretty bright yellow button. Lots of different fancy and colorful yarns, like Lion Brand's Fun Fur and Fancy Fur in different colors, all kinds of left-over Lily yarns, and whatever else I could find bits and pieces of in my boxes.


I really liked the result. So I decided to continue with the patchwork theme:



Just cast on about 60 stitches on some chunky needles and knit along... Maybe a vest? Or another bag/purse thingy? Who knows...

All I want for Christmas...

... is to get in one more blog before December is over as well (no post in November). Not much blogging, but I did knit. Lots of homemade presents again this year:

Socks for Wanda (who came for just a couple of days, but it was still great to see her!):





Remember the toe-up "circle socks" I made on our road trip around this time last year? The original design was on Ravelry by Anne Campbell. Yarn is Patons Kroy Socks 4 Ply.




Socks for Melanie (our new friend and fellow exchange student host mom):

Oops, it appears, I forgot to take a picture of them before I gave them away. I need to catch her wearing them...

A very simple Lion Brand Fun Fur scarf for her niece, Brianna, who, by the way is a wonderful, beautiful, I-am-running-out-of-adjectives young lady:



A chap stick or lip balm holder with Sugar'n Cream for Theresa:



And presents from the heart (with no material content) for Malinda and Gwen (the two invited me this year to come along on their annual pre-Christmas shopping madness trip - it was one of my best Christmas presents to hang out with them for hours while hunting for some last minute presents), Theresa and Katrina (not knitted, but hand-made, nonetheless):

Oh, and, of course, the usual barrage of cookies for friends and coworkers. This year, I had a lot of help with baking from Theresa, which was fabulous!!! It was so much more fun and so much easier. She loves to bake and decorate, but she also likes to eat cookies :), as do I, of course. Aside from tons of cookies, we also made the most wonderful cheesecake (with a few tweaks: add a little eggnog and reduce the sugar, no extra sugar in the crust, 6 eggs instead of 5 eggs and 2 yokes, and then drip a little eggnog on top, along with a little nutmeg and cinnamon) - a real joint family effort - it was quite cute, the four of us in the kitchen, all doing our part to make this work.

And then Theresa also made a super yummy and very light cake - Maulwurfkuchen - that was gone within minutes :).




Now, if that doesn't look yummy!!!!