knitting ... chunky lace shrug

I made this chunky lace shrug for my sister. It did turn out a little bit bigger than I wanted, 

but otherwise I am very happy with it. Here is the one I made for myself...

I love this, because the structure of this shrug is about as easy as can be! It is knit in a long rectangle,

with the sides stitched up to made the arm holes. So really, you can do any kind of knit pattern! 

I have also made one for my mom and I am sure I will make more, trying different patterns.

Also, I enjoyed making this with chunky yarn, as it took even less time to work up.

Here is the pattern I used...

knitting | summer shrug in shades of coral

I bought this yarn from a shop in Denver a year ago... I didn't have a plan for it at the time, but I mostly bought it because I loved the variations of coral and how soft it is. I think the pattern I chose ended up being perfect for it. I have a feeling I will be wearing this shrug often over the summer. It is a cute way to cover up a bit, yet still keep cool enough on those hot summer days. I have some ideas for making more and I want to try some other shrug patterns too!

Pattern found on Ravelry...

knitting | yellow lace slouchy hat

Well, I finished my second attempt at my slouchy yellow lace hat & I am happy to say it was successful!

The first time around I followed the pattern but the hat didn't end up being deep enough for me. I had a

 second skein of this pretty yarn, so I decided to try it again, making it deeper and now I am in love with 

the results. I still plan to tweak this pattern a little bit to get it exactly how I would like it, but in general 

it is such a pretty & easy pattern. Here is the original pattern that I used.

Also, I recently designed a cute new tote bag with a favorite Jane Austen quote printed on it! I bought a plain canvas bag from Hobby Lobby and then I printed my design on to iron-on transfer paper and after a bit of ironing I had a cute new tote for all of my current knitting projects. Easy! 

My new tote is very helpful because lately I have been going knitting once a week with a couple of ladies that I go to church with. They are both talented knitters, so I am excited to learn a few things from them & just be encouraged to knit more. One of my goals is to try more challenging projects... I think next up they will be teaching me the magic loop method... I already have a pattern in mind to try, from the book Lace One-Skein Wonders. I borrowed the book from one of the ladies & I love so many of the patterns in it. It is definitely a book I will be buying for myself soon!

The Jane Austen quote design that is on my tote bag is available as a print in my shop...

knitting | yellow lace hat

I am pretty excited about my current knitting project... it is going to be a slouchy hat, in a lace knit pattern! 

The yarn is Lion Brand Nature's Choice in "mustard", which I found on clearance at JoAnn's a while ago. 

I was so excited to find it, because I love this yarn!!! The color is so pretty & so far it is knitting up beautifully. 

The pattern I am using is found here. It is very easy, knits fast & I love the way it looks, especially with this yarn. 

I can't wait to see & try on the finished product!! 

new "mini knit bow headbands" in my shop!

I have just added a new collection of Mini Knit Bow Headbands to my shop! Yay!!

(These are a mini version of my original design, which is still for sale here.)

On these mini headbands, the bands are about a 1/2" wide & the bows are about 3".

They are perfect for newborns to 3 months, but could be custom made for any size.

They would make great props for baby photo sessions! Cute!

And they come in really pretty new colors, that are perfect for spring!!

If I didn't have spring fever before, I do now...   :)

{ visit my shop }

new knits in my shop

They are chunky, cozy, soft, & warm!

{ visit my shop }

snapshots from lately

My cute doggie laying on my bed    &    planning for September... Yay!!

I have been knitting a lot more lately... This hat is for a special little girl!! :)

Last Sunday, my church had a "church in the park" day! It was perfect!

I am excited for fall, but it still feels very much like summer around here.

The simple pleasures... watercoloring fall leaves  &  eating dark chocolates...

And... taking pictures of roses  &  eating mini-muffins!!  :)

This week I decided to bake cinnamon-swirl bread!! It turned out good, but I want to try it again before I share the recipe... 

Snapshots via Instagram

follow me @ sarah_brightside

knitted bow baby headbands

New colors now available in my ETSY shop...

happy august + blog inspiration

One of my favorite blogs is Dear Friend... 

Rebekka's blog is filled with lovely photos & her own hand-painted illustrations... She is such a talent! 

Each month she shares a beautiful calender that she has created for anyone to download for their desktop. 

Awesome!! So, I thought I would share her creation with you on this lovely 1st day of August!!!

Aren't the little tomatoes so cute?!?!

Head over to her blog to download this for your own desktop!

Also, she creates these beautiful home illustrations for people... they are so cute!!

And here are a few more things that I love from her blog...

<<<    visit her lovely blog & etsy shop   >>>

handmade granny-square pillow...

 For my birthday (earlier this month), my sister got me this new duvet cover from Ikea! The pillows I had were not quite right with it, so I decided to crochet my own granny-square pillow... & today I finished it!!

I love the way it looks with the stripes & it will be even better when I finish my granny-square blanket...

& Here is a close up of the wall art that is above my bed... I love this wall! 

about each item...

The flower photo was taken from a calendar by Alica Bock.

The floral heart print is by Rifle Paper Co.

The vases & camera are vintage.

The "love" quote (by Oscar Hammerstein) is painted on a fabric-covered canvas.

The two small frames in the upper left are vintage stamps.

I used fabric & a doilies in the embroidery hoops.

The yellow flowers are from JoAnn's.

The little black & white photo is a behind-the-scenes photo from Roman Holiday.

:)

photos from this week...

photos from this week...

{1} granny-squares update: 74

{2} coral nail polish

{3} started new Bible study!!

{4} green apples

{5} planting flowers

I definitely have spring fever right now & apparently, I either have allergies or a cold too... I have sneezed so many times today. Yuck. But it has still been a good week!! Mainly because I just started a new Beth Moore Bible study, on James! I am a couple of days into the homework and so far, so good!! It has already shown me a new perspective on Jesus' life & I know I will learn a lot! I love her studies!! Has anyone ever done any of her studies before? Also... I have a couple of really yummy recipes to share soon! One of them is with the green apples & it's amazing!!! Can't wait to share it! :)

Hope everyone is having a good week!!

a few photos, lately...

my new baby hats have been added to my etsy shop...

snapshots from my weekend...

...my sister & i made cute valentine sugar cookies! yumm!

...my doggie begging for a sugar cookie!! we made her one shaped like a dog bone & she loved it!

& i got out my knitting needles to work on a new baby hat! :)