Found this pattern while hunting for ideas on what to do with my growing collection of handspun yarns. It looked like a fun one and was recommended for single ply handspuns! Instead of digging through my handspun yarns, I ended up using one of my recent yarn purchases...and voila! Another pair of mitts (13 of 50) for my sis. I love the colours and I hope she'll have fun wearing them.
I've been wanting to play with kisslock frames for ages. Finally gave in to temptation and ordered a couple of frames to experiment with. After trawling the internet for tutorials, I ended up drafting my own pattern for the clutch. The sewing bit worked out just fine, but I think I'll have to splurge on getting the recommended glue for use with the kisslock frames. Apparently, E-6000 is good for many things but certainly not the best adhesive for this particular project. The little clutch (12 of 50) is off to live with my mama, but I'll be making another for myself pretty soon! 
This bag (11 of 50) was made for a swap using a picture that my partner had in her list of favourite things. It's so much fun trying to reconstruct a bag based on a picture :)
My local yarn store sure knows how to make a sale. They sent out birthday coupons for 20% off yarn purchases. Sucker that I am, I brought home a wee bit of yarn to play with. For whatever reason, this time round, I seem to be drawn to yarns by the Plymouth Yarn Company. I adore their Happy Feet sock yarns! I know I'm supposed to be in destash mode. But, but, but...I've already used one of the skeins I bought for a project!
Something (10 of 50) for the nephew...who is incredibly difficult to craft for and loves sushi. Found this pattern and thought it was rather clever! Hopefully, he'll see the humour in this!
All the bits and pieces of the fishy...
Aw, cute fish!
Oh no, it's now sushi?!?
And here's a little something (9 of 50) I whipped up for the girly girl niece. I've been saving cute scraps of fabric and the tiny bits were perfect for covering metal buttons! I did have a helluva time removing the metal shanks attached to the button. If I make another batch, I'm buying the button kits with flat backs! 
I've been crafting in my mind...envisioning what I need to do to make an awesome mug rug (8 of 50) for my swap partner. After reviewing her answers to my questions (more than twice, I might add), here's what I came up with. Gnome...check. Colour match to kitchen decor (since she indicated that mug rug will actually serve as a coffee press rug)...check. Requested size of not to exceed 7" square...check.
Embroidery WIP
Embroidered gnome
As I was embroidering the gnome, this was the story in the back of my mind...
Larry is your average variety garden gnome. It has been rumored that he is a charity shop rescue, but he insists that he hails from Target (or was it Wal-Mart?). He is not happy with life in the chilly northwest. “Ah the cold weather is making me miserable,” he moaned. “There are icicles in my beard and my nose is redder than Rudolph’s!” The harsh winter conditions have taken a toll on his usually sunny disposition. Larry has decided that it is time to make a few changes in his life. He will be a garden gnome…no more! His plan is to spend the rest of his life, snuggled under the warmth of a coffee press (or teapot if it comes to that). He does not mind being squished…not if it means moving down south for good!
Front view
Close-up
Back view
The sewing bit for the mug rug was a breeze (what can I say...I love to sew!) but the embroidery bit was less fun. I kept things simple...but sometimes, simple is good. I hope my partner likes it!
Here are a couple of practice mug rugs (7 of 50) that I made recently. The mug rug with the pink binding is a scrappy selvedge piece (I've been wanting to work with selvedges for the longest time!) and the other mug rug is a collection of some of my favourite fabrics in green hues.
I like to think of them as mini quilts...because let's face it, I'm probably never gonna complete a full-size quilt in this lifetime. Here's the equation I'm talkin' about:
Large project + Short attention span = Dusty abandoned WIP
But I digress. What exactly are mug rugs? Essentially, they're glorified coasters, and size-wise, they're bigger than conventional coasters (big enough to serve as a mini placemat for a cuppa tea and a biscuit). The approximate measurements for my mug rugs are 6" by 8". So how well do these work? It looks just about right for a normal size mug, but I might have to make larger ones for monster mugs (i.e. my favourite mug, aka the soup mug)! 
I have one more to crank out for a mug rug swap. And these two mug rugs are leaving my craftroom soon. One will find a warm and cosy abode down south, and the other will be headed north (hopefully warmed by toasty mugs of tea).
Fingerless mitts (6 of 50) made with this pattern for my sis! During the last trip out West, we visited an awesomely huge local yarn store (aptly named Yarn Garden). My sis is not one who wanders into a yarn store on any given day, so it was lovely watching her paw through various shelves of yarn. Knitting is a tactile craft...and much pleasure is derived from selecting a favoured yarn for a project. While I was on a mission to find some cute sock yarns, my sis selected a skein of Classic Elite Inca Alpaca in the Morning Glory colourway for me to play with. 
The yarn was wonderful to work with but it's probably not the best yarn for cable work. The finished mitts lack stitch definition but they are oh-so-soft!
I had fun knitting them for her, and I really hope she enjoys using her new mitts!