Beads!

I was sitting in my knitting room a few weeks back, looking around and thinking about what to make next.  I have so many ideas for projects I would like to make and I have to admit, way too large a stash of yarn to choose from - I have a hard time deciding what pattern to use, what colours to make it with, what size .....  I want to make everything and I want to make it all NOW!  

And my eyes landed on a little pot of beads I have and the idea hit me - knit with some beads! 

And now honestly, who doesn't think of Beads when one thinks of New Orleans? Beads are just one of those iconic things that automatically come to mind when you think N'awlins - Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, Jazz....... Beads!

I have never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but I do have quite a collection of beads.  AND, for those of you with "Enquiring Minds" - NO - I have never bared any body parts to get any beads!  I have my Saints Beads and my Margaritaville beads, plain old beads from the French Market, and believe it or not - Oktoberfest beads from the (what else?) Oktoberfest parade we saw on Bourbon street -- it was so much fun to watch!   

Don't you just love seeing the tractors on Bourbon Street? 

And of course, every souvenier shop has thousands of beads to choose from.....all colours - all sizes - some naughty and many nice...

And no matter what time of year it is, you will find the trees on St. Charles Avenue festively adorned with beads tossed from Mardi Gras floats in February.

You can see trees like this all down St. Charles Avenue while riding on the Streetcar.  In summer, they are more hidden by the foliage, but the glimpses of bright shiny colours through the leaves bring a smile to my face!

Now, back to knitting....

I made a summer dress/jumper in a black acrylic yarn with a raised stripe in muted green, blue and lavender.  There is a small triangle of multicoloured glass  beads that echo the colours of the stripes on the bodice of the dress.  There is a matching headband with three beads.

And, I have made two pairs of infant socks.  The first pair is almost like a little ankle bootie with a scalloped edging with opalescent beads incorporated into the edging.

This second pair has a folded over ribbed top with various colours of glass beads worked into the ribbing.

These and other new items will be listed in my Etsy Shop (find the link on this page) before the end of this week! 

And now that I have put that in writing, I cannot procrastinate any more!  Gotta go!

Summer Knitting

Picture taking is the very hardest part of working on-line!  I took some pictures of a couple of new items that I have made for summer Funky Babies, but I don't feel they are good enough to post on my Etsy Shop.  I have included them here, just to prove that they actually exist! 

I do enjoy working with the bright colour combinations.  The blue, green and yellow is a halter dress in a 12-18 month only size.    I remember finding a couple of halter dresses for my youngest daughter when she was about this age and adored the look.  I was disappointed when she grew out of them.  That was my inspiration for changing the pattern that I used for the coral, blue and yellow top with the ties at the shoulders into a halter design.   It also has some lacing at the back to adjust the snugness.   Both of them come with matching brimmed hats to help keep the sun off those precious funky baby faces. 

After a few days of beautiful weather, the mugginess has returned.  Probably time to close the windows and get the AC going.  Such is life in Niagara in the summer!

Well, I need to try to decide what to make next.....

Have a great weekend everyone!