Hello.

     It has been quite a long time since I have frequented this space.   Four years?  That is an awfully long time.
I will admit there have been life events that kept me from blogging.  Kept me from feeling comfortable online.  Kept me from the joy of sharing things that make me happy.  Kept me from having the time to blog when I started feeling comfortable again.

     I am in a better head space now and want to return to this blog.  I really enjoy hearing from you and the ability to inspire each other here.

So, I am back.

     A little different from before.  I want to use this space as more of a place for my business.  I want to document some gardening  and baking or other crafts that don't involve fiber.

     There will still be copious amounts of knitting and crocheting.  I have learned a LOT in the last four years!  I have knit my first sweaters, my first socks, and dabbled in natural fibers. 

Come along with me on this new journey!

There has been a great deal of excitement about unicorns for what seems like ages.  They're in books, movies, home decor, clothing prints, cakes, and now the latest Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino. 

I ask you, "Why shouldn't we be excited about these amazing, mythical creatures?!"  I think they are the  definition of all things magical.  Beautiful, exotic, and just really cool.  So, I've joined the ranks and added my own twist on some unicorn footwear for the littles in your life.

I tried to do a spring photo shoot with these new booties under our apple trees.  The weather has been perfect!  Warm, dappled sun, spring blooms, and best of all the sweet scent of apple blossoms.  It just seemed like THE perfect place and time to take some pictures of some really adorable baby shoes.

I based these shoes on the lovely unicorn cakes that have been trending on Instagram.  You know, the white layered cake with a horn, lashes, and swirled frosting for the mane.  Yea, that one!  I had planned on doing a rainbow theme (and still have intentions to), but with Spring and Easter in season I thought pastels were the perfect color combo right now.  To make these shoes even more irresistible, I've added some glittery/shimmery yarn to the tail and mane.  It's hard to see in the pictures, but trust me it is MAGICAL!

You can find your won pair of Unicorn baby shoes in my Etsy Store.  They come in FOUR sizes and make the most wonderful baby shower gift <3 

Unicorn Baby Shoes

Now that my interests have reached beyond the world of gaming (but still there), I can share my love in other ways.  For example, I can design a hat pattern that exemplifies that love for gaming.  I can share it with YOU and we can all wear our Gamer Love with pride. <3

You can find the pattern for my Gamer Love hat in my Etsy shop!  Head on over and knit yourself, a loved one, an acquaintance, or anyone you know who absolutely loves gaming.  Spread that Gamer Love as much as you can and don't forget to share your creations with me on Instagram @MissNissDesigns  

xoxo

January

I don't usually think much of this month.  In fact, it is probably my least favorite month of the year.  The Christmas festivities are over and all I'm left with is a cold and dreary expanse of time.

During this time I often find myself dreaming, wishing, and begging for something different. Then I remember the old adage of being the change you want to see.

So, I am.

I am taking on this dreary winter and doing something different.  Actively changing my course of unhappy days with gray skies to ones filled with creativity and happiness.

This year I want to create at least ONE new, original pattern.  It is a mighty step for me, but I want to do it.

The Hedgerow Hat is my first pattern of the year.  The hat started as a project in learning new stitches. 
I found a stitch I liked, tinkered with it, and decided to throw it on the double pointed needles to create a hat.  

It took much trial and error to get things exactly right, but it was totally worth it.  After all the designing and reworking the pattern it was time to name the pattern.  As you know, I am always a fan of nature and being inspired BY nature.  I chose a few that might be interesting, though I cannot remember any at the moment.

I took a few days to mull over these few names, but it was an unexpected name that popped into my head  while looking at the ridged lines of my hats.  To me, they look exactly like Hedgerows.

And so there you have it -- My Hedgerow Hat was born!

The Hedgerow hat is a simple, comfy design for all ages. The faux cabling makes the hat look technical, but is a quick weekend knit. Makes a wonderful gift from baby to adult.

There are 5 sizes available in the downloadable pattern that you can find in two locations:
                                                                  Ravelry or Etsy

Head on over and grab the pattern for yourself.  Let me know what you think and share pictures of YOUR finished hats on Instagram with #MissNissDesigns or tagging the business account @MissNissDesigns

Hoping you're all having a spectacular new year <3

Fell a little behind, whoops!   BUT if you were following me on my Instagram account you definitely saw the rest of my creations.  ;)  If not, they're below!

I had a fabulous time working my creative juices last year.  It gave me a lot of new ideas and helped me grow as a knitter/crocheter.  If you share in my craft I would definitely recommend a fun challenge like this as a way to have fun and grow!

Sometimes you just have to be silly.  Meet Octorange.  Hehe.

Today's produce item in the challenge was to make a Pomegranate.  When I whipped mine up I thought it looked a lot like a baby Digimon.  I thought to myself, "Why not add some eyes and a cute little face?"

I have always been a bigger fan of Digimon than Pokemon.  I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because Digimon can talk and interchange between strength levels?  You're not just stuck with the evolved form of your stronger partner like in Pokemon.  There are more intense battles, a heroic story line, and just awesome looking monsters.  Eh, I could go on for quite a while on why I think Digimon is better than Pokemon, but this is not that post.

I give you my OC (original character): Pomegranmon!  Special attack: Seed Gun  >_<  Plus she's super cute.

I LOVE apples.  On our little homestead we have two enormous, old apple trees.  They were one of the reasons we actually bought our house - in my mind anyway.  Every year we enjoy the blossoms in spring, watching the apples swell through the summer, and finally tasting the bounty in autumn.  We make pies, apple sauce, and even added cider into our repertoire last year!  There's nothing better than a good homegrown apple.  Absolute perfection!


I set out on Ravelry to find a cute apple patter that I could make up for the apple challenge.  I ran across this Back-to-School Apple Coasters & Pouch pattern by Maria Bittner.  I thought it was a really cute idea.  Her pattern is very easy to follow and can be used as a stash busting project.  I made my apple a red one and opted for the pouch.  Personally, I think it would be really cute to put small treats in for lunch, used as Valentines, or even a gift for your favorite teacher.

Plums.  What do they make you think of?  For me it's the juicy, complex flavor that comes in high summer.  Or a thick purple jam made from damson plums.  Both are fabulous and have me longing for our trees to mature, so I can enjoy more of them.

Of course, there are many of you who might jump to Sugar Plum Fairies from the ballet.  You know what I'm talking about!  One of the most iconic ballets that is performed around the holiday season - The Nutcracker!

For my plum design I went off that idea and created a Sugared Plum Fairy.  I crocheted a dark purple plum and added a stem and leaf, then I lightly dabbed glue all over and covered it with glitter.  The glitter I used looks a more like large sugar crystals, which is the look I wanted.  The final touch was a set of wings and a hanger made of yarn.

Now I can enjoy seeing it every year on my Christmas tree.  I'll be offering them in shop this year, so you can too!

I love mushrooms.  They're such an amazing organism!  So many different structures and colors.  I mean, even some of the most iconic graphics are mushrooms.  We all know Mario, right?  Mushrooms for health and even little Toad! Adorable.

Ah... I don't, however, like to eat them.

For day 15 of the challenge I made a Mushroom Cap Cushion/Pillow.  I don't have to eat it AND it's super cute.  Nap time just became that much more awesome.  :D