Not Your Everyday Princess

Warning!!!! Today’s post is heavy with cuteness overload in the form of pictures.  Proceed at your own risk!

When I was a little girl I was a lot like other little girls.  I loved to play dress up and I pretended to be a princess.  But my friends would always tell me that I had to be the prince instead because I acted more like a boy.

Okay, I guess I may have been a bit of tomboy when it came to playtime.  But I still loved to dress up!

Growing up in the 80s I don’t remember princesses being so pink and glittery. Maybe they were but I don’t remember it.  I remember princesses like Leia in Star Wars who fought alongside the boys. She will always have a special place in my heart.

When I saw this tutorial from Stuff Susie Made for a Princess Leia Blankie, I knew I had to make it.

I have 3 girls of my own and I hope that I have always taught them that if they want to be princesses then that is fine.  But be a princess who is try to yourself.

The youngest is a little old for a blankie but she has claimed this project as her own.  She says its her new dolly.

She loves to hijack my photo shoots.

And it does my crafter’s heart good to see my work loved and appreciated.

Check out the tutorial for that special Princess lover in your life if you’d like.

Most of all keep on crafting!

Swirly Leaves Beanie

Last night we had to turn the heat on.  This morning when I drove the kids to school I used my heated seats.  That can only mean one thing......It’s Fall!!!

Fall means many things to different people.  For some it’s football season, for my kids it’s marching band season.  For some it’s all things pumpkin, for others it’s all things apple.

One thing that we generally all agree on is leaves!

I live just miles away from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and every October we are overrun with people who come to see the leaves change colors.

I love to see the mountains alive with color but in my own yard I love to see swirling, dancing leaves as they perform their yearly ballet from the tree limbs to the ground.

(My husband says I love them because I’m not the one who rakes them, but whatever.)

It is inevitable that as much as I love the falling of the leaves that I would design a hat that could simulate the feeling.

The result is my Swirly Leaves Beanie.

After I finished all my Red Regiment orders I was still in the mood to do a few more beanies.  But I was definitely a little tired of working with red and black.  I needed some of those beautiful colors of nature.

I also wanted to give the design movement like the dancing of swirling leaves.

I love the effect of the color changes of the yarn and the swirls of the design together.

My samples were knit with Caron Simply Soft.  The black is in the Solids line, the oatmeal is in their Heathers?, and the orange is an Ombre.

I hope you love it as much I loved designing it.

If you are interested, the pattern is available for purchase in my Etsy shop or on Ravelry.

Now I’m off to reclaim a beanie from one of my girls and maybe, just maybe I’ll venture out to help my husband with those leaves.  Or maybe not (most of them are still on the trees right now). 

Maybe he’ll join me for a cup of hot apple cider on the back porch and watch the leaves dance for us.

I think that’s a much better idea.