Cake Topper

I saw this cake topper on Pinterest a while back:

It's available for purchase at Etsy. While I love it, at $300 it was well outside my budget. But I just couldn't get it out of my head. I loved it so much I wouldn't settle for something else. So I made a trip to the craft store and pulled out the hot glue gun and ~6 hours later: 

This is something I will keep forever. I used several costume pieces I had "inherited" from my grandmother, a plastic teddy bear barrette from childhood, silk flowers, and lots and lots and lots of beads. Bonus points if you spot the ballerina! 

Out of respect to the original crafter, I will not post a tutorial for this project. I don't think doing so would be ethical.

Project Yarnway Feb-Apr 2012

I participated in a challenge or two of the original Project Yarnway in 2010, and then observed from the sidelines for the rest of 2010 and 2011. This year, it's back, it's in different hands, and it's evolved.

This year, each challenge lasts three months instead of the original one. Themes are voted for, and are then combined with three random words from the "stash" to create the challenge. So I threw my hat in the ring.

I intended to knit a capulet to wear with my wedding dress. I was a bit ambitious. Lace-weight yarn in a loose, poncho-like style meant 696 stitches per round. It was as slow as molasses, but it's finally done! I was a day late, but the project is now more of a challenge than a contest, so it's okay.