FO: Super Sekret Mug Rug

Now that I know this has made its way to the intended recipient--the lovely and Ritzy Experimental Katie-- I can blog about it a bit.

Kittens, I made a mug rug. A mini quilt meant to hold your cuppa... and maybe a treat or two. There's an entire group dedicated to swapping them over on Flickr, and after staring at one after another gorgeous mug rug, I decided to take a crack at it. Since Katie's birthday was coming up around that time--and I just happened to be working on a quilt with purple (one of her favorite colors)--I went to work.

These are a great way to use up little bits and pieces of scraps. I decided to make mine with a mini Courthouse block (not surprising considering I've made so many lately...) and a garden gnome, since Katie is so fond of them. It's actually quite different then I originally envisioned, but I had to change plans as I went. This project was a definite learning experience. (And in case anyone is wondering, yes, the hat is made of some felted knitting. That was the first knitting I had done all month. It's Malabrigo but SHHHH! Don't tell the bat squad, OK?)

Binding something this small proved to be a bit tricky, but thanks to this tutorial, I made it through OK.

I'm pretty sure there will be more of these in my future.