hot pads and happy couples

Gift giving can be such a chore sometimes, can't it? Don't get me wrong...it feels so good to give. But what feels so difficult is finding the right gift and the appropriate gift and the gift that won't let someone down. So much pressure! But I've found that in a world where people are increasingly dependent on buying the things they need, a homemade gift is almost always appreciated.

Somehow it seems particularly important for weddings. When I give a homemade gift to a new couple, I feel like I'm giving them something full of love for their home...something that will contribute to the warmth and happiness I hope for them.

I made these hot pads as a little extra something to add to our gift for the wedding we attended this weekend. I used this pattern and this yarn.

And the wedding? A blast! A beautiful bride, delicious food (I ate five slices of watermelon), and a ridiculous amount of dancing. I drank amaretto sours, collected all the extra favors from people who didn't want them, and swung and jumped and clapped as hard as I could during the Italian wedding song. How adorably retro did we look?

You might recognize those photobombers from a past post...

And though I'm no 1950s housewife, I did manage to make use of my project's scraps and make an extra potholder for our own kitchen, since we've been using a few ratty ones for years now.

You can find the granny square pattern here. Then I just crocheted a square backing and stitched everything together.

Hope your weekend was just as enjoyable as ours!