Criss Cross makes me want to jump

After three (very long) weeks of having these two projects sitting in my basket, waiting on the perfect buttons and a surge of motivation, I have finally finished two pairs of...

Criss Cross Baby Ankle Boots!

These boots are inspired by Mon Petit Violon's Polka Dot Mary Baby Mary Janes, for which the pattern is available in her Etsy shop. Like all of her patterns, I love these high top Mary Janes, and I made a pair last year while on vacation:

However, I wanted to combine the idea of the criss cross in these Mary Janes with an ankle boot. I didn't want it to be too tall, so I made a short ankle and I closed the boot on the bridge of the foot.

I made a pair in grey (with a charcoal button) and a pair in pistachio green (with an amazingly mustardy yellow wooden button!):

My bestest crochet friend M. threw around button ideas with me, and I found these amazing charcoal buttons at her suggestion! Then I looked around in my stash and decided on the mustard yellows for the green pair after holding a button debate session at last night's Madrid Knits! yarn circle.

They are both live on my Etsy shop. The green pair is here and the grey pair is here. I am in love with this design!

I modified the design slightly between each pair, placing the criss cross higher up on the grey pair than on the green pair. I'm still not sure which I like better. What do you think?

Madrid Knits! yarn circle in Madrid

Last week, a member of a Facebook group that I am in asked whether or not there are any knitting or crocheting circles in Madrid. Another member pointed us all towards Madrid Knits!, a yarn circle that meets every week near the Santiago Bernabeu football stadium.

I was so excited about finding a group of yarnies that I wasted no time in packing up my yarn and making my way to the class on Friday evening! I had a great time getting to know all of the men and women of Madrid Knits! and I even finished a bunny crochet hat based on this pattern.

I love this pattern from Sunset Crochet on Etsy!

I still have to sew the ears on the bunny hat from Friday, but here is another one that I made last month:

You can join Madrid Knits! every Friday night (and the first Saturday of each month) if you are in the Madrid area! Here are the details:

Who: Madrid Knits! yarn circle
When: every Friday night from 17:00-21:00
Where: Starbucks, calle Pedro Teixeira, 8 (barrio Tetuán)
How: Just show up, add your name in the notebook and say hello! There are lots of English-speaking members, and it is a great chance to practice your Spanish! (There are also members that speak Dutch and Portuguese!)
Why: You need some motivation to finish that latest project, you want the inside on great yarn shops in Madrid, or you are just looking to meet some guys and gals who share your hobby for yarn crafting!

You can check out a weekly report of Madrid Knits on their blog: Madrid Knits!