hostess with the mostess

This past weekend, my husband and I traveled to Saratoga Springs, NY for the NOFA-NY Winter Conference. It was a great weekend full of workshops and reunions. Almost all of the interns/farmers from the vegetable farm that we worked with this past season were there! It was nice to catch up and see how our lives off the farm are going. Some of the workshops I went to were: Baking with Local Grains, No-Till Vegetables, Small Farms are Real Farms, Sausages at Home, and Quality Eggs with Pasture Raised Hens. I'm excited to practice some of these methods and values in the future.
Another great part of the weekend was staying with some good friends. We were at their wedding this past summer and they live only fifteen minutes from where the conference was. Even though we weren't an inconvenience to host, I wanted to give a little something as a thank you.
Last week, I found this pattern, crocheted it, and paired it with one of my favorite New York wines. The bag is made with Sugar 'n Cream yarn using a J hook.

The bag does stretch a little when being used, but with the half double crochet stitch used throughout, the bag keeps its shape pretty well. I have been trying to give handmade gifts as much as I can because I think they are extremely thoughtful. Knowing that the person who made it, took the time and had the other person in mind. 

Even the littlest handmade gift or card holds a great amount of love.