What's new, pussycat?

Or, werewolf? Here's what's up...

Imprint Pillow is finished and is being test knit as we speak!! I finally conquered it with a duplicate stitch. Yay me!!




I've started my Jane voodoo doll. I hope I can pull it off! I'm also still working on the Cullen Blanket.

Oh, and I got a WONDERFUL swap package yesterday from my Twilight Swap partner, Emberchyld. Lookie!!

WIPs

So, here's the scoop on what's on the needles...

First off, here's a preview of the first side of the Imprint pillow.




Next the Rosalie panel for the blanket. Embroidery to come! Each panel will be a different color, with a different symbol for each member.

Thanks, Mel!

The book wins! I'm working on Panel One for the blanket. Rosalie's panel, to be exact. :) Pictures to come, surely. These are big panels, so they'll take a lot of time. Wish me luck!

Priorities - Advice anyone?

Okay, if anyone's out there, please help! What would you do?

I've got a few projects to finish for the book. I gave everyone a deadline of November 30. The projects I've got are:

- A blanket, made of 9 squares, with possible embroidery, and crocheted together.
- A pillow - basically 2 large-ish squares. One in a fur, and one in a solid color with a small bit of colorwork OR embroidery.
- A doll, maybe. (Right now I think that's the one thing I'll drop.)

Now, I also have an opportunity to make some money. Next Tuesday and Wed. there will be a boutique, and if I can knit up a few things, I can sell them. However, all I've got right now is ONE hat. To finish enough to really sell seems crazy. I'd have 8 days to do maybe 3 more hats, and I was hoping for a few dolls, but that seems utterly impossible right now. *sigh*

An experiment

I'm part of a swap, and wanted to make something for my partner. Fingerless gloves/mitts seems to be a big thing (I'd never made them before), so I figured I'd make some for her. I thought it might be cool if they matched the Tourniquet Scarf, so I found an easy pattern and modified it for these. They're not amazing. They're my first shot, but I think they look okay, and hopefully they'll keep her hands warm. :)

Just in case she doesn't, I'm sending yarn, too. :P

Audacity!

I finished my "Audacity" scarf! IT's actually a "Chevron Scarf" but done with "Audacity" yarn. The yarn is dyed by Blackbunny fibers, and a % of the proceeds went to the Obama campaign! I'll wear it on election day. :)

Pics

Blood and Wool

So, I'm calling this scarf "Tourniquet"... Can you guess why? :)

I'm almost 2/3 done. I don't know if I like the edge. It's supposed to be "holey" so that it looks sort of like someone bit holes in it. It's curling, though. I'm going to experiment. I don't mind the curling, and will attempt to iron/steam it out. I'm not sure if it would bug anyone else wanting to make the pattern, so maybe I'll just leave it. Anyone with comments, please share them!

Adventures in Felting (or not)

Well, for my first felting project EVAH, I chose some felted potholders for my grandmother. I followed the instructions. My first one ended up measuring about 12.5 x 12.5 before felting. See picture.

Well, here's the thing... I have a front loader. Not so ideal for felting, apparently. So, after 2 short cycles, it hadn't budged much, so I ended up felting it by hand. O.M.G. What a royal pain in the butt. At least I got an upper arm workout. It still doesn't look quite right, but at least it's a little smaller (10 x 10) Perhaps it'll be a hot plate or trivet instead of a potholder.

My second try is in the washer now. It just looks like the giants slightly smaller brother. *sigh* Luckily, my grandmother has a good sense of humor.


ooh... ps - I'm working on writing a knitting book. More info to come.

Ravelympics!!

So, I've joined the "Twilight" team on Ravelry for their knitting Olympics! I'm working on finishing the fairy I started aeons ago, making a drawstring pouch, and some felted potholders to put IN the pouch for my grandmother's birthday. I have to finish it all before the torch goes out, and I still don't have the wool yarn for the potholders. (They're in the mail.)

Wish me luck! I'll post updates!

Wow. It's been too long!!

I haven't knit on a regular basis in sooo long! :(

Here's an update.

The fairy went for $65. The doll went for $25. The hats went for - actually, I don't know. I do know that a few people were bidding back and forth, but I don't think I found out the last numbers. The knitting basket went for $100, and the HP basket I made with knit bookscarves went for over $100. Yay!

I am currently working on another fairy, and my first pair of little socks for my 2 year old daughter. :)

After that, I'm going to make some more dolls, and maybe try to design a few hats for a Boutique coming up in the Fall. This, of course, takes some actual knitting on my part, so we'll see.

A Tisket a Tasket

I put together a knitting basket. If you didn't knit, but wanted to, would you bid? :)

Pics:





What's in it?





“Knitting for Dummies”
“Kids Knitting”
“Fashionable Projects for New Knitters”
A small pattern book on dishcloths
3 cotton skeins for the dishcloths
4 bulky wool blend skeins for projects in either book
3 worsted weight skeins for projects in either book
size 8 bamboo straights
size 10 kid’s needles
a small spool
2 tapestry needles
a retractable measuring tape
a Susan Bates guide
stitch markers
a stitch holder
a blank notebook
a certificate for an hour of “knitting instruction” from me.

Don't try this at home

So, if you read my last post, you know I frogged an item, and tried to knit a hat. Well, knitting a hat on size 7 needles that you frogged from size 6 needles is not a good idea. Plus, it's been 2 years. Talk about TIGHT KNIT. *sigh*... Look. Just look for yourself and see how horrid this hat was turning out. *pout*

Lumpy, bumpy


Holey Moley


Kinkalicious (not)


So, I'm using the remaining yarn from the original hank that was unused, but in case it isn't enough, I spent some time steaming the kinks out. Not perfect, but much better.


Ugh. Well, that was a valuable, time-wasting lesson.

Ribbit!

So, when I was pregnant with Maddie, I started making a little teeny blue cardigan just in case she was a boy. Well, I didn't finish it, and she turned out to be a girl, and I just never got around to finishing it.

Who knows when I'll need to make a sweater for a baby boy (certainly won't be for MY kids), so I frogged the sleeve and back of the sweater and am putting them to use in a "boyish" hat, since my husband doesn't think the pastel hats I've made are for boys. *sigh* So, there will hopefully be 2 "girly" hats and one "boyish" hat at the auction, so I'm not seen as discriminatory. :P

Hopefully I'll have pictures soon.

Ron Weasley

He's done!! Lookie!!

He has no clothes, but he has a scarf, so he doesn't have to be nakey! (Well, not completely.) Notice his bellybutton is unravelling. lol!




I'm on the head part of Gracie's "Dorothy" and have just started an unnamed babe for the auction. Woohoo!!

Holy sheep!

So, I don't know how it happened, but my house is just littered with yarn. Seriously. It's in at least 5 rooms in the house. Problem is, I take it out, intending to knit with it, and then get distracted and never put it away. Nevermind that the closet where 1/2 of it is stashed is VERY hard to get in and out of. Oh well. The husband hasn't complained about it yet, so I'm not going to sweat it.

So, without further adoo, here it is:

In the closet


My "fun" yarn - sparkly, fuzzy, knobby:


Yarn for Harry Potter projects (Gryffindor and Slytherin colors)


Yarn for hats & dolls (babes). Notice the fuzzy pink yarn on the left. It'll be fairy hair. The beautiful oranges on the right will be mermaid hair.


Christmas-y yarns:


Basket full o' yarn and unfinished objects. Greenish yarn on the bottle is for mermaid tail.


And, my knitting "bag" - it's sturdy, stands on it's own, and I can take it anywhere. Take note of the babe in progress.


Another knitting bag I use, made by my friend, Jen:


And finally, some nostalgia... my first knitting bag, circa 1981. I was 12. :)

Yet more hats!

Okay, here is the latest I'm working on...



It's the same pattern as the other Pastel Marley, but in a different combo of colors. I'm about 1/2 way done.

And the smaller petal hat (with only one petal sewn on):


I got permission from the author of the patterns to use them for the auction, so I'm excited!

Next up is the scarf/bookmarks, and then I'm going to start making babes again! I'm inspired! Gracie wants that mermaid I've wanted to make her, and Maddie wants a Ron Weasley doll. LOL!

Another hat

Yay!  I finished the Marley hat!  I'm very happy with how it turned out.  The only part I'm not thrilled with is the back, where all the colors came together.  I mean, it looks fine if it's in the back, but I can tell, kwim?  I'm going to try to sew in one of my tags to the back, so they never try to put it on backwards.  lol

Remember this?

I'll refresh your memory. Here's the hat I started a year ago, for the auction:

Vertical Striped Hat

Well, I decided to finish it and see how it looks. I probably won't send it to auction, but it looks cute (not perfect, but cute).





I also need to just seam up the elf hat, and weave in the seams of the striped Marley hat. :) I like being productive. It's been a while.

Works in Progress

Okay here's what I'm currently working on. Took these today.

Multicolored hat. I got the pattern from "Itty Bitty Hats" by Susan B. Anderson. It's called "Pastel Marley." I changed the color scheme a bit, and I think it's turning out super cute! :)



The other hat is this "Tea Cozy" elf hat from "Charmed Knits."

It's supposed to be a hat when it's finished, but Gracie and Maddie think it's a skirt. :)



The pic doesn't do it justice. The green is much prettier in person.

Hopefully I'll be able to post a finished pic of the green one tomorrow, and the Marley in a few days!

Gracie's First Projects

So, a couple of days ago, Gracie was watching me knit, and told me she wanted me to teach her. Now, about a year ago, when she was 3 1/2 I tried, but it was frustrating. So, I looked up a few things online and decided to bite the bullet and see how we do.

Yesterday, I got out my size 10 wood needles and some colorful yarn, and we made a "scarf" for her doll. I cast on the stitches, then we knit together for the first row, and then she attempted the second row herself. We bound off together. Here's the finished product. She decided later to call it a caterpillar. :)



Today, I tried to teach myself to finger knit first. When I figured out it was pretty easy, I taught her. She got the hang of it and deemed it easier than doing it with needles. We knit the first few rows together, and she did the rest on her own for the most part, with a little guidance from me.



I have to say, she's just like Mama. She has great plans for all sorts of things she wants to knit, including a sweater for her big brother. lol

I just ordered some yarn

for the little house scarf bookmarks I'm going to make. I"m also going to make either a house hat, or beret. If they end up cute, one may go in the basket. (I'm making a Harry Potter basket for our school auction.)

Since the flower hat turned out cute, I'm going to finish the one I started MONTHS ago. It's in a brighter fuschia-ish pink. (Scroll down to "This hat will be the death of me" and you'll see the pink I'm talking about in the second picture.) I think the white petals will "pop" against the bright pink.

I also bought some yarn to make a 'house elf" tea-cozy hat. It is a very easy hat that should knit up quick. I've been asked to do one of the dollies (see below), but they're very labor intensive, and I can't sew yet, so we'll see. :P

More to come, I promise!

Flower Hat

Here it is. Finally.

In progress, before adding the petals:


I wanted to try it on Gracie, because I made it for a 4.5 year old, but she had a little fit, so I tried it on Maddie. Maddie does have a big noggin for a 2 year old, lol, but there was still some room.

I have to say, she said, "I'll try it on Mama. It won't mess my hair. It'll be okay."





Now the only question is will K even be able to wear it. It is cotton, so it's not super hot, but if Winter is over in Texas, this may end up at the auction.

I am trying to figure out a way to sew the ears on the other hat. I'm having some difficulty with it. I'll work on it tonight, and hopefully have pics tomorrow.

EDITED TO ADD PICS. Gracie decided to be agreeable.

Gracie's got a smallish to average size head for a 4.5 year old. She always ran in the 50%. It's a little big on her. And it shrunk a bit in the wash.

Space for Rent

Ack! I haven't been keeping up here at ALL! I stink!

Well, I'm about ready to post pictures of the bear hat and daisy hat I made for Kalina & Keoni. (It's about time, right? Ugh.) After that, I'll be starting some new projects. I was supposed to make other hats for people, but that didn't work out. I guess now would be the time to ask if they still wanted them.

I know here, we could use hats for a little while longer, but maybe those folks back East/Midwest could use them longer? I have no idea, actually. I suppose I should ask.

Then, I'll be starting stuff for the yearly Auction in April, and I just bought a book called "Charmed Knits" (stuff inspired by Harry Potter)... I'm so excited to start something from that book!!

So, anyway, if anyone's reading this... more to come, soon!