Very cool sheepy video!

I’ve Been Busy!

I have been absent from posting on my blog for some time now, but I have good reason! I have been very crafty lately! It seems the end of the Christmas rush and the new freedom to create on my own time and with no deadlines or schedules has released a crafty side to me I haven’t seen in some time! I have been sewing, knitting and lots of other things for the past two months and enjoying every moment. It is sure nice not to feel like I HAVE to do something. Oh, and it is also wonderful to craft for myself finally, too! So, here are a few items I have recently made! Enjoy!

First up, a pincushion. The base of this cap from a 2 liter bottle, so they can help with scale. I got the idea and instructions from the book “Pretty Little Pincushions“. This was made with cotton fabric and felt with some embroidery floss holding it together and stuffed with some fiberfill.

On my personal journal, several friends set up a bit of a crafting swap. One of the people I am crafting for is a sewer. So, she is also getting a pincushion. This is made of two pieces of fabric from the same group as the quilting fabric above (I think they are fat eighths?) and embroidery floss. And I am also playing with polymer clay a bit and made the button in the center.

And here is more with the polymer clay – pins to go with the pincushion!

My daughter recieved a Baby Alive for Christmas. One of my biggest issues was that they come with disposable, one time use diapers. And the replacement diapers are ridiculously priced! My children wore cloth diapers, so why not make some cloth diapers for Baby Alive? (This is one of two I made. Very simple – an old terry changing table cover on the inside, flannel on the outside with velcro closure. No elastic needed.)

And what cloth diapered baby wouldn’t be complete without their own wool soaker? This was a pattern I just winged. Knit from Lion Wool.

I finally knitted my daughter the ballet slippers she has been asking for! These are from the Twinkletoes pattern on Knitty.com.

And so you don’t think I only knitted for my daugther, here is a very simple scarf for my son. He had seen us putting scarves on and wanted one, too, so I did this one. It is simple garter stitch with slipped stitches on the edges in Wool-Ease.

Now this knitted gem is a gift for DH. See, he is a long distance runner and, well, the extremities get cold when it is as cold outside as our winter has been. And he has gloves, hats and socks, but, well, something else was needed, so, I had to step in. This is knitted from Queer Joe’s Willy Warmer pattern (with his modifications.)

Now, please excuse the quality of this picture. It is taken in our mirror in the office and I didn’t realize how dirty it was! Ack! But I wanted to show you the skirt I made for myself! I used a gorgeous embroidered fabris I found at JoAnn’s before Christmas and Simplicity pattern #4236. Love the way this turned out!

One day, my son got upset because my daughter was getting all dressed up in her tutu. I decided he needed something all his own. So, with a few moments to spare and some fabric, he got a little superhero cape! I just winged the pattern. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to make the neck a bit more rounded so it would lay better. I plan to add a big black letter to the back for his name eventually, but he wouldn’t take it off after I tried it on him! (Excuse his messy hair, please! He just woke from a nap!)

And finally, socks! These are for my best friend as part of a deal we made. Last summer she sent some fruit from Florida and I promised her some socks. This is the first pair. It took me forever to find just the right pattern, but I love the way these turned out! I am planning to dye yarn for the second pair and they will be more solid in color, so it should be easier to find a pattern I like. These are made from Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in amythest (although this is a mill end I got from Jimmy Bean’s Wool.) The pattern is the Anastasia Sock from Pepperknit. Simple, easy to memorize pattern and fun to do!

Now, if you can believe it, all of that was crafted in January and February! I also realized I don’t have pictures of several other projects (some Christmas decorations for next year) and I have finished one of a pair of fingertip gloves for myself and haven’t photographed this yet, either! Oh, and I also made some clothes for my daugther’s doll, too! I will get pics of those eventually! Plus I have an iPod cozy on the needles that I cast on today. So, yea, it has been a very productive year so far!

Sweater Guilt

I have always loved sweaters. Somewhere I have a collection of sweaters I have gathered over the years. I used to wear a lot of pull-overs, but now I prefer cardigans and I have quite a few of those. For Christmas, my grandmother bought me a gorgeous burnt orange hooded, cabled, zipped cardigan. I love it! It is the perfect color, fits great, and is 100% cotton, so not too hot, especially when chasing after a toddler and a preschooler.

But the guilt associated with sweater! I can’t believe how much guilt I get when I slip it on! Why? Well, I am a Knitter! I could have knit that sweater myself! It would have been easy enough. There is nothing particularly difficult about the pattern. I could probably look at it and come up with a similar pattern myself.

I just have to keep reminding myself that knitting a sweater for me would take a long time. It would cost more (usually) than just buying the sweater when you look at getting a nice yarn. And it is 100% cotton, which is not very stretchy and tends to hurt my hands after a while. So I should be OK with buying some sweaters, right?

Oh, the guilt of being a knitter! I don’t think I will ever be able to buy a pair of knitted mittens, gloves, a scarf or a hat, or even socks without at least feeling a pang of guilt.

Crafting In The New Year

The new year entered with a bit of a bang in my household as we were struck down by a brief but strong episode of the stomach flu. My daughter seems to be the only one spared from illness this time around. For me, knitting came to a halt, but I had a surge of sewing and planning happening during my down time.

I decided early on that I would set a goal for 2009 when it came to my crafting. Looking at my office/work space, I am more than aware of the fact that I have a ton of stash. So, at least for the first 3 months of the year, my goal is to work with what I already own. This means no buying yarn, fiber or fabric unless it is absolutely necessary, and I don’t see what would be that important at this point to require a purchase.

On that note, I want to explore some recycling with my crafting. I have, for some time now, been eyeing a dress I have in my closet. It is one of those sack dresses with a small jacket to wear over it. It is out of fashion now, but the dress is in decent shape and I do like the material. I found a great tutorial online on how to convert a dress like this into yarn to knit or crochet with! The website shows a pattern for a crochet bag, but I am sure a knit bag would be just as easy to accomplish.

Tonight I was on the ball and I was able to recycle two changing table covers to make them into pillowcases. I have a small pillow that I use when I nurse my son and, until now, it has had a pretty flannel pillowcase I made that has hearts and flowers and pink stripes. That doesn’t exactly go with my son’s wild animal themed room in sage, copper, yellow and tan! I had made him some covers for his changing table right after he was born, however, since I couldn’t find anything suitable premade. Well, two years later, he has outgrown the need for the changing table. So, I cut up the old covers and they became pillowcases! And I am going to hold on to the elastic, too, to be used for something later. Very little waste!

I look forward to exploring my left over fabrics and the possibilities contained therein, along with diving into the bottom of my yarn stash to see what hidden gems there may be there. And I really look forward to the money savings for the new year!

Christmas Crafting In Review

Well, I made it through all of the Christmas knitting and crafting, for the most part. I am quite pleased with how my items turned out and plan to continue knitting and sewing for those I love the most.

All in all, I knitted 12 items and 15 washcloths (I tend to count those as one project, though) and I sewed 5 items for gifting. It was a lot of work, but it was all a lot of fun and I enjoyed the majority of the process. I did most of the knitting while watching my favorite shows on Tivo, late at night after the rest of the household was asleep. What a great way to relax at the end of the day! The sewing had to be done in the evenings while my husband watched the kids, though, since I used my machine and it is near the bedrooms.

So, for a quick rundown (with pictures!) of my projects for Christmas 2008, here you go!

Mom got the Shetland Triangle in black alpaca.

My sister got a Sunday Market Shawl made from my handspun yarn.
My little guy got Sunny The Puppy and a Puppy Dog Hat.

My daughter recieved Jemima Jane (she calls her Sunflower) and a ponytail hat.

I knit scarves for two of my in-laws. My father-in-law got the Red Herring scarf and his wife got Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks.

Grandpa got socks and Grandma got dishcloths (I also gave dishcloths to my sister and Mom.)

My mother-in-law got a special gift. I had spun up some yarn, including some merino mixed with the hair from our dogs, and knitted them into squares, felted them, cut them, sewed them together, and added fabric border and backing. She adores our dogs and the pillow brought tears to her eyes!

Oh, and because I didn’t have enough to do, I knitted two small ornaments as gift card holders for my daughter’s preschool teachers!

I also did a bit of sewing. My kids each got handmade PJs. The bottoms were flannel and the tops were purchased T-shirts with appliques matching the bottoms.

They both also received bathrobes, but I haven’t uploaded the pictures yet. I will add those soon.

And finally, my favorite gift by far to sew and give: my brother’s “pirate” shirt! He dresses as a Spaniard for Ren Fests and needed a shirt to wear with his costume. My step-mom called his costume a pirate costume, so that is what I went for, but the shirt still works with his costume well. He was so darn excited to get this shirt! And I LOVED making it and seeing his face when he opened it! Here are pictures of my DH modeling it, although it is 2 sizes too large on him!

Phew! I am glad I have a few months before I start planning and knitting and sewing for next year!

Oh, and I will say that I was thrilled to receive several knitting related items for Christmas! My mom got me the Knitpicks Options set and Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs From Interweave. My husband got me The Best Of Interweave Knits: Our Favorite Designs From The First Ten Years and all three of the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary books!

So, all in all, I had a very crafty Christmas! And I hope there are many more to come!

Focus!

Anyone who has visited my blog will notice that it now looks a bit different, with a new title, too! I think I needed to refocus just a bit on my blog. While knitting is my main passion, I love crafting of all kinds. And lately I have been doing much more non-knitting crafting that I would love to show off. So, since I can do what I want with my blog (LOL!) I decided to refocus a bit and concentrate on crafting in general. So, expect to see more knitting stories, FOs and WIPs, but also expect some sewing, some jewelry making, or whatever else may strike my fancy at the time!

I also need to focus on getting knitting done for Christmas! It was bound to happen, really. I have been knitting for Christmas for months now. I am making progress, which is great. But I am just beginning to get burned out a bit. And the other day, somehow I managed to start link-surfing. You know – click a link on a page, then follow another link to another page and so on and so forth. Wow, the things I found! I was enthralled with the hundreds of incredible ideas for Christmas ornaments and decorations. I have been inspired to create a new garland for our mantel and ornaments for our tree. I went out the other day and bought felt and embroidery thread and some pretty fabric, all with the sole purpose of making holiday decorations! And yes, I will be documenting those as they are done!

So, stay tuned. I have lots to talk about!

It’s Finally Finished!

It’s done! It’s done! It’s finally done!The Susie Cardigan from More Big Giirl Knits is finally finished and wearable! I was able to cast off Tuesday, I think, and got it washed and blocked Wednesday. I wore it Tuesday unwashed, but now that it is washed it is a bit softer and easier wearing.

This is only my second adult-sized garment and the first of this magnitude. This sweater is HUGE! It is long with long sleeves and a huge hood. Plus, I made it in the 2X size! But it is surprisingly lightweight and comfortable. I can wear it on days that are cool instead of a jacket and I won’t worry about getting cold.

I really enjoyed knitting this cardigan. It would have been mind-numbing to knit all that stockinette in the body of the sweater had I not had the shaping, bias rows and cables to knit along with it. There was always something different going on so you had to pay attention. In the end, I made a simple chart for myself with each row numbered according to the corresponfing cable row and marked on each one what special thing I needed to do. I was able to cross off rows as I went, so I never worried about losing my place. The cable was fun and interesting and I am much better on cabling now than when I started, although I never did get the hang of cabling without a needle.

I definitely think this sweater will see a lot of wear in the future!

Pattern: Susie Cardigan from More Big Girl Knits
Yarn: 2/4 Highland Tweed from Webs in Canary
Needles: Size 6 – beginning on Boye Interchangeable then switched to Knitpicks Options around arm area.
Date started: 4/24/08
Date finished: 10/26/08

Excuse the weird expression! I think DH caught me talking!

The sweater is long in back – almost to my knees and I am 5′8″.

A New Kind Of Stash

I have come to believe that, if you have a hobby, you have a stash. As a knitter, I have a stash of yarn. As a spinner, I have a stash of fiber. As a sewer, I have a stash of fabric. And we won’t even count the libraries of patterns and books that go with those hobbies! I have come to cherish my stashes. If I can’t purchase fiber, yarn or fabric for some time due to money issues or the inability to get to a store, I still have my stash to work from. I have invaded my stash numerous times and I can see a dent, but I always try to find good bargains or a good reason to rebuild it again. (Don’t ask my DH about my stash, though. He thinks I have way too much, but I don’t think there is such a thing as too big of a stash!)

I have been madly working on my Christmas knitting. I am so happy to say that I have completed at least 4 gifts as of today and I have 2 more on my needles in progress. And it was in finishing one of the gifts that I realized a need for a new type of stash: buttons!

As someone who sews a bit, you would think I would have buttons. But I rarely make buttonholes since my machine is cheap and buttonholes are not easy to make on it. As someone who knits sweaters, you would think I would have buttons. But I usually buy buttons specifically for the project, so I don’t have a sweater’s worth of buttons at all. But I think I have changed my mind now. I need to buy more buttons!

I am making a stuffed dog for my son. I have it all done, except the eyes. The pattern calls for either embroidering the eyes, sewing on felt circles or adding buttons. I am choosing buttons, because that is what I like the look of best. I ran to the store the other night and purchased buttons. However, they were the wrong size. So, I looked through my meager stash. Nothing. I plan to raid my mom’s stash this weekend, and if nothing there my grandmother has kindly offered her stash up to me to search. I will find the buttons for this dog, even if I have to buy more.

But the search for the perfect size and shape and color of button has triggered in me my stashing instinct! I have a new idea. There are hundreds of adorable, beautiful or just plain functional buttons at my local fabric store. And honestly, unless I am getting some really outrageous buttons, they are inexpensive (especially compared to yarn, fabric or fiber.) I think I will start building my stash, picking up one or two different types of buttons with each trip I make. For under $5, I can get a really cute set of buttons and a more utilitarian type.

Thankfully, buttons just don’t come from the store. I always save the extras that come with new clothes. But there is another option. Every time I get rid of a piece of clothing (I do donate most things, but some I choose to throw out because of excess wear or stains or whatever) I have learned to snip the buttons off first. It is a great way to add to the stash!

I plan to have fun collecting buttons now! It is an easy, fun way to satisfy the “stash cravings” without breaking the bank. Anyone else have a button stash?

The Scarf That Didn’t Want To Be

I have been knitting for at least 5 years now. I have frogged stuff midstream because I didn’t like it. I have had mistakes I needed to correct. I have had items that have gone perfectly. But never have I ever had this many issues in knitting something!

In my effort to make as many Christmas gifts this year, I decided to knit my FIL a scarf. He came to visit last year on a cold day and had a scarf on (store-bought) so I knew he would wear one. I decided to do something with a herringbone pattern. I originally looked at Henry from Knitty.com. I bought the yarn for it (Knitpicks Gloss in Porcini) and printed out the pattern. Then I did a search on Ravelry and found that the idea of knitting it lengthwise was a bit daunting and took a ton of concentration. And I just can’t guarantee that I have the amount of concentration it requires. I decided to switch to another pattern. I found Red Herring from CogKnition and it was perfect! I printed out the copy and finally, last night, decided to cast on.

The pattern calls for using size 6 (US) needles, so I started with that. I knit the first 6 rows and realized something was wrong. Duh. I was using the wrong weight of yarn! I had fingering weight and it called for DK weight! Oops!

So, I cast on using smaller needles. Much better! I got through the first 6 rows (a moss stitch border) and started onto the pattern. It was fairly easy to follow and the 4 row repeat was easy to memorize. I got through the first repeat and thought I was on my way – until I realized I had 50 stitches. It called for 49 and, since it was a 7 row repeat, that extra one stitch was not a good thing. I frogged it again.

I reknit, this time double checking my numbers. Of course, it was 1 AM and I was exhausted, so I should have probably put it down, but I kept plodding along. Until I realized I had 4 stitches left and I needed 7 for the repeat. So I tinked back and figured out where I went wrong. Then did it again two rows later when I did the same thing.

I finally decided to walk away. I picked it up again this evening, thinking that I was finally awake enough to count properly. I got through 3 repeats of the pattern, but it didn’t look like it was forming a herringbone pattern. I just didn’t get it. So, I decided to look at Ravelry to see if I could find another herringbone pattern to see what was happening. I found at least 2 other methods of forming the herringbone pattern. And then I clicked on a link that took me to the Red Herring scarf pattern. And then I saw the note:

09/23/2008: I seem to have overridden the corrected version of the pattern by accident during an update. If you downloaded this pattern between 07/11/2008 and now, please download and use this version instead.

I couldn’t remember when I downloaded or printed the pattern so I decided to check it out. And sure enough, I must have had the wrong version. All of that knitting was incorrect. So, tonight, I frogged it – again!

Thankfully, fourth time seems to be the charm. Tonight’s knitting seemed to produce something that at least resembles herringbone pattern in the few inches I have finished. I will wait another inch or two to see if it really looks correct, though. It seems to be a fairly fast knit, even on fingering weight yarn, so hopefully the rest of it won’t be nearly as painless as getting this scarf started!

I never imagined a scarf of all things would give me so many problems!

Lace Knitting

I have always looked at lace projects in admiration. I love the way they look- the openness of the stitches, the patterns, the intricacies. I decided, being a “fearless knitter” to try lace several years ago. My first project was easy enough – a scarf knit in bulky weight yarn. It had a lace pattern in the center, so it wasn’t overly involved and I could follow the written directions easily. (I had a fear of charts at the time.)

My next lace project was Branching Out. It seemed like everyone took that on as a first project. I learned all about lace knitting by reading up on it. I learned about lifelines and finally took on reading charts, although I admit that most of Branching Out was completed using the written directions. Branching Out took roughly 4 tries to get started and I used the lifeline numerous times.

Then, about a year ago, my stepfather passed away. For his memorial service, my mom borrowed a black silk wrap from my aunt. She mentioned wishing she had a black wrap for general use and I decided to knit one for her. At a fiber festival last year, I found a skein of Alpaca With A Twist Fino in black. I held on to the yarn, figuring I could make her the wrap for Christmas this year. And I started searching for the right pattern. It took me a long time to find the pattern I wanted and I finally settled on the Shetland Triangle. It was a beautiful pattern, about the size I wanted, and lots of people had recommended it as a first lace project. I boned up on reading charts (I had actually been getting lots of practice with some of the cable projects I was knitting) and then it sat for a long time, unstarted. I think I was totally intimidated. I finally realized that Christmas was approaching and I needed to get started if I planned to get it done by Christmas. I had no clue how long it would take me and I was really afraid it would be the only thing I would get done for Christmas.

I finally started. I was so pleased to realize that it was simple! I didn’t need lifelines! It went rather fast. I only knit in the evenings after everyone is in bed and there are days where no knitting gets done at all, and I had it done in just under a month’s time, while also working on numerous other projects. I love the end result and can’t wait to work on more lace. The pattern that emerged was amazing and I am always in awe over the magic of blocking lace. It grew and stopped puckering and, in general, became a beautiful, wearable piece.

The finished Shetland Triangle

But this project taught me one thing… I hate working with laceweight yarn! I find it to be annoying and it seems to tangle rather easily. I have the beginnings of arthritis in my hand and grasping that thin yarn is really hard on my fingers. I wish for more substantial stitches and a heavier end project, especially if knitting for myself.

So, I made a decision. I will continue to knit lace. But I will stay away from lace weight. Instead, I will knit with nothing lighter than fingering weight, and even possibly heavier. I want so badly to knit Ene’s Scarf, but will only consider doing it in a heavier weight yarn.

I am glad I have come to this conclusion, rather than suffering through more lace weight knitting. Instead, I can knit with yarn I enjoy knitting with, and I can knit a pattern I really like with a fabric that I like, too.

That Shetland Triangle? I do love it. I love looking at the pictures of it and realizing that I made that! But I doubt there will be a repeat anytime soon.