New Project: Sweater with Shoulder Buttons

When C and I came out to Denver last week (yes, that was only 12 days ago that we flew out here -- how insane how much has happened since then), we checked out a yarn shop in Denver -- The Lamb Shoppe.  Maybe you know and maybe you don't, but C and I had taken to meeting once a month (and eventually our friend Ang joined us) for a stitching night in Coralville.  Because I was moving, we had to check out a yarn shop together one more time... I don't want to say we'll never knit together again in Coralville, but I can't project when that might happen again.

 

While there, we both perused and picked out a new project -- how could we not?  I settled on easy kid knits by Claire Montgomerie.  I love this book for many reasons, one being that there are a lot of really cute and easy patterns that are simply gorgeous.  Another reason is that this book is for kids aged 3 - 10, and it's hard to find books for kids that age (for knitting).

 

In the book I fell in love with a pattern called "Sweater with Shoulder Buttons" (see picture above).  The gal at the shop helped me pick out some yarn that would be suitable and I settled on a pale pink sock yarn.  I'm not sure which child the sweater will fit; I started the sweater last night after the girls went to bed and didn't have their measurements, so I picked a size and got started.  Who knows; maybe it won't fit either of them!  But, I'm enjoying the process and the opportunity to sit and knit again.

 

erin

Hello, Old Friend

Last night my friend Janice and her daughter Hazel came over for a quick dinner and to hang out for the evening.  They arrived ~6:30 pm and stayed till ~11:30 pm.  It was great to watch the girls try to impress Hazel and to generally act nuts because Someone Besides Us Was In the House, Hallelujah! 

After we put the kids to bed (girls in their room, Hazel in a Pack 'n Play in the guest room), Janice suggested that she whip out her current hand project and that I knit. 

 

Knit?  KNIT???  Knit.

 

Along with not blogging much for almost two months, I have only knitted ~4 rows on a hat in the last two months.  Much of this is due to being busy.  Okay, ALL of this is due to being busy.  Single mom, working full-time, but still taking Fridays "off", looking for jobs, working on resume, looking for more jobs, interviewing... that results in busy.  Whelmed.  Very much so.

 

What a great idea Janice had!  Knitting!

 

(Side bar: You should see Janice's project -- a super fabulous applique quilt with her own version of "Hawaiian" flowers and volcanoes... it is simply fantastic!)

 

So, last night I pulled out this fabulous royal blue/purple/somewhere in between yarn that Chrissy and I had picked up at Crazy Girl some odd months ago.  Like, MANY months ago.  I'm pretty sure the yarn is Malabrigo, something ridiculously expensive, to which I was drawn and could not remove myself.  I decided that such a fantastic yarn should be used on a project for yours truly, something I haven't done in a very long time.

 

I had found a pattern for fingerless gloves or wristlets or whatever you want to call them.  The pattern gave me the general idea, but honestly, after casting on the number of stitches required, I just went off on my own thing.  Today I need to count/figure out what I did so I can make a second one!  Ha!

 

I cast on 35 stitches, which was for a L/XL, but about 1/3 of the way up I decreased 4 stitches because it was obvious that the glove would be too big for me.  I'm still trying to decide whether I want to put a thumb "sock" on it; the original pattern didn't call for one and I didn't think I would want one, but I think it would make them look classier.  *grin*

 

The first one took ~3 hours while chatting and my stitches, while even, are a little rusty... time to get back at it!  :)  Looking forward to pumping out another one very soon so I have a pair.

 

erin

Roar #3

This is my friend Janice modeling a hat I had made for the son of a friend of mine... the girls were in bed when I finished, however, so I needed a hat model, and Janice was more than willing.  :)  Of course, a little beer doesn't hurt.  She is excellent at roaring as well.  (Thanks, Janice!  Love you!)

 

(This is the third Roar hat that I've made... so easy and fun!)

Another Hat

Here is a hat that I made for my sister on New Year's... it was a lot of fun to make and very quick to work up... I hope she loves it!  :)  (I heard that she does, anyway!)

The cutest gnome ever

My dear friends Mike and Amanda got around to their 2nd kid and I HAD to come up with the perfect gift.  Since I've meandered into knitting, I thought a baby hat seemed fitting.  Well originally it was going to be a Yoda (like in star wars) hat, I even got the yarn.  But I had just finished another project and had a ton of this orangish red left and I had an epiphany.  Mike has a rather large obsession with gnomes, so what better gift for Mike's daughter than a gnome hat (and matching beard!)  Here's pics of the finished product modeled on bella's cabbage patch as well as on the real life kiddo (Thanks Addy you were very cooperative!)

A Swift!

So... you probably don't know what this is, but believe me when I tell you it is super cool.

 

This is a swift, and this is one of many swift designs on which you place your yarn and from which you can ball your yarn either with a winder or by hand.  Swifts are fairly expensive, but I knew Adam was up to the task and he surprised me with a swift as a Christmas gift.  The pegs are adjustable so that different sizes of skeins of yarn can be placed on the swift in order to ball it.

 

Balling yarn without a swift is possible, but it can get very messy very quickly (just ask Adam who has watched me ball yarn from a skein just laying limp on the couch).  I'm very excited to use this!  And, what's even cooler is that it is collapsible, so I am able to take it apart and store it easy as well.

 

(Thanks, honey!  This is a great gift!)

A Fun and Special Hat

What I love about hats is the different techniques I'm able to try on a relatively small project.  Doesn't work out?  That's okay, it's only a hat.  Looks great?  Sweet, now I can try it on something bigger and HEY, now I have a gift!

 

(Really, I typically think of it as a gift first and as a technique learner second, but you get my meaning.)

 

This hat is my first felted project.  As you can see, you knit the project way larger than it needs to be and then felt it in the washer.  It was super fun to do the felting part of this... I love how it turned out!  Now I'm excited to knit a bag or small purse or something that I can decorate... SWEET.

 

This is another "gift hat"... I think this is number 10 since the fall... I'm losing count but having OH SO MUCH FUN!

 

erin

Hats

So, right... hats have been my thing this fall and winter.

 

These hats are the ones I knitted for my nieces (Hannah on left and Laila on right)... I had them delivered so that Dad & Grandma could put them under the tree for Christmas... so fun to get a picture of them wearing their hats!

I counted and since October I have made eight hats... I'm working on number nine and have two more in queue... fun, fun!

 

Want on the hat list?  Just shoot me the style you're wantin'.  ;)

 

erin

Hat Finished!

We had some friends over for dinner tonight, and after dinner, we played Dominion (Adam's new game that he got for Christmas)... yes... I actually learned a bit how to play... but, while playing, I put the finishing touches on this hat... kinda sad that I'll be seeing this one go to a new owner, but I really enjoyed it and looking forward to giving it away... and to eventually making one of my own!

 

erin

So much fun!

The cabling is done... now just to finish the rest of the hat!  I was surprised by how quickly this worked up and I love how it is turning out... I may just have to make one for myself!  Yay!

 

erin

the $75 purse...

Well, I bought this awesome book by Amy Butler, Style Stitches, which has a myriad of purse patterns. This past fall I also bought some fabric from my beloved hometown quilt store, Pine Needles to make one such pattern... Uber-awesome Moda home decor fabric in a fall color I just love, plus interfacing, hardware, etc... Total bill for purse? $75.

Pattern seemed easy enough, only 17 steps... OH WAIT.... 17 steps in the pattern, with multiple substeps and oh by the way you must repeat some steps... UGH ... Time to make? (I hate to even ADMIT this) it took about 10 hours over 2 separate weekends. But last Sunday I finally finished it. And of course its way bigger than I thought it would be, even having SEEN the picture in book. Oh well. I have to use it now, it cost me $75 and 10 hours of my life!

I am cabling!!!

Ha, ha!  I'm so excited!

 

So Stacey said it was easy and to just do it so finally I just did it and she is so right, it is SO easy.  I love it!  YAY!

 

This project is another gift... fun, fun!  I have all of my Christmas gifts done, so this is a "whenever" gift, and that means no deadline and no stress.  Pure fun!  Yay!  I'm about one-third of the way done, so that is a good feeling... the more you knit, the faster you get!

 

Thanks, Stacey, for continuing to tempt me with cabling and convincing me to give it a shot! 

 

erin

New Hat Project!

Woohoo!

 

I started this around 8 pm last night and with a coupla hours today, I finished it... such a quick project!  Super Chunky yarn on Size 13 needles... sweet.  It's a gift, and yay for it being done already!

 

erin

Hooray for hippy skirts on cute little girls!

Here's my peanut with the skirt I got completed while in AZ over thanksgiving break.  Finally got all the ends sewn in last night so of course I made her wear it to school even though its high of 16 degrees here ANd was a spring skirt....  But isn't it cool now to wear skirts over pants?  :o)  Here's the pattern I used, i finished a size 8.  My next project is a gift and will hopefully be much shorter than this month-long one!

The Most Wonderful Gift

Do you get one of those gifts each year that is THE best gift and it feels like it might be THE best gift you've ever been given in your entire life?

I received one of THOSE gifts last night.

Once a month or so, I meet up with a dear friend of mine in Coralville for some knitting... we chat, we drink, we knit.  It is wonderful fun.  It provides us a way to stay connected even though we are miles apart.

As mentioned, part of this evening involves knitting, and I needed a couple more pairs of needles last night that I didn't have... I was ready to drop a good load of money... we got to looking at the interchangeable needles... *ah, a dream*... gorgeous and plentiful and satisfying 40 different sets of needles... but alas, way too expense for a whim purchase...

... next thing I know, my dear friends (another gal joined us last night) were deciding to purchase this set for me for Christmas (and my birthday next year, and you know, every year after that... HA!). 

How do I even thank these gals for this gift of kindness and generosity?  Maybe knit them something... ;)  Who knows.  All I know is that I have two of the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for... and not just because they bought me a wicked awesome gift.  I know they love me and want the best for me and would do a lot for me... and THAT is truly the best gift I could ask for.

 

Love you girls!
erin

BabyLegs

Maybe you've heard of BabyLegs... not real cheap ($12 a pair) knit "legwarmers" or footless leggings for kids... well, we have a few pair of them, but they are SUPER easy to make.

 

My friend in CA, Katie, inspired/reminded me to make some BabyLegs today. I had some Halloween socks (adult women knee socks) that I bought to turn into BabyLegs. Socks? $1.99 a pair. PLUS, the toes are GREAT doll undies!

erin

Halloween... Who's favorite holiday?

Oh yes, that would be MINE!  Here's something I bought.. several years ago and finally decided THIS was the halloween i was going to get it done! 

Challenge Block

I believe that the more you create, the more creative you become.  Like math... or, ha... excuse me... I have a super fuzzy brain today and cannot think... what I'm trying to say is that the more you use certain brain cells, the more the brain cells "enjoy" being used... the dust is shaken off and their intended purpose is once again realized.

Case in point... this block.  Our quilt guild has had a number of challenges over the last few years, but either I'm not feeling creative or I have something else going on and I find myself not getting around to doing the challenge... and mostly it goes back to me not feeling creative.  Let's face it, before this last week, I haven't been ON creatively for some time... and even though I am using other people's patterns, the physical act of sewing and knitting causes those neurons to start firing away.

So when I received these three paint chips at quilt guild about two weeks ago, I gladly accepted them but gloomily wondered if I would actually DO anything with them.  (My friend Nancy picked out two pairs of three because I was speaking while the basket of chips was going around and I had a choice between these and a green-blue-purple trio... I picked these because I knew I had orange and yellow hand-dyeds at home...)  The challenge is to make a block that contains three of the colors (one from each paint chip) plus you could add another color.

I didn't know WHAT I would do...

... but, then I was working on the baby quilt and happened upon the green lattice fabric with white daisies...

... and, I recalled an episodes of Sewing with Nancy that I watched part of at my mother-in-law's house in late September on the Dresden Plate...

... and, like that, those little neurons starting going insane and an idea was born.

I had always wanted to do a Dresden Plate but they LOOK so hard so I never have, but I figured, I could do ONE, right?

So, off to the quilt store I shot to see if they had a Dresden Plate template... and they did...

... and then back home again, and honest to Pete, in less than one hour, I had a Dresden Plate block completed.  SO easy.  SO fun!  Now I want to do a whole bunch of them!  And, I think I fulfilled the challenge rather well, dontcha think?  :)

erin

ROOOOOOAR!

My hat model is asleep so you'll have to make due with a picture of the finished product sans cute girl.  :)  No matter; this hat is for a boy anyway.  Heh.

If you haven't guessed, it's been a busy week for me craft-wise, but the more time I spend crafting (mostly after the kids are in bed or during naps!), the more whole I feel.  So, it's been an AWESOME week for me this week.  :)

This hat came out of a Google Chat session combined with a Facebook link... technology, I tell you what.  Originally I saw this hat on a blog (Tot Toppers) after following a Facebook link posted by a friend.  Discussion with another friend who thought that her son and the son of a mutual friend of ours would be cute with Dino hats led to us searching on etsy.com and eventually led to me remembering this hat through Tot Toppers and finding the pattern on etsy.com.  Too fun!

The hat is very basic but the spikes were new for me; I've done spikes, but these are "double-sided", or done in the round... on double-pointed needles... holy cats.  I actually like DPNs and have done full small projects on them, but... it would help if I had lighter-weight and sharper-pointed DPNs in the size I needed for these spikes considering how small they are, but I made do with what I had, knowing that making this hat wouldn't require purchasing new needles.  (To do the next one, I will probably purchase a new set of wood DPNs!  Ha!)

Very fulfilling to complete this hat tonight and ship it off tomorrow.  I hope the eventual recipient (who won't receive it for a few weeks yet) has a roaring good time with his hat.  Grin.

erin

ps.  I'm learning more and more that I need to find a much better place to take my pictures... outside, most likely... too bad I'm always finishing stuff and taking pictures at night!

Ghosties

Today after breakfast, Julia and I made little ghosts, or ghosties. I remember making these out of Kleenex and cotton balls when I was younger, but today I chose to use some cheap white cotton I had lying around. Julia put the cotton balls on the fabric, and I scrunched up the neck. Then she would help me tie the bit of yarn around the neck and I would give it a little pizzazz with a bow. We now have about four "big" ghosties and eight "baby" ghosties, and I plan to string them together and then use them as a decoration. Very cute and just long enough of a craft to hold her attention. :)

erin