Elepant Backpack - WIP

I notice that when I make an impulse buy, it is best to start on it right away. Or at least keep it near so I don't forget about it. Earlier this year I ordered a kit to make an Elephant backpack. With the little guy running circles around me, I have found that kits are the way to go. Everything I need is in the bag to start. The kit came with 3 skeins of Morehouse Merino Gator Yarn in two shades of Pebble. I casted on last month and got about half of the bag portion done. It's a simple slip stitch pattern that gives this elephant its texture. Another "slowly, but surely" for me to work on when time permits.

Felt Ornaments

Have you ever done one of those Felt Christmas Ornaments? I've always want to, but never did. Then I saw this blog post at Wild Olive. Aren't they cute? You can find the pattern at the Wild Olive Etsy shop. Once you get the pattern, hop on over to Benzie Design to check out the felt pack that is put together just for this ornament pattern. You can even pick up the coordinating floss for the design. I ordered the felt. Just a few more pieces to cut out, floss to pull and I can start stitching.

Crochet a Zoo Playmat - WIP

Did you see it? The Crochet a Zoo Playmat. The book, Crochet a Zoo by Megan Kreiner, has been on my wishlist since it came out. You can find all the details on the Ravelry page, including the link to the FREE pattern. There was a sale on Cascade 220 at the craft store, so I stocked up and got out my hooks. I don't think got the contrast right for the greens, but so far so good don't you think? This is about a third of the way on the main portion. Then there is a border of single and double crochet. It's going faster than I though it would. I probably start weaving some of those ends in and not leave it ALL until the end.

Curious Collective Shawl - DONE!

Guess I didn't tell you about my knitting project. I joined a KAL by Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade. The shawl is called the Curious Collective Shawl. It is an amazing design that was created with knitters' input on the Curious Handmade blog.

I used Knit Picks Capretta in Fairy Tale and Caviar. The yarn was a dream to knit. Yup, these are pictures of the same project, I just can't get the camera to capture the colors correctly.



I love how the patterned was presented, line by line with the number of stitches for each line and a completion percentage. You could feel the progress. I will admit to needed practice with bobbles. Definitely NOT my favorite. Luckily the bobbles were limited.




I'll post this project as DONE, but it still needs a few end woven in an a nice blocking to make the design pop. Just waiting for the weather to cooperate. :)

 

Summer stitch club - DONE

Hexagons, hexagons, and more hexagons are finally stitched and assembled. I'm so excited to be done, I didn't even press it.
      

Instructions were provided to finish this into a mini quilt or wall hanging, but I'm not sure what I will be doing with this so I left off the corners.

I'm signed up for the Autumn stitch club... better get stitching!

Sweet Tea anyone?

I randomly enter online contests and promptly forget about it. I mean really, what are the chances that my name will get picked out of the hundreds, maybe thousands of entries. It is much easier these days to enter contests, just fill out a form with your name, address and email. Lo and behold, I received an email not long ago to confirm my mailing address, as I was the winner of a Pure Leaf Basket. What? They got the info right and I didn't have to respond if the information was correct, so once again I promptly forgot about it. Imagine my surprise when a good sized box showed up on my door step. Nope I don't remember ordering anything from that return address. Let's see what it is...
Well what do you know? It is a prize from the monthly drawings sponsored by All You Magazine. It is a collapsible picnic basket filled with a variety of flavors of Lipton Pure Leaf Tea, ranging from unsweetened to Peach. The tea is delicious, not to sweet and very refreshing. I love it. Thank you All You!

More cotton for an Everlasting Bagstopper

There's a lot of cotton on a cone of Sugar and Cream, 706 yards according to the label. I used quite a bit of it on the Eastern Market Bag, but there was still a lot left on the cone. So I found another bag pattern and cast on for the Everlasting Bagstopper by Amy Singer. You can find the pattern in Knitty, Summer 2007.
 
I added a couple extra knit rows before starting the lace pattern and used the modifications from PKJewelry on Ravelry.


I love the shape and it looks to expand quite a bit. I need to test it out for strength and handle length.
There's still a lot more left on the cone. Another bag perhaps?

July Colorwork MAL

Almost forgot about the July MAL by Colorworks by Debi. I had so much fun in the June MAL making the needle case, I quickly jumped in the July MAL. Blue and white, a great combination. I cast on some Knit Picks Palette in Jay and Oyster Heather and learned something right from the start - corrugated rib. I love the effect and it was fairly simple to accomplish. However this hat was a chore. My tension kept tightening and the stitches were sinking in. I didn't want the hat to be too small so there were many rows done over and over again. I am happy to say that I finished the MAL before the end of the month and while the hat is still waiting to be blocked in to a tam shape, I will call it complete!

Black and white socks

While taking diving in my stash for yarn for the colorwork KAL, I found two skeins of Pattons Stretch Sock. Black and white, so practical, but not the easiest colors to work with. But in my quest to use up stash, I cast on a pair of Fretful. I loved the simplicity of the pattern and the results were so comfy (or so I am told by the one who wears the socks). Not quite as soft as Happy Feet yarn, I thought this would make a serviceable pair. I'm going to work a few inches before deciding if the yarn color works with the stitch pattern.

A shopping bag for Suzanne

I needed a quick gift and this market bag that was on my needles would do nicely. It is the Eastern Market Tote by Tanis Gray, a free pattern on Ravelry.
This was my first attempt using a provisional crochet cast on. It was very easy to pick up the stitches from the crochet chain. BUT... I knitted into the wrong loop! So instead of pulling on the end and releasing the crochet stitches I had to unweave the crochet chain. Lesson learned, pick up the back loop on the chain.

After some muttering to myself, I was back on track and finished the bottom of the bag.
The results? She loved it! and that's all that matters.

Stitch club update #2

Moseying along with Summer Stitch Club. Every Monday, without fail, an email arrives in my inbox with the week's mini embroidery pattern. And every week, without fail, I print it and file it away to be done "later". "Later" has been getting away from me and today the second to the last pattern was delivered.  YIKES! I better get my needles moving!
There has been some progress... See... I have 4 of the twelve little guys stitch up. The next seven are traced out and ready to be stitched.

My hexies are almost done. I need to count the green ones again. I think I'm short by two... I'll have to do some adjusting when I assemble.

Not too far behind, wouldn't you say? That's a good thing because there will be an Autumn Stitching Club! Who can resist these cute patterns that take just a moment to make. Not I, said the busy mom...

Some Knitting? Yes, of course.

Remember I mentioned some colorwork? The project is a needleroll. Lovely, isn't it?

 

 

It was a fun project with a first for me - STEEKING! I've read about it, watched some videos, but never brave enough to take a pair of scissors and CUT INTO my knitting. I decided to do a crochet reinforcement. It made a nice neat edging.

Knitting colorwork, fun! Steeking, not so scary after all!

Japanese crafting

I am lucky to have access to a used Japanese book store. And once in awhile,I'll get lucky and find some interesting craft books. Nope, I can't read most of it, but there are lots of diagrams to follow. I love Japanese embroidery. It's so kawaii! And who could pass up that felt bento box? Omusubi, anyone?

On this trip, there were some stuffed toy books too. Would you believe Hello Kitty and friends? That's a lot of craft projects in my queue!

Stitch Club update

I am moving along with the Summer Stitch Club. Isn't some cheerful fabric? I'm going with the green to calm those bright oranges. Slowly but surely, I am catching up with this weekly project.

A bit late for this post, but I just had to show you what I got! This year I made it to the Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale! It's one of my favorite places to browse for books. I only had a short time, so I headed straight for the craft section. Score! Some knitting, some quilting, some toy making. Looney Toons Transfers that will make a great embroidery project. Some books on bobbin lace...Cross stitch, of course, including one for Russian Lace (drawn thead).


But my personal favorite for this trip... the cross stitch Monopoly chart. It has been at the bottom of my wish list, because really, when do I have the time to take on this project? Well, now I have the chart, should I so be inclined (at a bargain price!).

Happy Crafting, everyone!

Summer Stitching Club

Sure I have time for a stitch-a-long... (not!), but I couldn't resist. I have joined Wild Olive's Summer Stitching Club. Once a week from June to August she's sending out a tiny pattern to embroider. Here's the fun part... we will use the embroidered pieces in to a mini quilt using English Paper Pieced Hexagons! Oh, yes, I couldn't resist... I've always wanted to learn how to do paper piecing and this seems like a non-threating, managable way to learn. The first pattern few patterns have been delivered to my inbox, so I'm already behind. First stitches are in....


Not the greatest material for embroidery, but I wanted to get started and this was handy. Now I need to do some stash diving and find some material for hexies!

Labels...

Labeling Caseys's belongings  for school is not my strong point, so I carry a Sharpie in my purse for last minute scribbles on shirt tags. But this time I finished some quick labels for Casey's towels for water play at school. I always need a refresher on how to start the blanket stitch. I used this site to get started. Started with some scraps of some cotton blend and just improvised. Not my best work, but everyone will know who these towels belong to!

Happy Stitching!

Next... colorwork

As quickly as I cast off the socks, I cast on my next project, a colorwork KAL by Colorworks by Debi. Found some Knit Picks Palette in my stash and here it is!


I'm fairly new to colorwork, but it's fun!

Simple sock progress…DONE

Simple sock progress…

A lot of progress made this weekend. I made it all the way around the heel and decreased to the foot. Almost, but not quite, getting the stripes to line up. I'm not sure how this green ended up in my shopping cart, it seems a little bright for my taste. I think I'll be saving it to brighten someone else's day.

And what do you know...before I got a chance to post this, a week went by and I managed to finish the second side! It's just a tad bit bigger than I would like. I think I'm going to stick with patterned socks in the future.

Another month, really?

As we get ready to turn the page on the calendar...would you believe just a week left in May?! I am glad to say that I am slowly, but surely getting some knitting done. Here's my progress since my last post.
I did some stash diving and found some leftover Knit Picks City Tweed that turned into an Egg to Bird in a nest. The pattern is by Susan B. Anderson and can be found in Itty-Bitty Toys. I gave away the others that I have made, this one can't seem to fly the nest. :)

 
Also had a change to cast on and finish a Cozy Big Bow Headband using Lion Brand's Baby First. Love the squishy-ness on the finished product, but really not my favorite yarn to work with. I just casted on again for another headband without the bow to use up the yarn. The pattern calls for casting on 12 stitches. I did another casting on just 8. Love the finished headband. My bow could have been a little more floppy, I haven't attached it yet. I'm thinking about putting the bow on a hair clip instead...


And finally on my needles... another sock! Just a simple one using Knit Picks Felici in Aquarium. Bright green, very different from the dark red of my previous sock. Ribbed cuff, stockinette leg and foot with a slipped stitch heel. Nothing fancy. I finished one side and have just cast on the second side.

Two points for me - getting some knitting done and using my stash! Happy knitting!

Fretful - DONE!

Yippee! I love it when I can say, "Hot off the needles!" Presenting Fretful...


The pattern is designed by Janet D. Russell. You can find it here. The twisted stitch was just enough to keep it interesting, but simple enough that I could work on it with one eye on my little one. I wasn't sure if the stitch pattern would show up in the dark red, but it did wonderfully, don't you think? These will keep someone's toes nice and cozy.... I may have to find some yarn to make me a pair of my own...

Change is good, right?

I've been using Google Reader for quite awhile to keep track of the many places that I find inspiration. But my time for reading blogs has been few and far between with chasing this little guy around...


But I do find pockets of time to catch up and pin ideas from the 1,000 plus posts waiting to be read. So I am testing out Bloglovin. Learning the ropes (does anyone know how to read the "oldest" posts first?) And in my explorations I found instructions to "claim your blog", so here I am trying to claim my blog. If you are so inclined, please Follow my blog at Bloglovin.

Change is good, right? And learning something new is always good!
Happy Monday!

Take Three - Fretful WIP

I am determined to complete a pair of socks using my Happy Feet yarn. This will be my third start with this yarn. The first was a sock KAL that didn't get very far. I started late and missed the final parts of the pattern. The second try was Zazzles. Which brings me to Fretful, don't you just love the little twists? I'm also giving the long tail purl cast on. What's that? A quick search on youtube will take you to many videos demonstrating the technique. Here's the one I watched. So a new technique and a few rows on the needles and off we go.

Goodbye Zazzles

I love the stitch pattern of Zazzles, but I'm disappointed at how it is showing up in this yarn. So I'm putting on my brave face and will be starting over... Goodbye Zazzles, until we meet again (in a nice dk weight yarn, I hope)

Socks on the needles

Socks on the needles...again! I cast on Zazzles using my red skein of Happy Feet. The pattern is intended for dk weight yarn, but I am using fingering. A quick glance at the pattern revealed a 12 stitch repeat, so I'm starting with 60 stitches, instead of my usual 64. Two pattern repeats done. This pattern requires you to shift the starting point of each pattern repeat... remember to move the marker! I love the color, but the lighting in our living room makes it hard to work on at night. So it is now my purse project :) Happy Stitching!

A hat to match the mitts - DONE!

Oh,yeah... I'm on a roll... I finished the hat to gift with the mitts. See -


I used the lace repeat from the mitts a few rows above the ribbing. Basic hat pattern starting with 80 stitches. You can find my notes here.
I hope the hat and mitts help keep Kellie warm when she goes back to the East Coast.

Reading Mitts - DONE!

It's been so long since I've been able to say - DONE! Fresh off the needles! Just a bit longer than the week I thought it would take, I am happy to report that Susie Rogers' Reading Mitts is DONE! I used Knit Picks' City Tweed DK in Larkspur.



I have a week left before I will give these away and some yarn leftover... so I cast on a "matching" hat... okay, matching because I am using the same yarn. I am planning to do a simple hat, somehow incorporating the lace repeat from the mitts in the hat. I have one ball and two partials left over from the mitts. I guessing there is about 200 yards total ...IF I get it done in the week, it will be wrapped up with the mitts...
 

Susie Rogers' Reading Mitts -WIP

I knew I missed knitting, but I didn't realize how much I missed until I cast on Susie Roger's Reading Mitts. I made these before and took them with me to play in the snow.

I wanted a fast knit for a gift next month. Luckily I had some Knit Picks City Tweed DK in Larkspur and cast on on Sunday. I had forgotten how comforting it is to watch the fabric appear before your eyes.

 So comforting that I managed to knitting the first side and cast on the second side last night. I have high hopes to get this off the needles and work on the finishing this weekend. Happy knitting.