Here he is, carving away... against his will.... but not complaining:)
And here is our pumpkin! Ain't he cute!?
Friday, October 14, 2011
Owl Pumpkin
A month or two ago, I was watching a DVD from Martha Stewart on Halloween to get some fun ideas for the holiday. I came across how to carve a pumpkin into different animal shapes, including an owl. I'm not sure how I managed this, but I was able to convince my husband into helping me make this owl our Halloween pumpkin this year.
Here he is, carving away... against his will.... but not complaining:)
And here is our pumpkin! Ain't he cute!?
Here he is, carving away... against his will.... but not complaining:)
And here is our pumpkin! Ain't he cute!?
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Chloe
Meet Chloe- the third toy to be knitted from Susan B. Anderson's delightful book, Spud and Chloe at the Farm.She was knit with Knit Picks' Comfy Worsted in Serrano and Ivory. Her dress and hair-tie were made with left-over stash yarn, Blue Sky Alpaca's Organic Cotton.
As with the rest of Susan's patterns, Chloe is simple to knit thanks to her extremely clear directions on construction. Aside from knitting this doll in different yarn (the book suggests Spud and Chloe's Sweater), the only alteration I made was to the size of her eyes. I feel they are a little large on the toy in the book compared to the sweet illustrations of Chloe throughout. So I simply made them a little smaller.
Chloe is much cuter in person, I swear. I really need to take photography lessons and get a sweet camera. This little piece of technology I'm using just doesn't do knitting justice.
Well, 3 down ( Little Lamb, Brown Cow and Chloe), at least 2 to go (Barn Cat and Spud) and let's not forget the accessories (the Barn and Buckets- Emma keeps asking for these tiny toys).
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Oh, Christmas Tree!
I know it is only October, but I am one of those nut-jobs who thinks about Christmas in July... well, to be honest... I think about it all year really.
This year, I'd like to add to my handknit holiday decorating. The first year my husband and I were married (2005), I made us both Christmas stockings.
The next year in 2006, I made a little knitted ball ornament like these...
The year after that, I made this pom-pom garland.
In 2009, we were blessed with our daughter, so naturally she had to have a stocking too!
And here we are, 2011, and I'm getting the handknit-holiday-decorating-itch. Here is what I'm thinking about doing this year. I'd like to make a few felted little trees. But the question is, which one do I choose? Here are my options.
I found this pattern in the Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines book.
And this one is from the fabulous Purl Soho's blog, the Purl Bee.
And these layered little guys are from the most recent Interweave Knits' Holiday Gifts issue.
Which one do you think I should make this season?
This year, I'd like to add to my handknit holiday decorating. The first year my husband and I were married (2005), I made us both Christmas stockings.
The next year in 2006, I made a little knitted ball ornament like these...
The year after that, I made this pom-pom garland.
In 2009, we were blessed with our daughter, so naturally she had to have a stocking too!
And here we are, 2011, and I'm getting the handknit-holiday-decorating-itch. Here is what I'm thinking about doing this year. I'd like to make a few felted little trees. But the question is, which one do I choose? Here are my options.
I found this pattern in the Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines book.
And this one is from the fabulous Purl Soho's blog, the Purl Bee.
And these layered little guys are from the most recent Interweave Knits' Holiday Gifts issue.
Which one do you think I should make this season?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Halloween Crafting
Just a little Halloween crafting... with really really really old construction paper and a toddler.
Here is the end result:
(It's from Martha Stewart's website called Halloween Hang-ups.)
Here is the end result:
(It's from Martha Stewart's website called Halloween Hang-ups.)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Do-Over
I have a beautiful child. No really, she is so so beautiful. And I'm not biased at all!! She is tall, has big blue eyes and is super smart and sweet. The child can do no wrong...
Ha.
Ha..
Ha...
Unfortunately, my little girl has one set-back. She has an enormous head. It's off the charts large. It doesn't look enormous in pictures or when you are in a room with her, but that doesn't change the fact that there is a big noggin resting on that neck.
Anyway, and I really do have a point, I made my daughter a crew-neck pullover this week using a pattern from the talented Jane Richmond. If you have never heard of her, I encourage you to read her blog and most definitely look over her patterns. They are fresh, current, simple and spectacular at the same time. If you have been toying with the idea of making one of her patterns, go for it! You will not be disappointed, I promise.
I made her Classic Raglan Pullover using Dream in Color's Classy yarn in the energetic colorway Punky Fushcia. Such a perky color for a growing kid. This squishy worsted weight yarn is a superwash merino wool with a generous 250 yards in each hank. I chose to make it in size 4, which according to the measurements given for chest and length, would ideally allow Emma to wear this now through next fall.
Knowing what I know about my daughter's head, I was careful to try on the garment (since it is a top down raglan) several times along the way to make sure it would fit. The last time she tried it on was right before I added the collar (the last step before blocking).
After blocking, I excitedly rushed the finished sweater to her and tried to put it on. Ugh. I could not get that sweater over her head, no matter how hard I stretched that collar ( and I did cast off loosely). Bummer. So after all that, I had to rip back the collar and reknit it in the size 6 collar instructions.
And now...
It fits!!!!!!
And she likes it too!!!! Bonus:)
Ha.
Ha..
Ha...
Unfortunately, my little girl has one set-back. She has an enormous head. It's off the charts large. It doesn't look enormous in pictures or when you are in a room with her, but that doesn't change the fact that there is a big noggin resting on that neck.
Anyway, and I really do have a point, I made my daughter a crew-neck pullover this week using a pattern from the talented Jane Richmond. If you have never heard of her, I encourage you to read her blog and most definitely look over her patterns. They are fresh, current, simple and spectacular at the same time. If you have been toying with the idea of making one of her patterns, go for it! You will not be disappointed, I promise.
I made her Classic Raglan Pullover using Dream in Color's Classy yarn in the energetic colorway Punky Fushcia. Such a perky color for a growing kid. This squishy worsted weight yarn is a superwash merino wool with a generous 250 yards in each hank. I chose to make it in size 4, which according to the measurements given for chest and length, would ideally allow Emma to wear this now through next fall.
Knowing what I know about my daughter's head, I was careful to try on the garment (since it is a top down raglan) several times along the way to make sure it would fit. The last time she tried it on was right before I added the collar (the last step before blocking).
After blocking, I excitedly rushed the finished sweater to her and tried to put it on. Ugh. I could not get that sweater over her head, no matter how hard I stretched that collar ( and I did cast off loosely). Bummer. So after all that, I had to rip back the collar and reknit it in the size 6 collar instructions.
And now...
It fits!!!!!!
And she likes it too!!!! Bonus:)
Friday, September 30, 2011
A Tale of Two Berets
Ah, mother-daughter berets.
One for me...
And one for her...
Cute, right?
My beret was knit with the very lovely Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed Aran in a pale pink (can't find the color name anywhere, sorry). The pattern is by Hannah Fettig, called Early Morning Beret. It is a free, easy and well written pattern that took a couple of evenings to complete. Quite pleased with the results. My mother had given me the yarn as a gift to make a scarf, but I was really in need of a fresh, simple hat (since I made several scarves and cowls last year- didn't need anymore of those now). Loved, loved, loved the yarn. It blocked beautifully, softening as it sat on my blocking mat.
Emma's beret was an emergency knit too. I have a super intelligent, super talented, super beautiful daughter (I know, I'm not biased at all!) who just happens to be super tall with a super large head that grows at an alarming rate! NONE of the hats that I made her last year fit, so I had to start over. This little Debbie Bliss' Moss Stitch Beret (moss stitch is the British equivalent of the American seed stitch - don't ask me why) was knit using one of my favorite yarns from one of my favorite companies: Three Irish Girls' Springvale Super Merino in the Cherry Blossom colorway. Love how the seed stitch changes the effect of the color pooling. So neat. Am thinking about whipping up a pair of matching mittens, too! The pattern was quick and simple, but I'm not crazy about purling 3 stitches together, it creates a sharper decrease and then has a bit of a bubbling effect once complete. However, the color masks that a little and the final product is pretty cute.
But first I have to finish this for her.... in the next couple of days. The weather channel (can they be trusted, really?) claims that the high for Saturday here in northeast Ohio is 47! That's a bit chilly for the first day of October. So the race of nature vs. knitting mother is on!
One for me...
And one for her...
Cute, right?
My beret was knit with the very lovely Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed Aran in a pale pink (can't find the color name anywhere, sorry). The pattern is by Hannah Fettig, called Early Morning Beret. It is a free, easy and well written pattern that took a couple of evenings to complete. Quite pleased with the results. My mother had given me the yarn as a gift to make a scarf, but I was really in need of a fresh, simple hat (since I made several scarves and cowls last year- didn't need anymore of those now). Loved, loved, loved the yarn. It blocked beautifully, softening as it sat on my blocking mat.
Emma's beret was an emergency knit too. I have a super intelligent, super talented, super beautiful daughter (I know, I'm not biased at all!) who just happens to be super tall with a super large head that grows at an alarming rate! NONE of the hats that I made her last year fit, so I had to start over. This little Debbie Bliss' Moss Stitch Beret (moss stitch is the British equivalent of the American seed stitch - don't ask me why) was knit using one of my favorite yarns from one of my favorite companies: Three Irish Girls' Springvale Super Merino in the Cherry Blossom colorway. Love how the seed stitch changes the effect of the color pooling. So neat. Am thinking about whipping up a pair of matching mittens, too! The pattern was quick and simple, but I'm not crazy about purling 3 stitches together, it creates a sharper decrease and then has a bit of a bubbling effect once complete. However, the color masks that a little and the final product is pretty cute.
But first I have to finish this for her.... in the next couple of days. The weather channel (can they be trusted, really?) claims that the high for Saturday here in northeast Ohio is 47! That's a bit chilly for the first day of October. So the race of nature vs. knitting mother is on!
Monday, September 5, 2011
It's good to give
The wonderful step-mother of a dear friend of mine recently found out that she has cancer. No one likes to hear this news. No one. To help her step-mom through this rough time, my friend asked me to make a couple of caps for her.
And here they are...
The is the Brattleboro Hat from New England Knits, an absolutely beautiful book with many tempting patterns. Since this hat is for a cancer patient, I was advised only to knit with cotton or cotton-blend yarns. So the Brattleboro Hat was made with Knit Picks' Comfy Worsted yarn, a surprisingly soft and smooth fiber blend consisting of 75% pima cotton and 25% acrylic.
The second hat was a free pattern I found on Ravelry, entitled 2009 Race for Life Chemo Cap. The delicate little lace detail at the edge caught my eye when searching for patterns. This little cap was knit with Knit Picks' Cotlin, which was not at all enjoyable while knitting. It felt scratchy on my fingers and regularly released bits of straw, but blocked beautifully and turned out much MUCH nicer and softer than I expected. (Thank heavens!) Cotlin is made of 70% Tanguis cotton and 30% linen.
Both projects took only one skein! Great stash buster projects. But I admit that the best part of this experience was putting the package in the mail, knowing that my friend's mom will feel more comfortable while wearing them.
And here they are...
The is the Brattleboro Hat from New England Knits, an absolutely beautiful book with many tempting patterns. Since this hat is for a cancer patient, I was advised only to knit with cotton or cotton-blend yarns. So the Brattleboro Hat was made with Knit Picks' Comfy Worsted yarn, a surprisingly soft and smooth fiber blend consisting of 75% pima cotton and 25% acrylic.
The second hat was a free pattern I found on Ravelry, entitled 2009 Race for Life Chemo Cap. The delicate little lace detail at the edge caught my eye when searching for patterns. This little cap was knit with Knit Picks' Cotlin, which was not at all enjoyable while knitting. It felt scratchy on my fingers and regularly released bits of straw, but blocked beautifully and turned out much MUCH nicer and softer than I expected. (Thank heavens!) Cotlin is made of 70% Tanguis cotton and 30% linen.
Both projects took only one skein! Great stash buster projects. But I admit that the best part of this experience was putting the package in the mail, knowing that my friend's mom will feel more comfortable while wearing them.
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