On the Needles

Woah! Can I just say, this pattern is a bit like intrelac (which I've never done) and the results of someone's bad LSD trip. But, I've got it now, and like most things, it's not difficult once you 'get' the instructions. So far, it looks like this:



ETA: No, it's not a bit like intrelac!

Current Project

Casting on today...this scarf from Garnstudio Drops Design, DROPS number 103-3. Free pattern. By the way, this is a great site (www.garnstudio.com) for free patterns. This one will be for my sister-in-law, who is a quilter. I thought she would like the patchwork look of this design.




These are four of the six colors I'm using. The other two are very similar shades of purple/blue, and are laying in their own baggies with labels because I know me, and I'll mix those up for sure if I don't find a way to easily figure out which one is which. The yarn is KnitPicks Palette, fingering weight. Very soft.

Noro One Skein Shawl

A shawl from one skein of sock yarn? Well, yes, sort of. It's really more like a big scarf, but it's pretty and does look nice over a sweater or coat. And it really was made from only one skein of Noro sock yarn. Caution: if you haven't used Noro before, know that it feels really rough and scratchy while you're working with it. But once washed and blocked it softens up to yummy! Here it is getting blocked.

The rest of Christmas 2008

So here they are, in no particular order:

First, a little toy for my niece's 3 year old son. I hear he sleeps with it!



Second, a spa set for my daughter:



Third, a felted baseball hat for my niece, who loves all things baseball:



Four: a felted 'newsboy' hat for my niece's 6 yr old daughter, who loves all things hats:


Five: an amigurumi spider for hubby's grandson:


Six: Spiderman blanket, to go with, what else, the amigurumi spider:



That was a lot of knitting, but waaaaay fun!

Branching Out

I got an email from amazon today, the subject line of which shouted at me to START A NEW HOBBY IN 2009. Well, maybe, I thought. So I click on it and find out that yes, there are hobbies I haven't tried. And maybe there are some you haven't tried either. So, like it or not, I'll share my top three favorite picks from the email.

First, there's this one:



Surely in a Big Ass Book of Crafts there must be something I haven't done. Yeah, I'm sure there is. Maybe I'll order this.

Then, there's this choice:



Ok, so this is a legitmate new slant on a time-tested hobby for some. Legos. They're safe, reliable, and timeless. I'll keep this on my list. Perhaps for the lego-lover in my life. A Christmas 2009 gift idea? It could work.


And, finally, just in case you've done it all (in the craft world, that is), this bud's for you:




If you decide on the latter, don't forget to stop by the mercantile to get your feed. Chickens need to eat, too.

For me, I'm stickin' to my knittin'.

Christmas Unwrapped!

Now that all has been wrapped, mailed and unwrapped I can post the projects I did for Christmas this year (off to find where I downloaded the pictures to...)

Aw..success, and on my first try! I admit, tho, to spending an hour or so one day last week refiling and organizing all of my knitting files on the computer. But, an endeavor which was well worth it, because I found the pics straight-away!


First, a 'manly' scarf for my husband's son. The pattern is Campus Scarf found in Scarf Style, by Interweave Press. This book has 31 patterns for scarves, both knit and crochet. It's a good one! I knit this scarf with a cashmere blend so it's very soft and non-scratchy for the neck. All knits and purls, a bit boring to work on but a good project to sit in front of the tube with.


Scarf number 2 (and 3)


This pattern, called Jute Rope, (available as a free download on Ravelry was made for my daughter, Jen. I used KnitPicks bulky weight and did most of this in the car on our trip to Las Vegas. Actually, I even did quite a bit of it in our hotel room, after I had decided that I might want to find something to do other than gamble, thereby assuring we would have enough money to buy gas on the way home! (Luckily, my hubby won back what I lost, so all was good).

But back to the scarf....I loved the weight and texture of this scarf, and enjoyed making it so much I decided to make another one for my step-daughter. So I did. It's gray.










And one last scarf ('tis the season to be warm!) made for my step-daughter-in-law (whew!, that's a lot of words!)



This is called the Asherton Reversible Scarf (for obvious reasons) and is also available as a free download on Ravelry. Speaking of which, you must be a member of Ravelry to access the site's goodies. Do it! It's great!

More stuff later. It's raining, and I must get out the book I'm almost finished with. Gray skies and rain call for reading.

Thomas

Here's a christmas present I can actually post, because the recipient is only 2 years old. No worries about spilling the beans here.



This is Thomas. He is from Sandra Polley's book, The Knitted Teddy Bear. The instructions were clear and the whole project took less than one week. And since I had to occasionally put it down to get on with my real life, (so annoying!) that's pretty quick from start to finish.

WEEKEND GUEST ALERT!

You know how sometimes house guests come to stay and you're all excited about it, and then, after they've been in your home for about 20 minutes you start to get all "omg, this person isn't leaving for 10 days." Well, this little house guest could move in permanently and that would be just dandy with us. Because he's small, furry, loves to cuddle, eats whatever you put in front of him, and doesn't talk back.



This is Miguel, aka Mike, and seriously, you cannot walk by him without having to stop and snorgle for a minute or 20. You can see he has adopted Thomas as his 'naptime pal' which was totally cute because when he plays with his toys he tosses them in the air and does actual ripping/tearing and other destructive things to them when I play tug of war with him. But not so with Thomas. Thomas is his pal, not to be treated harshly.

I think every one deserves a friend like Miguel.

2:44

That's all the time you need to give up to see these awesome catz. Go ahead, you know you want to.

Go ahead. Knit a toy!

You'll enjoy it. They're easy, and they're cute, and they make you smile. This snake is a birthday gift for soon-to-be 4-year old Jake, my dh's grandson. Now I need to find an awesome book about snakes that's age-appropriate and won't give him nightmares!

We're going to Vegas, Baby!

The short of it is: A phone call from my mom, who lives in MN, to me, who lives in AZ, saying "I'm going to Vegas. Meet me there?"

Yes, that's really all it took.

First, let me just say, if you love to people-watch, get thee to Vegas. If you stand on any street corner for little more than, say, 15 minutes, you will see every size, shape, age, gender, and nationality that there is to see. (Is this statement politically correct? Whatever, it's my blog.) And exposed boobs. More exposed boobs than you'd ever want to see, or, in the case of my husband, "isn't Vegas awesome?" Note: mine were covered. I'm just not that cavalier about showing my body in public.

Vegas used to have space. Not so much anymore. It has concrete and glass, lots of it. Every usable inch of land has been built upon so, yup, you can't see the forest for the trees. This was remarkable to me because I haven't been there for 30 years. I can wait another 30 before I go back (or at least a month or so). Explanation? I don't like lots about Vegas, but then again, it does offer one a break from reality, (me, to my husband, "This is really fun. Are you sure we're still participating in our real life?") and that's often a good thing. So, trips to Vegas, in moderation, might be the best approach.

But the trip via car? Awesome. Here's why:



The red hills of Sedona, AZ. Magnificent. And,




The Hoover Dam. Incredible.