Like I don't have other things to work on...

I decided to add a crocheted Cthulhu to some Christmas gifts for some family member. (ok, my dad and my brother in law). I was egged on by Hal to actually make a Cthulhu... so here it is




I actually made the one on the left first, then when I started the second one, my oldest daughter wanted to take a crack at it, and informed me that I did the tentacle coils wrong. So I corrected it for the second. She actually likes the less coiled ones that I made on accident. I can't decide.

Kitchen angel gift idea

Here is the angel, now I will try to show how you make it.

Materials:

One kitchen hand towel
One matching kitchen washcloth
one knit or crocheted kitchen washcloth.
A piece of ribbon
a pin or safety pin.

You will want to make a kitchen wash cloth from cotton prefferably. Any pattern you choose. In the past I have crocheted them using the pattern in the ball band. I knit this one using a lace pattern, (I messed it up a little, but ssshhh).

When your washcloth is done, take your hand towel, and fold the center section in like so,

you might want to take your piece of ribbon and tie it around the top after you fold it over, here:


roll your matching manufactured washcloth from corner to corner, like so:


Slide this up under the tied off section of the head, between the two halves of the towel.

(please excuse the fact that I did not tie off the head in this picture)

Fan fold your knit or crocheted washcloth, like so:
and place it on the back of the "doll" above where you tied off your head, cross your ribbon over the wings

then bring them around the front under the arms and tie a bow.

Fold the arms in front and pin them.



attach the following poem to the angel

I am your kitchen angel
to watch over those who come through
When I get dirty and have lost my glow
pull my strings and a cleanin' we'll go!

Twst of Elegance

Testing is finally over, and the pattern should be available as a ravelry download.


Yay!

My testers,

Krystalclear2006, AnitaO, Knitwithatude, and SusanB-Knits were all fabulous testers!

I'm still knitting, I promise!

I have been trudging along.

I made a cute little snail

The pattern can be found here, it was sort of fun, even if a little fidgety.

I am also in the process of having a pattern for fingerless mitts tested. I will post pictures once it is done being tested. I can't decide if it will be a free Rav download or not. But it will be available on Ravelry.

I am also still working on stockings, I want to make Madeline a hat before it gets too cold. and finish up some of my one mitt projects. I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws house, I will probably have plenty of time that day....

over committed, or overly ambitious?

I have offered to be a test knitter on a couple fingerless mitt patterns. One for Mschris, with Diminutive Mitts, She is donating proceeds from the sale of this pattern to March of Dimes, dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. I wasn't the best test knitter, I still haven't finished my second mitt, and I had to redo the first on, because I had knit it too loose

but here is my first one.


I also test knit for Snapper's Cafe au lait mitts I struggled a bit with those as well, because I used black yarn, which is notoriously difficult to work with. However, I finished them, and am working on a second pair, for a friend of mine as part of a knit a long for one of my ravelry groups.

Here's the first one.

Here is the second pair in progress


I have also bought some yarn to make Madeline a hat and Hal a pair of socks for Hal



I have also signed up to be part of several swaps that take place on or before Plus I keep having people contact me to make stockings.... and more stockings. I am trying to keep up with out going insane, but maybe I have already reached that destination?

It's snowing, i should be knitting, what's my problem

I can't get moving today, it's a perfect day to knit, but I can't seem to get going...

I saw this cartoon on the Karma Yarn Swap Group this morning... cute!



It gets cut off, you may have to click on it to see the whole thing.

Needle roll

A few people in one of my groups were asked to try and design/make a needle roll just for double pointed needles. One person specifically wanted then for the short 5-6 inch versions.

Here is my first attempt.





Krystalclear2006, is my guinea pig. She chose colors I found these fabrics that seemed to fit her colors. It took a lot less than I expected. The finished product is about 7 inches in height, and 18 inches width. There are 12 pockets ranging in size from 1 inch to 2 inches.

I am only marginally pleased with this effort. I am going to try and make it again, tweaking a couple things. My mom also bought me a couple McCall's patterns that I am going to look at to see if I can get any inspiration.

some finished projects among chaos

I started these mitts on the drive, and finished them last week.


I love this pattern!


I also started this on the drive from California, and ran out of yarn, or would have finished it. I just finished it last week, after finding the right yarn.

Madeline has cut her hair since this picture.

I am now working on a Clapotis, and I need to get a few more stockings going.

Knitting saved my sanity

I took a few projects with me on my move from California to Utah. I didn't get to them all, but am glad I had something to keep my mind off the road. Yay knitting!

Winding into the wind

I hope that isn't like spitting into the wind....

Anyway, I finally finished about half of the stockings I have been asked to make.



I need to get busy on the ones for my friend Sherri. She needs to send them to UK, so I need to get them done before the end of October.

I am also thinking about what knitting projects to take with me on the drive to Utah.

I think I will start my clapotis, and take that, maybe a branching out in lace weight, and a pair of eden gloves. I was going to make a hat out of chunky yarn, but I don't' have all the right needles to get going on it, so it will have to wait.

What? did someone say something?

Since I am moving in a month or so, I have been a little distracted. Not to say that I dont' knit, I just have a hard time blogging about it, or remembering what I need to do.

I finished my dad's hat and his neck warmer thingy (his belated birthday gifts)


Hat before felting...




the hat after felting.


the neck warmer thing...

I also made some gloves for a swap out of alpaca and wool, they are so soft and the designs is from a friend on ravelry. Fun!



The design is called "Always & Forever fingerless mitts" I believe they were designed for someone's wedding, and originally done in white cotton.

I have been sort of depressed about my move, so calling them "Always and Forever Blue" seemed appropriate. They turned out lovely, and the recipient really liked them, so I am happy.

And they're off

I have most of my kids back in school. The preschooler still has until Sep 5, then she goes back, so maybe I can have a little time for something.

My plan today was to clean up the living room, and maybe some knitting. I think I am going to have to wait until the little one naps before I can clean any. Maybe she will let me watch a DVD and knit.

I have gotten all my ravelympics items done.

I made a clapotis for a friend on Ravelry



She didn't want to do it her self. It is a drop stich scarf/shawl knit on the bias, for those of you who don't know. :D

It was sort of fun in a strange sort of way. She gave me a bunch of stitch markeres, and ordered me some yarn to make my own, just for making it for her. How sweet is that? I also got to use they yarn that she picked, purchased and sent to me to make hers. It was Dream in color smooshy. very pretty!

I also finished these mitts, durring the last moments of the ravelympics
, it's a good thing I am a fast knitter.

Now if I can get caught up on everything else.....

I have a hat to finish for my dad, a bag to make for a bag swap, I signed up for an autumn mitt swap, but can't even choose what I am doing until I know who I have. Oh, and all those stockings I need to finish. I joined a group to dedicate one day a week for unfinished projects. I think my stockings are first priority with that group. :D

busy busy busy

I started August off with a test knit, that I am not allowed to show pictures to yet, but it was for my friend from Ravelry Ganiggle. You can find her designs at her website http://www.ganiggle.com/wp/ I was the first tester done, and I won a set of stitch markers. I am so excited. You can see her stitch markers on her site too.

I also used one of her designs for a "Ravelympics" project.

I did "Under the Rose" also found on her website.

I got a little picture for finishing it:



I am now working on a Clapotis for another friend who is going to pay me in yarn! Score! I loves yarn.

Getting ready for August

I have two projects waiting for the Ravelympics to start. I cast on for a lovely bag designed by Ganiggle, to use some yarn that I inherited from my grandmother. The color really isn't me, but it felt to special not to use, and I felt it wanted to be a cabled bag.


It has a lovely celtic cable in the middle and some mesh pannels on the sides. I doubled the yarn (I think it is dk weight) and am using a slightly larger needle than suggested, I think it makes it ok, maybe not quite as tightly knit as the original. I think I will line it, so that a contrasting color shows through the mesh panels.

Almost done, then I think I will be test knitting another pair of mitts in August, then the ravelympics.

Oh, I did make a pair of children's sized mitts for one of my neighbor's daughters, I should make a pair of mitts for the older one too.

So much to do!

Finally!

I did finally finish the merletto mitts. I have no idea why a veteran knitter like myself would be stumped with this pattern. They are cute, but I now hate them. I took a picture and put them in the Christmas grab box for the kids to choose their teachers' Christmas gifts later this year.


And I don't think I will ever make them again.....

I purchased this book, a while ago, because the gloves on the front were so cute.

Now I hear that they are offering one of the patterns as a free down load if you make a pair for someone in need.

http://www.melaniefalickbooks.com/news/2008/6/12/the-big-mitten-give.html

Fuzzy

I havent' fixed those merletto mitts yet. I did finish the fuzzy no hair chemo cap, but discovered that it was probably too small, so I frogged it which isn't easy to do with fun fur. I started over, was half way up the body of the hat when I dropped a stitch, you can't pick up a stitch in fun fur, I had to frog again, and start over. I finally finished, now I worry that it may be too big, as it fits my head. I have a huge head.....


I think I will make another in the small version, maybe two. She can keep whatever fits her and donate the rest to the cancer center, or let her daughters wear them.

Slow knitting

I tried to finish up my merletto mitts. I went an extra repeat on the pattern, so the second glove is bigger. I am going to have to go pluck and frog it to the right size. Not really looking forward to it. They are pretty gloves, but I am not find of the pattern. They are going in my grab box for teacher's gifts. I am making a box for the kids to grab a Christmas gift for their teachers this year. I figure I need to make anywhere from 6-12 mitts. I have 3 pair in it already, I believe.

I started on a chemo cap made from funfur for my neighbor. I feel like I am knitting a wig.

My mitt pattern is fun to watch on Ravelry. I have sold 3 copies already. 19 people have marked it as a favorite (people I don't know), and it is in 8 queues to knit. Very exciting for me. I still have two more designs floating in my head. Hopefully I will get to them sometime.

Putting a pattern for sale

I am officially putting my Nordic snowflake mitt pattern on Ravelry for sale.

wow! What a step for me!



buy now

I finished something!

It seems I keep casting on, and not finishing too much. I did finish two projects on the 4th of July, which gave me some joy, but other than that, it's been too hot to seriously finish anything, but I guess not to start thing.

So instead of going to a movie yesterday, because i didn't want to leave the kids unattended in the furnace we call a house, I stayed home and finished these


My goal is to make a bunch of fingerless mitts and put them in a box or something, and the kids can pick and choose them for Christmas gifts for their teachers this next year. I think it will very unlikely that we will have any male teachers (since there is only one in 5th grade, and i won't have a 5th grader) and I only suggest a gift for the core teacher in middle school. However, there will be 3 preschool teachers, and the teacher's aides so I figure I need 9-12 pairs of mitts.

So far, I think I have 2 pair, maybe 3.

I am putting these in that box as well as the two toned cabled ones I tested for Knitasaur.

4th of July lazyness

I decided we would just have a lazy day at home. We didn't drag the kids out to the infatables at the park, we didn't go to any sales, no fun-runs. I sat around and knitted. I finished two projects though.

This hat

I went with the green button. I was going to put two dragonflies on, but they didn't look as great as I wanted.

And this summery lace scarf for my mother's birthday.


It's made with Bernat Soy yarn, that I got from Karma Yarn Swap. I hope she likes it. What you do with a scarf in the dead heat of summer I don't know, but it's pretty.

I also started a pair of fingerless mitts for a knit a long. I think I am going to make as many fingerless mitts as I can before Christmas, then the kids can choose from them as gifts for their teachers.

Parasite Pals?

I had never heard of it before, but someone was making DPN (double pointed needle) work in progress holders out of the pencil toppers This started into a discussion on stuff at Archie McPhee's

I am not sure where these weird things originated, but there is a personality test




what all this has to do with knitting, I don't know.... Ok back to it, I guess.

Yarny stuff

I am down to finishing the chemo hat for my neighbor. I am trying to decide on a decorative button



I had originally thought the dragonfly, but am leaning toward the big green one.

I designed a mitt!

I am so excited. I designed a fingerless mitt with some of the traditional Norwegian knitting elements that you find in Selbuvotter. I have been thinking about this for a long time, because I really like Norwegian mittens, and I like fingerless ones too, so as I haven't seen any in a pattern I made my own. I am actually having it tested by 6 test knitters. I am thinking of putting it up for sale on Ravelry when they're done, or maybe even a free down load, I haven't decided.

I finished the larger size, which is way too big for me, now I am working on the smaller size, which I will probably end up giving to my mother.




I am very excited, I have never made a pattern to have people test before. It's sort of cool.