I take my hat off to teachers

I haven't posted a lot of the things I've made over the last several months because I've been a bit distracted (studying for the boards, playing with my game-obsessed son, cutting up all the veg in my CSA, etc etc).  I'll try to get back into it so we have something to talk about when you visit, Win :)

This is a hat that I made for one of E's teachers.  I ran out of time in the Christmas rush and gave her this:

And so we worked out that she wanted a thick warm hat with a brim that she could wear while standing out in the carpool line ushering kids into cars.  And she's all about the color RED.  So here it is.

Pattern:  Anja's hat

Yarn:  Berroco Vintage Chunky

Love the pattern so much that I think I'll make one for myself :)  but in a different color.  Perhaps a brown tweed?

Fairy houses

My in-laws have a beautiful property with some lovely old trees that are just perfect for these fairy houses that she has created.  Check out her new landscaping!  Apparently a new nursery recently opened up that has a focus on miniature plants.  They have found their perfect customer :)

American gothic revisited

Another stunning work in progress by my mother-in-law.  She loves these Santas and has made a different Santa for all the children.  This is her latest.

Napa valley in needlework

We are visiting A's parents this week.  Here is one of my mother-in-law's latest finished needlework creations;  she was working on this the last time she visited us.  The sky is interesting in that the thread is merely woven through the canvas instead of trying to cover it all up.   This purposefully reveals the painted canvas, thereby highlighting the gradations of color.

I also especially love the rows of lettuce - they have great texture when you examine them closely.

Busting stashes, taking names

Seen on Buzzfeed - several great ideas to bust your stash!  Here are some of my favorites.  I already wrap presents with some of that acrylic / eyelash yarn that is no fun to actually knit with.

Cabled tree covers for corks

Wrap a wooden block and use as a stamp

It's about time

Star light star bright

Made this a few months ago for my next door neighbor's 2nd birthday.  Apparently he is a huge fan of Sprout TV's bedtime star, yet there is no stuffed star that is marketed.

'

Drew a huge circle on some butcher paper using a string and a pencil,  and made a star pattern from it.  I used fleece, safety eyes, and appliqued red felt on.  The stars are appliques that I purchased and sewed on.  The hat is separate, made from my too-plentiful flannel stash.  I originally was going to use these cute little star buttons, but decided that would be both a choking hazard as well as not very huggable.  I hear this guy was a hit :)

Dolled up

Cute ... or bizarre?  Check out the latest yarn fad to go viral:

This takes a lot of balls ...

Here's an idea for something to do with all those little yarn leftovers!

She knits while doing what?!

Celebrity knitting!  Amanda Seyfried knits for Ellen and tells us she's obsessed:

I can't believe she knits while on the elliptical!  I can barely keep my balance while holding on!

International Yarn Bombing Day

We missed it!  June 8th.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/incredible-yarnbombs-from-around-the-world

I want to knit around Dixie's collar now.

Wishing for more sun

Check out Alan Dart's latest design in Simply Knitting.  Daphne loves his designs, and I can see why!

Her ears were cold

Made for my neighbor - her choice of yarn and pattern.   Matches the scarf I made first for her. 

Pattern:  Parisian Twist ear warmer

Yarn:  Berroco Borealis

Now that I look back, I don't think I posted about it.  A relatively quick knit - love knitting with bulky yarn.  Messed up the pattern at the beginning and had to rip it out a couple of times.  She picked out the pattern.

Pattern:  Loopluftikus.

My ears were cold

I'm not really the Jane Austen style sort.  So usually I have blown by the Jane Austen knits magazine ... until I saw this cute shop sample hat at 3 Bags Full.  I was charmed.

Pattern:  Walking to Meryton hat
Yarn:  Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran (yummy!!)


The pattern in the magazine uses a rather frightful fuchsia and turquoise combination.  The other ravelry examples definitely don't do it justice.

I made the medium version and, of course, it was a bit big so I tried to shrink it a bit in the dryer .... it felted a smidge, which I'm not entirely sure I like.

memories

Look what I found in the depths of my unsorted digital photos!

Stitches Midwest, 2011 I believe :)  Good times!

off on the right foot

Just found this picture of some booties that Arielle made right before her baby was born ... so cute!

Yarn Train

Someone just invited me to join the Yarn Train ... this sounds awesome!  Take the Amtrak to Portland and knit along the way, check out some yarn sites there, and either stay overnight or return the same day.  Initially started by a group of knitters to spend time together knitting and yarn shopping, it has now grown to 200+ knitters!  Wish I could go.

http://www.snohomishknittersguild.org/seattle-to-portland-yarn-train1.html

A new Angle for 2013

This week I have been madly knitting ... got a late start on my Christmas present (on the plane on Christmas day ...) to my favorite niece, who is also visiting here in Virginia.

A week and a half of steady knitting, and it is done!  Love the colors!  I found them at Stitches Midwest at Tucker Woods.  They offered "BB Cakes", small cake-like skeins of yarn in lovely saturated colors.  

I love this pattern for many reasons.  One, it is ribbing, so it will fit for a long time.  If you pull the ribbing apart, the valleys are a different color!  Very clever design.  Two, it is knitted in all one piece!  Just a little kitchener for the sleeves at the end, plus the border, is all the finishing it needs.  I like the punch of color in the front flap.

The button is also super cute.  I reinforced it with some sewing thread to ensure it never falls off.

Pattern:  Angle

Yarn:  Tucker Woods Molly's Toes, superwash sock  yarn

Cute cloche

A gift for my cousin Rosemary in Montreal, made to go with her gray coat and a pink-purple coat.
Very fast - sometimes I love crochet!  I'm really happy with the way this turned out.

Pattern:  Jeannette's Retro Cloche

Yarn:  Rowan Cocoon
merely inches left of the gray skein

Every problem has a ... silk lining

Going through some old posts and cleaning up the blog a bit.  Here's a purse I finished just before Stitches Midwest.  Used some chunky yarn in my stash and whipped up this awesome purse in a satisfyingly short amount of time.  Inspired by Pat, who made the same one!

We took a class on lining knitted items.  The keys:

1.  Think long, basting-like stitches with thread.  

2.  Start in the middle of the item.  

3.  Neither end is knotted - you just leave a 3-5 inch tail and tuck it in.  The instructor claimed that she had lined a jacket with this technique, and she has never had a problem with the thread catching and tearing out.

4.  After the first row, sew rows on either side, about 1" apart.  Pooch up the fabric a little in between, which lends some "give" to the fabric.

Thanks go out to my neighbor, who gave me a treasure trove of some silk scarves that she had inherited.  Found a perfect one for the lining of this one.  The only problem - I picked out handles that were too small, so I can barely get the purse open!

Lovely stone button found at Stitches Midwest, sewn on in place of the ribbon that the pattern calls for. I'm just not a ribbon and bow kind of gal.  :)

Pattern:  Christine bag

Yarn:  Berroco Sundae, I think

Charmed

For some reason I've been into charm bracelets lately.  Was inspired by one in my neighbor's jewelry collection, and thought hey, it would be fun to assemble some charms with some meaning to me.   Turns out, kids love this.  It's a fun way to talk about things that have some meaning to me with kids - and we could all use an excuse to talk about meaningful things, no?  

So I recently put this one together for my best friend, who also happens to be a pediatrician.  Here are a few of her favorite things.

knitting at the Art Institute

My friend Katie reported to me recently that I had to check out the latest traveling exhibit in the modern wing of the Art Institute.  It's on fashion, but there are some fabulous knitted items.Bulky wool, knitted sideways, cowl neck.  Love it!  I want to make one for me, if I still wore sweaters.  

(Wish I could manipulate these images a bit better and display them all neatly in a row)

These are some illegally shot images of the Sandra Backland exhibit.  Check out some of her fantastic crocheted and knitted designs! Behind each mannequin there is a still life photo taken by a Swedish photographer, which I think is also a breathtaking rendering of the texture and feel of the knitted item.   There was also an origami dress - you can see it in the background of the second photo.

Backlund develops all her designs from scratch in three dimensions.  "I like the way I can build my own fabric while working and the way it is mathematical, but at the same time permits improvisation.  It is really time-consuming and a real trial on one's mental and physical strength, and yet for me knitting is synonymous with creative freedom."