Craft - Tober

First, the Cute Baby Picture... My Favorite Pirate...Jake and the Neverland Pirates as played by DGS for Halloween...

What a cutie!!

I have been knitting and crocheting quite a bit, in fact, I having been reading as much as I usually do because I have been doing so much needlework.

Here is an adorable Giraffe Lovey.  I made him with yarn I already had in my stash (Score!).  I used Caron Simply Soft and Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the gold.  The only modification I used was to use Safety Eyes which I thought really stood out and I used a "J" hook for the blanket part since my last Lovey blanket was a little too small and the tension was too tight.  This was a great pattern and well worth the money and I actually made all the pieces twice except for the head and blanket so I can finish a second one quickly.  I will say there were a LOT of ends to sew in and stuffing the Giraffe Antlers was a pain in the Giraffe butt...lol.

I also completed some socks, one pair was a Mother's Day Gift, one pair is a Christmas Gift, and the other was supposed to be a gift but I struggled with the pattern for fit soooo they ended up being for me! (I mean, oh, too bad...).

The first pair was in a yarn I bought at a great yarn shop in La Grange, TX called The Quilted Skein in a lovey warm brown with some goreous highlights from Pagewood Farms in Denali SuperWash Merino/Nylon (80/20) called "Maple Leaf".  I ordered an awesome Wool Girl Yarn Club kit called "Earl Grey Tea" and used the sock pattern included in the kit called Bergamot by Jane Robbins (which is exclusive to the club I believe as it is not on Ravelry).  It was a really nice pattern and the pattern repeat was easy to memorize.  I used Addi Turbo 1.5 32" circulars and followed the pattern top-down until the foot where I reduced to 60 stitches from 64 since these were for my Mama and she has a narrow foot.  I kept the pattern in place for the 32 top-side and just reduced the number of stitches on the sole.  These flew off my needles, I would knit the pattern or the yarn again for sure.

The second pair are a VICE Paradigm sock yarn Merino/Nylon (80/20) in the Krazy colorway.  I was wanting to knit a pair of socks for ?? for Christmas and when I saw this colorway it just screamed ??.  I used Chiao Goo Red Lace Needles in 1.5 32" and I have to say these are my new favorite needles, perhaps even upsetting the reigning winner of Addi Turbos.  These were knit toe up with 64 stitches, a Fleegle heel, and a fun lace pattern at the top for interest.  I hope she likes them!  PS - her foot is a little bigger than mine so these are a bit loose in the picture.

The final pair of socks in today's post is Los Monos Locos (Crazy Monkeys) which is a toe-up version of the popular Cookie A Monkey Socks.  One of my resolutions for 2013 was to make the super popular Monkey socks by Cookie A.  I tried years ago, but wasn't experienced enough to "read" my knitting and just couldn't get the rhythm of the pattern repeat.  Flash forward to 2013...I LOVE this pattern repeat, I now know what all the fuss is about.  Plus they make crazy variegated colorways look amazing.  However, I probably re-made these socks at least 10 times.  I COULD NOT get fit.  I finally got it but I actually had to not re-use some of the yarn as I had worn it out from frogging and re-knitting!  Here is what I did (I have a narrow foot so that didn't help, but I understand other people have had trouble with fit as well). 

 

With US1.5 32" circular needle, cast on 24 (don't like pointy toe), after setup round, KFB, knit till 2 stitches left, KFB, K, repeat for 2nd half of round, K next round then repeat theses 2 rounds till 62 stitches (last round KFB at beginning of round only).  This puts only 1 stitch between increases rather than the traditional 2 and it lays flatter on the sides of the toes.  Use 32 stitches on 1st half of round for pattern stitch and 30 on sole side.  After 7 repeats of pattern, begin Fleegle heel, restart row 1 of pattern on front of sock after finishing heel with 64 stitches total. Begin this pattern repeat with increase to US2 32" circular and finish pattern repeat only on front of sock, then switch to pattern repeat in front and back of leg of sock.  I did 6 repeats of pattern then switch back to US1.5 32" circlulars and knit 10 rounds of twisted rib patten and bound off using a modified Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bindoff. 

It turns out that that with all the re-knitting to get fit to go over the heel, etc. I got them about 1/2 inch too long in the foot for my DD, so I guess they have to be mine!  I picked up this beautiful colorway of Regia 4-ply (75 SW Wool/25 Nylon) Garden Effects by Kristin Nicholas in the Blue Thyme 3304 Colorway in Albuquerque at Village Wools on a business trip- it has more purple than blue though.  I loved knitting with this and love the socks as well, so much that I have cast-on with another sock yarn using this adapted pattern!

I'll finish up with some pictures of my Halloween Luminarias from last year...

Day Trip to the "Painted Churches"

First, the Cute Baby Pic!


DGS kickin' back watching Disney Movies!

We recently found out about a day trip opportunity about an hour west of us near Schulenburg, TX (also not far from Shiner, TX) that has some beautiful turn of the century Churches that are just breath-taking.  They are Catholic churches built by Czech and German immigrants and rival some of the European churches I have seen and so close to home!  We decided to go on Memorial Day since we usually drive home to Oklahoma for the holidays but didn't this year.  Below are the pictures from the 1st one we went to in Dubina, TX. 

It is Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church - evidently there are a lot of Czech churches that celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius! 

It was built in 1912 (rebuilt on the same site several times) and has more than 3,000 gold leaf stars on the ceiling. 

It also has colorful angels and vines and flowers throughout.  "All of the church’s interior paintings were covered with solid white paint in 1952, but their existence was never forgotten and faint traces remained visible. After over thirty years, the church’s parishioners decided to uncover and restore the paintings in 1983. Thus began a long and tedious restoration process, undertaken each Sunday after church services by the parishioners themselves. They carefully removed the white paint to reveal portions of the paintings. New stencils were made from each original pattern, and the freehand paintings were documented as thoroughly as possible. With the aid of historic photographs, the parishioners then repainted all of the interior decorations in their original locations. Although the recreated paintings lack historic integrity in terms of materials and workmanship, historic photographs reveal the historical accuracy of their design and arrangement." from www.fayettecountryhistory.org.

All the "Painted Churches" are free, but have a donation box to help with the upkeep.  This church was most recently restored in the 1980's by the parishioners as mentioned above.  This church can only be viewed from the entryway unless you are with a tour but it is still worth the trip.  Here is some detail work in the entry way. 

All the churches had nearby cemeteries and outdoors Meeting areas where many were have Memorial Day Picnics.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive in Hill Country.  There were still a few wildflowers but most of the bluebonnets were gone.  I would encourage everyone to drive to Fayette County to see these stunning treasures, so many times we think of Eastern Cities or Europe, etc. as having cultural architecture or art but here it is and in Texas! 

PS - we found out about these from the Texas Highways magazine.

I have a co-worker whose wife is expecting a boy and their nursery theme is Jungle, so I found this darling pattern, Swimming Hippo Lovey and crocheted it over the weekend.  Too Cute! 

I used Caron Simply Soft for the everything but the swim ring, that is made with Berroco Comfort DK so it is all washable and I used 8mm safety eyes.  I LOVE the fish in the water...I used C, E, and H hooks but my tension must be a bit tighter than the pattern-writer, so I had to add some extra rows onto the water to make the proportions look right.  It was very well written except it didn't have any instructions about when to add the stuffing, since this was made in a few pieces, that would have been "good to know".   The colors in the first 2 pictures are pretty true.  This could be made in a day easily.  I hope the baby will like his new Lovey!


Charity Begins at Home...

As usual, the gratuitus Cute Baby Picture!

 

DGS Brennan with his Poppy Mark on Easter Morning!

 

They say that charity begins at home and I usually try and donate some of my needlework to charity every year but I tend to give a lot of it away as gifts, so I have to set goals in order to make sure I knit or crochet for some worthy cause.  At a recent Houston Knitting Guild meeting, Knit at Night Out West (KNOW), the program was on Charity Knitting.  It is amazing what a thoughtful gift a baby hat, afghan, scarf, etc. can be to someone.  We even made Tit Bits, or breast prosthetic, for Breast Cancer victims for the ROSE Center here in Houston a couple of years ago.  

 

Recently, a knitting friend who is going through radiation mentioned that when a patient completes their treatment, a ceremony is held where they ring a bell & are presented with a certificate & small gift. she learned while sitting with them that they (I) look forward to the day we can wash away the marks. I’ve started knitting washcloths to present to as many as I can - a symbol if nothing else of a way to start their new day free of the neon marks that defined ther cancer. The staff at the Katy MDAnderson facility are very excited about this “New Start” project.  I believe this is going to be expanded to other Houston facilities as well.  Soft Cotton yarn washcloths can be dropped off at Yarntopia in Katy, TX or at the KNOW monthly meetings.

 

Here are the 3 washcloths I knitted up from a super soft ball of Cotton Supreme Batik in a nice pink variegated for Breast Cancer, from the Sugarland Yarn Co..  I found a really cute pattern, Double Bump, that is ridculously habit forming, and whipped out 3 of them from the same skein using my Denise Circular Needles size 7.  I like using the Denise's for cotton yarns.  I did 2 rows of crochet edging with a (SC, skip stitch, CH) pattern as a nice finish in a "G" hook. 

I also found a new washcloth pattern called Diamond Mosaic Washcloth that looks equally good in a variegated or a solid color and I used some Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn and my Denise Circular Needles size 7 as well.  This one is a gift, but I plan to make some for the charity above in this pattern.

 

 

 

At the KNOW meeting, another friend of mine mentioned that she crochets simple granny-square lapghans and donates them to a senior center where they use them as Bingo Prizes.  This appealed to me since I have tons of coordinating washable acrylic yarn, I like to crochet and wouldn't even need a pattern for that, and someone would "WIN" it.  Cool!  So here is the 34 row lapghan in what I think is Caron Simply Soft yarn crocheted with a "K" hook.  My friend Deb mentioned she does 35 rows but I ran out at 34 so decided to call it good.  I think some older gentleman would be happy to "win" this one...

 

 

So I have a bit of a start on the charity knitting, I have also donated a baby hat and a cowl this year.

 

Now if only I could have more time to knit and crochet or figure out how to do it faster!

 

For my friends and family who are still having gray days...Here is a pic of the lovely flowers my DD got me for Easter!  There are a vibrant Orange...one of my favorite colors.  Thanks Cheyenne!

 

 

 

Bunny Knitting is now an Official Easter Sport!

First, the gratuitus Cute Baby Picture...

DGS with his beautiful Mama on Easter Morning just before going into Church.

 

I crocheted some darling PEEPS pattern called Springtime Stuffies by Sally Ives a few years ago for my DD and was looking for something to put in DGS' Easter Basket since he is still pretty little to be getting a lot of candy and found the darling pattern for a knitted Chocolate Bunny. 

I made the first one from some acrylic dark chocolate brown worsted weight yarn using Magic Loop with size 6 circular needles.  This pattern is seamless and just requires a bit of kitchner stitch at the very top to finish.  It was a bit fiddley on the first one, so I thought, oh well, I'll give it to my Mama as a cute decoration and go back to knitting something else.  Well, my DD texted me and asked if I could PLEASE make 2 girl bunnies and 1 boy bunny for her neices and nephew's Easter Baskets.  So I couldn't say no!  So as you are aware, if left alone, bunnies will multiply!! 

I ended up making 7 altogether, one for DGS, one for me, and another for a friend.  I did learn a cool technique that I used on all the bunnies but I should caution that you want to be careful to do something else if the Bunny is going to be "loved" (chewed on, etc.) by a small child.  I used the same satin-y ribbon to make the eyes on each side as the bow around the neck.  Just thread the ribbon onto a large eye yarn needle, start from the inside and make 1 "stitch" over a single knitted "V" and then leave a 2-3" tail on both sides of the stitch on the inside and tie in a double knot.  Then stuff the body, and continue on with the instructions for the ears, etc.

I have decided that Bunny Knitting is now an Official Easter Sport!!

For those of you still having cold weather, here is a picture that personifies Texas in the Spring - Bluebonnets and a good-looking little boy...

 

Hat's Off!

I have gotten on a Hat Making Jag and thought I would blog about a few of them both recent and from the last year.  First, here is my DGS in Celtic Fan Hat...

And if that doesn't sell the hat to you, you don't know cute!  This was made on a similar pattern to the Crochet Owl hat that I blogged about last time with the same mods.  I did use an unusual technique on the buckle, I used Foundation SC's and skipped the associated "chain or loop" for the corners.  This was made using stash, The black is Caron Super Soft, the Gold is I Love This Yarn, and the green is Encore Worsted.

I also saw somthing similar and decided to make a Yellow Helper (avoiding copyright issues...) Tribute Hat.  It is using Red Heart Soft (tough to find a good bright yellow), with I Love This Yarn and Caron Super Soft for the others.  It is a bit long (I added an additional row and would reduce the yellow section by one row if I were to make this again.  My DD thinks this is hilarious and of course we love the movie, Dispicable Me.

I also made my DGS a Fish: Dead or Alive Hat last fall.  Here are a couple of cute pictures of DGS playing with the hat before I actually got to embroider on the eyes.  He has a punkin head so I down-sized the pattern a bit by going down a needle size.  I used "I Love This Yarn" and it did the jacquard effect on it's own which was cool.  I remember making one of these for my nephew a few years ago and it seemed to take forever, since I have been knitting a lot more since then, this time it just flew off the needles.

Owl Be Home for Christmas!

I got stuck on an Owl adventure in the week or so leading up to Christmas but first...My favorite...gratuitous Cute Baby Pictures...

Ready for Santa at Poppy and Nana's house.

 

 

Christmas Eve Night in Christmas Pajamas and Reindeer Robe...Too Cute!

So, back to the craft portion of the blog...I saw some adorable Crocheted Owl hats and just had to make one for DGS (see above!).  I ending up making 5, 1 Blue, one French Pink, 2 Lavendar, and one Moss Green with dark Green "wings" (special request from DS). 

Here are pictures of the Blue and Lavendar ones.  I used "I Love This Yarn" since I already had it in a lot of colors from crocheting afghans.  But had to size up to a "K" hook to make sure they were loose enough.  I also added an extra row to the top brown portion and a extra row of the color portion before the ear flap for the adult hats.  I should mention that many of the recipients have "punkin" heads so they have larger heads than many but these are cute made this way for my regular adult size head.  For DGS, I still made the adult size (he had a "punkin" head too.  LOL.

Then I saw these - Owl Puffs and knew I had to make some of them as well.  I have made 8 so far.  I again used scrap "I Love This Yarn" that I had on hand and a size 6 circular needle (I didn't have a size 5 available...too many WIPs I guess!).  I reworked the pattern to work from the top down so that I wouldn't have to Kitchner stitch so much. 

Top-Down Owl Puffs (adapted from Jenna Krupar)

I used Judy's Magic Cast-On for 36 stitches then knit 10 rounds of brown, 10 rounds of contrast color.

Then sew on crocheted beak (with G hook and gold/yellow, ch 5, Slst in 2nd ch from hook, sc, hdc, dc, fasten off with long tail for sewing and sew in beginnng end).

Then use 12 mm saftey eyes and white felt circles with a small slit and attach.  Sew in beginning end. 

Rnd 21: K4, K2tog, repeat. (30 stitches)
Rnd 22: work even
Rnd 23: K3, K2tog, repeat (24 stitches)
Rnd 24: work even
Rnd 25: k2, k2tog, repeat (18 stitches)
Rnd 26: work even

Stuff full

Rnd 27: K1, K2tog, repeat (12 stitches)
Rnd 28: work even
Rnd 29: K2tog around (6 stitches)

Cut long tail (6 to 9 in), with yarn needle run through all six stitches and pull tight, sew in end.

These were SO FUN and ADDICTIVE!!   Here is a small group (or a Parliment of Owls - according to the internet!) that roosted in my knitting bag.

I even entertained a bored 4-year old Alexandrea with helping me create these for over an hour (nearly 2...) while waiting to open presents at Grandma Bev's house!  I see teaching her to knit and crochet in the future!  I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas - I know we had a very Blessed Holiday.

Monsters for Easter!!!!

First, a cute baby picture:

Eat your heart out Frank Sinatra!  Check out those blue eyes!

I am getting pretty excited about Easter this year.  First, I get to make an Easter Basket for my DGS and it is already filled with some fun stuff - although it is hard to not buy candy - but what 9 mo. old needs candy??  Of course I had to make him something!  I'm a Crafty Nana after all.  These are called "Monster Chunks" from a cool designer named Rebecca Danger.  I love her name - sounds like she should have her own book or mini-series!  lol

I made these at our Knitting Guild's annual Day Camp.  This was our 3rd Annual.  I am proud to say I helped start the tradition of these 2 years ago.  This year the theme was "Monsters".  We made these toys to donate to the local Children's Hospital for kids going into surgery.  Everyone made theirs different.  We used Berrocco Comfort Worsted and I used safety eyes.  I crocheted the eye patch and the white circle for the ogre.  I followed the pattern on the Pirate but found picking up stitches to be a bit fiddley.  So I just reversed the 1st half by starting with a small cast on of 6 stitches and increased in an opposite way until I got to the part of the picked-up stitches and then just continued with the pattern from there.  It was really interesting to see all the sizes that came out with the same pattern and yarn but different knitters and needle sizes.  I made these for BWM (DGS) and plan to make more to donate.  We got super fun goodie bags and lots of good company at the KNOW (Knit at Night Out West) Daycamp.  Can't wait to see next year's theme!

2012 Week 2 Hodge Podge Post

First, gratuitous Baby Shot: 

Nap Time with Poppy Mark

Here are the new questions that Joyce came up with this week! Play along by posting your own answers, linking up with her website, then visiting other bloggers to see how they answered.

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen’s English in 2012 -amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance. Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

          I don't care for "the new normal", aren't we making a new one every day??  Maybe that's not such a good thing...

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

          In public, yes, in private, not so much.

3. What is your go-to snack?

           Sweets - cookies, cake, and pie!  I am a No Calorie Left Behind type of dessert person.  I cannot fathom that the chefs on Top Chef can't or don't like to make dessert!  Almost everyone I know, including guys learned to make desserts before they learned to cook anything else.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what’s your favorite site/attraction?

           I have been a few times.  This is a very timely question, as my neice is getting ready to go in a couple of months.  I told her the tour and changing of the guards at Arlington National Cemetary is really moving.  I also think that every Human Being should be required to go to the Holocaust Museum.  It is vital that we realize there is true evil, how we didn't recognize it, and how to fight it.  I also really enjoyed the Ford Theater when I went with my DD.  It is really spooky and very historic - the museum is very well done.  We also enjoyed a great display of Norman Rockwell at the Smithsonian Art Museum.  The coolest part is most of these are free or very low cost things to do.

5. Sit ups-planks-lunges-squats…which do you hate the least?

          Probably squats, but I am always sore the next day.  I can't do sit-ups since my shoulder surgery and Planks are ridiculous - I have no core...lol.

6. What’s a small act of kindness you were shown that you’ve never forgotten?

          My entire group from work came to my Daddy's funeral when he past away.  The funeral was a bit of a drive from work about 45 min. but they all came - over 20.  I can't tell you how much that meant to me and most of them had never met my Daddy.  I was really devastated by his relatively quick death and it really made an impression on me.

I had always heard how people hate funerals and how they won't go but that day I learned an importatn life lesson.  The funeral is for the grieving and by going you are helping them grieve.  And that is a Very Important Thing.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

          Yes, I am "O" Positive, the Universal Donor so I try to give.

8. My Random Thought

Lace Top Stripe Socks

I started these when I wanted just a simple no-strenuous brain activity required knitting.  I really enjoy the Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Yarn in the "Chili" colorway.  It is 50% merino, 25% nylon, and 25% bamboo.  It is a warm sock like I have discovered using other bamboo sock yarns but the higher nylon content makes it not too slippery or splitty and clings to the foot, etc. well. 

I made these for me using the 2 Circular method with 1.5 Addi Turbos and 58 st for the foot (I have a narrow foot) and 60 for the heel and leg.  I used a simple Fleegle heel (I think I have this memorized now! yeah!) and topped it with a simple 6 row lace pattern that I reversed from the Socks A La Carte book.  I used Jeny's Surprising Stretchy Bind-off. 

I liked this colorway better on the skein than made up but I get a lot of compliments on the colorway so maybe it's just me.  Overall, a fun knit and a good fitting sock.

2012 1st Hodgepodge Post

It’s a new year, and what better way to begin anew than with a fresh set of Hodgepodge questions?! Thanks, Joyce, for hosting!

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Exciting!   I got a new grandson and he's practically perfect in every way!

Celebratory!   My DS graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's in Business Management

Travelocity!   My DH and I went on our 1st cruise ever with one of his cousins and wife and had a fantastic time.

2. Do you like shrimp? What’s your favorite way to have it prepared?

     I LOVE fried shrimp but really I like shrimp nearly everyway except with fettuccini alfredo.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

     Normally, I like to get it put away by New Year's Day or the day after but we have been sick     and I will probably get it done this week.

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?

     No! In the words of a friend, I do not consider being scared out of my wits as entertainment. My  DSIL used to trick me into seeing them. I do like a good suspense movie though.

5. Ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

           I really like to Snow-blade. It's like skiing but with much shorter skis. I have only done it a few times but love the sensation of speed and wind. The last time I went over Christmas last year, I got a defective snowblade on one foot - not a good thing. Fortunately, they had some really nice looking snow rescue guys...

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

     I hated going outside, unless we were going swimming but my mom used to force me to go outside (she did it for my own good...). I used to make a fort in our shed or near it and pretty much cart everything from my room out there...lol.

7. What’s a place or space that motivates you?

     I really like my sewing room when I get it all organized and sometimes even organizing it is a lot of fun.

8. My Random Thought

     Today, my DH turns 50. We have a new family member who is 5.5 months. We have 2 great kids and a great SIL. We are so very lucky. Here is a pic of our new pride and joy on his 5-mo birthday. Mr. Bright Eyes.

KNOW Day Camp 2010

My local chapter of Knit at Night called KNOW (Knit at Night Out West) had its first annual Day Camp about a month ago. I know, I know, but better late than never...

We held it at my house and we packed in 31 great knitters and we all created a "Funky Sock Monkey". As you know, I had made Elliott after my trip to Sock Summit last year. Below are a ton of pictures of all the fun we had - I decided I wanted to post them all so everyone could see. I also received a beautiful potted Tulip and a gift certificate to a LYS as a "thank you gift" and a festive Easter Bunny container filled with Knitting Fuel - Chocolate!

We had lunch brought in and we had great goodie bags that included the yarn for 2 opposite color sock monkeys, the pattern, candy and chocolate, samples of lotion, 2 different sizes of project bags as well as 2 custom-made scratch-off cards. The scratch off were used to give out door prizes. We had 16 door prizes. Which was totally great odds for winning! We also had monkey stitch markers but they were given out at our last KNOW meeting since they just didn't arrive in the mail in time.

I am still working on my Sock Monkey that I started - he still needs 2 arms and his ears and eyes but he is going to make one of my nephews really happy on his birthday! A totally fun day and well worth all the cleaning! lol. I hope we have started a yearly tradition...