Project Report

In my absence there has been knitting. I think I have three projects on the needles right now (a scarf, a cowl, and a sock), and some flying off!

I finished the Christmas Bell a while ago. I think I'll add a bell before I declare it 100% finished. The goal is to have two more ornaments knit before December 1st!

I started the Sock for Jason for the second time. This time not in secret. I had him try it on, and it fits! Cue the music! I have turned the heel and now I am started the foot. The plan it to knit just the one at first while I work on other projects. 

I knit a farmer for my son for Christmas, I've named him Charlie. The pattern is from Spud and Chloe at the Farm by Susan B Anderson. I like the pattern, all by the legs. You can find my notes on Rav.

Unfortunately all my Christmas knitting has been put on pause until I can finish a paying gig. A relative of someone at my church is paying me to duplicate a Christmas Stocking. I spent an hour or so creating a chart to match and now I need to buy yarn. It should be an interesting knit. 

I've been thinking about my own Christmas Stocking and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'll be looking through some patterns to find one, but I'm leading towards this one wouldn't that be awesome looking with presents stuffed inside it?

I think after the holidays are over I will need to re-evaluate my list and add to it. If I get done what I plan to before Christmas most of my list will be done!

Charlie

I recently knit up the doll "Chloe" from Spud and Chloe at the Farm. I am a huge Susan B Anderson fan, she has never knit or created anything that I haven't immediately loved. This doll is not the first toy I have knit from her patterns. I have knit "Tuck" quite a few times and the cow from the farm book.  I like the ease of the construction and how quickly s/he came together. It is knit in the round, as most of her toys are, and once you are done all that is left is to assemble. All that being said, I am not in love with this doll.

I don't like the legs.

I am debating taking them off and knitting them again, but I probably won't.

The legs, they are like toothpicks. They sort of just stick out looking uncomfortable and unnatural. Maybe it's because I made her into a boy? I will be making a face for him, but I will do that the week before Christmas so that I am not tempted to give it to him before then. Once his face is on he will have some real personality.

I used the stitch from the sheep (in the book) to make the hair and it came out super cute. I knit a wig and then attached it, I will be doing that from now on when I make a doll. Making hair that way is so much easier, why didn't I do that before?!?!

I knit his overalls with out a pattern and didn't do too bad. Next time I won't start with so man stitches because by the time I got up to the waist it was too big. Not sure if I should make some more clothes for him or not. If I was knitting this for a girl I'd make a bunch of clothes, but a boy won't be as interested in getting it dress and re-dressed, I think. I may make a sweater or pj's or something so that he can change it if he wants to.

I had to hide him from Stomper because every time he saw the farmer he shouted, "Baby!" and scooped him up. Gwendolyn got a new dress too. I was going to make her a little shrug, but it's turning into a scarf for an adult instead, unless I get tired of it, then it may become a shrug after all!

I am so excited for Christmas!

Yarn Along: Bunny

As promised photos of my bunny in progress. Since taking these photos I finished her skirt and decided that it didn't work. It was too large for her and not long enough. After testing out a brilliant idea of my husbands to attach the skirt to the sweater (the skirt was smaller than the sweater and didn't look right), I have since come up with a new plan. I am going to rip out the bottom of the sweater and make it into a dress or maybe make a pair of pants, haven't really decided. The skirt I will pick up stitches along the top and make it into a sun dress.  

As for reading I have just finished reading "The Help". If you haven't read this book, you should. It was especially eye opening for me since I have had little contact with anyone of another ethnicity. I realize of course that it was a work of fiction, but I think the story is plausible. There is a lot of tension and suspense, but it is not contrived or forced. I read it in a few days, I had to stay up to 3am a few times, but it was well worth it!

Linking up with Ginny today! Feel free to leave a link in the comments to your own WIP's or Yarn Alongs's

Project Report

Pattern: Sweater Christmas Ornament Knitting Pattern

After finishing my fingerless gloves I needed another win that was mostly mindless so I cast on for the first of the advent ornaments. This tiny sweater is knit with the same yarn I used to knit him a sweater this summer. It is not supposed to be a zero on the shirt but an "O" for his name. I may go back and cleverly adjust the "O".

Pattern: Gillaspie Gothic Gauntlets

I am so thrilled with how quickly this glove is knitting up the second time! I haven't worked on it in a few days, but I will again this week. I visited a friend this past week and while our kids frolicked I did quite a bit of knitting then.

I am almost finished a bunny made from this pattern. I have knit this little doll probably twelve times. I even made four bears. It is quick and the pattern is well written. If you like knitting toys I highly recommend checking out TwinsKnit. They have quite the variety of dolls, bears, foxes, bunnies, and more! 

Now that the bunny is all put together I get to do the fun part: clothes! I am working on some clothes for her (free hand and no pattern) and finished a skirt with feather and fan lace and I am working on a cardigan that may end up being a dress instead, I haven't decided. Once her clothes are finished I'll figure out what I want to do about her ears. I'm not sure if I want them floppy or straight or how to achieve it--any ideas?

I neglected to take her photo, but if you check back this week there may be one up of her finished and with clothes!

You can find my updated project list on the tab marked: Year of Projects

Done!

I cannot believe that I got them all done in time! I thought for sure that I'd be making a dreadful trip to Walmart to pick up a "softie" for the Easter Baskets. I got a lot done in three days and I'm quite proud of my accomplishments.

To view more photo's check out my Facebook Album.
and while you are there click "like" and you can get updates of what I'm knitting.


I am looking forward to refocusing on some other projects that I put on hold. Mostly the Prop Package I promised a very long time ago for NicoleLee Photography. I have all the bits I need to finish now (minus a pair of US size 35 needles) I just need to get knitting.

After that is finished my baby sister has been waiting and waiting for two years now for these gauntlets. I told her at Christmas time that I'd have them done for summer and at the rate I'm going I might have lied. Then once all that is aside I'm going to start Christmas knitting. I am very excited for the projects I'm planning on ( but I can't tell you because some of my plans are secrets! ). I'm sure that all my plans will be derailed, but it's good to have goals.

Completed

I have finished Teacup and sent her out to her forever home. Phew! I am a day late on my self set deadline, but I couldn't have sent it out yesterday (Sunday) anyway so I guess I'm right on time!

It has been a labor of love. Teacup was knit on some very small needles and the yarn I used kept splitting on me. I am not 100% pleased with the way the hair turned out, I think if I use the same yarn for hair again I will use larger needles and if I make a doll this small again I will use smaller yarn for the hair. Every project I knit I learn something new, and I am thankful for the experience of knitting this little gem. I wasn't happy with the second set of clothes I made her. The position of the butterfly was not right and they were far too big. I reknit the clothes and added more shaping to it and I really like the way it turned out.

I am making leaps and bounds of progress on the four bears. I finished up the clothes for the boy bear and now I just need to attach four ears, four noses, and four faces. Easy Peasy! I should be done in time for Sunday deadline. I hope to attach ears and at least one nose and post some pictures of the bears tomorrow or Wednesday.

Pattern for Doll can be found here.

A dress pattern can be found here . For the pink one I made it's a raglan sleeve start like the sweater I knit for a baby recently and once I had enough for the sleeves I started a lace pattern I found in a book.

There is no link for the modifications I did to the one piece suit, but if you contact me I can tell you what I did.

More Teacup

 Just finished putting on her hair. She's coming along really great!

Teacup Baby

Meet Teacup.

She is being knit for one of my customers.

I know, I know, she's bald. I have to find the "perfect" yarn for her hair.

Teacup is wondering when she'll be able to leave Creator and head to her forever home

Bearly There

Bear & 2liter bottle

I am getting there, but obviously I'm not there yet. I have slowly and steadily been working on four bears for my Sunday School Class for Easter. I didn't knit them or give them anything at Christmas time and so I thought I'd make up for my lack of gifting with something super special.

I am using the pattern I bought last year from Twins Knit, but adapting it to make bears. I used US size 7 knitting needles and worsted weight yarn for the bears bodies and US size 9 and worsted weight yarn for the clothes. I will, in the future be knitting some bear ears and noses to put on the heads. I have been focusing on the big things (heads, bodies, clothes, arms, ect) before getting to the details. I can stay up until the wee hours of the morning Easter Eve and knit noses and ears quickly, but not clothes. I had to stop knitting arms and legs due to boredom (I have all the arms knit) and lack of stuffing. I hope to buy some stuffing soon because I have one whole bear to stuff and several arms and legs! I think I may have stuffed them a little too tight, you can see the stuffing in the pictures, but it's not so bad in person. I think, and hope, they will be a big hit!

The bears are turning out to be a good size. I was surprised when I put one of the bears next to a 2 liter soda bottle and the bear was a little more than half the size of it. 

I just started yesterday afternoon making some clothes. I went to a friends house for supper and before we ate I had a chance to cast on for the orange dress (Vanna's Choice: Goldfish) and immediately had issues. I wasn't paying close attention, because I was delightfully chatting away with friends, and I messed up on the ruffle a bit. I don't think that the kiddo she's going to will notice, I hid it pretty well. The clothes are also a little big, which is good for small hands since I teach the 2 to 4 year old class, but I think I will make the next dress a little smaller. The pattern I am using for the dress I am adapting from this one that I wrote last year. The dress I am working on now I am going to try and knit in the round. I am also going to knit a pair of pants and a sweater for the little boy in my class, I have only one, so that will be an adventure. I have to wait until I have some legs before I knit pants.

1 bear with no legs, 2 bears with no arms or legs, and some spare arms