Sick, but Still Cute

We have been battling illness the last few days. Somehow he still manages to crack us up. On Monday I told him he could pick his own pants and so he choose his swimsuit. Then I told him to pick a shirt and he dug down to the bottom of the drawer and found a tank-top. I insisted he wear something warm underneath all that. 

Looks like his fever broke and things will be back to normal tomorrow!

The Week that Was

It has been a busy week here in Maine. Sunday I gave away the Easter Bears and decided that it was high time I got started on something for me. For Christmas Pappa Bear bought me a gift certificate to our LYS and I bought some delicious yarn, that I've been waiting to use. Sunday night I hopped on to Raverly to look through my favorites and see if there was anything for me to knit for me!

rib pattern is coming along

Monday Stomper and I went to our Music Together Class in Farmington and then had coffee with a friend at Java Joe's. We saw Grandma and swapped vehicles (we had the truck) so that my Dad could get some "truck things" done around the house. While all that was going on I was knitting the beginnings of a shrug (for myself! -insert gasps of shock-) and quickly becoming dissatisfied with the pattern. I didn't see how it was going to fit me since it was a medium size and I am not. I decided to stop and went back on to Raverly to try again. I found this Yoked Cardigan (scroll down to find it) and it came in my size (1X) and so I bought it.

Tuesday Stomper and I went to visit a friend and some "cousins" since they were all home from school for spring break and they hardly ever get to see him. There was a wonderful little fashion show (did I mention they are all girls -4 of them- ranging from 8 to 4?) when we got there, then some coffee, and a nap for Stomper so I took the time to print off the pattern (Raverly's instant pattern thing is awesome!) and give it a little read over before I cast on. In the afternoon I knit a little with the new pattern while the "cousins" had a nap and Stomper had another nap. My friend took our her hook and yarn and tried to figure out what to do about a baby blanket issue she's been having. We chatted about kids and husbands and spring. It is so nice to go over to a friends house and have yarn fun! That night due to the amazing amount of coffee I drank at my friends house I was up late. I did not waste my time as I watched Pregnant in America. I knit the first 2.5" right up to the increases.

napping boys

Wednesday the boys and I had some much needed cuddle time in bed and a then nap right after we woke up. Then to Mimi's house for some lunch, some knitting, some napping, some card games, and some love.

Yesterday we had a ladies lunch (with the kids) at church and while we were gone Papa Bear mopped a bit. Then we moved the furniture around to get ready for Easter Dinner at our house on Sunday. I managed to find a little knitting time, but not much.

Sunday I will sadly and reluctantly put my sweater to the side and pick up a new project. My sister has been waiting patiently for me to start her gauntlets and I told her that I'd take next week to work on them. May 1st I need to knit a companion bear for Teacup. The customer received Teacup in the mail and immediately ordered a bear! 

Here is a Facebook link to the Prop Package. (which you can view with out having a Facebook login). I am waiting on some larger needles so that I can finish. I only have one thing left to knit.

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

Socks, Super Bowl, and Soaking Up New Knowledge

During my sprint to get the hat done I got a little lost and frustrated, and had begun to hate knitting. I was having some major issues with the yarn I was using and the gauge I kept achieving. After a needle change, two and a half rip outs, and some fast decreases I finally ironed out the kinks. However, an inch into the pattern my mind turned to mush and I found my self dreading the black and red yarn.

I decided that I needed a little break. I put the hat down and picked up some size 4 needles, the rest of the yarn I found at Marden's for $.99, and knit my boy up a pair of socks for Valentines Day. They knit up super fast. It was nice to settle into something mindless and enjoyable for a few hours. I hope that they will fit him through to next winter, they have quite a bit of stretch to them so I am optimistic.

Super Bowl Sunday, with one sock finished and hours of couch time ahead of me, I picked up the hat and commenced to knitting. I was very happy that I was surrounded by family because they were able to watch "Stomper" so that I could buckle down and just knit.

I was able to knit and knit and knit and by the time half time rolled around I had gone as far as I could without my DPN's on the wonderfully despicable hat. I happily set the hat back in my knitting bag and picked up needles and yarn to start (and nearly finish) the second sock, all before the end of the game!

My next project leaping on to my needles is a commissioned project from one of my brothers friends. He wrote to me on Facebook: "Do you think you could knit me up this hat?" To which I responded: "You mean like the one Jayne wore on Firefly, sure, I can do that for you."

I jumped headfirst into Raverly and typed in "Jayne's Hat" hoping that someone had come before me and had written the pattern. To my surprised (and really why should I be surprised?) there were 44 matches for my request! After sifting though several different versions I came upon this one from Keiyla. Lo and Behold it even has a new cast on (Twisted German) for me to try; I am so very excited!

If all goes according to plan and "Stomper" cooperates with me I get to cast on for the hat tomorrow. Also tomorrow I hope to snap a few more pictures of the completed Plaid Flannel Hunters Hat and send it off to the people who wished to give it a test for me.

Winnie Dolls

"Mae"
Wow, talk about cutting it close. I just put the dolls, their clothes, and something a little extra into a box and shipped it today! I am really hoping that it makes it to the girls in time. I'm not overly thrilled with the way the second dolls eyes turned out, but everyone I've shown her to says they look all right. I hope the little girl she goes to feels the same way.

cute clothes

she could almost double as a boy
"Fred"

Siblings

Mom's Shrug

I asked my Mom what she would like me to knit for her. She said, "Something to wear in church to keep my arms warm". To which I answered, "Like a sweater?" she said, "No a sweater is too hard to get off and on, how about one of those shrug things you made for your brides maids?" I said, "Sure Mom, anything for you!"

And thus Chilly Church Shrug was born.

I bought yarn in the color she wanted, made some measurements, a few swatches, asked her about how warm she wanted it, and cast on. Two inches in I realized that I had not cast on enough, it wasn't going to be big enough across the back. Not to worry, I doubled the stitches and pretended that I meant to do that and got into the block pattern I had seen on another blog. 

It quickly became a labor of love. I am easily bored (I have knitters ADD) and the monotony of the pattern really got to me. I kept putting it down. 

It is finished, finally, and she is ecstatic! Today I gave it to her and we found all sort of uses for it. Like: when it is worn backwards it makes a good mini-snuggy blanket and it can be used as a hood when you put your face in the arm hole.

She is taking it this week-end on her and Dad's anniversary getaway. 

I am glad that she loves it and I am glad that it is finished!

Close-up of the block pattern

Chilly Church Shrug

(August 2013 -- in bold I have added some clarification notes)

Shrug Pattern

Needles size 9 & 11
Worsted Weight Yarn (4 Skeins)

CO 60 St with size 9 needles
k2 p2 rib for 2 inches
k 1 row size 9
p 1 row size 11
increase in every stitch using your favorite increase (double the stitches)

Block Pattern 
(8 Row Repeat of 6 stitches)
Rows 1 & 3: p2, k4
All EVEN rows purl
Rows 5 & 7: k3 *p2, k4* until the last 3 stitches, p2, k1







Continue in pattern until piece measures 35 inches from CO edge

Row 1: k across entire row in size 11 needles
Row 2: switch to size 9 needles and p across entire row
Row 3: k2tog across entire row
Row 4: p across entire row

Rib for 2 inches (k2, p2)

BO in pattern

Finishing:
Sew first 6 inches of either side together to form sleeves.

Abbreviations:
CO - Cast On
k -knit
p - purl
*  * - repeat
k2tog - knit the next two stitches together as one stitch
st -stitch(es)

Clothes Failure

Close, but not close enough. I knitted up the clothes for the doll (took me most of the afternoon, with some interruptions) only to finish and discover they were too big! Ugh! So now I'm am re-knitting them on smaller needles to see if that helps. They were almost the right size but almost only counts with two things: horseshoes and hand grenades ... sigh

A Shrug and a Cow

My Mom requested a shawl or a shrug. Her specifications were: had to come off and on easy, needed to be a neutral color, and it needed to have some sort of sleeve. I wanted to make a more fitted sweater, but that is not what she wanted. The pattern is from my head. I made three shrugs for my brides maids so I decided to wing it. I cast on and got started and then realized that I hadn't cast on enough. Not to worry I finished the ribbed sleeve and then doubled my stitches and increased my needle size and I think I'm doing all right. Time will tell if I am right or not. Tonight I have to rip out a row, I was knitting tired and I jumped ahead in the pattern a little bit.

Jenna's cow is coming a long. I have one whole side done and I'm working on the second side. It is a pain to knit. I have to be so careful what I am doing or I get all mixed up! I am rising to the challenge and I will get this thing knit! I think it it going to look great/

Cow & Shawl

I have finished one whole side of the cow and I started the other side. It's a lot of work! Not really what I would call enjoyable. I am hoping to get it done before June 11 which is when Jenna graduates, we'll see.

I also started a shawl/shrug for my Mom. I'm not working with a pattern. I am hoping that it will be big enough! I'll post pictures maybe tomorrow. The camera is in the car and the car is at work with Jason!