A new bag

Um. (tap, tap, tap) Testing. 1..2..3? Is this microphone on?
Well, hello there blog. Um. It's been awhile. How are y'all out there in internet land? Me? I'm fine. I apologize for not calling you for awhile. I've been... busy? (blushes.)
But, I'm back momentarily to share with you a bag I made last week. I love it with the fire of a thousand suns. Yes. That. Much. So, I just had to post a picture or two of it.

I love it because it is a remake of a bag I had for years. A bag I used until it came apart at the seams. I fixed the bag once, and then it died again. The owl material on that bag was stained and coming apart. It was time for a new one. So, I took that bag apart, made a pattern, and sewed this new one. (go me!)
I also love this bag because of the material. I went on a fabulous trip to Paris last year, and thus I love anything that reminds me of that. And let me tell you - on that trip I stared at the Paris map for a long, long time.
I love this bag because, well, I made it. Not only hat, I made it and it didn't make me want to scream. Sewing normally does. Maybe I'm finally growing up.

... maybe.

Too small

A few weeks ago, my niece noticed some cute lilac yarn in my stash and requested some mittens. Sure. I had no plans for that yarn.

So I started them, and I finished them. But when my niece tried them on... WAY too small. I guess that's what you get for not checking her hand size, AND not following a pattern. (also why they don't totally match.)

Best part was her trying them on and laughing hysterically that I'd made them too small. Then asking if she could keep them for her younger brother. I hope that boy likes light purple!

Who me?

Hedwig? Is that you?

Nope. Just a knitted owl. But a cute one!

I can't begin to tell you how long this hat has been in my queue of things to make. YEARS I'm sure. It wasn't until Steph requested one for Christmas (... um yes. Christmas. You aren't wrong in thinking it is now March... Late deliver?) that I finally put my needles towards making it. 

Now I feel even sillier that I hadn't made it before. The pattern is free, and super easy to follow!And making the owls is kinda fun. I hadn't done cables in a while so it was a nice change. 

Love the owls. I might just have to make something else with them.

Offset

 I love me some baby sweaters!

Aren't they just the cutest? And that is even without a cute little baby in them!! And this one is for a baby who I am soooo excited to meet! (When she is ready to join the world out here, that is. No rush!) I'm sooo excited for my friends and their Appleseed!

I made this sweater from an awesome free pattern. Super easy to follow! And such a cute result!! Who doesn't love the repurposed vintage buttons I found in my mothers stash? (best place to look for buttons!) I have no idea what they came off of, but it's fun to imagine sometimes.

Oh. And does it look familiar to you? That's because I made one WAY back in 2008 for my niece. And I would definitely make another one.

So, this sweater and a cute little dress are on their way, along with a seriously cute moose from steph to their new home. (Go check it out!)

once forgotten

Itchy hat? made by me. (pattern)

Awesome cowl? made by Steph. (Thanks!!! Loves it!!) (pattern)

I actually made this hat almost 9 months ago. I started knitting it on the flight to Italy last April. I'd hoped to finish it and while sitting in St. Peter's Square and get some pictures there. No dice. Once I was in Italy there were just too many awesome things to see and do. No time for knitting! Then I finished it on the flight home.

After that, I sort of forgot about it for awhile. But I brought it this past weekend on my trip to see Steph. And if anyone can get a good pic of something, it's her. Thanks again! For the pics, and the great weekend!

mittens by the seat of my pants

Pretty much the first thing I ever learned how to make is mittens. (well, if you don't count that scarf I made for my teddy bear when I was 6. ... and I don't!) 

So, when I saw this pattern, I figured, EASY! I'll just make up my own version. FAIL. Well, not really. Sure, I made two sort of matching mittens that are cute. But they didn't turn out quite the way I wanted them to.

What did I do to make these mitts? Um. Can't tell you. I seriously was just knitting by the seat of my pants. And in the end, I'm pretty sure they are different. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who would notice they are different, but different they are.

But all in all, I like 'em. Hope Steph likes 'em, too!

x72

It's not raindrops on roses or a bright copper kettles or even warm woolen mittens, but this scarf is my newest favo(u)rite thing:

Isn't is such a fun scarf!? (Well, cowl? Infinity scarf? Thing to keep neck warm... Whatever it is... I love it!) Ravelry link.

Best thing about this scarf? Everything. I loved making it! It had been so long since I've done colo(u)r work. I love that it used up scraps of old yarn. I loved getting to make up a few charts of my own. I love how bright the scarf is! I loved that there was always something new coming. New colo(u)rs, new patterns. I loved planning it! And I even loved doing the kitchener stitch at the end to weave it all together.

I also love the math. 72 stitches. Fabulous number! 2x2x2x3x3=72. So many possible divisors! You just cast on 72 stitches and go! Use any of chart that is 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 32 wide. What's more simple?

Note: When I was making it, I tried to switch up the width with each new pattern. For example, after using a x32 chart, on the next one I would use a x9 width. I didn't want the patterns to match up. 

I love it so much... I just might have to make another one.

tomboy

I love how crafty this past Christmas was. Earmuffs, hats, sock animals, and a drum. But this was my BIG knitted Christmas gift this year: A sweater for my 3 year old niece. 

I got the free pattern here, and would definitely make another one. In fact, I was wondering if I could use this pattern as a basis for an adult sweater. ... you know... for me! Although, I am well aware of my horrible track record for wearing sweaters I make for myself.

I also really like the plain, but cute buttons I found for the sweater. But, that is a story in and of itself. It took me forever to actually find some buttons, and then when I did? On sale! Yet, I didn't totally watch them ring it up. Instead of getting one set of buttons for 60% off, the clerk added 60cents to my total! Horrible. Okay... not so horrible. In fact, it was too much of a pain for me to even go back to the store to complain. So, whatever. I'm happy with the buttons and happy with the sweater! 

And now? 1) It's time for me to knit a few things for myself! and 2) Time to scan patterns and dream of what I'll knit family members for Christmas next year. 

Tuva

It's Christmas vacation! A time for family, friends and lots of Barclay's Premier soccer (err... football) to watch! Whoever came up with the idea that making teams play on the weekend like normal, plus on Boxing Day and New Years day was a genius! Genius!! And I owe that person(s) a debt of gratitude! There's been sooo much soccer!

And lots of soccer watching means lots of knitting. 

Like this hat. 

 (Free pattern here.)

Nothing too special about this pattern, but in general I like it. I don't love it. In general, I don't think slouches look good on me. But I could use another neutral-ish sort of hat. So, good enough.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and all the best in 2013!

Elephants on parade

It finally hit me today: it's almost Christmas! When did that happen? Oh, right.  When I wasn't paying attention. And suddenly I realized that all these crafts I'd been meaning to finish and meaning to start had to get done NOW. 

Hence the reason I haven't been outside today. 

Here's one of the crafts that I finished. An elephant monkey. Pretty much, I did the same thing as I did for the sock monkey, but instead of using the heel piece to make the tale, I used it to make a trunk. 

I will be the first to admit that the trunk park could use some work. (The elephant looks a little more like Gonzo than I would have liked...) But I love the ears. Hopefully my niece will like him too. Only a few days to find out.

Hope everyone has the happiest of Christmases!

dum-ditty

The last few times my niece M has visited, at some point in time some portion of the family has ended up being in a marching band. We grab whatever we have on hand to make pretend trumpets, cymbals and, of course, drums.

So when I saw this tutorial for a pretend toy drum, I knew I had to make it. 

It couldn't have been easier. I even added an old lanyard so that M can string it around her neck. Thus, making the marching part easier! This is now wrapped and under the tree. I'm looking forward to more parades in the near future! 

Monkeying around

This past Friday, I realized a hard truth. It's seriously, seriously, seriously almost Christmas. Like, the merry holiday is right around the corner and I have not don't my Christmas shopping yet. I've also not finished my Christmas crafts!! Yikes. 

Before the weekend, I didn't have many plans on what to make for my nephew baby G. A hat? Maybe a sweater, if I had the time. But then, I saw the absolutely cutest monkey that my friend Adrian made, and I thought: I can make that! 

Okay, so what I actually thought was something more along the lines of: Well, I can try to make a sock monkey, but I don't think it will ever come out quite as cute as Adrian's. (He's pretty darn crafty.)

Well, look at how mine turned out!

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of him! And, truth be told, he wasn't that hard to make! 

Following these amazing step-by-step instruction, it only took me about 3 hours start to finish (while watching the Arsenal [English Premier] game). Not too shabby for an old pair of socks that were going to get thrown away anyways!

I didn't have a erasable fabric pen, so I used a sharpie. What does it matter? It's on the inside and going to get cut out anyways.

When my monkey was done he looked a little... well... boring to me, so I decided to knit him up a hat and scarf from scraps. I wouldn't want him to get cold. Winter is coming, after all.

The scarf is a simple seed stitch. CO 5. Each row: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1. Knit that pattern until the scarf is as long as you want it.

The hat is a tiny Turn A Square.
CO 48 stitches.
Row 1-4: k2, p2
Row 5-6: k
Row 7: ssk, k8, k2tog
Row 8,10,12,14: k
Row 9: ssk, k6, k2tog
Row 11: ssk, k4, k2tog
Row 13: ssk, k2, k2tog
Row 15: ssk, k2tog.
Done!

Now he just needs to be wrapped up and put under the tree for baby G. Although, I have to admit that I like him so much, I almost want to make one for my niece M, too.

Graham

It's December! I'm sooooo excited about that. Although the month hasn't had quite the auspicious start that I would have liked (I burned my first tray of Christmas cookies. Peanut Butter!), I'm very ready for the holiday season.

Wait... Did I just say that? I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet. (Unless you count the $3 thing I got my mother... which I don't.)

This hat - a gift for a friend - didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped. I should have done a longer ribbed edge. I should have read the instructions more closely to realize that the right side, was the inside. I kbs on the ribbing, but it doesn't matter b/c it's on the inside of the hat. Oh well.

But, for a project I could finish in weekend, it's okay by me.

bike helmet earmuffs

Not that long back, a friend of mine came over for dinner. She rode a bike. It was cold out. No. It wasn't just cold, it was COLD. And not only did she ride a bike, she rode it, but wasn't wearing a hat under her helmet. 

Well, that just won't do. Cold ears are the worst! 

It didn't take long for Ravelry to help me find just the thing for her. Bike helmet earmuffs! That way if she doesn't want to wear a hat under her helmet, she doesn't have to! But at least hopefully, her ears can stay warm.

Okay. You know me. I didn't totally follow the instructions knit for knit and purl for purl, but I did base them off of this pattern. I added a button to be attached above the clasp so that the earmuffs won't fall down while biking. That would totally defeat the purpose.

And hopefully she likes them! ... even if the colo(u)rs totally don't match. Well, that's what happens when you use scraps leftover from other projects. (You'll see those projects soon.)

Tail bone

Top 5 things that rock about baby sweaters?

5 - So many great free patterns to choose from. 

4. Getting to knit in colo(u)rs I would never use otherwise.
3. Babies are small, and the sweaters knit up so quickly.

2. Babies look cute in practically anything - even when your sweater isn't perfect.
1. The awesomeness of giving someone a gift to celebrate a little person. By far the best.

Headlights

Oh dear. He looks a little like a dear caught in the headlights, doesn't he? Or maybe he's thinking: "Mom. Why did you put me in this pale yellow sweater?! I'm a BOY."

Well, sorry Jacob darling... But when I made this sweater I didn't know you were going to be male! But here is your baby sweater anyways. But now that my nephew is a little over 2 months old (and big for his age) he fits into it quite well.

This is the sweater pattern I used.
... Honestly, I'd never use this pattern again. Too much sewing. And I didn't like the sleeves or the collar in general. And, seriously, when it's not on a baby as cute as him, the sweater looks pretty horrid. Luckily for me, Jacob can pull it off.

And Jacob? I promise the next sweater will be more manly. (maybe.)

Stripes stripes stripes

It's been awhile. I know. But I'm done another knitting project! For now, this is all I can show y'all. 

The stripes didn't exactly turn out how I thought they would when I bought the yarn, but that's okay. It still made a super cute sweater. Or at least I think so.

traditions

Does two years a tradition make? Is twice of something, enough? Because if so, then stephchows and I definitely have a few traditions. 1) We go on a camping and hiking weekend in the summer. 2) I make her a I've seen and loved from craftgawker for our birthday. 

Last year I made her this bag from and old shirt. This year I made her a skirt!

Okay. Yes. This is also a skirt made from a shirt. Coincidence? Not really...

I saw a bunch on posts via craftgawker and really wanted to try making my own. It was dead simple. Well, unless you take into account that I had to a) sew and b) iron. Two things I don't love doing and am not great at.

The changes that I made:
1) I sewed down the button edge so that the skirt can't be unbuttoned. (No need for an embarrassing situation!)
2) I sewed a band along the top in which to put the elastic. (It's being strategically covered by a cute belt)

And that's it. It was really that simple. Some cutting. A little sewing. And now hopefully Steph will have a lot of fun wearing it.

Cupcakes, anyone?

It wasn't so long ago that I was making other cupcakes for a wedding. 

Well, I'm at it again. This time the favours of choice are chocolate raspberry and ginger. 9 dozen cupcakes down, 4 dozen to go. Phew.
Then I just have to decorate them... Easy? ... Right?

Peach Afghan

If you've been around the blog before, you should be well aware of the fact that I love the Olympics and I love my grandma. I can (and have) watched the Olympics all day. If it's an Olympic sport, I can and will get pretty excited about it. Rowing? Hells yeah! Swimming? Of course. Diving. Did you see that inward three and a half tuck? And don't even get me started on Gymnastics!

So what better thing to do than pick up an Olympic knitting project. A while back my lovely 97 year old grandma was telling me how she was sad she'd never finish the afghan she was working on. Well, hello! Perfect project for me! So this time when she came to town to visit I told her to bring the half done afghan. So here it is:

 I have three afghans in this exact pattern. I love them. I got one when I was born. All my siblings and cousins did. You can't really tell from these pictures, but the yarn is peach. Not my favourite colour... but for grandma I will work on it.

So, here's to many (too many?) more hours of Olympic excitement and afghan knitting.

Hope y'all are enjoying the Games as much as I am!