Keeping warm(er)

{My Ravelry project}

I have also been knitting a lot lately. The proof.

As I mentioned I also cast on for an Odessa Hat with a Bamboo Wool bend from Moda Dea in Chili Pepper Red. It is the first time I have knit with beads and I really like it. The hat fits well and keeps my head warm with out being itchy.

On it's first trip out of the house on my head it got a compliment from the lady behind me in the checkout line. She asked where I bought it. When I told her I made it her eyes popped out of her head and she said it was beautiful. I don't know about beautiful, of course there are mistakes, but I sure do like it.

{My Ravelry project}

I was also able to finish my French Press Slippers for the Ravelympics. For the first thing I made to be felted it's not too bad. I made the seams too bulky which made the toes a bit bumpy, but they work just the same. They are cute, pretty easy to knit and warm.

{Gigantic pre-felted slippers}

The felting was a trip. Your supposed to use your washing machine with the hottest water possible. Our hottest water is quite chilly since we don't have the washer connected to the water heater. I boiled pots of water on the stove, dumped them into a 5 gallon bucket and hauled it to the washer. I also learned that if you turn off the water line to the washer it won't start agitating no matter where you set the dial. I had to add a small load of cold water to get it going but it didn't seem to hurt the felting process.

{Slippers in action}

I used a pair of fabric covered buttons I received last year in a swap package from Erika. I was waiting for just the right project for the buttons and these slippers are it. I wear them all day everyday when I am home. This pattern will definitely be knit again. =]

Quilter Bees ~ February Drunk Love

I've had my eye on the Drunk Love quilts and blocks since I saw them a couple years ago but never truly tried to make them until Sharon of Quilter Bee's asked for them. Why do I do that? I know I can do it. I know I will love doing it. But I still put it off. Silly me.

She sent darker and lighter gray fabrics to everyone and each of us got a different bright color for the pop. I loved how bright the yellow is against the cool grays. Again, only one got to be the full 12.5" but I made two other starters for you, Sharon. I hope you don't mind finishing them. I had a lot of enjoyment in making them. =]

Quilter Bees ~ January Jewel Squares

Again, catching up on bee blocks that are due. The second set I stitched together on Tuesday were for Theresa of the Quilter Bees group. My camera couldn't quite capture the colors of the fabrics. It's pretty unfortunate because they were lovely-vivid but mellow and comforting.

I managed to make one 12.5", three 6.5" and three 3.5" after the learning curve I got from Gretchen's in the November round of Snip.Sew.Send. This time I was able to maximize the use of fabric a little better. =]

Snip.Sew.Send. February Houses

I'm still playing catch up with all my to do quilting bee blocks. First up was Kris's February Houses. She provided the sand colored solid and we used our scraps/stash for the rest. Making wonky little houses and trees makes me happy so I was looking forward to making these blocks.

I first made this purple house. I saw Kris likes purple and so do I. Every girl should live in a house painted her favorite color. A fat, little gray kitty is poking his head through the striped curtains. The curtain fabric is from a pair of capri pants I loved, but Dirty said looked like curtains. Now they are. This is the only one I could get to 12.5".

Next was this little wonky building. I imagine it as the local fabric shop. I hope it is bright and mellow enough. I am a little iffy on the mellow part of it.

It needs a little greenscape so there are two trees, too. The one on the left reminds me of a little kid's drawing. The right one is good for having a picnic under on a warm summer day.

They are late (again) but on the way to you, Kris! =]

Knitted hats for Christmas

Yeah, I'm going to talk about Christmas gifts in February. I've been busy. ;]

Last Christmas was going to be the year of gifting knitted hats. I had plans to make eleven hats. Five got finished and only three before Christmas, but I have been forgiven.

For budget and both the mamas' sanity I chose acrylic yarn for all the hats. I didn't want to taint the gifts by adding a bunch of washing/drying stipulations causing the hats to either not get worn or ruined in the wash. Or have the mamas dread getting knitted gifts.

{My Ravelry link}

First up was the Button Tab Hat for our 6 year old niece. It is the second time I used this pattern. It is so quick to knit, easy and customizable. Three of my favorite aspects of a knitted object. I had to reduce the number of cast on stitches by 10 to make it fit a child's head, but that was easy. The brim is (my favorite) seed stitch and the button is a cute little lime green flower. The yarn is Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand in Purple Mist on US 6 dpns.

{My Ravelry Link}

Next was the Lacy Rib Hat by Heather J. Spellman for our 10 year old niece. When it's stretched out a bit on her head you can see the lace pattern better. This was fun to knit. The pattern had just enough challenge to it to keep it interesting without being too trying. I did make some mistakes, but they blend in pretty well. This time I used Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Seaspray Mist on US 6 dpns.

I actually had to do the picot edging twice. It was the first time I tried to make one and I didn't pick up the stitches from the cast on edge evenly and it got all wonky. Wonky can be great in quilt blocks, not so much in hat edging. The second go round was much better. I used stitch markers to keep me on track.

{My Ravelry Link}

For our final niece I made the Lacy Hat. (Non-Ravelry link to pattern) The recipient is 8 years old and her favorite colors are red and black. I think this is may favorite of the three hats for our nieces. Again, the lace pattern is shown better when it's worn, but it is so cute. The picot edge for this was a breeze applying lessons learned. I got into a nice flow with the gull wing lace pattern. The yarn in Caron's Simply Soft in red (Scarlet, I think, is the correct color name). The ribbon is simple black satin which keeps the hat from looking too cutesy. She is 8 after all. ;]

{My Ravelry Link for the blue and the yellow hat for my friends' 5 and 3 year old boys}

I've had this hat in my queue for over a year. I loved it from the first time I saw it, but didn't have the skills (or balls) to make it before now. (On a not-completely-unrelated topic I have decided to take more risks knitting. There is really nothing to lose. I don't consider the time lost as I am learning either how-to or how-not-to do something. The project can always be frogged and the yarn saved for another project unlike sewing where if you cut wrong it can really screw things up. I cut it twice and it's still too short comes to mind. That doesn't happen with knitting. Love it. Back on topic.)

I didn't have a great handle on the Kitchener stitch for seaming the top and had no idea how to make the i-cord for the ties. Have several socks completed I was getting there with the Kitchener stitch (it's used to seam up the toes) and I pulled up the instructions for making an i-cord on knittinghelp.com and got to work.

I made the older boy's hat first. Yet again it was made with Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn but in Denim Mist this time. Blue has been his favorite color since I asked him for the first time when he was three.

I was so excited to get them both finished and in the mail I forgot to take pictures of the hats. Their mama took an appreciation photo for me. He's got the hat on backwards in the photo which is why the ear flaps are covering part of his face. However, it kind of shows why this is called Triceratops hat. It comes to three points at the top.

His little brother wanted a yellow hat, but it is hard to find yellow that isn't overtly baby yellow or traffic sign/day-glo yellow. Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Baby in Ducky seemed like a good shade of yellow. As I got stitching though I thought it was leaning towards being too baby-ish. I pulled out some light blue Lion Brand yarn from my stash and used it to make a 1-1/2" wide stripe on the top, the ear flaps and ties. It think it brought it back to kid-style.

Since then I have cast on a dish washing cloth in a pattern from the Vogue Stitchionary called Tiny Bamboo, the Odessa hat (with beads, see risk taking above) for me in an awesome Bamboo Wool from Moda Dea and have to cast on at least 3 of those other hats which are now intended as birthday gifts (in February, why do I keep doing that?).

Oh, yeah, and I joined Team Sasquach in the Ravelympics (Ravelry + Olympics = Ravelympics) starting when the official Olympic torch lights tomorrow. Planning to make my first felted project. Some super cute slippers. Gotta get stitching. =]

Quilter Bees blocks catch up

In an effort to catch up with all the behind blocks I owe, I pumped out these two for Quilter Bees Heidi and Lisa.

In December Lisa asked us all to make stars from Amanda Jean's tutorial. I was pretty nervous about this block. I had used Amanda Jean's tutorials before and didn't have any issues with that, I am just not that great at straight lines. Drawing, cutting, walking, driving...I don't do any of these straight. I wanted to wait until I had the time and attention to put into doing this block right.

Unfortunately that didn't come until last weekend. (Life got a little hairy and my sewing machine was inaccessible for about 6 weeks.) When we got my new sewing space situated and Midge back from her hiatus this was the first on the to do list. By the way, I recently decided my sewing machine is a Midge. I've had her for about two years and didn't have any inclination to name her until the new sewing space was made.

I didn't have any trouble with the individual blocks that went to the construction of the whole block, but after sewing everything together I was about 1/4" short of 12.5" So I ripped the seams and shrunk the seams to about 1/8"-3/8" to make up for it. I hope that doesn't create any problems. I don't think it will, they are secure. Minus the scant seam allowance I surprised myself with this block. And it taught me a lesson for Lisa's block.

Lisa chose another Amanda Jean block tutorial and I was able to kick this baby out fairly easily. And I measured as I pieced each section. No ripping this time. It's not perfect, but again I hope it is C.E. (close enough).

Neither of these are blocks I imagined myself choosing to make, which is the whole point of joining quilting bees. I forces me (nudges me?) to create outside my comfort zone. If nothing else these two blocks are getting me into the habit of slowing down and concentrating on what I am sewing. I appreciate that to no end. =]

Snip.Sew.Send. January Log Cabins

Robin's idea for January's installment for Snip.Sew.Send. was awesome and right up my alley. I get into a kind of zen meditation when making log cabins. That was a welcome feeling with all the craziness lately. (Nothing bad, get life amping itself up.)

I got to make the green and pink blocks. The goal was to make one straight log cabin and one wonky. For the straight green cabin I laid out the fabrics on my ironing board and tried to put the fabrics in shade groups light, medium, bright and dark. The middle block is a faint-ish floral that I really liked. It had all the shades in it and was perfect for the center square. Then I spiraled out using one strip of each shade as I went around. I put a star on the fabrics from my stash.

When I was happy with it I snapped a quick photo and labeled each strip with a piece of tape and a tag for the order 1L (first log on the left), 1B (first log on the bottom, 1R (first on the right) and 1T (first on the top), etc. I had read about this somewhere else and never tried it until now. It was great, especially since I got called away during the construction. It made it much easier to get back in to the flow when I returned.

Here's the final block. I am pretty pleased with the result. The final strip on the right is a fabric Chen sent me at the beginning of this bee. I thought it was a good addition.

Next, I worked on the pink block. This one was going to be wonky and as soon as I opened the package from Robin I knew the bunnies were going to steal the spotlight of this one. They are so flippin' cute. I LOVE making wonky log cabins and I hope Robin likes this one. I just kind of went on a wing and a prayer with this block. Didn't really plan much other than the bunny in the center. The dark pink stripes are from my stash. I didn't notice them jumping out quite as much until I cropped the picture. I hope it settles in.

Robin~Although I made these last weekend they are still in the envelope addressed and ready to go. I kept forgetting to take them to the post office with me. They are now in my bag and (as long as I don't space out again) they will be on the way to you tomorrow. I'm not blonde, but I sure can act like it sometimes. =]