Pattern: Maddy's Mitts
Designer: me
Yarn: Royal Fiber Spinnery Royal Platinum Alpaca, 100% baby alpaca, double stranded
Needles: US 6 dpns
Offspring the Younger and I picked out this yarn at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in September to make a birthday gift for OTY's friend. OTY is primarily responsible for the design. This yarn is so soft and fuzzy, and the color had people drooling. The finished project met with a very favorable response.
* The Bag (pattern by Wendy Wonnacott) for Mum
* Knit slipper socks for Gram
* Polar fleece slipper socks for Gram
* Baby Alligator scarf (kit from Morehouse Farm) for Mr. W
* Sewn gift bags
* Something special for Gram's 90th birthday (December 24)--You go, Gram!
...to get a Gocco? Would that I had listened to my mother years ago and invested in one when I could.
The (Work)Place That Shall Not Be Named has just gotten a lot worse. (And no, I don't work at IKEA!) I'm alternately piping-hot mad or limp with despair. Bloody hell.
But I digress from the really important stuff: fun creations!
As part of efforts to mark the August Sibling's birthday (Happy 30th! Hah! You can't get me!)...er...I made this cuff in a hurry:
Yeah, it's a little different, but so is the sibling. I used Leigh Radford's Herringbone Leather Cuff pattern from AlterKNITS. (Go here for corrections.) It would have been better had I gone with her suggestion of using round leather lacing--the cuff doesn't have much body, for one thing, when made out of the ribbon yarn I used--but I'm still reasonably happy with it.
Here I am again. I know you'll want to stop the presses.
I'm going to do my best to reconstruct the more interesting bits of my summer. There was at least one sewing project--a tote bag for my aunt--that flew by before I could document it. Otherwise, I was pretty good about hanging on to their tail feathers long enough to snap a parting photo.
These were for my mum's birthday at the beginning of August:
The color is truer in the second photo.
This project was such a pleasure, even though the schedule was crazy. The pattern, of course, is Cookie A.'s famous Monkey. Really, it's as good as everyone says. I had fun substituting an eye of partridge heel (my first) and I used a smaller needle size than called for on the heel and foot (so it wouldn't wear out too quickly), but I made no other changes. The yarn is Fearless Fibers' 100% Superwash Merino Wool. I'd wanted to order some for such a long time. I certainly wasn't disappointed. The shading is exquisite and the hand is soft, but lively, too. Go get yourself some!
I don't know if I have any readers left after such a long silence, but if you're still out there, please know I haven't abandoned the blog. I'm just laboring under a new regime. Now that I've started to get my sea legs, though, I plan to resume regular posting.
There are many ways in which I'm not a great person. (I'll spare you the laundry list; just trust me on this.) Parenting, in particular, has a way of slapping me upside the head with my failings.
On the rare occasion, though, I make minute progress.
Take this...thing. There is very little to recommend it. The yarn writhes like the contents of a snake pit. The texture is, while soft, creepy in a Peter Lorre kind of way. It hung on to even Addi Turbos like I was trying to pry it from the edge of a cliff. In short, it sucked Hoovered big time.
But I promised a long time ago I'd finish knitting this little rag. And finish it I did. I don't know if Offspring the Eldest cares a thing about it anymore, but I kept my promise and it feels good.
* Floss teeth.
* Give the dog his pill.
* Clip the cat's nails.
* Pick up the in-laws at the airport.
* Replace warped brake rotors.
But it can make a killer caramel latte. Resistance is useless. (You knew that already, didn't you?)
| You Are a Ring Finger |
 You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger |
| You Are a German Shepherd Puppy |
 Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive. You've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone you choose. |
| You Are: 70% Dog, 30% Cat |
 You and dogs definitely have a lot in common. You're both goofy, happy, and content with the small things in life. However, you're definitely not as needy as the average dog. You need your down time occasionally. |
| Your Inner European is Dutch! |
 Open minded and tolerant. You're up for just about anything. |
| Your Career Type: Artistic |
 You are expressive, original, and independent. Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art. You would make an excellent: Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer Dancer - DJ - Graphic Designer Illustrator - Musician - Sculptor The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary. |
| Your Power Color Is Lime Green |
 At Your Highest: You are adventurous, witty, and a visionary. At Your Lowest: You feel misunderstood, like you don't fit in. In Love: You have a tough exterior, but can be very dedicated. How You're Attractive: Your self-awareness and confidence lights up a room. Your Eternal Question: "What else do I need in my life?" |
| Your Hidden Talent |
 You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices. |
| You Are 16% Abnormal |
 You are at low risk for being a psychopath. It is unlikely that you have no soul. You are at low risk for having a borderline personality. It is unlikely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at medium risk for having a social phobia. It is somewhat likely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at low risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is unlikely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer. |
Socks for Offspring the Elder
Yarn: Fixation, color 9205, about 1 3/4 balls
Needles: Clover 7-inch No. 4 (3.5 mm) bamboo dpns, 5
Pattern: Cobbled together from various sources. Two-by-two ribbed leg, slip-stitch heel flap. I began the gusset by knitting through the back of the stitches I picked up along the flap. (I love this little touch, which I find both functional and attractive.) Basic toe, grafted closed. (We are not a family of pointy-footed people. I like to start toes late and end them short and wide.)
Accommodating-crazy-knitting-parent pose (what? they didn't teach that in your yoga class?):
I'm not sure about Fixation. Sometimes it was fine to knit; other times it was a real pain (literally). I was never quite certain about my tension, which felt like it was all over the map but continued to look reasonably consistent.
We'll have to see how it wears. For now, OTE seems pleased.
Ann Budd's Undulating Rib Socks* it is. I'm glad the spouse picked out this particular pattern; it's been calling my name.
*Found in Interweave Press' Favorite Socks, edited by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow
This was for the small daughter of friends who had us over for dinner last night:
Largely BitterSweet's pattern again, with just a few modifications. Be warned: making these is addictive.
It's Offspring the Younger's turn to be off to a slumber party. We made the entire gift this time. It consists of a totebag:
This is made from two florals from Erin McMorris' Urban Garden line for Free Spirit and a tonal paisley from the Tiddley Winks line by Arrin Turnmire for Moda. Offspring the Younger chose these from the offerings at Bolt. All three were great fabrics to work with and this was a fun project. I intend to try it again with some modifications.
We also made this fun little guy:
He's based on the wonderfully clear free pattern at BitterSweet. We will be making many more of these, I'm sure!
Offspring the Elder spent Friday trying to pull together a gift for a friend's birthday. The present was looking a little, well, thin...and we were running short on resources. But lordy, have we got a house full o' crap. Enter this idea:
In the seventies, my dad was quite the dresser. Frye boots, velvet sport coats, Swiss ski sweaters, and leather trenches were his sort of thing. He also had a couple of cashmere turtlenecks. When he handed a yellowish one off to me and gave me carte blanche, I threw it in a big pot of water with several packets of drink mix. Thus was the softest mottled spring green felt in the world born. I love it.
Back to the story at hand: we needed to beef up a birthday gift, as well as wrap it. This seemed a reasonable solution. The pocket, which I made by using the entire turtleneck collar, has two compartments. More fun that way, I think. (And the cashmere. Oh. We just wanted to keep stroking it. Ooh, what about using this bag as a hot water bottle cover?)
Problem solved...and I have a bit more room in my sewing nook. Cool!
...is spelled I-G-O-T-I-T-A-L-L-D-O-N-E-I-N-T-I-M-E.
This banner came together the night before the baby shower. I used wool felt, a cotton velvet ribbon, and Heather Bailey scraps from the quilt my mum made for the baby. The mother-of-pearl buttons are antiques my gram (who will be 90 this year) inherited from her mother and grandmother.
Mum's quilt:
My cousin looks like he's examining the finer points of the stitching, doesn't he? I've seen him look at x-rays of my teeth this way. Actually, he's reading the cool label my mother sewed into the corner of the quilt. She does this for all of her pieces.
Here is my bigger FO, the little cardigan I designed for Adeline. Those of you who wander the blogosphere will understand that I owe a big debt to Nona for inspiring this one:
I think they liked it.
The offspring and I were charmed by the idea of making some of these for a baby shower:
Here's my prototype:
I think I might prefer it just as it stands (sits) now, without a face, but the offspring are rather creeped out by that idea. What do you think?
It's deeply satisfying to find interesting ways to use up scraps. Many thanks to Mary-Heather over at Rainy Day Goods for this idea. Go check out her cool Shrinky Dink straight pins.
