Sunday, March 27, 2011

created

Focusing on the good things created during the week...

Midnight Caramel Crunch Shortbread.  Need I say more?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

On my needles -- the Raring to Go Edition

I wouldn't say I'm exactly getting tired of my Shalom Cardigan.  I could never tire of the soft baby alpaca yarn, and the back-and-forth of the stockinette body is soothing and allows room for chatting, reading, watching Big Bang Theory or meditating.  But I am always itching to start new projects, so I am counting the rows until I catch up with my favorite cabled cardigan.  
 

It's really not so bad, when you allow for the curling at the bottom of the body.  Another four inches or so and I'll be adding the garter stitch border and wondering what on earth I'm going to do for sleeves.

My knitting class starts this Friday, and I have picked out a challenging (to me) cabled baby cardigan to bring there with me; I am looking at several other baby sweaters because I seem to have a surfeit of light fingering yarn; and I hope to complete a crocheted rabbit or three before Easter Day, about which we will have to see.

What's on your needles these days?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Sunday, March 13, 2011

created

Focusing on the good things created during the week...


Choosing sweaters for a new felted-wool project is always a joy.

The finished wool-felt project: a poncho for my niece A.

K snuggles with some bamboo stuffing as she works on her book report project, a sock puppet of Mr. Brown from Dr. Seuss's Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?


Popping some bubble wrap on a break!


Clowning around with Mr. Brown

Friday, March 11, 2011

Finished Object Friday -- Wide Leg Lounge Pants

The finished product!
 I have been wanting to adapt my cropped lounge pants pattern to a long-pants version all winter.  (What? I never showed you the cropped pants I made last fall? Shame on me.  I will post photos when I get them out next month.)  Now that Spring is nearly here, I found the time to give it a go.
 
First order of business was choosing fabric for the pants from my vintage bedsheet collection.


Easier said than done.




Then there was the job of modifying the cropped pattern to a long version.  A little tedious but not difficult.  At last I chose a bedsheet, pinned my pattern pieces on and began to cut.


 My normal method for making pajama pants is somewhat slapdash, but I had pretty high hopes that this pair would turn out especially well, so I took care with the pinning.

 Then I brushed up on my buttonhole-making (okay, I made my first, second and third buttonholes ever) because I wanted to try something new with the waistband:  an elasticized drawstring.  

Here's what they looked like:

 Not impressed? Neither was I, but you have to start somewhere.  I had to do a bit of finagling to get the drawstring to come out right, but in the end it worked.  Here are the finished pants:

 I wanted to show you a picture of me wearing them, but the truth is they are shaped a bit funny and look more like clown pants than the wide-legged yoga pants that I had been going for.  

I may have to bite the bullet and buy the pair of pants I want to copy in order to get this right, instead of trying to fake it with the cropped version.  

Anyway, they're comfy and the print is cute, and they will make fine pajamas.  I'm calling the experiment a guarded success!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

created/on my needles -- the sweater obsession edition

focusing on the good things created during the week...

I'm so proud that I finished the yoke of my Shalom cardigan! Now I can't stop knitting on it!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

On my needles: the summer dreams edition

This week I have been working on a project from 'way back in last June, when we went to Wisconsin to visit relatives.  Our route took us through Madison, where I conveniently managed to find, right around lunchtime, a charming little yarn store that I can no longer remember the name of nor find on Ravelry -- what a shame!  I purchased some bamboo yarn there to start Claire Montgomerie's "smock top" from Easy Kids Knits for K.  The pattern is adorable, a little airy sleeveless thing with a picot hem and a seed stitch heart adornment, and I am afraid I am not doing it justice, but blocking will tell.  I still have a ways to go on this.


And then there is the ubiquitous Shalom Cardigan, this week in Cascade Yarns Baby Chunky Alpaca, a distinct improvement from the Ecological wool in both texture and stitch definition.  It is creamy-soft and luscious to work with and slips off my addi turbos like a dream.  My hope is that, with excellent yarn and pattern figured out, all will now be smooth sailing.



Look for my elf hat to come off the needles soon.  I am plotting some Pointy Elf Mittens to go with it!