Haven't you ever wanted a monkey?!

Meet Carman Foster.  She does have a body but right now she's naked as her clothing is blocking (and this is PG blog).  Stay tune for pics of her wardrobe.
 

Baby and Kid Knitting for friends.

I have been knitting and as per usual I have forgotten to blog about it. Well here are a few items I sent off recently for a friend who had a little boy over 6 months ago.  I like to wait and sent something later since the new baby usually gets lots of newborn and baby stuff so I knit something for the 6-12 month range.. 

First of all these friends have a daughter and I never send something for the new baby without sending something for the child who's now a big sister (or brother).  Can't leave them out!!  Mom did this set.  I hope it's not too big for a toddler...

 I did this set for the baby boy.  A vest and matching Monster Chunk.

 Monster Chunk??  you ask, yup, Monster Chunk.  I think it's cute!

Christams Crafts

I have some pics from this years Christmas Crafts I thought I'd share.  Mom and I did some painting.  I like to include an ornament with gifts for my family.  I have a tree full of homemade and collectible ornaments that I enjoy unpacking every year so I try to spread that joy around. 

This one was for my nephew

 This one was for my niece

 This one was for my brother and his wife (my fav this year!)

 Mom did all of these except the cat in the sock.  The angel ended up an African angel after mom's attempt to make the hair black ended up smudged on the face.  I put that ornament on my Angels and Light tree.  I think it's so cute!

 This one was for my step sister in honour of her cat, DJ

 I did this one for my friend who goes with a snowman theme.  I put white glitter inside the ball like snow.

 I did a set of 4 of these for my step brother and his wife.  Just in time too as they had a big tree and needed more ornaments. 

Did I get pics of anything I knit?!  Nope, not a one.  I need to work on that....

Mom's Birthday Vest

I finally finished Mom's birthday vest.  I'm pleased with the finished result.  I used some washable knitpicks yarn, Swish wool in a colourway that's no longer available but it's a nice greyish green.  It knit up quite nicely!

It's a Drops Design pattern. and took a lot of yarn for a vest.  I knit it in wool because our springs are quite chilly around these parts.  With the colour and the wool it becomes a 3 season vest! 

On to Christmas knitting!!

Dennis' Kilt Socks

My mom's husband is a Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Scotsman.  He is the provincial commissionaire of Clan Donald.  He wears a kilt of the proper Clan Donald tartan (what I like to call 'his skirt'). For Christmas last year I gave him kilt socks.  Well let me clarify that... I gave him yarn and a pattern and a promise to knit him some kilt socks because somehow I didn't manage my pre-Christmas knitting time very well and hadn't even started them.  Then on Dec 28th I broke my wrist.  I was very lucky in that my break was what can best be described as minor compared to other broken wrist stories my cousins felt compelled to share with me a couple of weeks into my cast time.  I spent only 6 weeks in a cast.  However after the cast I spent another couple of months with numbness whenever I knit for a bit.  My doctor figured it would resolve itself. 

I think the start of gardening season did wonders for my hands (both were showing a bit of numbness at night but the broken one was bad when I knit)  Either way, I'm numb free at this point, when I knit, at night and in both hands!!  Wonder what I can do all winter long to keep this sort of healthiness for my hand?  Knitting is good but diverse actions, lifting, pulling, twisting, etc, seem to be imperative to address potential carpal tunnel syndrome.  Oops, I've gone a bit off topic haven't I?

Back to the kilt socks.  I followed John Anderson's Kilt Hose toe up pattern. Using Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool.

They fit perfect.  And now I'm throwing out the pattern.  This is the one and only pair of kilt socks I'll ever do.  Ever get second sock syndrome?!  Well image facing a second sock with a leg this long and a turn over flap that's so labour intensive!  Yup, never again....

Ms Sophia's First Birthday Present

I finally remembered to take a picture of a FO. It's not that I haven't been knitting, I just don't think to blog about it.

My step-neice Ms. Sophia just turned one! I've loved this pattern ever since I saw a version of it knit at Tangled Skein (a now-defunct LYS). That was about 3 years ago! Don't laugh, I have a sock monkey kit to knit for Ms. Sophia's birthday next year.... You have to wait until they're just the right age to give them just the right gift.



In the end I added another little pocket with just the flower (no stem) to the middle of the top. It just gave it a little more colour.

This is Anouk by Kate Gilbert from Knitty.com. I used Bernat Cotton Tops for the pinks and beige and a discountinued organic cotton for the green. I also knit this in the round to make it a dress instead of a pinafore.

Cheers!

I can not believe how slack I've been (with the blogging, not with the knitting - I've been knitting up a storm...)! I've got some stuff to share in the coming weeks as I gear up for Christmas but to start I thought I'd show ya'll this cute little wine warmer set. Tonight it's off to be gifted as I attend my first party of the season. Let the games begin!

Makes me giggle... hehehehe

Seriously...

Could these be any cuter?!


Delivered to Miss Sophia today! More baby projects on the way!

BABY SOPHIA

On May 10th my step brother and his wife had a baby girl. Like a true goof, I have no pictures yet but trust me, she's beautiful and I don't even like babies. They all usually look like plucked chickens to me but not miss Sophia, she really is the most lovely little girl.

I had knit her 2 hats before she was born in green so she'd have something to wear home. That was before we knew whether she was a boy or a girl. Once we got the news I checked out my stash for pink. Oddly enough I have quite a bit of pink (anyone who knows me just chuckled a bit). I started with the petal bib but quickly realized it is a bit big for a newborn so I'll make more for later. Right now I want newborn stuff!

Meet the baby bolero! Yes, once again the pic is sideways, turn your head. I haven't blocked it yet but I will.

Now I'm starting on the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.

I've also got a pair of sheep booties on the go. Stay tuned for many more baby knits!!!!! And maybe even a pic of the baby!

Mom's Birthday Sweater

Mom's birthday was coming up and I wanted to do a sweater for mom that she could wear now. See it's hard for me to do sweaters for Christmas because there is just too much knitting to do to take on such a large project. So the only way anyone will get a sweater for me is for their birthday. But Mom's birthday is in April and it kinda sucks to get a nice heavy sweater when you can't wear it! Hence the spring sweater I did this year.

It's called Lace for All Seasons Cardigan from Knit 'N Style Magazine, Feb 2010
The pic of the one in the magazine is done with a recycled acrylic poly blend. No way was I using that (I detest synthetics!)
So I ordered Knitpicks Comfy Worsted in Honey Dew I liked it as I knit it up but once I washed it I was shocked at how it pilled. I have lots of good quality store bought 100% cotton sweaters that don't pill at all. I guess this price really was too good to be true. It's okay but I'd think twice before using this yarn again.

Overall I'm pleased with how the sweater turned out. Sewing it up was a torture but once I stopped treating it like sewing up fabric and got out the old Stitch 'n Bitch Knitters Handbook and found out how to sew it up properly it went much better.

I'd like to do one for myself in a fall colour since our fall tends to be warm.

Reversable Cable Scarf

I started this to be my Olympic project but it took longer. I'm very happy with it. It's the Reversible Cable and Eyelet Scarf from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders. The top pic is the right colour.

It's just right for this time of year around here!

We interrupt your normally scheduled knitting for some baby bits!

My friend Alyson gave birth to a baby boy just over a week ago so I stopped what I was working on to knit him up a couple of things.

Merino-Silk Cable hat from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino.
(why yes it's sitting on a wine glass! aren't all baby's heads just that size?!)


And Ruth's Perfect Baby Booties from Ravelry in Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton.

I'm going to see him tomorrow to give him his gifts but I'm kinda more excited about seeing Alyson who I haven't seen since she got pregnant (and now she's given birth!). I can't wait!!

Olympic Hat

I whipped up a red hat to match my red olympic mitts.


That's it, no more red!! Canada and Norway tonight for hockey! Go Canada Go!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think it's safe to post this today. I finished a pair of cottage socks for both my mom and her husband. The pattern is a freebie on Lion Brand's website. I did use a smaller needles size for mom's. I had made a pair for myself using the needles the pattern called for but they are a bit loose. I really like how mom's turned out.

I did the "New Cottage Socks" pattern for Dennis. I just felt they were a little more masculine.

I put a little puffy paint on the bottom of mom's

And Dennis'

The colour is Cranberry. It's a beautiful shade of red. Happy Valentine's day!

Knitting for and During the Olympics!

I'm allergic to the fleece lining the official Canadian Olympic mittens so I knit myself some I could wear. They are deadly cute. I'm hoping I'll have enough to knit a matching hat. The yarn is Lion's Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick and the pattern is Wool-Ease Mittens that's linked on Ravelry.
During the Olympics I'll be working on the Reversible Cable and Eyelet Scarf from Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders which I got for Christmas. I love these one skein books because I so often see a beautiful skein of yarn and buy it but then it's often a challenge to find a pattern to really show it off. I know have 4 one skein books!

Granny Tan gave me 3 balls of this Cashmerino Aran. It's so beautiful and this pattern is really highlighting its beauty. And it matches other accessories I have, a neck gaiter, a hat, fingerless mitts, and 2 headbands so I'm all set to mix and match! The colour of this is so pretty and it's not fuzzy so I'll be able to wear it into the spring!


For those of you on Ravelry, I updated and added a bunch of projects on there.

Let the Games begin!!

Cottage Socks

I just finished these and they rock!!!




It's Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. The pattern is a freebie on their site. I'm making more of these for all the peeps in my life. I slip mine on, curl up with a hot chocolate and feel very cozy.

More Post Christmas FOs

Two more gifts done. Mom's socks. They are more purplish than the blueish as they look in this picture.

I also finished a neck gaiter for mom out of my handspun i picked up at the 9th annual maritimes spinning retreat. I hope I have enough yarn left for a pair of fingerless mitts but we'll see. It's a 60% bamboo, %40 Merino wool blend.

Mom gave me a skein of alpaca that I knit into these fingerless mitts. (I only had one pair and I wear them over my gloves on cold days. Plus these match one of my neck gaiters and my llama hat). I have enough left to do a headband which I'm working on now. Granny Tan gave me some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino for Christmas in the same colour family so I'm going to make that into a scarf and I'll have a whole set!

My goal is to finish all outstanding Christmas gifts by the end of Jan.... I just might make it!

More Christmas Gifts

Quick Christmas gift update. I finished a beautiful 2 ball, 1X1 rib scarf for my step-brother. It's made from Paton's SWS but the light blue ball was short so overall the scarf is short. Luckily it's so beautiful that he'll still wear it. I hope. We haven't been able to find SWS from the usual places lately and I'm suspecting the Paton's was having supplier issues. Many balls were split and rejoined at various points in the ball and I'm guessing that the short yardage in the light blue ball I had was not the first ball that was short. I hope they get it all sorted out. It's a nice yarn and the colourways are lovely.

I made these Maine Morning Mitts (pattern on Ravelry) for my step sister. This is a lovely pattern and it takes less than 100 yards. They were a little tight so I might add an extra rib when i make this pattern again. Luckily my step sister has tiny hands!

This is one of mom's socks. I still have one more sock to do for her, one more for her husband, to finish her hat, neck gaiter, fingerless mitts combo... then Christmas will be done!

Christmas Crafts!!

I've been a busy little elf! Here's a family of hats.
Man's Cable Hat from Ravelry

Slouchy hat, also from Ravelry

And a slouchy beret (perfect for going over big hair!)

All of those were knit with Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick.

Next up is a shawl based on the first part of an icelandic shawl pattern. Knit out of knitpicks palette

I started painting some balls yesterday. My bells are a little off but it definatly looks homemade! (I've just started some more balls, stay tuned for the final batch, they are turning out really nice!)

Mom painted some penquins. Aren't they stinkin' cute?! I'm going to glaze them and sparkle them up for her.

I did up some bookmarks and wine charms. Overall I'm pleased with the results.

And I'm still knitting, painting and I haven't even yet started to sew. Yikes!