A Mother's Best Friend

I don't actually have any knitting done for this post, so instead I thought I would just show what I've been up to besides knitting.  You know, when I have to have my needles pried out of my hands.

First up, I made myself a lunch bag for work.  Look away if you are absolutely sick of me and Capri Sun pouches.  I won't blame you!!  I also made a tote bag, which has been handy for taking snacks in the car.  We also used it at the beach last weekend too.  I love that it just wipes clean, easy peasy.

I also patched a pair of the girls leggings.  Man, kids are hard on clothing!  I used scrap fabric and bondaweb--seriously a frugal mother's best friend.  I've used this time and time again to repair the girls clothing.

Not one but three separate holes.

That's it for me this week.  Hopefully I'll have another tank top to show you next Friday.

Well Fan and Feather me!

I'm going to be honest here, I'm having a bit of a struggle with my stash busting.  Sort of.  Ok, not really, but I REALLY WANT to buy some yarn to knit a pair of socks.  I blame all you crafty knitters out there making fabulous socks.  They are so tempting and really, I do need more socks.  I'll just add that to the "someday soon" list.

I am making slow progress on my second Ramona tank top.  I blame the not very nice yarn and the fact that it is a duplicate.  I just don't really like making something twice.  

I'm going to try to focus on it the next few days, because **announcement** I am going back to work (outside the house).  I'm going to be a tour guide for the season at a local distillery, which I think will be really fun.  I get to be active (I like), meet new people (I like) and make a bit more money (I really like).  The only down side is that I will have so much less time to knit.  That, I do not like.

Isn't is pretty? I first visited the distillery in my early 20's, gasp! Never in a million years did I think I'd end up working there.

Anyway, moving right along with the WIP's, and stash-busting, I decided to cast on for a lap blanket.  Yes, I am already thinking (and dreading) next winter.  This stone farmhouse is COLD.  And heating oil costs a fortune.  I am not exaggerating.  

I picked a very easy fan and feather pattern so I can just boogey right along with it, and ended up messing up the pattern twice!  That is definitely my M.O., I like to make the easy into hard.  So I  ripped the rows I messed up twice, and then when I got about 6 rows in I noticed that in the picture there is a garter stitch border.  That isn't in the directions for the beginning, but reading ahead it IS there for the end.  Sigh.  So I ripped the whole thing out and started over.  Now I do seem to be sailing right along, so perhaps it was all for the best.

I've got loads of the cream, which I'm going to stripe with navy blue and forest green.  Yay for using up loads of yarn!

Now I've got to run because it is my girls 6th birthday today!  I've got a cake to ice.  See you on Friday.

I present to you................my ham

Happy Friday!  I've got one thing finished this week, and it was such a fun and satisfying knit.  It might not be warm enough to wear it yet, but we are having the most wonderfully warm, sunny spring weather.  Yesterday I sat in the sun in the garden to knit for a while, it was wonderful.  

Before any eagle eyes call me out on this--yes I took the picture before I finished the crochet border along the bottom and the arm pits.  You know how it goes though, you've got to grab the camera when the sun is out and the model is willing.  

Stats:

Pattern: Ramona Racer-Back Tank

Yarn: Spring Crochet Assortment (Lidl's), 100% cotton.

Learned: The i-cord bind off.  Oh wow, that's brilliant.  It was well worth making the tank top just to learn this.  I used this video.

Lastly, here's a picture of me (I know, this almost never happens).  You can see I'm rocking the Tappan Zee cardigan I finished in November.  I love this cardigan!!

Here's where I'm hopping:

The knitting psyche

Well here we are again on WIP Wednesday.  I love this day, as it motivates me to keep my projects ticking along.  I've been working on myself lately, working hard to suppress my need to constantly buy new wool and cast on new projects.  I have loads of things I want to knit--all of which require the purchase of new yarn.  Now I don't have a huge stash, but I do have 5 separate contains of yarn that I could be using, but wish I didn't have to. 

With that in mind I pulled out a tank top I knit years ago, when I first started learning to knit.  I was ambitious, didn't know what I was doing, and subsequently hated it.  Then I shoved it in a bag and hid it for, well, years.  You all know what I'm talking about. 

On Tuesday, I pulled it out, frogged it, and then started looking for something I could make with the yarn instead.  I feel good, using what I have before I start to buy more.  My husband and I are working hard to spend less and save more (I've got big plans in my future), so doing this really is beneficial.  I'll let you know how long I can keep it up.......

Sirdar Calico

In addition, I've cast on my second (yes, you read that right, I'll show you the first one on Friday) Ramona tank top.  I'm using a different yarn from my stash (very similar colours though), one that I bought last summer to make the girls a tank top.  It is Sirdar pure cotton 4ply. I still have 1/2 of that original tank top done and sitting in a bag, but of course now it is too small.  Anyway, I don't like this yarn as much, but I'm going to try to stick with it, as it will make a nice top in the end.  I hope.  Here's where I'm at:

Terrible, blurry picture, but it does show the pattern rather well.

That's all from me for now, here are the hops:

Girl, you're a trend setter

Well those of you that surf blog land on a Friday to see all the yummy FO will know who I can blame for this--Natalie over at Misadventures in Craft.  Ok, so I don't really blame her for anything but awesomeness, and I'm dedicating this post to her and her trend setting ways!

Last week she posted a finger moustache and as soon as I saw it I knew my sister would want one.  Turns out she wants four.  So I've been busy making up some of those for her birthday.  Three are done, here are my models showing them off:

Apparently silly faces are a MUST when modelling finger staches.

So thank you, Natalie, we are having a lot of fun with these.

And last but never least, my last Chirp is done.  I will admit, I had a bit of fun taking their picture at the end.  Now I've just got to get myself organized and get them sent off.

Here are the hops:

If I knit it, it will be warm

A month or so ago I went to check out the yarn sales at Lidl's, and came away with 200g of cotton.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it at the time, but a tank top for the girls was at the top of the list.  I have another 200g of a different cotton, in very similar colours I can use to make a second one.  Yes, there must always be a second one.

Because I like nothing more than free, I chose the Ramona pattern.  It helps that it is also adorable, and I like to knit cute things.  I'm making this for the girls, and going up a size, because if I don't I know I will be sorry.  Plus, this is Scotland, so let's face it, they will most likely be wearing it over a shirt for most of the year.  They've given the pattern and yarn their approval, so here I go!

The pattern is very easy, just a small diamond made with purls.  It is enough to keep me interested, and easy enough to do with a bit of distraction around me.  I'll be doing it with thick colour stripes, because around here we like stripes (and I don't have enough of just one colour). 

 That's it for me this week, check out the hops here:

Changes

I managed to finish another few small projects this week, in the midst of my cardigan turmoil.  I think I'll shelve that one for a while and maybe work on this one instead:

by Katie Himmelberg

It is a free pattern called the Eco Vest.  I was thinking of doing it in Irish tweed wool.  Of course, that would mean ordering more wool............ so instead I think I might just work on the tank tops for the girls for this summer, since I already have that yarn.

In the hope that spring will happen sooner rather than later, I whipped up an ear warmer.  It was super fast--like one day fast (instant gratification is my favourite), and would appear to work rather well.  I used some yarn I had left over from a beret I made, it is 50% wool, 50% mohair.  And because I am a person that cannot cast off loosely, even when I go up two sizes in needles, I used the Stretchy Bind off which worked really well!

Next up, I finished another Chubby Chirp. I know, I know, enough with the chirps already!  I'm working on my last one right now, and then I'm done.  I've lost interest in them after the 3rd.  Here's an extreme close up, which makes him look bigger than he is!  So cute.  Maybe just one more.................

Check out the creative energy here:

I will soldier on, really I will

Being rather pleased with myself for having finished the left front of my leaf cardigan, I started reading how to join the pieces together.  And that is when I realized....................I was just not doing it right.  By all accounts it isn't a big deal, I am simply making the pattern with the sleeves, rather than the sleeveless (rather, very short sleeve) one that I wanted to make.  I had a slight niggling about it early on which I simply forgot in my exuberance to get it going.  Sigh.  This cardigan is in the time out corner.  I have to figure out whether I want to finish it as it is, or tear it out and start all over again.  At the end of the day I feel I should make the one I wanted, which means..................well let's just not talk about it.

So after I found a place to stash the cardi where I cannot look at it for a few days (or weeks if I'm honest) I immediately went onto Ravelry to see what else I could cast on.  Yes, I have a serious problem.  Because you are probably not forgetting that I am also working on:

           *  a chubby chirp

           *  a blanket

           *  a secret gift for someone

           *  a pair of kids socks--again, to be fair, I do not think I'll      finish these.  It recently occurred to me that I made a Barbie dress out of the yarn and I don't think I'll have enough for two socks.  No big deal, I wasn't feeling the love with these anyway.

Instead of casting on I've used all my willpower to work on the projects I already have on the go.  I'll have to wait a wee while for something new.  I'm almost done with my Chubby Chirp, here are all his little pieces.  Someone was desperate to be in the picture.  Please ignore her outfit--we were cleaning out the wardrobe for spring and she has............interesting taste!!

Sorry for a text heavy, picture light post.  Here's where I'm sharing the creative joy:

My kids don't appreciate me

While I work away on my larger projects, I managed to squeeze in a few small ones as well.  It helps to keep me entertained.

First up, I made a doll's cardigan.  Here's a funny little story.  My girls attend Rainbows.  Each week a different girl gets to take the little Rainbow doll home, and you are supposed to do fun stuff with your doll, and then write about it in her travel journal.  Since I have twins, they each get a doll to take home instead of just one of them.  One doll has a sweatshirt, and the other does not (I think perhaps because she is the neglected "back up" doll).  So I thought I would be nice and knit a wee cardigan for the one that was cold.  Mainly I did it because the girls were fighting constantly about which doll got the sweat shirt.

It is adorable, really, it is.  And I don't normally say that about the things I make.  My daughters HATE it!  They refused to use it, even though I keep putting it back on her.  Oh well, best intentions right?  Well last night at Rainbows when we were leaving a different girl had the doll to take home.  And I noticed that the doll she was holding was wearing the sweater I had made.  Apparently it was a big hit with everyone else, so much so that now she is the chosen doll instead of the other one.  I feel vindicated.

Lastly, I made this totally cute and utterly adorable Chubby Chirp. I do not normally go in for knitted toys--I find all the little parts you have to sew together totally intimidating. However, as you know I finished the baby blanket for my friend and was getting ready to ship it off to California.  Then I thought..............my friend has a 2 year old, and wouldn't he feel sad if he didn't get anything in the parcel.  The Chubby Chirp was born.  I wasn't sure about his colours because it was a variegated yarn (now finally finished from my stash) but everyone around here agrees she's pretty darn cute.  I'm making another in red right now, with the leftover from the blanket.  Totally baby safe, yarn eyes and all!

That's all for me, I'm off to knit on my top secret project.  I finally got it started yesterday and that green yarn is a dream!