One Little League Game Later

Carmen offered to do a "swap" several months ago, and I hurriedly volunteered....I just love to read Carmen's blog (note to Carmen:  please update daily) and after some sleuthing (read: exchanging emails) I knew lots about her likes and dislikes, her address in Colorado, and we even had a deadline date.  March 1st, to be exact.

Here it is, April 1st, and I'm finally sending out her package.  Hoo-boy.  One month late!  Part of the problem is that I wanted to sew some stuff, and I'm not a good sewer.   The other part of the problem is, well, I'm me.  I'll post some pictures of what I worked on, but I'll wait until after I know she got the box.

In the meantime, here is a (kind of!) picture of me wearing a shawl I made at the baseball game last Saturday.  That's right, you heard me, this shawl* was started and finished in about 3 hours.  What what!  I am kind of in love with it, and I was even able to enjoy it on the breezy, sunny days that started this week.  For the last two days I've been holed up under layers of fleece, blankets, and wool socks, preparing for the flash floods.  Out like a huh?

I just love this yarn.  It's no special fiber, but it's soft and I just adore that brick-orange color.  (I have no idea who makes it, or anything else, because I bought a few skeins second hand, and they were not labeled.)  And, because I used  2 skeins to make this shawl, it must be noted that it cost less than $1.00 in materials.  Which is good, because I spent about $20 on that shawl pin when I was in Ashland, Oregon last summer.

Thus, we conclude, with one of the (many) paradoxes of being me...frugal; except not....especially when it's cute.  :)

*  The pattern is free.  You have to 'sign up', but it's nothing and they've never spammed me or anything like that.  The shawl worked up FAST and easy.  They have it listed as 'intermediate', but it was super easy, so I would recommend it even to a beginner.  There was a wee bit of controversy in the comments about how small it worked up for some folks.  I used N hook with normal worsted weight yarn (on the thin side, if anything) and it was fine.  Keep your tension loose, that might solve it!  It's meant to be lacy, so don't be too stingy with your stitches.  If it seems small to you, there are suggestions in the comments on how to continue the pattern.  Still easy!  So I declare.

::Finished:: Little House

I finished one of my personal projects...I knitted this shawl on 7.5 circular bamboo needles. It was my first project with circular needles, and it was my first project with yarn-over increases. I have tried to cast-on to circular needles before, but I found it...annoying. The cast-on stitches would roll and swirl and get all jacked up and I'm sure a more experienced knitter would laugh at my confusion, but I just never did get the hang of it.



This simple shawl started with a three stitch cast-on. At the beginning of each and every row, I made a yarn-over increase (which made this sweet little scallop all along the edge). This was nice for me, because the first three stitches sat right on my little stumpy needles, and by the time I had increased enough to move the stitches out onto the nylon attachment, there were enough rows that it stabilized the whole project and kept it from twisting around on itself. Very helpful!

That's it, by the way. Cast-on 3, knit every row, yo increase for the first stitch of each row. I thought I was following a pattern I read on a blog I like (Eyes of Wonder, in the side bar), but I misunderstood that pattern and when I re-read it, after getting half-way through this shawl, I now see that I have no idea what the original pattern is asking me to do. So, you know, these things have a way of working out.

I had this project out-and-about and on the needles this last weekend. It was blustery and overcast on Sunday, but it really wasn't rainy. So I'm not sure how, but the corner of my shawl got wet. Erik was all, "Ugh, gross! That smells like goat! I never want to smell it again!" And I agreed, it did have a rather...distinct....smell when it got wet. But I was all, "Yay! It smells like the 'fair'! I'm so happy! I love it!" The yarn was a gift from my mom from their vacation to Wyoming. I had been holding onto it since last summer, and I am happily convinced that I've found just the perfect project for this perfect, perfect yarn.




I cast off at one point, and the shawl wasn't long enough ~ to comfortably drape across my shoulders ~ or to reach my waist. Harumph. I ended up UN-casting-off and continuing on for another 20 or 25 rows. It seems right now!

Do you want to hear a secret? I made this little cape because I wanted a reason to use a shawl pin. Could you just swoon? Edging ever-closer to my Little House daydream!

Projects

I've been making a lot this week. My friend has two kids, and they both had birthdays last week. Her son turned 2 and her daughter turned 5. There was a big party where Scotty made the birthday girl cry by licking her cake. Sorry.

Anyway, I made little Devan a cape and it was so dang cute. You'll have to trust me because I have a bad habit of sending things off to their new homes without taking pictures. I used the cape pattern in Stitched in Time and it was fantastically easy and fast to do. I think it took about 30 minutes, start to finish. I couldn't drive to the store and back in that amount of time!

I used a beautiful dark aqua of Kona cotton fabric. Instead of a monogram, I used iron-on fabric paper and I found an image online of Speed McQueen (his favorite!) which I printed onto the fabric from my color inkjet printer. Unless there's some sort of copyright infringement issue with that, in which case, I have no idea what you're talking about. Also printed onto the iron-on fabric, in bold red letters, was "Super D", which I just did using my word processor. Cut it all out, ironed it all on. Two rows of thick red rick-rack (sp?) and a white flannel lining later and BAM! Cape is made.
For Cassidy, I made her this adorable little tote. (Photo credit and pattern both Melissa Majewski) Instead of a flower, I made a hot pink heart from this pattern and sewed it right on there. I lined it with a sweet fabric that had a white background and dark pink mod fowers and stars.

How beautiful is this picture??? (Photo credit and pattern from Creativeyarn)

I made it with a light pink cotton for the 'chains' and a white cotton flower with a dark pink button in the center.






I tucked the necklace into the tote with a stuffed bear and bunny (free pattern from here). It's really easy, unless you're me, in which case you will spend 80% of the 2 hours it takes you to make them yelling at knots in your embroidery thread. Another 10% of the 2 hours will find you trying to thread the needle. Everything else is cake.

I bought this pattern from Leila and Ben on Etsy. It was the sweetest transaction. They were so quick with sending the pdf pattern, I swear, I bought it around dinner time, they sent it, and I had one made before I went to bed! This is the third or fourth one I've made, and by far, it is my favorite.

I made this "capelet" for Dana's daughter, Cassidy. Cassidy will be five soon, and she is very appreciative of my handmades. First, I've been Frankensteining her favorite blankey together for over a year. It's....hideous. But, every time there's a new tear she tells her mom to not worry, "Mia can fix it". I don't really have this status with many people, so she has a special place in my heart.

Also, her pre-school was doing a unit on clothing, and she happened to be wearing a little swing coat/sweater I had made her last year. So she was telling the entire learning circle about how her "friend Mia" made her the sweater. I guess she got some attention for wearing handmade clothing, and now I am cemented in her mind as "source of good things".

Nonetheless, I'm always nervous to give people anything I've made. Her parents are really supportive of my handmade efforts, but I have to say that it can still be nervewracking. I really like this cape. It's easy to make. This one is made with a K hook from two 100g skeins of 100% organic cotton, and oh! it's sooooo soft!

For buttons, I use two of my grandma's clip on earrings from the costume jewelry I've saved that was hers. I think it's so precious, and I know my grandma would approve.