9:13

Pair #9

yarn: gingerbread people Desert Vista Dye Works

I had to buy this yarn after my BFF bought it. I'm such a copycat. It's self striping, and sparkly. And it came with a mini skein for contrasting heels and toes. Love.

pattern: Basic sock pattern.

8:13

And just like that, pair #8 are done!

I made these as a pay-it-forward gift for Bart's cousin Cari in Florida. She has special ordered many items from me, and mentioned a few times how she'd like some socks. How could I resist?

yarn: Karynlandia colorway, BMFA

I cannot say enough nice things about this yarn. It's lovely to work with, has a great twist, comes in gorgeous colors, and is so squishy that I just love to squeeze it!

pattern: ripple socks, from Not Just More Socks by Sandi Rosner

easy to memorize, quick to knit.

Sock experiment

My cousin Erin and I decided to try a sock experiment.

I knit a pair for her, she knits a pair for me.

Knitters choice on pattern, yarn & color.

After answering a few questions, I decided to knit Jedi MInd Trick in Fleece Artist's SeaCell yarn, a beautiful silvery grey. The pattern is from Cookie A.'s sock club last year, and won't be available to the public until later this year. It was a fun and challenging pattern. Now I'm itching to make myself something in a neutral color. I have nothing!

We met on Sunday and went to Zingerman's for lunch. Delish.

 This is the pair that Erin made for me. They are so soft and squishy and perfect in every way. The bind off is so stretchy...she needs to teach me that! I love love them.

 Here we are exchanging socks. We really were more excited than it looks. This is my first ever pair of socks that I didn't knit myself.

Awesome experiment. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

creative pay-it-forward, part 3

For my third pay it forward item, I chose Stacy and these boot toppers. About 2 weeks previously, she had posted on facebook that she would like some of these. I had mentioned that ribbed ones would be easy enough even for a knitting novice. When she responded to my pay it forward post, I knew immediately what I would make.

I used Bernat alpaca yarn. It is soft and fuzzy and perfect for this kind of project! I used just a tiny bit over 1 skein, so a pretty inexpensive project too.

Pay it forward, part deux

 Today my second pay it forward gift was delivered to Lisa Kemp, the sister of my sister-in-law Shannon. Lisa is a fun girl and crafty in her own right. She doesn't need any knit items, so I pondered for days about what to make for her. Then I came across a fun idea that I wanted to try: Instagram magnets.
Here's how I made them!

1: In Photoshop, I resized 9 photos to 3x3 inches & 300 resolution. I made a blank page that was 12x12 and put all the photos on it.

2: Sent to Costco for printing. Cheap!

3. Cut apart photos.

4. Sticky magnet sheets! What a great idea! These were 4x6. Had I realized that, I probably would have made my photos 2x2 instead, to fit more on a sheet.

 5. Trim off excess magnet.

 6. Admire your handiwork so far!

 7.Apply Mod-Podge dimensional adhesive slowly over the top. This was what they had at Michael's. You can use any type of dimensional adhesive.

 8. Allow lots of time to dry. Like 4 hours. Try not to let any bubbles form. This is harder than you would think. I had tons of bubbles.

 9. This is what they look like when they are dry.

10. Super awesome!

pay it forward, creatively!

I signed up again this year to do a creative pay it forward, where you make and send a little something to 5 people, and then those people are supposed to do the same thing, It's a nice way to brighten someone's day, and you feel really good in the process!

This  year's recipients are Jan Connair, Lisa Kemp, Cari Brennaman, Regan McDonald, Stacey Bogert, Jen Brecht, & Jennifer Hignite. Yes, I realize this is 7 people. I have a hard time saying no :)

I sent out my first 2 packages. This is the first!

Topiary beanie from weekend hats

for Jan Connair.

I love the lace motif on this hat, and it is gathered in the back so that it slouches just perfectly on your head. I overdyed the yarn, to make the pattern stand out more. The yarn took the dye oddly, so it's greener in some places, and there is a purple tinge in there as well. WTF? I used a dark teal dye, and am baffled as to why it came out unevenly.

The hat looks a different color in all 4 photos. Sigh. The last is the closest representation of what it really looks like.

It's a beautiful hat, but next time I won't screw around with the color. Kind of bummed me out.

Anyway, it's done and in Jan's hands!

FO-Hats aplenty!

Like most people, I don't have enough to do right before the holidays, so I thought it would be a great idea to knit a bunch of hats! Hats are a great thing to make because they are usually quick and easy, use little yarn, and everyone I know needs one (at least)!

I didn't include any links. Too lazy. If you really are dying to know what the pattern or yarn is, email and I will answer for you.

I made this for Emma knowing that she was getting a navy blue coat for Christmas. The blue isn't really navy, but it's cute and she likes it. She wore it non-stop during the break.

She's cute, no?

This is a slouchy alpaca beret I made for my SIL Tracey. It's superduper soft and a nice heather grey, something I thought would match with anything.

I made this Christmas hat for my nephew Max. I didn't take a pic with the huge pom on the end, nor did I get a pic of him wearing it. He looks ridiculously adorable in it.

This one I knit for my SIL Shannon (shhh...I haven't given it to her yet). It is very thicky and stretchy and cozy. Perfect for Canada winters,

And this one I made for Jen, my blogger bud, for running. She was bemoaning her lack of running gear that was warm, So I whipped up this lil cutie and stitched in a fleece liner.

That about covers it! Ha covers it! I kill me!

FO-Jen's Switcheroo switcheroo socks

I finished these in August and completely forgot to share them!

My friend Jen was looking for a little motivation to run in Central Park in a tutu. I promised her that I would knit her a pair of socks if she did. And did she ever!

So this pattern was called 'switcheroo socks', but for me they ended up being a double switcheroo. In knitting, you read the pattern from right to left, and I was 75% of the way finished with the first sock before I realized that I was reading the pattern backwards. Yes, I am a rocket scientist, why do you ask? I also catch on quick!

They have a fun heel pattern that I've never attempted before, and the lace pattern was very easy to handle.

My favorite thing about this pair is that I hand dyed the yarn, and I think it came out very pretty. Very fall, with a few bright bits of green, just like in nature.

I hope she enjoys them now that it's cool enough to wear them :) I know she has some awesome shoes that will show them off!

FO-twisted ovals in mystery lake

pattern: Twisted Ovals

yarn: Diva Sport in Mystery Lake colorway

needles: 4 & 6

another pair finished!

This pair came about a little backwards...I bought the yarn because I loved it. No plans what to do with it. I don't often buy sportweight...I usually need more yards than are in a single skein. I researched patterns and found one that required my exact yardage. It's a toe up pattern, so I got a chance to work on my Judy's magic cast on. I still prefer top down socks, but this time was really glad that the pattern was written the way it was. when I put the sock on, it was so tight around my ankles, I would never have worn them. After thinking about it for a few days while working on sock #2, I decided to go up in needle size after the heel, and it worked! I went back to the first sock and ripped it all the way down to the ankle and started over. I even had some yarn leftover, so it the right decision! It would be a shame to not get to wear them!

Things have been super busy again, and I forgot how difficult that life with a puppy can be. She consumes all my time and energy right now. If you would like to follow, I am doing a 365 day photo blog to document her first year with us. That way I can also post lots of puppy pix and not clutter up this blog :)

FO-baby sweater

I finished this baby sweater a few weeks ago, but just mailed it to Nicole the other day. I can share it now!

This was one of my favorite knitting projects ever. The yarn is soft and cuddly, and the collar is awesome. I hope her son will get a lot of wear out of it this fall/winter.

pattern: Retro sports check sweater

yarn: Rowan RYC cashsoft

size: 6-12 months

Rav link

And in other awesome knitting news, I got a shout out today from the fabulous Kelli Crowe, for knitting her a pair of fingerless gloves, like along time ago. I forgot all about them until she messaged me on Facebook to tell me her son was wearing one of them around the house :) Very cool to get props from a scrapbooking goddess!

anatomy of my messy desk

For someone who hasn't spent a lot of time in her scrap room

I sure have managed to make it a pigsty! I went downstairs today to finish some things, but I spent more time clearing out a spot to work.

Here's a look...

overview of the desk. There are so many things going on here!

My yarn winder, attached to the right side of the desk. Also, the broken remnants of the IKEA clock. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, if anything. 

No less than 4 layouts worth of photos here, along with paper for my altered clock, 3 snowflake tins I never used at Christmas, & 2 miscellaneous alterable tins.

A 2007 'Year in Review' album that needs the last 2months added to it. Various acrylic letter stamps that didn't get put away, 3 envelopes of enlargements, 2 stamp pads, more patterned paper, & an unfinished sweater that Emma has probably outgrown.

My altered clock inner workings, the mini book that goes in the back, nail polish (I painted the gold hands with it), another unfinished mini (the scalloped one in the rear), and a pile of things that need to be returned to where they should go.
Now before you think this isn't too messy, please remember that this is only one surface of many in my room, all of which are covered. I just chose to show the one I need to sit at!

See ya!