novamade

hats for everybody!

In the interest of starting anew in 2008, I figured I would go ahead post the last of my 2007 knitting.  Did I mention that I knit a bunch of hats?  Well, I did.  Meatheads were the hot item for Little Sir's funky bunch.  I decided to embellish with wool felt appliques.

I knit one for Little Sir first.  I needed a prototype for blindstitching the seal (cut free hand, thank you very much).  Clearly, I needed the stitching practice.

The stitching for the one for his friend CPea went a little better (and it makes me all jolly to know that CPea LOVES this hat!).

The one for his friend KB, better still.

And Mo's was the clear winner.  I almost hated to say goodbye to that polar bear (I free hand cut the polor bear too.  I have no idea how I managed it).  Truly.  I now heart blindstitch.

 

And then there was the requisite Koolhaas for Special K.  Everyone else was doing it.

I was able to use the Malabrigo that I was going to use for fingerless mitts before finding out that Special K would have no use for mitts without fingers... I think Koolhaas was the perfect pattern for the yarn.

The details for all the hats are in the 2007 gallery.  The hats (even Koolhaas) took relatively little time.  And they were pretty enjoyable knits.  All right, bring on the sweaters!

Happy New Year!  See you in 2008 with more hobbies, more projects; and, of course, there will be more pie!

elephant love

You guys are funny.  I am enjoying reading your thoughts about what bag I might have sewn for myself and why.  There is still time to put in your $ .02 worth for that bag of yarn if you haven't done so. 

Since most of you read this blog for the knitting content, I figured I should put some of that up.  In case you were wondering, I did finish the elephant in time.

My start was delayed because of this cuteness thought up by Ysolda.  But I stayed with my original plan because I wanted an elephant standing on its legs rather than perched (better to go with the book, I thought).  That is not to say that I will not be knitting Elijah at some point.  There is a lot of love out there for stuffed elephants, apparently.

If I were to knit this again, I would go down a needle size, or stuff the elephant a bit less.  I think I might have gotten carried away with the stuffing after running out of the good stuff with Penelope.

As knitted toys go, the elephant is pretty cute, but my favorite part is the tush and tail.

Little Sir thinks the tail is as cute as I do.  And just so you know, the elephant's name is Bacon.  I am not sure why.  When we asked him what the elephant's name was, he said, "Bacon!"  He doesn't eat bacon, has never had it and probably doesn't know what it is.  Well, maybe he does.  I have no idea.

I was a little nervous that Little Sir would dismiss the elephant (what with the enormously enormous train set that Santa brought him).  But I needn't have been concerned.  This elephant is much loved.

 

Details for Bacon are in the 2007 Gallery.

If you celebrated it, I hope your Christmas was marvelous! 

the gal with the bag, the bag of yarn

So I made my list, I checked it twice; and, then I realized there was no way I was going to give everyone on that list something knit with love (or whatever emotion I feel at 3 in the morning).  After going through the list a third time and considering your comments from the last post, I figured something sewn would be just as appreciated. Thank you for the sweet comments about Penelope, I am sufficiently puffed with pride, you guys!  Seriously. 

So sewn gifts, people like them!  And here is a good sewn gift, a tote bag.  Useful, right?  So I made 11 of them.   Yeah, that's right, I said wrote 11...eleven.  My copy of Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts has seen a lot of use this week--I heart it.

Every single one of these bags was intended for someone special (myself being part of the list, I have been told by many how "special" I am, harhar...).  I had a mishap, and really, let's be honest, none of these bags is perfect.  No curves, but apparently sewing a straight seam poses a difficulty for me as well.  In any case, they were made with the goal of making my friends smile when they see what I sent them and then using the bags and loving them (got that, friends?).  And look, I made it so they have to think of me every time they open the bag.

Subtle, right?

While working on these bags, I saw my ridiculously large stash of yarn every time I looked up from the sewing machine.  I don't feel guilty about my stash, I just feel like it is too large.  Large in a way that really can not be justified (in some places they call that guilt, not in the place where I live though...).  So in an effort to decrease my stash, thank you guys for spending your precious time reading my babble, be generous, spread the jolly and decrease my stash, here is a contest for you:

Each bag is different, there are some similar ones; but no two are alike.  7 of the bags have been gifted, they are gone, flown the coop, as it were.  4 of the  bags are left, 2 will be gifted later and 2 are mine.  I do not need two bags (Special K would say I don't need any; but, whatever).  While sewing, one of the original bags went wonky on me, so I am claiming that one for myself (I came up with something else for that person).  The bag that I originally made for myself is, therefore, up for grabs.  Can you guess which one I originally intended for myself?

One little hint that may or may not help you: Like Christy, I consider myself neither hip nor funky.(A little more help: if you haven't figured out what my favorite colors are yet, I pretty much spell it out for you in my "about" section...it's not short, shocker.  Have fun.)

How to play:  Go to the flickr page with the mosaic of the top image and check the bags out all detective like.  Note the number of the bag that you think I originally made for myself and leave a comment for the contest on this post (not another post to follow or from the past--and not on flickr--here please!) with the number of the bag.  Start your comment with the number please (feel free to follow with beautiful prose should you feel so inclined, I do enjoy your comments, words of wisdom, etcetera).

If only one person picks correctly, hey, winner!  If there are many correct guessers, Little Sir will pick the winner out of THE bag.  The person who wins gets THE bag, filled with yarn.

What kind of yarn?  All sorts.  There is some Great Adirondack Yarn Co. Soxie, a skein of Sundara sock, some Opal, a skein of cotton chenille, some Cascade 220, Debbie Bliss Merino Aran, more stuff... all fun I assure you...it's a pretty sweet bag of goodies, I think (I am biased, of course). And hey, when you empty THE bag, new knitting bag for you!

One guess per person (wherever you live), slap that guess in the comments by 11:59 p.m. EST--or New York City time as my mom likes to say (that's 2359 for some of you) December 31st, I will announce the winner in the new year.  I will end my year by lessening my stash and some lucky someone can start her (or his!) new year with more yarn (like any of you really need it!). Okay, who's playing?

seriously?

Joelle?  Hillary?  4-8 hours?  Seriously?  Around hour 10, I was trying to figure out what kind of idiot I was.  Mostly because at the onset I was thinking, "oh, this should only take 4 hours, maybe even less."  How hubristically pompous am I?

Peanut, she is no joke.

I have always thought sewn softees were cute.  But I have to admit, I didn't think there was that much to making them.  Softee makers of the world, please excuse my pomposity.  You people have the patience of saints and are ever so talented.  I salute you.  I wave my knitting needles in salute to you.  All of you.

 

Perhaps the cutest part.

In all fairness to Joelle Hoverson and Hillary Lang, this project took me longer than it should have for many reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with them:

1) I did not have template plastic and had to trace on paper, glue it to cardstock and cut that out (that added on a little time, but not much--coming up with this solution, that is another story).

2)  I pretty much sew short seams (posturing to be straight) while peicing together fabric for quilts.  I have never sewed a curved seam in my life.  Peanut is pretty much all curves.

3)  I pretty much have no idea what I am doing when I sit behind a sewing machine and just pray that whatever I stitch is passably decent.

4)  I am just a little stupid sometimes.

But I pressed on, because Peanut (actually, I started calling the elephant Penelope, but there you are) had to accompany this book (it is a beautifully illustrated book with fun poetry for wee ones).  They both had to go into the mail pronto to arrive in southern climes (hey y'all!) before Christmas.  So yes, the elephant is passable, at the very least.  Well, that is what I am going with.

I could have used some more fiber fill, so Peanut Penelope could have been stuffed a bit better, but at 3 in the morning, you have to just make do with what is at hand.

I wanted to knit an elephant, but I didn't think I would have time.  But now, in hindsight, I think I would have.  I will get to test this theory though.  Little Sir was so upset when I tried to explain that this book and elephant were not for him.  So I ordered him a book, and sometime between tonight and next Tuesday I will have to knit an elephant.  Probably this one.

To recover from the trauma that was sewing Penelope, I had to do something I knew I could accomplish successfully, with much panache. 

My pomposity got the best of me again though.  My pastry bag expoded and would not pipe fine lines, so my snowflakes were sad, and thus could not be given away en masse (I take my Christmas candy and cookies seriously, folks).

We are naked!

But everything else turned out spot on, I'd say.

I felt like I had to give you something kitchen crafted in the absence of pie (you will have to wait until 2008 for more pies from my kitchen, sorry!).

Okay, I am off to knit something.  Like maybe an elephant.  Sigh.

 

two much fun

What's better than one wallaby?  Two, of course.

I finally finished the wallabies for my niece and nephew.  I hope they will fit.  I am not overly optimistic as I have a track records of sending knits that are too small.  I measure Little Sir 40 times or more when I am making him something, I think there is some weird psychological thing happening when I make knits for kids or other people I can not measure.  It might also be a self-fulfilling prophecy thing too. 

There has been a great deal said about the Wallaby already so I won't wax poetic at this point.  It is a quick and pretty easy sweater to knit, and it's cute.  I mean come on.  You put a pouch on anything and it's cute, right?

Details on the Wallabies are in the 2007 Gallery.

And though it's Friday and Piehole Wednesday happens on, well, Wednesday, there was pie.

A sick child, a snowstorm and the onset of Christmas gift-giving may be the story of my life; but, when there is a new episode of Pushing Daisies, there must be pie.  The pie is Irresistible Pecan Pie (with my own Pate Brisee crust from Joy of Cooking though).  I don't think I like pecan pie, so it's difficult to assess this one.  It was sweet and gooey, so that is good, right?  As dedicated as I am, this may be the last pie for 2007; Christmas, it's just around the corner.

And what is better than one pecan dessert?  Well, two of course!

I had so many pecans leftover, something needed to be done with them, so I modified a recipe (calling for hazelnuts) from one of my cookbooks.  Pecan shortbread bars with a layer of chocolate.  Perfection itself, friends.

Have a good crafty weekend, everyone.  The forecast is predicting a nor'easter for these parts, so that means hunkering down with hot chocolate and some knits and my sewing machine.  What about you?

i, pomatomus

They are complete.

I am not sure why it took so long to finish these socks.  No, actually I do know, I got tired of the pattern after the first sock (it doesn't make for good television knitting).  But you can't just wear one, not really.  So with Phase I of the Christmas crafty done (yay for blocking!) I thought I would take an opportunity to finish some of my own knitting.

I like the way they came out; but, mostly, I like that they are done.  I love that they are made in Koigu, though I think one sock is a smidge darker than the other.  It's not really noticeable when the socks are worn though.  Such is the art of working with Koigu (or handpainted yarn in general, I suppose).

Just before the snow/sleet storm.  Goodbye fall.

I will get a good amount of wear from these socks, I am sure.  But they are a lot lacier than I would like.  I had to go up to size 2s to knit the socks because I would have run out of yarn on size 1s.  Because Koigu is the yarn of so leetle yardage...

Not even enough for one baby sock, much less a pair.

But it's good to be able to cross off another knit-in-in progress from the list (of oh-so-many) as well as add another pair of handknit socks to the sock collection.

Pomatomus

Pattern: from knitty by the uber-fabulous Cookie A.

Yarn: Koigu, 2 skeins of  KPPM in colorway P859 B (yellows, oranges, hints of green and brown)

Needles: US 2 dpns (grumble)

Mods: Needles and yarn, followed the pattern as written

For all the lag time involved (6 months!!) with this pair of socks, I do like them.  I don't have occasion to wear yellow often, but I will find ways to sneak them into my wardrobe. 

I have already marveled at the genius that is Cookie A. so I won't go there, there isn't much to say abaout the pattern that hasn't already been said (thorough,well written, easy to understand, etc.), these socks have been knit by many before me and many will knit it after (come on Stacey, how 'bout it?).

Okay, back to work.  The Christmas Crafty is calling me, can you hear it?

the spoils of selfishness; or, i like peanut butter

There was no Pushing Daisies last night because Santa Clause came to town.  But there was still pie.  I am sure none of you doubted me.

I had an intense desire for something peanut buttery.  Enter Mrs. Salter's Peanut Butter Pie.  I wanted a recipe with no cream cheese, as most of the peanut butter pies out there feature a hefty dose of it.  I wanted something a little lighter (in texture not in fat or calories, because, seriously?) and without the cream cheesy after taste (ETA: This recipe actually has cream cheese in it and I just left it out.  I guess that is just how much I didn't want the cream cheese!).  I also opted to make my own chocolate wafer crumb crust-I used the recipe in Joy of Cooking but you could find one easily on the internets- since store bought would have felt like cheating.  But I will say, if you are into Oreos (despite how they are made, or rather, what they are made with), an Oreo crust would be pretty good with the filling.  Just saying.

And of course, chocolate with peanut butter, it's a given.  This pie was excellent.  It's a chilled pie, and it doesn't have the firmest set so the wedges don't come out of the pie plate über pretty; but who cares?  It's really good.  Maybe too good.

I ate entirely too much of this pie (I didn't eat all of this alone, of course; but, I still ate too much).  I should have taken a slice and wrapped it for Special K to take to work like I usually do.  Sigh.

While the pie was setting or chilling (you pick) I decided to start a fun project that does not fit into the gift manufacturing scheme of things right now.  But Elli's mittens are so fun, and I would love a pair of mittens to go with my red coat.

So while waiting for pie, talking to Special K, listening to music and watching Little Sir play with trains (I wonder what he is getting for Christmas?) I started some Herringbone mittens. It seemed to be going well.  And then I looked at the picture on the pattern.

Yeah, not so much.  Oh, well.

Sigh.  I suppose it's time to get back to the gift knitting.  So much for being selfish...

diy challenge #1

Make the sock puppet of your dreams.  Last week when I picked up Little Sir, I received a note with a sock with the assignment of making the sock puppet of our dreams.  Right.

I don't dream of sock puppets (especially when I turn into a one woman manufacturing factory at this time of the year); but, if I did, I think one of them might look like this zebra that I whipped up (it all started with the black wool as inspiration, wool as horse hair!). 

I am a fan of string and needles in all weights and types; but, I have to say, some crafts warrant dictate the use of a hot glue gun (there was no way I would have time to sew the stripes and ears on...just wasn't going to happen).  Having never used a hot glue gun before, I now have a fervor for using it.  Should you have anything that needs to be hot-glued, please send it my way.

And because it's that time of year, we pulled out the celebratory props over the weekend.  You know, to get the jolly going.

Okay, this elf has to get back to work!