novamade

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! 

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.

 

being green

It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be

Sheldon aka Poke

Pattern: Sheldon from knitty winter 2006

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine 1 skein each Green Apple and Grass

Needles: Bates  US3 dpns, US4 straights and a crochet hook

Modifications: Embroidered eyes instead of using acrylic safety eyes

So I can't embroider worth anything; but, the turtle has eyes and a baby won't choke on them.  I am not sure why it took me so long to finish this, it's not a hard knit and once you get to the shell, it's actually sort of fun.  The use of i-cord to attach the shell to the shell attachment was an interesting experience which seemed to take forever, but it wasn't so bad.  I enjoyed knitting this, and it's kinda of cute, I think. 

There was a little crocheting to be done, I really need to consult a book on crocheting, mostly I just winged it, it seemed to work out okay.

I originally started knitting this for some friends who had a baby 2 months ago.  I am not sure, but I think the elapse of 2 months is too long to send this to them (especially since we saw them in California last month).  So, I think this will temporarily reside in the "archives" as another Christmas gift.  There are lots of pregnant people around these parts and many impending showers, but Poke is pretty cute and I want him to go to someone special, so I'll have to think on it a while.