Cookies and cake and baby elephants, that's what first birthday parties are made of...at least I hope so. Although his actual day was earlier in the week (yes, there were cake and cupcakes on that day too...Cookie Monster themed, of course),
today is the party to celebrate our youngest grandson's first birthday! So Pop Pop and I have packed up this guy (If you've never knit an elephant, you should, knitting elephants is fun, and fun is good!*)
and a few other things to join the extended family's celebration! I'm sure there will be party pics of today all over social media, but for now, here's a shot of my current knit...a cropped sweater for next winter, with one, half-finished sleeve.
It's a little gloomy outside today, so I'm glad we have a bright and shiny event to attend later, and I hope you also have some fun things to do today. While we wait for the party, I'll be doing laundry and knitting sleeves, as per usual for a rainy Saturday.
Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!
*Yeah, that sentence is mostly from a Dr Seuess book, but I'm not sure which one...
I was in World Market at Christmastime. I was there to buy Dollface an Owl Cookie Jar...which she loved, by the way! While I was there, I saw these:
It's a strand of brightly colored birds. Seriously. That's all it is. They are made of fabric, and although I do not have an in-person photo, here's what several strands might look like, all hung together, like they were in the store:
First of all, let me remind you that Birds do not make me a Crazy Person. Hexipuffs make me crazy. Birds are just quirky...and a little too rich for my blood to get multiple strands, at $6.99 a pop. But (and you knew there had to be a "but"), I just finished making this:
Bottom line, I have lots of brightly colored yarn (I have buttons too, this is fate, I tell ya!), and I simply must make myself some birds. I'm not even sure where or how I'm going to hang them...those details are for the birds! (I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually...)
Are you knitting anything crazy? Or am I all alone out here?
"Pictured below is the elusive Peanut child, seen here in the wilds of Gramma's house, playing with the felt Santa tree..."
"My Santa Tree?"
Normally moving at the speed of sound, this is one difficult toddler to catch a picture of! But there you have it...Peanut and her Santa tree. I am one happy Gramma this week, and I can't wait until the day of presents! Mindy told me that Peanut is a little confused at all the questions she's gotten since they landed here in our town. "Are you ready to see Santa?" "What do you want Santa to bring you?" "Have you been a good girl? What do you think Santa will bring you?"
The questions are normal enough in late December, but what some don't know is that Santa came to Peanut before Peanut came to Ohio! lol! Her super smart parents decided to have a talk with the ol' boy, and he agreed to make an early stop where they live before their big trip! It saves them the long haul home with all the new gifties from Santa (they'll certainly have more than enough gifties from grandparents to haul), and it allowed them to celebrate their first Christmas together, just the way they wanted to. I do believe that was the greatest gift Santa gave them this year! But still, these people keep asking Peanut about Santa, and she just looks at them. I wonder what she's thinking... ("Don't you know that Santa has already come?" "Didn't he bring YOU anything?" "Were YOU a good girl? Maybe not, if he didn't leave you any presents yet...") I can only imagine.
So here we are, only one more wake-up until December 25th, and Santa is everywhere. Santa trees, Santa juice, and the Santa dance (it's hilarious! I really hope I can get some video of that!) are everywhere I look, and I couldn't be happier! I hope that you are enjoying the season as much as we are, and that you are finding love and joy and hope in your life. Keep your eyes open, it's everywhere!
Have you been good? What do you think Santa will bring you?
Well, this is not a recipe for actual Christmas...it's a recipe for Gingerbread, which is kindof like Christmas...it's sweet (like the children), and crunchy (like some of your extended relatives), and highly anticipated by my family each year (like the gifts)! Go here now for the recipe...but come back for some helpful hints! First hint - It takes a long time to bake the gingerbread. I budget 3 hours for 1 batch when doing houses, and the same amount of time if doing a half-batch of just cookies. Don't try to rush. Just enjoy the process. Maybe bake on Friday or Saturday, and save the decorating for the next day. Second hint - Watch your gingerbread in the oven! If you roll one pan even a little thinner than the last pan, it can bake a LOT faster! Of course, if you want to check your smoke detector, don't pay any attention to this hint! Third hint - Trim after baking...use your banana knife! (Well, it doesn't have to be a banana knife, but it does need to be a good, sharp knife.) If you don't trim, your house might not fit together properly later.
But seriously, use a banana knife if you can!
Fourth hint - Save the baking for an adults only event. It's not that much fun for the kids, and there is no candy involved. Also, keep some of that aloe stuff (that you put on a sunburn) in the kitchen. Between the hot pans and trimming the hot cookies, you're gonna burn yourself eventually. But that aloe stuff is great, and even though I was "Burnin' Down the House" like a talking head a couple days ago, I didn't get a single blister. Last hint - When you trim up your baked pieces, keep the trimmings on a little plate for sampling.
There's almost nothing worse on building day than to find that someone has eaten one of the roofs! Construction tips tomorrow!
Are you going to make your own gingerbread house this year?
Yesterday, I shared with you the plunder from the party. There was a big pile o'stuff under my tree, and Mr. Pretty was rolling his eyes. Sometimes that's just what I need. Seriously. I mean, I get all caught up in my knitting or sewing or goofing off on the computer, and I need him to bring me back to earth, otherwise I miss out on all the stuff the non-knitters that I love are doing. So, thanks for that, Mr. Pretty, I needed it!
But sometimes, I'm just knitting along, stitches flying from my needles like this lady (it's almost 7 minutes, but more than pretty good, and you'll gain valuable insight into the mind of the knitter you love!):
...and then I come to the end of my rope yarn, and I'm not sure what to do. You see, I have a LOT of yarn. Yes, well so did she. And, when I come to the end of my yarn, I usually have my scissors handy. Yes, well so did she. Unlike the lady in that video, though, I think I still have a grip on reality. I know that I will survive if I stop knitting. But, very much like her, when I put down the needles, sometimes my hands keep going. Sometimes, I just don't want to stop. I like my lap full o'knitting!
I love a long scarf as much as the next gal, and I will keep knitting until I run out of yarn, but then what? What if I don't have a yarn needle handy to weave in the ends? Do I just let down my hair and keep knitting that, leaving you all wondering whether I will start to unravel my sweater to keep going when my hair is gone? No! I never want to be that close to the knitting cliff! So, this is what I do with my weaving needles so that I always have one on hand!
It's just a tiny sock that I have attached with a piece of yarn to my scissors, and I have one of these on almost all of my knitting scissors. I love mine so much, that I decided to make them for my knitting friends, too! This is how I packaged them up for the stockings at the party:
These are a little bigger than my original sample, but same idea!
Oh, and I added chocolate to the package, because
you can never go wrong with kisses!
I knitted 19 little socks out of leftover sock yarns,
I found some Christmas light beads,
so I made stitch markers, too!
...and I put them on split rings and a hook, so they're easy to attach to your scissors or knitting bag. Now I know 19 knitters who will always have a needle on hand while they're knitting...well, unless they lose their scissors! If that happens, all bets are off...it may be the last knit! Aaargh!
C'mon! You know you want to make one!!!
If you're always losing your needle, I'm sure you could make a needle sock of your own...the simple info for all the sock knitters out there is this:
----- Fingering yarn, sz. 1 needles
-----Work a tiny sock using your fave sock methods! -----(the ones I gave away are 20 sts around, -----and the tiny one is 12 sts around)
Toe up or top down, it doesn't matter! And don't worry about loose or tight sts at the cast on/bind off...this sock doesn't have to fit anyone, and you don't have to neatly weave in your ends either! A quick and useful item for any knitter (or crocheter!). =D
Thanks for stopping by, and knit on...you never know when it might be your Last Knit! Quick! Where's your scissors? needle? yarn?
Oh, excuse me! I didn't know you were there...what a title, eh? Well, I just couldn't help myself. You see, lately I've been knitting...well, balls! See?
Balls? Where? I don't see any balls.
It looks like Black Cat is not interested in my balls. That's ok...these are really for Peanut anyway...
Peanut has dogs.
TELL ME THE DOGS ARE NOT HERE!!!
Peanut and her parents (and the dogs) live in another state. But they will be coming to Gramma and Pop Pop's house next month (yay!), and she loves her BeeBees (balls)! So, Gramma thought she'd knit some more...you can never have too many balls to play with!
Oh, here they are...now I see them.
What do you think of the balls, Black Cat? Are they fun?
They're...ok...I guess...
They're just "ok" you say? I really thought you'd enjoy them more than this. Look how roly-poly they are!
Well, I like the blue one.
Oh. I see. You only like the blue one...I suppose it's ok to have a favorite. Which one do you think Peanut will like best?
Hard to tell. She likes pink...and purple...I think.
Haha! Yes, you're right! She does like the pinks and purples!
But the blue one is still MY favorite.
You still think the blue one is the best, huh? Well, you sure are good at batting it around! Hey, look! I caught it!
You did. Roll it back. Now. Please?
Maybe you're right. Maybe the blue one is the best of this bunch after all! Regardless of color, the balls are a fun knit, and so quick! Each one only took about an hour or so, cast on to bind off. Everyone should knit balls (to play with)!
If you're looking for something fun to knit (for kids, or cats, or just to play with), you can find the "recipe" on my project page for Knitted Balls. It's a G-rated project, I promise! You can add some catnip when you stuff (if you need to, they are pretty fun even if kitty is sober), but be sure to hold onto the kitty's keys before he or she partakes of the party-balls! Wow, knitted balls are so good, in so many ways! Go make some!!!
I recently finished a project that I cannot tell you about until AFTER December 2nd...so I figured that I better put something together quick that I CAN talk about! How about a Christmas Tree in miniature? Works for me!
I know this is a fuzzy photo...sorry. Silly, dark house!
Silly photographer with her phone!
Here's what you'll need:
Crochet hook, size K (and crochet hook size F, optional, for garland)
Loops and Threads Festive yarn in bright green (silver and red, optional)
Tree form, cardboard or styrofoam
Yarn needle, scissors
My form came from a cone of cotton...
remember The Dishcloth Craze?
I went through a LOT of cotton!
SHINY! Festive bought at Michael's,
but I can't find a link. :(
These will be very loose instructions (dc=double crochet), and anyone with basic crochet experience should be able to figure it out. Here we go!
Using your preferred method (magic ring, chain 3 and join, etc.) and the K hook, and using one strand each of the green Boa and Festive, create a ring to crochet into.
Round 1: Chain 3 (first dc), and work 6dc into ring, join. (7dc total) It's a little difficult to see where that hole is as you add dcs...do your best. :)
Repeat round 3, increasing 3dc every round, until the work stretches slightly to cover the form. I believe that my last round had 24dc. Here's what mine looked like two rounds before I finished:
See the bottom? Almost there...
Cut both yarns, thread through yarn needle and weave in and out of stitches on last round. Place the blanket of "needles" you've crocheted over the tree form, and draw the woven yarn snug enough to cover part of the bottom of the form. Knot yarn and weave in ends.
At this point, the top of your form may poke through the top of the tree. Just take a strand of either yarn and sew a few stitches to close the hole more tightly there. Look! It's a tree! (I made mine up in an hour or so.)
Yay! A tree! This will be so easy to put up every year!!!
Now you have a decision to make. You might be done with your tree here. I thought my trees looked a little naked, so I also created some "garland" for them. The tree on the right (in the first pic) has a single strand each of the silver and red, wrapped around the tree and stitched in place here and there. I wasn't real happy with that look, so I also added some tiny LED lights...WOW!
Tiny LED lights, with tiny wires...my latest
QVC purchase. Mr. Pretty has
me hooked on QVC!
On the other tree, I used the smaller crochet hook to make a simple chain out of the silver and the red, and I crocheted it right onto the tree every 10 sts or so...I really like how that one turned out, too!
It's a different look...and very flattering!
You might notice some of my new friends in those last couple photos. Tiny, knitted snowmen are like potato chips...you can't just knit 1 (or 10). I've sent a half-dozen in the mail to my Peanut with this...
And now I also have 5 (for now) to keep me company at my desk!
Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree!
They keep asking where their "brothers" have gone, and I haven't had the heart yet to tell them. Maybe I'll just keep making more, and just maybe that will satisfy them. I wonder how many it will take to go completely around the tree??? I wonder how many of those cotton cones I still have hanging around my knitting bags???
You should totally go and make a couple of trees of your own! Or maybe some snowmen tinies! OMGosh...I gotta go make MORE!!!
When Mindy sent this pic, she said, "She won't wear her
ears or smile...she's Minnie." LOL!
I hope you have your Corny Candy Bag to collect the plunder if you are going out tonight! If you live in the northeast corner of the US, I hope that you also have your personal flotation device...
Our Tricks-and-Treats have been postponed to the weekend, but the holiday is here, so Minnie and I say to you and yours, "Happy Halloween! Eat as much candy as you can!" (Unless you have a medical reason not to...)I guess I'll just be hunkered down with just my knitting...TRAGEDY!...NOT!!!
In the absence of the little ones tonight, I am especially glad that you stopped by, and I hope that you will be Knitting in Good Health (and staying warm) this evening.
First clue, I've never heard it purr...maybe it's depressed?
White Cat and Black Cat were quite concerned when this cat showed up last month. They already think there's not really enough kitty kibble to go around, and this gal (fellow?) appears to have extra toes, so he (she?) will surely gobble up more than her (his?) fair share. They are also concerned that even they cannot figure out the gender of the new feline friend (foe?). That tail stays so tightly wrapped, and we had to put it outside about two weeks ago because it kept sleeping on the table!
Eventually, it really started to creep us out...and it was
setting a bad example for the other cats.
Besides, I think he (she) likes it out there. Just look at this:
Check out those eyes...creepy!
One downside, now that it's outside, is that it's creeping out my neighbors, too, one even had her husband poke it with a stick last week to see if it was alive! She messaged me on Facebook, and we are still laughing today!!!We think (but we are not certain) that this is somebody's beloved pet, taxidermied. (Wait, is "taxidermied" even a word? Spell-check thinks not.) Creepy or not, this well-preserved kitty obviously belongs in my blog, because she (he) obviously loves the knitting! There he (she) sits, in the sun, just enjoying my FINISHED Hitchhiker! Here's another look at the scarf...
Check out the scarf! Not creepy at all.
Insert applause and compliments here.
Just like all of the CKW girls(and others) who have knit this, I love the pattern. It's just magical the way the teeth appear, and it's easy-easy-quick-and-cheesy knitting! Even though the knitting was easy, I really grew weary of the project at the end...the rows were long and more than a little boring. =/ But then I finished, and very I nearly cast on another one immediately...lolz!
All stretched out in the sun...
drinkin' in the sunshine.
It is just stunning!
Reminds me of sherbet! Yummmm...
How can you argue with a scarf that looks so lovely? Even all folded up, it just begs to be petted and admired on the sunny porch! Even so, I still have not cast on another quite yet...we are heading into the cold-weather seasons, but I want to see how I like/love wearing this one before I knit a million more! In the meantime, I have found that I am back to the monogamous knitting, for the time being anyway...
Yep! It's another Wonderful Wallaby! I have knit a few of these through the years, and I knew that I was ready to knit another, but I ran into a roadblock the day I started (last Thursday, after knit-night)...I couldn't find the pattern! Oh Noes!!! It's only sold as a paper pattern, and these days I keep most all my patterns digitally. If I could have purchased a digital copy, I would have just bought a second copy, but it just is not available as a PDF (yet anyway). :( I did eventually find it, yay!, and you can see where I am...just starting sleeve 2, with plans to join sleeves/body sometime tomorrow, I hope! When I get to that point, I am planning to cast on another cardigan for meeee! Oh, and a pair of socks for someone...not sure who yet. :) I have no socks on the needles (gasp!) at the moment, and that needs to change!
There is some secret Christmas knitting, but not nearly as much as in years past...I'm just not feelin' it so much this year. Maybe that will change (it usually does, somewhere around the December 1st, right?), but for now, there's just not much Christmas knitting planned, and I am ok with that. Totally.O.K. Are you guys doing a bunch of Christmas knitting for 2012? Inquiring Pretties want to know! Inquiring Pretties also want to know what you think of our new kitty-friend...
Is it real? Or is it Memorex? Or should I just spray paint it black and leave it out until after tricks and treats? Hahaha!(I crack me up!)
I worked on them for the first part of the Olympics, in preparation for their journey to another state they will call home. There are flip flops, a ladybug, and a multicolored lovely in a colorway called "Field of Dreams," which reminds me of summer baseball in days gone by!
In the Oddballs, the utterance of the word dishcloth
is strictly forbidden...it just is.
The Homespun Hammerthrow was not my only event...I am also plodding along on a Hat Dash for Team CKW. I'd like to say that it will be done before the end of closing ceremonies tomorrow, but I haven't even started the flower...but, I have nearly finished the hat part:
Yes, it's being modeled by a melon. I'm still in my jammies.
So, there you have it, photos of the Ravellenic knitting! While I'm at it, here's a photo of the bridal shower afghan I mentioned on my Family Blog:
Crocheted beauty from the bride's brother's wife's mom.
Off I go now, to finish that mad dash, and hopefully there will be medals for Pretty along the line. I really am doing my best to represent!
Who? Me? All washed up? Well, not yet, but I am well on the way! It seems that I have knit 8 dishcloths since June 6th...so now I can wash up any time I want!
Well, considering the theme, maybe I'll save these until Christmastime...or at least July. A little Christmas in July never hurt anyone, right?!?
Some of the designs are easier to spot than others, and there are some bigger photos on my Ravelry project page HERE, but this set is done!
I've got that Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy knit in a cloth! Where? Knit in a cloth! Where?. . .you get the picture.
I love being done with things! It gives me such joy! Right now, this project is not giving me joy...
It's the right front of my Baseball Sweater that needed to be ripped back to row 14 (I was near 100 rows when I found my mistake)...ugh! It's ripped back, but I am having trouble getting motivated on the re-knit...ugh! I just want to work on more of this kind of instant gratification:
Now that I'm finished with this set of Christmas cloths, what should I do next? Baby cloths (to keep on hand for the baby showers that seem to come along all the time)? Or wedding cloths (now that June is here)? There are sets of summer cloths and flower cloths that I also have my eye on...Oh! So many choices! Maybe I'll just play ball after all... =/
What's distracting you these days? I hope it's something fun!
