Tag Archive | crafts

A Teddy Bear

I decided to try to knit my own joyful little bear. I used the Ruby Bear pattern from Ravelry.

I cast on with some camel Bernat satin, since I had plenty in my stash and it’s soft and washable. The pattern calls for knitting each piece flat but I hate seaming so I decided to knit it all in the round, except the ears. I knit the body first and couldn’t believe how fast it grew. I also couldn’t help but giggle at his little bum.

I didn’t have much knitting time but I got all the pieces knitted in a few days. Today I sat down with my polyfill and got busy stuffing and assembling. I left the ends of the arms and legs open until they were stuffed, then cinched them closed.

The next step was the hardest part for me. I’m not the best at sewing pieces together but if you don’t look closely at the seams, I think he looks okay. The embroidered face was a new skill for me too.

I found a little red ribbon that looks perfect tied in a bow around his neck. I really enjoyed making him, more than I thought I would. He’s sitting next to my computer now, and he makes me smile.

Where’d my mojo go?

Apr17

I seem to have lost some of my knitting motivation. I’ve been so caught up in training the new dog that my focus has shifted. Maybe the fact that I can’t leave current projects out where I can see them prevents them from staying on my mind. Or maybe it’s the fact that I have two bigger projects going, and I really like immediate gratification. The only project I’ve finished recently is this scarf:

I have several single skeins of mercerized cotton in my stash and couldn’t figure out what to do with them. But with warmer weather supposedly coming, I’ve been wanting to make all kinds of lighter knitwear, and a Spring scarf seemed perfect for this color. It’s a bit shorter than I anticipated but I love the openness of the pattern.

I have re-started the shawl that Max ate, and it’s almost back where it was before. I did switch to the bigger needles and like it a lot better. So I guess he kind of did me a favor. Except that he killed my momentum and now I’m slower to get back into it.

The other project on my needles is a cardigan, my first knitted garment. I chose the Lilas Cardigan on Ravelry partly because it looked simple enough for a newbie and partly because I love the big, floppy collar. I’ve had six skeins of Cotton Supreme Splash in my stash for ages, waiting for the right pattern, and I think this is it. I’ve already used up one skein just making the collar.

But here’s the problem: this is boring. It’s a LOT of stockinette. I make it through one row and reward myself with an email or Twitter check. I know I’ll love it when it’s done, I just have to get there. And I think if I can push through to the point where it actually starts looking like a cardigan, I’ll get excited enough to finish.

So today, I have some knitting time. Hmm, what to work on? I think I’ll make another one of those lacy scarves in this CEY Imagine yarn…

Oh, I could just cry

Apr14

My first clue was the yarn label I saw on the floor as I unlocked the back door. A small, intact yarn label…that was in the middle of a ball of yarn when I left the house this morning. As I came inside, I saw a long dark trail along the dining room floor, and I gasped. It was yarn. A long tangled mess of purple yarn. Behind it was a pile of pink yarn. These were neat and tidy balls when I left. After an hour in the house with a bored dog? Not so much.

Near these travesties was another: my cute new YarnPop Gadgety bag was on the floor, intact but muddy and damp.

I was trembling with fear by this point because I knew what was coming. I knew what this yarn had been attached to. I had started a spring shawl for myself yesterday with these gorgeous colors, and I was loving how it was turning out. See, I’ll show you. Before:

Here’s the after:

Sighhhhhh. I know, I know. It could have been so much worse. If I had been gone any longer, the shawl would probably have been gone too. And I wasn’t too far into it, so I wasn’t losing too much time. As it was, I frogged it all very carefully. The yarn is beautiful Simply Sweet Whipped Cream, a blend of wool, mohair and silk. The mohair, which gives it that fuzzy halo, loves to tangle if you pull too quickly. So I worked slowly, making sure to keep my breathing even and steady. And when I was done, I realized I wasn’t really missing much yarn, though it looked my pink yarn ball had babies.

So now I get to start all over with my shawl, as soon as my Gadgety bag is dry. The silver lining is that I can switch to a bigger needle size, which I think will make a better shawl anyway. I’ve also learned that absolutely nothing is safe around this dog. Nothing. I’d cry…but he’s eaten all the tissues.

p.s. for those who are wondering, no, I did not yell at, or punish, the dog since he didn’t know better. It was my mistake to leave it within reach. He got to stay in the kitchen with the door closed while I removed all the evidence.

This Easter, the treat is the basket itself!

Apr7

I finished another project the other day, and I’m quite tickled with it. It was the cutest little bubble bag pattern, and since I’ve been on a felting kick lately, I thought I’d give it a shot with one of the random skeins of wool in my stash. I picked a bright grassy green and cast on, and the knitting went so quickly! It felted quickly too, unlike my last bag. This one only needed two wash cycles and it was ready to dry. After that, I found a pink ribbon to thread through the eyelets, and voila!

It’s small–only 5″ by 7″–but it would easily hold all the essentials. I’m also thinking it would make a great small-project bag! You can easily switch out the ribbon for any other color. For now, though, I’m thinking it needs to hold some Easter eggs!

Available for sale here

What’s at the end of this rainbow?

Apr3

My very first post on this blog was about some rainbow yarn that inspired me. It was beautiful Mochi Mini from Crystal Palace Yarns, and I bought it even though it was fingering weight and I don’t do fingering weight. I bought it and the toothpick-sized DPNs I needed to make some fingerless gloves with it.

I cast on that afternoon, and it took some getting used to the miniature needles and the thin yarn. Mostly, it took some time to get used to how long it took to make any kind of progress.

This was a few hours’ work. It was simple knitting, and I felt like I was doing something so delicate and delicious that I didn’t mind the time spent. I also loved seeing the colors emerge as I knit, and how they flowed smoothly from one to the next. I did run into two knots in beginning of the skein, but I didn’t mind that. I knit my thumb gusset, and managed to slide those stitches onto some waste yarn that was probably too fat but all I had.

On and on I knit, blissfully and mindlessly, just watching my rainbow come full circle. I realized as I neared the top ribbing that when I picked up for the thumb, it would be a completely different color. I pondered that, considering starting the other mitt until I came to the matching color for the thumb. Then I realized I didn’t want them to match perfectly. So after I cast off the top, I happily picked up the blue yarn through the orange thumb stitches. I had some problems with it: I went the wrong way or something, so my purls were facing out and I had that line of color. Oops. I pulled out most of them and started again, but there are still the little lines at the five stitches I picked up. Just don’t look too closely at the thumb, okay? Mostly I was happy that I didn’t have a gaping hole at the thumb. This was only the third thumb I’ve picked up, so I think I did pretty well. I put it on and it fit! Yay!

Then I realized I had to make another one. One that would match it exactly. Well, I’d already had the fun of knitting a glove with this yarn, so the novelty had worn off a bit. So it took me another week or so to pick it up again and cast on for the second mitt. This one went faster, and I knew what I was doing with the thumb stitches this time so it’s even better (close to perfect, if I do say so myself). And even though it started at a different color, the body is still mostly the same as the first glove. I put it on, and it fit! Yay!

Now, do you notice what I noticed? Yep, this one is smaller. This might be the time to confess that I’m not the best row-counter…but I tried with these! I really tried! And yet they still came out different sizes. Sighhh. At first I was disappointed and thoroughly disgusted with myself. But they’re for me, they both fit, and I love how they look. I discovered I enjoy knitting with fingering weight yarn, and I practiced making thumbs. And I might have enough rainbow yarn left over to squeeze out another pair…if I can manage to make them both the smaller size!

Those are just “girl” books, he says

Mar27

A few days ago I was at Barnes & Noble with my teenage daughter and one of her friends. They had just come from seeing “Divergent” and we met up with the other girl’s parents at the bookstore. We’re all readers, so the conversation veered from the Divergent series to other books. The friend (we’ll call her Tris for this story) brought up a book she wanted to read, the second in a series. Her mom said, “Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that book.” Her dad glanced at the jacket art featuring stylized colorful swirls and sneered…and Tris put the book back.

The conversation moved to the Hunger Games series, which most of us had read and loved. Tris’s dad then said, with disdain in his voice, “Those books were girl books. They were too much about relationships. The parts about politics were interesting, but there wasn’t enough of that.”

Wow. Now, to be fair, I don’t remember whether he said he read the whole series or just the first one. (Though also to be fair, I’m not sure if that matters. How can you judge what you have not read?) I do remember there being quite a bit about the political issues in the series as a whole. I also remember the love relationship angle being only one small part of a much larger story. But despite the fact that he is overlooking so much meaning in the series, there is more at play that is disturbing to me.

Girls aren’t allowed to be interested in politics? Or is it that he thinks girls aren’t smart enough to understand politics? Tell that to Hillary Rodham Clinton, or Angela Merkel or Condoleeza Rice or Margaret Thatcher or…the list is too long. Does he realize that with his attitude, and his comments, he runs the risk of limiting his daughter? She’s smart, inquisitive, clever, funny–she can probably succeed in any field…unless she starts to believe that only certain things are acceptable for girls.

For that matter, boys have to be interested in politics? They’re not allowed to explore relationships in their reading? Huh. From what I remember of teenage (and young adult, and some adult) boys, their thoughts are consumed much more by relationships than politics. Being a teenager is a hard thing to go through, and I believe that reading about similar people and experiences can truly help a person cope with their struggles. What’s the good in removing that tool from an entire gender?

This wasn’t my first uncomfortable run-in with this guy. A few months ago, I was picking my daughter up from Tris’s house. My daughter and I both crochet and knit, and we were talking about teaching Tris how to do it. The dad scoffed at us, prompting Tris to point out that he used to crochet. “Yeah, I learned how once but then I figured out that it was stupid. Boys don’t crochet.” My 10-year-old son was with me, a boy who was actually learning to crochet. I spoke up and said that actually, they do, that one in particular is quite well-known (Hello there Crochet Dude Drew Emborsky) and he interrupted, “Oh, yeah, okay, one guy, sure.”

It’s truly infuriating. Thankfully, both my kids are enlightened enough that they realize the ludicrousness of what this guy says. I talked to my son about boys crocheting afterward, that actually a lot of guys do crochet and knit, and he casually said, “Oh yeah, I know.” Likewise, I talked to my daughter after the book incident. I asked her if she likes Tris’s dad, and she said, “Yeah, he’s really nice!” I murmured noncommittally and said I thought what he was saying about “girl books” was actually really sexist. She replied, “Well, yeah,” as if I was telling her something completely obvious…which I was, and I was glad that she recognized that.

I know there’s little I can do to combat attitudes like his. I wish I was better in the moment, to challenge him when he spouts idiocies like those, though it would probably do no good seeing as how I’m “just a girl”. So I’m doing what I can by teaching my kids to embrace what they love, regardless of stereotypes. Don’t close yourself off from creating wondrous things because one person says you can’t. I’m teaching them to respect others in the same way. Be open to what they’re doing, because you might learn something fantastic from them. Even though it’s true that we’re boys and girls, we’re all people. We all have thoughts and emotions and feelings and interests and passions. Life is so much more joyous when you have the freedom to embrace those things that make you who you are, as well as those things that connect you to others.

Where does all the yarn come from?

Mar26

Today is a busy day so my time is limited, but I was enthused by my local paper this morning and had to share. There was a lovely long feature article about a local fiber artist, Jamie Root, who raises her own sheep for the wool. The article talks a bit about how she readies it for use and turns it into yarn, and then where she takes it. I met Jamie last year at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival and spent quite a bit of time talking to her as she showed me a bit of the process. As a newbie yarner, I was fascinated, and she was so friendly and welcoming. Most of my yarn time is spent on the latter end of the process: buying and using the already-dyed, wound yarns. I’m just now starting to realize how much more there is to the craft–or do I mean art? That’s another discussion for another day! Click here to read the article.

It’s all Twitter’s Fault

Mar25

I resisted Twitter for a very long time. I couldn’t see the appeal. I did sign up once and immediately some strange guy wanted to follow me, and that creeped me out. But I kept seeing links with fun tweets, and my husband would sit there and read Twitter and laugh and laugh. Finally, it got to be too much. Fine. I’ll join Twitter, dang it.

Well, hey, did you know there are a bunch of yarn people all over the world on Twitter? I found more everywhere I looked, and they were saying and doing really cool things! Then people started commenting on my tweets, and I discovered you could interact with people! Truly a whole new world, to find all those like-minded people.

But it got even better, because I started following other cool people. I’m a reader and a writer, so I found a lot of awesome authors on Twitter and found out most of them are just real people! Sarah Dessen is one of my favorites because she’s very down to earth and funny. I told a few of the authors when I read and loved their books, and got an immediate response. I got brave enough to start commenting on their tweets, and it was such a thrill when they replied. Think how much cooler it was when a few authors I really admire started following me (ME!) on Twitter! (Thanks, Katherine Center and Elin Hilderbrand and Nanny Diaries girls McLaughlin Kraus, you all rock.)

Twitter was my gateway drug, because next was my Facebook business page for bonnyknits which let me find some customers for my yarn treasures. I went from there to Etsy, and though it’s still a trial effort, I’ve enjoyed it. Somehow from there I ended up with this blog, and between all the social media sites, I’ve connected with so many talented, smart, funny, clever people in so many different fields. I can feed all my different interests and not feel like I have to fit into one specific category.

Sometimes a hobby can make you feel isolated, if those around you just don’t understand, and you can’t find your “people”. I’ve found my people online, and I love it. Now if only I could tear myself away from the fun of it all to get back to my knitting.

Happiness is contagious. How many people can you infect?

Mar24

if you’ve read my previous posts, you know I had a wonderful weekend devoted to yarn and crafting. The resulting energy, as well as all my purchases, encouraged me to reorganize my craft room. I packed up my scrapbooking supplies into the large closet, which let me eliminate one of my folding tables to make room for two shelving units. I was able to take all my stash yarn out of plastic tubs and get it out where I can see it and touch it. I grouped it together by fiber for the most part, though there are a couple of project bags and a “shawl yarn” area.

The remaining table is my main workspace for when I’m planning projects, packing orders, editing manuscripts, or even working on my own writing. I’ve got my scanner and printer handy, and my head is nearby for when I need to take some photos.

Here’s my little desk area that houses my laptop, pen collection and gigantic Edward puzzle. Yes, I’m an unapologetic Twilight fan. I hope you’ll respect me anyway. If it helps, next to it is a signed letter from Dean Koontz.

Finally, I was able to bring up all my yarny books and get them together in one bookcase. Next to them are the tins holding all my buttons, so I can match buttons to yarns. I used some black modular shelving to hold random crafty supplies and my current inventory of finished items.

I had it set up by Sunday evening, and I was just puttering around in it. It’s a happy room. It’s a welcoming room full of color and imagination. The funny thing is that over an hour or so, my husband and both kids ended up in here with me. No real reason. At first they were just admiring the changes, but then they stayed, and just hung out with me. And the next morning, I was in here working on my computer, and my son wandered in after he got up. He sat in the rolling chair and started looking at the pictures and things I’ve got in here, and he was content to sit quietly in here with me until he got hungry enough for breakfast.

Apparently I have become the peacekeeper. By that, I don’t mean I mediate fights, though of course I do. I mean that I have an abundance of inner peace right now, and I think they’re hoping to absorb some of it. I’m profoundly grateful for the way we have our life set up right now. I’m grateful that I have the time and resources to practice the things that bring me joy. And if I can share my joy with them by sharing my happy craft space, I’m delighted.

Stash-mania

Mar23

That’s it, I don’t need to buy any new yarn for…at least a couple of months! I thought yesterday’s spree at the LYS closeout was good, but today was even better: I went to the estate sale of a hardcore crafter. Based on her house, I don’t think there was a craft she didn’t do. It was awesome. Get this: Her entire finished basement was given over to yarn. There were 6′ tall shelving units lining one side, and tables on the other, covered with plastic tubs full of yarn.

The best part was that it was GOOD yarn. This wasn’t cheap acrylic, or even nice acrylic. This was merino, cotton, alpaca, silk. There was hand-dyed and hand-painted wool. There was Noro and Blue Sky Alpaca and Louisa Harding and Nashua and Tahki and Koigu and Rowan and Classic Elite. There was a ton of Lamb’s Pride which isn’t soft but is fabulous for felting. There was a whole section of novelty yarns that were unusual fabrics and textures. It was sorted by fiber so if you were picky about your yarn, you could just visit “your” section. Of course I had to trawl through the whole darn place. I tell you, it was the closest thing to heaven I’ve experienced…and it was all $2 per ball/skein. I can’t possibly list all the delightful yarns I got, but I’ll show you my favorites.

This is Blue Sky Alpaca & Silk, a sport weight that’s as light as a feather in my hand. It’s only 140 yards but it should make a graceful lacy scarf for the spring.

This is the only skein of Malabrigo (For $2!!!) that I found. It’s an old one called Violetas. It’s kettle dyed and 215 yards, and it will make something gorgeous for me. A hat? A cowl? What do you think?

This was really what made the whole trip worthwhile, and I’m sorry I don’t have a better picture to show it off: this is Classic Elite Inca Alpaca…and there were TEN SKEINS of it! It’s a periwinkle blue, and since alpaca is my favorite yarn in the whole world, I was over the moon and made sure to snatch it all up before anyone else could get any. I now have over 1000 yards of it, and it’s going to be my first knitted cardigan, I believe.

That’s not all, oh no, that’s not all. Did I mention she had a room lined with shelving? Well, now I have some of it, which means I was able to liberate my beautiful stash from the plastic tubs and get it out where I can see it and touch it every day.

Isn’t it wonderful? I’m so very happy with my craft room right now, and if I weren’t so tired from that last two days, I’d start knitting up a storm. As it is, though, I think I must unwind with a glass of wine…and dream of all the knitting I can start tomorrow.