Catching Up

Gosh, I did not realize how long it has been since I wrote a new entry. Life just got busy I suppose! And I have been busy creating things! I have been keeping track on Ravelry and will do a fast update here ....

I finished my Low Tide cardigan. A few alterations ... made a single crochet edging around it and also made the shoulder seams wider. Those changes caused it to drape slightly differently, but I am pleased with it. I love the colour!

Then I made 4 little purses. This was a test for a friend of a friend on facebook. It was the first pattern she has written, so it was fun to test it. I made 2 of these bags in this size, then a smaller one, and finally a small one like a dog. I thought they would make a nice purse for little girls. I only have pictures of the first bag, alas.

For a change of pace, I then made a shawl with some lovely soft angora. I had to wrestle with the cats while working on this as they just love natural fibres and are always sneaking up on the skein to kidnap it and wrestle with it! 

A totally new technique presented itself to me in another test knit, by way of chaordic knitting. I love the way the colours are added with this technique, and the interesting patterns it makes. It will be so easy to incorporate this into other projects to add a band of colour. This was made from wool (the main body) so it will be quite warm. I was thinking it would be good for those spring days when it is not warm enough for a winter coat but too cool for just a sweater. Time will tell! It is a very warm shawl. It looks a little orangy in the pictures, but it is called currant. I think it is more of a rusty colour .... oh wait, rust is kind of orange! LOL

Time for some smaller things after those larger projects. Back to my toy making roots! A tiny knitted bunny, a small crochet lamb (meant to be a tape measure cover, but I just stuffed it as my tape measure is actually a square and I could not see buying one to put inside it!), a Valentine "cookie", and 3 small bags. The sheep is the original design, and I tried my hand at designing the cat on my own. It needs a little tweaking but you can see it is a cat! The bags were designed for circular knitting needle storage or as an ereader/tablet cover. I added a strap to them so they are more like small purses for little girls again. (And no, I actually do not have any little girls to make use of them! :D) I am going to enter a few of the craft shows in the fall to see if someone would like to buy some of my little toys and sweaters. 

Another toy, this time a window cat. I have had this yarn for a long time and it needed a special project. I think the striped effect on the cat is quite pleasing! I plan on making a few more of these, and also one in the same yarn as a parlor cat, by the same designer. 

Another little test knit that intrigued me, tiny socks that are really dolls. This was designed by a Harry Potter fan as it is called Mrs. Weasley. I furthered this idea by making 5 "tube sock" dolls. I have not taken any pictures of them yet, but they are all boys. Vince wondered why I would make boy dolls, but I have found that mothers don't mind having their little boys have boy dolls. I also thought I might make enough of that idea to bring to the hospital for the nurses to give to sick little boys (and make some girls for the girls) as they would be small enough to keep in the bed and are easily washed when needed along with regular clothes. They don't take up much room and would be a good "companion" if the children are confined to bed. So, I shall see where that idea takes me. I don't think it is really worth the effort in making the girls as real socks, although it was fun to make a few of them and I got many new ideas from them.

Onto other toys, I was inspired by a knitting magazine I splurged on in the summer to make some little hamsters, dressed for a party. The original pattern had them as Hamster Hippies, but we all know that patterns are just a guide (unless it is a test knit pattern in which case I am confined to following the directions as given ... which is a good discipline for me as I often find myself opting out of new things if they are presented in a pattern if I can think of a way to do it that I already know. The test knitting has been very good for me in that it does force me to learn new things, which I am then willing and able to apply to other projects!)  The same designer has dressed the hamsters as hula dancers, and they are so cute that I am sure I will be turning back to make those now too!

I have also made many little owls in crochet, which may find themselves hanging from the tree in the spring. I will write a blog about them at another date. This week I have been working on a granny square baby blanket. I have to admit I have never made anything from granny squares before, probably having  been discouraged by watching my mother make an afghan out of them that took her over a year to complete. However, my squares are much larger than those that she made, and it is coming together well. This one is not entirely masculine, but it leans that way, as the other blanket I made leans towards the feminine side. There are 2 babies due this spring, so I will have at least 1 blanket right and waiting! Again, more about this project later. The basic squares are done, and I am working on edging them today. I am also making another shawl in a crochet-a-long. I find I have to slow myself down some or I would be finished it before everyone else, and that kind of defeats the whole CAL idea, which is why I made the squares for the blanket! 

So, I am now caught up in my blog as well as on Ravelry! Yippee for me!