Friday, July 27, 2012

A baby sweater and hat set...a gift set!

     Browsing through Ravelry.com one day, I came across a pretty little baby sweater pattern called "Lilllie Baby Cardigan." Here is the link: lillie-baby-cardigan. I do not know why I felt so compelled to make this sweater since no one in my family is currently pregnant or has a baby that will fit the sweater but I became obsessed with making it. I cast-on without really having a recipient in mind...at first. Now please remember that I live in the South and in the South we have a looooooong tradition of convoluted family ties with twists and turns and extended family... please keep this in mind as I explain who the lucky Lillie Baby Cardigan recipient is. My sister-in-law's sister has an adult daughter (re: my sister-in-law's niece) and she is a Facebook friend of mine and although I have not seen her in a few years, is a part of my extended family, and lives in Kansas, I could not help but notice one day that she is pregnant (37 weeks this week) and I also could not help but notice that she is going to name her little girl...wait for it...LILY!! So...of course....the Lillie Baby Cardigan would BE PERFECT for her.
     I waited until I completed the pattern (in case I messed it up or got finish-itis) and then sent an IM to my sister-in-law's sister to ask if she thought her daughter would appreciate it. I did this because she is young (early 20's) and sometimes younger people (HEY WAIT I AM NOT OLD...I AM IN MY MID-cough-30's) do not want handmade gifts for their new little ones but prefer store bought, mass produced, perfectly made articles for their new babies. My sister-in-law's sister assured me that she would probably LOVE the gift and that I should directly IM her to find out. Imagine my surprise when she was overjoyed with the idea that I made something for her new little one! She practically gushed! I was so...honored...that she thought the gift was "thoughtful and sweet" (her words!) So I also made a tiny matching hat and away to Kansas it went!
The buttons are heart-shaped mother of pearls

complete sweater still needing one button

matching hat...so small it fits on tips of my fingers

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Pirate Hat!

  When I got my monthly knitting magazine fix in July I was OVERJOYED to see a pattern for a toddler hat with a skull and crossbones on it! I have never really followed a chart before but this one looked simple enough and I cast-on happily. My intention, at first, was to make the toddler sized hat and send it to Kansas along with the Lillie Baby Cardigan (please see other post for this sweater!) but when the hat was complete...it was soooooo big that it didn't even fit my adult-sized head! I was a little disappointed with myself because I did everything the pattern stated except I did not knit a swatch...I never do though and everything usually works out fine. I didn't really know what to do with the finished hat...but then had a brilliant idea! My text-pal (think penpal but more MODERN) just had a birthday in June and LOVES hats. He lives in upstate New York and has cooold winters. So I sent to him! He loved it! Since making it I have had 2 other people ask for one! Here it is: 


<---flat on table

<---side view

<---far away version

skull and crossbone close-up---->

<---top of hat
 

Monday, July 23, 2012

RAK...

I recently got a package in the mail! A RAK...or random act of kindness. A person, who I have never met, sent me some beautiful Mini Mochi yarn! SO...I wanted to return the favor but do not own anything equal to the Mini Mochi yarn (unless I sent it back to her!) but have been known to string a few beads here or there. As a return RAK, I made BEADED STITCH MARKERS!


 <---Please ignore Goofy...I was using a kids lap desk to make these!

These fit needles US size 4 and smaller so I hope my "mystery friend" can use them or pass them on to someone who can!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Jack the Zebra and hunting safety gear!

       I recently bought a book at the local Goodwill with knitted stuffed animals in it...written by Fiona McTague. As I was looking through it I saw a zebra that I knew would be perfect for my zebra-loving niece, Allison (read previous post with Alli and her zebra scarf!). After reading through the pattern I realized that I couldn't really understand the directions so I changed a lot of the pattern to make the finished zebra. After making the zebra, I thought he needed a little...something...so I knit him a day-glo orange vest! As a Virginian, I know all about hunting season and how hunters roam the woods in search of defenseless animals to shoot. I did not want the poor zebra to fall victim to hunting season so that day-glo orange vest will ensure that hunters can see him! I scoured Ravelry.com for an appropriate pattern and asked in two different forums but nothing seemed quite right so I found a few patterns I liked and modified them to fit. Without further ado, I give you the newly-named zebra: Jack!

Jack and his "girls"

Jack and his safety vest!
Jack and his soulful eyes

Jack's mane, arm, and safety vest

Jack and his new mommy, Allison!!!!
 
                               

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Zebra!!!!!!!!!!!!



   This is Allison...my "niece" (ok so really she is my niece's fiance's little sister/best friend....which is why I just say "niece"...unless you are from the South these types of relationships can be extremely confusing! Us Southerners are used to having a mash up of mixed relations so it is normal for us to be, say, an Aunt for your neighbors grandsons wife's sisters cousin...its normal!) Anyway, one day while sitting in my sisters kitchen Allison asks me if I could knit her a zebra scarf. Now, this impressed me greatly because of 2 very important reasons: 1.) a 17 year old WANTS a hand knit scarf!?! and 2.) she doesn't think that knitting is "weird" or for "old people." I am not so proficient at knitting that I can make zebra stripes in the traditional sense nor have I really ever written my own pattern (unless you count a leaf that is posted on this blog!) but I promised Allison that I would try.
     I, of course, instantly became OBSESSED with trying to find a pattern to make a zebra scarf. I found that even though Ravelry has EVERYTHING it lacks a zebra scarf pattern. Looking on Ravelry I found a pattern for a zebra puppet which became the basis for my pattern.Susan B. Anderson Zebra/Panda Puppet pattern. So this left me with having to make my own. Which is TERRIFYING!
      Adapting the puppet was kind of easy at first. Instead of making it like the puppet I just extended it into a scarf. After the scarf was done (oh and color changes are something that was new for me as well!) I made two more pieces to attach to the bottom for pockets. Once the pockets were done I began to have fun with the scarf. I added a zebra face on one pocket and on the opposite pocket: a tail! Here are some pictures:









sorry about being blurry...cellphone pics!





<------Zebra face












The Tail---------------------->









<-------------entire scarf


     Of course, I could not stop at just making Allison a scarf (by the way the pockets behind the head and above the tail are HUGE and sturdy!) so I also made a hat....Allison asked if I could figure out how to make one that matched the scarf. So once again I turned to Ravelry for inspiration! I found the greatest pattern for an ear-flap hat that used two needles. Despite being a little apprehensive about the pattern (I have never used  two needles for a hat before...I usually stick to circulars and double pointed needles for hats.) But went full force into making this hat: Kat's "Two-Sticks" Ear Flap Ski Hat. I made the hat using the same stripe pattern I used for the scarf. Once the hat was done I began the task of the of adding the mane of the zebra, which is done the same way one would use to add fringe. A crochet hook and small piece of yarn. Here are some of the pictures of the hat on 2 different models (my 10 yr old niece, Kirsten and my 3 yr old great-niece, Sadie)

<----Hat with ears and no mane!

On Kirsten without ears----->
<-----Sadie with Hat on-no mane but with ears
Sadie with mane, ears, and flaps------>

<---Top of hat
Back of hat showing mane and ears------->



     I completely LOVED making this set! It was tough and frustrating but came out wonderfully! As you can tell from the first picture on this blog of Allison wearing the hat and scarf...she LOVES it as well. Here she is wearing both:


     Now she wants one in Bumblebee style....I love that she loves it! Now if only she would want to learn to knit.......









Sunday, April 15, 2012

Cervix

Cervix by mad4marvin
Cervix, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

This is "before" I push the cervix into the uterus. Once I push the cervix into the uterus it really gave stability to the whole knit.

Inside Uterus

Inside Uterus by mad4marvin
Inside Uterus, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

This is a close-up of the uterus in process...if you look in the middle you can see where the "cervix" is. I think it looks like a really nice picture with the contrast of the triangle needles and the circular cervix!

UTERUS UNSTUFFED

UTERUS UNSTUFFED by mad4marvin
UTERUS UNSTUFFED, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

The title says it all: my unstuffed uterus! Seriously, I had a TON of fun talking about my uterus...."Hey, can you hand me my uterus?" "Is my uterus in the kitchen?" "I just put my uterus down for a minute..." HAHA!! I know...I am easily amused!

FALLOPIAN #2

FALLOPIAN #2 by mad4marvin
FALLOPIAN #2, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

One fallopian tube down and one to go!!! I added "pipe cleaners" to make them posable!

FALLOPIAN #1

FALLOPIAN #1 by mad4marvin
FALLOPIAN #1, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

Up close shot of the fallopian tube...I had a lot of fun making them! I doubted that I could actually do it but followed the pattern and think I did a pretty nice job!

UTERUS#2

UTERUS#2 by mad4marvin
UTERUS#2, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

This is a pic of the uterus "holding" up my 4 yr old great-nephews birthday cake! I really like how the fallopian tubes look in this pic!

Uterus and Max

UTERUS#1 by mad4marvin
UTERUS#1, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

Ha! I love this pic! The bunny is Max-a bunny I made for my sister last year for Easter (boyfriend of Ruby...check past posts!) and in his lap: a uterus! I am making uteri as a form of protest against the government trying to ban birth control in the U.S. Forgive me if you feel as if I am preaching...I will not turn this blog into a platform for my political beliefs so I will stop here. I did want to post pics of the uteri because I liked how they turned out! (Plus HOW CUTE DOES MAX LOOK WITH IT IN HIS LAP????)

DRABBIT#2

DRABBIT#2 by mad4marvin
DRABBIT#2, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

Here is the duck portion of the of the drabbit! On the outside...a duck! On the inside...a rabbit! A DRABBIT!!!!

DRABBIT#1

DRABBIT#1 by mad4marvin
DRABBIT#1, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

I call this a drabbit! On the outside....a bunny! On the inside...a duck! Or a DRABBIT! I made this for my niece, Cheze. She is a Marine stationed in Ca and she recently came home for a visit. Unfortunately she had to leave BEFORE Easter so my sister (her mom) and I made her an Easter basket before she left: I HAD to include a hand-knit item because she loves them!

OCTOPUS #2

OCTOPUS #3 by mad4marvin
OCTOPUS #3, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

Here is a close-up of the octopus!You can see his double curled tentacle!

Octopus#1

Octopus#1 by mad4marvin
Octopus#1, a photo by mad4marvin on Flickr.

This octopus was made using the pattern from Amy Gaines' Little Knitted Creatures...it has long been my wish to knit every pattern from the book! I am now one step closer! (I know he has no eyes and he is purple in the book but I still think he is pretty cute!)

Warning: the next few posts will be pic heavy!

I have been busy knitting away and now have a whole host of pics I am ready to post! I use flickr.com to share my pics (unless I upload them directly from my computer) and I have a problem understanding how to share more than one pic through flickr.com at a time. If someone could explain it to me I would be forever grateful...and my posts would look better as well! I really to share my pics with everyone so please just bear with me as I post single pics at a time. I will explain what each pic is as I post them! Thank you!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

My Needles have been CLACKING AWAY...

I am sorry that I have been away. I have been working steadily on a new baby blanket, so I have not had a lot of time to post anything here on my blog. I do not have any "IN THE MAKING" pics yet but will take some in the upcoming days and post them here. The pattern I am using is "Garter Rib Baby Blanket" that I found on Ravelry using Lion Brand in pale yellow (I think it is a nice neutral color for any gender) Here is the link: Garter Rib Baby Blanket  it is by O.F. Patterns and Tutorials. So simple yet so beautiful! Keep reading for pics and more posts!!! Thanks!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Lu Lu Loopsy



I purchased this pattern from Ravelry.com about a week and a half ago. I love it! So easy to do, cute, and fun. I had a little trouble with the hair...not because of the pattern but because I am useless when it comes to making the twists needed for the hair. Had I followed the instructions I am sure it would have worked out. Please pop over to Ravelry.com and look at all the great patterns created by Phoenixknits (a.k.a phoeny) She has free patterns and patterns to purchase...all of them brilliant, well-written, and FUN!!!








Without hair, ribbons, eyes, or smile!



Bows on feet and dress
Standing up



Tomorrow I cast-on for a BOY...I will be using blue to make "jeans" white to make a shirt and black for the hair (no twists...just hair on the scalp). I can't wait to start making her BROTHER!!

Still here!!!!


     I am sorry that I have, once again, become neglectful of my poor blog...I really do love writing here and sharing my projects but since starting my MBA classes my project making has been slowed down. I am proud of the fact that I have been taking pictures of everything I have knit...as I promised in my last post (LAST MONTH! WOW!) Lately, I have been on a doll making kick...I don't know why since I don't have any little ones (personally anyway) to give them to but love making them for my great nieces and nephews.     My great-niece, Carmen, who has several pictures on this blog...(she's the one holding the one holding the basket of "Fall" foods in previous blogs)....... will be turning 7 years old in a few days so all of my knitting has been revolving around dolls she may like.
     The pattern below is Petite Dolls by Hollymariet on Ravelry. It is a free pattern. Petite Dolls
I made a boy and a girl with eyelash yarn for hair...the boy doll I kind of "faked" hair. The very bottom picture shows the "brother and sister" next to each other. Carmen LOVED these dolls! We immediately had to play dolls...her brother being the "brother" doll, Carmen being the "sister with long hair" doll, and I was a third doll that I made (there are no pics of her because she was my "practice" doll...bad hair, bad body shape, bad colors...just...bad!)
   



     If you are still looking at this page and have made it this far....YAY! I am going to "piggyback" another post in just a few minutes. I purchased my first Ravelry pattern by Phoenixknits called "Lu Lu Loopsy" and made Carmen one of them. She was just finished today and while she is not perfect (like Phoenixknits are) I love her!