Pinwheel blanket

I am trying to expand my knitting so I have learned how to make socks (ONE PATTERN DOES COUNT!), how to use a chart, and how to use crocheting in my knitting (edges DO count!). Another thing I wanted to accomplish is learning how to knit a circle. I found a pinwheel blanket pattern on Ravelry.com and bought the perfect yarn: a giant cone of Peaches and Creme yarn. Making the blanket was not as bad as I though and there is only one or two mistakes in my blanket (NOT THE PATTERN!). I had fun making it and even though it does not have an owner, yet, I still love how it looks and feels.

close-up of color

Look closely...do you see the mistake?

Carmen's doll

   

My great-niece, Carmen (her pics dot this blog!) turned 8 years old in March. For her birthday I bought her a doll that looks like her and is kind of an American Girl-type doll. As soon as I gave her the doll she changed her hair style and the doll now sleeps with her every night. As a knitter I could not simply go to a store and buy her an outfit that all little girls have access to! Knitters are unique! So I set out to make Carmen's doll a handmade outfit. I scoured the Internet and looked all over Ravelry.com but nothing really jumped out at me. Most outfits are too winter-y or odd colored or bulky. I wanted to make her a cute little summer-y outfit. So using several different patterns for sizing and fit I made Carmen a 3 piece outfit: panties, tank top, and mini-skirt. The doll in the picture IS NOT Carmen's doll but is my model (my niece, Kirsten's American Girl-type doll who I still owe an outfit to because she let me borrow her!)

3 piece outfit-the panties were thongs until I crocheted a nice little edge on them!

NOT Carmen's doll but my clothes model

Socks for my sister!

I have learned how to make socks BUT can only figure out how to knit them using one pattern...Incredibly Easy Socks (can be found on Ravelry.com). However, socks there are so many different types and colors of  yarn that I really do not mind only being able to master one sock pattern. My sister is fully addicted to my handmade socks and I have to say that she owns every pair I have ever made (all 3 of them!) The pair I call Opposite Socks were made using sock yarn purchased at Joann's for 97 cents, I think it is Patons. I call them Opposite Socks because the way that the colors changed for each sock-almost a mirror of each other. The next socks I call Pink Summer Socks because the yarn is thin and perfect for cool evenings in the summer. I bought the yarn from Big Lots for 80 cents!! I am working on sock 2 now!!!

Here are some pictures of my latest socks:

Opposite Socks!!!! Made with 97 cent sock yarn-Patons

See my ladybug row counter? Pink Summer Socks

I turned the HEEL!

Obligatory foot and half finished sock picture

Yes, I see the laddering! LOL! Pink Summer Socks

See? It all worked out!!!!

These hats may not be appropriate for children (no NUDITY!)...but I think they are awesome!

Here are some more projects I have been working on! I am trying to teach myself how to use charts as well as create simple charts. I figured a simple hat pattern would be the best and I stumbled upon the Weed Chart on Ravelry.com and thought I would try it out. The first nine pictures are made from the Weed Chart using Red Heart yarn. The second hat is my own chart that I generated using a free chart generator. It is made with a really super soft black yarn (no label) and the green is Red Heart. I learned a lot by making the same design. How to do floats, how to follow the chart, and how to hold my tension.
Warning: my hat may not be appropriate for children!

The hand is my 4 yr old great-niece-HELPING

This is my new FOAM HAT HEAD

This is so much fun!

The stem is a little WONKY

Getting closer to the end

The bottom leaves are a little weird

Really HUGE finished hat!

Close-up of WONKY stem-my fault not pattern

Side view! Look how long!!!

MY OWN DESIGN-love rolled brim

MY OWN DESIGN-LOVE IT

OK so I messed up a little but it so GREAT!

Baby Boom

Sorry, once again, it has been awhile since I last posted but I have been extremely busy. I am in the last stretch of my Master's degree (3.6 GPA!!!) and have been knitting in between class, papers, and finals. My family has had a BABY BOOM since I last posted. My niece, Leesa (and her husband, Richard) welcomed a baby boy, Marvin Richard, in May. My niece, Lena (and her husband, T-no really that is his name!) welcomed a baby boy, Tyler Wade, on June 13th. My niece, Aulbrie (and her boyfriend, Ryan) are due to have a baby boy in August/September. And my niece, Jessica, is due to have a LITTLE GIRL (FINALLY A GIRL! LOL!) in October/November. SO I have been doing A LOT of baby knitting!! In between knitting for babies being born IN the family, I have also knit a blanket for my nephew-in-law's sister. Do I have to explain Southern families convoluted relations here? They are extremely twisty, confusing, and MIND-BOGGLING! It helps to read them slowly to understand them! LOL! Also I have been knitting socks, practicing how to use charts (still shaky on them), and whatever little projects I can fit in between. SIT BACK and ENJOY the pictures!!!

Leesa's baby set

Leesa's Baby set-close-up of bootie

Leesa's Baby Set-far shot

Close-up of Lena's sailboat baby blanket

Ashley's blanket

Ashley's Blanket getting crochet edge

 Ashley's blanket--close-up of crochet edge

Ashley's Blanket stripes

Ashley's Blanket

Blog...it has been a while....

I know that I have been a bad blogger and have ignored this blog for a while now. I apologize. I have missed  blogging a lot but have been so busy that it has been difficult to find time to visit. Lately I have been spending a lot of time working on my Master's degree so at least I have a good excuse for being away. My family has had a recent plague (yes! plague!) of pregnancies. 5 nieces...5! YES! 5! Two are due in the Spring/Summer and the other 3 are due in the Fall/Winter. So far I am due to have 2 more great-nephews (May and June) and the other 3 are still too early to tell. I am hoping for girls because I am already getting tired of knitting blue! I just finished one set of items for the first pregnant niece (pictures will come later because she has not seen them yet) and her Baby Shower is this Saturday, March 16th. I already have plans for the second pregnant niece whose baby theme is ocean/nautical. A lot of baby knitting is in my future because I like each new mom to have at least one handmade item...usually a blanket.

I have really not knit anything fun or interesting so far this year. I began, on New Year's Eve, a Green Bay Packer blanket for myself (partly my own design and partly a design off of Ravelry) and I have been working on it between baby items. I will post pictures of it on here later (when I take some!). Oh! My niece, Marine Cheze, moved back to the East Coast after 4 years of being stationed in California. One day she sent me a picture and asked if I could knit her the item in the picture. I fussed at her and told her that I cannot just knit things on the fly like that....I am not a machine. I, of course, was knitting it for her. Later that day I gave her this:

Before anyone thinks she is strange: she is! No, really though she recently took up snowboarding with her boyfriend and some friends so she needed to keep her face warm on the mountain...and she is strange! But what can I say? She got it honestly...from me!


I have missed you, blog! I will be back soon with pictures of baby items and a Packer blanket!

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