an owl friend. (and crafty catch up!)

hello.

things have been pretty unplugged here for the past few weeks but i'll play catch up a little later. first i want to FINALLY introduce the owl friend i've been spending a lot of my amigurumi-time with lately...

3KCBWDAY3: knit + crochet heroes.

hello. it's day 3 of Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and we are all sharing our yarn-crafting heroes.

thrifted + gifted. part one.

knit + crochet design week: daily reads.

yesterday for day 2 of knit + crochet design week i mentioned wanting to share my favorite knitting + crochet daily reads, so now that i have a few minutes let's run through a few...

knit + crochet design week: technical support

hello there.

i don't have a ton of time today because little miss seems to be having an 'off' day. the time change is catching up with her a teenie tiny bit and so our sleep schedule it just a little wonky. but we're getting through it! 

today's prompt for Knit + Crochet Design Week is technique. i'm so super new to the crochet + knitting world and feel very unqualified at this point to throw my weight around in the technique department. BUT i thought i would share my favorite resources that i turn to whenever i'm in need of a little technical help (which is often!)

Knit + Crochet Design Week

hi there!

i'm very excited to announce that i will be participating in Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches Knit + Crochet Design Week! i've only been designing my own crochet projects + patterns for a few months (a little longer with knitted things) but i'm jumping at this chance to get in on the fun and test myself a bit.

4th and goal.

hooks & needles: falling leaves garland.

i'm very happy to finally be sharing this quick knit that i did several weeks ago. it was completed during my 'black out' period where i didn't have a camera to get decent photos of the finished product. i love this garland and keep moving it around the house so it's already getting a lot of use. i can't wait until we move and i have a real mantle (or at least better spaces) that i can truly decorate to my heart's content.

when i was thinking about garlands for my fall decor i really wanted to do something knitted... both because i love knitting simple quick projects and because i had a lot of yarn left over from my sister's lap throw. the colors were just too perfect for me to pass up the opportunity to put all of those scraps to good use!

i found a leaf pattern after some searching online that was nicely textured and also allowed me to practice a symmetrical double decrease which i hadn't really used before. it sound complicated but it really isn't... i love adding new stitches to my bag of tricks and discovering that a crazy sounding stitch really isn't all that crazy!

you can find the pattern here...

as i said i used the same yarn as i did for the lap throw i made my sister which was 'cozy yarn' by 'loops & threads'. i didn't really care about gauge so i used US11 needles.

the symmetrical decrease is written as (sl2, k1, p2sso) and all you do is slip two stitches onto your right needle, knit the next stitch normally, and then pass the two stitches that you slipped over the knitted stitch and let them drop. at the end of the pattern there is also a 'p3tog' decrease that you can stitch symmetrically by again slipping two stitches purl-wise onto the right needle, purling the next stitch, and passing the two slipped stitches over the purled stitch. easy peasy right?

it may take a few re-do's on your first leaf but after no time you'll get it and won't even have to think about it! the symmetrical decrease creates this really great vein in the middle of the leaf and it was perfect to use as a guide when i strung all of the leaves together.

sorry about the mobile photo, but it was my only option at the time!

i hope you can tell from the photo but there was a perfect V and then loop at each decrease that i used to determine how i would string them all together.

if you have any questions please feel free to ask! this is a great quick project for any beginner knitter who would like something to practice on. you can use smaller yarns/needles for smaller leaves, you could use them individually to hang on an autumn or thanksgiving tree, use larger ones as pot holders, make a table runner... there are so many possibilities!

happy knitting!
love.

happy halloween: quick knit.

hello.
bad blogger. bad bad blogger.

i'm a day late but it's nov. 1st and i'm ready to really commit to sharing on this blog again so i thought i'd start off with the cute and quick little hat i knitted up for abby's halloween costume yesterday.

it was a working weekend for joe and we only had sunday to be together as a family so we decided to keep it low-key. i knitted these mouse ears for abby while we watched movies and abby used the opportunity to show her daddy how good she is at rolling all over her playmat.


the ears we super easy to make. i used wool-ease chunky (it was what i had in my yarn basket in black) with size 11 straight needles. the hat was knitted on two needles and then sewn together.

i didn't work off a pattern, so here is a really basic outline of how i made the hat... you can experiment with changing it up based on the weight of yarn you want to use. i really like how thick the hat was, reminded me more of the felt & plastic ears from the old mickey mouse club & it helps with the structure of the ears.

based on abby's head circumference i casted on 40 stitches for the hat. i worked about 1.5 inches in garter stitch and then switched to stockinette. i did two rows stockinette (K on RS, P on WS) and then started with my decreasing. this was my decreasing pattern:

K8, K2TOG, K8, K2TOG, K8, K2TOG, K8, K2TOG
Purl Row
K7, K2TOG, repeat to end of row
P6, P2TOG, repeat to end of row
K5, K2TOG, repeat to end of row
P4, P2TOG, repeat to end of row
K3, K2TOG, repeat to end of row
P2, P2TOG, repeat to end of row
K1, K2TOG, repeat to end of row

8 stitches were then left on the needles. break yarn and pull through 8 stitches. make sure you leave a tail that is at least double your seam edge. sew the hat edges together. i usually sew it together inside out so if my whip stitch gets messy it's more hidden.

the decrease is 4 evenly spaced stitches per row so you can adjust it based on your own cast on (changes with different yarn or different size of work).

for the ears i casted on 11 stitches (be sure to leave a long tail to sew ears to hat):

Row 1: K
Row 2: P
Row 3: K
Row 4: P
Row 5: K
Row 6: P
Row 7: SSK, K to last 2sts, K2TOG
Row 8: P
Row 9: SSK, K to last 2sts, K2TOG
Row 10: SSP, P to last 2 sts, P2TOG
Bind Off

then attach your ears and you are all finished! i added the ribbon to make them minnie ears.

hope everyone had a great halloween!

love.

p.s. lots of things coming up. going to get back on my inspiration posts... and i'm looking forward to sharing my diy christmas list & holiday projects. i have big goals this season and for 2011!

3 days left.

yes i'm counting down and getting things done. on saturday morning joe, abby, and i are leaving for a much needed vacation at home. my dad, sister, and rest of the family will finally get to meet abby + joe gets a whole week to just relax and be with us!

i am so excited for this road trip. joe and i have spent so much time on the road going back and forth from south florida to chicago and now nj back home that i'm anxious to see how abby is going to do. i'm looking forward to really getting to talk to and catch up with my husband again, 12 hours of knitting and rest stops, random camera phone pics, and probably a few bouts of angry abby. a good time.

i'm going to be taking a chunk of this with me...


it's all the goods for my first ever commissioned baby blanket. i'm really grateful for the opportunity to make this blanket and am hoping it's just the first of many in my future. i'm in the process of planning out and creating a small inventory to open an etsy shop next spring. having my own etsy shop and starting my own indie business has been a big goal of mine for the past 5 years and i'm so ready to make it happen.

today:

finish a few squares.
sort laundry (take a trip to the laundromat tomorrow).
finish up the dessert recipe for abby's open house.
(think mint martini, yumm)

love.

head down needles flying.

{source}

been working for the past few days diligently trying to bust out a blanket for abby. i'm really enjoying it and really love how it's turning out. i started friday when my lion brand order came in. i'm using the baby's first line and i'm telling you this yarn is so soft and amazing.


i did have to start the project over once, which is a huge improvement from the last project. the border is a seed stitch and i had a totally preggo mind brain fart moment that turned into a jumbled mess. i feel like the more i do the faster i get but this is the first really big knitted project i've done. my goal is to have it completed by friday. i think i can finish it sooner but i don't want to put too much pressure on myself.

so that's what i'm working on. i'm holding onto a few layouts i just finished because i'm toying with the idea of submitting to a dt call for a million memories. i designed for them a few years ago and michelle is an amazing owner and has one of the best clubs & communities out there. with the baby coming i know i'm going to be creating so many more layouts and thought it might be a good time to get back out there in the industry... we'll see what happens!

i had a doc appointment today. all is well with me and miss abigail rose. my suspicion that she is currently sitting in a transverse position was confirmed. we still have many weeks for her to turn somersaults in there but i just wanted to know what i was looking at when my belly flattened out in this weird shape every time she stretches. i'll get a picture tomorrow since i haven't for a couple of weeks. 34 weeks tomorrow... so excited!!

ok, time to get back to work. i still have a few hours in me before joe gets home and i can rest my fingers! have a great night!

love.

busy week.

so once again i put off my daily blog schedule this week.
but at least it's been a busy week so i have some things to share and new projects starting.

here's the recap.

monday i knitted my little fingers raw to finish joey's scarf. i had it about half done and wanted to make sure i got it finished for his birthday because we were supposed to be getting another temperature drop and some snow this weekend. i didn't finish until tuesday becasue i had to search and search for my container of yarn needles and stitch markers which had mysteriously stayed packed in our luggage after my trip home for the holidays.

here is the finished scarf. sorry for the crappy photos, took them super late tuesday and haven't seen the scarf in good daylight since. which i think means he likes it!

i didn't measure it, just used two skeins of lion brand wool-ease chunky in charcoal. it's 36 stitches per row and a ribbed 2k 2p pattern. crazy easy. i was really happy with how the ends were able to be stitched into the gutter of the first column. this is probably a no-brainer for veteran knitters but i wasn't super pleased how my fingerless gloves were stitching up and i wanted to make this scarf as perfect as possible so no little ends started pushing through.

tuesday was joey's birthday and we had a sonogram appointment to see our little girl again! we've decided on a name but haven't agreed how to announce it yet so the family is just going to have to sit tight for a little longer. anyway, she's absolutely gorgeous and doing so well. we are totally and completely in love with this little lady already.

yesterday i took the opportunity of one last nice day in the mid-40s to head into the city and spend all day shopping with my best girl. we went to greenwich letterpress, purl, anthro, and lions brand, and then finally got our boys together to meet and chit chat. it was a very good day. and i made out pretty well all things considered...

i picked up a few things i needed for the quilt & some new burp cloths for the babe (batting & terry cloth), found this gorgeous blue & sage willow printed fabric for a set of sheets for the nursery... also got this gorgeous yellow printed flannel for the nursery that i'll probably be using to make some warmer winter sheets for her too... some bundles of fat quarters for little projects and my next knitting project and the yarn for it too at lion brand studio.

since i have finally finished joe's scarf i'm now beginning on my baby knitting spree. my goal is to knit my way through itty bitty toys by susan b. anderson. the patterns start out really easy and i'm going to be finally mastering some techniques that i've really just played with up until now. hopefully our little girl will have this amazing basket full of handmade yarn toys to play and learn with when she's born. i have this dream that her first and most beloved dolly or rabbit plush be something i made her and that she can pass down to her little babies.

eek, that's thinking WAY too far ahead, haha.

today i'm going to:

finish my quilt top
send out some family emails
start a knitting project
stay warm!

have a great day!

love.

cozy and warm.

happy friday!

love making these. and they are so quick! i have just about all of them done for christmas presents. these are mine. can't show you the other colors i made or i'll ruin the surprise...

the pattern is on lion brand's website but literally it's just a knit stitch (a.k.a. garter stitch) 15 stictches per row for about 8.5/9 inches. you can go longer too if you want them higher up your arm. after binding off leave about a 9 inch tail of extra yarn... then use a large blunt needle to stitch them up leaving a hole for the thumb. i found it easiest to literally close them up around my hand to make sure the thumb hole was comfy... and luckily all of the girls i'm giving them too have about the same size hands as me so i know they'll fit. after they are closed hide the remaining tail in the knit (if you need to shorten it up you can, i just like to make sure i have enuogh tail to work with.)

turn them inside out and you have a comfy and cozy cuff!

my materials:

lion brand wool-ease thick & quick yarn
US 13 (9mm) knitting needles
large blunt yarn needle

now i just need to get on my christmas cards. i want them out by the 15th since i leave for indiana on the 16th. yay! only 5 days until i'm home with my favorites!

love.

my creative 2010.

so i've been meaning to post the layout i did for my 27 before 28. i cannot believe that in 2010 i will be turning 28 & becoming a mommy. totally crazy and exciting! i haven't photographed the layout yet but i thought i'd share some of the inspiration for the more creative items on my list....

so here we go!

knit a menagerie. these are by hansigurami. the book is called amigurami knits. i'm really hoping she re-opens her etsy shop and starts putting out new patterns too because i'd love to make these gorgeous crazies for the baby's room.

p.s. what i love about these is that they are knitted, not crocheted and it seems like the only amigurami out there is for crocheters... grr.



sew/create my own nursery decor. love these sets as inspiration. modern, clean, organic, and beautiful. {source}


knit a trophy head. {source}

i SO want one of these this year and it may take me all year as i've only ever seen crocheted heads which means i'll have to write my own pattern. it's for sure an extreme goal. but wouldn't like a knitted moose head with big antlers just be amazing.... *dreams*

other goals inclue:

giving at least ten handmade gifts in 2010.
making organic dog beds. (and attempt to make crystal use it instead of squeeze between us.)
getting my owl & toadstool tattoo.
making baby clothes & knitting an organic baby blanket like this one....

{source + pattern}

so yeah see any themes? this year is going to be all baby all knitting all the time. with my usual scrapbooking and other projects thrown in the mix. i also want to start a crafting clique with my nyc/nj girls. (well and a poker night... with some of the same company, lol.)

oh and miss elsie reminded me (via her blog) to check for next year's renegade craft fair dates. brooklyn's aren't up yet but last year the show was the 6th and 7th of june. if it's close to the same that means there will be a new little taylor just in time to come visit AND shop baby renegade style. get ready biotches!

ok. or i will be very very pregnant walking around buying too much stuff. lol.

love.