Sweaters,
socks,
hats,
scarves,
shawls,
2 baby quilts,
gloves,
new airport terminal building,
new kitchen,
a sprint triathlon,
my first attempts at canning (jam & green beans)...
It seems I've had quite a busy 2009!
(I snuck in one little project that's still a work-in-progress - do you see it?)
Alpaca Ribbon Scarf
Originally uploaded by kerner
Gloves and a matching scarf for my mother in law! Patterns are noted under the pictures; both are made out of Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca-Silk.
Noro Entrelac Scarf
Originally uploaded by kerner
A basic entrelac scarf in Noro Kureyon for my sister. Entrelac scaves in a yarn with long color repeats is definitely one of the most impressive things you can knit, at least as far as non-knitters are concerned. And it's really not that hard. I promise - just follow the directions (even though they might seem wrong or confusing) and it will turn out really nice.
Odessa Hat - Manos SIlk Blend
Originally uploaded by kerner
An Odessa hat for my mom (actually I knit a second one for her in a different color of the same yarn - I'm keeping this one!!)
Fleece-Lined Hat
Originally uploaded by kerner
A nice warm hat for my Grandpa - just a basic rib in basic Cascade 220. I lined it with fleece to keep his ears warm while he's working outside on the farm.
Snowboarder's Hat
Originally uploaded by kerner
(I promise I finished this before Christmas!) A cool cabled snowboarder's hat for my brother-in-law. He said he wanted earflaps! It's really warm alpaca yarn.
IMG_1367
Originally uploaded by kerner
The baby shower was yesterday, so it's time for the big blog-reveal!
My latest quilt is for a baby girl due in January (her momma is doing a good job of hiding her adorable basketball-belly in this pic). The parents-to-be love horses, so I decided to go with a cowgirl theme.
The two primary cowgirl fabrics are a pink Tumbleweed Tots print from Alexander Henry and I believe the white print is from Robert Kaufmann. To accent the cowgirl fabrics, I used red, blue, and pink fabric that looks like bandannas. All the fabrics except the pink Tumbleweed Tots were purchased at Hobby Lobby (which has a surprisingly good selection of designer fabrics, which are often on sale).
I'm still not 100% satisfied with my quilting skills, and I'd really love to learn to do free-motion quilting, but I love making these keepsakes for my friends and their kids. It's so great to go over to visit and see my quilts in action - apparently they make excellent tummy-time mats/spit catchers.
Next up (we're have a bit of a baby epidemic around here) is a paper doll-themed quilt. Will I be able to finish it before my belly gets too big to fit in front of the sewing machine? It's a race against time...!
Wow - a finished project that has nothing to do with a gift or Christmas!
Project Details:
Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock '09 by Kristen Kapur
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy, 1 skein
Needle Size: Size 1
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, yarn over, slip slip knit, knit 2 together, picking up stitches, cast off
Pattern Modifications: None - this pattern was released one "clue" per week during the month of October. I just came along for the ride!
Time to knit: October 1-November 5, 2009
Final impressions: Very nice, I don't normally knit socks with extra-fancy cuffs and heels, so this was a bit of a change for me. I'm still debating whether to keep these socks for myself or give them away from Christmas.
Traditions can start out so innocently sometimes, can't they? Almost 2 years ago, the first couple in my group of friends at church announced they were expecting a baby. It was a very long-awaited baby, without getting into the medical details, so I wanted to do something really special. I decided I would make a baby quilt. Not that I'd ever done such a thing before, but who am I to let a little thing like that stand in my way?
As these things have a tendency to do, one baby in the group has quickly multiplied to several, and we are in the middle of a full-fledged baby boom among the "young marrieds" set at church these days. This cute little pink quilt is the first of several I will be making for babies that will be arriving in January, February, and two in May. (Not to mention whether I will be making one for my own little bug, due in March.)
I'll do a full reveal of Baby O's quilt next month after the baby shower. Until then, you can check out some of the other baby quilts I've made!
Benjamin's quilt (why yes, my nephew IS the cutest baby ever!)
My sister says I need to update my blog, so here you go!
I made this tote bag as a birthday present for a friend of mine that lives way too far away from me. I used some IKEA canvas-y fabric for the bag and heavy white canvas for the handles. (Special thanks to Miss Africankelli for the fabric! Can you believe I've never even been to an IKEA?)
My original design came out super small, so I kinda erred on the large side for my second attempt. I just made this up as I went along, which I'm sure is not the easiest way to do things, but I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to following sewing patterns. (Strangely, I can follow knitting patterns with no problem - does anyone else have that issue?)
*Quick topic switcheroo*
I need to take new pictures of the remodel, but it's been really overcast here and we don't have any lights in a good portion of the remodeled area. Construction started about a week ago and things are moving forward quickly. The yucky subfloor damage has been replaced and electricians are installing lights, smoke detectors, and new outlets.
So far the guest bathroom-turned-kitchen has not been too bad. Our friends have very generously accepted our offer to be their personal chef, and we steal all the leftovers to heat up in our microwave the next couple of nights. It actually works out pretty well.
IMG_1069
Originally uploaded by kerner
Alpaca Ribbon Scarf
Originally uploaded by kerner
IMG_1062
Originally uploaded by kerner
The first few days of the Tour de France Knit-Along have been really fun. I've watched more cycling than ever before in my life, which has also inspired me to get out on my bike for several good rides of my own.
On the knitting front, I'm going for the King of the Mountains jersey by attempting to conquer my mountain of unfinished knitting projects. On the first day of the Tour, I counted 6 unfinished projects:
Colorado Lodge Socks
Summer Shimmer Scarf
Alpaca Ribbon Scarf
Star Sweater (for me)
Saranac Sweater (for Matt)
Craft Hope hats
I am happy to report that only a week into the KAL I have finished 4 projects! (Of course, they were the ones with the least left to do, but still!)
My favorite is the Alpaca Ribbon Scarf, which I started almost a year ago and intended to give as a gift for Christmas 2008. Oh well, there's always this year, right?
What projects have been hanging around your needles, sewing machine, etc. waaaaaay too long?
