Sunday, December 28, 2014

Feather and Fan Cowl


Since the mitts didn't fit my neighbor, I offered to make her a cowl. I used a cotton/acrylic/wool blend from my reclaimed collection. Maybe with only 10% wool, it wouldn't make her itch.


I do like this pattern. It works up well in a variety of fibers and gauges.


Saturday, December 20, 2014

Cookie Baking


We had Christmas with the family the Saturday before. This year Cayson was old enough to join in the (now) annual cookie making.


Cayson 1 and a half years old.


Evan shows determination.
 

"MOM! Look..."
 



Cayson says Hi.


We gave him a musical Jack-in-the-box for Christmas and every time it *popped* he made this surprised face.


Monday, December 15, 2014

Winter Kittens

Someone did a beautiful job on this counted cross stitch picture. But I found it at the thrift store as part of a very lumpy, misshapen pillow.



I dismantled it, washed and pressed the aida cloth, added borders and gave it a new life.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Cup Cozy


I wanted to try the Wildflower Knot knit stitch. I also wanted to try and design my own knitted item.



The pattern has a repeat of 8 sts, plus 7. I knit a swatch to get gauge, measured the cup and multiplied the number of stitches in the gauge by the number of inches I wanted, then adjusted that number to the closest multiple of 8 plus 7. The Wildflower Knot pattern shows so much more when the work is stretched.



I shopped several stores for a Grand mug. But I found out the one I bought wouldn't work because there wasn't any room above the handle for the cozy. I'll know next time!
 

I took the project to my knitting group, hoping for suggestions on how to make the cozy fit the mug without space above the handle. Nancy suggested I try it one of her mugs. It fit, so she just gave it to me! What a great friend. I added two buttons to close it on the side and it was done.

Reclaimed Fingerless Mitts


I took the lower part of the sleeves off this Shetland wool sweater, it was too felted for anything else, and made fingerless mitts similar to these. Though this time I whip-stitched a hem, rather than picking up the live stitches and knitting ribbing. Quick and easy. 



They turned out to be too snug for my neighbor. Maybe someone with smaller hands will enjoy them.

Monday, December 08, 2014

Turkey Leftovers


My husband and I love turkey left-overs; cold sandwiches, grilled turkey and melted jack cheese sandwiches, omelets, turkey enchiladas. Yum! This year we decided to try turkey pot pie.




It was terrific! A lot of work, but it made two and we've been enjoying every bite. A new favorite.

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Baby Booties for Hailey


My niece had her first baby in October. I thought it would be fun to knit something to welcome her.




You can get the free pattern here. It was fun to use Judy's Magic Loop cast-on, so there's no sewing up. I love how you can make three dimensional items just using yarn and knitting needles!


When I was finished, I wondered if I had enough yarn to make another pair someday. The booties took 13 gms of yarn.


I have 14 gms left!