Almost HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!

It has been a heck of a year, hasn't it?
I am not one to write out deep thoughts (unless they are by Jack Handy)...but there has been ALOT happening at Casa de Knit-or-get-off!

Some moments sad, but so many happy! Holidays were the worst - but made fabulous by this guy:



How could you not love that face!?!?!?!?!? Okay I am very biased but i am so happy to have this little guy.
Fritz would like you to believe that he doesn't think that Max is all that cute. I have to remind him, that Max looks like him, sooooooo....Fritz must be cute too :)

I am getting back into knitting and hope to have the rest of my presents finished soon. Though sewing is still happening. Like these lovely slippers:



They were modeled after my favourite IKEA slippers. There was a bit of embroidery and embellishment added too. I am annoyed that I lost the second name label for Cathy (these were gifts for my daycare ladies) - but I was running out of time and i had to pick up the baby and get these gifts to them.
The gray fabric is a wool that bought years ago in Illinois. It is very soft and drapey, that is until you wash it and felt it (on purpose). The ladybug is an embroidered micro-suede left over from a show and the purple butterfly is woolfelt purchased at JoAnn's last summer. Other than the cost of foam ($2.50) and time, I was able to make these guys for free. :) Free meaning I spent the money more than 6 months ago...i think that means free... :)


My brother also received a version, more manly, and way too big. His feet just seem sooooo much bigger than mine - but i guess not 3" bigger than mine :) oh well. But they matched the jammies i made him for xmas - and of course there is no photo! Why would i do that? As you saw in the previous post, I was way to busy taking pictures of the cuteness of Max!

Happy New Year!
Prost Neu Jahr!
Prospero Ano Nuevo! (okay i know that there is supposed to be a tilde' over the N but i don't know how to do it - or the Umlauts...)

Merry Christmas!

and i thought i was going to raise my kid jewish :).......

conversations late at night

Fritz: What kind of pie are you making for Christmas?
Me: A crème pie
F: What kind of crème pie?
M: I don’t know, a crème pie – whatever my cookbook book calls for.
F: But I want you to make a Bavarian crème pie…
M: Well, what do you want me to do to make it Bavarian?
F: I want you to add a Bavarian to the pie .
M: So you want me to go out tomorrow, hunt down a Bavarian, chop him up and put him in the pie?
F: Yes –but no lederhosen, the leather would make it a bit tough to eat
M: I don’t think I know how to make a bavarian crème pie
F: Well ask the internet– it knows everything.... What about a boston crème pie?
M: You want me to put Bostonians in a pie?

I do know a few bavarians.....

handmade xmas going strong

i am not going to say who i have been making these items for, so those of you who are expecting a gift in the near future will just have to guess! :)

i have been frequenting the Sew Mama Sew blog like a crafting fiend!
Originally i was not going to make these - but once they started to post ones made by other viewers, i was hooked!


so here are my little tissue holders - ridiculous and cute!



I am also thinking of making them to use for feminine products. I am making them to match all those bags I have cut out and still need to make.

I also am hooked on these bags:



I found the tutorial via Sew Mama Sew! ( i think) or it was Whip up! Well written and so quick to make! Check out the cute lining.

I have blown the pattern up 1.25 times, using the photo copier to make a slightly bigger size. There will be more of those later.

And last but not least , my little notebook:


I have no idea where i got the idea for this - either it came in a dream or a blog-hopping fog. Inside view here.

I am still not quite ready for the holidays! I mean hannukah has come and gone without the pomp and circumstance, why not Xmas? I am feeling the xmas stress.......

more cool gifties to post next week!

Fun at work

In the midst of making the 16 quilt squares, there has also been alot of Secret Santa-ing happening in the ISI building. People get a little insane and have a fabulous time doing it.

Apparentley, my Secret Santa has been reading my blog (Hello!) and discovered that I might like this:




IS THAT NOT AMAZING!!!!!!!???????????

I am going to assume she made it (and i will assume it is a she since there are only 3 men in the company who are playing). And if she did, I would like to know who has been hiding their very mad embroidery skills from the Costume Shop Manager (me)

The patch on the left is Max, from Where the Wild Things Are. And the one on the right is the most glorious Fliegenpilz patch i have ever seen. Actually it was a little folder that had a mini packet of tissues tucked into it (for my runny nose suffering from the plague an all).

I might put the Max patch on something I make for the baby or just frame it. And the Fliegenpilz might go on a purse or as a patch on a pair of jeans .....for now i will just admire it and love it.
I received 3 other very cool items - but the Fliegenpilz is tops!

the last 10 days

Happy Hannukah!



Oh! Wait that ended yesterday...
So I'm a little behind. What else is new? :) We lit the candles and ate the latkes. No dreidel spinning here but we sang the South Park Version of the song...we are soooooo not PC in this house, I tell ya!

Other than the eight days of chanukah...there has been the 10 days of QUILTERS. This is the latest musical for our Musical Conservatory program. I admit, I haven't watched a single rehearsal this weel. Poor Yvette has had to watch it every night this week...Max is such a great excuse. That and I have been sick too - i have caught the plague :)

So what does a musical about Quilters involve? Quilts! Lots of friggin' quilts! I have never quilted. I mean that I have NEVER done the type of quilts that require tiny triangles and squares and circles and all sorts of piecing.
Kristin sent me a link to this amazing webpage! Crazy helpful it was. That and the Singer sewing book on quilts and some other book the set designer brought in were the best thing in the world!

Our quilt blocks are (approx.) 22" square. Some patterns were enlarged and some were shrunk. The final product is 16 seperate squares mounted onto an 8'x8' canvas backdrop:

In order of left to right, top to bottom, we have -
1. Butterfly (a crazy quilt with applique) 2. Logcabin 3. Spools or Secret Drawer 4. "rebel patch" (a crazy quilt used for a fictitious block for the show)

5. School Houses 6. Rocky Road to Kansas (have also seen it called Rock Star) 7. Country Crossroads 8. Baby Blocks (aka Tumbling Blocks)

9. Lonestar 10. Four Doves in a Window 11. tree of Life 12. Kansas Dugout

13. Double Wedding Rings 14. Double Windmill 15. Crosses and Losses 16. Robbing Peter to Pay Paul


By the way, we cheated. Alot!!! - there was heat-n-bond and non piecing....but could you tell? Okay maybe you professional quilters could...irk!

Here are a few close-ups:


We ended up appliqueing this one with heat-n-bond after we had made it WAY to big. There wasn't enough time to piece it properly.



Made by one of our apprentices.


Katherine throwing down the scraps in order to make the Crazy quilt block. She ironed them all down and then zig-zaged by machine.


Our final block - The background blocks were pieced and then the rest was laid on top, then appliqued.

Each block gets snapped on as the play goes on and the song is sung to explain the story behind each pioneer woman's quilt. So we need to readjust the snaps a bit and maybe adjust a block or two....then it is all done!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once that is done, we can get on with the more important things at hand. The making of the holiday gifts and secret santa-ing in the work place. I am sure my person knows who I am...but that is okay...she is loving it!

Purses, Schmurses!

So a few days ago i gave you a little peek into my Holiday Madness.

Well here is more!





The Fliegenpilz bag is made of fabric I purchased last summer in NYC at Purl Soho. The buttons are from a new store near me that has just opened. (they come in green, blue, red, white and burgundy).

Their online page is lousy - does not do the store justice one tiny bit! And so much of their stock is not online. Here is a hint of what I bought on my first purchase. (yes, I said first. There has been a 2nd)

The green cordoroy bag is for a co-worker who has been one of my "new-mommy gurus."
I added appliques and a pocket on the outside and buttons from my new dealer.

The trial run began with the wool tweed fabric from my stash. The lining is also from Purl Soho. It is a Heather Ross fabric.


Really - check out the Handmade Holiday month at Sew Mama Sew! And while you are at it, don't forget to check out Whip Up for their latest roundup of crafting (featuring the lovely Alice).

And in the middle of the madness I have been crafting a few other things - and have been creating a mini-tutorial of my own. We shall see if I can get it all done and posted it by the end of the weekend.

oh goodness it is well after midnight - so need to get to bed!

ps: the purse pattern is here (the schematic should be a trapezoid, not a rectangle)

holiday creating has begun!

Have you all accepted that this is not a pure knitting blog?
Good.
I only remind you all of this since the holiday crafting will be heavy on the sewing and light on the knitting or crochet. I blame Sew Mama, Sew.
The month of November is Handmade Holidays Month. And I am going crazy with the craftiness of them all...not enough time in the world (and there needs to be more manly ideas)

I have printed out so many tutorials it is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!!!

And I am having a fabulous time.

Here is a little hint of the beginning of my holiday crafting madness:



the details:




(did you see the buttons!?!?!?!)

And there have been cookies. I saw Madhatter's yummy cookies and i figured it was time to dig through the magazine recipes i have been saving over the years and make these Iced Gingerbread cookies.



(next week, I will attempt a chocolate shortbread recipe)

Gobble...gobble!

Let's just assume i am greatful...and thankful and all that. I know. It is Thanksgiving here in the USA and everyone is writing something beautiful and poetic about how they are greatful for all they have in their lives......Like! Gag me with with a spoon!

No. Really. I AM thankful for many things.

• The cuteness that is Max.
• The latest show is open (and no actors were harmed in the process, or babies - Max is so lucky that Nana came down to babysitt, and sew costumes)
• I am not at work.
• I will bake a pie that will not taste terrible.
• I am not spending this day with anyone other than my new immediate family...oh? Did I type that? :)
• This.

And now i can return to the knitting! There are always 80 million projects in the works. But the one that seems to be getting the most time and energy from me is a Log Cabin Blanket. Which i completley blame on Ravelry for the inspiration. This started as a crocheted afghan for Fritz awhile back and it was not a success. AT ALL! To be honest with myself, it was U-G-L-Y! BUt the knitted version is looking sooo much prettier.

Here is just the beginning.

I hope to get it done by the end of the decade....hmmmm...don't hold your breath Fritz! He is lucky that i don't have to mail it to him...that's all i 'm saying.

Gratuitous nekked baby post!

PIF:
Thank you Amelie and K(n)ittything - you are on the list - now i must figure it all out - thank goodness i have a year! There is a 3rd slot if anyone is interested :)

Max as Knitwear model

This is a gratuitous baby in knitwear post - you have seen the some of these and some not. But how could I not post this adorable face?





The blueberry hat is by my friend Beth, the Little Man sweater is designed by me, the red sweater was made by Nana and the blanket was made by Lew at Woolwinders.

Pay it Forward

So I am joining the party. I was reading Tini's blog and then checked out the Madhatter and saw this PAY IT FORWARD blogger idea.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

This is a great idea - it is a casual crafting swap - and it will motivate me to try something new...i hope!

And since I seem to be a joiner these days (read: Ravelry and Facebook) I figured I would do this one too.

And though this is a knitting blog, I am thinking that it will be a sewn item...knitting needle case....linen napkins with embroidery...mini art quilt (okay i have never made one, but why not try one now?)......it means i can try out lots of things and see what happens....

hopefully not this! :)

ps- thanks for all the nice comments about my sweet pea! It is so easy to make him cute when he is so damn cute to begin with! (no i am not biased AT ALL)

happy halloween!!!

he's a PEA in case you are wondering :)

and yes, the peas are on steroids...good fertilizer....

there are also these cute pics too (I was going for the PRINCESS AND THE PEA but mommy did not have enough time for a full costume)

so as you can see, not much knitting and too much time on ravelry!

and in case you need a new fabric and trim dealer, check this place out!!!! (and do not blame me when your check book goes south!)

Cleaning house...

So the idea of this whole Ravelry thing is organization...well that is how i see it anyway. And boy does it want you to be organized. Pictures of my stash? Needle count? how many projects are ACTUALLY on the needles and then those that are stashed with needles and books hiding elsewhere?

Time to face the music!
And a scary piece of music is that.

I have been uploading projects and some yarn pics to my ravelry notebook - and i cannot believe i did not post about this adorable sweater:


You can view a closup of the little back view here.

Yarn: Regia Jacquard 4 ply in Oslo and Rowan 4ply soft in dark gray (soot?)
Needles: 2.5 for edging and 3mm for the body
Pattern: Candace Baby Cardigan by Holli Yeoh (pattern a day calendar 2005)
Size: 6month to 12 month
Notes: I had all but one sleeve done before the baby was born - but it took me until July to get that last sleeve done. I knit the sleeves in the round instead of flat ( I hate purling).
Since I did not have the perfect gray until after I waned to start this project, I picked up the hem edging once the whole project was sewn together. Also - I purposely did not match the stripes -I like when they match hardly at all or when they are absolutley perfect. I knew I couldn't get absolutley perfect :)

And now to the gratuitous baby pictures:





and one more here!!!


Also - here is a better shot of my Gala dress.

I'm IN!!!!!

frecklegirl has invited you to Ravelry!
Here you go! Thanks for your interest in our little site.

Did you see that? She said LITTLE site! So funny! Little! HA! HA!

Now this means I need more time to organize my stuff - virtually and in reality! Scary thought - I was thinking about scanning my patterns into the computer and putting them into PDF files and getting rid of the paper-trail (you know, fantasies of moving overseas and all...need less stuff to move)

Also I need to create an on line design portfolio. This is is it - sort of. I need something on a more professional level....another flickr account?

Fritz and me at this year's gala! Aren't we cute - It was the end of the night when this was taken. Hopefully I will post better pics of the dress (finished minutes before the show ended and the party started) when other people send them to me :)

7 months and a few days

What would be my Dad's birthday is in about 30 minutes. Well, a half hour from when i started this post. Who knows where we will be when i end this post.

He would have been 68. 67 is just too young.

I am not sure how well this reads on your computer, but yes, the type above my dad's obit from last Spring is Chinese. My aunt had this crazy idea while walking through Chinatown (NYC). She figured that Milt loved chinese food and he would appreciate the humour. The funny things is that the chinese food place where we ordered the foor for the memorial service from, recognized him :)

In other news - Saturday night is also the Gala for Imagination Stage - which means, as all not-for-profits do, we are fundraising. This also means that I need a dress and a babysitter. This will be the 1st date Fritz and I have been on without the Baby and not during the day. My sister and brother are coming down to babysit and spend tomorrow with us.

"What about the dress?" You might ask. That is a good question. I am currently reworking a dress that i made 4 years ago - turning it into a shorter cuter cocktail version of itself. Should have taken a before picture.....But you will see the after on Sunday...I hope :)

And while you are waiting to see that - you need to check out this fabric:

Take a closer look if you can. The one on the left is KNITMARE ON ELM STREET. And the second on is QUILT PIRATES. Both by Michael Miller - oh how i love the scissors instead of bones or swords.

Opening a show...again

So sorry that I have been out of touch. JUNGLE BOOK just opened this past weekend at Imagination Stage and it is FABULOUS!!! I am sure i have said this before about our shows. But there are times when we do good! :)
The monkeys are HYSTERICAL... unfortunatley, my pictures of them are not great, but you can see a fabulous picture of the tiger, Shere Khan. He is very scary. Or so I hear. Enough for a 3 year old to wet his pants.....well the target audience is 4-10 years old....

As for the knitting and crocheting - there have been socks as usual (no pics) And yet another Angel dress. This time it is punk rock crochet:



Pattern: Butterfly Pinafore (but i call it the angel top), McCall's Treasury of Patterns (?) from the early 70's or late 60's (my mom has been making these forever and rediscovered the book at a garage sale several years ago - out of print as far as we know)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay - not quite 2 skeins
Hook: F or G....can't recall
Check out the adorable buttons here.

The sweet angel that is my son is pushing to NOT make it to 1 years old. Lots of lack of sleeping, which also means lack of knitting and crocheting. Doesn't he realize that Mommy has a habit? And she needs her fix?!?!?!?!
Guessing not....

gratuitous baby picture:



as for Ravelry:

You signed up on August 27, 2007
You are #29157 on the list.
6514 people are ahead of you in line.
9983 people are behind you in line.
57% of the list has been invited so far

I am ALMOST there. I was invited to a Ravelry Meet-up this past Sunday, even though i am only on the waiting list. It is good to have friends. Of course, I forgot the camera - so no pics to post. But Max was a rock-star - he even took a nap and Mommy got 4 rounds on 2 sox done. SOOOOO EXCITING!

Run, don't walk....

...to your local fabric store (or where ever else you buy your patterns)

Last year, I got the chance to do some sewing for a Simplicity pattern designer to make some extra cash (for my trip to Vienna of course). Well, if you you have been perusing the costume section of the Simplicity pattern books, you will have seen my fine work!!!!

Being the dork that I am, I took pictures of the pattern books with my cell phone to document my handy work (which of course i never photographed last year because i forgot):

You can also view the professional pictures here and here

re-purposing stock

There are just WAY too many tshirts in our costume stock. An insane amount, really. I can only donate so many to Goodwill or Salvation Army, so i felt the need to re-purpose a few of them for grocery bags. The idea came to me when I saw the check-out clerk at the grocery store emptying the box of bags, which said "Tshirt Bags" on the box. And i thought..aha!! I know what to do with all those tshirts that do not fit into storage!



Now I am sure that this is written about somewhere in the blog-o-sphere, but i have decided to not google it, and post my own mini tutorial:

Starting from the top left corner, working across Left to right:

row 1:
1. You need one t-shirt. Children's small or medium is perfect for your aversage grocery store size bag (not to mention, these things S-T-R-E-T-C-H!)
2. Hack off the sleeves (but save later, for they will be pockets!)
3. and 4. You will need to cut out the neckline for handles. Draw it out to see how deep you want them, or just be brave and cut away.

row 2:
5. Turn inside out and fold sideways. The center fronts and the center backs are now the side seams.
skip middle pic
6. Creat bottom of back: Sew a seam approx. 1" -2" from original hem. (Seam depth determines width of bottom of bag)

just below, right to left (oops)
7. and 8. Snip open at sides so bottom of bag can lay flat. Measure approx. 1.5" in and stitch.

next row
9. and 10. Finish edges of handles (old neck and armhole seams) with stich of choice. Since this is a stretch fabic I just zig-zag around.
11. For pockets, open up sleeve seam, lay flat wrong side to wrong side 2" below armhole/handle with hem up. Stitch around sides and across bottom and then down middle to create 2 pockets (i need to play with photo shop more to learn how to draw arrows and other directional things).
12. On side opposite from pocket, add decoration of choice! (Tigerente, of course)

I use the smaller bags with pockets inside to transport bottles and what-nots to daycare for Maxim. But the red bag with the Tigerente is MY bag - lunch bag or knitting or general grocery shopping. The larger bags (what are now too small for me or Fritz) are perfect for larger grocery trips and are much more comfortable to carry from the parking lot to our apartment while pushing a stroller :)

mmmm, cake

Happy Birthday! To my lovely assistant, Katherine. Well, last week anyway. She is in search of her frog prince so i felt the need to make cupcakes and arrange them like this. Get it? Frog prince? yeah - i know i lose me too sometimes :)
I like to believe that it is practice for my future - little boy birthday parties and all that. Katherine is a willing victim participant in my reindeer games.

She is also a fan of aprons - so i made her a knitted apron:

Can't tell you what the yarn is other than it is Gedifra (dandy? and something that starts with a V? possibly?) It came out of my stash and i was just messing around with one of those dishcloth patterns you can find on the web. The fabric ruffle is a double-shot chiffon from stock. There is an inset of a close-up in the picture with the idea of running a lime-green ribbon through the eyelets. Maybe...well most likely.

Still playing with photo shop...and still forgetting what i did to get cool things to happen to pictures. Less beer and more sleep might be involved....

lemmings

okay - i am not jumping off a cliff or anything.

but i was feeling left out so i signed up.

you know? where all the cool kids are:

You are #29157 on the list.
17723 people are ahead of you in line.
1779 people are behind you in line.
36% of the list has been invited so far

something tells me, Max will be walking before i get in :)

Happy Labor Day!

With such a long break from the blog world – there has been a lot going on. So much that I should be able to blog on a regular basis for awhile. Well at least until we go into tech rehearsal for the JUNGLE BOOK at the end of the month. I have been trying to work through both knitting and sewing stashes; which means there should be plenty to share in the near future (there is even an attempt at working on holiday knitting and sewing…. Yeah, well I‘ll believe it, when I see it too)

First – of course, the gratuitous baby pics:



He is so damn cute don’t you think? Especially with Fritz.


And now to the knitting. The lovely Alice of Future Girl recently emailed and asked if I wanted to partake in a mini swap with her. Perfect timing! My sister was visiting and had asked where did I get *this* purse. When I told her about Alice and her amazing purses for sale, she asked if Alice would do custom and could she have one with a daisy? (btw - check out Alice's tutorial here).I told her I would see what I could do…like I said, perfect timing. So Alice has made this gorgeous purse for my sister and I knit this hat (as modeled by Fritz and his lovely assistant, Maximilian).






Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK in Thunder
Needles: US size 5 (3.75mm)
Pattern: Design K, Smallest size, Sirdar’s “Arans for Living” Book #276
Changes to Pattern: I had made this hat before, at gauge, in the yarn called for and the largest size, approx. 24” – and it was WAY to effing big! I mean HUGE So I made the smallest size (20”) in the yarn called for – still, it was HUGE!!! So this time I used a smaller yarn and am sooooooooo much happier!

The requirement was TIGHT – and since Fritz likes his hats ridiculously tight – he was the perfect model and point of reference. He liked it so much that he didn’t want to take it off after I took the pics. So Alice, if it is not liked, he will gladly take it back. I pointed out that I could make him yet another hat this year….I mean, I do have the mad skills and all.

As for the sewing: there has been a lot of cuteness happening for the baby. I have been on an appliqué and machine embroidery kick. I think a lot of inspiration is coming from all the adorable things that I see on other blogs. So I felt (get it? Felt?...yeah i kill me) the need to try some on my own:




The onesies were purchased and then embellished (what a great word) with felt appliqués and machine embroidery. The Lion bib was a kid’s t-shirt that we were going to toss from stock; I repurposed it and made a bib for the wee one. While still on the bib kick, I crocheted a bib with King Tut Cotton and a size G hook. The shaping was created with short rows – and of course, an adorable Tigerente appliquéd sewn on by hand.

Side note: As you can see, I have discovered fd’s flickr toys (thank you SewMad) and there has also been PhotoShop activity as well. I now need to figure out that layer thing so I can create a copyright/label for my renderings and photos)

Some Assembly Required...

Just a little update that i am still alive and YEAH we have a new computer...Vista isn't all bad...well for now.

I am currently reworking the blog look and forgot to save my links list. SO if you feel you are missing from my list - don't feel bad, i just accidently deleted you (and if you are in my cell phone, you already know what that feels like)

Learning lots of things now that we have PHOTO SHOP!!!!!!

I feel like i am in the 90's! All modern with the Photo Shop....

Here is a cute baby picture:

beth and angela came for avisit and got to see the babe!

99.9 Fahrenheit degrees

*Suzanne Vega song

Okay so it is a million degrees here in the DC area! It is so hot that I am hanging out at Fritz's scene shop keeping cool while the theatre is OUT OF POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So all shows cancelled and no sewing (Don't have any hand sewing to do) No laundry (not using a washboard) and well no posting of new pictures of cute baby sweaters or crocheted bibs that say MAX! (the camera is in the costume shop, along with my swim suit and am not interested in driving all the way there)

But since the baby is at daycare, Fritz and I are FINALLY going to see HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. (we have yet to see PIRATES III or the new BOURNE movie)

Also i am going to take an official blogging break until Labor Day. I have plenty to blog about - have gotten a lot of knitting and crocheting done - working on my stash and finishing objects that i have started oh so long ago.... of lot of repurposing going on too.

Part of the reason is that the home computer is crap and we are geting a new one soon. Also i want to take some time to learn some html and really make this blog into something other than your basic template.

I am very much inspired by SewMad's collages of pic on her blog as well as the look and "feel" of other blogs such as MollyChicken or Moonstitches or a new to me Inside a Black Apple. There are a million more blogs that inspire me and that i love to read - but these blogs (and many many many more) all seem to have this tactile feel that i feel mine is missing.

And since I am an artist in real life , i need to show this a bit more through my blog.

If you are in DC, on Sunday come to Woolwinders and learn to make this cute dress with me!

ikea hack

I love my Ikea bags - you know....those HUGE blue bags that you buy every time you go to Ikea to bring all that stuff you don't need home? You know...this one:



This bag has many uses as I am sure you know. Great for luggin' laundry back and forth to the theatre or schlepping it down to the laundry room in our building. Also, good to keep in the car for those trips to Sam's Club or Costco or any other store where there aren't bags. Also FABULOUS for show-shopping ....Great for the gross quantities of stuff.

But what about smaller loads of laundry such as baby stuff? Or little shopping trips? I still wanted my ikea bag but it gets so cumbersome when it is only half full. I thought to myself...hmm i really like the size of these Giant Pea Pod bags, but how tacky to carry around a grocery store bag, not to mention it is just plastic and not tarp like my Ikea bag, hmmmm.....

So 30 minutes and 59 cents later I had these:



OOOOOOHHHHHH! AAAAAHHHHH!
Papa bag, Mama bag and Baby "knitting project size" bag.



i guess i can now say:



gratuitous baby picture:

It's Harry Potter Time!

(title of this post sung to the tune of “howdy doody”)

yes there is knitting - see below :)

Well just a bit less than 2 hours to go and the final installment of the HARRY POTTER books will be out and about on the East Coast. Those of you overseas have already obtained (and most likely devoured) your English copies of Deathly Hallows. (Can you believe that the German version won’t be out until OCTOBER!!!!!!????)

I know that it is the final party at the stores – but Fritz is picking up our 2 copies (1 for me, 1 for him) later in the day while I am at the yarn store. And I probably won’t be reading HP until Sunday, as I will be spending the very late evening watching BUFFY the MUSICAL!!!!! So cool I tell ya! (Yes I am that strange). In case you did not know, there was a BUFFY THE MUSICAL episode (season 6 of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) and they are performing it around the country ala` ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. They currently do this with SOUND OF MUSIC as well. I am so excited!!! Can’t you tell?

If I am lucky the baby will sleep long and hard on Sunday so I can read all day poolside.

Last Sunday was great! After swimming, the baby did this:


So I did this:

And made this:


Pattern: ala sweater wizard version 3.0/raglan cardigan sweater/knit flat
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton in Willow
Needle size: US size 7 (4.5mm)
Gauge: 4.25 stitches per inch (2.5cm)
Finished size: 20”

Isn’t he cute in his little man sweater? It just took one day! I love aran weight yarn!
It took me all week to find the perfect buttons and then do the button placket. There are 2 extra stitches on his left side which bug me just enough that I do not feel like ripping it out and re-doing it. It took me 2 tries to get the buttonholes exactly where I wanted I know that there is a mathematical way to figure out buttonholes – I teach this in my Finishing Class- but I am “artistic” (read: crazy) and was being ueber – specific. It also took me all week to find the perfect buttons. I went with tiny little stars…so cute.

I plan on working through a few more stash items before casting anything new on...yeah..i am sure i have said that before....

Blue Beauty

This lovely top is a gift for Meghan, the scenic artist who painted the mural in the baby’s room. She wouldn’t take cash, but she would gladly take knit/crochet wear as payment.

Pattern: Blissful by ? in THE HAPPY HOOKER
Yarn: Rowan Damask 6 skeins (I think)
Hook: G for the shell skirt and F for the bodice
Changes to the pattern: since it was a bit big and overlapped at the back, I used snaps as closures at center back. Instead of a halter, I used ribbon and lingerie findings for the straps.

And it looks great on Meghan (who was covered in paint and not willing to be photographed all schmutzig)! The skirt part was fabulously easy to make – the “feather and fan” type repeat on the lower half was so much fun to make. And that was done in no time….it was the bust cups that drove me crazy!!!!.

I checked for errata on the Knit Happens home page found that, yes, there are errata, but it is WRONG WRONG WRONG. When you have 78 stitches and decrease 4 stitches you cannot still have 78!!!! Argh!! Oh the frustration of this pattern!! I had to do the left bra cup 3 times to get it right. At first I thought it was me, so I ripped out. Then I realized that the pattern is not written the way I was taught to read patterns. For example: In crochet, you chain a certain number of stitches at the end/beginning of the row to create height for the next row. This chain counts as a stitch. So, if the pattern reads:

foundation row: Chain 21
row 1: In second chain from hook, single crochet to end. 20 stitches.
row 2: Chain 3, double crochet in each single crochet to end of row. 20 stitches

What this means is that there are 19 double crochets and 1 “chain 3” which total 20 stitches. (Make any sense?) Okay – this is how every other pattern I have ever made is written. Apparently not this one! So frustrating. The pattern was written so my row 3 above would total 19 stitches, not counting the chain 3 as a stitch. Get it?!?!..No? Oh well…I tried. Just add one to each row and it will be fine…..

So obviously problem with the pattern. But it is very pretty, no?

Baby Potter

So I had to do it! In honour of the 5th Harry Potter Movie "The Order of the Phoenix," Max really needed a boy wonder bib. And with the final book being released next week, he will wear this again I am sure :)

The lightening bolt was enbroidered by me by machine. I have become very attached to the free form embroidery aspect on one of the machines at the theatre and have been very much inspired by Kristin LaFlamme's Needle Doodles. I don't have the finess that she has but Iam starting to learn the basics and plan for more little images on bibs ('cause babies drool..a LOT!!!)