OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE

IT IS WORLD CUP FEVER here in my home...well only in my sewing room as Mr. Fritz is not a football aka soccer fan. So silly of him.

Watching the first match as I type, getting ready for my second shot at the FSOT/FSWE this afternoon...oy!

For those who may not care about the Beautiful Game but want to know if they look good or not, read here.

And in crochet news - if you are free this sunday and in the neighborhood, come check out my Sunday in the Salon at Woolwinders:

How did it become March already?

In KNIT OR GET OFF THE POT fashion, I have not blogged in 2 months and then some. I try to be consistant in my errors.

Why? Well, some for being busy and some for trying to find the perfect job (not happening) and some for sheer laziness.

And now I am super busy again just like last spring - with the Skating Costumes and 2 College productions - both Shakespeare and knitting ANOTHER sample for Mission Falls Yarns (YIPPEEE) and then there were those Olympics to watch in which I lost track of all time while bedazzling skating costumes. There were also some scary costumes too.

Something I did teach myself this January was Double Knitting - ohhhh it is so very cool:

here is side one:



and if you flip it over, you get this:



I am still looking for a new career/job - but until then I am in Tech rehearsal on March 15th until the end of April. Not only are there the two University productions, there are 3 other shows coming up too! All good - just very busy. And I have to plan Max's 3rd birthday.... I so want a Pirate Themed party :)

And another 2 months has passed.....

Of me not posting on my blog
But you can always find me on Facebook – I just spend way to much time there – it is true.

Since last posting, there was Halloween…well, so I heard. I have been told of a fabulous holiday where children WANT to dress in fun costumes and got Trick-or-Treating for yummy candies….not my son.

After a lovely morning of “Thanks Mommy! It is so cute!” - all I got was his back and cries of “Take it off! I don’t like it!” A morning of Mommy–love turned into an afternoon of cranky, crying, not going out baby. I was C-R-U-S-H-E-D! I cried too…I had fantasies of a fab motherhood/childhood moment of going to the parade and Maxim in cute Halloween costume….dashed away by the whims of a 2.5 year old…oh wait he is 2.5!!! Of course! So reality checked back in and then there was alcohol after he went to bed
(There were chaps by the way. And a hat.)





So then November flew on by…
In the first week – actually the first 2 or 3 days of the month, I got a last minute text message and was asked to make this dress. For SHOWBOAT at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (Did I mention they won a Tony last year?)


As quick as possible – as in cut and sewed on Wednesday, fit on Thursday, altered and fit again on Friday, and then the finishing was passed on to someone else to have ready for photo call on Saturday evening. . I hope nobody looks to close to the inside……For a quick faking of a Victorian day outfit complete with fake bustle, it was not bad. I do wish I had changed a few lines, such as knocking the shoulder seam down the back or the doing the front princess seams a bit differently, but you do what you can….

Then there were the doll clothes!!!! OMG! Tiny seams! Tiny pockets (for their tiny handkerchiefs of course)! And I had the easy lot – there were also tiny jean jackets with all that top stitching! This was another Simplicity project that I was a part of and the moment it was done there was *another* Simplicity project and there is even another one to be finished before the end of the year. So yeah – I have been a bit busy...

And I have not even gotten to Thanksgiving! Another story, another time...


Before I go I will show you a cute little sweater that I actually did make for Maxim- This time it is crocheted:















Pattern: Milo the Owl Sweater from CROCHET DESIGN FOR KIDS by Lucinda Guy
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Navy 011 (5.5 balls), Glacier 005, and Earth 018
Hook: E
Extras: none
Changes: no Owl or cross-stitch detail - may make the sleeves a bit longer by adding 3 rounds of single crochet in brown.

so here's what happened...

Last Spring a customer, who happens to be a designer, at the store was looking for a sample knitter who could fair isle. Well, believe it or not, I fair-isle pretty well (in wool anyway, I am currently realizing that the act of fair isle combined with cotton and me are not as pretty on first try, or second...but that is another story).
So she offered me the one time chance to knit a sample for her and she liked it and the yarn company liked it and now is in print in the MISSION FALLS DUET pattern book!
I made the Indie Vest by Simona Merchant-Dest (rav link).
So here are my pictures of the vest:




BTW - I LOVED knitting with this yarn and knitting this pattern, there are plenty of ends to weave in, which was a bummer, BUT the pattern was simple (for me) and the yarn was a dream.

I am currently working on another sample for the same designer and company. And once it is approved and out in print, I will let you know about that one too :)

On the more personal side of life, still job hunting. Had a couple of very good interviews. One of which I did not get, but an impression was made and she passed my resume onto another department. So I am not certain where it all stands. Just keeping my fingers crossed since I really like this new opportunity and the characters involved :).

And on a Max note - we are debating between a cowboy or a pirate for Halloween 2009 :) I want pirate but I think he would rather be a cowboy. I am taking the day off from the store and Max and I are going Trick or Treat-ing in the Apartment bldg...maybe we will go to an event at a bookstore or something terribly stay-at-home mom like :) (I cannot wait!)

Roadblock

Just over 3 months since I last blogged. ACK! It is a disgrace in the land of blogging, I know.

Sad – pathetic even! (Imagine Snagglepuss saying that)

What was I doing? You really want to know?

Well let’s take a look in the life of me in pictures:


Studying for the FSOT (and did not pass - barely - there is always next year)



Knitting


Jan’s wedding (for which I sewed the veil and made my own dress to wear – but no good pics yet)


Max looking cute in suit



Me sitting on couch



Okay that last one is obviously Daddy and Max on the couch. I admit - I am vain and any pictures of me sitting on the couch other than the one of the cool hair and studying for an exam, are absolutely horrendous!
Although that last one is mostly what I have been doing. Theatre is quiet in the summer and the lack of work has turned me into a non-creative couch potato.
No bueno.

The lack of employment is very frustrating. Financially and creatively.

I know. I know. Many of you might think to yourselves that this would be a perfect opportunity to use my time wisely and market myself more or become more creative and more productive. Maybe sew more for myself or Max or others even…..

Ummmmm…… not so much. I think that it is hard for those who have creative jobs to become more creative in these times. This is one of those moments that I am considering taking the other fork in the road and becoming more businesslike in my endeavors. I find it hard to create when the thing that has kept me in the black is the thing that is keeping me from getting a job.

There seems to be a roadblock in the employment department.

That roadblock is the so often heard phrase of “But you’re an artist….” or “But you work in the arts why would you want to work in an office?”
The second roadblock is my résumé and those who see it in a professional/non-theatrical setting.

I have an amazing résumé. (Of course I believe this :) afterall, it is MY résumé.) It just seems to me that the word THEATRE has been written in N1H1 flu ink or something and very few look past the titles and not see what I have actually accomplished. It is possible that I haven’t been clear enough. I have had some really good friends look at it for me and offer some brilliant advice on how to change the language and style a bit. Which I think has helped.
It doesn’t help that more than 10% of the country is out of work (I believe it is more than 15% due to those who have stopped looking for work are no longer on the official register and there are those like me who are “self-employed” artist types who are not eligible for unemployment based on your State’s unemployment laws). There are many talented people looking for work…so I know I am not the only one.

And maybe discussing this on my knitting blog is not one of my better ideas….but if the employers find this post then they must be truly interested in me and want to know who I am. Basically, they Googled :). There are some fabulous ‘made for Marietta’ type jobs out there (Museums and companies who deal with Language training…department of commerce is also very interesting to me …maybe going back to school?)….alas……

On a positive note (there are some good things here): I AM spending more time with Max, who is ridiculously cute, and I have been working more at the yarn store this fall and teaching a new Safari class on Saturday mornings.

I am also looking into teaching workshops at a local Art Co-op as well as teaching knitting and crochet at MC to students who have developmental disabilities - expanding on my experiences of designing costumes for ArtStream (who I will be designing for again spring 2010).


So it is not all bad.

No political affiliation elephant (long lost item 2)

Pattern: Henri the Elephant from CROCHET DESIGN FOR KIDS by Lucinda Guy
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Damson 030 (2 balls), Lavendar 039, Quarry 035, and Cypress 007
Hook: E
extras: buttons for the stars
changes: no fringe on blanket or tail

I wasn't paying attention when making the belly section and made it too long so there was a little tummy tuck action, but you can't see that so you wouldn't know anything about it:)

And since i made him this past october or september - i have to name the no political affiliation elephant as too many people assumed that he was representing a certain political party that i am not a part of. Really? He's purple....maybe follows the path of the purplre Tele-tubby - so not that KIND of elephant :)

Btw - I really love this book. I am currently making the MILO Sweater and i am forcing my mom offered to crochet the MARCEL THE SNAIL TOP for Maxim too.


And in case you have forgotten what he looks like, here he is in snow from January:

long lost item 1

There has been some crocheting here and i cannot believe that i NEVER posted about it. Really!


Pattern: Wisteria Necklace, book - Colinette Arboretum
Yarn: Colinette Tao Silk
Hook: US C (2.75)
started and finished: November 29, 2008
changes to pattern: use needle and thread to sew flowers together rather than silk yarn - too slippery otherwise.

crazy? right? that i forgot to blog about it - it has been on my flickr account forever, so you might have seen it already but maybe you haven't.

This was made for one of our Sundays in the Salon at Woolwinders. Actually - it was my freedom Sunday - the last day that i was officially on the books as Costume Shop Manager at ISI.

In other news, i finally went down to the Goethe Institute to get more information about language courses and to see where i rank. Basically, I am still where i was - B2 level (some international rating system) - a bit better than i thought considering it was a written test and that means GRAMMAR!!!!!!!!!! So, hopefully I will be taking a class beginning in February - but that depends on sooooo many other things.....

Tequila Sunrise Special

Having been inspired by all of the Chevron Scarves all over Ravelry, I decided to make my own Chevron Lace scarf. I loved the idea behind the original design in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but I wanted something a little different - same concept just not the same :)

So I searched the wonderful world of the internet and found a stitch library at Knitting on the Net. I also searched my books but I had this particular pattern stuck in my head – probably from a sweater hanging in the store – and I was desperate to find it.

My other reason for wanting to make this scarf was the fact that I had four balls of this crazy hot Koigu (now 3 after making the scarf) and wanted to make something fun but mindless. The pattern of inspiration used 2 contrasting Koigus. I could just not find another yarn either in my stash or in the stores that contrasted in just the right way. Basically, I was being ueber-picky. So I went with the cool version of the same colour and am thrilled with the result! Granted, it looks like I only used one colour but it is now a more toned down version of the original purchase. And it reminds me of one of my favourite drinks – the Tequila Sunrise (yes, the drink is usually more yellow or orange bu i happen to like more grenadine in the mix than most)

There was a bit of trial and error with the pattern – such as just plain casting on too many stitches and making the scarf ridiculously wide.

Without further ado - the pattern for my:

Tequila Sunrise Special

Materials:
1 skein hot pink/orange Koigu (A)
1 skein cool pink/burgundy Koigu (B)
needle size -3.75 mm/US 5
Stitch holder
Note: Scarf is worked in 2 separate pieces to allow for scalloped edges then sewn together with Kitchener stitch
Finished Measurements: total length - 60"/width of chevron section - approx 5"/width of garter - 3.5"/length of garter section - approx 28"

With Colour A, cast on 36 stitches (pattern repeat is Multiple of 13 + 1 +2 for selvedge stitches)

Row 1: Knit to the last stitch, bring yarn forward, and slip last stitch as if to purl
Row 2: Knit into the back of the first stitch, continue knitting to the last stitch, bring yarn forward, and slip last stitch as if to purl.
Row 3: repeat Row 2

You should have 2 Garter Ridges or 4 Knit Rows (cast on row counts as 1st Knit Row)

Begin pattern stitch:
Row 1 (RS): Knit into the back of the first stitch *k1, yo, k4, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k4, yo; rep from *, to last 2 stitches, k1, bring yarn forward, slip last stitch as if to purl.
Row 2: Knit into the back of the first stitch, purl to last stitch, bring yarn forward, and slip last stitch as if to purl.

Rep Rows 1 and 2.

Change to Colour B, repeat rows 1 and 2, 2 times.
Change to Colour A, repeat rows 1 and 2, 2 times.

And keep on keeping on until you have reached approximately 13 inches from the cast on row AND have finished a 4 row repeat.

Decrease Rows:
With RS facing, Change colours and Knit 2 rows (one garter ridge).
Dec Row: (With same colour) Selvedge, *k1, k4, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k4; rep from *, k1, selvedge. (36 stitches) - ###this is not a typo, this is the same as the pattern stitch Row 1 but without the YO’S###
Next Row: Knit

Change colours:
Dec row: selvedge, *k1, k3, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k3; rep from *, k1, selvedge (30 stitches)
Next Row: Knit


Change colours:
Dec row: selvedge, *k1, k2, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k2; rep from *, k1, selvedge (24 stitches)
Next Row: Knit

Change colours:
Dec row: selvedge, *k1, k2, k2tog, k2; rep from *, k1, selvedge (21 stitches)
Next Row: Knit

******Change colours:
Knit 2 Rows *******

Break Yarn leaving approximately 12 inches and place stitches on a stitch holder

And begin again - this time starting with Colour B.

Follow pattern, working your way through the decreases. Repeat from ****** to ******* working just in Garter, changing colour every 2 rows until you have almost run out of Yarn or until you have reached your desired length.

Sew the 2 halves together using your favourite directions for the Kitchener Stitch – don’t forget to have wrong sides together and the yarn needs to come form the back needle.
You could three-needle bind off with right sides together, but I think Kitchener is so much prettier.
Block – the edges will have a natural wave.

The end!


----The usual copyright rules apply to this pattern - personal use only - blah - blah - blah.
I have only written 2 other patterns before and those were crochet – so let me know how this goes if you make it.

a whole month!

Wow! Has it really been a whole month? Where have I been you might ask? Well no where really. Just at the theatre for most of May and June and trying to recoup during the month of July.

There has been limited personal crafting – but there have been a few things that I wanted to share with you for while but just haven’t had the chance to do so. That baby and that job have been getting in the way of fun sewing. And lack of space to craft at home have made it difficult.

But that is changing very soon:
Here is Fritz:


and here they are!!! My new cutting table, ironing table and sewing machine table all built to my specs! (read: really flippin' tall - 42" for the tall tables and 32" for the shorter)


It is still a work in progress. And it will probably take awhile. Nothing is in the ‘cute’ organizational style – old diaper boxes used for storage bins for magazines and single patterns, as well my sewing patterns and a few other random things. I plan on using baby formula tins for notions and trims – and some of those leftover baby jars and tupperwares. There will be one or two more trips to IKEA for better lighting and other organizational tools.

And while organizing the disaster that was our guest room soon to be my personal studio (imagine happy dance here), I started taking pics of my yarn stash to post on Ravelry.



If you cannot find me there (mafgreene) then check my stash out on Flickr: here and here and here


The sad part is that I found quite a few (read: a crap load) of unfinished projects. The first one will be 5 years old this fall. the 2nd is an on-again, off-again relationship for the last two years...it might grow up to be a lovely blanket someday



and let us not forget these lonely socks…..some day they will have a friend



And here is an adorable pic of my boy!

Also check me out over at Woolwinders– I was the guest blogger this week pushing the penguin!

Date night!

And Passover.

Fritz and I went on a date – a grown up date – no Max – just us.
Pretty impressive, I know. We even went to see a grown-up play. We saw THE GOOD WOMAN OF SZETCHUAN over at CONSTELLATION THEATRE. My friend, Yvette, designed the costumes for it (and they were fabulous), and I made one of the costumes for her – this equals free tickets. I love the complimentary ticket system. You work on the show and you get a few free tix. So nice and considerate.
The scary thing is that this is the first time in 5 years that I have taken advantage of my free tix earned elsewhere other than ISI. We really need to get out more. Really!

My mom came down and babysat and both she and the babe both survived! Max has new teeth (again!) coming in and has not been into too much food or sleeping.

It is also the Passover week – no Seders here. Not in the mood this year. We listened to PRARIE HOME COMPANION on the way into DC the other night and there were these Swedish guys singing “Putting on the Ritz” and the ShoeBand siniging a few Passover songs. It was both funny and sad at the same time for me. The Passover songs were in the 3rd segment for the night.


There has been some crafting in the world of KNIT OR GET OFF – well crocheting really. The wonderful world of Ravelry has led me to make these:



The pattern (in Japanese, of course) can be found here.

It is charted, so rather easy to follow but a bit awkward, due to weaving the circles around one another to create the centre. Once you’ve got that, you are good to go. These were just for practice. But I am thinking of making four of them (reversing the colours on 2 of them) and using that as the front of a bag (and maybe back?), and line it with some fab Asian print fabric – something on a geometric scale?

As for fabric, the latest banner is this fabric, in case you were wondering. I bought it at Capital Quilts, my local quilting shop (well, local to Woolwinders). Along with these guys here:








All of them are Alexander Henry prints and are from the Vienna or Gustav Klimt collections. The moment I saw them in the store i knew two things 1) they had to be alexander henry prints and 2) they had to be named after something from the Art Nouveau/Jugendstil period.


Skirt or aprons? Or bags? Or stash for now?

where does the time go?

Wow! 2 weeks already? Crazy I tell ya!
Well between the baby being sick and me being sick - not much has been going on.

Well that's not true becasue there has been crocheting and sewing happening and a bit of knitting. And of course there are always cute Max pictures that i need to upload at some point....so let's start with what i have sorted out



Yarn: Cascade 220 in a lovely camel shade, 2 skeins (I did have to break into a 3rd only because I threw out the yarn from the 3 times I started and failed)
Hook: G (4mm)
Pattern: Crochet Cable Bag, Family Circle Easy Crochet Spring 2007
Changes to Pattern: LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS.
I view this Bag as I do a rendering from a Costume Designer. Someone else designed the bag - came up with the end look. But I did all the technical work and created the pattern.
The original pattern was not charted and the wording was very complicated and very very difficult to follow, basically not well written. I could not find any links (when i started it in September) that might help.
I also lined the purse and added a pocket and magnet snap ( i am a sucker for a magnet snap).
It is currently sitting in my "sunshine box"*****

So what i have to say to crochet designers is CHART CHART CHART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, why all the back posting from the wrong side when the same texture can be created with front posting and having the correct side of the work facing you.

Okay enough complaing - I LOVE THE END RESULT. I will make more I am sure.
Once i had that chart, it was so easy to make.

I would love to find out how to have a link to the chart i created - it was done on graph paper since there does not seem to be a program for charting crochet - if you know of one, please let me know. People link to PDF's for their personal patterns and i was wondering how I do this. Is it possible with Blogger? Do I need to have a proper server? More research is involved on my part I am sure.


*** A SUNSHINE BOX is a box full of gifts - sort of. When we were little, my Nana had her Sunshine Box (big box with a sun on it) and in it were little gifts. More like the gifts you get out of the bubble gum machine - small toys, stuffed animals, doilies whatever little kids would think were fun. When you visisted you were allowed to pick out one item from the Sunshine Box. So I have always had a drawer or a box in the closet with random little gifts in it - instead of letting someone else pick - i use my Sunshine Box as a place to keep gifts for a future date - for birthdays, holidays, house warming gifts, going out to dinner etc. Some are actually lableed for people and some are just plain random weird things...

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.

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.

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!

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....

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)

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?

Hard at work...

Oh my it has been almost a whole month since I last posted!

What has been happening you might ask? (and if you didn’t, I will tell you anyway)

Well the cute boy has been at DayCare *sigh* and he is FINE!! Am I fine? Well I am not crying this week….He is so happy to be there because he is so cute and loved and how could you not love this face:




How do you people with Jobs and Crafts and Kids find time to blog? I mean I thought crafting and working made it hard enough – though I admit the blogging forces me to finish…sort of….okay maybe not all.

But there has been some finishing happening. My Mom almost finished this very cute sweater for the boy:



Pattern: Baby Kimono by Kristin Spurkland in Interweave Knits Summer 2005
Intended size: 20” which says newborn, but I think it is more like 6mths (22”) – my mom knits loose
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton Colour #? (lost the ball band)
Needles: size 3(3.25mm)
Changes to pattern: Closure is left over right (boy baby) and used snaps instead of ribbon for closure (again, boy baby)

So easy to make! Okay, all I did was one sleeve and put it together. As you can see I added a bit of grosgrain down each “button band” and sewed snaps instead of buttons. And used a fabulous Pirate Button purchased at the store as decoration. I like snaps and zippers best for baby sweaters since they hold better than buttons possibly torn off by little hands. Of course that does not mean that I would not use cute buttons if I found them!


And there has been a lot of swimming going on:

Maxim with Julie Anne hangin' out in his coolshades at the pool!