Wishful Knitting

I made this for my fellow SnBer, Jan. I gifted it to her long ago, but I never put up the pictures. It was, as are most of the amigurumi projects, FUN! It's from the book in the side bar there- Ana Paula's. And it's made with mystery market yarn. Of course, my eldest daughter wanted to keep this little fellow. But he was created specifically for my friend. I told my daughter I would make her one, as she wants every project I make, but I haven't done so yet. It's on the list, I keep telling her. Good thing she doesn't know how long the list is : ) I think I will make the mini-cactus for her instead. I am currently working on an ice cream cone (for both girls) and after that I think she wants the apple. She's even requesting crocheted items for her stuffed toys. Apparently Bitty, who is my second daughter's lovey, needs an ice cream cone too. It's getting out of hand! Fear not sister of mine, Odd Fellow is on my mind again, and I do mean t...

I am certainly no designer. I don't even aspire to "design" anything. I would like, however, to be able to put together a simple sweater/shrug with any yarn for any person. This is my first attempt and so far I think it's going well. This summer cardigan is actually not for this willing model, but for her sister. (Who is less apt to be bribed most of the time.) I am using white cotton that I picked up at the market. I have chosen to knit it at a tighter gauge than I normally would because I keep thinking the cotton is going to stretch out. Hopefully it won't be like a suit of armor when it's finished! I am using Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top Down book as my inspiration. So far, so good- I am pleased with it. I finished the sleeves with a very simple yarn-over lace edging- I'll probably use it along the lower edge as well. I think I will single crochet along the front and neck and then use a single button at the top to close it. The weather her...

My friend's son has an imaginary friend- a bunny named Tiny. I just think it's the sweetest thing EVER. Apparently, Tiny can be naughty and is responsible for a whole slew of mischievous behavior at her house. Tiny also has been known to jump out the car window- requiring my friend to pull over to give him a chance to catch up. It's just so sweet. Tiny was born red, and has since metamorphasized to purple. I have wanted to knit Tiny for a long time, and I am so tickled to have finally completed this loving task. Tiny is safely in the arms of his boy- his sister is the one who got the elephante. Tiny is from the Last Minute Knitted Gifts book and is made from Swish Superwash from knitpicks. The yarn was soft and squishy just the way Tiny should be. I wish I had an entire army of these.

My dear friend recently moved her family to the Washington, D.C. area. I thought it would be nice to send a softie to her kids so they would have a little something extra to hold onto during all these changes. Her little girl is named Ella, and here is her elephant. The pattern is from the fabulous Ana Paula's book- see side bar. I am tickled pink (ha, ha) with how she turned out. I had several hesitations with the trunk. Plus, she looked like a pig right up to the end. Finishing it was very fiddly and not fun at all. It will be a while before I make another one of these. I don't know how any crochet toy that I make will hold up to "play" from a little one. Her brother's bunny is waiting in the wings for his photo shoot.

Blossom by Knitting@Knoon is done- it's a wonderful knit! The pattern is interesting, but not overly complicated. This is the first time I used Cascade 220- I had no idea what I was missing! It feels very soft and has a nice drape. I adore this sweater and my daughter likes it too. I might try to make one for myself : ) I love the picot edging and the bell sleeves. And this is what it would look like if you made one for a pirate.

Now that the latte is safely on the table of her new owner, it's blogg-able. The patterns are from Ana's book (see side bar)- and the recipient is my ever coffee-lovin', Seattle-livin' sister. Umm, sorry that the cupcake didn't come along for the ride, but there was no prying it out of H's hand! Most of the faces in the book have wide-set eyes. They look darling, but when I try to duplicate them, it doesn't seem to look as cute. I usually settle for closer-set eyes. The finishing is a bit labor intensive, more so on the larger critters. I bought felt here in Italy, but it can't be used for my purposes. It's about 1/2" thick! I should have told the store clerk that I didn't want it, but she went upstairs and then returned with 5 bolts of different colors, while I was shopping around. When I went over to the cutting table, she had most of it cut already, so I just bought it. Oh well. Maybe I'll come up with a use for it- doubtf...

These were my first projects from Ana Paula's book. It all started off so innocently, and now it's hard to stop! I have made several of these little cuties and they get rave reviews from the kids! Easy, cute, why not? I am still experimenting with the nose. The book calls for a nose made out of felt and sewn in place. I don't like how thin and flimsy the felt seems. The embroidery skills could use a little work, but I think that's the way to go.

With any new obsession involving yarn, I find it necessary to acquire more. Although Amigurumi is billed as a stash buster, a stash enhancer is so much more fun! Here are some misc. pictures of the market. I didn't get a shot of the yarn guy's stall because it's in a tight alley. It was impossible with the alley crowded with shoppers. Just a few skeins in various colors. They were 3 Euro each, I think. I seem to have conveniently forgotten. The yarn is 80% wool and 20% acrilico. While at the market, a woman approached me and asked for help. She was a fellow Americana. She thought the yarn was silk because of the name "Silke" on the label. An honest mistake, she would only have to touch the yarn to know it's not silk. Anyway, she was looking for something to take to her mom back in the States as a souvenir! How thoughtful! Help spend someone else's yarn budget- heck yeah! I asked her what kind of knitting her mom preferred- she had no idea. She answered sim...

Just look at that happy kid- I suppose this is what/who started me down the path of late nights and tingling digits. Seems I have gotten into the habit of making my girls a new stuffed toy every Easter. This year, she wanted a guinea pig. For weeks I tried to get her to change her mind, to no avail. I couldn't find a knitted pattern- in hindsight, I am sure I could have just come up with something, but instead, I found this site: Planet June . While I have tried basic crochet before (with the help of the Happy Hookers ), I hadn't tried anything like this before. So, I gave it a whirl- and, judging from the smiles, I think it went well. Lucky for me, Nanny-o has been here for Spring break to do the hard part...the faces! And, as usual, we have to do it late at night, the eve before Easter. Hey, it's tradition. It's when we do our best work! (heard that before?) Note the blue rooster pitcher filled with red wine : ) Thanks for your help Mumsey! The pattern is the...

The elder daughter, filled with awe, quietly observed, "Mom, she's knitting that blanket AND using that blanket." Ten seconds later, they couldn't resist any longer and jumped under that handknit- smart girls. I'm not sure how much knitting we got done, but we had fun. Come back soon : )

I made this for a baby shower recently. The pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts . It was easy and fun to knit- but there is an error in the pattern that isn't corrected on the errata page. Following the given instructions doesn't leave enough openings to thread the tie properly. This time, (as I was running out of time and wanted it to be washed and ready to wear) I simply overlooked the defect and tied the hat. Next time I make it, I will add another eyelet. The yarn is Mission Falls cotton- from the stash. I also made this.... I have started to crochet little items (read....current obsession). It seems so freeing to be able to create simple sweet designs with only a hook. The baby's name will be Sofia and the shower was the day before Easter.

To say I "love" this sweater does not do my sentiments justice. I really, really adore this sweater. I wear it all the time and it's perfectly suited for this time of season change. It makes me feel like I know how to knit : ) It's comfortable and snuggly. The pattern is great, easy to follow and I didn't hit any stumbling blocks. I used EcoWool and it's lovely. I am also happy with the color. As you all know, the pattern is Starsky and it's from Knitty.com(Jordana Paige). I love it...okay, nuff said, you get the idea? Now that I have extolled the virtues of the sweater, there is, one problem.... Yes folks, there are some "unsightly bulges" with which to contend! YUCK!!! My dear mother-in-law thinks that it was the lighting and the photography. I dare disagree. It was very kind of my father-in-law to take the pictures on the streets of Spilimbergo, and the quality of pics is fine. I don't believe there is a change in "lighti...

These are happy feet. I finally finished the "guiness" socks for My Man. In the end, he opted not to go with the "sloth toe" (ie flip flop friendly) style...I wish I would have taken a picture of said toe. He decided having fabric between his toes would bother him. The pattern is an old Lopi pattern for slipper socks. The yarn is Lamb's Pride Bulky.

but not quite finished. Seems like this is the never-ending project. I am super happy with the results, but I hadn't put the little belt loops on yet. I wasn't going to, more because I wanted to be finished with this project. But from the first attempts to get pictures of Starsky, I can see it needs to be done. There's an unsightly little ridge/bulge of sweater fabric over the belt in the back. Not a good look for anyone. More pictures to come and sorry Mimi- it fits. Strangely, no matter how it looks, it feels great and I love it. It's just what I wanted, a comfy slouchy sweater. More later, off to start the day. I think it looks more like a "professor sweater" than a crime fighting sweater- more like Starsky, Phd.

This is a big pile of leftover yarn from all sorts of projects. Looks like technicolor cat barf to me : ) What I really want to blog about are my husband's finished Guiness socks. He decided that having a seperate toe would be annoying, so they are just regular socks. He really likes them, which makes me feel bad about taking soo long to make them. Also, Starsky is just about done. I seamed it, but while I was working, I became suspicious that the sleeves were going to be too long. That would be an understatment. I cut them (!) and now have the live stitches ready to go. I just need to knit 5 inches of cuff and that shouldn't take long. Looks like it's going to fit : ) The belt is more than halfway done. There won't be any pics for a while as the camera is on its way to Germany in the luggage bag of My Man's motocicletta.

So, I have mentioned the "c" word before and now I have officially finished a crochet scarf- albeit a while ago. Someohow the post got lost in the din. Interestingly, My Man, really isn't a fan of this scarf soley because it's crochet. How amusing that in his mind crochet is linked with Grannies! Apparently there are others who share his feelings. (Nanny-O? Mimi-O?) I just can't see it, I really can't. I think crochet is lovely and am exceedingly proud at having taught myself...well, with a lot of help ( Happy Hooker ). In the beginning I bought this kit from Lion Brand- oh, about 5 years ago. It could have been more, I am not sure. I started once and gave up. Then I got invited to Ravelry and was taking pics of my stash and I found it. I decided to give it another try. After I got about half of the scarf done, I didn't like the pattern, so I decided to make a variation of one from the aforementioned Happy Hooker book. And now, it looks like this...

Here are some kitty toys I made to celebrate/commemorate Chloë's (my sister's cat) 18th birthday. Eighteen years and still just as ornery : ) I guess catnip works on 4-year old children as well? A couple of the new S'n'B knitters asked about these. The pattern is Feline Dim Sum. I think it would be suitable for a beginner if you want to give it a try. These were made out of some leftover Encore Worsted and knit to a tight gauge so the catnip wouldn't all fall out.