More Baby Hats....

IMG_1061
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Okay I am so ready for people to quit getting pregnant! This is the fourth baby hat in the last year! This pattern is going very well though and is so easy! Yay more pink...

Pattern: http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/ellenhat.html

Yarn: Wool Bam Boo

Needles: Size 8 DPNs

Yay, more Christmas knitting!

I'm still plugging away at the Irish Hiking Scarf but decided I needed to knock the hat out of the way so I could knit up the rest of the yarn with the scarf. I hope my sister meant it when she said she liked pink.

This is the Coronet hat from Knitty in a size medium. The pictures are unblocked. I figure I'm going to store them until Christmas and will block them when it is closer to time. I used Knit Picks Swish Superwash in the Ballerina colorway. It took about 1.3 skeins of yarn or 65gm (gotta love those digital scales). I did modify the pattern a bit so it doesn't flip up but stockinette starts directly from the band. It comfortably covers the top half of my ears and is quite warm.

I do have to knit another baby hat. This makes the 4th previous and/or current co-worker I've made a baby hat for just since March! No babies for years and then 4 in rapid succession. Whatever they're drinking I will have none, thank you. I've been cruising Ravelry for easy baby hat patterns but still have not decided yet.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

And so comes the parade of Christmas projects! These pics will NOT be on my Flickr account because guess who sees all of my Flickr photos? You guessed it...friends and family. They don't know about this blog, because it's generally my knitting related stuff. So, I can post my pics here, but my Ravelry account will have to display the generic "No photo until Christmas" clip art.

My next Christmas project is the Irish Hiking Scarf for my sister. This is my first try at cables and I LOVE them! Cables are so much easier than I had thought, and they make the fabric oh so sproingy (springy + boing = sproingy). I am also loving to knit with KnitPicks Swish Superwash in the Ballerina colorway. Not sure how it will hold up with use, but Texas winters are pretty short anyway. Dear sis and hubby moved about 3 hours away one month ago and being away from friends and family is difficult. I'm also going to make a Coronet Hat from Knitty out of the same yarn to go with it.

RAVELRY INVITE ARRIVED TODAY!!!!

YAY!!! I finally got my Ravelry invite today!!! My username is KnittyKnurse. My daughter was startled to hear the hoots and hollers from the living room. The only bad thing about it (if it can even be considered a bad thing) is that I am TORN between Ravelry and the last Harry Potter book. I have been reading most of the day and paused to check my email. Naturally I couldn't keep my hands off Ravelry. I guess you could say that this is the best weekend ever!!!! Here's a pic of me in all my nerdiness adorned with knitting, while knitting, decked out in my Harry Potter garb at the midnight book party.

Still stalking Ravelry

Okay, now I'm stalking http://www.ravelry.com/antsy to see where I am on the waiting list. There are only 285 people ahead of me on the list now. I can just see that Ravelry will hit about the same time the new Harry Potter book will come out! There just will not be enough time to do both!!!!

Gryffindor socks finished!

Gryffindor socks finished!
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Gryffindor socks finished just in time! We're going to go see Order of the Phoenix this Saturday on IMAX!!! I am so stoked! (I am such a nerd!) The last 30 minutes or so are supposed to be in 3D! Then of course I will wear them to the book party at Barnes and Noble. We usually get to Barnes and Noble about 6 or 6:30 and are there until midnight. I'll take pictures

Started 6/20/07 Finished 7/10/07
Knitted with Sunshine Yarns in Gryffindor colorway. This is your basic sock with heel flap. I cut the yellow out of the heel but left a lone stripe at the toe.

Finished Harry Potter Sock

Finished Harry Potter Sock
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Yay! I finally finished the sock! I had frogged it back once when I dropped a bunch of stitches and couldn't pick them up to save my life. (it was more of a furious raging ripping spree). Now I just have to finish the second one! I used the Sunshine Yarns in the Gryffindor colorway. I intentionally cut the yellow yarn out of the heel but left a lone strip at the toe. I only hope the second one comes out as well and for the book and movie release! I got the perfect Skecher mary jane shoes to show off my socks!

Clapotis C'est Fini!

Started: April 2007-ish

Finished: 6/17/07

Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play - Gypsy Heart 7 Colorway

Pattern: Clapotis

Knit on size 8 US Addi circular needles

Wow, this felt like it took forever but was fun to knit. I still need to wash and block it but I'm thinking about leaving it au naturale. Thanks to DD for modeling for me!

Baby cap

Baby cap
Originally uploaded by christijnp

I started to make the lace baby cap from www.bevscountrycottage.com/lace-beanie.html
but I kinda messed up with a yarn over or two. I should know better to try and knit lace while watching TV. I decided to pitch the lace idea and finished in stockinette instead. I don't think (hope anybody will notice.

knit with size 6 dpns
Yarn: Baby Bee Sweet Delight Pomp color: Blueboy
Started 6/15/07
Finished 6/17/07

Box bag

Box bag
Originally uploaded by christijnp

I made this using a tutorial from dragoknit.blogspot.com/2007/02/box-bag-tutorial.html
It measures about 8" x 4" x 4". I should have used a 14" zipper and it would have come out a little longer, but this will be perfect for carrying around a sock project. I really wanted a longer bag that would fit my Brittany needles. I'll try again with different sizes

Stalking Ravelry

Checking my email box every day for a Ravelry invite. I can't wait! I love this idea!

Chevron scarf in progress

Chevron scarf in progress
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Last Minute Knitted Gifts Chevron scarf in STR's Watermelon Tourmaline and Farmhouse. Yeah, I'm going along with the crowd but am so pleased with the color combinations. I'm also using Brittany birch needles size 5. I've been knitting this during my lunch breaks and outside on my hammock in the evenings. The yarn has a wonderful tight twist and is great to work with.

SSHHHHHHHH! Dont tell my mom!

I couldn't even put this picture on Flickr because my mother would see her future Christmas present! Yes...it is a Clapotis from Knitty! I chose Brooks Farm yarn in the Four Play line in the Gypsy Heart 7 colorway - a blend of turquoise, purples and browns. The Four Play is a 50/50 yummy blend of fine wool and silk and it is wonderful to work with and uber soft! I am finally finished with section 3 and will be starting on my decreases soon. For the longest time it didn't feel like it was getting much bigger until recently. This is definitely a pattern I will make again (for myself) but sometime in the future. I have plenty other "wannas" to do. I will definitely use this yarn again - wonderful to work with and less expensive than Lorna's Laces and it comes from Texas! I'm also using stitch markers I bought from Hide and Sheep which are great to work with because they are lightweight, don't dangle or snag and best of all are beautiful, handmade and inexpensive. I heart Etsy.

Gryffindor POA Scarf

Gryffindor POA Scarf
Originally uploaded by christijnp

I finished this scarf about 2 months ago, but I just now got around to posting its completion.

Yes, I am a big nerd and I had to knit a Harry Potter scarf. To be perfectly honest, it's one of the reasons I taught myself how to knit. Yes, I will be there on July 21 at midnight to get my book first (and probably stay up until all hours reading it). Hmmm....wearing a big wool scarf in July in Texas.

Future Chevron Scarf

Future Chevron Scarf
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Well I jumped on the bandwagon and started a Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in the almost cliche STR colors of Farmhouse and Watermelon Tourmaline. I just love the colors together! The yarn is so sproingy and cushy!

Beginner's luck...

Finished first sock!!!!
Originally uploaded by christijnp

This is a post of my beginners luck sock. The sock that the knitting gods want you to complete to make you confident enough that you can make another. HA! It is knit with Cherry Tree Hill in the Monet colorway

A little over a month later I try my hand at another sock in a lighter weight yarn and get all confuzzled when it came to the turning o' the heel. I ripped back twice then could not pick up the stitches to save my life. In a fit of anger (or tantrum) I ripped out the entire sock, sat and pouted. I didn't even get a picture of the mangled mess (carnage) as I felt it would be too much for sensitive knitting viewers. Next time I will use a lifeline prior to the heel so I don't have to rip the entire cuff. I also found this site later on which would have helped immensely. http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/advanced_techniques/

I think I will go cry into my Chevron Scarf...

Harry Potter Scarf

Yea! It's my knitted Harry Potter scarf! It's only about 1/3 of the way done. For my first project, I think I've done pretty well! I can tell the changes in my tension though. I'm addicted!!!

Still knitting! I've become almost obsessed! I'm almost finished with my cousin's scarf and getting ready to start a new one. I'll post a pic later because my photo transfer software is being a butt right now

What is my new project? Well, being a self proclaimed NERD, I'm doing a Harry Potter scarf. More specifically, a Gryffindor POA scarf. I got the pattern from http://knit.atypically.net . It looks pretty daunting, but I plan on knitting on it until the book release or until it gets long enough for me. Whichever comes first. I also need to reread the other 6 books to get some of the details anchored in my head. There have been rumors about July and an October release date. 3 months is a big swing there! I could either be uber productive or uber rushed. You pick. Anyway will post pics later after I begin. I bought Boye's Needlemaster system yesterday (interchangeable circular knitting needles) for a whopping $70. It was cool because it has every size needle (except half sizes) from 1 to 15. Have I ripped open the package yet? No, because I saw in their ad for tomorrow that all knitting stuff will be 50% off!!!! So, I need to go purchase it for the 50% off and take back the $70 product. What a hassle, but a savings of $35! Woohoo!

I took a knitting class with my mom yesterday which was kinda fun. Fun because I felt like such a dunce and uncoordinated and was able to make everybody else look like freakin' knitting geniuses. I got to one point that I had just royally screwed up and ripped out all of the stitches to start again. Just then the teacher went around the room so we could show what we had done. I raised my lonely loop on the single knitting needle and said "look what I done teacher!" (must be said speaking in a dunce voice while making a buck toothed grin). I was finally able to "get it" after I went home and dug out a knitting book and tried it a different way than the one she had demonstrated. Good thing this fuzzy eyelash yarn hides a multitude of knitting sins. The other good thing was that I was so intent on the knitting last night while watching reruns, that snacky TV food didn't even enter my mind. I guess it's true....idle hands ARE the devil's playground!

Here's a pic of what I have so far. One day it will grow up and be a scarf! Hopefully while we will have cold weather! (Have you figured out what my favorite color is yet?)

I "felt" like I was committing a sin...
I just put a wool sweater in the washer....GASP....in hot water....GASP GASP and then in the dryer!!!
in...the...name...of...felting
BUT....nothing happened!
crap-ola.

now what?

Happy 2007!!!!

Getting started in a new blog... I have other blogs for different reasons. I have a Myspace "space" to keep up with my daughter and to keep up with people who have Myspace accounts, I have a Xanga site to chronicle my weight loss issues...etc and now I have this little blog I'm going to use for my creative endeavors.

I dabble in many crafty things, but quilting has been a big thing for me in the last 10 years. Working with felt/felting is a new interest and I have also worked with tatting, crochet, knitting, beading, wearables and many other things that adorn the shelves and closet of my "creative studio" (sounds better than "craft room")

Unfortunately, I have not worked on much in the last 2 years. I have fallen into a small lull that I know I need to get out of. Enter ETSY. This site has given me more ideas (I've also bought plenty already). Watch out! It's addictive!

Anyway, I tend to be happier when I'm creating. So here's to 2007 and my creative mojo!