So KnitPicky

Inspired By

2012-01-27T16:12:00.004-06:00

Inspired by numerous Pins to make some melted crayon art:

There are lots of different versions of this, and various techniques, including using a hair dryer, glue gun, or even an oven to melt your crayons.

My little one had to do a 100th Day of School project, which involved making a display of 100 things. We brainstormed some ideas, and she looked at a bunch of pictures before settling on using 100 crayons. She had hoped to make a heart shape, but we couldn't fit all the crayons onto the canvas we were using, so we decided to make 2 rows of crayons instead. This was a good exercise in the concept of "half," as she had to sort out the colors and use half of a given color on the top and half on the bottom. I put lines of hot glue onto the canvas, working small sections at a time, and she arranged the crayons into place. We then put the whole thing into a large cardboard box to protect from wayward drips and splatters (but actually, it was all very tidy and we had no mess at all).

The crayons were melted using a hairdryer with the heat set on high and the fan speed set on low. My daughters and I took turns holding the hairdryer very close to the crayons (and obviously they were supervised during their turns). I was going to make a note of how long it took, but honestly, it was so much fun watching the process that I lost track of time! There are already a number of instructions out there in case you want to make your own. We used the one at 52 Kitchen Adventures as a reference.

Tuesday Tube: Put a Sock in It

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

I found this antique sock knitting machine to be so mesmerizing!

Antique Sock Knitting Machines - CRAFT Video Podcast from MAKE magazine on Vimeo.

Tuesday Tube: One NIght in Bangkok

2012-01-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

If I ever go to Thailand, I'd love to visit the Pinn Shop. Wouldn't you?

h/t Janet

Right Now

2012-01-08T14:42:00.004-06:00

On the Needles: Bettie's Pullover using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. I'm about 9" into the body.

On the Nails: Butter London Marrow

On the Brain: Mahna Mahna (we saw The Muppets today)

Inspired By

2012-01-07T13:13:00.002-06:00

Inspired by Lisa Storms, via Heather Vo, to make marshmallow snowmen:

This is what we made for my daughter to bring to school on her snack day this month. I had intended to make little Fruit Roll-Up scarfs, and I thought we already had some in the pantry, but we didn't, so the snowmen had to do without.

All Wrapped Up

2012-01-06T17:17:00.003-06:00

My sister-in-law gave me a Della Q interchangeable needle case for Christmas.

Isn't it cute? It has pockets for all my Denise needle tips and little pouches to hold the cords and accessories. Mine folds up into thirds, but I think there's a newer design that rolls up. It was fun to sort out the needle tips, and I like having everything all in one place. Plus, it's pink!

Tuesday Tube: Portrait

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I love this video portrait of Etsy artist Yokoo.

Handmade Portraits: YOKOO from Etsy on Vimeo.

Use It or Lose It

2012-01-02T16:31:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I turned around all the hangers in my closet so that they face the wrong way. The plan is that after I wear an item and clean it, it'll get hung back on a hanger turned around the usual way. By this time next year, I'll know what hasn't been worn at all, and that'll help me decide which clothes need to go.

I don't have many things in my closet that have never been worn (I usually wear new things the same week I get them because I'm excited about them!). I purge my closets regularly, and for the most part, I'm not very sentimental about things I've bought for myself, so it's not like I never let clothes go. Still, I suspect that I underestimate how long it's been since I've worn something. This way I'll know for sure.

I'm thinking about doing something similar for the kids--maybe put a little highlighter tape on toys and have them remove it when they play with it. If I get really, really, really brave, I might just do that with my handknits too to see if there's something that I don't need to keep. That, though, will take much more thought.

New Beginning

2012-01-01T12:58:00.003-06:00

A new year, a new beginning. I had gotten kind of stuck on my International Sweater because I'm still trying to figure out the pockets and the hem. To clear my mind, I tried to cast on for a quickie leg warmer project, but that was an utter fail (I should have read the designer's project page more carefully--even she hasn't actually worn the leg warmers!). I decided I really needed something fresh on my needles. Enter the Bettie's Pullover:

This starts out with over 2" of 1x1 rib on size 4 needles, but I'm finding it very relaxing and not tedious (yet!). After this comes some feather and fan. I'm looking forward to mindful knit to start out the year. How about you? Have you started anything new already this year?

Inspired By

2011-12-31T14:34:00.002-06:00

Inspired by Kelli Crowe to make a New Year's Time Capsule:

We actually started this in January and have dropped in little things all year long to remind us of some of the things that have happened and some of the places we've gone. We'll take everything out this evening and spend some time looking at them to relive the memories! I used a glass-etching cream to put the year on the time capsule jar, and I have ones prepped for the next couple of years.

Here's to a Happy New Year to all of you!

Inspired By

2011-12-28T09:25:00.003-06:00

Inspired by I Heart Organizing, via Doan, to make an earring holder:

Many years ago, waaaayyyy before Pinterest (was there really such a time?), I had made myself a similar earring holder, but I used a wire mesh. Until I saw that pin, I had no idea that decorative aluminum sheets were pretty readily available at home supply stores. My older daughter got her ears pierced last month and she received some earrings for Christmas. When she asked for an earring organizer, we went to Home Depot and picked out a lincane sheet. We would have preferred silver, but it wasn't available. Jen from I Heart Organizing used her version to hang dangling earrings, but my daughter's earrings all have posts with backs, so we modified the design a little. We found a hinged double frame at Michael's, which allowed the frame to stand on its own and give her easy access to the back. We were also limited to sheets that had smaller holes since the earrings she got are pretty tiny and we didn't want them slipping right through some of the bigger holes. To fit the sheet into the frame, one option would have been to cut the sheet to the exact dimensions of the opening and then glue it in place in the back. I decided instead to cut it just a bit taller than the opening and then wedge it in to the upper and lower grooves on the back of the frame. This means that the sheet flexes out a bit towards the front, but my daughter liked the look, and it felt really secure.

We have enough of the lincane sheet left over to make a couple more of these in the future if she needs them.

Tuesday Tube: Wooly-Headed

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

I frequently have problems with my sinuses, and it seems this is being specifically marketed to me, LOL!

Hat tip to Janet for finding it!

Trimmings

2011-12-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! Happy Holidays!

Trimmings

2011-12-23T16:14:00.006-06:00

We crafted one additional type of ornament. These are yarn wreaths, inspired by Smile Like You Mean It, via One Plaid Aunt. We used Berroco Lumina wrapped around shower curtain rings. Here's a little craft tip for those of you who are also into nails (you know who you are): instead of having to plug in the hot glue gun every time you need a bit of adhesive, use old clear polish. I have some bottles of quick-dry top coat that have gotten too gummy to be used for their intended purpose, so I use them as a sort of quick craft glue.

To round out the tree, I got raffia balls because I think they look like yarn balls, and I popped them right over some of the Christmas tree lights. The packs I got had varying sizes, but I only used the ones that were big enough to allow the light to fit inside without the bulb actually touching any part of the ball. Christmas tree lights don't get that hot, but I didn't want to risk it!

Stay tuned. I'll show you the finished tree tomorrow!

It's All Fun and Games

2011-12-22T16:33:00.005-06:00

I recently saw the game Last Knitter Standing at my LYS and was so intrigued! It was hard to make out from the box what the game was all about, though. Luckily for me, Santa gave me an early present, and I got to bring the game to my knitting group earlier this week. It was so fun!

The gist is that you each start out by casting on 10 stitches and knitting a couple of rows. You then answer questions or perform challenges in order to earn the right to knit more rows. Sometimes, though, you're penalized by having to rip out some of your rows. The questions range from very easy to kind of obscure, so you never know how you'll do. Some of the challenges involve knitting as fast as you can, or in my case, trying to knit with your eyes closed. Other challenges are actually little word games. Sometimes, it's just pure luck who gets to add rows and who loses them. The person who has the most rows knitted at the end wins!

We played this impromptu, so we used random needles and yarn that we had on hand. For me, that was sock yarn on largish needles. If you're planning to play, I'd recommend at least worsted weight yarn--something easy to see, easy to knit, and easy to rip!

Muggles will not "get" this game at all. I know because I tried to explain it to my husband, LOL! It's definitely something fun to do with your knitting friends, though. The limitation is that after you've gone through the finite number of question cards after a few games, you'll all know the answers. However, we talked about how it'd be fun to then come up with your own questions and challenges, and I think that'd be a great way to keep it going for future gameplay!

(In case you're curious, no, I was *not* the last knitter standing! I did come in second though!)

Inspired By

2011-12-21T12:19:00.002-06:00

Can you stand one more food-related Christmas post? I was inspired by Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons, via Grace Ford Wuensche, to make Rudolph pancakes:

I used Hershey's Kisses for the eyes and the bottom of a strawberry for the nose. As much as they liked the snowman pancakes we made earlier this year, the kids thought these were even cuter!

Inspired By

2011-12-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

Inspired by Cookies & Cups, via Grace Wuensche, to make a Santa Party Mix:

The Santa hats are a little time consuming, but they're very easy to make. In fact, the hardest part was actually finding Bugles for the hats since my local stores don't seem to stock them a lot. I had to have a little extra help from an elf to locate them. For the snack mix, I used pretzels, Rice Chex, almonds, and Whoppers instead of the original recipe since we have to keep ours peanut-free. It would have been more colorful if we could have used M&Ms, but even the plain ones are processed with peanuts, so they're a no-no for us. I really miss Hershey's Kissables because they were a tasty and safe alternative to M&Ms, but they're no longer made. Regardless, the mix was a big hit!

Tuesday Tube: Knit Nativity

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

Fiona Goble (of Royal Wedding fame) lets you knit your own nativity!

Trimmings

2011-12-19T13:51:00.006-06:00

I made this little snowman using some Plymouth Yarn Heaven that Janet gave me for this purpose. The yarn is really soft and fluffy, but it was not heavenly knitting up a yarn that's meant for size 11 needles when you're only using size 4 needles. My hands hurt! Afterwards, I decided that I'd use a bit of novelty yarn to make the scarf instead of knitting one up. The eyes and buttons are simply toy safety eyes that I poked through the finished piece and glued in place with a little dab of clear nail polish. For the nose, I took a little scrap of orange Cascade 220, wetted it, and rolled it around until it felted into a little conical shape. I like the snowman a lot, but unless Ryan Gosling offers me a hand massage, this will be the only one for awhile.

We also have several button wreath ornaments on the tree, which the girls made earlier this year. These were inspired by Martha Stewart, via Shelley Tantau.

Copycat

2011-12-17T16:11:00.009-06:00

I've finished one sleeve on The International sweater. Tell me what you think.

Here's the original for reference:

I still don't know if it's correct, but this is the lace pattern I ended up using, done over an odd number of stitches:

Round 1: [yo, ssk], k1
Round 2: K
Round 3: [yo, k2tog], k1
Round 4: K
Round 5: k1, [yo, ssk]
Round 6: K
Round 7: k1, [yo, k2tog]
Round 8: K

(For those interested, I'm wearing Zoya Minka and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Strobe Light.)

Trimmings

2011-12-16T17:10:00.003-06:00

The tree trimming continues!

I have a mini mitten ornament (Ravelry link) up and another that's almost finished. These really are so cute and fun!

We crafted some yarn ball ornaments too. I found a package of a dozen metal balls at Michael's, and they just screamed "yarn" to me.

The girls painted some toothpicks silver, and I just poked them through the balls like knitting needles. A few of them required a dab of glue to hold them in place, but I could get most of the toothpicks to stay in on their own if I was strategic about how I wedged them in.

Trimmings

2011-12-15T15:11:00.005-06:00

I like to decorate my Christmas trees in different themes. I start out with some basic silver and gold ornaments, add several ornaments with pictures of the kids from past Christmases, and then finish off with the themed ornaments. For the longest time, I had wanted to do a knitted theme but never got around to it. At the beginning of this year, I resolved to make it happen. I started making ornaments with great gusto, but then I got totally side-tracked. Undeterred, I decided to put up the ones I have so far, and I'll show you some action shots.

The yarn hats the girls made all look very cute on the tree.

I also hung up the 2 temari balls I'd made years ago from a Martha Stewart kit.

I found small wooden letters at the craft store and covered them with yarn, one for each of our initials.

This last one is very special because Janet made it for me :-D.

The kids will be off from school soon, and I'll be off from work. We're all looking forward to making some more things for the tree, leading up to Christmas. Stay tuned for those posts!

Only In My Dreams

2011-12-14T16:44:00.003-06:00

Despite my absence on this blog, I've actually been knitting daily for the past few weeks. Mind you, sometimes I only get a row or so in, but I have been doing a little bit every day. It has been a very busy couple of months--nothing at all bad, but just a lot of things going on. One morning, I awoke from a dream. Honestly, the details have long since evaporated, but for some reason, in my dream, I kept repeating the same phrase at the end, and it stuck with me after I woke up: "stop tackling everything else...knit!" Now, I am not into dream analysis, but when I wake up from one with a full-on acronym, I pay attention! My mantra since then has been STEEK, as in Stop Tackling Everything Else...Knit! So I have, and I've enjoyed the quiet, mindful moments that knitting has afforded me on even my busiest days.

This is the progress I've made so far on my copy of The International sweater. Thanks to Gail and Luni, I got pointers for the lace. I tweaked things a little bit and although I'm not sure that I've duplicated it, I think I'm close enough for my taste. I will probably go back and redo the neck as I want it to be a little looser, but I'm feeling no angst about it. Could it be that I'm turning into a process knitter instead of a product knitter?!

Tuesday Tube: Jingle All the Way

2011-12-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

One more from U900!

Right Now

2011-12-12T20:23:00.002-06:00

On the needles: The International sweater, using Cascade Eco Wool. I've finished the body and am on the first sleeve.

On the nails: Revlon Aloof

In the belly: Sunny-side up eggs. I love breakfast for dinner!