Tiny Snowy Owl

On the Itty Bitty forums, a new swap idea has taken hold.  The group is growing, faster than I can keep up with.  I'm trying to remember the new members but I have so little time on Ravelry any more to peruse the forums, I'm having trouble with that.  A lot of people are coming out of the woodwork because of this new swap trend.

The big swaps that Mel organizes each month are awesome.  People put a lot of thought and care into their swap package and really try to personalize it to the person who is receiving.  But for some, especially newer members of the group, these swaps are a bit intimidating (they are a very friendly, welcoming place, but I can see their point of view).

One member of the group has taken it upon herself to organize mini-swaps.  These are called the "Single Ornament Swaps."  The idea is that you get your partner's name (it's kept a secret), and you're allowed to create one ornament for your partner and ship it off to him or her.  You're allowed some leniency if you choose to add an additional small item, but it's not supposed to be a really big package.  It's meant for the swaps to be approachable, especially to those who are new or don't have the time or money to dedicate to the larger swaps.

That's where this knit came about.  I was trying to find a pattern that I could knit as an ornament.  At the time, I wasn't feeling any of the holiday ornaments that were on Ravelry.  There are some great patterns but you know when you get in that mood or funk that unless it's exactly what you're looking for, you really just can't knit something else?

Enter the Big Snowy Owl.  This is a free pattern from The Purl Bee.  The original patterns calls for bulky weight yarn and is intended to be something like a pillow-sized owl.  I've loved the owl on their site for a long, long time and thought it would be perfect as an ornament.  And I was especially drawn to the colors they chose for their owl.  I looked through other project pages and nothing called to me quite like the soft gray owl with giant blue eyes.  :)

I searched my stash (no need to buy new when it takes so little yarn!) and came up with sport weight yarn in the appropriate colors.  Knit on US 2s, I had hoped this would be a sweet little owl that would hang happily on a tree.  Well...the thought was good, but my execution was a little off.

My version is much smaller than the original.  This sweet fowl is about as tall as my hand is long, and perfect for little hands.  But, in my opinion, much too large for a tree.  So we kept him at home, Lovebug is quite attached. (I think it's the eyes...)  I am in love with how he turned out, just bummed he wasn't small enough.  I am planning to attempt this again, but with either fingering or lace weight yarn. And tinier needles.  Eventually I'll get it right.

So what else is good about this pattern might you ask?  It's incredibly fast.  Even if you knit the larger size, you're using bulky yarn and big needles.  This was two days tops and only because I had to tend to the kids. :)  The stitch pattern adds visual interest, but plain stockinette would be just as cute.  If you made the larger version you'd need a lot of fiberfill.  Even this little guy took a lot because I wanted him to be firm - too squishy and he wouldn't hold up to being played with or squooshed.

There are actually three patterns in this series.  A pig, a bunny and this owl.  I want to knit all 3.  I'd like to knit them in bulky weight, but I may just see what's in my stash and find the appropriate needles.  I think that Lovebug and Squishy need the full set. :)

As an aside, the eyes are crochet.  It's very simple crochet, but I know a lot of knitters are intimidated by the crochet hook.  So if you like the pattern but don't want the crocheted eyes, you should be able to find a pattern that tells you how to knit circles.  Honestly, it's the eyes that really make this pattern.  (The beak construction is pretty neat too.)

This is an idea I encourage all knitters to explore.  Is there a toy pattern you really like but it's too big or too small?  Consider adjusting your yarn and needle sizes accordingly and you have a whole new outlook on a project.  I'd really like to try this idea on some of Susan Anderson's patterns - specifically the Giraffe.  I'd love to make it in lace weight and see what size he comes out.  I may even have something perfect in my stash....

Dishcloth Mania

Recently I’ve completed several crocheted (and one knit) dishcloth.  Nothing super fancy – mostly functional. 

This first set was originally intended for someone else.  Over the course of a couple days I knocked out a set of four.  They now live in my kitchen drawer (in case you weren’t aware, you can never have enough knit or crocheted dishcloths…)

I didn’t use much of a pattern.  If you’re looking for one though, here’s a standard Granny Square dishcloth pattern.  Mine are a 4-chain ring into which I double-crocheted 4 times.  On each row, I chained one between side dcs (double crochets), and at the corners I chained two between the corner dcs.  This creates a cleaner corner, in my opinion.  I crocheted 7 rounds total.  (Please forgive my inadequate explanation of my crocheting – I’m a noob when it comes to crochet and only have the most basic understanding of how it all works!!)

The yarn is Pisgah Yarn and Dying Company, Incorporated, 100% Cotton in Pageantry.  This cone was on super-sale at Walmart (a place I so rarely frequent…) so I snatched it up quick.  I’ve got a lot of cotton left for many more dishcloths – crocheted or otherwise.

I also crocheted 2 dishcloths (using the same pattern as above) and knit one dishcloth using the Garter Stitch Dishcloth pattern.  This yarn is Lion Brand Lion Cotton Solid in Natural.  I loved using this cotton.  I don’t dislike Lily Sugar ‘N’ Cream or the Pisgah Yarn, but this was so soft and supple compared to what I usually use.  Perhaps because it was undyed?  My hands are usually really sore by the time I’ve finished knitting, I can’t wait to put it down.  But I could knit with this all day.  The 3 dishcloths didn’t even use up a full skein of yarn, which is awesome.  I purchased 2 balls of it at JoAnns, and you can bet I’ll be using it for more cloths in the future!

These last 3 dishcloths were for Mr. Man’s cousin and her fiancé.  They are getting married this June and so I made them for the bridal shower.  Mr. Man’s grandma knit us some dishcloths back when we were married and they quickly became some of my favorite cloths to use.  

Ketchup

As I sit here staring at the blank screen, I’m trying to decide what I’ve shared with you and what is yet to show you.  I suppose I can go back and look through my blog posts as to what I’ve written about…but that doesn’t really help if I haven’t told you about some of my finished objects AND I can’t remember what those are…

(perhaps this needs no explanation...but every time I think of how to "catch-up" I think of "catsup" which to me should really be "ketchup"...so there ya go...) 

I will admit to being in a bit of a haze the last month or so.  February was full of personal obligations that left me without a lot of knitting time as it wasn’t my first priority.  Then as February passed, I had a giant list of things I wanted to knit – I was in overload!  And I wanted to knit them all right away. 

We fiber artists over on Ravelry fondly refer to this as startitus.   Yep, I was bitten by that bug.  And the end result has been that I’m a bit overwhelmed with all that I took on in the first week of March. 

I’m trying to find time to dye some bare yarn so I can participate in my own, hosted Dye-A-Long.  I have colors in mind, and even the method I’ll use.  Now I just need a couple hours to do so.  (My method requires constant attention because I want to try something new…)

I joined in the Fairy Tale swap on the “Odd Duck Swaps of Ravelry” board.  This looks very promising to be a lot of fun…but I honestly need to start giving it more attention because I’m beginning to fall behind. 

I test-knit a design, which was a lot of fun because I’d never done that before.  That was a really fast knit because I had to have it done by March 9 and I didn’t start it until March 5. 

Then came Spring Break.  Relief at last, you’d think.  Except that I was super busy.  Which was my own fault.  I was hoping to meet a friend from Ravelry, but it didn’t work out.  Another time, perhaps.  And the kids had their pictures taken on Wednesday.  Neither of these things really means I was super busy, except that I decided Squishy needed a new sweater for his pictures to match Lovebug and of course that meant I’d knit him one.  Yeah, stupid idea!! I knit it in 2 days and didn’t have time to block it before the pictures.  They both still looked cute.  And I still haven’t blocked the sweater…

I crocheted some dishcloths…those were fast.  And then there was a bridal shower for Mr. Man’s cousin, so I knit a dishcloth and crocheted a couple more for her.  All of which has kept my hands very busy. 

And finally…I’ve been DYING to cast on for Whippoorwill and though…March…definitely in March.  Well, I did cast on, and I’ve gotten through about 65 row or so (hooray!!) but haven’t been able to really dedicate a lot of my attention to it. 

I’m back to work and feel like I never had a break.  So much for taking things slow and easy. 

So you see, my friends… I have lots to share with you.  This post is seriously lacking in pictures, but I felt that each FO (finished object) deserved it’s own post…and some of the knits still need finishing details. 

I do have a finished shawlette/kerchief to share, which I’ve now worn several times and love.  Perhaps tonight while Hubby’s at work I can catch up and find my breath again. 

Do any of you ever feel overwhelmed or like you just can’t catch your breath?  What do you do s-l-o-w d-o-w-n a bit?  

Christmas Gifts

So far most of what you’ve seen of my Christmas knitting has been for the Advent Swap or for Lovebug.  And that’s pretty much accurate.  The last 2 years I’ve tried to knit something for everyone in my immediate family.  I didn’t this year because I didn’t figure I’d have time what with caring for a newborn and all.  Good thing I didn’t because I had just enough knitting to keep me occupied and happy, and not a mad dash to finish.

Instead, I knit a set of dishcloths for each of the women in my family.  Mom got a knitted dishcloth and a crocheted dish scrubber last spring.  She uses them a lot and we’ve talked numerous times about her getting more.  I used Christmas as the opportunity to supply her with some.

The first pattern I used was the Official Pattern of Revenge of Dish Rag Tag by Emily Ivey.  I liked the open knit material these dishcloths had.  These were made with Spinrite Peaches & Crème Ombres & Prints in Good Earth and Spinrite Peaches & Crème Solids in Burgundy.  These colors were picked to match Mom’s kitchen.   This pattern is quick and easy to follow.  Knit diagonally, you can make it as large or as small as you want.  These turned out a little bit small.  If I made them again I would add another 4-5 increase rows. 

The second pattern I used for Mom was the Mother’s Day Cloth by Kris Knits.  It’s a bit hard to see but it says “I (heart) MOM.”  This is a solid, knit dishcloth and more similar to what she already had.  I’ve asked her to get back to me on which she prefers – the open design, or the solid knit fabric.  This cloth was considerably larger than the previous two, and actually, larger than any other dishcloth I’ve made so far.  But I liked the size and the pattern was easy.  Just a bunch of knits and purls.  This too was knit in the Spinrite Peaches & Crème Solids in Burgundy.

The final pattern I used, with Good Earth, was Granny Square Cloth, a crocheted pattern.  This was my first crocheted pattern to try.  I’ve had some made for me and I enjoyed them, so I made one for Mom.  These work up in a matter of hours!

To complete her gift, Mom also received some matching dishtowels, a dish scrubber and some handmade soap. 

For my sister, I made a set of 4 crocheted Granny Square clothes.  Two were crocheted using Spinrite Peaches & Creams Solids in Strawberry Stripes. 

One was a mixture of Lily Sugar’N’crème in White and the Strawberry Stripes, and the final cloth was striped using Spinrite Peaches & Crème Solids in Soft Blue and Lily Sugar’N’Cream white and yellow.

The last cloth was a bit different because it involved striping and learning how to attach and weave in the ends in crochet.  A bit different from what I’m used to with knitting, but I think I caught on fairly quickly. 

Sis also got 2 bars of handmade soap as well.  They smelled very yummy.  I really hope she enjoys them and gets some use out of them.  I always get so worried about whether what I knit (or crochet in this case) is appreciated or will be used.

Finally, I crocheted Mr. Man’s mom a couple yellow Granny Square Cloths.  This was just a little something extra for her gift as she was also getting a new picture of Squishy.  I got a lovely text from her telling me she had used her new cloths and really likes them.  I love this kind of feedback!  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of them beforehand, so you’ll just have to imagine them looking like the above photos, except in yellow! (Yarn: Lily Sugar’N’Cream in Yellow)

Sweet & Demure

So by now you’ve heard me talk somewhat secretly about elephants.  You all know the reason why – the E is for Elephant swap on Ravelry.   I joined this swap for a couple reasons, but one of the top reasons was because I’ve always wanted and planned to knit Susan Anderson’s Elefante.  The pattern is petite and loveable.

I’ll leave all the swap details to my post about that experience, but wanted to share with you some unintended results from participating in this swap.

Now, I have yet to receive my swap package, so I have no idea what my package contains.  I very well could be getting my very own Elefante, but there were also 2 other patterns to choose from, so there really was no way to tell.  Most everyone knit Elefante, so my chances are good – but really, I’d love any knit that comes my way.

I was knitting happily away on this little lady for the swap package when I realized that half the yarn I was using was an alpaca blend.  Seriously, how did I NOT notice this before.  My swap partner had mentioned in her questionnaire that she is allergic to alpaca.  As Homer Simpson would say, “DOH!”  I was pretty bummed because I thought my partner would really enjoy this Elefante.  I picked the colors especially for her.  I must have been so engrossed in finding the perfect color combination I looked over fiber content.

So with a heavy sigh, I put her away for the time being and started on Elefante #2.  Once all the swap knitting was done, I was able to get her back out again and finish what I had started. 

BE (short for Baby Elephant, which is what Squishy calls her) is knit from a variety of yarns.  The main bits of striping are Blue Sky Alpaca Alpaca Silk in Peacock and Knit Picks Andean Silk in Sangria.  The legs have a tiny amount of Berroco Vintage in Dark Denim and the tail and ears have a splash of Berroco Vintage in Tide-Pool.  I used up every last bit of yarn of these 4 colors, successfully utilizing my stash. 

I used a 5.0mm crochet hook for the ears and crocheted as per the pattern.  The proportion seemed good, so I went with that.  I found that if I folded the circle with right sides together, the ear lay much better against the head.  With the swap Elefante, I folded the ears wrong sides together and I fought with the ears the entire time because they didn’t want to lay right. 

I finished BE up when Squishy was visiting Grandma C. so I couldn’t show him right away, but I knew she’d be a hit.  Squishy hadn’t wanted to put down the other Elefante and I actually had to hide him so I could get him packaged up and mailed out.  From the time BE and Squishy met, he’s kept a close eye on her.  She takes up residence on his bed every night and is quite adamant that she is HIS!

So after knitting this pattern twice, I would certainly knit it again. The construction is pretty simple.  A lot of people have struggled with the ears because they’re crocheted.  I’m not an avid crocheter, but I thought the ears went fairly smooth.  I know many knitters have opted for an alternate knit construction – which looks great too. 

Hopefully you enjoy the photos.  I had to promise Squishy I would return his beloved Baby Elephant quickly and safely in order for him to let me take her. 

On a side note – for any parents out there I would like to mention that Squishy has given this calm little lady quite a run-around.  He holds her around the neck and swings her by the tail.  He pulls on her ears and squishes her trunk.  She’s holding up to it all.  My recommendation would be to take several rounds with your whipstitching to make sure everything is nice and secure and then let your child run with it.   The best toy is a well-loved toy and of course, very rewarding for any knitter! 

C Wants a Party

It may not be apparent to those of you who aren’t on Ravelry or don’t participate in the swaps, but the Itty Bitties are slowly making their way through alphabet themed swaps.  Even though the Easter Swap encompassed A, B & C, C was stubborn and wanted its own swap.  So here we are.

Requirements included the Cupcake Hat from Itty Bitty Nursery and the Cupcake Pincushion (a free pattern on Spud Says).  Also, of course, any other goodies you choose to include.

I had a lot of ideas for this swap, but in the end, I wasn’t able to do all I wanted.  I found this one to be a little harder since I had little energy to pull things together.  My swap package traveled to Maegwin, who is new to IB swaps.  Since I don’t know her as well as others, I’m really crossing my fingers she likes everything. 

I found stitch markers on Etsy I liked, but they would have had to ship from a long ways away and the shipping was expensive.  So I made my own – similar to what I saw.  I like these because they are small & lightweight.  Sometimes clay markers can be very heavy and weigh down your knitting.  Pinkish-red and what was meant to be mint green icing on chocolate cupcakes.  YUMM!

When perusing the goods at Hobby Lobby, I found a fantastic cupcake charm.  I didn’t know what it would become but I couldn’t pass it up.  It turned into a row counter!  I’d been wanting to try my hand at these for some time.  So simple and quick. I WILL be making my own.  Now Maegwin has a counter to attach TO her knitting and count up to 100 rows! (I actually pondered keeping this for myself…)

Maegwin said she likes pinks, yellows and peaches.  I found a travel mug with colorful circles to drink her tea in, like the tea I included .  A few smelly things were a butterscotch candle and wonderfully delicious citrus splash soap molded into a sheep that I found at an LYS.  The soap is locally made, which I love.   There is also an Iowa magnet. :) 

Other cupcake items included cupcake fridge magnets and a pink and blue cupcake luggage tag.  And of course, there was yarn.  A lovely, variegated pink skein of Lorna’s Laces (How awesome that an LYS near me sells this stuff!)

Now for the knits. The cupcake pincushion was made from Lily Sugar ‘n’ Cream Ombres in Chocolate Ombres (cupcake wrapper), Berroco Vintage in Tidepool (frosting) and Ella Rae Milky Soft in Red (cherry).  My tomato pincushion may have been a bit big, but I think it turned out okay. 

The bobbles on the frosting were a bit fiddley.  They still really want to creep back inside to hide.  I tried using a yarn needle to pull them to the front, but they’re not convinced yet.  I don’t know if my knitting wasn’t tight enough around that edge and so there were holes for the bobbles to escape through?

And saved for the very last, my favorite, the cupcake hat.  I knew the ribbing would be brown (for chocolate), but what for the frosting?  Then I remembered I had some hand-painted yarn from when my sister was home last summer and we dyed yarn for her birthday present.  I call the colorway Raspberry Truffle and it was perfect!  This is one of my favorite hats to date!  I will be making more things with this yarn (now that I remember it’s there)! 

And I don’t know about you all, but I love the picot edging and how it changes colors. 

I replaced the cherry with a crocheted chocolate kiss, which seemed fitting.  Overall, I am in love with this hat.  (As was Squishy…I need to make him one now!)

This was a wonderful swap experience and I’m glad that I got the chance to knit something I may not have knit otherwise.  This is likely going to be my last swap for awhile.  I need a break (and my bank account wouldn’t mind) and the summer is a great time to take it. I will return in a few months when things feel a bit more balanced.  :) 

Friday Favorites 4/8: Swaps

I'm sorry for not posting much recently.  This week has been absolutely crazy, and last week...well...just didn't get around to much posting.  My crafting has taken a back seat to other things that needed to get done.  Hopefully this weekend that will change a bit.  I did actually get some knitting in on a car-ride yesterday.

But today is Friday and it's time for Friday Favorites.  My most recent favorite thing is the Easter swap package from my friend, Mary Rose!  I have seriously been slacking in telling you all how wonderful, thoughtful and generous she is. :)

This swap was fairly simple.  It incorporated the letters B and C.  Bunnies and Bilbies (click HERE to learn more about them) and Chickens and Chocolate.  You had to craft one item for the swap yourself, and include a kit for one of Susan's bunny or chick patterns.

One afternoon I came home from work after getting a text from Mr. Man telling me there was a package from "so and so" and did I know what it was.  Of course I knew who he was talking about and what the package was.  I had lots to do that day, but I put it all off until I could open the package.  And here's what it contained:

Mary Rose included so many cool things. As always, it was packaged in a beautiful storage box.  I love these boxes and keep my yarn in them.

Starting with the sweets, there's several kinds of chocolate and some marshmallow Bunny Legs just for Squishy.

I got some really neat Easter-themed items including a blue metal chick (which Squishy LOVES and wants to hold at least once a day), a glass chicken (who is spunky and radiates personality), chick towels and Easter chick socks. There were also some really neat Easter window clings. :)  I also can't forget the bunny and chick cookie cutters!  Squishy and I will enjoy these!

The kit that Mary Rose included was 3 skeins of Simple Worsted Cotton in Marshmallow and Dogwood Heather for the Bunny pattern from Itty Bitty Toys.  I've been wanting to this guy!  There were so many cute bunnies from last Easter, I may have to steal their ideas!  There was also bunny stitch markers, a row counter, US 5 dpns, embroidery floss and a needle sizer.  Awesome!  And a blue project bag to fit it all in!  There's also a really cute knitting keychain which has already been attached to a notions bag of mine. :)

I also got four skeins of Knit Picks Gloss in Kenai to knit the Pea Vines, a shawl pattern she gifted me with while I was sick.  I really appreciated getting the pattern while I was feeling so crummy!

One of the coolest items in the box was a little crocheted bilby!  What a unique and wonderful find on Etsy!  He's a tiny little puppet for Squishy.  I love him, Squishy loves him.  He's a great edition to the knit toys box. :)

And saving the knit item for last, I got an adorable little bunny from Knit Simple 2010 Holiday Edition, the Woodland Creatures collection by Susan Anderson.  I love that little bunny.  I know Mary Rose had a hard time parting with him, but I see him every day when I come home and sit down from work and he always brings me a smile.  He's squishy and soft and wonderful!

So thank you, Mary Rose!  We love everything.  We've enjoyed the knits and the chocolate and marshmallows, the knitting notions and yarn (okay, that's maybe just me...).  You did it again!  :)