Secret Knitting

Mom...don't read this one.  For real.

My mom AND my MIL have birthdays coming up in April.  I plan to knit for both of them but I've started the one for my mom already.  (I'll show you MIL's when I get it started)  We will just call them my "secret knitting projects" for now.

Don't you just love that yarn?  It's Louisa Harding Yarns 'Amitola' in color 108.  It's delicious. 

Side note:  I love those green leaves.  It's snowing in
Frankfurt today and that green just makes me happy.

I'll share all the details once I get it finished and gifted.

I'm not really reading anything right now.  I've got a massive stack of books to read but nothing is happening with that. 

Joining in with Ginny again and her lovely Small Things.

 

 

Finished Path

I finished my Crooked German Path hat last week and I LOVE it!  What a beautiful pattern that is.  I already cast on another one for my sister.  I'm a little freaked out that the yarn I chose for hers is slightly thicker that what I used the first time.  I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle adjusting the gauge.  Maybe I'll just buy some smaller yarn. 

Sorry for the ipod pictures here, but at least you
can see what it looks like.

 

My fantastic husband's Valentine gift to me was...yarn.  I know, he's such a keeper.  It's a beautiful yarn and I started some simple toast  arm warmers.  Here are my Ravelry notes as I'm using different yarn and needles than called for.

I'm still reading The Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.  Lately though, I just read half a page before I fall asleep so I'm not making much progress.  It's Wednesday so I'm yarning along with Ginny at Small Things again.  I just love it over there!

 

 

 

Kristin

 

 

Crooked German Paths

A few weeks ago I found a lovely (and very tiny) yarn shop here in Frankfurt.  Wolle-Boutique Elflein is one my husband had actually found before we arrived and he was also excited for me to be able to take a look. The lady there is so kind and speaks excellent English.  I bought a nice ball of Rowan yarn thinking I would make a warmer hat for myself.  I looked on Ravelry for days to find just the right hat pattern.  I decided on Crooked Paths by Melissa LaBarre. 

My new skills for the week are ssk, k1f/b, and charts!  I learned how to read knitting charts!  I am really enjoying the new pattern.  It's the first one I've actually purchased and I'm very pleased with it.  (It's funny how paying for a pattern will push you to learn the skills you need to use it.)  I did have trouble with the charted row 7 and had to frog the whole thing.  Boo!  But, I figure that's just extra practice and it'll look awesome when I finally get it done. 

I'm reading The Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett but not while I knit.  I just can't do that yet.  Yarning along with Ginny at Small Things again this week. 

 

 

Kristin

 



Just kidding...this hat.

Remember how I was knitting the Jacques Cousteau hat for my dear husband?  Well I finally finished it right before his birthday.  (score!)  It took for.ev.er. and I swore I'd never knit that pattern again.  Tiny needles.  Anyway, turns out it was HUGE.  Like, we could have both fit our heads into it, huge.  So....I had him choose another pattern (which I followed the alternate directions for - he likes to have his ears totally covered) and started knitting another hat.  We decided on The Boyfriend Hat and I'm so glad we did!  I knit it while unraveling the first one which just felt wrong, but this one fits SO MUCH BETTER!  I'm so happy I redid it.  I think he's much happier with it too (although he'd never come out and say he didn't like the first one - he's awesome like that.).

I couldn't get picture in natural light.

I tried to take one this morning with Little Man wearing it but
it's just too cloudy here.  He's cute anyway.

So that's what I've been knitting.  I just visited my new yarn shop here in Frankfurt last night and bought something for a warmer hat for myself.  I imagine I'll cast that on tonight and you'll see it next week sometime. 

I'm finally finishing up Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett on my nook.  I'm also working my way through What Your First Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. 

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things today for the Yarn Along.  Can't wait to see what everyone is working on!

Kristin

Treasures

This may come as a shock to you but...I've been knitting.  I know! 

I brought a few small projects with me to Frankfurt and I've been using up the leftover yarn from those to make other stuff.  (I have found a couple yarn shops here but my husband works 6 days a week and somehow it's just not as relaxing to go to yarn shopping with a 4 & 7 year old who really don't want to be there.) 

I had several small bits of cotton yarn that I'd been making dishrags with when I came across this pattern on Ravelry.  It's the perfect project to use up leftover yarn.

And it just so happens my children are collectors of treasure.  I made these a little larger than the original pattern.  You can see my Ravelry notes here.  This way they also hold a little snack before you start collecting.

 

It really is a great size for a small apple or orange.

Try this project out!  It's quick and simple.

Kristin

Borrowers: The Beginning

Hello all and Happy New Year! 

We made it to Germany about 2 1/2 weeks ago and have been slowly coming out of our travel haze.  Yesterday was our (the kids and I) first real get out and adventure day.  We were on a mission to find fireworks.  (turns out Germans really like to blow stuff up on New Years Eve.  Really.  Craziest thing I've ever seen as far as booms go.)  Anyway, we found them, had fun blowing them up and staying up late.  Today has been rainy and cold so we decided a movie day was in the cards.  (cause we haven't had any of those lately - she says sarcastically.)  Since I've seen all these movies I decided to craft...

Okay, you need a little back story first.  We are starting The Borrowers by Mary Norton as a homeschool book project.  It's a fantastic book if you haven't read it and I was more than a little obsessed with it when I was a kid.  I like little things.  Fairies, gnomes, pixies, borrowers, etc.  Anyway, when we moved here (we're not here forever FYI) we left all our stuff and 90% of the kids toys at home in Colorado.  So part of our Borrower project is to make a Borrower world to play with.  (Kill two birds with one stone?  Yes please.)  This will be ongoing and probably my favorite project ever so expect more Borrower posts. 

I feel like my last few posts should come with a cuteness warning and this one is no exception. Cuteness alert!   Here we go.

Oh yeah.  It's a Borrower bed in a blueberry box.  That just happened. 

About a year ago I made Piper this tiny little Rapunzel for her birthday.  (I made Eugene too and I imagine we'll see him when we make up the boy room.)  I used Sally Mavor's book Felt Wee Folk: Enchanting Projects which is super awesome.  Tiny Rapunzel is one of the 2.5 inch dolls.  The perfect Borrower size.  Peg people would work for this project also.

 

 

I've been knitting a lot lately and decided to make up a blanket for her little bed.  It's nothing complex or counted or measured.  I basically made a gauge sample.  

 

We brought a small bag of scrap fabric and sewing notions for just such an occasion.  I hand stitched  a tiny mattress and pillow to fit in the blueberry box.  I used fluffed up cotton balls for the stuffing.

The crayon props up the lid.  You could use anything.  Corn dog stick.  Sucker stick.  Stick from the yard.  Crayon.  I thought the pink was a nice accent.

It all folds up nicely too.  If you don't want to commit to an entire world you can just have a tiny plaything for your purse or backpack. 

This may be my favorite thing ever.

This is going to be such a fun project...for me.  The kids will enjoy playing with everything even if they aren't super into making the stuff.  I may not want to share that part of the project anyway.  :)

Hoping you have a fabulous (and crafty) 2013!!

Kristin

For the babies...

Two, count them TWO, dear people in my life have recently had beautiful baby girls.  I was so excited to knit and sew for a baby girl again that I got all giddy and light headed and, for just a second, considered having another baby.  That didn't last long though.  I realized other people will always be having babies I can sew and knit for.  Phew...(right babe?)

Anyway, I broke out some trusted patterns, Made by Rae's Big Butt Baby Pants and Joelle Hoverson's Pointy Elf Hat from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.  Seriously I LOVE these patterns!  They are both fairly quick and easy.  The hardest part is picking out the right yarn and fabric for the job.

Are you ready to see the cutest pants in the history of forever? 

Front view

 

Back view.

Don't even try to tell me these aren't the cutest...cause you'd be lying.

And now for the super sweet pixie hat.



I think I need to knit myself a pixie hat...

Together?

Shut the front door!

I especially love that the hat is as long as the pants.  Although you can roll the hat brim to make it a little shorter.

Tiny clothes make my ovaries hurt.

Knitting Needle Roll

I thought I'd show you all my needle storage roll.  I was going crazy with needles everywhere and trying to keep little people from breaking them or loosing them.  I decided to make up a needle roll. 

Never mind the wrinkles...it's well loved.

It turned out really great.  I think the only thing I would do next time is make it slightly shorter or sew the flap farther down.  I end up folding past the sewn flap line.  No big deal but it's what I'd do differently.

Right now it holds all my needles with plenty of space for new ones I make.  It holds circulars, double points, and regular ol' straight ones.  I will add that my homemade needles are a good bit longer than the ones I had purchased at the store so I had to make it taller to work with those.

Sewing this up really didn't take that long.  Just a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon.  All the materials were from my stash so that made it free too.  I'm thinking of making a tutorial... what do you think?

Anyone else craving cinnamon rolls?

A Hat for the Hubs

My sweet husband requested a hat.  I happily agreed to knit him one if he chose the pattern.  He settled on the Jacques Cousteau hat and I hit my new favorite yarn store for the perfect yarn.  It's taking for. ev. er.  I think it's the tiny needles.  Apparently I have "knitter's block" with this one.  I'm just going to have to get it done though. 

Also, last weekend I spent two days on youtube trying to decide if I think I'm a "magic loop" kind of gal. (exciting weekend huh?)  I've figured out the double pointed needles pretty well but it does get a little crazy with all those points.  So....any input about magic loop v/s dpn's? 

I'm yarning along with Ginny at Small Things.  My husband has been encouraging me (or driving me crazy about) reading Game of Thrones so that's the book I'm getting ready to start.  We'll see if it's as good as he says it is.  I figure if he can ready Harry Potter for me, I can read Game of Thrones for him.

In case you missed it, you should check out Part 2 of my knitting needle tutorial.  (here's Part 1)  They turned out great if I do say so myself.  Oh and come back Friday to check out the knitting needle roll I made to keep them all in.  Three posts in one week...whaaaaat?

Kristin

Knitting Needles Part 2: The Finishing

Remember waaaaaaay back when I showed you my homemade knitting needles?  Well, it's time to finally finish them. 

We made it to Step Four where you pretty much sand them within an inch of their lives.  I used 150, 220, and 320 grit sandpaper.

To finish you need:

-old rags (a cut up t-shirt will do nicely)
-0000 steel wool
-an extra piece of the 320 grit sandpaper
-boiled linseed oil (or your finish of choice)

Step Five:

Take a clean rag and apply the boiled linseed oil to the raw needles.  (Take care not to spill it or just do this part outside.)  Let it sit for 10-20 minutes then with another clean rag wipe off any extra that didn't soak in. 

Let the needles dry for 24 hours.  Now, here's where the magic happens.  Take your 0000 steel wool and buff the needle.  This is what gives it a glassy smooth finish.  At this point I usually feel/look very closely for any little spot I missed when sanding that could catch my yarn then I take my 320 grit sandpaper and sand it smooth. 

Repeat this 4 or 5 times.  You'll know when it needs it again.  You will be able to feel how "not smooth" it is.  I've even used them for a while then gone back and put on a few more layers of finish. 

All in all, I've made about 10 needle sets (dpn's included) and I still have plenty of raw material to make more. 

They really are quite fun to make.


Next up!  I'm showing you my knitting needle storage/travel solution.

A hat or twelve.

We've had some "technical difficulties" here at Sewtastically Made.  My computer sounds like it's grinding coffee.  Yes, that's bad.  Apparently it's a little thing called a hard drive.  And it's crashing.  So that means I've got to figure out a way to quickly get ALL my important information (i.e. pictures, homeschool files, itunes...yes, I know I need a "cloud".)  on to an external hard drive.  I'm scared.  I'm a giant, technologically un-gifted, scaredy cat.  (I'm just going have to put on my BGP's - big girl panties - and do it though.)  Thankfully, my wonderful daddy took the time to fix my "old computer" for me to have as a back up. 

Now for the crafty talk...

I've been knitting like a crazy person.  Or maybe just knitting like a knitter.  I swear I even dream knitting.  In the shower the other day, rinsing my hair, I saw knitted stitches on the backs of my eyelids.  Am I going insane?  Don't answer that.

I've been working on lots of small projects.  Hats mostly.  One for me.



I apologize for all the ipod photos.  It was raining to boot!

One for my oldest.

Lord he's cute.

Even one for a tiny peg person.

I love the unintentional braided look.

I started another one for a sweet, soon to be born, daughter of a dear friend.  (I can't wait to see it on her tiny head!)

Apparently it's the week of the hat.  In the wings I have lined up one for my cousin's brand new baby and even one for my husband.  Hats all around!  (And don't worry about my daughter, she received one of the first ones I made.)  

Oh, and I finally found a sweet little yarn shop with super friendly (and very helpful) staff and "yarn snob" yarn.  I'm excited to try upgraded (but NOT insanely expensive) yarn. 

I also discovered the joys of a knitting, homeschooling mom.  I think that's how I accomplished so much with knitting this week!  It's the perfect thing to sit quietly and work on while my son works on a particular problem.  Along those lines, I've currently been reading homeschool math lessons and not much else. 

Yarning along with Ginny and the gang at Small Things today.

 

 

 

 

 

A String and Two Sticks

So I'm a knitter.  I am.  I crocheted for years but I haven't once since I picked up the needles.  I started back in January and the progress felt pretty slow for a while.  I seem to be getting faster and (maybe) even better now.  I had done some basic dishrag patterns but nothing super complicated.  Well, enter Wee Folk Art and their beautiful Spicer's Scarf.  It's by far the most complicated pattern I've ever done.  Lots of K2, YO, K1, YO, K5 SL1K, K2T, PSSO, etc.  And I CAN READ THAT!  Crazytown.

We went camping this past weekend and I had quite a bit of time for this...

 

and this....

and this...

It was so relaxing.  Maybe I'm still in the "honeymoon phase" with knitting but I'm always amazed at what can come from a string and two sticks.

This will look even better once I block it!

I'm yarning along with Ginny at Small Things today.  I'm reading Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett and I've also started Pompeii by Robert Harris.  Both on my nook.