Classic Vest in Walnut

Started this week, still amazed I haven't made anything bigger than a scarf for my man.  Oh, but he does have three and a half scarves...  Loving the size 7 needles after doing a bunch of lacy stuff for myself lately - this is swinging right along.  Couple more nights of tv and I'll be up to the armholes.  Ravelry notes here.

Poppa Popsicle Stick Seaplane Project

So pretty.  Good job Poppa and J!

Dinosaur Hoodie

 This started life as a regular old thrift store hoodie, now tricked out with Stego plates and a (slightly misshapen) stego applique to cover up a random football logo.

Happy Birthday Jude!

Lavender Leaf Vest Finished

 

 I started this last summer with linen from Homespun Boutique, my favorite yarn shop.  It was lovely to work with, though tended to split as it is about a 5 or 6 ply.    Also produced a lot of lint when I knitted in the car.  I love the color, and the overall pattern was fun and kept me interested.  I created buttonholes when I did the picot edging but decided I preferred a higher single closing, so I created loops.  Even though I swatched it and sized up for ease, the linen knit tight and crisp, so if I did this pattern as a vest again (it was originally a cardi) I might add a back or side vents.  I'm very pleased with it and can't wait for warmer weather.

Here is a detail of the buttons and loops.  Ravely notes here:  //www.ravelry.com/projects/carolyndw/leaf-and-picot-cardigan

Gramp and Grammy Crafts - Abacus and Puppet Theater

Totally blown away by these Christmas presents, hand designed, built, painted, and accessorized by Grammy and Gramp.  The puppet theater has a chalk board where you can write the playbill.  The abacus fits snugly into J's love of numbers and math.

Feeling extremely blessed and grateful for the gifts of family.

Ballerinas

Auntie G and Mommy Crafts, for a ballet-obsessed little girl.  Best friends?  Sisters? Will definitely be making more of these.

From Posie Gets Cozy's pattern.

Peppermint Candy Hat

This was a stash buster for some completely stretchless cotton yarn - after knitting up from the rolled brim and duplicate stitching on the swirl, we realized it fell off J's head instantly - two shallow and a bit big.  I picked up inside the roll brim with smaller needles and knit the ribbing down to make a deeper hat and stretchier - I like how it turned out!

Pickles Pinkity Vest

Made this Plain Vest in two nights.  Cannot even believe how fast it came together, and I just happened to have two buttons that fit perfectly both in size and substance - vintage pearly shanks.

Unraveled baby sweater in Lion Homespun (all acrylic, I know, but very soft and not too warm for a hot-blooded little girl)

 

 She put it right on (but then took it right off.  Too hot today!)

All my Ravelry notes here (sized up by using larger needles and knitting up the body 2in longer to armhole cast off)

Tons of free patterns in English (and for sale, and yarn) here at Pickles.  Check it out!

Castle Block Bag

Well, when you get a bunch of castle blocks for Christmas you certainly need a bag to hold them in.  With some stash from Grammy I put this easy applique together - just a drawstring bag.  Would have gone faster with no applique but I couldn't resist.

Coffee Cosy

Quick project to protect your hands from hot coffee cups.  I used a skein of neutral linen and some stash yarn for funky accents, made half a dozen of them for friends and teachers. 

New Year's Quilt

This was a donation to my kids' school, for auction at their fancy New Year's Eve fundraiser.  I really LOVE how it turned out - it was hard to let it go.

Last fall I asked other parents to donate old dress shirts or fabric.  With only a dozen shirts I made this, using two old cotton sheets I already had.  All I bought was the cotton batting (50% off at Joanns).  I had some piecing left over so made a stripey back - I love quilts with the back pieced too.   The pattern is available for free online at Amy Butler's site (with many others - this is called Thea's Puzzle Quilt and is about 2/3 down the page)  Finished size is 64" square, a nice lap quilt or for the foot of the bed.

 

Of course, I forgot to take any photos until I was delivering it, so we had to hold it up quickly in a dark room, hence the shadowy photos.

Celestine in Red and Oatmeal

 This was my car project as to Grandmother's house we went.  

I ripped it out after the first two points to dramatically decrease the size and also added the contrast - not just because I only had enough red for about half, but also because I'm on a Scandinavian kick recently and I love how they combine red and white.

 It isn't really a useful object, unless you are a cat or a child that likes to bat things around or throw them up in the air.

But I like it.  Sometimes you can have too much of a focus on the practical, and you need a bit more whimsical in your life!  It was also a great way to use up some moth-eaten bright red wool from long ago that had wound up in my stash - since there isn't a lot of stress on this it won't matter that it is thinner in places - and a few nights ago I put it outside to freeze those critters out.

All notes for making the smaller size are on Ravelry.

Happy New Year 2012. Watch Out for the Pirates!

Arrrgh, mateys!  What a grand ole project for cold weather days. Poppa designed and built me with able-bodied mate J at the glue gun.  Pirate flag printed on me sails and I'm ready for buccaneering!

Wishing you a wonderful 2012!