He did it!

He has been so excited about going to Preschool.
No tears. Not even a look back. I'm proud of my little man!

My first KAL

One of my Ravelry friends and Fiber Friends is Anita. She sells her patterns here and on Ravelry. She even has a fan club on Rav (she's so lucky)! When she released her newest pattern for this felted Halloween Ghost, I immediately had to let her know how adorable he is.

(photo used with permission)

Anita thought it might be fun for our group to make him for a KAL. I had a little trouble finding white wool, since there isn't an LYS nearby. But I managed to pack up kidster #2 the other day when it was rainy and we took a drive. Thankfully he loves the car! I got myself some Galway and I'm just waiting for the fun to begin. I'm pretty sure everyone will finish it before me, but that's OK! If you are interested in joining us, check out our Ravelry group!

Two down, one to go

Kidster #1 started Kindergarten last week. We waited for the bus to come. And waited...and waited. Apparently the bus driver determined that there was no where on the road for her to turn around, so she decided she wouldn't pick him up. And didn't call anyone either. Not me, the school, the town's transportation department, or the bus company. It's straightened out now. All it took was one very firm mother, a father being an administrator in the town's school system, and the fact that you can fit three tanks in our driveway!

So here he is, on the second day of school.

An answer for Vicki

All of you Blogger users know there is no good way to respond to comments folks leave. Bummer. Vicki had a question about yarn for felting, so I thought it would be good to repeat her question and my answer here.

Vicki said...
I love this bag [Around About]! I would like to make it in a yarn other than wool, though, as I am allergic to wool. Can you recommend another type of yarn I could use to get a similar, sturdy bag? Thank you!~Vicki

Amybel said...
Thanks Vicki!
In order to get yarn to felt it should be 100% natural animal fiber. No superwash, acrylic, cotton, etc. You could try Alpaca and see if you get an allergic reaction. Alpaca tends to be a little "furry" after felting, but it is very soft and should felt nicely (and you could always give it a haircut). I would recommend that you try to felt a sample swatch first just to make sure! You wouldn't want all that hard work to go down the drain (pun intended!). There are also wools blended with other animal fibers like llama or alpaca that might be less irritating to your allergy. Or, if you are not wallet constrained you could opt for higher end yarn like mohair or angora. Good luck! And let me know how you make out :)

Good luck Vicki, and keep in touch!

What's in your knitting queue?

I don't mean the 145 things you've queued in Ravelry. I'm interested in your immediate queue. What are the next five things you are going to make or finish?

Here's mine:

1. Finish mini cable handle bag before Brenda's niece drives her nuts.

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Kidster #1. He's literally obsessed with them (he's my son?) and ever since the puppy and giraffe he's determined that I need to make him something. He even picked out the yarn so that I would make the right color. I'd like to make a kid sized mask for him too, since I know already what he wants to be for Halloween.

3. I have a new purse design floating around in my head and I need to get it out!

4. Speaking of Halloween, my SIL (aka Super Aunt) has a birthday in the beginning of October. She loves all things fall and Halloweeny. I'd like to make her this hat with matching ones for the kidsters just for fun, and some felted candy corn.

5. Make more Christmas Gift Holders. I made some a few years back and they were a huge hit. A little vague? Yes. Does that mean another pattern is coming? Yes. I'd better get on it quick so that I can get it out there for all of you before New Years!

So what are your next five? Leave a comment with your list or post it on your blog. Don't forget to comment so I can check it out!

WIP's

OK, well I didn't manage to get pictures but I did manage about 10 minutes at the computer. So here's a little knit update...

I'm working on two more cable handle bags. This time in alternate sizes. One of my Ladies Night Girlfriends asked for one, but a little smaller. "The larger your purse, the more crap you carry around with you." Words of wisdom I say.

And Brenda called to say that her niece keeps stealing her beige bag so I needed to make one for her pronto! Being as her niece is only 13, I think it will be a mini version. The plus side of all this (besides making a little $$) is that I can write the pattern to include the other sizes! The down side? Well, I have to write that pattern now, don't I?

Is it Friday already?

I'm starting to get grouchy without my computer fix. All week long I've barely made it here before some major catastrophe erupts. I think they secretly wired an alarm in the computer chair so that they know the instant I sit. By "they" I mean the boys, kidsters and Hubster too. They are all in cahoots I tell you.

So fine friends I'll have more knitting for you soon. Once I've had some time to take pictures, download them, and share them with you! But for today I will make the easy post.

Friday Fill-Ins:

1. He was a Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B.
2. Allergy medication is what I look forward to most this time of year.
3. My best friend is Hubster.
4. I can't wait for the kids to be in school, to be honest with you.
5. Appearances can be scary.
6. The last person I gave a hug to was Kidster #1, tucking him into bed, right as he said I was the best Mom he ever had (yes, I know I'm the only Mom he ever had).
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to beer, tomorrow my plans include keeping sane while stuck inside all day during Tropical Storm Danny, and Sunday, I want to steal a few minutes (hours) at the computer!

In case you're interested, you can get your Friday Fill-ins right here at http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/