Thursday, May 27, 2010

I love quickies!

Well who doesn't?

My last few projects have been nice, quick knits! But not just mindless either, I learned a new technique. Bobbles. They were surprisingly easy, but I was glad to practice them on a not so important project, if you know what I mean.
I have a boatload of this cotton that my neighbor gave me last summer. I was going to dye it, but that is another one of those someday projects. So when my mother in law started complaining about the price of Swiffer cloths, I did what every knitter does. I thought for about half a second and said, "I can knit those!". In her somewhat skeptical, non-knitter voice she said, "and they will work as good as the Swiffer ones?" I gave them to her this week, so we will have to wait a bit to see what the verdict is.

The first pattern is available here on Ravelry or from Birdysknits directly. I modified it only slightly by purling the first and last three rows to ease the curling edge.
The other one I made was just 65 stitches knit in garter until it fit. Even though there was only minor sewing involved, I think if I make more I would knit the other one just to avoid it :).

Ok, who isn't getting the biggest kick out of the fact that this yarn is the EXACT same color as the Swiffer???

Friday, May 21, 2010

Friday Fill-Ins

1. This picture never fails to make me smile.
2. I'm looking forward to Saturday (it's my birthday!).

3. Kidster #2 playing with Hot Wheels is what I'm listening to right now.

4. Potato salad must have no celery in it!

5. Pumpkin cheesecake muffins was the best thing I ate today.

6. Today is the most beautiful weather day we have had!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a Little League baseball game, tomorrow my plans include going out to dinner for my birthday and Sunday, I want to plant in the garden some of the things hanging around in pots, but it might rain!

Get yours: http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Underwater on a rainy day

The Under the Sea birthday party was a success. Well, as much of a success as having 14 kids between the ages of 4-6 stuck inside on a rainy day can be!

Luckily I had spent some time decorating our family room. I just didn't trust the weather folk who kept telling us it would clear (which it did, 20 minutes after everyone left). The bottom half of the walls were covered in craft paper so the kids could draw fishy things and sign their names.With kids everywhere, getting a good picture was hard. And since I didn't get parental permissions to plaster their kids' faces all over the internet, you'll have to make do with backside shots and the occasional mug from kidster #1, the birthday boy.

We made fishing poles out of shovels, went fishing, and used the fish we caught to "stick the fish in the ocean".

I made flippers for each of them (how do you like the fish on my head? Ha!)and then goggles and snorkels rounded out the attire. It was supposed to be a scavenger hunt, but I didn't want kids all over the house so I sort of just handed everything out. (Bummer.) We swam like our favorite fish and had a few other swimmingly fun games before cake and presents.
The birthday boy was happy and that made me happy.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Saturday, May 8, 2010

I've been avoiding the subject.

Here is my spring hoodie. It is an Ugh.


The pattern has a few errors. The hood does not make a hood, it makes a flap. You know, like a big sailor collar. Yeah, not attractive. And the yardage requirement is way off. I should have known that 750 yards for a hoodie sweater was not going to cut it, but I was wearing my rose colored glasses. So I now have a pointy hooded vest. And if you would like to have a pointy hooded vest, just let me know!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Another cat in the house

This little guy is the latest off my needles. I needed something small and portable to take with me on my trip to Ohio. It had just so happened that my friend Anita, of The Pattern Box, was asking for test knitters for her two new designs in our Ravelry group. I knew the cat would be perfect since I did owe kidster #2 a knitted toy. Back when his brother got the ninja turtle I had asked him what he would like and he said a cat. I searched around but never settled on a pattern that I liked. In fact, the only pattern that I even considered was another of Anita's, the Scaredy Cat.


I made this one black to resemble our big black cat Zoey. I didn't do a face...and I probably wont. I like that our Mini Zoey can feel however Kidster wants him to (that, and I'm not good at embroidering)!


I'll let you all know when Anita releases the pattern! In the meantime, here's my Ravelry project page.