Little Blue Hat

I needed something for instant gratification.  So I spent my evening, yesterday, knitting this little hat.  I made the pattern up myself.  It turned out okay, but I have no idea how big a baby's head is.  Anybody have any ideas?

I think I will make a few more of these once I figure out the right size to make them.

Dance of Joy

The Folk Dance Jamboree is being held because it is Education Week here in Toronto.  Every evening this week, Albert Campbell Square is alive with the sounds of music and children's laughter.  I have always loved this wonderful event, so I asked to go along and they let me.

I loved it!

On the sewing front, nothing much has been going on.  I had an extremely busy weekend. There was a lot of fence staining going on.  My future weekends will likely be filled with more of that.

But I finished the baby blanket I was working on.  It is loosely based on a Lion Brand pattern. And when I say "loosely", I mean it.  I didn't use Lion Brand yarn, not even the bonbons yarn that the pattern called for. I used mostly Red Heart yarns - huge balls called 'Comfort' and some others that I had in my stash.  With size 6mm needles I cast on a number of stitches that I thought would make the blanket wide enough.  I don't even remember how many.  Then I knit some white rows and changed colour according to the colours of the rainbow.  I had these yarns at home, so I didn't even have to buy any yarn.  I used 8 rainbow colours.  The only problem I had was running out of the white about 10 rows from completion. So I went out and bought another ball.  Bummer.  But now I have enough to make another blanket.

It's just plain knitting, but I love how it turned out.  It's about 35 inches wide by 45 inches long. My DD loves it too.  I made it especially for her.  Well, not for her exactly, but for her new baby boy.  You see, my DD is pregnant and that is why I am doing the Happy Dance!

A Few Finishes Over the Last Few Days

Even though our power was out, I kept myself busy by knitting some hats and mitts.  I still have to sew a few of the mitts together, but I hope to have that done by this afternoon.   Can you see those turquoise mitts still on the needle?  I decided to knit both mitts at the same time.  I often get 'second mitt syndrome', which makes it hard to finish the second mitt once I have already finished the first one.  I can never remember how many stitches and how many rows and I spend a lot of time counting and trying to figure out what I did this first time around.  This way I don't have to do that.  I still have some more yarn and I may make another hat or two.

I also made some bags to wrap gifts.  I promised myself to make several each year so that I could stop buying and using paper bags and wrapping paper.  I thought it would make my Christmases 'greener'.

I also made a couple of rice bags to give as Christmas gifts.  These can be put into the microwave and heated up.  They are great for sore muscles or cold feet.  I plan to make some more of these.

And now I must get back to my cupcake baking.  My DS is going to be 40 next week.  YIKES!!!! How did that happen?  I guess I can no longer say I'm 39 years old.  My DD is hosting a dinner at her house tomorrow night for DS and his friends.  We have been invited because hubby is bringing the beef.

As I was trying to bake, take a shower and do a load of laundry, our power went out again.  I just held my breath and hoped for the best.  The power went back on an hour or so later. Thank goodness!  I guess the hydro folks are still working on our lines.  Now that the power is back on I am going to finish making the cupcakes and throw another load of laundry into my washing machine.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Side Tracked

Don't worry, I have been working hard on the super hero quilt.  But you know me, every now and then I need a little bit of a change.  Batman and the Hulk just don't do it for me.  And I have been seeing lots of Scrappy Trip Around the World quilts out there in blogland.  They look great and appear to use up a lot of stash fabrics.  So this morning, as I watched my neighbour cut up the 50ft pine tree that had gotten uprooted during our crazy weather last weekend, I decided to make a block and see if it really was as easy as folks say it is.  And it was!  I made two of them in less than an hour.  The guys cut up that huge tree in less time than that.

I plan to make more, but not right now.  I still have 4 more blocks to do for the Super Heroes Quilt and I also have to find all of my Journal Quilts.  The president of our guild has asked me to present them at our meeting on Monday evening.  She wants them to be a President's Challenge.  We will make journal quilts and they will be judged by our members.  Winners will get fat quarters.  Because I had suggested Journal Quilts at our last executive meeting, I was selected to talk to our members about them.  Wish me luck.

Toronto has been issued a severe weather warning.  Baby, it's cold outside!  I think someone left the refrigerator open.  The temperature is -13C with a windchill of -25C.  Tonight it will go down to -17C with a windchill to match.  I can't even think about the cold temperatures without getting chills.  I have put my heavy comforter on my bed.  Just trying to keep warm.

My DD is teaching in a portable this year.  The only portable at her school.  And she is freezing most of the time.  So I offered to knit her a sweater.  The back is almost done.  Hope to start on the fronts this evening.  I am sort of designing it as I go.

The sooner I get it done, the sooner she will be warm.

This and That

Day 15 of Blogtoberfest

Some things I've been working on.  The first is a scarf made with Red Heart Boutique Ribbons.  It knits up easily.  One ball makes a scarf.  It isn't very soft though.  But I think my DD will like it.  

I also made one of these little gnomes.  So easy and sooooo cute!  The pattern is here.  I think I will make a few more.  They will make great Christmas decorations!  

I also made an extra block for Terry's Scrappy Stars. (look on her side bar for more info)  Here are all 9 that I have finished so far.   The one at the top left is my new block.

Caution, Knitters and Crocheters at Large

This morning I went over to the school where my DD teaches grade 6 to spent an hour with some of her students who were interested in learning how to knit or crochet.  There were 9 of them.  I made the mistake of showing them some of the amigurumi I have made in the past.  I guess I wanted them to be excited about creating something with yarn, but I really didn't need to do that.  They were already excited and when they saw the cute little animals, they wanted to learn how to make some for themselves.  I didn't think it was possible to learn to crochet an amigurumi without first learning the basic stitches, so they had to learn a lesson in patience first.  I think that was the most difficult part of the hour.   As  you can see, they all caught on to crocheting very quickly.

 I am already looking forward to next Thursday for another hour of knitting/crocheting club.

This and That

I have lots to show you today...

First up are my hexagon flower blocks for this week.  I only made 2 and last week I didn't make any, but I am still making progress.  Got to stay on top of these. 

I have been playing with my scraps and decided to put the finished blocks together for a quilt top.  Here is my progress so far.  I think I will add a few more rows.  I don't have much of the white on white fabric, so when I run out, the quilt will be done.

Now for something different.  Last Monday I went over to our local library and joined in on a 'drop-in program' for knitters.  I haven't knitted anything in a long time.  I used to make toques, scarves and mitts for the kids at the school where my DD teaches.  I haven't done that for a long time either.  So I started making some mittens.  I'll try to make a few more things in this 2-hour, twice a month program.  It was fun.  Here is what I have so far.

I have also been busy in my garden.  A while back, I discovered that there was such a thing as fall crocuses.  I was able to get some at a local nursery.  They have to be planted in the fall.  Next spring they will come up and show some leaves.  Then by August or September the leaves will disappear and beautiful pink or mauve flowers will appear. 

This one is called Colchicum Byzantinum.  It was already starting to flower in the package.  This one has a very large bulb and the package said that it would have to be divided after a couple of years because it grows very quickly.  That's a good thing!  I also planted some small bulbs of a different kind of fall crocus.  But I could have saved myself the trouble because when I went outside this morning I discovered that my resident squirrel had dug them up.  I forgot to sprinkle some cayenne pepper on the soil.  That is the only thing that keeps my squirrels away.

And last, but not least, I did some baking.  I made a banana chocolate chip bunt cake and a marble bunt cake which is pictured here. 

I also sandwiched a quilt that I hope to finish in the next couple of days.  So it's back to the sewing room for me. 



Feeling Better!

Thank you to everyone who left well wishes on my last post. I am feeling much better today, although not perfect. My sinuses still aren't cooperating. It is cold and dreary out. On and off snow flurries all day and when I look out my kitchen window I can't tell where my neighbour's roof leaves off and the sky begins. Everything is white.

But my day has been brightened by Barb of Bejeweled Quilts, sent me these nifty little squares of fabric. There are 28 of them. And she even included a spool of thread. Thank you Barb! I have no idea what I will make with them yet. I might even have some fabrics that would go with these. Anybody got any ideas?

Also, while I was recuperating, I knit my son a new scarf. He wanted one in black. So I just cast on 39 stitches and did a knit three, purl three across the rows. I changed the knit and purl stitches every three rows to create a sort of basket weave effect. Maybe you can see it if you click on the photo. I love this pattern for a scarf. A friend of mine suggested it to me many years ago and I still make a lot of scarves this way. It is an easy pattern and gives me just enough of a challenge to be able to watch television or just recuperate from a cold while I knit.

The Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

(My apologies to Judith Viorst)

So there I was, happily stippling away on my latest wall hanging. The quiet hum of my sewing machine, lulling me into a sense of peace and near completion. I was hoping to get this quilt done for another May finish. I only had a very small portion left to quilt. When, all of a sudden...... nothing! No quiet hum. No more wonderful squiggles on my quilt. No peaceful feeling. Nothing! Not a sound, not a ripple, not even a little "meow" from Mimi, just a very tight knot in the pit of my stomach. My machine just stopped. The lights were on, but no one was home!

My quilt was still stuck, with the needle holding the fabric firmly in place. I could not move it. I turned my machine off and then on again. Nothing. I took the needle out. Still nothing. I opened the bobbin case. Nothing was tangled. With the needle out and the bobbin released, I was able to carefully slide my quilt out. Then I took everything apart. Everything that would come apart, that is. I could find nothing wrong, but as I tried to put everything back into place, I discovered that the pieces would not go back the way they were supposed to. Something was jammed. I think the problem is with the feed dogs. With no longer a place for everything and everything in its place, I packed all the loose pieces up into a ziplock bag and taped them to the side of my machine. Then I put my machine into its case and left it by the back door. Tonight we will have to take it to the quilt shop. I hope it isn't anything serious and I hope that whatever it is, can be fixed quickly. Can a quilter survive without her sewing machine? I'm just wondering.......

Guess I'm going to be making a lot of fish in the next few days.

Fish Tales

One of my angelfish died last Friday. He was old. Now I have only one angelfish left in my aquarium. That one seems lonely. Think I will go out and buy a few more this week. I really like angelfish! Mine looked just like this one.





We just had our first long weekend of the summer. Traditionally it is the weekend to open the cottage, open the pool, plant the garden and do all kinds of summer stuff. But it was too cold! No planting got done. No plants were bought. We still had frost on Sunday night. So, while I was feeling sort of down because of my fish and the fact that I couldn't plant anything, I started thinking. That is usually not a good thing!

Look what's on my needles right now.

Fish!

I found this tessellated pattern on the internet and decided to try it out. These guys are quick and easy and they look amazing!

I love this picture of a finished fish blanket that I found on the Internet.

I made about 18 fish this weekend. I have lots of yarn to make a lot more. And that is a good thing because I think I need about 200 of them to make a blanket!

A Black Hat!

Finally finished the black hat for my DS! It fits perfectly! And he loves it! It's made of synthetic yarn - Red Heart. I used a set of 5, size 5.5mm double-pointed needles.

Here are the directions.

Cast on: 120 sts.
Join stitches and place on 4 double-pointed needles, making sure not to twist stitches.

Round 1: K 2, p 2, to end of round.
Continue in this manner until the hat measures about 5 inches.

I did 50 rows for the black hat. There should be enough for turning up the edge of the hat.

Begin decrease rows:

Round 1: K 2, p2 tog. to end of round - 90 sts.
Round 2: K 2, p 1, to end of round
Round 3: K 2 tog. purl 1 to end of round -60 sts.
Round 3: K 1, p 1, to end of round
Round 4: K 2 tog. to end of round - 30 sts.
Round 5: K
Round 6: K 2 tog. to end of round - 15 sts.
Round 7: K
Round 8: K 2 tog. to last st. K 1 - 8 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a end of about 20cm.
Run end of yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight.
Secure yarn and work end in.

That's all there is to it! My DS thinks I should make a few dozen of these and keep them around as Christmas gifts for the rest of my life! Hmm. Good idea, I guess. But I am tired of making hats. Right now I am working on other things. I found a darling little baby sweater on Oiyi's blog. (I will give you her blog later - Right now I can't figure out how to link someone else's blog to mine!) I made one in a day and then played around with the pattern to make another one, a little larger. I will post photos as soon as possible. I also have another hat with a kind of complex cable going on that I just can't seem to get around to finishing! Better do that too, before this 'hat phase' completely escapes me.

Oh, well. Back to work!

A Few Hats!

Well, I knit some hats! The yarn is synthetic. The pattern is my own. I started with the off-white one and then made the others by changing the size of the needles and number of stitches. These hats were very easy to do. They took me from 1 to 3 days to make each one - a perfect project while I wait for the results from my latest MRI test. I am too anxious to do anything more complicated at the moment. But it is nice to be able to say that I finished something at least!
The blue and gray one is for my DH. The gray one with the cables is for my DS. The black ball with the needles stuck in it will also become a hat for my DS. He has expressly asked for a black one. The others don't have a home (head) yet. I may keep the multi-coloured one for myself. It was the most fun to make. I plan to make more of these to give to the school where my daughter works. They always have kids who forget or lose their hats. This way they will have something to keep them warm in our cold winter! I will also make some mittens for them too! Those are always needed. And maybe a few scarves - although I don't want anyone to get caught on the playground equipment, so I will not make them very long.

Socks and Cats

Felix: These are cool! Are they for me? Can I have them, please?

Me: No, Felix! I made these especially for me!
Felix: Awwww. Please, pretty please! Pretty please with catnip on it!
Me: I just finished them. They are from the monkey socks pattern. I made them a little wider because my feet are swollen at the moment. They wouldn't fit you, Felix! Sorry!
Felix: Darn!
Me: Darn them? No way! I haven't even worn them yet!!!
Felix: Oh, boy! Very funny! Everyone is a comedian!

The yarn is Regia, I think. I bought it such a long time ago, that I really can't remember. I bought it on sale - very cheap! I guess I got what I paid for because the colour of the dark brown changed to a light beige halfway through the first sock. It is really not that noticeable and since they are for me, I won't worry too much about it. I really liked the pattern though! Easy and just enough of a challenge to make them interesting! Now on to other projects. Still have lots of things to finish before Christmas.

Me: What do you think of the socks, Mimi?
Mimi: They won't fit me! If I can't eat them or sleep on them, I am not interested!

Completed Socks!

Sitting, as I have been, in my recliner for the past five days, has given me lots of time to knit! I finished this pair of socks using some discontinued Bernat Sox yarn. At least I think it is discontinued! Too bad, because I really enjoyed working with it! It's a very thin fingering yarn - 60% acrylic and 40% nylon. I bought it on sale last year. This pair of socks cost me less than $4 to make! The colour is called 'hot tamale'. The pattern I used was 'lace panel socks' from the Patons book, "Pull Up Your Socks". These will keep my feet warm this winter! I have two more balls of this same yarn in a darker, purple colour, so I may just have to make another pair!

A Little Warmth on a Cold Day

I've been working hard to keep the local school kids warm this winter. So far we have not had any really cold weather, but tonight the mercury will dip well below the freezing point. The kids will need warm mitts and hats tomorrow. I will take my stash over to the school this afternoon.

Total: 10 hats, 14 pairs of mitts, 12 scarves