Is it true? Christmas was so long ago…

Sis, I must agree with you!  Christmas is just now a month away, but it seems ages ago with all the yarn projects we’ve been stitching up!  I’ve nearly forgotten about some of the projects, however, it’s quite understandable, especially with our very busy past week.

I can’t believe this was the one that slipped my mind:  “Little C’s” crochet hook case….

She was soooo excited and surprised when she unwrapped it!  I was glad it hooked it up for her.  To me, there is nothing better than yarning up something for our loved ones!

For our readers Little C is a dear friend, and she’s just beginning to crochet.  I included a few hooks, markers, and needles inside, along with a lil yarn gift card to make the gift complete.  The pattern for this darling case came from here http://creativeladys.blogspot.com/2011/09/aluminum-crochet-hook-case.html.

I modified the pattern to be bi-colored, and I left off the final “zipper rows.”  Instead I finished off the case with a simple single crochet border, started at the bottom middle of the case.  I also braided some of the remaining yarn into a tie, approximately 3 feet.  I wove the cord through the top layer of the case and tied it into a bow to close.

Now, I must admit, this next project flustered me so much I had to forget about it for a slight bit.  Big C’s helmet liner….

It knitted up right quick!  Then, however, after I had to cut the yarn I realized something was off….  The directions for the decrease at the top of the head decreased alright!  Too bad it was at a shape not congruent with a human head!!!  Agh.  As you well know I had to sit this pincushion on the back burner for a while and pick up something new.

So, I started hooking up a doggy amigurumi for a dear relative.  I was so excited at the yarn store that I just had to send you a picture of my findings…

What was all my excitement about?  The fuzzy, furry looking tan in the center!  In this daze of excitement I didn’t remember I was hooking this project.  Now, this may not have been a problem for seasoned hookers, but as I am still a green horn, it was insane!!  For me, knitting with this creative choice is much easier with a pair of pokey sticks, let me tell you…

It took me about an hour to get this far on the doggie’s fur… and it looked more like a ragged rug than a magnificent mane!

So I decided just to make the dog according the the original pattern, and put down the feisty fur.

In all honesty, none of this really bothered me!  With the atrocious amount of snow, I wanted to stay where I was, and it was so much fun to try out the new yarn.  I am proud to say that I now have my own technique to speed along with it!

For all of our wonderful readers, here’s a little taste of the snow…  Early in the day (though it may not look it)

And near 9pm…

There was still so much traffic, I was glad that there wasn’t far to drive.  Too bad, however, it took me 45 minutes to clean off the truck!  Thank-you to all the dedicated town workers for doing their best with the copious amounts of the fluff stuff!

I was glad to hear that all of loved ones got home safe that day.  It was truly relaxing… Like I got a snow day from grade school!

-Love lil’ Sis

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Seriously Upset Aves (Angry Birds)

Part of why Sis and I haven’t been around is that we just finished a furiously fast-paced crochet endeavor for a great cause…. but on a hugely pressure-filled time crunch.

We found out about a benefit for someone to raise money for their breast cancer medical bills and asked if we could donate anything for the silent auction.  We were told Yes!!!  So we got to work!

In three days, we came up with a basket of full of angry bird goodies.

The patterns for each of these amigurumi birds can easily be found online, though I will warn that we found problems with them.  The hat can also be found online as a free pattern, but was a wonderful surprise with no problems!  We also didn’t write down the fixes for these mistakes simply because we were so pressed for time.  Some of the problems we encountered we didn’t even have time to fix, but they turned out okay for the most part.  The scarf had no pattern.  I simply decided I didn’t want all these funky colors in my stash bin to bust later because, honestly, when was I ever going to need this awful hot red? lol.  The night before the basket had to be delivered I grabbed the yarn two strands at a time and started double crocheting my heart out with a size N hook.

Before I knew it, I had a very scary looking scarf.

I texted Sis my problem and she suggested the rows of solid black to tone it down.

So here is the final project:

We both hope it went for a good price to pay for lots of medical bills!!!!  Neither of us could attend as we were snowed in 😦

Red Bird

Black Bird

Green Pig

Yellow Bird

Earflap Hat

If you want the rest of the patterns (that we did not have time to make):

Green Bird

Blue Bird

Winter Break is Over…

Dear Sis,

With the Christmas break over, it’s been a bit difficult to find some time to write, but that doesn’t mean there has been no crafty time!  I have so much to write about, you can expect a few letters from me over the next few days.

What has been going on over this absence?

Big snows:

Even more snow:

Dr. Suess – like snow:

Warming up by the fire (sorry for the terrible lighting in this photo):

Lots of hooky:

(Credit for the green piggy and yellow birdie goes to you! Thanks again! I’ll explain more to our readers soon…)

And going through your yarn stash:

So much to talk about!  Must start writing here more often… but for now, I need to finish my lesson for tonight.  My students will not appreciate how much yarn fun I’ve been having!  They will be much more interested in the review game I’ve promised them… I’m off to compile some prizes!  Talk to you soon.

Love,

K

6 AM Sewing

Dear Sis,

I agree… our shopping trip was a bit nuts. I was really very tired when Gram asked if we needed anything from the store. I had only woken up and am very impressionable at that time. (Hadn’t yet finished my morning coffee…) I really only went for velcro strips to hang the beautiful pictures you gifted C & me for Christmas.  Somehow, that is NOT all I walked out of the store with.

This impromptu trip, of course, was the reason you and I were so late in getting started on the knitting needle rolls you wanted to make.  For that, I’m very sorry… I really, really thought you needed to run to the store for something as well… So very odd… The late start was not a deterrent, though, as I was very excited to help you make them!  One for each niece and one for me.  Yay!

Okay, so the pattern you had in your knitting book, I’m sorry… looked a mess!!  Surely someone who knew how to sew properly did not write that pattern… and I’m no professional… Just home taught.  So I found the pattern I used to make my crochet hook case… the most beautiful one I found, I thought!  It was designed by a woman named Tracy who was kind enough to post it and its pattern on her blog.

My case:

I didn’t really follow all the instructions exactly.  I didn’t like the way the original closed.  I don’t like the way mine closes, but I’m still working on that.  And the batting I used was the high loft stuff I had leftover from C’s quilt… Not ideal, but it works!  And still holds every last one of my hooks… which as you know are of the larger than normal variety due to my bad wrists.

Now, this wouldn’t do for knitting needles of course… its own designer notes that it would need to be made taller to accommodate the increased height of the needles, but that wasn’t enough.  This case folds in thirds.  It doesn’t roll like your case, nor was it as wide as your case… and your case looked really rather full!!  No, this would simply be our baseline.

I’m glad you didn’t mind all that ironing while I tinkered and measured and added and figured.  But soon it was done!  I had crossed out much of the original pattern, deleting or replacing steps, and adding new ones.  Yes, this would look and function just like your case… just like I promised!

So we cut and pinned and sewed, and pinned and sewed some more… a bit of ironing… and presto!  3 beautiful knitting needle rolls.  Now, of course, we’ll be posting a tutorial up here soon… but in our excitement and haste, we did not take photos!  We’ll have to get better at that… Not to worry.  There were SO many needles to split up there was more than enough to well stock 3 rolls and get another started plus have some left over for a garage sale… I think I had better keep you away from the knitting needles at the thrift stores… seems to be something of a compulsory need of yours to purchase these things whether you need them or not! Haha.  🙂

So, what to do with those needles I mentioned that we did not need and could be used to get another roll started?  Well, that should go to little C, of course, our good friend who I taught to crochet.  Why shouldn’t she learn to knit as well?  She’ll love it.  So… the tutorial photos can be taken when we make that roll.

I had an absolutely lovely time sewing all this with you… only regret is that we started so late that it was 6AM before we had them all sewn and the needles sorted, and you had to go straight to work from then.  Sleep!  We need it!  I seem to never get any when we have one of our plans!  We’ll work on that… Speaking of sleep… I’m about to head off to it now.

Lots of Love,

K

PS – Thanks again for all the pokey sticks!  I have NO clue how to use them… but I already love them and they seem quite content in their new home awaiting use!

Epic shopping trip….?

Oh dear sister…. The blog is great and just how we talked about!  It was so great to wake up to the picture of the website!
However, our epic shopping trip today with gram was quite hilarious, thus taking comedic presidence!  Both of you started off so subtle, just moseying about the aisles of the craft dept.  Oh how that quickly changed!  I don’t know if it was after your last skein of peaches n cream yarn or the frozen peas, but then the eye of the shopping storm passed!  Gram and you started doing circles, figure rights, and geometric shapes I haven’t seen since geometry… Now, the poor cashier, all three of us converge from no where swooping in for the prime lane, with no one waiting of course!  We all pay for our finds grab bags and scurry out the door…..  But wait!  The first store didn’t have it all!?!?  On to the other store!  Across the street!  Now this is where the sparks really started leaping from our heels.  With buggy in tow, we make one fell swoop across the back perimeter, only to pause for w brief while to examine a relative’s ultra sound…but hurry we must get back!  So in the self check out we have spared anothrt cashier from our speedy insanity.  Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. All is rung up.  On takes the bag, one the change, and the other the cart.  Before we know it we re hitting the gong and pulling back in the driveway…..  Ahh, safe once more.  Did I mention that all I got was 2 rolls of thread?

Our New Space!

Dear Sis,

I made a blog for us today like we talked about.  Took some time to get it set up properly… need a new header photo… but ultimately it’s up & it appears to work.  Let me know what you think!

Love,

K