P is for Puppies

Why is P for puppies? Only because they are the cutest darn things on the planet. Except maybe kitties, but they don't start with P.

Example one

Example two

This could go on all day, but I will try to control myself.


P is also for Penis

Ok seriously or maybe not so much. I came across this penis chapstick holder. It is for knitters and the pattern is FREE so I may just have to try it. Wonder if anyone would want one.


P is also for Play

The thing that ate my A to Z time. I wanted to share some of the pictures of the costumes that I helped work on. 

The lovely Holofernias dresses on the right.

I made two of the four pairs of pants you see here, though I don't know who got them. I also had a hand in the King's cape.

 I made the pages tunic and then helped alter it when the sleeves were too long.

 I also worked on this tunic, though I think it is the one I messed up and a dear friend had to fix.

 I had nothing to do with this outfit, but it is my darling Gwen so I had to include it.

As a bonus this is a shot of the whole cast just before we started dismantling the set.


Follow your craft,
Michelle

O is for Oh Crap It's May

Well as you can tell I was not able to finish the A to Z Challenge. I tried my best, but life just got in the way. Between getting sick twice and Gwen's play I was just over scheduled and exhausted. However, I like the alphabet theme thing and I have a few that I really wanted to get to so I am going to continue plugging along even though time is up.

O is for Octopus

I love it! I want it! So i must make it. Usually all the cute stuffy patterns I find are for crochet, but this one says for knitting. The drawback is that it is not one of the free ones, but $6 isn't much.

O is for Oil Painting Grandma

I wanted to share one of my Grandma's wonderful paintings. Someone once offered to buy it from me.

As I have said before my Grandma was of the Bob Ross school of painting. I love this painting because it has purple instead of dark blue depicting night fall. I also love how the two streams collide into the waterfall. Of course there are the obligatory happy little trees and they do look jolly. My most favorite part is how the clouds part in the center. I remember this picture hanging over my Grandparents couch for many years. It was not until after her death and my Grandfather's relocation to an apartment that it came to live with me.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

M is for Moss Stitch

Learning moss stitch was lovely. Knit one Purl one back and forth was almost like a meditation once I got the hang of flipping the yarn. I really love how the finished product looks.

It is very heavy and seems manly to me. I think if I had the patients to knit it into a blanket it would be great for my son. He sleeps better with a weighted blanket. We don't have one of the ones that are specifically made to be weighted, but he likes a comforter and a quilt on top. Not sure exactly how to make the blanket. Should I sew it with a sewing machine or do you weave it together? I guess research is in my future.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

King Charles Brocade

I am behind again. This A to Z has been a real challenge, but it is helping to keep my nose to the writing grindstone. The King Charles Brocade pattern looked like complicated at first, but when I just started and took it one direction at a time it was much easier to follow than I thought it would be. I am still having trouble seeing the patterns. Someone did suggest that I get a lighter color yarn and I think I will try that. So off to the store for me tonight. This pattern is like the Inverness Diamonds, but a double thickness of diamonds.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

I is for Inverness Diamonds

So I tried this Inverness Diamonds and I think I needed to repeat the pattern more than just the once. Here is my first attempt with the Acrylic yarn.

I am sure I have said it before, but I don't like this kind. It seemed to stick to it's self and that made the pattern harder for me. However, I do like that you can see the diamonds in the acrylic. I liked working it with the wool better, but as you can see I ended up with a very ragged edge. I am starting to practice the edge stitch so hopefully that will make a neater edge. The pattern also looks more like an X to me in the wool.

I really like the way this pattern looks and plan to use it to make a doll blanket.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

H is for Hard

Blogging every day is hard.Thinking up something new to talk about with life getting in the way of crafting is extremely hard. Wah wah, now that I got that out of my system I can move on and get this done.

H is also for Hearts

This post was supposed to be about Simple Stockinette Hearts. Whoever named this pattern must have been quite a better knitter than I am because this pattern took me several times to get it correct. I am still not sure I can see hearts. There was lots of knitting, pulling out and cursing. I kept loosing count though that was probably because the kids were running amuck. I also felt rushed, to get the sample done so I can write about it and I guess I don't work that well under pressure. Anyway here it is.

 H is also for Hat

I want to learn  how to knit a hat. During Queen Elizabeth the First's Reign she mandated that everyone should wear a white wool cap on Sunday. She did this to support the knitting guilds that she held so dear. My family does Renaissance recreating and he wants a cap like that so i thought it would be nice if I could knit him one.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

D is for Done

Done, done. DONE!  What you can't believe it? Neither can I. I actually finished a knitting project! It has been such a long time I forgot what it feels like. Gwen's scarf is finished just in time for the warmest spring in a while here in Florida. Not that she will need it more than 12 days a year, but it is what she wanted so I made it for her and she loves it.

I just love the color and the acrylic yarn was a pleasure to knit, until I got to the giant knot. Though I am sure that was operator error.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

C is for Carving

Carving is one of my favorite pastimes. My first carving was on an eraser with a Speedball gouge. The results were at the time very pleasing to my eye. Now it looks fairly sloppy and simple. At first I was mostly carving around larger block images with only small details if any.

When I got my Steadtler tools, which has a much finer tip, I began to leave the large stretches white and carve out the lines. When I discovered the Speedball pen holder I switched back to their products for the bigger spaces. Then happy day of happy days I got the best tool ever. A nice man made a custom tool that is much like this one. I can't remember his name, but owe him much thanks. I found that my end product was much improved by each upgrade in equipment. Also, lighting so important. My style is very cartoonized. I love cartoons because they make people happy.

I learned how to carve stamps from this sight. The only thing that I found that I really didn't like is the recommendation of using magnifying glasses. They did make it easier to carve, but my eyes started to need them after several months. Now I can carve without them again, but for a while I had a lot of trouble focusing on small things.

C is also for Collage

I wanted to share with a collage of some of my favorite images.

I also like to share how they look as a carvings.

C is also for Cotton

Just wanted to make good on my promise to talk about the cotton. I don't like it. It sticks to it's self making my stitches uneven. It also doesn't have the bounce that the wool and acrylic that I have used have. The stitches look loose to me. Not sure if it is just because I am new at this, but it was making me nutty trying to use it.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

B is for Basket Weave Stitch

So this stitch was under the easy category. The pattern didn't have me dropping or picking up stitches or anything I hadn't done before. However, the yarn I chose to make it out of gave me fits. First, it is variegated. The variegated yarn is awfully pretty on the spool, but rough on the eyes when combined with basket weave. Second, it was cotton yarn which behaved totally different from the acrylic and wool I had been using. Of course that is another story for another day...like tomorrow's C. I couldn't really see the pattern with the variegated yarn.

I tried some of the yarn left over from Gwen's scarf and the pattern just popped out. I love the way it looks. This stitch would look amazing as a huge blanket and it is dense so it would keep you toasty all night.

I did find a use for the swatch I made with the variegated yarn. It is the perfect size to be a Monster High Doll skirt. Gwen seems pleased with it.

This is the pattern that I used, the same one that I shared with you earlier. I wish I had looked around a little before I picked the pattern because the E-How video is simpler. I can't wait to make something out of this stitch using the easier method.

B is also for Busy

We were blessed to get to go to Disney and a few other outings that have kept me from crafting as much as I would like. Your bonus for B is an adorable picture of the kids at Disney.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

A is for April

So today it starts! The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is something I have been thinking about for a while. I am number 480 on the list and supper excited. As of the time I wrote this post there were 1579 bloggers signed up. Whooo Hoooo! I can't wait to get to hopping and see what everyone has to say.

A is also for abandoned projects

It is interesting how so many people begin something with such a bang then get busy or find something new they want to try and things fall by the wayside. I looked around and found a handful of abandoned projects that I would still like to share and hope to finish. (Eventually) I thought a lovely group shot would be the best way to start.

I am sure we all remember Scarfzilla, you know the scarf that thought it was a blanket. Oh no, you forgot about him. Well, so did I. Here he sits waiting for me to buy more yarn and come back to him.

More recently abandoned is this lovely cotton scarf. I was having a great time working on it, but had to start learning new stitches for this very challenge.

This beautiful fairy card, while finished was never given to the intended recipient. So it sits sadly in my box of unfinished projects.

These baby announcements feature one of my favorite carvings I have done. I carved the stamp for a friends first baby girl and she did use it for her announcements. However, this sad prototype was never finished. I was supposed to add a shinny pink ribbon to the edges, but this fantastic ribbon has been lost somewhere in the depths of my crafting stuff.

This stamp was discarded when I decided that I didn't like the way the scales bowl looked carved out and wanted to start over. I was able to finish the project, but this poor little guy has been waiting to be finished for quite some time now.

This stamp is one of my favorite mythological creatures, the hippocampus. I honestly can't remember why I stopped carving it, but do remember that I was very happy to find the image it is based off.

I love the art of JRR Tolkien. I wanted to try and capture some of the beauty with this stamp that was started on a family vacation. However, the vacation came to and end and as you can see the dragon is still uncarved. 

I hope you enjoyed being drug down memory lane with me. I can't wait to show you some of the things I was able to finish and learn in the coming days.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

A Short Trip!

The repetition of the same stitches is driving me crazy. I desperately want to learn some new stitches. A friend suggested that i just complete the pattern once or twice across and make a hair band. She said that way I wouldn't be committed to a huge project, but I get to try some new stitches. I think this is a great idea! I have already looked at some stitches that I want to try.

Basketweave Stitch

Inverness Diamonds

King Charles Brocade

Moss Stitch

Simple Stockinette Hearts

Windmill

ZigZag Waves


As for Gwen's scarf I have been applying myself and Gwen commented today that it was a lot longer. I am getting excited to start something else.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

Like it, you will. Late, it is.

Ok, so this whole posting the winner of my contest on the 15th didn't work out so well. First because life got in the way and I am just now able to get it up. Second, because no one was able to figure out what the stamp is. The Green Man was a great guess because it is a green man. . . And the answer is Yoda.

I love how this stamp came out but, every time I look at the stamp I start singing the Weird Al song which has been in my head for weeks now. Since no one was able to get it, I will give a set of eight cards to all three people who took a guess.


What did I do with it you ask. I made a valentine for my dorky husband of course. Who loved it, by the way.

 

Now that the top secret project is over I am focusing on getting Gwen's scarf finished. Not that she has needed it much this year, but she is so excited to have a scarf made by Mommy. I wish I was making more progress, but it just seems that there are a billion things to do and not enough time.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

Top Secret Project!

After we, read as Sarah and Dave, were able to defeat the knot I could finally start knitting again. I was trying merge the new yarn from one of the yarn balls into Gwen's scarf from memory, but it didn't look tidy. It started to unravel and the tail was getting significantly shorter so I tied it off. I don't like the way it looks, but Gwen will probably never notice if I can weave it in.

I should have Googled how to do it again so I would know for sure, but it appears from this video that I did it correctly. I just needed to leave a longer tail so it wouldn't slip or hold on to it longer while knitting. So far in the last few days I have not made much progress but that is because I have been otherwise engaged.

I am working on a secret project. What's that you say, "Duh, I read the title!" Fine then I will just get to the picture.

Awesome isn't it? Eh not so much you say. Well, I can assure you if you were not getting the top secret censored version you would change your mind. Can you tell what it is? The first person who guesses correctly, will win a set of 8 cards with the image stamped on it. To enter leave a comment with your guess. On the 15th I will reveal the rest of the picture and what I am doing with the stamp.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

Inner Cat

So this knot is maniacal and was also winning. I have tried to defeat it several times, in the last few days, without much success. Sarah tried with more favorable results, but this knot was resolutely laughing in our faces. Last night there was a glorious breakthrough! Sarah and Dave worked together channeling their inner cats.

The inner cat has the power to create and dissolve knots as well as become extremely distracted at a moments notice.

 They were able to free my knitting project from the mess I had created. I think the true turning point was when Dave threatened to eat the yarn...

Oh and we cut it and made two balls. Thought I would share our silliness.

It is interesting how I let this knot stop everything else I was planning. Have you ever had a snag in a project consume way more time than it should have or completely stop you from doing anything else?

Follow your craft,
Michelle

Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Motivation Gone?

Oh Where, Oh Where, Could It Be?
(Sung to the tune of Der Deitcher's Dog)

I haven't made that much progress. :-(  I truly expected to be done with Gwen's scarf by now. It will be spring by the time I finish this SCARFZILLA, which seems to be growing in size not only the way I intended, but sideways. I told Gwen it probably wouldn't be ready any time soon and she is such a kind and patient soul. Her response was, "Well that's OK it will be ready for next winter." She is such an awesome person.

Scarf or blanket? You decide.

We decided that the "official" size I will make a scarf now is 42 stitches with size 8 needles. You know life, the universe and all that jazz. Scarfzilla is, BY NO MEANS, 42 stitches. In fact I can't remember how many stitches I started out with. I think that may mean I am taking too long, or it could mean I didn't count them. Either way it is HUGE. I am going to be putting a lot more effort in to getting Scarfzilla done soon, so I can start something else. Oh, Yah, and so she can have the item I promised her so long ago.

I wanted you to see what she did get. Dearan made her a purse with the piece I "messed up". He used a little of the scrap from the dress he made my sister. All it needs now is a strap. :-)

Gwen's Purse

Close up of ceramic glazed button we got on clearance. YAY CLERANCE!

I love how it looks, but best of all Gwen loves how it looks. I am planning to pick up some leather strapping on Monday if I can squeeze it in between teaching a class and playing delivery girl for the last of our Girl Scout Cookies. OH, Yah I love me some Peanut Butter Patties. MMMmmmmmm. Really? No one else saw that bunny?

Another great deal I may not have needed. That is right you guessed it I got MORE yarn. Joann's sent out a coupon that read $5 off any purchase of $5 or more not including tax and items on sale. So I got a pack of REALLY nice yarn that was $5.49 for 53 cents. Come on I couldn't turn that down even if I didn't need more. It is made of silk and bamboo. It is SO soft and I am SO HAPPY. They sent one out for the next week as well so I have a total of 4.4 oz. Not sure how much that will make, but I am excited to try.

Sapphire. Ooohhh, Aaahhhh, MURmur murmur murmur

I SO need to try to figure out these labels. If I understand exactly what they mean I am sure I will be able to decide how much yarn to buy.  

I am excited because we are going to the fair tomorrow, wonder if I can knit on a ride? Hmmmmm... Something to think about and try to get away with.  0:-)

Follow your craft,
Michelle