Hardanger Christmas

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Heather

A stitching post! Amazing! Well, I’ve finally gathered up my stitching mojo and pulled the supplies for July’s ornament: Hardanger Ornament by Nordic Needle from the 1999 issue of Just Cross Stitch. I’ve substituted DMC for the Rainbow Gallery Splendour and DMC #8 perle cotton for the Rainbow Gallery Elegance.

Yeah, I don’t have much done, but it is a start. And I’ve got, what, six more days? I can do it.

But, umm, see that pile of bits there? That is what I’ve picked out so far. I just can’t seem to count properly. At this rate, it will never be done.

And in hopes of keeping my stitching mojo around, I’ve also pulled the supplies and cut the fabric for TW’s Miniature Spring Sampler and I’ve cut the fabric for next month’s ornament. As I was doing this, I discovered that I am running very, very low (as in have a few small scraps and one 9″ x 14″ piece) of 28 count evenweave. Time for a small fabric order, I think.

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Cardigan for Little Man

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Heather

Done!

Kid's Shawl Collar Cardigan from SweaterKits

The little man was a slave driver, and a cute little cardigan is the result. It look me about a week and a half to knit. And, unfortunately, I actually ran out of yarn just as I finished the shawl collar section. Thankfully, I had some Mission Falls 1824 cotton in my stash, which is pretty much a dead on match for the SweaterKits Cotton Licious that came with the kit. So, the button bands were knit in the Mission Falls yarn. I think the result looks pretty good.

Kid's Shawl Collar Cardigan from SweaterKits

A terrible picture, unfortunately, but you get the idea. The buttons were included in the kit, and are a great finishing touch.

My next knitting project: finish the socks I’ve been working on all month. The weather will get cold again eventually, and I will need new socks. Right?

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Needlework This and That

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Heather

I hate to admit it, but it has been a while since I’ve picked up a needle and done some serious stitching. Knitting and crochet are much more pre-schooler friendly, so that is how I spend my time. But my fingers itch to hold a needle. Thankfully, I have a deadline approaching (July is nearly over and I haven’t even started my ornament for this month), so the need to pick up my needle is becoming an imperative.

And speaking of needing to stitch, it looks like I really need to get cracking on Teresa Wentzler’s Minature Spring Sampler. TW is on the mend and has work well in hand on the last sampler in the series, summer. According to her blog post, this one will feature ribbon embroidery as the special technique. So, sorry mom, but 12 Days of Christmas is going to be put on hold while I finish up the spring sampler. Of course, goodness knows with the summer sampler will be released, but I’ll take any excuse to start a TW design.

In other news, Lynn B. of Happiness is Cross Stitching is hosting yet another fabulous giveaway. Head over to her blog here to enter. And, why not check out her new etsy shop too.

And, while only a few my be able to attend, I thought I would mention that the classes for the fall CreativFestival in Toronto are up. Jennifer Aikman-Smith is teaching several classes, including a perforated paper dragon and castle design. Class sign-ups start on Monday, and you can bet I’ll be on the phone early. I’m also angling to take a couple of serger classes and a couple of knitting classes. Being a well rounded crafter is important, I think. 😉

You may remember I mentioned Dinky Dyes Oops packs a while back. Jo of Dinky Dyes still has some avaliable. Head over to their website and send them an email for more information. I paid US$10+shipping, and received a lovely selection of silk threads, ribbon and perle.

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PlanetJune Dinos

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Heather

I think a lot of you are aware of my love for all things PlanetJune. I’ve talked about her patterns and her fabulous stuffing tools on numerous occasions. Well, I was lucky enough to win a free pattern for leaving a review in her shop during the month of June. And, what could I pick but one of her new dinosaur patterns? (Okay, I actually bought all three, but only one was free.)

Here is her Dimetrodon, crocheted in Mary Maxim Starlette yarn in colour Dark Amethyst. It is a very dark purple, which was very difficult to photograph.

Dimetrodon from PlanetJune

I’d also like to mention that PlanetJune now as an affiliate program. If you click on one the links earlier in this post, or in the PlanetJune link in my side bar, and then purchase a pattern (or two, or more) I get a wee bit of money. June is a fabulous designer who writes great patterns, and I would say that (and have said it many times) even without the affiliate program. I’m always excited to see what she’s come up with. And, speaking of which, head over to her craft blog to check her tribute to the great rumpled detective, Lt. Columbo.

 

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“Knit, Mommy!”

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Heather

I’ve learned a valuable lesson: never tell a pre-schooler you are knitting something for them. Every time I pick up something to work on other than this sweater the little man says “Mommy knit sweater?”

Kid's Shawl Collar Cardigan from SweaterKits

The pattern is Kid’s Shawl Collar Cardigan from SweaterKits, which came as part of a kit I bought at the Creativ Festival last fall. The yarn is Cottonlicious, which is distributed by SweaterKits. It’s like a thinner version of Bernat’s CottonTots, that is it is essentially a cotton single with a thread wrapped around it.

The pattern is well written and easy to follow, except for the fact that the finished sizes don’t match the sizes in the pattern. By that I mean, the pattern says the sleeves are 12 1/2″ long, for example, but if you follow the pattern, they actually turn out to be 13 1/2″.

I’m making the largest size (6/8), since I would love for the little man to be able to wear it for a while. And, being that it is a kit, I was terrified I would run out of yarn. If you look at the one sleeve in the picture, you can see a small band where the yarn is quite bumpy. That’s because I ran into several yards of yarn that was spun thick and thin, and since I didn’t know how much I could waste, I decided to just go with it. I don’t think it looks too terrible. Right?

All I’ve got left is the collar, and then I can go back to work on anything I want. That is, until I decided to tell the little man I’m knitting another sweater for him.

 

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Kobi for Kobo

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Heather

Last month my husband surprised me with a fabulous little gift: a Kobo e-reader. And, while I would have said before that I was all about the dead tree style of books, this little gadget may have converted me. (If you are interested, you can read my review on the Chatpers Indigo website. I reviewed the silver one, but I actually have the lilac one. Oops.) Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never give up my paper books (I may have even bought the ebook and paper book version of one or two books…), but I do love the ability to take literally 100s of books with me, and to be able to read them on a screen that really does look a lot like paper.

And, I also love that I could knit something for my Kobo: a Kobi eReader cover (pattern available for $1.99 from either Knit Picks or Ravelry).

Kobi eReader cover designed by Karen Marlatt

Mine is knit in Lily Sugar’n Cream in colour Grape. It turned out a wee bit big since my gauge was off. But, Sugar’n Cream shrinks when washed and dried, so it should be a bit more snug once it has a trip through the washer and drier.

Extra points to anyone who knows what book I was reading when I took the picture.

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Christmas Kitty

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Heather

July is speeding away, but there is still lots of time to get in some Christmas in July stitching. Last week, in over just a hair more than a day, I managed to speed through this lovely design:

Christmas Kitty by The Cat's Whiskers

 

It is Christmas Kitty by The Cat’s Whiskers (now Janie Hubble Designs, I believe), and part of the Krazy Kitties line. It is stitched on some 28 count unknown white evenweave from my stash, with various colours of Dinky Dyes silks. Since I didn’t have several of the colours called for in the pattern, I made substitutions based on what I did have. The boots are Black Coral, the body is Charcoal, all the red is Desert Pea and all the green is Christmas Pines. I also switched out the Whisper thread (which contains wool) for Fuzzy Stuff.

Christmas Kitty (front) by Cat's Whiskers

Assuming the rest of the month doesn’t escape from me, I have a few more small Christmas designs I’m planning to stitch, including this month’s ornament of the month. I guess I’d better decide which one I’m going to do…

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