Thursday, December 31, 2009

Knitted UGGies


Winter Fons & Porter Love of Knitting.....


Out of LION Fisherman's wool in the Natural color...

Knitted Uggies. Aren't they just so cute!? I love them as they are, but they will look so cute after they are felted, I am sure...so I hurried and knitted them up as quickly as I could...


Threw them into a lingerie bag and hot water, detergent, towels and stuff...


and Voila!


here are the cutest little UGGies...!!1

I need to get some cute little buttons and snaps...


and they will be done!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

CLOVER Needles Drawing!

With the holidays coming up you have to get creative with your crafts and gifts. Get into the holiday spirit and stock up on your favorite Clover products. We are giving away a Getaway Knitting Needle Gift Set (29" Circular). The set contains one each Takumi Circular 29 INCH sizes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 & 15. They are stylish, portable and easy to carry.



Also included in this giveaway is a Getaway Knitting Needle Gift Set (13" Single Pointed). In this gifts set you can find Takumi Single Pointed 13 INCH sizes 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13 & 15.
To get more information and to enter in this contest, go to this link and enter!!!
I LOVE CLOVER NEEDLES!!!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

"Handmade" at Kohls for Christmas....








I saw these scarves and hats at KOHLS and thought how eclectic! I mean, these are really funky looking scarves and hats. I think they look adorable but would you really want to make this? or buy this? It was on sale for 50% off, and the orig price was 24.99 each!!!
Ok, it would probably take more than 24.00 of yarn to make and you can make several but...really? Could you see yourself wearing it?
Smiles!


Sunday, November 29, 2009

Ariel -November 17, 1997 to November 29, 2009



Today is a sad day...we should be rejoicing since Christmas is so close, and Thanksgiving has just passed, but today, we lost our beloved cat Ariel. She has been such a blessing to us and protector to Tori when she was just 5. We got Ariel from a rescue group, in November 17, 1997. We found her in a cage and she was terrified. The noises from the entrance to the Vons market in Bixby Knolls was just too terrifying for her. She clung on to me but as time wore on and as I sat and talked to the lady, Ariel relaxed and fell asleep in my arms....I knew I was in trouble, but she was the joy of our lives.




I never thought I wanted a cat. But after my husband left us, my daughter asked for a cat since her dad didn't like cats. And Ariel was just perfect. Tori was 5 years old, and had just started Kindergarten. She was having trouble sleeping at night and although Ariel would like to sleep with me, she would sleep with Tori until she was asleep, and then quietly come to my bed. I had told Tori that Ariel would keep the monsters under the bed away from her, and protect her, and it almost seems like that's exactly what she did.




Always the lady, and always just perfect, always sitting close by without fringing on being a pest. She was the ultimate queen of cats, elegant and graceful.


As time went on, Ariel went to be called "mom". She always protected Tori when I was upset or yelling. She would quietly come to me, and put her feet up on my lap. If I didn't stop yelling she would slowly dig her nails into me and tell me to stop yelling. It always made Tori laugh because as soon as I said "ouch", she knew Ariel was on duty and telling me to be a better mom....



I will miss her....

Friday, June 19, 2009

Top Ten Reasons Knitting is Better than Therapy

Top Ten Reasons Knitting is Better than Therapy (by Knitpurlgirl)


10.) Yarn doesn’t nod and ask you how you feel about that.
9.) You don’t have to work through your issues.. you can just poke things with pointy sticks
8.) You can get more than one hour of yarn therapy for that $150
7.) You don’t blame your mother for all of your knitting mistakes
6.) It is perfectly acceptable to conduct your yarn therapy at Starbucks.. psychotherapy, not so much
5.) The only shock therapy you endure is with wool, metal needles, and a fast hand
4.) The only chemicals you put into your body are tea , coffee , martinis, or chocolate.. and you can take them DURING therapy
3.) Your insurance premiums won’t increase
2.) You can enjoy yarn therapy on vacation; in your jammies; in bed; on the train/bus/subway; in the park; or at work (secretly).
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON KNITTING IS BETTER THAN THERAPY IS…..
1.) You can’t fondle your therapist

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

World WIde Knit in Public Day

Join Us for “World Wide Knit In Public Day”
http://www.wwkipday.com/
and Our Annual Charity Marathon
Sat, June 13 10:00 - 5:30
We will gather in the plaza at the end of our building, next to Eclipse Cafe.
Speed Knit (1:00) and Crochet (2:00) Contests
Prizes for Participants and Donations
Selected Yarns on Sale !
Refreshment Discounts provided by Eclipse Cafe !
We Are Collecting Finished Items Ahead of Event for any or all:
Stitches from the Heart: Baby hats, sweaters, blankets; especially “boy” items
Breast Cancer Research: Chemo caps, pink scarves
Local Animal Shelters: "Blankies" for cats and small dogs
Veterans: Lap/wheelchair afghans or squares to be assembled

Bring Your Friends!

Stitches in TIME
Bellflower, CA

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Michael's NEW Yarn Dept

First of all, I have to apologize for the photos.
They are AWFUL! I know...but imagine this.....

You're hearing in the background the Mission Impossible beat..dut dut.. du du.. dut duh.. dut dut..duh duh........tweeedle dee.....

anyways, I felt like a spy that wasn't supposed to get caught taking photos..and sneaking the photos I did...lol

This is the NEW Yarn department at Michaels. Was I impressed??? I can't really say that I am. Did I buy something, well of course...I mean, I had a 40% off coupon...and I really wanted to try something!

This is the new Homespun yarn------>

I don't like Homespun because it usually unravels and I just outgrew it. It was fine when I first got started and wanted a cheap inexpensive yarn to play with, but I don't want to wear it any more...






Michaels has also expanded their organic Cotton yarns...Now that's something I can really enjoy. I do like cotton. In California, we really don't need wools. I love the feel of wools, but I don't wear any.




In fact when I was at CHA last year, they got some sweaters from the Thrift store and the woman washed and felted them...then she brought them to CHA and we made things with them after cutting them apart. It was really hard to just cut a felted sweater but after I got started, it was really fun cutting and creating something...



This is one of the new colors of the BERNAT Alpaca
Soft and green with a sheen to it.
This is the VANNA glimmer. It is a really pretty red, bright and cheery.










Bernat also has this new Soft Boucle. Not my favorite yarn by any means but the color really stood out!



Now, Red Heart which always reminds me of my grandmother who used to crochet afghans has some cool new yarns. They also had a cute shrug in one of the magazines for a baby which I want to download as well. This yarn sort of reminded me of autumn and sunsets.
LION ORGANIC Cotton
Nature's choice (LION) has some interesting colors as well!
Patons PURE



Now this is the yarn that I really liked. It has a feel of Mission Falls, which is one of my favorite yarns...it has several different solid colors and about 4 of these multi color skeins. I love the texture of this organic cotton...

In fact, I bought this one after buying the one below...this is a beautiful pinks, and red combination...










This is the first one I bought....

Making a ditty bag....

The bottom was knitted in a garter stitch, cast on 16 stitches and on size 7 needles until it was approx 3 1/2". Then I switched to double pointed needles, picking up 16 stitches on all sides




Knitting up the sides. I couldn't find a pattern/texture that would work with this few stitches...so I settled on just knitting and then I did a row of eyelets. I am going to continue and do some other fun things as I go, so it might look terrible by the time I am done but this is just one of those practice things..hey, it might look ok....we'll see...





So, that's my tale for today....

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Shopping at LisCat's....
















Now, you may ask..what did I buy? I got 5 skeins of Cascade Sierra in a lovely shade of Rosey Rust color. What am I going to make? I don't know yet but I am getting better at doing texture and I like texture...so it will probably be something that has (and needs) concentration and attention!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Lacy Eyelet Cardigan

So far, this is what I have been working on. This is a lacy Knit cardigan by Alison Williams
Very cute pattern, and so far, easy to knit...

Well, i made a small boo boo, but I was knitting in the theater (we saw Wolverine)...and it was dark...
OOPS!



This is the eyelet pattern closer up...pretty I think!
Things I don't like about this pattern. I don't like the transition between the ribbing and the eyelets. It is pretty once you're done with the transition, but during the transition, it doesn't look right.
I don't like the way the pattern was written. I think that overall this is going to be a beautiful sweater, and I hope I can stick with it and finish it. I am going to be working on it more, hopefully, instead of just picking it up once in awhile..ha!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Adventure Bag

Another project in the works....I started this the day before Tori's Birthday!


She wanted a larger bag, and felted. SO I hunted around for a cool pattern and found the Adventure bag. My friend Karen was also making one too, as she's in a class at ABYC (Alamitos Bay Yarn Company)

What a cool bag, but I stayed up last night til 3 am finishing off the bag, and putting the handle stitches on a holder. The handle stitches still need to be knitted, and then a D ring or large O ring added. I also should either put it in a zipper pillow case, or a lingerie bag. I don't know if I have one large enough for this. This is HUGE...see my dog can fit inside this!

So far, the height is 18" not including the base of the bag. I really am "itchin" to felt it but I have to be patient and wait until I do the loops....



So far, it is SUKI approved!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

New Yarn Department at Michaels'?


Well, they've been threatening a NEW Yarn department, and so far, this is all I have seen. It is a wave of Acrylic Michael's yarns in 18 different colors. Worsted Weight...
hmmm...hopefully they will add more because this is pitiful.....
It is called "Impeccable"

Monday, May 11, 2009

Tori's cabled purse


The purse (it still needs buttons, which I bought but haven't put on yet..) hey, the girl wants her purse!!!
Drops design studio has this FREE pattern

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Tori's Cable knitted purse

I bought this yarn from LisCat's shop in Long Beach, and love it! The pattern is from DROPS, and the sample in LisCat's shop is so pretty (she used an orangy yellow yarn- from Cascade). The purse caught my daughter's eye, and so she begged me for it in Turquoise, but they only had 1 skein of Turquoise, so we settled on green...





Really easy, and lovely to work with. The cables were very easy to do. 4 skeins - although not enough to do the handles. We used an old belt (from the Thrift store and 2 rings from Lowes)



I started the purse early in April and was finished by Tori's Birthday! I worked on it, during her surgery on April 16...gosh was that a day to FORGET!!! A man decided to kill 2 of his bosses, and then shoot himself in the head outside the waiting room window that day!!! What a terrible thing to have to deal with!




This is almost finished in the photo.

I do actually have a finished knitted photo, but it keeps posting sideways, so I didn't want Suki to be sideways..so I left the photo out...

I did line it with a batik fabric in green/yellows. (really purty!)

Now, I am starting on another purse that will be felted in Turquoise, Brown Sheep bulky yarn

Monday, April 6, 2009

LisCat Shopping

Well, today, I broke down and went shopping for some new yarn...not that any of the "old" yarn has ANYTHING wrong with it, but hey...do I need a reason??
Falling in love with yarn...is that so easy to do? YES!
I saw this at LisCat on Saturday, and then saw that she was having a sale, which started today...so this is what I bought..oooh it is so lovely!
And I guess I am in a pink/green mood, so I bought some Berroco Pure Cotton Yarn...it is so lovely too. Bought all the Bright Pink yarn she had!

And then, as I was perusing more around the store, one of the ladies there was knitting some of this into sock..and I was in love again..does that make me a 'ho'? well, I guess I am a yarn ho'.









But, it is sure purty!!! I can't wait to see all the colors in the sock!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

A simple gift


Simple knitting, with Trendsetter Yarn. I used 1 skn of Dune and 1 Skn of Tonalita. They have such yummy colors, and work well together. This is a simple k2p2 scarf, and nice for our California weather. Just enough to keep the chill away...but not too warm and flashy too! The Dune has a nice blend of fibers and metallic to sparkle~







now to finish socks!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Knit a Square - from LION Yarn

I have started knitting a few squares, but after I finish my shrug, I will be working on these more. It is great practice to do some fun cable knitting to make these squares!

Knit-a-Square asks that volunteers knit or crochet 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) squares and send it along with 3 yards (2 m) of coordinating yarn for sewing squares together. They ask for warm, wooly yarns in bright colors to stimulate the children. We recommend Wool-Ease or Lion Wool, which come in bright colors that are great for kids.

Felted squares are also welcome and can be made from the Lion Wool. Knit-a-Square also welcomes wool scraps for stitching up squares and finishing off blankets.


For more specific instructions and to learn more about Knit-a-Square, please visit knit-a-square.com. Click here to find out how to start your own Square Circle group and contribute squares to this organization.

Squares can be mailed directly to:
Knit-a-Square
Soweto Comfort Club
Private Bag X900
Bryanston 2021
South Africa

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Remembering- Summer of Twilight



Good to Be Girl

Amy has fun things posted on her blog, but I really had to laugh when I read this one. I loved her "dorks in forks" entry, and we all love Twilight! It is really something that us 'over 20's' and over 40's..and over 50's? and ....shall I go on? Well, we love the book Twilight. I read all the books in a weekend..during Labor Day 08. It was our last hurrah of the summer, and I took Tori to the beach...
Of course, I was there to watch Tori, but as I sat there and read the first book...I was also looking at the scenery...I did bring knitting too, but..I found that I was too interested in 'other things!'






I first found out about Twilight from patients who came in the office, who had the book. I had asked them what they were reading (they were in the first years of college, mind you)..and they said it was a Vampire book. Naw, I wasn't interested. Then this year, again, another patient came in with the book. Again, NO. Not interested.

I was on a plane to Salt Lake City, UT and the flight attendant was chatting with 2 passengers, a woman and her daughter (about 20). The woman had the book in her hand..again, that book! So, they were talking about a NEW book coming out, and they were going to a party and then to the bookstore to await the crowds....and the release of the NEW book. Ok, so I was eavesdropping!

I got the book while on my trip, but read about 2 chapters, and put it down. It wasn't interesting. It was high school, and how old am I?? Those days were over 30 something years ago! YIKES! I just had my 30th year reunion! Who am I kidding? But, while at the beach on Labor Day, I forced myself to bring the book, and read it. AND read it I did..I barely remember who was there, and what I saw. Good thing I had my camera...I did take a quite a bit of photos. At least I did get a few of Tori. (and a few shots of other surfers too..hey, I am not dead!) So, get over the first 2 chapters...and read on..you'll love it!

On November 21st, we saw the movie. I didn't like it. I was very disappointed. In fact, I hated it. But, I had tickets to see it the next day with Tori, so...we went to see it. She loved it. I thought it was much better. We saw it 2 more times, and after that, I REALLY LOVED it! So, for those of you who are always disappointed in translations of books into movies...GET OVER IT! It won't be the same as the book, but I think this movie was done quite well, and I love it. We'll be in line getting the DVD when it is released on March 21st! (with all the giggling teenager girls- I might add!)


hmmmm, how did he get in my blog?

Favorites on Etsy - not made by me, but you gotta check it out!!!