Whitney's Whimsies

Craft Show Summary

2011-12-05T14:43:00.001-05:00

The craft show was this weekend. Thanks to my mom, I had plenty of items for my table. At the beginning of this year I decided that I was only going to sell knitting patterns and not sell knitted toys anymore. As you know, that decision didn't last very long, but I had sent all the toys that I had on hand to my mom for safe keeping, because I didn't have anywhere to put them. When I told her about the craft show, she said she'd send them all back to me, and that was a big help, because I usually don't have enough stock on hand to be able to fill a craft show table. I was really happy with how my table turned out.

As far as the craft show itself, it was pretty disappointing. It was really small and didn't have a very large turn out. I didn't sell much, but I got my booth fee back and then some, so that's something. Overall, it was a good experience. At least I know more of what to expect next time and got to meet some nice local crafters. Besides the toys that were already listed in my shop, the only other things I plan on listing are the animal fingerless gloves that I made. The rest of the toys I'm going to keep set aside for future craft shows, but if you see something in the picture that you are interested in, let me know, and I'd be glad to list it for you.

Craft Show

2011-11-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that it's gotten eerily quiet around here. That's because I have the opportunity to participate in a last minute craft show. This is my first craft show, so not only have I been busy trying to make items for my table, but I've had to find and buy all of the other necessities required such as tablecloths, a banner, etc. This will probably be a pretty small show since it was only announced a couple of weeks ago, so I hope it's worth all the time, effort, and money that I've had to put into it. Sadly, I've also had to pretty much neglect my etsy store over the last couple of weeks, because I don't have enough time to create stock for both, which also means that I've had to turn away some custom orders. Any fingerless mitts that don't sell at the craft show will make it into my etsy store when I get home, and if I happen to sell them all, I'll restock as soon as I can, but I do have to take some time to get some Christmas gifts finished (or started). So far I've made 6 pairs of owl mitts and 6 pairs of bear mitts (if you count the two pairs that are currently listed in my etsy store). Now I'm working on a couple pairs of sock monkey mitts, and I'd like to make some lions if I have time.

I had to change the way that I'm making them after I discovered noticeable ladders in some of the pairs. I tried everything I could think of to get rid of them, but nothing worked, so now I'm making my mitts on two circular needles rather than on double pointed needles. I'm not sure why I had so much trouble. I use DPN's all the time when I knit toys, and I've never had a problem with ladders before. The craft show is on Dec. 3rd, so I have just over a week left to prepare.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bear Fingerless Gloves Finished

2011-11-04T15:49:00.000-04:00

I finished two pairs of my bear fingerless gloves this week. What do you think?

I think the light pair looks a little more like dogs than bears, but they are still cute. I will have them listed on Etsy as soon as my husband can take some pictures for me.

This weekend I need to take a break from business knitting to get started on some Christmas gifts, but next week it will be back to work on the fingerless gloves. I plan on making some more owls and hopefully I'll have time to start working on a new animal.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun or Wonder Why Gal's blog for Fiber Arts Friday goodies!

Bear Fingerless Gloves

2011-11-02T10:48:00.001-04:00

I've been working on the next animal for my fingerles mitt collection. It's a bear. As you can see, I haven't gotten very far. The eyes always seem to hold me up and take me awhile to figure out, but I think I finally got them how I want.

What do you think of my knitted eyelids on the crocheted eyes? I think they give the eyes a little extra something. My next complication will be the nose. I'm considering either making it entirely out of felt, crocheting a circle and embroidering the mouth and nose, or knitting a 3-dimensional cone that I would stuff and maybe insert a plastic bear nose into. In either case, I plan on making it in a lighter contrasting color. Any thoughts on what you think would look best? I think I'll probably end up making all three and seeing if there's one that stands out to me.

Be sure to check out Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Owl Fingerless Gloves

2011-10-30T20:50:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I was able to finish up all four pairs of owl fingerless gloves this weekend, and they are all now available in my Etsy store.

More animals will be available soon!

Snowy Owl

2011-10-28T12:44:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry to report that due to the side effects of a new medication and some design complications, I got nowhere near my goal of finishing up my four pairs of owl fingerless mitts. In fact, I didn't even manage to finish a pair. A few of you were so excited to see what they would like like finished today, though, that I didn't want to leave everyone totally disappointed, so I decided to share the one mitt that I was able to finish.

This pair is supposed to represent a Snowy Owl. The first design complication I encountered were the eyes. I decided that I wanted to make my owl mitts somewhat realistic, so I've been doing a lot of searching on google images for pictures of owl eyes. I noticed that most of them were orange or yellow with a black outline. First I tried to make them completely out of felt, but the black-yellow-black combo just didn't look right. Then I got the idea of crocheting a black circle and inserting yellow and black felt inside it, but it still wasn't what I was going for. Finally it hit me to crochet a circle out of the mitt color and insert the felt inside it giving the eye a slightly inset look, and that's what I ended up sticking with. My second design complication was the nose. I've tried to make it every way imaginable. After much trial and error, I decided that I'd go with a short I-cord slightly curved under, but at the last minute I changed to the little triangle. The I-cord may have been slightly more realistic, but every time I looked it at I thought of Gonzo from the muppets. What do you think of the nose? Do you like it or should I keep experimenting? Well, I better get back to work. I have a lot of mitts to finish up. Tune in next week to see how the rest of the owls turned out.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun and Wonder Why Gal's blog to see all the wonderful Fiber Arts Friday goodies!

Fingerless Mitts

2011-10-26T14:46:00.001-04:00

Inspired by something a friend showed me, I decided that I would make up some fingerless mitts for my Etsy store.

Not just any fingerless mitts, though, animal fingerless mitts. These four pairs are destined to become owls. I decided that I'd make each animal in batches, so that when I sat down to do the eyes and other details, I could do them all at once. I'm hoping to have them finished by Friday, but we'll see how motivated I am. I've wanted to make a pair of fingerless mitts for me for awhile, but I haven't gotten around to it yet, so it was nice to finally have an excuse to make some. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn. There really isn't a pattern for these gloves exactly how I made them. I simply read through a couple of existing patterns and pulled the aspects that I liked from each one.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

FO Friday The Thursday Night Edition

2011-10-20T22:37:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited that I just might burst! My pattern was published on the Knit Picks website tonight! That means that I can finally reveal to you all what it is.

The photo is courtesy of the lovely people at Knit Picks. I love it, but at the same time I want to reach into it and fix his scarf a bit. Anyway, what do you think of my Penguin Pillow? Since I heard that it was available, I've been busy getting the pattern up on Etsy and Ravelry as well, but if you are interested in purchasing it, I recommend buying it on knitpicks.com where it is available at a discounted price! Finished Penguin Pillows are also now available in my Etsy store.

I have a few other things to share this week. I'm cheating a bit, because they weren't all completed this week, but I've been too lazy to blog about them. First, I got a request from my second cousin. I've given her a lot of knitted gifts in the past, mostly American Girl doll and Barbie clothes, so I was honored when she thought of me when looking for some birthday gifts for one of her friends. She requested a poncho and hair kerchief to fit an American Girl doll in lime green and a turtle.

She wanted the poncho and hair kerchief, because she liked the ones I had given her so much. The only problem was that I had made those a LONG time ago. Way back when I was first learning how to knit, so I had no idea how I had made them. Luckily, I still had one of the ponchos laying around, so I could at least use it as a guide. For the turtle, I sent her a few pictures to choose from, and of course she liked Sheldon the best. I'll be honest and admit that I wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of having to knit another Sheldon, even though the pattern does hold a special place in my heart. You may remember that I knit one up for my first wedding anniversary after my husband printed out the pattern for me as a gift (since the first anniversary gift is paper). Don't get me wrong. It's a great pattern, but I just find the shell so difficult to put together correctly. My finished turtle is by no means perfect. Things are a little crooked in spots, but I'm hoping that I'm the only one who will notice all of the mistakes. A funny thing happened while I was knitting him up, though. I released that when I knit my 1rst Sheldon I messed him up and put his face on his butt and his shell on his head...lol. Whoops! I still love him anyway. All of the items in the picture were knit using Knit Picks Shine Sport in Green Apple and some royal blue color (I don't feel like getting up and finding the label at the moment).

I also knit up a Baby Penguin using Barbara Prime's pattern. I used Cotton tots yarn in pastel colors. I had a little trouble figuring out how I wanted to attach his feet, but I think the final outcome turned out well. This little guy is available in my Etsy store. He would make a great baby shower gift. I thought about trying to insert a rattle into him somehow, but I thought I'd wait and see how much demand there is for little cotton animals first.

Lastly, and I finished this so long ago it's embarrassing that I haven't shared him yet, it's a blue alien for my Etsy store. Like the green one, he was knit using the Twins 22 The Alien pattern and Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn.

I think I've covered everything. Well, I actually have one more thing that I finished today, but it's part of a larger whole, so I'll save that for another week. Wow, what a long post. I'll try to get better about blogging things as I finish them. I think part of the problem is that I was out of town two weekends ago for my cousin's wedding, and I had a procedure done at the hospital last week that left me not feeling well for a few days. I guess I should just be glad that while I haven't felt like blogging, I have been getting things accomplished.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

Green Alien

2011-10-06T09:37:00.000-04:00

This little alien has traveled a long distance in search of a new friend.

He comes wearing a removable backpack, so that he can collect lots of information about his new home. If you would like to make him a member of your family, click here to learn more about him.

More color combinations will be available soon!

Mermaids

2011-10-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

Meet Salina, Catalina, and Adelaide!

They swam over to my blog to let you know that my Mermaid pattern is now available on Etsy and Ravelry. After several revisions to this pattern, I'm happy to say that I'm finally completely pleased with the outcome. My favorite thing about this pattern is that it's 100% seamless. Her neck is supported with a rolled up piece of stiff felt. It really does a good job of keeping her neck from flopping around under the weight of her hair and is safer for a toy than a wooden dowel or some of the other options. Each of the three dolls in the picture are also available in my Etsy store.

Yarn Support

2011-09-28T10:31:00.000-04:00

Remember the sneak peak photo I showed you here that I said was a secret project that I was going to submit to knitpicks.com? Well, they loved it! I received my yarn support on Saturday and have been busy getting my sample knitted up.

In the photo you are looking at Knit Picks Swish Worsted yarn: 4 balls black, 2 balls white, 2 balls serrano (red), and 1 ball orange. Any guesses on what it could be given that color scheme? It's not necessary to keep Knit Picks patterns secret before they are released, but I thought it would be funner to keep it a surprise. That way, I can announce it's availability and unveil it at the same time. I'm really excited to have a pattern up on their site and hope that it will make more people familiar with my work. I'm enjoying working with this yarn, because it knits up really soft, but my gauge is different with this yarn than with the yarn I used to write the pattern, so I'm having to basically re-write it to make it work. I'm hoping the outcome will be just as cute as the original.

Be sure to check out Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Another Mermaid

2011-09-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

I finished the mermaid that was in progress on Wednesday.

I think the darker skin color worked out well. Most importantly, my experimental neck support is working wonderfully! I'm already working on a another doll, so I can photograph them together for the pattern photos. I was going to make one with the lighter skin tone to go with her, but when you put the two together, the other color looks sickly white, so I think I'll stick with tan for now.

For those of you interested in the pattern, it's currently in the works and should be completed soon. I'm considering submitting it to knitpicks.com, so if they decide to take it, it might take a little longer for me to get it released. Either way, it should be ready in plenty of time to knit some up as Christmas gifts if you know anyone who would like to wake up to a mermaid on Christmas morning. This pattern knits up quickly, and it's 100% seamless, so there's nothing to assemble at the end. I also plan to sell some completed dolls in my Etsy store once the pattern is available.

Be sure to check out Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

Mermaid Revisited

2011-09-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

It's been a rough day, well a rough couple of days, but I wanted to get a post up. I had to go to the doctor this morning for a two hour glucose test. The drink made me sick to my stomach, and when the girl went to take my blood for the second time, she couldn't find a vein, so she had to poke and prod more than necessary. Hopefully, I won't have to get my blood drawn again for at least a couple of weeks, because I'm starting to look like someone who does intravenous drugs. I've only been home for about an hour and am still feeling nauseous, a little weak, and tired, because I didn't sleep at all last night, so I hope that this post will be understandable.

Okay, enough of that, let's get on to the fun stuff. Some of you may remember the mermaid that I was working on a couple of months ago. I've decided to write up the pattern and offer it for sale, but not without making a few modifications first. This pattern seems to be one that I'm never 100% happy with. Every time I knit it up I try to make changes, but I just can't seem to get it perfect. Maybe part of it is just me and the fact that I'm hardly ever completely pleased with the things that I make. The main modifications I made for this version are a knitted on nose, and I shaped her chest a little better. This is what the current version looks like:

I'm still on the fence over whether or not her nose is too big, but I kind of think it gives her some character and makes her face different from all of the other dolls out there. What do you think?

I know this is WIP not FO day, so I'll show you a second mermaid that I'm currently working on to make sure that I included everything in the pattern.

I'm going with a darker skin tone for this one. I've never used this color for doll skin before, but I figured mermaids hang around the beach all day, so she should have a tan. I'm also trying to solve the problem of how to keep her neck from flopping over under the weight of her hair. I'm trying to steer clear of wooden dowels, because I want to keep it safe for young children. I usually roll up felt and stuff it into the neck of my dolls, and that works good enough, but my mermaid is my biggest doll and the weight of her head is just too much for that. On this doll I tried rolling up a 6" piece of stiff felt, and instead of just stuffing it into the neck, it extends about 3" into the head and body. You can see it poking out of the body in the picture. We'll see how it holds up. It kind of stinks that I won't know if it works or not until the doll is finished.

Well, I think that's it. Now I think it's time for a nap.

Be sure to check out Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Fall Collection

2011-09-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

Awhile ago, I designed three Fall themed dishcloth patterns to submit to Creative Knitting Magazine. They decided not to take them, and the patterns have been sitting neglected ever since. With Fall right around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to get them typed up and ready to release. I decided to offer all three patterns together in a Fall Collection. Included in this collection is a Chipmunk Dishcloth that features a Chipmunk up in a tree holding a nut, a Scarecrow Dishcloth that features a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield, and a Pumpkin Dishcloth that features a pumpkin with a kitten jumping up to swat at its leaves.

My Fall Dishcloth Collection is now available on Etsy and Ravelry.

WIP Wednesday

2011-09-07T10:13:00.001-04:00

This post will be extremely short, but I didn't post at all last week, and I didn't want to let another week go by. It's not that I don't have a WIP to share. I do! The problem is that I want to keep it mostly a surprise, because I'm hoping to submit it to the Independent Designer Program at knitpicks.com when it's finished. I will give a progress shot, though.

I know, it's not much to look at, especially when you don't know what the outcome will be, but that's all I have right now.

If anyone missed it, the sneak peak design that I shared with you in this post was an Owl Pillow, and the pattern was released on Monday. You can see it completed here.

Visit Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Owl Pillow

2011-09-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day! I feel like celebrating by releasing a new pattern!

First I want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in my poll to help me decide which ear design I should use for my Owl Pillow. After taking all of the votes into consideration I decided

to include both! The results for both ear types have pretty much been even throughout the entire poll, so I thought I'd make everyone happy and include instructions for how to make both of them. So there he is. What do you think? This design definitely had some complications, but I'm happy with the outcome.

My Owl Pillow pattern is now available on Etsy and Ravelry! I'm also selling finished pillows in my Etsy store.

I hope everyone is enjoying their day! I'll be hard at work on a new design that I'm hoping to submit to Knitpicks.com through their IDP designer program.

Poll

2011-08-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

My new design has been causing me some major headaches. That must be why, while I love the look of fabric, I've never incorporated it into one of my designs. Sewing was never meant to be something that I excel at. Anyway, I need your help! I seem to be encountering problem after problem with this design, and I'd love your opinion. I thought I finally had it all worked out, but then my mom suggested another way of doing the ears. I couldn't do it exactly how she said, but I think I got close. She likes the new way better, but my husband likes the old one, so I'd like to know what you think. Oh, if it helps you decide any, it's an Owl!

WIP Wednesday

2011-08-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday again! Time to show you all what I've been working on.

First, I made a little more progress on my Noro Striped Scarf.

The picture doesn't really do the colors justice, but it was the best that I could get. For a couple of days after we got home from Florida, this was all that I felt like working on. It really is as addicting as everyone says, but I forced myself to put it down and get to work on something else. Now I'm so involved in that project, that it will probably be awhile before I pick this up again.

What I started working on was my next design. I'm sure you are shocked, because it's been so long since I've designed anything, at least it feels that way to me. I'm really excited about this project, and if it turns out well, it will be the beginning of a whole new line of designs. I really hope that it does, because I am overflowing with ideas. As you know, I don't like to give away too much too soon, so I'll leave you with this sneak peak photo.

Visit Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

FO Friday

2011-08-19T10:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! I have a few FOs to share. First, here's the scarf I was telling you about on Wednesday that I finished in Florida.

It's a Misti Ribs And Ruffles Scarf by Nancy Kleiber. This is the second time that I've knit this pattern, but it's the first time that I've knit it with Misiti Alpaca. I am in love with this yarn! It's so incredibly soft that I just want to sit and fondle it. I used Misti Alpaca Hand Painted Chunky in the beautiful Rigoletto colorway. The pattern is simple, but there is just enough thought required and variation in the rows to keep you interested. If you are looking for a fun and quick scarf pattern, this is definitely it.

Lastly, the poor monkeys from Wednesday have finally been assembled and finished.

They are so much happier now! The one in the middle was made using a skein of Lion Brand Jiffy that my mother-in-law purchased for me at a church fair. The shade is PERFECT for monkey making, but the skein was old, so the color is now discontinued and there's not a similar one available, so there won't be many monkey's made in that yarn/color combination. The two larger monkeys were made using a combination of Lion Brand Jiffy and Patons Divine. The Divine is really a pain to work with, but it did make some cute monkeys. Just like the rest of my monkeys, these were knit using the Twins wonderful Titus The Monkey pattern. All three of them are now available in my Etsy store.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

Back To Reality

2011-08-17T13:54:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! You may have noticed that I've been absent for the last couple of weeks. My husband and I went to Florida to see my mom and grandma. We had a great time once we finally made it there (Let me just say, when the airport says to arrive two hours early, plan to arrive two hours early!), and we were able to rack up lots of beach hours despite the fact that it rained almost every day we were there. We managed to come home sunburned anyway.

I got a little knitting done on the trip. I finished a scarf that I'll share with you on Friday. You may be thinking that finishing a whole scarf would qualify as more than getting a little knitting done, but it's a short scarf on big needles with bulky yarn. Also, most of it was completed while sitting at the airport after we missed our flight, so technically that was before the vacation had actually begun.

The only other knitting I did I cast on for on the flight home. It's an infamous Noro Stiped Scarf by Jared Flood. I went ahead and linked to the pattern, but I'm sure you've heard of it. I've been wanting to make it for awhile, and I thought it would be the perfect relaxing knit for a vacation. I splurged and bought some Noro Silk Garden for this scarf off of Ebay awhile ago, but I must not have read the pattern carefully before doing so, because I got 4 skeins of the same colorway. You are supposed to use at least two colorways for this scarf to get the nice prominent stripes. I debated just using the same one and making sure the same color never showed up at the same time, but I didn't want muted stripes, so while in Florida I looked up a local yarn shop and ended up at Gabriella's Yarn Shop. It was a nice yarn store with a cute little dog that liked to run around picking up and playing with all of the yarn on the bottom shelves. The only problem was that they didn't have Noro Silk Garden, but they did have Noro Aya which is pretty close in weight. The silk garden is Aran and Aya is Worsted. They differ by one WPI and fiber content. I decided to go ahead and try to mix the two yarns and see what happens. So I'm making my scarf with two balls of Noro Silk Garden in the same colorway, and two balls of Noro Aya each in a different colorway and keeping my fingers crossed the scarf will turn out okay. As you can see, I haven't gotten very far yet. I think the Aya stripes might be a little narrower than the silk garden ones.

My main WIP for the week was actually a book. I started reading How To Knit A Heart Back Home by Rachael Herron of the Yarnagogo blog. I haven't felt like reading anything for a long time, but this book has changed that. I'm in love with it. It's actually the second book in the series, but I was unable to find the first book before I left, so I'm reading them out of order.

My last WIP is actually what I was working on and hoping to finish before I left, but I ran out of time.

It's some dismembered monkeys for my Etsy store. I'm hoping to find time to finish them up and list them very soon. I used some different yarn for a few of them and ended up with some even bigger monkeys than my larger version, so now I have three sizes.

Well, now it's back to cleaning. Our pets, especially our little Chihuahua, made a big mess for us while we were gone.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Hooded Baby Blanket

2011-07-29T10:24:00.001-04:00

Almost exactly a year ago today I Cast On for the Hooded Baby Blanket by Nikol Lohr, and I'm extremely happy to report that I finally finished it. I was tired of seeing it sitting there neglected in my knitting bag and decided to make a mad push to get it finished.

It was knit using Lion Brand Cotten-Ease in the colors Lime and Charcoal. The hood and edging are not perfect, but I'm happy enough with it. It's extremely soft and will serve it's purpose well someday. Now I just need the baby to put in it!

I would love to knit up more of these blankets and use up some of the cotton blends in my stash, but after it took me so long to make this one, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Check out Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

Joseph's Giraffe

2011-07-22T09:51:00.001-04:00

I didn't think it could be done, but I pushed myself and was able to finish the giraffe for FO Friday.

Once again, this is the giraffe from the book Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson. It's the first pattern that I've knit from the book, but I enjoyed it so much that I'm sure it won't be the last. The giraffe was knit with Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Baby yarn in the colors Duckie and Goldfish.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out, even though my seaming job on the spots is less than spectacular. Seaming is always my downfall. That's why when I design my own patterns the amount of seaming required is minimal. I actually only used 10 of the 11 spots that I made. I couldn't find a place to make the 11th spot fit in nicely, so I decided to just do without it. Plus, by that time I was looking for any excuse not to have to sew on another spot...lol. I spent most of the day yesterday making pom poms with my Clover pom pom maker. I got it for Christmas, but I had been wary of trying to learn how to use it. Let me tell you, I don't know what I was waiting for, because it's so much easier and faster than using my old pom pom makers. If I had to use those, I'd probably still be making pom poms. I hope my 1 year old second cousin is as happy with this giraffe as I am!

Check out Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

WIP Wednesday

2011-07-20T17:17:00.002-04:00

I've made some progress on my second cousin's giraffe.

If the picture is a little hazy, it's because the heat index is 113 degrees, and it was impossible for me to keep the lens from steaming up. As you can see, I've finished the body, head, legs, and ears. He's turning out huge! He's about the same size as the Mango The Giraffe I made for him when he was born, so I know he'll love it. I'm about done with the actual knitting, but there will be a lot of seaming and assembling when I'm finished, because I'll have to attach 11 spots and an 8 pom pom mane. It will all be worth it if it turns out as cute as the pictures in the book. If you don't remember, I'm making the Giraffe in Itty-Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson. I'm hoping to finish it this week, but Friday might be a little ambitious. Maybe by Monday.

Also, I finished the Sleepover Doll that I started the same day as the giraffe earlier this week. I posted about her here if you want to see how she turned out.

Head on over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Aster

2011-07-18T15:52:00.001-04:00

The first doll in my Sleepover Doll Collection is now available! I'm really pleased with how she turned out, especially her clothing.

She stands approximately 15" tall, which makes her size almost exactly in between my Little Hands Dolls and Mermaids. She comes wearing a daytime outfit that includes a dress with an embroidered flower, a small jacket for those chilly evenings, and a pair of sandals. Aster and her daytime outfit were knit using Patons Classic Wool, which is a 100% wool yarn.

What makes Aster so special is that she also comes with a pair of pajamas and a circular blanket to cover up with.

I based her pajamas on my mom's favorite pair. They include a pair of capri pants, a t-shirt, and a pair of fuzzy slipper socks. Aster's pajamas and blanket were knit with Lily Sugar 'N Cream Stripes, which is a 100% cotton yarn. Her socks were knit with Red Heart Moon & Stars, which is a plush acrylic/nylon blend.

As with all of the other knitted items in my Etsy store, Aster is 15% off until July 31. Click here to visit her product page.

Christmas In July

2011-07-10T01:05:00.000-04:00

It's Christmas in July! All of the hand knit items in my Etsy store have been discounted by 15%. Sale ends July 31!

Will Be In Progress Wednesday

2011-07-06T13:36:00.001-04:00

This is more of a will be in progress Wednesday, because I haven't actually cast on for the projects that I'm going to share with you, but I wanted to post about them anyway. I had every intention of starting these projects over the last few days, and I even did start one but frogged it, because I wanted to make some changes, but there was a death in the family over the weekend that has consumed the majority of my mind and time.

My first (will be) WIP is the first doll in my Sleepover Doll Collection. This will be my third and final (at least for awhile) collection of dolls. They will be sized between my little hands dolls and mermaids. They will have a day time outfit, a pair of pjs to change into, and a blanket to cover up with. Like my mermaids, these dolls will have hand painted eyes. My little hands dolls are pretty traditional, but I plan to get a little funkier with my sleepover dolls. To give you an idea of what I mean, here is a picture of most of the supplies I plan on using on my first doll.

My second (will be) WIP is a first birthday gift for my second cousin. I can't believe he's turning 1 already! They did a giraffe nursery theme, and for my cousin's baby shower I made her a Mango The Giraffe (Rav link). Every month, my cousin takes a picture of him next to the giraffe to show how much he is growing. A lot of the later pictures have shown him wrestling and playing with it in the pictures. I think he likes it, because it's about the same size as he is. For his first birthday, I decided to make him another big giraffe. This time the Giraffe (Rav link) by Susan B. Anderson in Itty Bitty Toys. I've had the book for awhile, but I haven't knit anything out of yet, so I'm glad to finally have an excuse to use it. I think he'll love it! Now I just need to get busy so it will be ready in time for his birthday, which is at the end of the month.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more WIP wednesday fun!

FO Friday - Olivia

2011-07-01T13:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! I don't have much to write about today, but I do have a couple of finished objects to share. First, I finished another Little Hands Doll.

I was starting to think that she wouldn't be ready in time, because it took me FOREVER to get her hair to look right, but I made it. Like my other Little Hands Dolls, Olivia was knit using Patons Classic Wool. You may have noticed that all of the dolls that I've made so far have had the same skin color. I plan on making dolls with other skin tones, but this is the only suitable color that my local store carries. The others will have to wait until I've saved up enough for a big online yarn order. Olivia is available on Etsy. Click here to visit her product page.

Also, I finished up my mermaid earlier this week. If you've been following my blog and waiting to see her finished, I posted about her here.

Be sure to visit Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

Lolani

2011-06-28T09:20:00.003-04:00

She's finally finished! I'm very happy to be able to introduce you to Lolani.

She stands a whopping 19" tall! I won't go into many specific details, because if you read my blog often, then you've been hearing about her for awhile now. As you know, I plan to make mermaids in the future with handspun yarn hair, but Lolani's hair is made from some Lornas Laces Revelation yarn that I had leftover from another project. What's great about this yarn is that it's spun Thick 'N Thin and thread plied, which is exactly how I plan on spinning my mermaid hair. I was excited when I found out how perfect this yarn worked out and thought I might have a commercial option for when I fall behind on my spinning, but unfortunately, Lornas Laces Revelation is now discontinued, so you can't find it anywhere. Isn't that always the case? I'm a pro at falling in love with discontinued yarn.

Lolani also comes with a shell bikini top, a mermaid mesh jacket, and a crocheted Plumeria flower hair clip that was made using a pattern found on www.planetjune.com. Visit her product page on etsy for more information or to see more pictures.

First Attempt At Art Yarn

2011-06-17T14:28:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I was watching a movie and spinning my Lanai singles when it dawned on me that maybe I wasn't spinning the right kind of yarn for what I intended to use it for. If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been envisioning dolls with handspun yarn hair, but it occurred to me that thin-ish 3-ply yarns, while great for knitting with, might not make the best or most exciting doll hair. I started looking at handspun yarns on etsy, and came across a shop called Funky Yarns. I was drawn to her fun and beautiful yarns and knew the minute I saw them that that was what my doll hair had to look like. If my business funds weren't so limited, I would have snatched up a yarn or two in her shop to get me started, but alas they are, so I had to be content with learning to spin my own. I read some websites and watched some videos and decided that I would just dive right in and give it a try. I set my current spinning project aside, dug some roving out of my stash, and attempted to spin my first Thick 'N Thin art yarn.

I never thought I'd want to give art yarn a try, because I don't particularly like to knit with it, but it will be perfect for doll hair, and I'm excited about the endless possibilities to be creative with it. My first attempt is not perfect or even good really, but I had a lot of fun spinning it, and I was awed by how fast I got it spun. Usually 4 oz of fiber takes me months to spin, and I spun this in 2 days!

This roving was given to me, and I misplaced the tag, but I think it's from Sheepish Creations. I think the colorway was called Sunrise, and it's some type of wool (It's really soft!). As you can see, I attempted to ply it with some gold crochet thread, but it wasn't working. My tension on the thread was really loose, so it didn't wrap around the yarn very well in spots. I decided to just stop plying and leave the rest as singles. I think when and if this ever becomes doll hair, I'll put a few strands with the gold in there to give it some sparkle. The most astonishing thing to me while I was plying (someone who always has problems with yarn breaking during the process) was how well the slubs held together. I was really wary of even attempting it with spots that were so underspun, but I was pleasantly surprised .

I'm not sure how well I succeeded at making it thick 'n thin. It seemed like I'd get in a rhythm and go along well for awhile, but then I'd come across a part of the roving that was drafting too thin or something, and it would take awhile before I could get back in the flow of things. I found lots of information online, but there are some things that I have questions about that I was unable to find adequate answers for, so I ordered the book Intertwined: The Art of Handspun Yarn, Modern Patterns, and Creative Spinning by Lexi Boeger. I should get it on Saturday, and I can't wait to look through it, so I can get started on my next art yarn. Things I'm most interested in learning initially are how to spin Thick 'N Thin, thread plying, and how to include exterior objects, such as shells.

Visit Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun or Wonderwhygal's Fiber Arts Friday!

WIP Wednesday

2011-06-15T12:49:00.003-04:00

It's Wednesday again! I'll apologize in advance for the bad pictures, but it's raining today, so I couldn't take them outside.

After a lot of setbacks, I've finally gotten back to work on my mermaid.

I need to finish up her other arm and design her clothes. I'm thinking of making a shell bikini top, a jacket to go over it, and maybe an alternate halter style top. Then I need to figure out how I want to do her hair and finish up her face. I'm really pleased with how her eyes turned out.

I bought clear plastic safety eyes and painted them with a metallic paint that matches the brighter green in her tail. I'm really glad that I decided to paint my own eyes, because I think it will give my dolls a lot more character than if I chose from the very limited commercially available colors. I may try to add some felt eyelids, but it will just depend on how the rest of her face comes together. I think I'm going to try to use felt for her mouth too, but I'm not sure how I want to shape it yet. It took me days and a lot of failed attempts to figure out how I wanted to shape the eyes, so I hope the mouth won't cause me as much trouble. She's coming together slowly but surely

I got my fabric paper and ink in the mail today, so I can make the labels to attach to my little hands dolls. I just hope that my printer will work okay. I don't usually use it for printing purposes, because the ink is so expensive, so it's been out for awhile. I'm trying to get away with just replacing the pigment black tank. Hopefully, if I set it to grayscale, it will print clearly even though most of the other color tanks are empty, because I can't afford to replace them all right now. I hope I can get the labels made and the weather will cooperate long enough for me to get some pictures taken, because I'm eager to get the three dolls I showed you on Friday listed in my etsy store.

Visit Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

FO Friday

2011-06-10T08:33:00.001-04:00

It took ALL day yesterday, but I managed to get faces and hair on all three of the dolls that I showed you on Wednesday.

Applying their hair took a lot of time and caused me a lot of headaches. I experimented with a couple of different ways to do it, but I'm still indecisive on which technique is best, and I'm still on the look out for other methods I can try.

Head on over to Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

Little Hands Dolls Sneak Peak

2011-06-08T12:36:00.004-04:00

Happy Wednesday everyone!

First I'll talk about the mermaid I shared with you all last week. Not only have I not made any progress on it, but I had to undo the progress that I had made. This made me very sad, especially after it took me so long to get the embellishments on her tail just right. I had to frog her, because I discovered that in order to design her arms how I wanted to, I had to start the doll from the head and work down, whereas I had started at the tail. Since I had to make the head first, I couldn't start a new doll until I got my clear safety eyes that I can paint in the mail. Luckily, they arrived a couple of days ago, so I'm hoping to be able to start her again over the next few days and make enough progress on her to share her with you all next Wednesday.

Since I couldn't work on my mermaid, I decided to start work on my Little Hands doll collection, which is a collection of small dolls that I am designing to be safe for young children. I'm really pleased with how they are turning out, and I'm really enjoying making them. This design has already undergone some revisions. After I made the first two dolls, I decided that their heads were too tall, so I had to open them up and perform some tedious brain surgery to fix the problem. Luckily, they both pulled through okay and made full recoveries. After I made the first doll, I discovered that I couldn't make her hair, because I didn't have the right color thread (it seems like all I've been doing lately is waiting on materials!), so I just started making more dolls until I could make it to the store. The result was three hairless faceless dolls.

You'll be glad to know that I have finally gone to the store and one of the dolls now has hair and a face. I'm hoping to have them all finished and ready to share with you on Friday. Unfortunately, I can't sell them until (Yup, you guessed it! I'm waiting on something) I get the printer ink and fabric paper I ordered, so I can attach permanent labels to them to comply with Wool Act and CPSIA requirements.

Head on over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Information For People Who Sell Handcrafted Toys (and other items)

2011-06-03T10:44:00.001-04:00

Apparently, I'm a little behind on the times. I was reading through the forums on Ravelry and (unfortunately, because it's caused me a lot of headaches) came across a thread about CPSIA and FTC labels that are required to be permanently attached to almost all handcrafted items. Let's start with the easiest of the two. I found this great website that breaks down the FTC labeling requirements since I don't understand all the technical mumbo jumbo on their actual website. I don't know if this has always affected small time crafters, but I never knew about it.

Now things get tricky. The CPSIA amended their policies in 2009 to included people who make and sell handcrafted items for children even if it's on a very small scale, and it has led many small businesses and etsy sellers to close up shop. There is a great website that breaks everything down here. The easy part of the requirement is that a second label has to be attached to all items made for children under 12. Okay, annoying but doable. Second, and here's the part that kicks everyone in the butt, any items made out of non exempt materials need to be independently tested for lead before they are applied to a children's product even if the company that you purchased it from had the item previously tested. Now sending stuff off to get lead tested isn't cheap and a small time person like me can't afford to get that done. Luckily, anything made using yarn (both natural and synthetic), polyfil, and I think fabric (I'll have to double check on that) are exempt from testing, but if you add buttons, plastic safety eyes, zippers, hair clips, snaps, etc. these items are not exempt and require testing.

What does this mean for my business? First it means that I'm going to have to start making and attaching permanent labels to all of my knitted toys. I found a couple of good websites (here and here) showing how to make and print your own tags. Next, all toys that I knit for children are going to have to be devoid of any ornamentation such as buttons and safety eyes, which most of the toys in my store are anyway. The art dolls that I'm currently creating are going to be higher in price because of the materials I am using and will contain materials that I wouldn't deem safe for young children, so I'm going to market them to be for ages 13+. I also plan on making a simpler child friendly option for people wishing to buy a doll for a younger child. This isn't really how I intended to do things, but I have to either find some way that I can abide by the law or stop selling actual knitted toys again, and I really don't want to do that, because I enjoy it so much. There may be an amendment to the CPSIA soon, but I'm not sure what all it would change.

Well there you have it. Be advised that this is my understanding of the FTC and CPSIA laws, and if your products are affected you should do some research yourself. I just wanted to share this information for others out there who, like me, may not even know about this stuff.

WIP Wednesday

2011-06-01T13:30:00.002-04:00

I'm really happy to be participating in WIP Wednesday again!

First, during a two hour season finale I managed to make progress on my hooded baby blanket (blogged here). I didn't bother taking a picture, because it wouldn't look much different, but I only have 6" of stockinette left before I can make the hood and add the border. I figure I just need to find a couple of good movies, and I can plow through it.

Next, I started spinning again! I actually started this a long time ago, but I dug the spinning wheel out last weekend and picked up where I left off. It's merino wool in the Lanai colorway from frecklefacefibers. I started out with 4.1 oz, but I discarded some of it, so I have less than that now. I think I was spinning it on one of my drop spindles when I got my Ashford Joy Spinning Wheel. I wanted to finish spinning it on the wheel, but my tension was so different between the two that I decided not to use the little bit that I had already spun on my spindle. I usually make 3-ply yarns, but this one is only going to be a 2-ply. I finished the first bobbin over the weekend and have made a good start on the second.

This yarn is probably destined to be mermaid hair at some point if I can find some yarn that matches it well for the rest of the doll. I'm still very much a beginner spinner. I just posted about my spinning history on Monday if anyone is curious.

In the same post I linked to above, I also talked about my desire to create some art dolls for my etsy store. I plan to design the dolls myself but draw inspiration from outside sources. I've made a little more progress on the mermaid that I started.

I've reached the point where the design is starting to get tricky. I'd like to add some short rows to her chest to make it more realistic, but I've never used short rows in a design before, so I'm not sure how it will go. I'm also going to have to do some experimenting with how I want to do the arms and neck. I'm toying with the idea of setting aside stitches for the arms, which would make this doll completely seamless, but again I'm not completely sure how it will look. I'm also considering maybe leaving the arms unstuffed, so that they can moved around more freely, but I haven't completely made up my mind. Then there is the dilemma of the neck. In my prototype version of this doll that I created awhile ago, the neck wouldn't hold the head up after the hair was added. I can try to reinforce it with something, but I'm not sure a kid would appreciate a knitted doll with a wooden dowel or something shoved in the neck. As you can see, I still have a lot of questions to answer. They have scared me away from working on this much over the last few days, but it's time to buckle down and figure it all out. If anyone has any suggestions about anything I mentioned above, I'd be glad to hear them. I have lots of ideas for this doll. I just hope that it turns out as wonderful as I am envisioning in my head.

Be sure to head on over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Bullion Stitch

2011-05-30T14:03:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, I finally stopped thinking about how I wanted to start spinning again and actually did it. It felt great, but I'll admit that I'm a little rusty, especially considering that I was never a pro at it to begin with. For those of you who didn't read my blog when I used to spin, I think I've only ever spun 5 skeins of yarn (some more successful than others). My first yarn was spun on a bottom whorl drop spindle. I made a little bunny out of it that I keep around as a reminder of my first spinning attempt.

For my second yarn, I switched to a top whorl drop spindle. I was never really that great with the drop spindles, especially when it came to plying (I still usually have problems plying). There are always a few spots on each bobbin of singles that insists on falling apart during the process. That's one thing that I really hope to improve on as I continue to spin. After I spun my second skein of yarn, my birthday was right around the corner, and I decided that what I really wanted was a spinning wheel. I looked around at my options (most wheels were way out of my budget), and I ended up buying an Ashford Joy spinning wheel from a knitting friend that I met online. I really love it, and for me it's a lot easier and faster to spin on a wheel since the yarn automatically winds around the bobbin. I usually make three ply yarns, because my singles tend to be on the thin side, and that gives me close to a worsted weight yarn. If you want to see my handspun yarns, you can visit the stash page on my Ravelry profile. Most of them were used to make knitted toys or clothing for knitted toys. Here are just a couple of examples:

Flora

Psychedelic Lion

Anyway, I've kind of gotten off track. So I was sitting there spinning a lovely colorway from Freckle Face Fibers name Lanai (it is very tropical looking with shades of brown, green, and pink), and I started envisioning a mermaid with handspun yarn for her hair and hand painted eyes. In addition to the other things I offer in my Etsy store, I'd like to create some original art dolls as well. I've always had a love for dolls (I played with barbie dolls way past the age when I should have set them aside), so I'm really excited about this venture. I plan to design the actual dolls myself, but I'm not going to release the patterns for them. The reason for this is that I want each doll to be 100% original. I hope to sew clothes as well as knit them for the dolls, because I love the idea of being able to match fabrics to different yarns, but I haven't had much luck with sewing in the past, so we'll see. Of course it will be awhile before every doll can have handspun yarn hair, because of how long it takes me to spin, so I'll have to go with commercially made yarn for some of them.

I've been drawing inspiration for my dolls from many sources including books and some of my favorite doll designers, such as Dawn Toussaint and Elisabeth D. I was looking around for ideas on how I could decorate my mermaid's tail, and I came across the mermaid pattern in the book Dream Toys by Claire Garland. She used bullion stitch to create starfish and shell designs on her mermaid's tail, so I decided to give it a try. Of course, I'd never heard of bullion stitch before, but with the help of the book and youtube, I figured it out. My attempts didn't turn out as nicely as hers, but I think they work, and I'm happy to have learned a new embroidery technique that I can apply to my future toys.

I wanted to add another shell toward the tip of the tail, but all my attempts so far have been unsuccessful, and it took me hours to get the one I have to look like something I can live with, so I might just let it go. The mermaid is actually a toy that I designed a few months ago, but I was never 100% happy with it, so I never released the pattern. I'm happy to be able to redo it and make it better. My main problem is the hair. I know how to attach the hair if I wanted to give her braids or pigtails, but I'm not sure how to do it to create long flowing hair. I've tried adding the hair pieces like fringe around her head, but I really don't like how much the skin color shows between the strands of hair. Oh well, as you can see, I have a lot more work to do before I have to worry about that anyway. Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. I'll keep you updated on the mermaid's progress.

glitter-graphics.com

Custom Order Monkey

2011-05-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

I received another custom order for a monkey. This one is a little different, though.

It was made using Barbara Prime's Boyish Monkey (Rav link) pattern. I really like to use wool for her patterns, but I made this monkey out of Lion Brand Vanna's Choice, because it's for a baby, so I wanted it to be machine washable, and I didn't know about any wool allergies. I also made him baby friendly by embroidering on his eyes and omitting the buttons on his overalls.

Speaking of the overalls, I had some problems. As you will see if you click the Ravelry link above and look at the pattern pictures, Barbara updated this pattern. The updated version has a monkey with longer arms and legs and overalls that match the dress in her Girly Monkey pattern better. I have both versions of this pattern, and I have made monkeys using both, but I've only ever made the overalls using the original version of the pattern. I made the overalls using the new version of the pattern for this monkey, but they just didn't work out well. The first problem was that the straps weren't long enough to criss cross across the back like they are supposed to. The second problem was that they seemed tight across the front and back, but there was a lot of extra fabric on the sides. I debated using them anyway but ultimately decided to make the overalls from the original pattern and see how they looked. I think I like the style of the new version better, but the overalls made from the original pattern fit a lot better, so I decided to go with those.

I'm happy to take custom orders for both the girl and boy versions of this pattern if anyone is interested. I'd like to make up some for my etsy store at some point in nontraditional colors (for example: a purple monkey with lime green overalls), but I have some other things I'd like to work on first. Plus, I'm starting to get a little monkey'd out (that doesn't mean I wouldn't be happy to make a custom order monkey for anyone who is interested, though)!

I plan to start writing more detailed blog posts like this one again. I've gotten really lazy with my posts lately, and I want to change that.

It dawned on me when I was getting ready to write this post that it's Friday, which means I can participate in FO Friday this week! It's been a long time since I've had anything to share.

Head on over to Tami's Amis for my FO Friday Fun!

More Monkey Business

2011-05-21T17:06:00.001-04:00

I finished the larger monkey that I was working on.

He's about 2" taller than the other monkeys I've been making. I also tried something a little different with his face that cut down my seaming time considerably. I'm happy with how it turned out, but what do you think?

If you are interested in purchasing him, click here for more information.

Monkey Business

2011-05-19T18:00:00.002-04:00

Monkeys seem to be the popular nursery theme this year! I've spent the last few days making up a monkey to replace the one that sold out of my Etsy store.

You'd think I'd be getting pretty good at making these guys by now, but actually it still takes me hours to get the face right. That's the only downside to the pattern (Which is the Titus The Monkey pattern by the Twins if there are any knitters reading this who wish to make a monkey of their own). Since monkeys seem to be the popular thing this year, I want to make up more of them. I purchased some chunky yarn today, and I'm going to attempt to make a larger monkey similar to the one above. I say similar, because I'm going to try to do something a little different with the face that, if it works, will save me a lot of time and headaches! I also purchased this pattern by Rebecca Danger and hope to make up a few of these to sell soon as well.

I have a new scarf design and a new toy design in the works. Well mentally anyway. I caught a nasty Spring cold that's ruined most of my crafting goals for this week. I'll share more once I get them on the needles. The toy is actually a revision of something that I previously designed but have never been happy enough with to release. I'm hoping to change that very soon, but I just received a custom order for (yes you guessed it) a monkey that I need to finish first.

If you are interested in purchasing the monkey pictured above, click here to visit the product listing.

Chocolate Cupcake Scarf With Raspberry Frosting

2011-05-15T16:39:00.001-04:00

A chocolate cupcake scarf with raspberry frosting is now available in my etsy store:

The cupcake tops were made using Lion Brand Cupcake yarn in the color violet. This yarn is now discontinued, so there won't be many more scarves like this one.

Next, I plan on making a strawberry cupcake scarf, but I'm going to work on it a little a day among other projects, so it will probably be a few weeks before it's finished.

Cupcake Scarf

2011-05-10T12:58:00.000-04:00

A couple of months ago, one of my friends showed me a crocheted cupcake scarf in a magazine. It was really cute! Her mom was interested in one, so I started looking around for patterns and was disappointed when I discovered that the patterns available were only for crochet. There were no knit versions. Then I realized that it wasn't a disappointment, it was an opportunity to design my own and be one of the first. So after a lot of work, I am pleased to release my knit cupcake scarf pattern.

This pattern is available from Etsy and Ravelry!

The pattern includes instructions for how to make both cherries and strawberries so you can choose your favorite topping.

Each cupcake takes very small amounts of yarn to make, so this project would be an excellent stash buster.

The cupcake bottoms are knit flat on straight needles, and the frosting pieces are knit in the round on DPN's. Unlike most of my other patterns, this one does contain a lot of pieces that need to be assembled at the end, but all of the seaming is very simple, and the pattern includes a lot of photo tutorials to help you out.

I plan to knit up some actual cupcake scarves to sell in my etsy store, so check back often to see what's available, or contact me to request your own color combinations.

Cat Burglar

2011-05-02T12:35:00.001-04:00

Lock your doors and windows. Hide your fish tanks. There's a cat burglar on the prowl!

My newest knitting pattern is now available on Etsy and Ravelry!

Sneak Peak

2011-04-29T17:36:00.001-04:00

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately. I've been really bad about keeping up with WIP Wednesday and FO Friday posts. The main reason for this is that the things I've been working on are new designs, and I can't seem to decide if it's better to give you progress pictures as my designs take shape or wait until they are finished, so you can be surprised. My anxiety also seems to be getting the better of me lately, making it hard for me to do much more than go through the motions of posting without going into much detail. This week has been especially hard with pet health and work problems. All of this doesn't mean that I haven't been working on anything, though. I thought I'd share a sneak peak photo of what has been keeping me busy lately.

I'm not going to share too much, but I will say that this my newest scarf design. As you can see, there are A LOT of pieces involved, and this isn't even all of them. Usually my designs contain as little seaming as humanly possible, but I just couldn't do that with this design and get it to look how I wanted. The seaming is all very simple, though, so it won't be too bad. I'm hoping to have this finished up within the next couple of weeks.

In other news, my Cat Burglar pattern is going to be released on Monday. I haven't shared a finished picture of him yet, because I don't want to ruin the surprise, but you can see a naked picture of him in this post.

Honu T-Shirt Vest

2011-04-25T10:48:00.002-04:00

Just as I showed you last time that my Marshmallow Bunny Scarf Pattern can be used to make more than just scarves, my dishcloth patterns can also be used for more than just dishcloths. I received a wonderful customer photo the other day showing how she had incorporated my Honu Dishcloth Pattern into an adorable toddler vest.

Photo by Lizgosse on Etsy

Isn't it cute? She knit it using this pattern. I might have to try making up some baby shirts like this myself! Have you made something using one of my patterns? I'd love to see!

Marshmallow Bunnies

2011-04-19T15:25:00.001-04:00

My Marshmallow Bunny Scarf Knitting Pattern is good for making more than just scarves! Knitterbunny on Ravelry got really creative and decided to use the pattern to make some plushies.

Image by Knitterbunny

Aren't they cute? I have a feeling someone may be receiving a fun surprise on Easter morning.

Hand Knit Monkey

2011-04-19T14:39:00.002-04:00

Another monkey is now available in my Etsy store.

If you are interested in purchasing him, click here for more information.

Sock Monster

2011-04-14T12:59:00.001-04:00

The last of the toys that I knit up for the craft fair has been listed in my etsy store. Well, not exactly all of them, but I'm going to hold off on the others, because they are small, and I haven't decided what I want to do with them yet.

Everyone needs a sock monster in the house. They may steal the occasional sock out of your laundry basket, but the companionship they offer in return makes it all worthwhile.

If you are interested in purchasing him, you can find out more information here.

I'm getting really close to finishing my kitty design. Very early mornings and a busy work week are going to restrict my progress over the next few days, but I'm still hoping to get it finished up by the end of the week.

Dark Grey Bunny

2011-04-13T08:30:00.001-04:00

One last bunny has hopped into the shop.

If you are interested in purchasing her, click here for more information.

No WIP Wednesday post today, because I don't have any WIPs to share. I'm trying to finish up my kitty design, but he is too close to being finished to show you a picture now. I'm hoping to have the pattern ready for testing by the end of the week, but I seem to be having trouble making myself buckle down and finish it, so we'll see. I really need to just get it done, because there are other things I'd like to work on that I'd feel guilty starting with that project sitting there so close to completion.

I have one more toy to list in my Etsy store tomorrow!

Beige Bunny

2011-04-12T10:43:00.003-04:00

Another bunny has just been listed in my etsy store!

I really like how the face turned out on this one. If you are interested in purchasing her, click here for more information.

Remember all the Swirl bunnies I made last year?

I'm thinking of bringing them back. Would anyone be interested in seeing some more Swirl bunnies? And maybe some Swirl dogs and lions too?

White Bunny

2011-04-11T13:50:00.002-04:00

If you are a fan of my facebook page, then you know that I decided not to participate in the craft fair that I was preparing for. It was a difficult decision to make, but I think that I made the right one. There was just no way that I could make enough toys to fill a table in the limited time that I had. I would have had to make 1 to 2 toys a day for almost a month with no breaks to get it done, and that's just not feasible, at least not for me at the moment. I hope I don't regret my decision when the day of the fair roles around, but for now I just feel incredible relief. A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Since I decided not to do the craft fair, I'm going to sell the toys that I'd already made for it in my etsy store. Most of these toys are bunnies, which works out great considering that Easter is right around the corner. I plan to list a new toy every day this week (until I run out that is). Today I listed the white bunny that I've shared in earlier blog posts.

If you are interested in purchasing her, click here for more information.

Check back tomorrow for a new toy listing!

Craft fair Preparations

2011-04-06T12:40:00.001-04:00

I'm on a very tight schedule this month, so I'll keep this quick and to the point. I thought about not posting this week, but it just wouldn't be Wednesday without a blog post. As I mentioned last week, I'm trying to get a booth at my first craft fair! What I have to share with you today are actually finished objects, but I'm showing them to you on WIP Wednesday, because they are part of a bigger whole, which will be my finished table display.

First, the bunny from last week has a friend.

Ignore the crappy pictures. It was really bright outside, but I was impatient and didn't want to wait around for better lighting. Once again, I used Barbara Prime's Bunny With Hoodie (Rav link) pattern to make these bunnies. I decided to give them scarves instead of hoodies, because of time constraints, and I thought they looked cute.

Next is a Sock Monster (Rav link) by Rebecca Danger.

He was made using Plymouth Encore Worsted, and I decided to embellish him with a felt heart.

Lastly, I have two Turnip Plants (Rav link) by the Twins.

I'm making them using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice. I plan to make up at least twenty of these in assorted colors, because the fair is actually a plant and herb fair.

Well, I need to get back to work. I'm trying to get samples made of all of the different types of toys I want to include on my table this week, so I can take pictures and turn in the application on Monday.

I won't have time to work on anything until at least the middle of May, but if you see anything that you'd like, I'd be happy to add you to a custom order list for when I have time for commissions again. Contact me at whitneystropicaloasis@gmail.com.

Head on over to Tami's blog for more WIP Wednesday fun!

New Adventures

2011-03-30T14:56:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have something new and exciting in the works that, if it happens, will keep me REALLY busy for the next month. I was going to wait until I knew for sure if it was going to happen before I revealed what it is, but if I don't tell you now, then I won't have anything to share for WIP Wednesday. So the big news is that I'm trying to get a booth at a craft fair! I really hope I know soon what's going on, because it's the first weekend in May, and have absolutely no inventory at the moment, so that means I'll have to be knitting my fingers to the bone for the next month to make it happen, and even if I do that, I don't know if I can finish everything I'd like to. I'm really excited though, and will be pretty disappointed if it ends up not happening. It's something that I've wanted to do for awhile. A friend of mine, who I'd probably be sharing a booth with, suggested it, and at first I was tempted to put it off until next year since I don't have anything knit up right now, but I'm tired of waiting. If I don't do it now, I may never do it.

Because I have such limited time before the fair, I went ahead and started making a few things. Well, I only have one partially finished thing so far.

I'm using Barbara Prime's Bunny With Hoodie pattern. I've made this pattern several times and never been disappointed. I'm making up five of these bunnies in total. They will be made using Paton's Classic Wool in five different colors, and the hoodies will be made out of Bernat Baby Softee in five different colors. The first bunny body is basically finished (I haven't made his tail yet). I'm going to make the other four in kind of an assembly line process, making all the legs together, etc., and see how that goes. I started with the bunnies, because I figured that if the craft fair ends up not happening, I can sell them in my etsy store for Easter. As long as everything goes according to plan, my next several WIP posts will show how my fair inventory is coming together.

Before I got distracted with the craft fair, I made some progress on my kitty design. He's actually very close to being finished. It would be nice to get him into testing soon, so I will have a new pattern to release in the midst of knitting for the fair, but I'm not sure if that will happen or not. I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed and overextended at the moment, but it's in an exciting way. We'll see if I can find one day to devote to finishing him up.

In other news, my Shih Tzu Zoe has been having some liver problems, so I've been taking her to the vet a lot. She just got a test done today that will let us know if her liver is functioning correctly or not. If it's not, it could be due to an infection or cancer. I hate when the vet mentions that word. He was just listing what it could be, but just hearing it is scary. She acts completely fine, and I wouldn't have even known anything was wrong if they hadn't done pre-anesthetic blood work when she got her teeth cleaned. I'm trying to tell myself that it's nothing serious and that she'll be okay, but I'm really worried that she won't. Please keep her in your prayers!

Check out Tami's blog for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Custom Order Monkey

2011-03-26T16:15:00.001-04:00

I was asked to create a custom order monkey for a baby shower gift.

This is Titus The Monkey, a wonderful knitting pattern from the Twins. I knit him using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn and 4 mm (US 6) knitting needles. As usual, I modified this pattern to knit in the round wherever I could.

As you can tell from this monkey, I've decided to start taking custom orders for actual knitted toys again. I can make other toys besides the ones that I've designed, so contact me to let me know what you are looking for, and I'll do my best to help make your idea of a perfect gift a reality. That being said, I have something exciting in the works that will keep me busy and unable to accept any new commissions until the second week in May. If you are interested in something without an immediate deadline, feel free to contact me anyway, and I can put you on a list for when I have time for commissions again.

I don't want to go into details about what this new and exciting thing that will keep me so busy is until I know for sure if it will happen or not, but I really hope that it will. It's something I've wanted to do for awhile now. It will be really stressful, but hopefully worth it in the end. I should find out more next week.

I can also take commissions for my scarf designs, but I don't take them for my dishcloth designs, because I am unable to charge enough for them to make it worth the time it takes to make them.

I hope to hear from you!

Marshmallow Bunny Scarf

2011-03-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

As promised, I have a new pattern to release today. I was going to wait until April 1rst, but I decided on today in honor of my mom's birthday, because she's a huge peep fan. After the teaser picture that left a lot of people stumped, you can finally see it in it's entirety.

You can purchased this pattern for $3 from Etsy or Ravelry.

It's a Marshmallow Bunny Scarf! This would make a fun Easter surprise for someone special or a fun Spring knit for yourself. It's also an excellent stash buster. Each bunny is knit onto the one below it, so you aren't left with a bunch of pieces to assemble at the end. This pattern is knit with worsted weight yarn on Size 5 mm (US 8) needles. The sample was knit using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn in the colors Duckie, Dusty Purple, Aqua, and Pink Poodle. More detailed information can be found on Etsy and Ravelry.

Thanks for looking!

Also, check out more great projects on Tami's blog!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-23T14:56:00.002-04:00

It's Wednesday again! I have a little something to show. I finished the first Marshmallow Bunnies sock that I'm making for my mom for Easter. You can read more about these socks here.

It looks great on the outside, but, as you may remember, I was afraid about fit, and they don't. I attempted to try on the finished sock, and since the leg has no stretch to it, because of the colorwork, I couldn't get them past my heel. My mom's foot is slightly smaller and narrower than mine, so there is a small chance that she'll be able to get them on, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm going to wait until she comes to visit in May and have her try it on before I make the second one. There's no point in wasting my time on it if it's not going to fit. I'm really kind of bummed about it. I don't think I could have stranded any looser than I did and still have clean edges around the bunnies.

The pattern that I gave you a teaser of last week is going to be released on Friday. Kathleen was the only one who successfully made out what the shapes were. They are bunnies! Check back on Friday to see the completed project.

Click the button at the top of this post to head over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Whitney's Whimsies

2011-03-21T13:19:00.003-04:00

My blog has gotten a new look and a new name! What do you think? I've been desperately searching for a name that encompasses everything I've done and could ever hope to do in the future. Whitney's Tropical Oasis was perfect for my tropical themed dishcloth patterns, but it excluded my toy designs. Whit's Amigurumi Knits was perfect for the toys, but it excluded the dishcloth patterns. Both names also closed the door to any new design ideas that I might think of. Finally, I've come up with a general name that allows my creativity free reign. It couldn't come at a better time either, because Whitney's Whimsies is now an official small business! I've been working to get all of the details in place, and I'm just about there. This change is scary and exciting both at the same time.

Most of the URLs to my social pages all remain the same. I've simply changed my name on them. The only one that is different is my facebook fan page. Please head over to the new Whitney's Whimsies page and become a fan. I hope to see you there!

I just wanted to thank everyone for helping me get this far. Only with your help will this endeavor be a success.

Lobster Dishcloth

2011-03-17T16:23:00.002-04:00

I was going to wait until tomorrow to release this pattern, but it's finished and I'm feeling a little impatient, so here is my Lobster Dishcloth.

My Lobster Dishcloth knitting pattern is now available for $2 on Etsy and Ravelry.

This design features a lobster that is flanked on both sides by a lobster claw cable pattern. This dishcloth turned out a little bigger than my others, but it's just more cloth to use. The pattern uses a whole ball of yarn, so this isn't a project for using up leftover cotton scraps, unless you are going for a psychedelic effect. The idea for a lobster dishcloth was suggested to me by a customer. I'm happy to take design ideas, so if there is something that you have been looking for and unable to find, feel free to let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-16T16:43:00.001-04:00

This post will be short, because I'm fighting exhaustion and a headache, but I couldn't let Wednesday slip away without posting anything.

I've been working on a couple of new designs this week. The first is a Lobster Dishcloth that was requested of me by a customer. I've finished the pattern and plan to release it on Friday, so I'll share a picture of it then.

The second is a new type of design for me, meaning that it's not a dishcloth or a toy, but I hope to design more patterns of this type in the future. It will actually be a pattern collection that contains two designs of similar theme. The first one is mostly finished, but the second is giving me some problems. If all goes well, I plan to release the patterns on April 1rst, because they are Easter related. As you know, I don't like to give away too much immediately, so I'll leave you with a teaser picture.

Click the button at the top of this post to head over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Marshmallow Bunnies

2011-03-09T13:13:00.004-05:00

Sadly, due to the day job and sickness I haven't gotten any more work done on my kitty design in the last week, but I have been working on something.

(If it's only showing half of the picture, click on it to see the whole thing. I don't know why it's doing that!)

These are the Marshmallow Bunnies Socks by Debra Baker. I'm making them as an Easter present for my Peep loving mom. I think they are turning out pretty well, but I'm a little worried about fit. When I had knit just the cuff, they looked huge, but because of the colorwork, the leg doesn't have much give to it. I tried to strand loosely, but this is the first time that I've ever done stranding in the round, so I hope that I did it correctly. My bunnies pucker a bit in spots, but I think they look okay. It's hard to make it out in the picture, but I really like the look of the heel. I'll try to get better pictures when they are finished, but it's raining outside, and I didn't feel like setting up my light box. The pattern is written for magic loop, but I'm knitting them on dpn's. It's been awhile since I've knit a pair of socks, so I've had to refresh my memory on a few things, so I could convert the pattern to dpn knitting correctly. Hopefully, I'm doing it right. This pattern also has an interesting cuff. It says on the front of the pattern that it requires a Latvian Twist, but it doesn't, so I was a little confused about that for awhile until I decided to just cast on and follow the instructions and not worry about it.

I'm knitting them out of Knit Picks Comfy Fingering (in the colors Peony and White), and I love how soft they are! This yarn would be a great choice for a blanket (in a heavier weight, of course). I chose this yarn, because my mom is allergic to wool, and she lives in Florida, so I thought the cotton/acrylic blend would be perfect for a warmer climate. I didn't want to choose 100% cotton, because I wanted cleaner edges around the bunnies.

I've had a new design swimming around in my head for a few days now that I'm eager to try out. It would be something that I'd want to have ready by Easter, so if it works out, I'll have to put everything else on hold while I knit it up and write up the pattern. I'm not going to give anything away until I know if it will work or not, but I will say that it's not a toy or a dishcloth pattern. This will be my first design of this type, but it won't be my last if all goes well. I plan to cast on for it this afternoon.

Click the button at the top of this post to head over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun.

Peggy Piggy

2011-03-04T17:32:00.003-05:00

I didn't know if this pattern would be ready to release for FO Friday, but my tester finished quickly (Thank you!), so here it is.

This is Peggy Piggy. She's the second addition to my Curious Critter collection. I plan to make several animals for this collection, two of which are already (at least mentally) in the works.

You can purchase my Peggy Piggy pattern for $2 from Etsy or Ravelry.

Click the button at the top of this post to head on over to Tami's Amis for more FO Friday fun!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-02T10:03:00.003-05:00

I don't have that much to share today, but I do have another progress picture of the design I'm working on.

As you can see, I'm finished with his body and ready to start designing his clothes and other fun accessories. So now you can tell that he's a cat, but I'm still not going to give away any information about his true identity. I've really enjoyed this design so far and am pleased with how all of the pieces are coming together. It will probably be a little while before I'm completely finished with him, because there are so many little details that will go into making him what he is, but I'm hoping I will at least have his clothes finished by next week.

Since it's been so long since I've released a new design, I've been working on another one that won't take as long to complete. Actually, it is already finished, and I'm hoping to release the pattern sometime next week. It's part of what I'm calling my Curious Critter Collection, which is a line of toys of similar shape and size to my Bartholomew Bat pattern. I want there to be some surprise when I actually release the pattern, but for now, here's a little teaser picture to tide you over.

I haven't been feeling that great the last few days, so I haven't gotten as much knitting done as I would have liked.

Click the button at the top of this post to head over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

WIP Wednesday

2011-02-23T12:44:00.001-05:00

Stay tuned until the end of this post for a first look at my newest design!

Well, I guess I should start with a confession. I ended up frogging the B & W Bathmat I shared with you last week. I liked how it was turning out, but I just couldn't justify putting that much time and effort into something that one of the animals would probably tear up or pee on. If I'm going to put that much work into a project, I want it to be something that I know won't be immediately destroyed. That brings me to my first WIP. Today I'm going to share with you the two things that have been sitting in the bottom of my knitting bag for awhile but are rarely worked on.

This is the Hoodie Baby Blanket (Rav link) by Nikol Lohr. According to Ravelry, I cast on for this project last July, so you can see how much I've been working on it. I'm going to start trying to pull it out more when I'm in need of some mindless TV knitting. If I need to be working on a big project, I'd much rather work on this than a bathmat. I'm making it with Lion Brand Cotton-ease in the colors lime and charcoal. This blanket is for our future child. No, I'm not pregnant, but there are so many baby things that I'd like to make that I decided to get an early start. Nine months isn't nearly enough time!

Next is a Sockhead Hat (Rav link) by Kelly Mcclure. I cast on for this hat in December, and I haven't even managed to get past the ribbing yet. I'm in love with this yarn, though. It's Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Gingerbread Dudette colorway. Every time I look at this yarn, I envision using it for a cute holiday design. Maybe someday! This hat will be for me if I ever finish it. It's a small project that's good for knitting on the go.

As promised, here's a sneak peak of my newest design. This has been my main WIP for the week.

I don't want to give away too much too soon, so all I will say is don't let his sweet face fool you. He's not as innocent as he looks!

Click the button at the top of this post to head on over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday fun!

Bartholomew Bat

2011-02-20T19:39:00.003-05:00

I get so many compliments on the bat in my Vampira And Her Batty Minion pattern that I decided to offer him by himself for anyone who is interested in just him. I decided to name him Bartholomew.

You can purchased my Bartholomew Bat pattern for $2.00 from Etsy and Ravelry.

Many of you may have noticed that I haven't released a new design in awhile. I've been struggling with trying to find my niche. Most of my favorite toy designers have their own style and/or theme, and I feel like my designs up to this point have been all over the place. I'm having a really hard time pinpointing what I should be designing. I've had a few ideas, but I've been unable to successfully execute them, and that has caused me to start doubting my abilities as a designer. I just feel like everyone has done what I'm trying to do bigger and better.

Maybe part of the problem is that I haven't been really excited about a design for awhile. Ever since I found out that Creative Knitting Magazine was interested in one of my designs, I've been trying to design with certain themes in mind in the hopes that they will decide to take something else. In doing this, however, I think I've been limiting myself. By trying to design to fit certain specifications, I've been unable to design at all.

I've seen a few blog posts recently about how our day jobs impact our crafts. Most people can find positive ways in which the skills they use for their day jobs carry over and have a positive effect on their crafting. I feel the opposite. My day job is basically a dead end job that leaves me feeling drained and uninspired when I come home. I'm not complaining, because I know that there are a lot of people out there that wish they could find any job, but I think this has also contributed to my inability to finish a successful design.

That being said, I'm hoping that things are starting to change for the better. I got an idea yesterday that I'm actually excited about. I won't know for sure until I cast on whether this is truly a turnaround or another false start, but I'm hoping for the best.

Sophie

2011-02-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

As promised, here's the last piece of my co-worker's baby shower gifts.

This is Sophie (Rav link) by Ysolda Teague. I really loved the construction of this little bunny. After knitting the head, stitches were picked up for the body, legs, arms, and ears, so there was absolutely no seaming or assembling at the end. I'll admit that picking up the stitches was a tedious task at times, but I thought it was worth it to have no finishing to do. I used Lion Brand Microspun in the color Blush. I really like the feel of this yarn, but I found it really splitty at times.

I had to learn some new techniques for this project. It used the disappearing loop cast on. I found this cast on really fiddly to do, and I didn't think the result looked any different than what I usually do when knitting toys, which is cast on the normal way and weave the tail through the cast on stitches to close the gap, so I probably won't mess with the fancy cast on the next time I make this pattern. I also learned how to make french knots. If you've been wanting to learn, I linked to a really great video. I found it helpful, because they were using yarn on a crocheted piece. For me that was much easier to understand than the videos showing sewing projects. I really like the look of the french knots for small eyes, and I know I'll be using them on a lot of my future toys. They are definitely easier to make than trying to get the backs on 6 mm safety eyes.

Sophie is the first project that I photographed with my new photo light box. The picture isn't perfect, but I think I just need to fiddle with the settings a little more. I was really tired last night, so I didn't do a lot of experimenting. I have to admit, though, that it is a decent picture for being taken indoors at 9:00 at night. For everyone who asked in the comments, I made my light box using the instructions on this website.

Click the button at the top of this post to head over to Tami's Amis for my FO Friday fun!

Bathmat

2011-02-16T16:02:00.003-05:00

Most of this week has been spent working on a bunny that I'm going to include with all of the baby shower gifts that I shared with you last week, but I'm so close to finishing it that I decided to just wait until Friday to show him to you since the WIP and FO pictures wouldn't be much different at this point. When I haven't been working on the bunny, I've been working on this:

It's the B&W Bathmat (Rav link) by Knitswsticks. It only took us a year after we moved into our house, but we finally got around to decorating our spare bathroom. I really like how it turned out, but we have been unable to find a bathmat that we like in a color that will match the rest of our decorations, so I decided to make one myself. I'm using Peaches And Creme in the color Gettysburg. It was right after I ordered my yarn that I heard that they were being bought out (which still upsets me), so I'm glad that I was able to get it when I did. I'm happy with how the bathmat is turning out, but I'm starting to regret my decision to make it just because it's taking forever. It's 25% done at this point, and I'm already starting to get bored with it, so hopefully I'll continue to make progress on it, and it won't get thrown into the bottom of my knitting bag into the abyss of the forgotten WIPs. The pattern on it is some variation of the linen stitch, so at least there's more variety in the rows than straight stockinette stitch. I remember now why I started mostly knitting toys. I don't have the patience for a big project like this anymore. My mom is coming to visit in May, and she'll need to use it, so that's at least some motivation to get it done. It does make for good TV knitting.

Another WIP for the week is my photo light box. It should be finished by now, because all that's left to do is install the poster board and get the lamps ready, but I've been dragging my feet and didn't run to Hobby Lobby to get my poster board until today. I got the largest pieces I could find, but they are still a little small for my box, so I hope they work. I got two sheets of white and black, so if worse comes to worse, I can cut up the second sheet to fill in any spots on the sides that the first board doesn't cover. I just hope that it works when all is said and done. I'm hoping to use it to take a picture of my bunny for my Friday post, so we'll see how it goes.

In other news, I think I'm coming down with a case of Spring Fever. It is 61 degrees outside, and I'm loving every minute of this beautiful day. It even smells like Spring outside!

Click the button at the top of this post to head on over to Tami's Amis for more WIP fun!

A Furry Invasion

2011-02-13T14:04:00.003-05:00

I'm often disappointed with how the pictures of my knitted objects turn out. I try to take most of my photographs outside, but the weather usually doesn't make that too ideal. It's either too bright or too dark. I hate having to sit around and wait for the perfect time of day to take a photograph. I'm not that patient sometimes. It's either too hot or too cold. Last Summer I had problems, because it was so hot that the lens would constantly steam up making it impossible to get a clear picture regardless of how many times I wiped it down. The cold doesn't affect the equipment as much as the photographer. I don't get as many or as nicely set up shots, because I'm in a rush to get back inside. Add any kind of precipitation to the equation, and photo taking may have to be delayed for days, so I decided to make my own photo light box. I'm following the instructions found on this website. I didn't have any of supplies on hand besides the box, but it still only cost me just over $30 for everything. Usually I would beg and plead until my husband gave in and made it for me, but I decided to try this project out myself. I had just started construction when I hit a snag.

My box became infested with a cat!!! I didn't know how to get rid of him, so I had to call in the authorities to help with feline removal. Luckily, the professional arrived promptly and didn't seem too put out about being called to duty on a Sunday.

Now that my box (at least temporarily) is again devoid of cats, I can continue with the construction.

Baby Shower Gifts

2011-02-11T11:36:00.004-05:00

I want to start by thanking everyone for sending all of your good thoughts my way concerning the health issues I've been having. It's been a long morning, and I feel like I've been run through the ringer, but the only thing that matters is that everything turned out fine. I'm so relieved! Having a scare like that really makes you think, and I'm going to try my hardest to start living in the present and stop worrying about the what ifs of the future. Right now, everyone is healthy and happy, and I'm going to try to concentrate on and enjoy that. Now that that's over with, let's get on with the fun stuff!

As I mentioned in my Wednesday post, I've been making some baby shower gifts for one of my co-workers. I finished the Baby Leaves Baby Hat that was OTN's on Wednesday. It was a very quick and easy knit, and I'm happy with the result.

The booties are the Newborn Baby Shoes (Rav link) by Audrey Wilson. They turned out adorable and were such a quick knit. I think it only took 1-2 hours to finish both of them. You can't see them in the picture, but I happened to have the perfect pink elephant buttons to use. The only thing I'm not 100% happy with is my seaming. My garter stitch seams are never quite as nice as I would like.

Lastly, This is the Seamless Kimono Sweater (Rav link) by Jacki Kelly. I really love this pattern and have made three of these little sweaters total. For some reason, though, I had some problems with this one. On my first attempt, I thought I was knitting along fine, but I discovered that my stitch count was off when I finished the increases. I tried to do the math in my head, and even doing it that way, I got what I had on my needles, instead of what it said in the pattern. Regardless, I decided to frog and start over, but I ended up with the same number of stitches as before, so I kind of skewed things to arrive at the right stitch count. With the right number of stitches, however, I ended up with an odd number of eyelets in the eyelet row, which messed things up when I threaded the i-cord through them. I had to have both tails coming out of the same eyelet, otherwise one tail would be inside the sweater. I never had problems like that with the other two sweaters I made, and I'm wondering if maybe my stitch count was off on those sweaters (It's been awhile, so I don't really remember), but I kept going anyway, and things worked out okay in the end. I looked through people's Ravelry projects, and no one mentioned having any problems with stitch count, so I don't know if it's just me or what. It turned out cute anyway, and I doubt that anyone will notice the mistakes.

My co-worker has two boys, and this will be her first girl, so that's why everything is pink. I used Bernat Baby Softee on everything except the embellishments on the kimono sweater. Those were made with some scraps of Knit Picks Palette. I'm thinking of making a stuffed bunny for her as well, but it will just depend on how much time I have and what I'm in the mood to work on.

Baby Leaves Baby Hat

2011-02-09T14:02:00.005-05:00

This is my first time participating in WIP Wednesday. I'm hoping that it will help me keep on track posting regularly to my blog. I have a couple of projects that have been OTN's for awhile, but today I'm only going to talk about the one that I'm actually working on at the moment, and I'll save the others for a slow week in which I don't have anything else to share. This is the Baby Leaves Baby Hat (Rav link) by Heidi Sunday.

I'm making it, along with some other things of course, as a baby shower gift for one of my co-workers. I'm really not far enough along yet to be able to make out much of the leaf design, but I'm hoping that it turns out okay. This is an easy pattern, but it it requires some concentration. I've already had to start over once, because I wasn't paying close enough attention to what I was doing. I initially started making this hat, and I was almost finished with it, but I thought it looked huge, and I want something her baby can wear home from the hospital, not something she can wear when she's 4-5 months old (which will be in the middle of Summer anyway), so I frogged it and cast on the Baby Leaves hat instead. I'm using Bernat Baby Softee yarn.

I've had some medical worries this week, and I have to get some more tests done on Friday. For someone like me who suffers from extreme anxiety, it's really hard not to sit and imagine the worst possible outcome at all hours of the day and night, so I've been trying to use this little hat as a big distraction.

The Joy Of Half Knitting

2011-02-07T14:57:00.001-05:00

This pretty much sums up what my knitting bag looks like at the moment, except it's more like a quarter of a hat, a quarter of a baby blanket, a couple of barely started new designs, and yarn for a bunch of stuff that I meant to start but haven't gotten around to yet.

Image from http://www.nataliedee.com

Well, Winter's not over yet, so maybe I'll be able to make it to the halfway point on my hat by Spring!

Surprise Visitors

2011-02-03T13:48:00.001-05:00

We've had some surprise visitors hanging around the edge of our property for about a week now.

I about had a heart attack the day I first spotted them right after I had just let the dogs out. Bo-Teeny (our ferocious long-haired Chihuahua) ran right towards one growling and barking and ready for a fight. Luckily, the commotion scared him off, but I barely had time to let out a sigh of relief when I spied another one standing close by staring at me. I gathered the dogs as fast as my panic stricken body could manage and collapsed into a heap of tears as soon as the door was shut safely behind us. Now I have to carefully scan the tree line while the dogs are outside and go out with a powerful flashlight in the dark. I wonder if our neighbors ever wonder what we are doing if they see us shining our light in the trees periodically throughout the night.

Most people that I've told about the foxes think it's cool, and under different circumstances I might agree, but that's not an option with two bite size dogs. I haven't seen them for a few days, so I'm hoping they've moved on, but it will be a long time before I feel comfortable letting the dogs out again without either going out with them or staying plastered to the window ready to bolt out the door if need be.

Thawing Out

2011-02-02T17:33:00.002-05:00

My blog has been seriously neglected for quite some time now, so I decided it was time for a new look and a fresh start. I've gotten so far out of the habit of blogging regularly that I've pretty much forgotten how to do it altogether. I have a feeling that my posts will be baby steps at first, but I'm hoping that with practice I can get into the swing of things again. With this goal in mind, I've given myself a challenge. To start out, I'm going to attempt to write at least one blog post a week, but I'm hoping that most weeks will contain more. I'm also going to start doing W.I.P (work in progress) Wednesday posts, so tune in on Wednesday every week to see what I'm working on. I'm going to try to keep this blog mostly knitting related, but I want to try to include some personal posts as well to give the blog some more depth.

Today's post is one of those non-knitting posts. Along with most of the Country, I've been home bound for the last couple of days, because of the massive Winter storm that just passed through. Most people get bored just thinking about being stuck indoors for an extended period of time, but I actually enjoy it. Although, if we were among the many unfortunate people who have been without power for some time now, I'm sure I would feel differently. We missed the almost 2 feet of snow that fell to our North and ended up with over 1" of ice instead.

Heavy winds amplified the severity of the situation, and it was very unsettling to hear the numerous cracks and pops as large branches snapped and fell to the ground throughout the evening last night. The wind is finally starting to die down, but cold weather is going to keep the ice with us for awhile. I have to venture out to the day job tomorrow, and I'm dreading it even more than usual (if that's possible). Having to drive on the treacherous roadways causes me an extreme amount of anxiety. I won't feel completely at ease until I'm safely back home and under my blankets. I guess the good news is that the groundhog didn't see his shadow, so hopefully we'll be thawed out soon!