Stolen For A Monkey

Gertrude the monkey has been around as long as Lauren has. Lauren never snuggles teddy bears... only monkeys. So yes, this little baby sweater was stolen for a monkey. Which is fine with me since my Mom insists that the cousin I made this for isn't really into handmade things.

The pattern is Wyatt (ravelry link) and the yarn is Rios by Malabrigo (heavenly).

My Little Butterfly

I may not be able to get to the studio to create beads and jewelry at the moment, but that doesn't mean my hands aren't busy making. Oh yes, I am a making-fool these days. My needles have been flying through projects. I finished my Deco sweater, I made a lovely little baby sweater with the prettiest yarn ever that was stolen for a monkey, and the most recent finished project is a sweet little sweater for Lauren called "Little Butterflies" (ravelry link).

It has become a new summer tradition that Momma knits Laurnadoon a back-to-school sweater. You might remember this little number from last summer. When I knit that one, I picked the pattern and I chose the yarn. This time, my girl picked the yarn, months ago, when I made my Hourglass sweater. She insisted on having the same as me and she is standing her ground that orange is now her favorite color. She also picked the pattern. I showed her several I had in mind and she said "oh, oh, that one!!" She also decided the length of the sleeves too. This practical Momma was thinking that Fall is around the corner and 3/4 sleeves would be a better way to go, but oh no, she knew better. My hot blooded child, the one that sweats when it is 10 degrees out, wanted capped sleeves. And oh no... don't block them so they lay the right way, they look best poofy.

It should also be noted that she styled this outfit herself. And by all means, I completely approve of purple/pink polka dots with orange. So, rock it. One should always wear at least 3 necklaces. The flower necklace she thrifted herself at the flea market and drove a hard bargin, getting if for 50cents. Double headbands will become the rage in no time, I'm sure.





I can hardly believe this baby of mine is getting ready to start 3rd grade. THIRD GRADE! I tend to balk a bit when people go on and on about how time flies, and how the kids get so big so fast, and where has the time gone... most of the time, I think time crawls. But I am starting to get it... I look at her and I wonder when she went from the teeny thing picking "free-bead winners" years ago, to this beautiful, smart, sassy, opinionated, fashionista. Isn't she awesome?

(ps... I am guessing you are wondering where the heck her curly ringlets are... she begged and plead with me to straighten her hair and I obliged. She likes the option.)

The Green One

Special note - Thanks to you ALL for the wonderful comments on my previous post. I don't think the new book seemed real until that moment I hit "post" and finally shared the news. I can't wait to take you along on this rustically wrapped ride.






I am pretty sure I have told you before that I find it impossible to just sit. I need something to busy my hands and my mind while we are watching tv or waiting for dinner to be ready or while the kids play video games. I honestly wonder what the heck I did during those times a few years ago when knitting on a sweater wasn't an option? Seriously. With that being said, I know you are going to think I am wicked fast knitter since this was started Sunday and finished on Thursday... but really, we just laze about a lot.

When I bought yarn on Saturday to crochet that ruffled 6ft long green scarf, I bought way too much. I tend to error on the side of having more than enough than having not enough. Crochet projects use a lot more yarn than knit projects so at the time buying 5 skeins for a scarf made sense. Silly me. Thankfully, it is inexpensive so it didn't wallop my wallet too bad.

As soon as I finished my scarf, I cast on this sweater for Lauren with the left over yarn. It isn't a traditional "Lauren" color my any means. She is a purple or teal girl through and through. I even joked with a friend that I would have to sew her a purple and green skirt to go with it or she probably wouldn't wear it. Much to my surprise though, she loves it despite it being green and I don't have to coordinate it with some special! When I finished weaving in the ends last night, I left it on her doll house (which is currently blocking her doorway, by the way) for her to find this morning. She came downstairs wearing it and I am happy to know she'll be snugly warm today as I think she might be coming down with a cold.

For those of you that like to knit, this pattern is available on Ravelry:: Big Sweater, Little Pockets. It is written up to a child's size 6, but Lauren is nearly 8 and growing like a weed. You can read my notes about how I modified it to make it larger here.

My Tea Leaves

Monday, while sitting at the local minor league ball park for 4 straight hours, I finished knitting the adult size version of the sweater, Tea Leaves, that I knit for Lauren a few weeks back. *sigh* Alas, it turned out much too big. When I have it on, I feel like I am wearing a tent, or rather much like I just came home from the hospital after giving birth and am wearing maternity clothes without the belly. (Those that have kids will know just what I mean!) I love love love the yarn though and that will be the thing that saves this sweater from being ripped out or tossed in the bottom of my closet. In the dead of winter, it will be wonderful for layering. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

You know, I haven't been happy with much of what I knit for myself. I don't know if it is the garment itself, the fit/sizing, or just me *in* the finished piece that I am not liking. I wish I had a better understanding of what works well on my body type. I don't have the energy to research it though. So I will continue to brood and be horribly disappointed.

You know, in general, it is one of those horribly disappointing kinda days. I was working on the torch today and couldn't make the beads work for anything. And, there is some behind the scenes business frustrations going on, and and and... I thought the new Toffee Mocha at Starbucks yesterday was soooo good that it would keep my in a pleasant mood for a month, but frankly that euphoria only lasted a couple hours. Hmmm, maybe I should get another one? Kidding! What I really need to do is organize my mind. I need a clean sheet of paper and a to-do list. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I better get on it.

While You Were Distracted...

While I was distracting you here on the blog with lots of beady goodness over the past week, I have been filling my down time with a bit of knitting. I think we all know by now that I have issues with being still. If I am just sitting in one spot too long and not distracted by a conversation or a movie or a computer screen or the kids or a book, I get a little ansie. Really, who doesn't? My hubby likes to sit out on the deck every evening we can during the summer and I like to be there with him, but I can't just sit in a lawn chair listening to the birds. So, I knit.

Last week went much like this... wake up, bead for 3-5 hours, eat lunch, do kid stuff, sit on the deck with hubby and knit. I started this sweater project for Lauren last Monday afternoon while the kids were over wise occupied. I had this yarn in my stash and I noticed it is pretty much the same color as everything in Lauren's back-to-school wardrobe. I thought it would be perfect to work on while in my hotel room during Bead Fest this week and I had hoped I would be able to finish it in time for the first day of school. Who knew it would whip up so quick?!? I finished it this past Monday night.





(She is bouncing on a mini trampoline in this last photo, just in case you were wondering.)

For those that knit...
Pattern: Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Color 880 (I used about 2 and 1/4 skeins)
Mods: Lauren requested the sleeves go right to her elbow and instead of doing 10rows of garter stitch, I repeated the yoke detail. I also repeated it on the bottom hem too.
And for those that wish you could have a Momma-size version of this sweater... it is called Tea Leaves! I have some pretty dark rust colored Berroco Vintage Wool that might get worked up into the Momma one for myself. But that will wait till after Bead Fest.

Mr. Jones & Me

Every freakin' stinkin' time I see a new pretty grey sweater on Ravelry, I want it. I think "why didn't I make my fill-in-the-blank sweater grey?" And another thing happens every time I see a grey sweater, the lyrics to a Counting Crows' (one of my favorite artists) song runs through my head.

“I will paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful
Grey is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play"

So... I give you, my Counting Crows Mr. Jones Sweater...







Here are a few details if you are into knitting,
Pattern: Featherweight Cardi by Hannah Fettig
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine (used about 2.5 skeins)
Mods: I added length, did twisted stitch ribbing on the collar and bottom band, and I decreased 5 times down the sleeves before k2tog all the way round and finished with 6 rows of ribbing.

I love the sweater, and yet *sigh*, I still find myself in pursuit of the perfect grey sweater. This one, it is a little itchy, honestly. I am wearing it with a tank top in these photos and my back was all red when I took it off. I will still wear it until it falls apart, but I thinking that may not happen until fall when the weather calls for layering.

Charmed Ramblings

:: I finished a sweater this weekend. It is called "Charming" and it was my third attempt at making a sweater I would wear with this lovely yarn. Third time was definitely the 'charm'... second day in a row that I have been wearing it.
:: I am giving up coffee. Between a week of really bad left breast pain, and the ringing in my ears being louder than ever, it is time to give it up.
:: There is a birthday in the house!! Guess who's seven tomorrow?!?
:: Kit #3 is done and kit #4 starts today.
:: I can see the finish line of this mass kit making experiment. Thank goodness.


:: Apparently, my family says I say "oh goodness" when I don't know what else to say. And my Dad say he likes it because his Grandpa (my Great Grandpa) did it too.
:: How in the world does my Dad remember things like that?
:: I keep thinking I will have time to work on a piece of jewelry, but kit making is draining me. I must must must make time for it.
:: I need to get back on a running schedule. I feel like a sloth and think I am extra plump in these photos. (Trust me, I picked good ones, on purpose.)
:: It isn't about the number on the scale, it is about how you feel. I feel like crud.


:: Lots of birds chirping today. Lots.
:: The say it is gonna be 80 this weekend! Happy Easter!!
:: I like it when Jacob walks around the house laughing to himself and when I ask him about it, he laughs his way through telling me some random scene in Toy Story 1. What pre-teen does that?
:: Oh, no Twisted Tuesday tomorrow... it is a party day. See random thought above having you guess who is turning seven.
:: Where is the ibuprofen, this coffee thing is going to be difficult.

Nanu's Late Stinky Feet Covers

This really is one of those morning that where I think I should just skip blogging. This is post #1170 and *sigh* I can't think of a thing to say. I am hoping that sharing photos of Andrew's socks might spark a conversation for us. Oh goodness, ya know what, I feel like *sighing* every five minutes this morning. Or maybe they are deep breaths more than they are sighs. I think the hectic nature of the past few days has me thankful for a slower day today. Which will be full in ways other than running around.

So, yes, these are "Stinky Feet Covers", but may also be called "Stinky Feet Creators" as well. LOL. My Christmas creating was so flurrious this past year that I took on more project than I could finish in time. Andrew and I had a conversation about this, and he agreed that if he could pick out the yarn for his Momma-made socks, he would be okay with getting them at a later date. One very snowy evening, after an evening doctor appointment, Nanu and I hit up a couple of the local yarn stores in search of *his* yarn. This Cascade 220 Superwash Paints is what he picked and the pattern I used was Thuja from Knitty.com. This pattern and I are really a match made in heaven. I wouldn't have the patience for sock weight yarn and size 2 needles, but size 6s and a thicker weight are perfect for me.



Yes, yes, I know I should have started these the day I got the yarn. It was the heart of Winter and his could feet could have used the warmth before Spring. I just plain didn't wanna. But week before last, I spent the entire day sitting with my Grandma and I knew his sock would be just the thing to work on while we chatted. I got to hear about the only pair of socks my Grandma ever knit. They were knee high and white, for my Grandpa, and they took almost 3 years to finish. He lost one the first time he wore them and Grandma didn't have the patience to knit a replacement. LOL. She said she still has the one. I didn't ask to see it though, she was in and out of being very sad that day and I didn't want to add to it but pulling more old memories out of the drawer.

Anyway, you should know, we have a standing joke in this house about the kids and their stinky vinegar feet. It is how my Mom and I would get them to bathe when they were toddlers. We would smell their feet while they were in the tub, then squeal about the stink, and scrub them up. Even now, when the come home from school and drop their stuff by the door, I often hear myself saying "who's got stinky vinegar feet? get in the shower." Nine times out of ten, it is Andrew. My boy lives in the same socks for days, nay weeks, straight if you don't watch him like a hawk and make him change his socks. I kid you not. I have to sneak into the bathroom while he is showering, grab his socks off the floor, and put them down the laundry shoot or he will put the same ones back on. Gross.



I put the finishing touches on these last night. About 10pm, I snuck into his room, pushed back the covers, and whispered "let me have your feet, I have a surprise for you." I peeled off the yucky socks he was wearing, and put these on his toes. Then, this morning, when just enough light came into his room, I pushed back all his blankets again and caught this early morning stretch. Can you see the stretch in the photos? Imaging him in a ball in the first two photos there... then he uncurled and pointed his toes in the second two... then relaxed and fell back to sleep in the last two. It was a nice way to start the morning.

Now with Andrew, there are no thank yous. As he stumbled around the kitchen this morning, I asked "so? do ya like your new socks?". To which he replied in a very duh-mom tone "yeah, I love 'em". That works for me.

And looky that... I did have more to say than I thought today. *sigh*

Between Me & Me

me: you can't do that...
myself: yes I can.
me: are you crazy? don't... you can't do that...
myself: yes. I . can.
me: OMG... I can't believe you just did that! You did NOT just do that.
myself: yes, yes, I did.
me: Kerry, that sweater took you over a month to make. How in the world could you just rip it out like that?
myself: cause, I didn't love it. I do love the yarn though. I would run away and marry this yarn. This yarn is my favorite. I couldn't waste it.
me: you could have given the sweater a chance... it could have grown on you... you could have learned to like it.
myself: Kerry, you know me... if I don't like it, I don't like it... and you know dang well I would never wear it.
me: but all that time and effort...
myself: this new sweater, its gonna be even better. it is gonna ROCK... I promise I will love this one... you'll see
me: you better love it... I am NOT going to let you get away with this again
myself: yeah, fine... whatever.
me: oh shut up and knit your stupid new sweater.

Saturday Morning on a Friday

Reminder - there is a Totally Twisted Giveaway going on!! Go leave a comment!!





There is an amazing stillness in the house right now and I am really enjoying. I know it can't last for too much longer. At some point I will need to move myself from my comfy spot on the couch and wake the wild hoards, but for now, I am content to sit in the quiet. *sigh* Everything about this morning is whispering to me that it is Saturday. I was out late last night as if it were a Friday evening after a long week at work, lol. (with the kids being home as my "work" and being at book club as my "happy hour")

I ventured downstairs and made coffee, started a fire, surfed my favorite blogs, and sat to work on the last few rows of the skirt of Lauren's dress. You asked for progress shots and here are a few for you. That mug with the "K" was a birthday gift from Jacob. I saw it the grocery store one day when he and I were there, I told him how it would be a good gift... and he remembered. :) I love that boy/pre-teen. And these tasks are what I do most everyday, but on Saturday's I do it while everyone is sleeping, and that is what they're all doing now.

It's funny, I took that center photo on the coffee table because back on Monday we had friends over for a play date and the dad that was here has Lauren completely convinced that I am making her table cloth. Funnier still is that she is really excited about it being a table cloth, LOL!! My stars she can be a hoot.

*sigh* What a week huh? So much excitement. Another reason I feel like it is Saturday, the hecticness is finally slowing. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to Monday. Crazy sounding, I know, but I am desperate to have some studio time. I want to/need to/have to get back to some normalcy. There are ideas to be worked out, and jewelry to be made, and I don't know what else... I need the time to figure it out while I have the energy!! LOL.

I hope you enjoy your weekend... whatever day it is.

I'm A Ravelympian

Over on Ravelry, they do something fun during the Olympics. It's called "Ravelympics". To play, you pick a project (or two or three), cast on during the opening ceremonies, and hopefully, finish before the end of the closing ceremonies. Then, you win a fun medal to place on your Ravelry project page to show you competed (now the competitive side of me would love the have "winners" and gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded, but that could get ugly and Ravelry is a happy place).

This is my first Ravelympics, and with Lauren's birthday coming up at the end of March, I figured her Momma-made gift would make for the perfect project. The project is The Pixie Dress, a sweet whimsical crocheted dress what will look wicked super cute over jeans and a tee shirt (perfect for layering in these cold months). The yarn is Dream In Color Knitosophy in the color called "Strength" (kinda pricey, but thankfully, WEBS discounts the more you buy, and this yarn is superwash!). You enter your projects in different events like "Lace Luge" or "Cable Cross Country". I entered my Pixie Dress in the Lace Luge event and the Junior Olympics event (jr meaning made for a child).

I had fun casting on while watching the ceremonies. I have been crocheting since I was a little girl, and although I have to look up in the back of the magazine how to do each stitch (cause my mom just showed us how to do it, we didn't know the real names for stitches) it goes really quick. It can be so mesmerizing, really... almost hypnotic. The way you wrap the yarn, dive into the stitch, grab and pull through... do it a thousand times and tell me you weren't seein' double and nearly asleep.

Anyway, I am a little more than half way through the skirt already and thanks to my friend Lindsey's husband, she is convinced I am making her a table cloth, LOL. You can see why I had purple on the brain last week, yes? And speaking of which... the kids couldn't be off school at a worse time. I am feeling so inspired right now. I have lots of ideas brewing... I really wish I was in the studio. Oh well, February Break is just a week. They will be back in school soon enough. And, until then... I have a project to finish.

Outside Voice

With Lauren home sick all week, I have had lots of time to sit in my big comfy chair and finish up my latest knitted project. Some of you might remember the "Inside Voice" sweater I knit over the summer from the "Whisper" pattern in the Spring '09 Interweave Knits. I cast on this project the day after Christmas. I spent so much time making things for other people that I felt I was due a project for myself.

The yarn started it all. I was at a knit night with girly friends when my yoga instuctor, Amy, came in wearing her "February Lady" sweater made with this yarn. It was serious yarn lust at first sight. The yarn is called Twisted in the color Corbie from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. There is so much yardage in these skeins that I only needed 2. Sweet. This color is so dreamy. It is the perfect shade of washed out dark denim with hints of a soft green. *sigh* My sister saw it this morning and thought it looked like something my hubby would wear. She called it a "Ron-Boy color" and I think she is right. It is kinda boyish, and that must be what makes me want to cuddle with it.

Anyway... I was in yarn-love and wanted a project I knew I love so as not to waste the lovie yarn. I was tempted to knit a sweater called "Ingenue" in the book Custom Knits, but decided to fall back on the Whisper. I can already tell that this is going to be my throw-on-the-floor-by-my-bed-at-night-and-slip-it-on-when-I-go-downstairs-in-the-morning sweater.

And a special thanks to my fabulous photographer, Lauren. Oh what fun it is to get to take pictures with Momma's fancy camera.

It Fits Perfect

The Bonnie Express

Remember back before Christmas when I showed y'all the special thing I was going to attempt to make my Sister? Well, that project totally crashed and burned. The yarn wasn't right, the gauge wasn't right... the whole thing wasted about two solid weeks of knitting and was completely ripped out. Ugh.

BUT, one day, during that two weeks of wasted knitting, my sister stopped by and showed me an ad from the store Express with a sweater in it. She said "I can't stop thinking about this... could you make it?" To which I thought... "ah, no? can't you see me making this coat for you? hello? this isn't exactly easy, you know." Naturally though, I caved. She has that effect on me. Big Sisters with little Sisters will know what I am talking about. How could I not attempt to make her what she wants? SO, I set to making my first ever "original" knitted pattern!!

It is inspired by that Express sweater but changed up quite a bit. It also turned out mid thigh length making it more coat than sweater. The yarn is Cascade Ecological Wool in the color Coffee. I am calling it "The Bonnie Express".



I tried desperately to get it done in time for Christmas. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. It was wrapped in the condition you see above. Each one of those rows on the back takes about 20mins to get through and there are more then 100 rows!! That is a lot of time spent sitting on my butt. Sister has called me no less than 100 times since Christmas with the question "um, so Sister, is my sweater done yet?"

I am working on it, Sister. Soon, it'll be done soon.