Fingerless gloves for my daughter

My little girl's hands have been super chapped lately :( I would slather her hands with lotion and put mittens/gloves on, but she is a thumb sucker. SO I decided to make these for her to wear during the day for a few days, with lots of lotion, and hopefully that will help the poor thing! Just used some random stash yarn- bamboo, so it is soft, and she likes them. Very easy pattern- cast on 28, 10 rounds of 2x2 ribbing, 20 rounds of stockinette, k5 on waste yarn for thumb marker, 4 rounds stockinette, 2 rounds 2x2 ribbing, bind off in pattern. Thumb- pick up stitches on sides, and knit 2 rounds. Bind off. Super easy! They fit her 4 year old hands, but my almost 6 year old says they are too small. Oh yes, I used size 6 needles.

Mr. Phineas!

Dead or Alive- well, I wanted dead, my son wanted alive. So here's Mr. Phineas, as he's been named, modeled by my daughter. A few mistakes, but I'm really pleased- he's cute! And was fun! Not quite sure why my tail is turned sideways though- I swear I followed the pattern exactly. Strange, I need to figure it out in case I make another.

Grrr.

So I gave my Dad his hat today... he opens it up and asks "why does it look like a girl's hat?" Then he read the card, and I could've smacked him. All that work, and he has no idea what went into it. I won't make that mistake again. Even "funnier" since he does handmade wood items that he'd flip if someone didn't appreciate. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

In good news, Mr. Phineas, as we've dubbed my son's Fish hat, is off the needles! He only needs the ends woven in, and some eyes, and he'll be good to go! Now I need to decide what else to work on. It feels weird not having any projects on my needles! (other than a hat I started for myself, but am "eh" on, so not counting that LOL)

Norwegian Star hat is done!

I finished the hat up last night, woo! I have a few things I'd do differently, since I really didn't follow the pattern, other than the chart LOL, but overall I'm very pleased with the results. It was fun, and I just hope my Dad likes it (and doesn't lose the hat within ten minutes of wearing it!)

Yay! I made it through the chart, with only one teeny mistake that was easily corrected. I really enjoyed working through it, so this will be the start of more stranded items! I'm glad I taught myself continental and american, so I can use both hands- definitely makes it faster.

Now I need to think about what to make for my niece... she's due in mid-March, and I'd love to try EZ's February sweater. I need to order that handy little book from Amazon soon, or check the local bookstores.

Works in progress:

So I've started the Dead or Alive fist hat from Knitty. I am loving it, and it fits with my sense of humor. I was really hoping my almost 6 yr old would appreciate it too, but he at first said he didn't want it. He wanted a "fishing hat" for SUMMER, with a fish on it. Grrr. Well, we've compromised, and despite my desire to make it a dead fish, he wants a live one... so once I get to that point, I'll work some eyeballs instead of the hilarious black "X's".

I'm also working on a hat for my Dad. He turned 50 earlier this month, and I have no idea what to get him. I decided a nice warm hat was in my budget (God knows I have enough yarn!) So I'm working the Norwegian Star chart - my first attempt with colors, and working a chart! 2 rows into chart now, and I'm enjoying it. Nice first project, definitely.

More projects

Here's my first yarn I spun. Worked up to be majority bulky, with a few thinner spots. Some underspun, underplied, but I was thrilled! Right now I am spinning some gorgeous Chameleon Colorways Merino, and loving it, but alas, it is destined to be bulky weight as well. Sigh. I am in love with these fibers and hope to do them justice when I eventually feel ready to spin them.

Hello!

So I've decided to start a blog to ramble about my yarn/fiber/spinning/crafty addiction. I currently have about 5 projects on my needles, and so many more I want to work on! For now, I'll just post a few of my current projects.

These are booties I made for my 7 month old. Super easy pattern on ravelry- Christine's stay on baby booties, slightly modified. Larger needles, worsted weight yarn, and ribbing on top. Crocheted ties, and we're good to go! Hopefully he'll keep them on- the little stinker loves to pull everything off of his feet. I'm thinking of making a pair of these for my niece who is due in March. I think little pink booties would be adorable, along with a little baby sweater. We'll see- I've only been knitting for a few months, I have a lot to learn!