Busy, Busy, Busy Bee (meaning ME!)

Yay! Another successful couple of weeks (or few?)...I've been trying to get many things (especially knitted items) finished and it's been going well so far (except I keep procrastinating about those damn dragons!).

Before I go into my fun, finished creations, I want to share some pictures from a trip Jackie and I took to go and see Julie/Noolie in Maine. First, we visited the Yarn Basket in Portmouth (where I got some gorgeous Cascade 220 Paints for the amigurumi knits) and then off to see (and hug and squish and hope for more hugs) Clover and Julie.

We had a good hour to play with Clover and I brought her a light-up ball, which seemed to be a hit. Here are some really cute pictures of her with her ball. Though, the first one is a bit more crazy than cute...but I liked the effect that the camera made when I took the picture.



and



After playing (coloring, watching the adorable one dance...), we went over to the Yarn Sellar and shopped for yarn (I got enough yarn to make Ben a new Wallaby and also more Cotton Chenille to make a facecloth), knit on our projects, laughed our heads off and also met up with Heather, who happened to be making a stop there for another errand. Yay! What a super fun day....I had such a great time and can't wait to visit again!



Now...onto the KNITTED STUFF (oh, and one sewing project):

1. A Kitchen Apron that I made using a "Cut, Sew and Go" Reversible Apron kit from Jo-Ann Fabrics. Now, we all know how horrible I am at using a sewing machine (must-take-lessons!), so this entire apron was handsewn by my own little fingers. And, instead of the promised "Make in 1 hour!" slogan, it took me one week. But, that's okay. It came out sooo cute and I love wearing it. It's 100% cotton and washable with pockets on BOTH sides and...the best part...fits me perfectly!



Here is a look on the other side:



2. The Kraken that I made for Tim from the new book that I bought, "Amigurumi Knits", which I have to say is one of the BEST and MOST FUN (and brilliantly designed) pattern book that I've come across in a long time. Not only is every single thing in it adorable, but it's using bits and scraps of Cascade 220 (which I have a lot of) and there is hardly ANY sewing up....everything is either picked up or very quickly and easily sewed. I had so much fun making the Kraken that I'm dying to make more toys.



You can also read more and see more pictures of my Kraken project here on Ravelry.



3. The Hap Blanket from Ysolda Teague's book, "Whimsical Little Knits", which is another fantastic and really fun pattern book...and I have plans to knit everything from it! (Well, at some point!) Here is my version of her Hap Blanket, which was knit up in only 2 weeks....and also while I was knitting on other things. I made some changes because I was going to run out of yarn, but I love how it came out - it is SO squishy soft and beautiful. This would make a truly nice gift for someone's new home or new baby. I was lucky enough to have 3 skeins of Cormo/Silk to use for this (with Heather dyeing up a portion of one skein in her colorway, "Escape" for me!). YUMMMY!



and, you can read more about this project (and see more pictures) on my Ravelry page here.



4. Gaye's Socks are finally done! She's only been waiting for these for 9 months! (ugh!) But, they fit perfectly and she even has some extra Sereknity sock yarn left over for something else. This Berries colorway came out very pretty and I'm so glad that she likes them!



More details on this project on Ravelry here.

Finally, a few more pictures (jeez, this post has too many pictures!!) of the kids and the fireworks we set off on Saturday and Sunday night. I am loving the "fireworks" setting on my Canon camera!



and Ben:



and Tim:



P.S. I'm up to 78 pounds lost and I'm hoping to make 80 by the end of the month or sooner. Yay!!!!!