Spring Update!

Happy Spring, knitting friends!

It's so wonderful to finally see some sunshine and above freezing temperatures here in New Hampshire. The sweet tweets and cheery chirps of the birds always cheers me up. I (finally) took down my outdoor Christmas lights (whoops!) and gave my "Gnome Garden" a cleaning. I hung a pretty twig/flower (fake...d'oh) wreath on my door and cleared the cobwebs from my chimes (eeew). Though the grass is still brown and there is still a small covering of snow on my lawn, I feel spring in the air and I smile every morning :)

I haven't blogged in over 3 months (shame on me!) and so I have A LOT of lovely things to share with you. As you know, I love lists (he he) -

1. Phoebe Mouse and her lovely dress...with her very own Amanda Hat!

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (mouse), Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (dress, ears, face, tail) and Morehouse Merino 3ply (hat)

I had SO much fun knitting this adorable doll! I love all of Joanna Johnson's designs, but this was the very first book that I purchased and it made me super happy to be able to knit Phoebe Mouse. I smile every time I look at her. I want to make a different color dress for every day of the week! As you can see in the pic above, I had a bit too much fun giving Phoebe accessories...lol! (I'm working on her sweater, now...)

You can find the pattern and details for the hat HERE on Ravelry :)

2. Stitch Block Cowl by Purl Soho/Purl Bee (my favorite knitting blog!)

Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3ply (baby blue, cornflower, royal blue)

This cowl came out sooo lovely and soft...I actually wish it was a blanket instead of just a cowl. I want to curl up in it and snuggle all day! The stitch patterns were interesting and challenging to knit...it was never boring. It's amazing that this pattern was free because I would have paid at least $5 for it. Great pattern...beautiful design.

3. Archery Target Hat by Yours Truly

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Cascade 220, Lion Brand Fun Fur (shiver)

An archery friend of mine, Siobhan (who I call "Cinnamon Bun"), saw a hat like this in the crowd while we were at Nationals this year. She asked if I could make her a hat like this one and, of course, I was like "Sure!". After I got home, I realized that I only caught a quick glimpse of it and I had a hard time remembering what it actually looked like. So...I grabbed one of my own targets for reference and added some fun fur. She really liked it and I might write up the pattern that I created for it. (Though, I will probably ditch the fun fur...it was hell to knit with...blargh.)

On a side note, this was the very first time that I attended archery Nationals (45th Anniversary year!) and it was a daunting, but exhilarating experience. I don't know what I would have done without Siobhan guiding me every step of the way...where to have my bow checked or where to stand or where to sign up, etc. OMG...Crazytown Central! But, everyone was soo nice, encouraging and helpful. I've only been an archer for a little under 2 years and I had set a goal of 700/1200 for the weekend (only SUPER talented archers get over 1000). Surprisingly, I reached 752 with (7) 10s over the weekend and I was satisfied with that for my first time. I was nervous that I would be the very last in my category (Olympic Women's Senior Recurve) for the nation...but...I am only 6th from last! lol! Next year, I will get a MUCH better score...I know it :) Here is a pic of Siobhan and I (wearing our team shirts) at Nationals...

Our Team - Archery in Motion (AIM)

(Can you see how much shorter I am compared to the teen girls?? Oh, goodness!)

Nationals shooting area -

4. Follow Your Arrow Shawl by Ysolda

Yarn: Wild Hare Fibers Galaxy Laceweight (Baltic colorway...with beautiful silver sparkle!)

The design that I chose was BABBA...and I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Not only was the pattern extremely well written (a signature of Ysolda's incredible designs), but the yarn was scrumptious! Gorgeous blue, silver sparkle, super soft merino...what else could you ask for?? I was able to knit this shawl AND a pair of my Veronica Earrings and I still had lots of yarn left over. I'm not sure what I'll do with the leftovers yet (besides rubbing it on my cheek)...any ideas?

5. My Year in Temperature Scarf

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (many colorways)

This is an ongoing (obviously) knitting project that my friend, Lora, came up with at our annual ManchVegas Knitting weekend. We all modified a design that was on Ravelry for this scarf and created our own temperature charts/colors. At our annual knitting weekend at the end of this year, we're going to bring our scarves and take pictures of them...and admire all the unique styles. I can't wait! It's actually something I look forward to every single day. I check my weather app, note the time and temperature (and any other notes I wish) in my journal and then knit the section for the day. You can find more details about my personal scarf/directions HERE on Ravelry.

6. The REST of the Projects

Links: I might as well share pics of the rest of the projects that I've finished since the last time I blogged, right? :D

Adelaide Yoke Pullover

Roxy Fox Hat (pink version)

(The ones below aren't publicly shared from Ravelry because I couldn't get the link to work...darn it.)

Bunny

Roxy Fox Hat (original version)

Amanda Hat with Pom Pom

Felted Clogs

Bearded Beanie

Chevron Missoni Blanket

What are YOU working on right now? Are you loving it? Hating it? Do you have starteritis or knitter's gloom?


7. Adventures with Barnes & Noble

I am still in the process of finding a distributor or wholesaler so that I can sell my Wonderlace book at Barnes & Noble. It may not happen, but I'm going to give it a little while longer. Primarily, the main reason for the delay is this - if you have self-published a book, it is much more difficult to find a company that will agree to be the "middle man" to sell your book to the "big boys" (aka Barnes & Noble, etc). So, even though Barnes & Noble WANTS to buy at least 20 copies of Wonderlace, I can't sell to them directly (though I still don't know why this is so). It's all incredibly confusing and no one seems very interested in helping you along or writing things out clearly. I'm an educated person, but some of these websites are CRAZZZZY! Also, opening up an account with a distributor costs many hundreds of dollars AND the companies take a large percentage of your wholesale profit...which, in the end (according to my calculations), might mean that I would earn approximately $1 off each Wonderlace book. It's very frustrating. Le sigh.

If all fails, I have the option of becoming a vendor and selling my book online through B&N. At least that's something. Despite all of this, I am optimistic. Wish me luck! lol

In case you were wondering (which I know you were...he he), here are some of places where you can purchase my Wonderlace (and possibly Dreamscape) books. My book - with a lovely skein of yarn - would make a fantastic Mother's Day gift...or birthday gift, etc. I am always happy to sign and/or personalize a book, too :)

Amazon.com (book only)

Etsy (book, pdf or sets)

My App (pdf only)

My Website (pdf only)

Yarn Stores*: Patternworks, Elegant Ewe, The Spotted Sheep Shoppe, Twill, The Knitting Studio, Knitting Knook, The Yarn Sellar (book only)

*If you would like to see my books at your LYS, please send them my information and have them request a wholesale account for Wonderlace & Dreamscape...there is free shipping on orders over $100*

As always, I would LOVE LOVE to hear from you (via comments, emails, etc) and please send your email to me (gina@ginahouse.net) if you would like to sign up for my Sleepy Eyes Knits Newsletter...which I'm just starting up.

Don't forget to join my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page and my Twitter account, too! (I only need a couple more followers to make 100!) I share almost daily updates, projects, designs, contents, gift giveaways and inspiring knitting ideas. How can you go wrong? lol

Hope you're having a wonderful day and many hugs to you!!! xoxoxo

Gina :)

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!!!!!

I knew that being patient would come in handy someday....and an FO.

Guess what??



BEN CAN KNIT!!!!



And I didn't help him at all....which I did before...I used to hold his hands while I explained what to do. But, today, as I was finishing up Tim's Felted Clogs - he wanted to do it on his own!!



I can't tell you how excited I am. I've always wanted to be the one to teach my children "crafty" things...like painting, drawing, sewing, knitting, etc. But, so far, Tim has only been interested in drawing and painting. (It also helps that both Ian's mother and sister are professional artists!)

Finally, one of my sons has taken up knitting! (Though, I can only hope that his interest will continue to grow...) Yippppeeeee.......!

And, now for the long awaited FO:

Tim's Felted Clogs

Yarn: Cascade 220 in black and two shades of red (colors #8414, 8895 and 8555), 4 skeins total
Pattern: Fiber Trends' "Felted Clogs"
Size: Men's medium
Needle: US 13 (20 and 32" circ - I used Addi Turbos)
Time: Took about 4.5-5 hours (of actual knitting time) per slipper and I'm not sure if I'll be adding the full suede soles this time because of how irritating it was to sew them on the last time. I'm thinking of trying those suede pieces, instead. Started on 1/20/09 and finished (with knitting, felting and felting more) 1/30/09.
Fun Level: B+ (I liked this pattern very much. It was clearly written, even though it was a bit complicated at parts. Once you make one slipper, the next one is a breeze. I was having trouble knitting the toe/instep part at around row 38/39, but I finally figured out that it's not the pattern that's wrong - it was me thinking that I could talk or listen to someone while doing those short rows. He he)

Slippers Unfelted:


Slippers Felted:


Sooo glad that I'm done with these because I'm about to start a new baby outfit in a beautiful white DK wool for a gift. Once this outfit is done, I can work on finishing GiGi's socks - and then there will be no more knitting for anyone else but MEEEE! (think horrible, horrible cackling here....)

I also wanted to share with you the absolutely COOLEST thing that I bought about a month ago. If you're on Flickr, you might have already seen the MOO printing services. If not, go check them out. I ordered a pack of stickers and a pack of mini cards, which were printed with pictures from my Flickr account. I haven't gotten the mini cards yet, but the stickers came today, and THEY ARE TOO TOO AWESOME AND ADORABLE!!!

Look at this!


And this!


And this!! (a few free ones on the front page)


I have no idea what I'll do with these yet, but my Moleskine journal is begging to be decorated!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh, p.s.....I'm up to just about 40 pounds lost in 16 weeks (on Wed) and I'm feeling really great. Will try to get Ian to take a pic of me so I can post it. I've dropped about 20 inches from my thighs, arms, waist and hips and a couple of clothes sizes. I'm doing Wii Fit pretty much every day for at least 30-40 minutes and doing yoga every single day. It's soo exciting and I hope to get to a 50 pound weight loss by my birthday in May. Wish me luck!!

When is it MY turn???

Hi you! I know...I've been pretty lazy about blogging lately.

I feel as if there are these weird excuses priorities for knitting, like:

ONE: Find pattern
TWO: Find yarn
THREE: Knit item
FOUR: Admire/wear/share item
FIVE: Find time to take pictures of item
SIX: Swear profusely when you can't get a good picture of item. (Apologize to children for swearing)
SEVEN: Remember to load pictures of item to computer, once you find your camera AND camera cord (This sometimes takes days)
EIGHT: Post item on Ravelry...after many side-tracked hours of pattern-surfing.
NINE: Go to Blogger and attempt to finally share a new blog post (which is usually at least 1-2 weeks behind), but get side-tracked (AGAIN!) in reading friends blogs.
TEN: After much effort, getting to the "Create New Post" area and listing 10 reasons why you haven't posted until now.

Pretty clever, huh?

So, now that I've done my necessary blabbering, I will show you a new FO (woo-hoo!!) and share some other stuff, too. Most of it is pretty interesting, too! Imagine that!

Ian's Felted Clogs

Yarn: Cascade 220 in a dark gray #8400
Pattern: Fiber Trends' "Felted Clogs"
Needle: US 13 (20 and 32" circ - I used Addi Turbos)
Time: Took about 4.5-5 hours (of actual knitting time) per slipper, not counting the sewing on of the suede sole (which took 1 hour total for both). Started on 1/ 06/09 and finished (with knitting, felting, felting more, and sewing up of both) 1/17/09.
Fun Level: B+ (I liked this pattern very much. It was clearly written, even though it was a bit complicated at parts. Once you make one slipper, the next one is a breeze. The only two things I didn't like were making 2 soles and sewing on of the suede sole - that was a pain in the a**!)

Picture of the slipper in progress:



Picture of the unfelted slipper on my hubby:



Pictures of the slippers on him:



He really loves them and has been wearing them since I finished them. They're a little big in the toe area (a little too wide) but, other than that, perfect!



Now...I'm working on a pair for Tim! (Black with red trim)

I just bought a number of skeins of yarn this week...I know, I know...I don't need them! But, I've had more requests for knitted items and I just can't say "no". (This is a weak point of mine.)

Let me share with you my yummy yarns:

1. 2 Skeins of Malabrigo (for Armando and Amanda Hats!) and 1 skein of Berroco Comfort in red.



2. 1 skein of Berroco Comfort in teal and 1 skein of Jojoland 100% cashmere laceweight in the most beautiful blue in the world!!



The Comfort yarn is for this: Hai-Riyo Dragon! (Rav link) One for each of my boys- and I bought some matching Berroco Lumina (sparkle, sparkle!) yarn for the dragon-y accents.

Since the beginning of December 2008 (so...about a month), I've been working on a number of items of other people:

-The "Branching Out" scarf for my mom's boss
-My dad's crocheted (acrylic!!) blanket
-Felted Tote for Felice
-Knitted Flower washcloth for Tim's piano teacher
-Felted Clogs for Ian and Tim
-Knitted socks using Sereknity yarn for Gigi (in exchange for a gorgeous pink, angora crocheted scarf!)
-Lace sample for the yarn store

And, I'm asking myself...."When is it MY turn???" When will I finally be done knitting things for others so I can knit for me??? I know this sounds horribly selfish, but knitting starts to become more like a chore than fun at some point. I DID get to knit a couple of things that I wanted to since December...like:

-My Mr. Flurry snowman (Rav link)
-A design item that I sent in
-Bella's Mittens (Rav link....oooh, see pics below -these were VERY fun!!)



AND...I have a baby sweater to knit (which I'm actually kinda excited about because it's soo cute!) for my mom's boss' daughter's baby-to-be - which is due late Feb.

Will I finish everything?? Will I end up having a nervous breakdown before then? Stay tuned for the results.... (he he)

P.S. Weight Watchers Update: 37.5 pounds total in 14 weeks!! I'm very excited. I've been doing yoga every day and also working out on the Wii Fit 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I'm trying not to eat too many snacks in between meals and still following some of the Flat Belly Diet rules along with my WW rules and points. I'm drinking TONS of water and eating TONS of vegetables -which, to me, is hard to do in the winter. Must-keep-gooooooiiiinnnng!!!!!

The Armando Hat, A Felted Bag and Me

A new free pattern! A felted bag (though not so new) and Me! Woo-hoo!

It's been almost 2 weeks (more?) since I've blogged. I feel like I'm having a hard time keeping up with my blogging, holiday knitting, Facebook (ugh...something else to get addicted to!), Ravelry and the couple of swaps I'm involved with. Anyone else feel the same? I think about cloning myself, but...well...I just couldn't do that to the world. One of me is PLENTY! (poor Ian)

First, an update on my never-ending food deprivation torture weight loss. (If this bores you, please scroll down to more important, yarn-y things below. It's fine...I don't mind!) I'm up to just over 22 pounds as of last Wednesday in 6 weeks. I'm still feeling motivated (which is a relief), but still get bogged down in thinking about how much MORE I want to lose - and how long it might take me. Sigh. It's a difficult thing - especially when your family is munching on pizza, chips and dip, apple cider and donuts and other delicious stuff. Ian, bless him, has been extremely supportive and cheers me every time I lose (even if it's only 1.8 pounds, like last week) and tells me how nice I look. (Love you, honey) I also wanted to say a very large and squeezy "Thank you" to everyone who commented on the last post - oh, all of those lovely words, compliments and support. You guys are THE BEST!

Second, The Armando Hat!!!



A free pattern that compliments The Amanda Hat pattern perfectly. I got a few requests for child size hats (check Ravelry for inspiration) and some for a more masculine Amanda hat. So, I came up with this. The first hat was named after the awesome and lovely Blogless Amanda (PandaPoison on Ravelry if you want to compliment and/or ravish her...he he), so I thought it would only be appropriate to name the male version of that hat after someone in her family -which would be Uncle Armando.

(Vibrant Orange is good for hunting/geocaching/hiking men:)


The pattern offers three sizes: beanie (small), medium, and full (large) - they're all the same in circumference, but differ in the length from the top of the head down. Beanie doesn't quite cover the ears, while the full covers the ears nicely. You can make 2 hats from only 1 skein of Malabrigo - buy here at Yarnzilla.com - two medium or one beanie/one full. Makes a perfect gift for your husband, brother, boyfriend, nephew, etc. and you can make a set for your favorite couple - guy/gal-Armando/Amanda hats.

The back of the hat:


You like? (Here is the link for the pattern on Ravelry)

Third, an FO! (Meant to be posted last Friday...or actually 2 weeks ago on Friday!)

DETAILS:

Pattern: Felted Tote by Two Old Bags (Rav Link)
Yarn: Cascade 220 (4 shades of green)
Needles: Addi Turbo 10.5 (circs)
Fun Level: A- (Finished it in a little over or under 1 week and is a very easy and enjoyable knit. This is actually my second tote bag using this pattern. The first I knit 3 years ago using Manos (must remember to put on Ravelry!). Only thing I didn't like so much was that I decided to stripe the bag (using the Fibonacci sequence) and that made for a LOT of ends to sew up. And also the straps took forever. But, besides that, I loved making it and I love how it came out. It's for my sister-in-law, Felice, for her holiday gift.

Before Felting:


The final touch was a pewter turtle button that I bought at Yarn and Fiber (last one!) for only $5 or so! I think it totally makes the bag - ka-pow!



Finally, a sneak peek of the "Branching Out" lace scarf I'm making -it's slow going but very nice so far! I'm using Filatura di Crosa's Superior in a steel gray (50% brushed cashmere/50% silk):



How was your Thanksgiving holiday??